The process begins when one of the two sides inwardly perceives a call to come back together. Reconciling, in earnest, is then a possibility. Yet the inward call, or tug of the heart, means nothing unless it is followed by the action of a face-to-face meeting. Desire alone is not enough. This action enables the possibility for the tent pegs to be removed, the tent to be folded, and the position to be left behind – the first steps for a full and lasting reconciliation.

42. The road to true wisdom.
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The road to true wisdom. We freely use such words as, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, to describe the process of intellectual growth. Could these words also say something to us about the process of heart-growth?

None doubt that intellectual growth takes time and is step-wise: understanding is gradually added to knowledge and later further development may turn it into what could be described as wisdom. The possibility for knowledge begins when we take in raw sense data by listening, reading, or seeing. Data organized is information capable of becoming knowledge – a fund of acquired fact and experience. Understanding brings together interrelated bits of knowledge. And finally, wisdom adds value to understanding by relating it to one's past, present, and future. Yet I pose the idea that this conceptual schema is false. There is no such thing as the development of purely intellectual wisdom.

Along the road to true wisdom lay God. With each of these (knowledge, understanding, and wisdom) there is more. Have we ever thought of spiritually-guided listening or seeing? Can data be organized into information under an anointing of God? Can full knowledge, understanding, and true wisdom come without their spiritual component? I think not, do you?

3. Don't let your emotions control you.
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Don't let your emotions control you. The book of Proverbs describes three types of people: simple, scorner, and fool. We think of the simple as mentally weak or dull and the scorner as an arrogant sort who looks down upon someone else. The fool is a know-it-all who believes his take on the situation is "it" – the final word. Deceived by pride, he regards himself as needing no help or input to succeed.

What do the simple, scorner, and fool have in common? It's not too little or faulty thinking. Or even an arrogant attitude. Rather it is that each allows out-of-control emotion to drive them into action. The simple love without discernment; scorners delight in raising themselves above others through denigration; and fools hate to consider a realm of knowledge, both earthly and spiritual, that lies beyond their comprehension and ability. Love, delight, and hate, very powerful emotions which can determine much of what we are and what we shall become.

44. Response, not reaction.
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Response, not reaction. Jesus began His earthly ministry with some rather dramatic miracles. Some believed in Him after these personal encounters – a perfectly reasonable reaction. Yet He knew something about them: when they returned home, most would fall away and some would even betray Him with a venomous fervor. How could this happen? History and human nature prove that single emotional reactions rarely lead to the continual response needed to produce a changed life.

I don't think we're all that much different from the men and women who lived then. The issue is how do we sustain the will power needed to daily serve God? It is the fresh supply of spiritual water from the previous day's time with God that enables us to respond rightly and over the long haul.

Jesus ached inside knowing that most wouldn't make a lasting commitment to God. And today, God waits patiently for our response, a response judged not through the words we might speak but by the future spiritual fruit we will bear. Jesus understood the limits of experience and that people are drawn to God through other people. Yet ultimately the choice to follow Him rests in their hands, not ours.

71. Don't carry a load, bear a burden.
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Don't carry a load, bear a burden. Is a burden simply the load an animal carries? The animal's load is deemed valuable or necessary enough to the owner to take the trouble and expense to transport it. Perhaps a load becomes our burden when we agree to carry it for someone else--their unmet need. This is a "load" that hasn't yet been brought to the place where it belongs -- where the need can be satisfied. Until then the "load" is undelivered and the need remains unresolved.

God calls us to bear one another's load--people's burdens. We are an interconnected body of people who should both hurt and delight together. Jesus tells us to "take His yoke upon us ... and we shall find rest for our souls." (Matt 11:29, paraphrase). We are also asked to "roll" our burdens onto Him. Yet more often than not we're unsuccessful usually because we've attempted to bear the whole weight of the burden ourselves. A yoke shares the burden by binding two animals together so that they might share the work of pulling the plow. Both the work and the responsibility are lightened. "Rolling" a burden upon the Lord urges us to consider the image of an ancient time when all goods were transported by wagon. All of us know that it is easier to roll a heavy load than to drag it. Spiritual burdens too must submit to these practical principles; otherwise the mental pressure becomes too great and we're sure to react in emotional and unproductive ways.

Embrace the familiar
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Embrace the familiar. We tend to despise or denigrate the familiar--what is
always around us. The natural mind always looks for a supernatural manifestation as proof that God is here. Jesus' typical day-to-day ministry was undoubtedly rather mundane. I believe if it were viewed through the eyes of first-hand observers, it would have appeared to be mostly human work without much of the divine mark. The dramatic scenes we've all come to associate with the sense of God showing up were rare interruptions. Can I embrace the familiar and seemingly non-miraculous ways which God shows His care, concern, and power to me?

All have left me.
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All have left me. All who serve God wholeheartedly must expect some type of aloneness. No life is spared the experience of relational challenges, even the extremely heartbreaking ones of desertion by friends or family. Yet with every leaving there is a staying. Have you stayed put when others have gone? Or did you go because it was too painful to stay? Was this choice of yours made with or without asking God?

The crux is this: If God has told you to stay, do it. Steadfastness means staying planted regardless of the hurt or problem. One stays and rejoices in that staying only if faith inside speaks assurance that there's a point to it. Any other stance leaves our heart unprotected by the whims of fortune. Trust never doubts His loving care for us. And even if the reasons for our current turmoil fail to come. Even if we never fully understand it in this life, faith must say, "So be it, for He loves me still."

Are organizations of God?
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Are organizations of God? It depends: some are and some clearly are not. Yet I know for certain that God loves organizations. He created the most important one on earth--the body of Messiah. His body--those who have embraced the teachings and personage of His Messiahship--is intended to be a collective group effort toward advancing God's plan for mankind. His body, composed of individual people, is the divinely-fashioned place where we fill the role that God intends for us. God's kingdom on earth moves forward when people learn how to work together.

Yet because any organization or congregation is a collective effort of people it's impossible for them to become unlinked from individual human frailty. Everyone is not equally submitted to God. And not all follow Him with all their heart and soul. God willingly limits His power by allowing each one to choose for themselves whether to submit, not submit, or sometimes submit to Him. The result is that all organizations, whether religious or secular, are irreparably flawed.

Don't stop working together with others. This is God's will for us, despite the problems. Remember, we all serve God in "earthen vessels." We are flawed people, living in a flawed and wounded world; yet we serve an unflawed God. May He help us to humbly draw closer to Him and love one another in truth and harmony.

The futility of fame.
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The futility of fame. To some extent, we miss it spiritually when we're looking for some way to have a lasting remembrance by men. I'm not against people desiring some degree of recognition and appreciation for their work, yet the craving for fame, is definitely the wrong direction to go. God desires a people for Himself--those who love Him more than anyone or anything in this world.

Our attitude toward fame, recognition, and appreciation usually says something about our thoughts on death. Fame is a recognition of some achievement by a significant number of people. I believe that most would like to be remembered after death, at least by their own family. Fame deceives one into believing that a legacy of some sort will provide a way for us to live on in memory if not in actuality. Whatever your achievement, it's 99.99% certain that within two to three generations you'll be forgotten by those who held you in esteem in the first place.

There is another way--the path of faith. We can be 100% certain to be eternally remembered by the one who really counts--God. He is the gatekeeper into the eternal realm. If you let your faith govern all of your behavior in this life, you'll be assured of your rightful place in the next.

Goals.
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Goals. Oswald Chambers wrote, "We imagine that we have to reach some end, but that is not the nature of spiritual life." I'll begin by self-disclosing; I'm a goal-oriented person. So what do I do with such a meditation? My first inclination is to reject it. But I can't since there's definitely truth here.

I naturally look to the next goal, the pinnacle to reach for. And when I've reached it, I usually find a new goal or create one. Is there something wrong with such behavior? Perhaps.
Goals are simply the markers that can be seen on the side of the road, our life's path. They tell you where you are. Goals themselves are neither spiritual nor non-spiritual. Yet when we allow a goal to become an idol--anyone or anything that replaces God as the first love of your heart--it becomes unhealthy and unspiritual. The only one who knows their true nature in a particular situation is the one setting the goal.

Look inside. If you've created any goal-idols, I'd suggest you do some reprioritizing. If you're not sure, ask God and then do what He says. I've found that when I'm not daily hearing the voice of the Lord it's easy to fall into a goal-orientation. The goal becomes an earthly and soulish replacement for a vital, moment-to-moment intimacy with Him. Sure you might be doing great work. And others may even see it as very spiritual or very sacrificial. Yet believe me, it doesn't mean much to God unless birthed and daily sustained by His Spirit.