Alright, well, I'm going to dive right in. I have to say, I love the Lord, and I love, love, love His sense of humor! Sometimes He just makes me laugh. Other times, like today, He just makes me scrunch up my nose, chuckle a bit and shake my head.
What on earth am I talking about?
This is today's verse:
"Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk" Deuteronomy 14:21 (NIV).
Yes, I'm serious.
Here's what caught my attention about this one. There are things in this world (things like dead animals) that are just fine as they are. There's nothing wrong with them, there's nothing "bad" about them; they are just a part of what life includes here. And, be that as it is, they're just fine for the next guy, for my neighbor, my boss and some other folks I know.
And why is that? Is it because I'm so much better than everyone else? No, of course not! It's because, by the Grace of Jesus, I have been adopted into the family of His chosen people. I've been called to be set apart. Now, my thought process about the above verse adds one final reminder - one that I need, because it's easy for me to think that being God's chosen for holiness makes me somehow superior to others. It makes me blessed, no doubt about it. But not better! And even if it did, that's not my place to judge. But here's what I noticed as well. God says it's okay to take the already dead meat and give it to an outsider. This is the same God who, even in this same chapter of the Bible, talks about generosity to the alien, and those unable to provide for themselves. He even goes a step further! He says it's okay to sell it to the foreigner! This is the same unchanging God who wants us to love our enemies. And, it's okay to sell this meat to them. I think it's a reasonable inference that the meat, in and of itself, isn't bad or poisoned or tainted or cursed it some way. It's just not for us.
I wish I had some thorough, eloquent and (most importantly) authoritative explanation for why exactly that is. I don't. I know I don't. But I know and believe it to be true. And I have examples of this principle in my own life. In fact, I have one from this very day.
I had a challenging conversation with someone today. And when I got off the phone, although I was frustrated by the content of the conversation itself, I felt more upset about how I'd handled myself. I hadn't yelled, and I hadn't cursed or been mean... but I hadn't been kind either. I'd been short tempered, aggressive and impatient. I was not exactly displaying the fruit of the Spirit. So... I sat with it a bit, went to the Lord in prayer and just said, "deal with me! I trust that you are dealing with the other person; she's yours to handle! But, Lord, I ask you to deal with me too!" And He did. Gently. Lovingly and without condemnation. Long story short, I called her back and was able, with the help of the infilling of the Spirit, to speak to her honestly and out of love. It was good. He always is.
But, the parallel I'm drawing here is this: 98.2% of the people I know could have heard my end of the conversation and said, "Well, you didn't say anything that bad. It's fine." I think a typical reaction might have been just to shrug it off. And, perhaps, that could have been okay. But, the Spirit spoke to me, and said, "You're being held to a different standard now." Different, by far, from the standard to which I'd been held before - even in my own heart and spirit. This is God's refining fire; I'm being set apart. So, I yielded (the key verb of my life, I think), and God does what He alone can do. He heals, He rejoins, He restores. The principle here is the same as in this random verse about dead animals. We're called to be different. We're called to do things in a different way. When it comes to specifics, I can't always give a good answer for why, but it is what it is, and it's His. So, I trust it's good. And when I listen, and yield, and learn, I am better for it. And I sensed in my encounter with Him today that He was pleased with me too. For my willingness I would guess. I am grateful for that. What a loving Father!
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