Stay Awake: Community vs. Isolation
There are battles going on in and around us aimed at us not staying awake in the kingdom of God! We are urged to be on our guard and be alert for the return of Jesus….but all hell sets itself against us staying awake. All hell battles against it.
The enemys tactic is to keep us all isolated away from each other, whether we think we’re isolated or not. The devil loves this tactic. There are ways that we think that we are together, but it’s actually completely part of an illusion that keeps us continually isolated away from each other. It's hard to admit. So much shallow relating with each other lands us in a place of fake community. We think we're together in community, but the devil is heard softly laughing his evil laugh. We settle a lot. I settle a lot.
My friend Larry calls it shallow coping. The chaos of my heart within and the chaos of the world without is so chaotic that I relate in such a way as to help me feel good in the face of the chaos. It usually involves us relating just enough so as to not cause anyone alarm that I'm not OK and ends up promoting a feeling of community that doesn't really have much root in it.
(Not sure I really wanted to write any of this this morning....but it's coming...)
This is not our heritage! Our heritage is the relating of the Trinity! Father loves Son. Son loves Father. Spirit accentuates both! Holy, communal relating. It's what we are born from. It's what we will ultimately marry into. And it's what we're practicing in between the dreaming and the coming true. (Those last words are my favorite book title from Robert Benson).
What is that heritage? In all the chaos, I need to be reminded.
Our community is birthed from the Trinity and is a beautiful, strong fabric. The threads of that fabric are....
1. Intimacy- a deep, abiding, tender, affectionate belonging. (John 17:20-23)
2. Joy- God really enjoys being God and it spills over into/onto us. (John 17:13, Hebrews 12:2)
3. Serving- Made Himself nothing. Who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)
4. Purity- No twistedness, no deceit, no manipulation, no dirtiness. Clean. Whole. Absolute purity. Radiant fire, purifying everything in its path. (John 15:3)
5. Power- Immeasurable power. Holding a six sextillion ton (6 with 21 zeros after it) spinning planet in place and infusing the same power that raised Jesus from the dead into us. (Isaiah 40:26, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:5,8)
6. Creative- Endless, stunning creativity. Like coming to earth through the womb of a virgin and like overcoming death by letting death first overcome Him. (Genesis 1:26-27)
7. Peace- Trinity never panics, is never immobilized by fear, is never worried. There is invitation to be still and know Him. (Psalm 46:10)
Beautiful, strong heritage, this community. We want this. We really do. As we long for this community, love in this community and learn about this community....it shuts the mouth of the enemy. And our hearts flourish. It's real. They really do flourish.
To be continued.
There's more.