How Did I Allow That for So Long?
I was pleasantly going about my breakfast routine in the kitchen when suddenly that routine was interrupted by a startling realization. I looked to my left and noticed that there was no wall plate on the double receptacle near our cooktop. Here’s the evidence …
Have I noticed this before? Absolutely – many times. Has my wife brought this situation to my attention? Absolutely – enough times without remedy that she has stopped mentioning it. So, what made this instance of noticing different? I stood there staring at that receptacle and soberingly realized that it had been that way for approximately 4 years and 7 months. Don’t judge me.
I have a dear friend who often talks about being home blind. Years ago, when I worked on his church staff, he would walk with us outside looking at parking lots, sidewalks, landscaping, condition of buildings, signage, etc. He would then walk with us inside to look at the hallways, meeting spaces, ceilings, trim boards, lighting, signage, storage, etc. During these walks, we were to ask ourselves an important question: what do I not see any more that someone new will see immediately?
Scripture
Philippians 1:3-11
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (NIV)
Points to Ponder
· Some aspects of our lives can be a little like that receptacle without a wall plate. Without attention, something that God designed to be whole, can remain incomplete for days, months, years, even decades. These are the areas where we know we should act but, for whatever set of reasons, we have not done so. Please, let me contrast these with areas where we are actively cooperating with the Holy Spirit but have not reached wholeness yet. There’s a significant difference.
· There is joy in the process of completion. This joy emanates from those areas where we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the process. We may not be made complete yet but we're in the process. Paul expresses the joy that he experiences as he remembers the church body meeting at Philippi. They have apparently been faithful to him from the first that they heard the gospel until the present.
· I believe shame and guilt can result from incompleteness. These emanate from areas where we know action is needed but we are taking little or none. While not implied by this scripture, whether we are cognizant of these places of incompleteness or not, they are still weighty, hindersome strongholds.
· We are to be confident in the one who began the good work. Oftentimes, we are tempted to place confidence in ourselves, in our ability and will to bring this work to completion. This reminds me of the apostle Paul’s words in chapter 3 where he counts all the reasons he could put confidence in the flesh as rubbish that he may know Christ and gain the efficacious righteousness through faith in Christ rather than an ineffective and limited righteousness on his own (Philippians 3:3-9).
· This process of completion that God is working in us is love abounding in knowledge and depth of insight. This love abounding more and more is resulting in discerning what is best in becoming pure and blameless and filled with the righteousness that comes through Christ. Love is not the goal; it is the foundation.
41 Cents Application
Take those 4 coins in your pocket each day this week to represent those receptacles missing wall plates. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight to you any places where Jesus provided for wholeness, but you’ve settled for less. You’ve lived in this house of relationship with Christ for some time now and have grown home blind to some things. No longer! Each time the Holy Spirit highlights something to you, take the first action in response to his prompting. Each time you do, transfer a coin. I am believing that joy will break forth in you through this process of completion.
Prayer
Father, your joy is our strength. Among other ways, we find joy in the process of the completing work you’ve begun in us. We count our reasons to put confidence in the flesh as nothing that we may know you and the power of your resurrection. You are the one in whom we place our confidence. In you, our love will abound more and more. In the name of Jesus, the one in whom I forget what is behind and press on toward the mark, AMEN!
p.s. I will be headed to the hardware store to purchase wall plates. Please ask me toward the end of the week if this task is complete.