“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32).

Big dreams.  Grand desires.  Huge plans.  I suppose most everyone has them.  And I bet we all want them by breakfast tomorrow.  But it doesn’t happen that way does it?

To get the big whatever, we gotta work through thousands of small whatevers. 

It all starts with the small stuff.

have you seen lifechurch.tv’s YouVersion online bible?  it’s pitched as “a revolutionary online bible that enables community and collaboration like never before.”  it’s true!!!  you can read the bible in one window, make personal notes in another, and read what other people are saying about the same passage in yet another window.  and they’re still adding more cool features… go here to see it.

the fact of the matter is, i’m an idealist.  you’d never know it if you read my mess of a biography, but i am.  i’m off the charts… probably pathological.  it’s frustrating.

the funky crazy thing though is that even though i have not lived up to my ideals, i still believe.  i haven’t given up.  i still radically erratically pursue perfection.  and in some sense, i’m way okay with that.  i think it’s because The Ideal is deep within my heart, written into my dna.

is anyone else tracking with me here?

how do i fix this thing which is perhaps not even broken?

i’ve had my eyes open for some new sunglasses lately.  today, while i was perusing the multitude of options on the rack at sam’s, it occured to me: it’s amazing how we all see the world around us (and even within us) via the glasses we wear.  the lenses influence. 

some people, like the guy on the commercial i just saw, see the world in shades of purple.  the lenses are tinted.
some see a cloudy world… because they bought “inexpensive” specs at the corner convenience store.
some see things with more sharpness… due to the polariod optics poised upon their nose.

and then there’s the folks with prescription glasses.  they supposedly see the world perfectly, 20/20.

but do they?  do any of us?    

to see things as they really are, without glare or fuzziness, i think we all need some sort of corrective lenses.

but does that mean i should wear your glasses and then everything will be clear?
or should you wear mine?
or should we wear someone elses?

or… should we seek to see the world through the eyes of Christ? 

if i did, maybe the glare of your pride wouldn’t blind me to what’s really motivating you… and i could see past that… and we could connect… in Christ.
or the fuzziness of me would become more clear to you and you could help me… and we could connect… in Christ.
or the chronic nearsightedness known as selfishness could be conquered…  and we could connect… in Christ.
…and we could connect… with Christ.

if we each saw the world through the lenses of the Lord, that would surely clear up some things.

i wish doing that was as easy as putting on my glasses…

“Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:25, NIV).

 

Before we can pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we have to be able to pray, “My kingdom go.”

And thus sets in the separation anxiety…

I went to church this evening… without leaving the dinner table.

www.lifechurch.tv

I went to the live service at the Internet Campus.

When you click in, you can pick which worship leader/service you want to attend.
Then, other people sit on your pew/row/whatever… and talk to you… via chat.
The notes for the message are right there… and you can add your own notes…
As the band sings the songs, the album covers come up… and you can buy the CDs…
Lots of streaming media…
And they have actual physical campuses around the country too…

If my life is so interesting to you…
So much so that you just yo gabba gabba about it all the day long… with any set of ears that will listen… and there are apparently many…
Then let’s just switch.
You can have my life and I will take yours.
You can have all the struggle and pain that I managed to muster for myself… and you can have all the gut kicking, breath stealing, OMG, quality garbage you are dumping on me… with your careless lips and prima donna nonprima Christlike attitude…

On second thought, I don’t want to switch.  I would rather have my mess. 

(Anybody else out there smell what I’m cooking?  I think I might of burned that one.  Step away from the stove…)

((This is definitely a genre or two away from my regular stuff, but it all went through my head.  If the honesty offends, I do apologize.  Maybe I’ll delete this.  Maybe if I read the Bible, I’ll find someone who felt the same… someone like Paul…)) 

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB).

So there you are in that passage standing before God.  He is looking you over, inspecting you, your heart, and your ability to handle His message.  It seems to me that if you have been cooperating with Him and His training plan for some time, you could stand firm.  Yes, I am aware that God is walking your way to size you up by His standards.  Let’s get real though: Would He tell you to do something that couldn’t be done?  If He says to be diligent so that you can be approved… then it’s doable. 

You’ve been through the trials.  You’ve learned.  You’ve made corrections, improved, strengthened, and proven yourself thus far.  You were diligent. 

Maybe it’s like one of those military movies.  You know, the ones where the drill sergeant rides the new recruits hard, pressing them to their limits.  Sometimes, a recruit falters at getting over the wall or falls face first in that massive mud hole.  By the end of the movie though, he’s making it.  His personal confidence is building… and his sergeant is proud.

I’m not saying God is a drill sergeant, but maybe he does push us.  Maybe He does expect diligence. 

And when we show up, He honors us with approval.  Can you imagine that?  God’s approval of you? 

If you are diligent, you will not need to be ashamed, and God will honor you with His approval.

Isn’t that what the verse says?

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB).

So, okay, God says through Paul to Timothy and the rest of us to be diligent.  In absolute context, the command to be diligent is directed towards those who teach, “the word of truth.”  Straight up though, every Christian teaches someone somehow every day, for better or for worse.  Whether you’re a preacher, small group leader, or Jill in the workplace, you teach.  So… be diligent.  As the wise cliche goes, “You may be the only Bible some people ever read.”

A verse:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, NASB).

A definition:
Diligent: constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything; done or pursued with persevering attention; painstaking.

The application to your life:
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