Better.

What do I ultimately pursue: A better life or a better hope?

A better life?

Do what you should and you get what you want. This is deadly appealing. That "should" is slippery evil. That "should" is tricky predictable. That "should" is devilishly appealing. Of course, a moral God will always reward good behavior, right? Job probably has some thoughts about that. What I like is an orderly world that I can effectively use. What is that meant to mean? It means, I am in control. And I like that. There is an "A" that leads to a "B". Figure out what "A" is and do it and you'll get "B" every time....the better life that you want. This is a path towards trying to make life work for ourselves. But here's what's tricky about that. I can't pull that off all the time. Living life always trying to figure out what the "A" is , is exhausting. It creates pressure. A life of pressure. Are you aware of any kind of pressure like that in you? Hmmmm.

A better hope?

God plants desire in you to value Him over His blessings. Value His presence over stuff. Value first things over second things. And you're invited to live messily and mysteriously in that desire. Messily and Mysteriously! Sounds great huh? Not so much. No wonder we wouldn't choose it on our own. That's why He plants it in us. Somehow He equips us for messy and mysterious. That's not saying that we love it so much all the time. Somehow we are aware that we are hemmed in to staying in the messy and the mysterious and not running like hell instead of being in the messy mystery. And what happens? It takes me out of control. Oooo. Easy boy, careful. And it gives me freedom from always having to find the "A". Rest from finding the "A". I have been found already. Intriguing. Exhilarating even. A life of messy mystery that is hopeful. Hmmmmm.

I wrote the above two paragraphs in 2017. I woke up this morning thinking about them. Oh the pull of the better life. Maybe this is a foreign language. Maybe this is your mother tongue. Figure out what "A" is. The amount of time, energy, money, thought, tears, currency unimaginable invested in figuring out what the "A" is that will deaden the deadly discontent is unfathomable. It slithers in the crevice of every corner of every street of every dirt road of every mansion of every shanty of every heart. It's one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time. Murder..... mystery. We struggle so much to live in a mystery that whispers of a hope that embers now and consumes later. So we kill it. We kill mystery. My weapon? Find the "A" that will lead to the "B" of my choosing. Making life work for me. The best, mystery-less path. Murder mystery and then manage.

Then one of the Bible writers writes these words to the Hebrews. "A better hope is introduced by which we draw near to God." I can almost imagine the most hideous, crushingly loud, shuddering evil hiss of hysteria as those words invade the atmosphere of hearts. Evil longs for the propagation of the better life of finding the "A". It's a devilish drug and evil knows it. So they'll plant the hellishly subtle thought that what it is actually saying is that a better life is introduced by which we draw near to God. They can hardly utter the thought of those last 4 words, but they're willing for it to be said while they claw their fingernails in the chalkboard. They bear with The Name as long as the route to drawing near to... drawing near to... well... Him, is satanically sabotaged with better life drippings.

Look around. Does this seem real? This is the war that rages in our midst. The war of a better life vs. a better hope.

And what of you and I as we encounter the whisper of a hope that embers now and consumes later?

Have you encountered that whisper?

Are you running?

Are you curious?

Are you bored?

What do I ultimately pursue: A better life or a better hope?

God hope oxygen.

Ember.

God hope oxygen.

Ember.

God hope oxygen.

Ember.

How long O Lord?

Consuming fire.

There's more.