FEAST!

I got a threatening letter last week.

“Please respond to this letter by 21st March to avoid your details being passed on to our Enforcement Division for investigation” it said. They wanted to extract £130 (about $200+) out of me. “They” meaning The TV Licensing Board of the United Kingdom.

What in the world did they want with me, I wondered.

Oh, and “in accordance with Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984” I could be risking a £1,000 (about $1600+) fine if my transgression and felonious malfeasance continued unabated!

Some kind of joke? It looked authentic. There was a phone number. I called.

The scoop: The only TV channels one gets in the U.K., if one doesn’t have cable or other such devices, are BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC 3 … (about four or five such, I am told). The thing about BBC—it is commercial free. So everyone pays a licensing fee. Hence the screw being tightened on yours faithfully in an attempt to extort some pounds sterling out of this starving student (subsisting entirely on imported JIF!).

I confess there is a TV on the premises—I live in a furnished flat, which comes with everything (linens, cookware, and … a TV). But beyond turning it on to see if it worked when I moved in 6 months ago, I have not watched TV at all; neither do I intend to in the future.

The folks I talked to accepted my excuse; however, they are going to send an “inspector” to visit me! (I’ll let you all know if I need to be bailed out of jail or something!)

I have nothing against TVs. I never used to watch it in the U.S. either. Many years ago—a totally personal resolution—I decided to exercise some serious caution on what went in through the eye-gates of my soul. One of those vigilante measures included passing up on TV. (Of course, not having time to sit before the box helped as well.)

This is not to say there aren’t other ways I could get into trouble with my eyes. I do have internet. But the presence of a “history folder” that maintains a log of every site I visit keeps me accountable.

It’s an ongoing battle. And it’s something we all struggle with, I’m sure: What enters our souls? What are we to keep thinking about? What must we be feasting our minds upon?

Good things. Godly things.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute,
if there is any excellence
and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things.
Philippians 4:8

God’s truth is everywhere, certainly, even in secular material (and on TV, I’m sure). All truth is God’s truth. He owns truth. He has a monopoly on it. He is Truth!

But the example nonpareil of truth is the Scriptures. Unadulterated. Unfailing. Unparallelled. Trustworthy. Tried. Tested. TRUTH!

How blessed is the one
who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight
is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law
he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1–2

Let’s keep on reading it. Dwelling upon it. Meditating in it. Treasuring it.

Your word I have treasured
in my heart,
That I may not sin
against You.
Psalm 119:11

In these Lenten days, let’s go for a feast, shall we? Of Scripture. Undertake to dig in. Do a bit more than usual. If it’s not a habit, make it one.

Engorge! It's sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10) ... and its fat free!

GOOD?

Friday: I ate a slice of pineapple. Big deal, you say. Yes, BIG DEAL, I reply. You see, I used to be allergic to that species of fruit as a child. And over the years, I had gotten over the allergy … or so I thought! Two days ago, I decided to go for a piece of that plant product after a nice dinner at a fellow-student’s. Bad choice! I will spare you the embarrassing and morbid physiological details. Suffice it to say, a few hours later, I was confined to a certain room in my flat. For a long time. In several spells.

I thought it would be fine, but it wasn’t.

Saturday: Mark (another “Dawg”) and his wife, Dawn, and I took a trip to the outskirts of Aberdeen looking for good food! We found it in lush Victorian settings at a place called Tor-na-coille (Gaelic for something like “house among the trees on the hilltop”). Brave soul that I am, I ordered—for the first time in my life—haggis. For you of non-Scottish inclinations and proclivities, here’s how the recipe for this gastronomic delicacy starts: “Take the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys of a sheep, chop them up, add suet, onions, oatmeal, cayenne pepper and other seasonings, stuff all of that into the stomach of a sheep and boil it for 2 hours.” Nice, huh?

Yup! That’s what I ate. I know what you are thinking. One evocative and emotive word: Yuk!

But I have to confess, folks, it tasted pretty good! (And, for those concerned about the subsequent state of my intestines—they’re still discharging [ahem!] their responsibilities quite well, thank you!). So much so, I might actually go for it again! Haggismaniac, you can call me henceforth!

I thought it would be horrid, but it wasn’t.

What I figured I’d like, I didn’t! What I expected to hate, I liked! Strange! I don’t know what’s good for myself … and it seems like I don’t know what’s bad for me either.

On the other hand, maybe not so strange.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me,
that is, in my flesh ….
Romans 7:18

I am easily fooled by my own prejudices, my own sins, my own depravity. I don’t know what I should be doing, and what I should not; what is good for me and what is not! I don’t! You don’t! Nobody does! But God!

When 1 Thessalonians 5:21 urges us to “hold fast to that which is good,” it presumes upon the truth of these Paul’s words to Timothy:

All Scripture is inspired by God
and profitable …
so that the [wo]man of God
may be adequate,
equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16–17

What is good for us is what God decides. His will.

And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove
what the will of God is,
that which is good
and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

And God’s will is sufficiently portrayed for us in His Word. Let us learn therefrom to “love what is good” (Titus 1:8). Pausing for a moment as we journey towards Holy Week, let us recommit ourselves to the Scriptures, to study it and to practice it.

But solid food is for the mature,
who because of practice
have their senses trained
to discern good and evil.
Hebrews 5:14

Haggis, anyone?

EXCHANGE!

There is a ritual I go through before and after my trips to the U.S. from the U.K. Wallet-switching! I don’t carry a lot of cash with me, but what little I do is mismatched in size. The British pound notes are wider and shorter than the American dollar bills. Simply for that reason alone I use separate wallets in each country.

Moreover, I have no use for my University of Aberdeen ID card in Texas and neither do I need my DTS ID in Scotland. Those copy-machine cards I use here won’t function there, and the DTS and SMU copy-cards are unrecognizable at the U of A. My U.S. medical licenses are inconsequential here in the U.K. And so on ….

All of this mandates a ceremonial exchange of material from one pocket receptacle to another as I make the Atlantic passage back and forth between different worlds. Different requirements. Different laws. Different systems.

Jesus once said: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Different dimension. Different time. Different space. And those of us who believe in Him are already citizens of that different kingdom.

For He rescued us
from the domain of darkness,
and transferred us
to the kingdom of His beloved Son ….
Colossians 1:13

Calls for an exchange, doesn’t it? Different kingdoms. Different King. Different priorities.

As we continue our pilgrimage through Lent, reflecting upon the redemption Christ achieved for us—our exchange from one kingdom to another—let us, in turn, ponder upon exchanges we can commit to, as we seek first His kingdom.

Do not love the world
nor the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes
and the boastful pride of life,
is not from the Father, but is from the world.
1 John 2:15–16

The world we live in is so unlike the kingdom we’re part of that the exchanges we can (and must) make are diverse and myriad. But all this talk of wallets reminds me of one thing, though. Money. What currency should I hang on to? What coinage? And of which realm?

Ringing gold is hard to relinquish. Lucre is hard to leave. Mammon bids us mutiny against heaven. But you know what?

For we have brought nothing into the world,
so we cannot take anything out of it either.
1 Timothy 6:7

Nothing. NOTHING! “Life is but a pilgrimage from one point of nakedness to another.” This life certainly is. But we can prepare to be clothed in glory in the next life by exchanging our earthly funds and saving in the vaults of heaven.

But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys,
and where thieves do not break in or steal;
for where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19–21

Where is my heart? Here? Then I must exchange! And my treasure? In this world? Exchange!

How can we begin to exchange “treasure”?

Tax time, folks, is just around the corner. We know how much we gave to the Lord’s work in 2005. Let’s seriously consider increasing our giving in 2006 and let’s plan accordingly.

Let’s ensure our treasure (and our hearts) are in the right place. Then, and only then, can we pray sincerely …

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

EXAMINATION!

It snowed … and snowed … and snowed. So much so, the plane I was to travel on from Aberdeen to London last week was delayed coming in and delayed going out. I was pretty sure I’d miss my flight from London to Dallas.

About two hours late, I finally land at Gatwick. For some reason, we taxi to the international terminal to park at gate 61 in the North Terminal … right next to gate 63 and a shiny, silver 777 flying machine with the letters “AA” emblazoned in blue and red—my plane to Dallas, American Airlines flight 79.

We get to the gate, the pilot turns off the seat-belt sign and, as if on cue, and to my immense chagrin, AA 79 begins pulling out of gate 63. My nose is glued to the window, as I dejectedly watch the aircraft leave. That’s my plane! So near and, yet, so far!

Because we had arrived at the international terminal, they had to bus the passengers to the domestic end of things. To make matters worse, our bus kept shadowing AA 79 on the tarmac for the next several minutes. I couldn’t bear to look. That is (correction: “was”) my plane! So near and, yet, so far!

The long and short of it was that because I was a few minutes late, I had to spend the next 20 hours in a London hotel (I did get to see part of the England v. India first cricket Test on cable, though!). So near and, yet, so far!

That happens far too often in the spiritual life. For those of us who are believers, of course we will not miss heaven, secure as we are in the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. But there is something we might miss out on—and usually not by far … rewards in heaven. So near and, yet, so far.

Especially in this Lenten season, periodic self-examination is called for, to make sure we are on the pathway to moral excellence in the power of God's Spirit; this kind of introspection is quite a pervasive theme in the New Testament.

… each one must examine one’s own work ….
Galatians 6:4

… so that the [examination] of your faith,
being more precious
than gold which is perishable,
even though [examined] by fire,
may be found to result in praise
and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ ....
1 Peter 1:7

Let’s pay especial attention to our communal partaking of the Lord’s Supper, utilizing that dominical ordinance as an opportunity to examine ourselves, and of course, taking steps to correct our courses as necessary.

But one must examine oneself,
and in so doing one is to eat
of the bread and drink of the cup.
1 Corinthians 11:28

… [examining] what is pleasing to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:10

The goal of that self-examination? To live as He would have us live. To qualify for His rewards. To hear His words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To please God. To excel for His glory.

Finally then, brethren,
we request and exhort you
in the Lord Jesus,
… that you excel still more.
1 Thessalonians 4:1

Now for this very reason also,
applying all diligence,
in your faith supply moral excellence,
and in moral excellence, knowledge,
and in knowledge, self-control,
and in self-control, perseverance,
and in perseverance, godliness,
and in godliness, brotherly kindness,
and in brotherly kindness, love.
For if these qualities are yours
and are increasing,
they render you neither
useless nor unfruitful
in the true knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5–8