Burst Into Flames: A Parable Page 7

PART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'”13

  Bob asked, “So, what does that scripture say to you?”

  “It sounds like there are people, faithful people, who are going to get a shock when they get to heaven. Jesus is going to find something about their life that is lacking and will deny them entry into heaven. They will be completely surprised.” said Blake.

  Bob said, “So you are concerned that you might be one of those people?”

  “Well...I guess so.”

  Bob asked, “What do you feel you might be lacking that might cause you to miss out on heaven?”

  Blake replied, “I'm not sure, but it just seems like I have never known Jesus the way some other people apparently know Him. As you read the verse, the part that caught my ear was where he said, “I never knew you”. I don't feel I really know Him, how can He know me? Please tell me what you think is going on in this verse.”

  Bob said, “You know it is risky to ask a preacher to explain a Scripture to you?”

  Blake laughed, “Risk acknowledged. Please help me to understand.”

  Bob answered, “I do believe that there are going to be some people really surprised when they can't get into heaven. Over time, the church has cheapened Christianity. There is no longer an expectation that people will be committed to the Lord. It is somehow considered OK to be a Christian on Sunday mornings, then do whatever you want the rest of the week. I'm sorry, but that isn't how my Bible reads.

  “God wants us to be totally His. This idea of a part-time Christian is disgusting to Him. Too many churches are communicating that it is OK to be a once-in-a-while Christian. This isn't God's plan and I'm not sure those people will be in heaven.”

  “Our role in the Kingdom of God is that of a servant. Where it says here, 'but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter', he is saying we have to be an obedient servant of God. Doing the will of God is all about being a servant or even a slave to Him. Serving Him is not an optional activity. Serving God is at the core of what it means to be Christian. When we have the faith that truly accepts that God is our Master, then we will naturally fall into the role of servant.

  “In the second chapter of Philippians, God tells us how Jesus showed us what it is to be a servant, He submitted Himself completely to the will of His Father, even to the point of death on the cross. Then the chapter continues with, 'So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose.'14

  “Paul tells us in that chapter about how we have the responsibility to 'make our attitude that of Jesus Christ'15, in terms of fully serving God and being completely submitted to His will. He emphasizes that our very salvation is tied into our obedience to the Lord. 'Working out our salvation with fear and trembling' is a reference to how critically important this is.”

  Blake said, “I always thought of obedience to God more like we consider a child to be obedient. An obedient child is one that follows the rules.”

  Bob responded, “I think that even with a child, it is more than that. If Mom says, 'Go take out the trash.' and the child refuses, then that is almost a more important element than just following the rules. This obedience God calls for isn't an avoidance of sin, instead it is, 'to will and to act for His good purpose.' God isn't just looking for us to follow a set of rules, He wants us to be His hands, feet and mouth in this world. He wants us to live as His servant, one who participates in His plans, working toward His goals.”

  “So, you're saying,” Blake asked, “that God will tell us to take out the trash and we need to obey?”

  “Basically, yes.” said Bob. “OK, let's take another approach. Just imagine that you were going to get a servant. You might get all excited about how handy it will be to have somebody to do things around your apartment. Then, your new servant starts on the job. You go over all the rules about how your household operates. From them on, the servant follows those rules perfectly, but when you say, 'Go make me a chocolate sundae' or any other instruction, he totally ignores you.”

  “Then I guess it is time to get a new servant.” said Blake. “Isn't that the whole idea of a servant, that he does what you want?”

  Bob said, “Exactly! That is the essence of how God expects us to be a servant of Him, that we will do His will. He wants us to lead the exact life He has planned for us. This involves allowing Him to rule over every aspect of our lives and let Him be in every detail.”

  Blake said, “That doesn't sound easy, to look to God for every detail.”

  Bob responded, “The good news in this Scripture is that we don't have to make this happen, instead we just allow God to do the work. It says, 'For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose.' 16 To be obedient to the will of God for our lives is not a matter of forcing it to happen, it is a matter of surrendering our will and allowing God's will to lead us.

  “The Lord Jesus came to the earth as a human to accomplish several purposes. One of those purposes was to model a life that pleases God. Jesus said, 'I am among you as the One who serves.'17. He was always seeking to serve His Father.

  “The relationship Jesus had with His Father was described by God, 'Here is my servant whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom My soul delights; I will put my spirit on him.'18 Jesus was a perfect servant to His Father, one that was always obedient to God's will, under every circumstance. Remember how He spoke in the garden of Gethsemane, 'My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.'19 This was the perfect modeling of being a true servant, to be obedient, even to the point of death.”

  Blake said, “OK, I'll accept that Jesus could rely on God for every detail of His life, He was connected to God, they are like different aspects of the same person. Right?”

  “That’s right, but the Bible is full of examples of regular men and women that were faithful servants of God. These people had the faith to lead a life that is obedient to God's calling. Their lives and the ways that they served the Lord are all very diverse. Being obedient to God does not mean to conform to some standard issue this-is-what-a-follower-of-God-does set of guidelines, it simply meant to obey the Lord's calling for your life.”

  Bob continued, “In the Psalms, David tells us, 'For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know this very well.'20 We are not an accident. God made you exactly as He wanted you to be. God operates according to a plan and you are part of His plan.

  “For every person on the earth, God created them with a plan of how they can contribute to His kingdom. They are created with a perfect combination of talents and capabilities, and in a time and place that would allow God to work through them to accomplish His perfect purpose. For each person, their alignment with God's purpose is their kingdom calling.”

  Blake asked, “Are you saying that 'doing God's will' is about accepting God's calling?”

  “That's right.”

  “And you think God has a calling for every person?” asked Blake.

  “Absolutely, but not every person will align themselves with God's plan, as some will totally reject God's leadership over their life. These people lack the faith to fully accept the Lord as Lord over their life. In a sense, these people do not believe in Jesus, because they do not accept the reality of Him in their life.”

  “Being obedient to God's perfect plan is God's will for your life. There is no more satisfying place on earth, than being in the center of God's will. We were created for a purpose, when our lives align with that purpose, it has a unique way of feeling 'right'.”

  Blake said, “I am still having trouble wrapping myself around the idea that God has a calling for a
ll people. If everybody started following God's calling, wouldn't that give us a huge excess of preachers and missionaries?”

  Bob laughed, “The calling of Moses was to free an entire people-group. Paul was called to spread the Good News to a huge population. Some of God's callings are spectacular, but not all of them. Whether we are called to share the Gospel to millions or to raise a godly child, it is of critical importance that we exactly follow God's leading for our life. When we are allowing God to choose our life-plan, then, and only then, are we pleasing to God. Doing good for God's kingdom is not the same as doing what God wants. There are lots of ideas of how we can work for the kingdom, but there is only one 'God's plan' for each person's life.

  “For some people, their contribution to the kingdom might be obvious. Others might feel like their contribution is minor. The key question is not whether our contributions seems significant to us, it is whether we are doing what God wants. The Word does not say, 'those that make a big, splashy contribution are God's sons.' Instead, it simply says, 'All those led by God's Spirit are God's sons.'21 What God desires of us is that we live the life He wants us to live. Perhaps this is just so we can be in the right place at the right time, like Esther was.22

  “Whether any individual's specific role to play in God's master-plan is 'big', from a human perspective, or not, it isn't important. Whatever that calling might be, it is the specific part that God created you to fulfill. There is nothing more important for anybody to accomplish, than God's plan. There is also nothing that feels more 'right' or more satisfying than to be doing exactly what we were designed to do.”

  Blake said, “I get it. So a person can work in fast-food, just so this is the path that God has directed him to be on.”

  “That's right” said Bob, “There is a false belief that in order to satisfy God we have to be a preacher, foreign missionary or some other professional. While this may be God's plan for a few people, it isn't God's plan for all people. He needs people in all walks of life that are obedient to His Spirit.”

  He continued, “For many of us that have tried living a life without the Spirit's guidance, we know how insignificant that life can be. A life that is led by 'self', with the contradictory, and frequently stupid, pushes and shoves of the world, goes off in some odd directions, but never reaches the point of doing anything really significant.

  “The calling of God is a life-style. It means to live the life that aligns with God's plan. It is to walk hand-in-hand with the Lord, not going ahead, behind or off to the right or left, and also not trying to drag Him where you want to go, but remaining right with Him. It is setting your goals to be whatever God wills. This is the place where He can do the most incredible things.”

  Blake said, “Bob, that is pretty heavy stuff. I never really put these things together. To be saved, we must believe. Believing is to live our belief. To live our belief that He is Lord and King is to allow Him to lead and direct our life, to be His servant by obeying our calling from God.”

  Bob said, “That's about the size of it. It is really quite simple; just let God be your God. So, did that answer your question?”

  Blake laughed, “Well if it didn't, my head is so full of new ideas that I don't know what my question was anymore! It is always interesting to talk to you.”

  Bob replied, “I always enjoy talking to you. You know that if you ever think of any other questions or just want to talk about nothing at all, I am right here.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “...And Blake, you know that after an injury, doctors try to get people moving, although the person's desire is to not want to move the injured part, since it hurts, but the docs know that gently getting back into action actually promotes healing. Where you have been hurt, you will need to get back into action as well. Give some thought to getting back to work. I have seen people that have actually hurt their own healing process by isolating themselves for too long after a death of somebody they loved.”

  “You always seem to know what I need,” said Blake, “although I had been starting to think a bit about going back, I'm not sure when, or if, that might have translated into action. Given your little push, I think I'll call my boss today.”

  Bob said, “I think that's a good plan. As for knowing what you need, I don't have a clue, I just listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.”

  “Please give Pat a hug for me.” said Blake.

  “I'll do that. You take care. Call us anytime.”

  As Blake got off the phone, his head was spinning with this concept that somebody might miss out on heaven because they didn't have the faith to allow God to lead their life. While it seemed to be bordering on contradictory that, under grace, our actions don't matter to our salvation, but that we need to follow the calling that God has for us or we might miss salvation entirely. But then, this is all a matter of real faith, living your faith, letting God be God in your life.

  All Blake knew was that he wanted to see his wonderful Elaine again. He was positive that she was in heaven, so he wanted to be sure that he was headed for heaven.

  Blake's thoughts were milling furiously in his mind. He decided he needed to do something different. He left his apartment, headed toward his car without a clear destination in mind. As he started to unlock his car, a soft breeze blew into his face. Blake stopped and suddenly noticed it was a perfect spring day. He re-locked his car and started walking in the direction of a nearby park.

  As the concepts of grace, faith, obedience and salvation continued to swim through his mind, out here in the sun, the thoughts were running at a much saner pace. Soon, he was sitting on a bench by a duck pond with lovely flowering trees spread out in front of him, enjoying the sunshine. A sense of calm flooded over him. For the first time since the hospital, Blake felt like he could really pray to God.

  He closed his eyes and prayed, “My Lord, I don't know why you had to take Elaine. You know how much I loved her and how much I needed her. I feel so lost without her. Lord Jesus, I want so much to see her in heaven. Please help me to be sure of my place in heaven. Please help me to see my Elaine again. What do I need to do to know I'm going to heaven? Oh, Lord, please help me. I'm just not sure. I'm not sure of anything, except that I need Your help.

  “I'm not sure if you are listening, even now. I know that you didn't listen to my prayers in the hospital or Elaine would never have died. What's wrong with me? Why didn't you answer my prayers? What do I need to do? Have I sinned or something? Lord, forgive me! I need you.

  “I just don't know. I am so confused. I feel so alone. Please take good care of my precious Elaine. Amen.”

  Blake opened his eyes and saw that there was a little, dark-haired girl of 4 or 5 years old staring at him from about 15 feet away. She was looking at him like he was a strange and scary animal in the zoo. He realized that he had tears running down his face and had either been praying out loud or at least muttering his prayer. She probably had every reason to be slightly afraid of him. He tried smiling at her as he wiped his face. The girl turned and ran away.

  Blake thought about how his relationship with God really did need some work. He just wasn't sure how to fix it. Mark was so sure that the key to a person's relationship with God was faith. How does a person build their faith?

  He continued to think about his faith as he got up and began to walk aimlessly through the park. When he and Elaine would come here it was usually on the weekends and there were a lot more people. Right now everybody was at work.

  Bob said that he should go back to work, maybe he should. He debated whether he should call work now or wait. Finally he decided to go ahead and make the call. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jim's office number.

  “Jim, this is Blake Jacobs.”

  “Blake, it is so good to hear from you. How are things going?”

  Blake answered, “OK...well it has really been pretty rough.”

  “I
am so sorry.” Jim said, “Is there anything we can do to help?”

  “Well, I was thinking of coming back to work.”

  “That would be great. Just last week, I was talking to Linda and she was commenting how much we could use you. We are really busy right now.”

  Blake paused then said, “I don't really know how I'll do. I've been a mess. I'm not really sure I'm ready, but people tell me it would probably be good for me to get back.”

  Jim asked, “So, what are you thinking?”

  “Maybe I could come back next Monday?”

  “Do you want to come back full time or do you want to work up to full-time?” asked Jim.

  “Oh! I hadn't really considered anything but coming back as full-time. So, coming back as part time...hmm” Blake mulled.

  “As a transition, of course. We will work with you any way that helps you get back. If you want to work half-days or just a few days a week, all those things would be options.” said Jim.

  “OK, Jim, how about this: what if I make plans to come back as full-time. Then, if it turns out to be a bad decision, can we revisit my work-schedule at that time?”

  “Blake, I think you know that you are a valuable member of our team and every member of the leadership group knows that you are going through a really tough time. We are all committed to getting you back in here being productive for the company. We will help you in whatever way we can.”

  “Gee,” said Blake, “you make it sound like this is a good time to ask for a raise.”

  Jim laughed, “It almost is. You have certainly been missed.”

  “So I'll see you at 8:00 on Monday morning?” asked Blake. “Do I need to contact HR or anything?”

  “I'll take care of that. If they need anything they'll contact you direct. You might want to keep an eye on your email.”

  Blake thanked Jim for his help and concluded the conversation. He thought for a moment about Jim's comments about how he had been missed. He then picked up his phone and called Andy's office number.

  Andy must have seen Blake's name in the caller ID, because he answered the phone with, “Blake, buddy, I hear you are coming back to work on Monday!”

  Blake said, “Wow, news does travel fast!”

  Andy replied, “Maybe 15 seconds before you called, I got an IM from Jim. I am thrilled. This place has been totally boring without you.”

  Blake chuckled, “Well, I had certainly expected that I would be breaking news to you.”

  “Remember,” said Andy, “The 'I' in IM stands for 'instant'. Around here, nothing is safe from Instant Messaging. Hey, I've got a great idea of how you can break back in, a bunch of the guys are going down to Sporty's for drinks after work. It is women's beach volleyball night. You ought to come. It'll be a blast.”

  This really sounded like an awful idea to Blake. Hesitantly, he said, “Uh...no I don't think so...”

  Andy said, “Oh man, I am so sorry. Dang, I can be insensitive. I'm sorry.”

  Blake clarified, “No, it's all right. I'm glad you asked me. That's just not where I'm at right now. Things have been really confusing in my head, but that just doesn't sound like something I could enjoy right now. Maybe some other time, OK?”

  “Well, I'm sorry I'm so insensitive. My trip I was supposed to take this week got canceled. So maybe you would like to meet for lunch one day, some place without drunken guys and beach volleyball?”

  Blake said, “That sounds good. You are the guy with the schedule, so why don't you name the day?”

  “Let's see,” said Andy, “Today I have an 11 o'clock meeting that might run forever. Tuesday is out. Wednesday is...good. How about lunch on Wednesday?”

  They agreed to meet on Wednesday at a little hole-in-the-wall place that specializes in huge burgers.

  Blake looked around him at the reflection of the flowering trees in the pond, everything looking green and idyllic, and yet he found himself feeling disturbed instead of peaceful. He was going back to work, which in many ways sounded like fun. He had plans with Andy, which was generally fun. He had heard some very encouraging words from his boss. He had several reasons for feeling better, but instead he felt...wrong.

  As he sat there trying to figure out what was at the root of his change in emotional tone after making his calls, a mother and 2 young kids walked down the sidewalk, past his bench. One of the kids was the little girl that was staring at him when he was praying earlier. As she walked past, she looked at him and grabbed her mother’s hand.

  That was it. It was the prayer that was nagging him. He watches people pray, and listens to them talk about prayer at church and they experience something that Blake can't. Here he was, calm and relaxed, pouring his heart out to God, but where was God? He could have been speaking to a rock and gotten as much assurance that it was listening. Blake looked down at the cell phone, which was still in his hand, and said, “God, why don't you just give me your number and I'll call you. We seem to have a bad connection on this prayer thing.”

  With that, Blake stood up and returned to the apartment. He spent the rest of the day hanging around the apartment. Sort of trying to do a few things, but not really accomplishing much. He couldn't shake a feeling of loneliness and isolation. He felt like God was mad at him and he didn't know why.