July 16, 2010

7-16-10 Friday, 5:18 am Grayrock, 71 degrees

It is good to be back home. Our 13 days on the road were wonderful, and in addition to connecting with family, Audrey and I experienced the benefit of a change of routine and a break from the everyday. This morning I awoke at 2:30 ready to get back in the routine, and forced myself to lie in bed until 4:30. Now I am up with a fresh cup of coffee and a fresh energy for the day.

Last night I read from E. Stanley Jones A Song of Ascents concerning his focus upon the kingdom of God. He clearly ties together individual salvation and the social gospel in a compelling way. On pages 152-153 he states that an English bishop once said the he (Jones) was “obsessed with the Kingdom of God.” His response was it would be a magnificent obsession, and that Jesus was so obsessed, referring to the Kingdom of God over 100 times. Jones reflects on the difference of the Kingdom of God and any form of human totalitarianism – Nazism, fascism, communism – when a person surrenders to the Kingdom of God, he or she becomes free, when a person surrenders to a human totalitarianism, the result is bondage. It was interesting for me to read about this following our visit to the Lincoln museum in Springfield, Il yesterday and to contemplate the impact of the slave trade and the southern dependency upon this institution.

The birds are making quite a racket now (5:30) as they wake up the morning. I am not hearing songbirds singing as much as a chorus of noisy chirps.

Romans 3:9-31

The main thought of this chapter has given me great comfort over the years. Quoting Psalm 14:1-3 Paul establishes that the Old Testament affirms that no one is righteous, doing good, not even one. Later in this third chapter he says it succinctly in verse 23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. As an only child I often felt that I was the only one who had really messed up. When I fully comprehended that “all have sinned and fall short…” I began to understand the gospel which is contained in verse 24 “being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

Thank you Lord for your grace in redemption, and the gift to me of the awareness that all people have sinned and fallen short of your glory. Guide me as I seek to live out the good news and bear fruit in my toil building your kingdom.