FOOD!

Another culinary pièce de résistance from the kitchen of my good friends, the Morgans. Chocolate chip-pecan-coconut pie.

Chocolate! Drool-worthy. Lick-inducing. Bite-delicious.

Chocolate! Theobroma cacao. That’s the plant that gives us the good stuff. The first word denoting the genus of this precious plant means “Food of the gods”. Amen! “Theobromine” is an alkaloid in cocoa and chocolate, a stimulant with mood-elevating effects. Another equally invigorating, but minor, constituent is “Anandamide”—from the Sanskrit, ananda = bliss!

If you didn’t know it already, let me tell you that it is not chocolate, theobromine, anandamide, or any of your drugs of choice du jour— inhaled, ingested, or injected—that can provide true delight.

The young lions do lack
and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD
shall not be in want
of any good thing.
Psalm 34:10

Indeed! It is in God that true, lasting, eternal happiness can be had. It is in a right relationship with one’s Creator that fulfillment is found. It is in getting right with the King that His blessings are bestowed.

And the first step towards that end is taken when we place our trust in Christ, believing that He died and rose again, paying the full, final penalty for our sins. Jesus said:

“I am the living bread that
came down out of heaven;
if anyone eats of this bread,
he will live forever.”
John 6:51

And not just eternal life. Life-purpose in His plan. Joy in His presence. Security in His protection. Peace in His providence.

For He has satisfied
the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul
He has filled
with what is good.
Psalm 107:9

From His hand comes everything that is good. Even chocolate! Therefore we give thanks to God …

… who gives food to all flesh,
For His lovingkindness
is everlasting!
Psalm 136:25

And for believers who continue to seek and to serve God, walking with Him, the promises of God are even more potent.

No good thing
does He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

No good thing withheld! Imagine that! But conditioned upon walking uprightly, walking with integrity, walking according to His Word.

Man shall not live
on bread alone,
but on every word
that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

If our spiritual sustenance is God’s Word, and if …

… the kingdom of God
is not eating and drinking …
Romans 14:17

… and if you, like me, are in need of being reminded constantly about this in the midst of life’s bustle and business, its disorder and din, its madness and messiness, why not consider a sacrificial act of discipline this season of Lent to focus yourself on matters spiritual? Traditionally the church has, over the millennia of its existence, prepared for Easter by self-examination and discipline during Lent—intentional and sustained acts of self-control from a heart of grateful devotion to God. So why not give it a try this year?

Fasting? Financial restraint? Increase in giving? Intensity in Scripture memorization? Self-discipline regarding a habit? Self-control regarding an excess? Engagement in corporate prayer? Exercising solitude? Assuming silence? Abstaining?

… discipline yourself
for the purpose of godliness;
… godliness is profitable
for all things.
1 Timothy 4:7–8

Disciplined. To do His will. To seek Him. To serve Him. To find satisfaction in Him alone.

Jesus said …
“My food is to do the will
of Him who sent Me
and to accomplish His work.”
John 4:34

Bliss. Not in food. Not in chocolate. But in the will of God. Through the Word of God.

TIMEKEEPING!

I was on top of it. Or so I thought. Armed with Outlook and its scheduling calendar, I had it all timed. Down to my departure. Everything planned—the completion of every chapter of my thesis; indeed, every section and sub-section of every chapter had an assigned date of dispatch and delivery to my supervisor, Prof. Watson.

There was only one problem. I was never on time. Either I had scheduling difficulties with the prof—he or I was traveling or otherwise indisposed—or he wanted more work done on some aspect of the writing, another revision and iteration submitted.

I was completely thrown off my schedule. This introduced not a little angst into my otherwise placid life! Alright, I’ll confess: I was disappointed and disheartened, weighed down, worrying that I might not finish my PhD before I hit 50. (For those of you who have been taken in by my youthful appearance, that’s not too far away!)

And then it happened. Sometime after Thanksgiving 2006, I was given the green light. Prof. Watson agreed my progress was sufficient to warrant my wrapping things up by next summer.

You know what that did to my meticulous timekeeping? While I didn’t quit laboring on my writing, I completely quit caring if I missed my picky goals, persnickety thresholds, and puny limits. Hey, I was guaranteed to finish in July! It was auntheticated, assured, ascertained by the boss himself. No more clocking my work or counting my words. No, more calendar or computer program keeping precise track of my progress. With the goal decided, whatever brick, tomato, or egg that came my way could be handled with equanimity, sang-froid, and nonchalance. The end was in sight and I was sure of finishing.

A pox on timekeeping! A hex on all clocks!! I’m outta here!!!

That’s when I realized that, as a Christian, my entire life ought to be lived that way. For us, as believers, the end is in sight. The winning-post draweth nigh. The destination has been promised. The target has been bullseyed. We’re outta here! Poxes and hexes on all momentary light afflictions, said Paul.

For momentary, light affliction
is producing for us
an eternal weight of glory
far beyond all comparison,
while we look not
at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen
are temporal,
but the things which are not seen
are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17–18

Therefore, why the angst, why the anguish, why the anxiety? Instead …

Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, rejoice!
…. The Lord is near.
Philippians 4:4–5

Settled, signed, sealed. No doubt, no despair, no despondency. The end is coming and soon! No, not even death can stand in the way of our relentless and unremitting movement towards that glorious outcome of final victory in Christ.

O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law;
but thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57

Let’s keep gazing ahead, to the bright land “that is fairer than day”, where there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears, no more death.

Therefore, beloved,
since you look for these things,
be diligent to be found by Him
in peace, spotless and blameless.
2 Peter 3:14

Not clocking ourselves. Not timing our moves. Not disturbed. Not desperate. But peaceful. Peacefully spotless. Peacefully blameless.

RUINS!

Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1132 by a dozen Cistercian monks. By the middle of the 13th century it had become one of richest religious houses in all Europe, excelling in farming, lead mining, iron working, stone quarrying, and horse breeding. A profitable money-making enterprise. Far beyond what was necessary for monastic life. Powerful abbots sat in Parliament and wielded much power and influence. But today? A ruin. (The life of the abbey came to an end in 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved Roman Catholic monasteries during the English Reformation.)

It is still a magnificent edifice that I had the chance to visit a couple of months ago. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Part of the grand remains includes a ~200 foot-high tower, now without a top. I was there right after Christmas and the National Trust had wired the tower with speakers. And the King’s College Choir of Cambridge (as close to angelic voices one can get this side of heaven) was singing Christmas carols. Reverberating off those ancient walls, the effect was just … ethereal!

What it must have been 500 years ago! Nothing but ruins today. Even the best, the richest, the strongest can, and do, fall. Into ruin.

True also of believers. Not that they lose their salvation, but, sadly enough, ruins do happen, and shipwrecks do occur, as lives lived lazily and lackadaisically can lapse and lurch into lamentable ruin. And it can happen and occur to anyone. Paul lists some of these deplorable instances:

… Hymenaeus and Philetus,
men who have
gone astray from the truth ….
2 Timothy 2:17–18

… Demas, having loved
this present world,
has deserted me
and gone to Thessalonica ….
2 Timothy 4:10

But the Spirit explicitly says
that in later times
some will fall away
from the faith …
seared in their own conscience
as with a branding iron ….
1 Timothy 4:1–2

Spiritual ruin. The writer to the Hebrews confesses how difficult restoration is for those who have gone astray in this fashion.

For in the case of those
who have once been enlightened
and have tasted
of the heavenly gift
and have been made
partakers of the Holy Spirit,
and have tasted
the good word of God …,
and then have fallen away,
it is impossible
to renew them
again to repentance .…
Hebrews 6:4–6

The slow, steady slide into the sewers of sin. And if we are not careful and watchful, we, too, can go slip slidin’ away.

Therefore let him
who thinks he stands
take heed
that he does not fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12

Paul’s paternal concern for his child in the faith, Timothy, is God’s concern for us as well—that we remain faithful.

This command I entrust
to you, Timothy, my son, …
that you fight the good fight,
keeping faith
and a good conscience,
which some have rejected
and suffered shipwreck
in regard to their faith.
1 Timothy 1:18–19

Vigilant we must be. Sober. Earnest. Persevering.

Therefore, take up
the full armor of God,
so that you will be able
to resist in the evil day,
and having done everything,
to stand firm.
Ephesians 6:13

God alone can keep us secure, safe, shielded, sheltered.

Now to Him who is able
to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand
in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy,
to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ
our Lord, be glory,
majesty, dominion
and authority,
before all time and
now and forever. Amen.
Jude 24–25

Let’s stand firm!

CAPITOL!

The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology is on, and I’m writing this from the locus of the AAD’s festivities this year—Washington, D.C. Great place! The food is fabulous. The museums, marvelous. The edifices, elegant. The climate, alas, too cold for me (at least at this time of the year)!

Washington, D.C. While the centers of all three branches of the U.S. government are situated here, the imposing fulcrum of people’s rule—taxation with representation—is the Capitol in the nation’s capital. It is hard to miss, from the air and from on land. Astride Capitol Hill, this neoclassical structure is the pivot upon which the geography of the city is arrayed: every street address in Washington, D.C., has one of the four suffixes, NE, NW, SE, or SW, depending upon where it is in relation to the Capitol. In a sense, all roads lead thereto.

One day, the Bible says, the Capital City of the Lord Jesus Christ will be even more influential and dominant.

In the last days
The mountain of the house
of the LORD
Will be established
as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised
above the hills;
And all the nations
will stream to it.
And many peoples
will come and say,
“Come, let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD …
That He may teach us
concerning His ways ….”
Isaiah 2:2–3

That is the city wherefrom Jesus Christ will rule one day, God asserts.

“I have installed My King
upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
Psalm 2:6

This is the city that will disseminate justice.

For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem.
And He will judge
between the nations,
And will render
decisions for many peoples ….
Isaiah 2:3–4

This is the city called “peace” from which peace will issue forth.

His tabernacle is in Salem;
His dwelling place
also is in Zion.
There He broke
the flaming arrows,
The shield and the sword
and the weapons of war.
Psalm 76:2–3

This is the city transfigured by the presence of its Sovereign.

Beautiful in elevation,
the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion
in the far north,
The city of the great King.
Psalm 48:2

This is the city beloved to God.

The LORD loves
the gates of Zion
More than all the other
dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things
are spoken of you,
O city of God.
Psalm 87:2–3

This is the city ruled by the Great Shepherd watching over His people.

As the mountains
surround Jerusalem,
So the LORD
surrounds His people
From this time forth
and forever.
Psalm 125:2

The city of joy!

For the LORD has chosen Zion ….
“This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell,
for I have desired it.
I will abundantly
bless her provision;
I will satisfy
her needy with bread.
… and her godly ones
will sing aloud for joy.”
Psalm 132:13–16

The holy city from which the whole world will be blessed, through the ramifications of the atonement and resurrection of Christ:

Thus it is written,
that the Christ would suffer
and rise again
from the dead the third day,
and that repentance
for forgiveness of sins
would be proclaimed
in His name
to all the nations,
beginning from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:46–47

Our God reigns! His Capitol has been established in His Capital. So …

Sing praises to the LORD,
who dwells in Zion.
Psalm 9:11

May His reign be consummated soon!