Hi, I have not had much sleep the last few nights as I’ve been wrestling with a few things and could sure use your input and prayers. A brother gave me a copy of the song “I’ve Come to Realize” and asked me if it stirred any thoughts. One of the things that came out of our talk last night is that I have been functioning more as a “family man” than a Kingdom man, and that I have been far too disconnected from others. I feel like I’m starting to see the truth about this and seeing some ways I can repent, but it is still in and out of focus for me. Many times in the evenings, I have invested more heavily in the direction of my family than investing in others. This seems like some sort of family idolatry. I don’t have the same concern for others that I do for my physical family. I also see a lack of abandonment and lack of trusting completely in God’s provision. I know my convictions need to deepen about this. I do want to “lose my life for the saints and the murdered lamb” as WELL as for my physical family. Previously, I admit I have not put the emphasis where Jesus wants it—in His teaching and in His life. Could you give me some extra perspective, if you will? Love, John
Hi John, as I was asking Father for your guidance and cleansing and hope for the future, I was reminded of this from a few days ago:
A “Good” Mother or Father
What is the definition of a “good” mother or a “good” father? It’s not about simply providing the children with food, clothing, and shelter, or taking them to the zoo, golfing, flying kites, riding bicycles, “family dinners and devotionals,” growing gardens, passing or dribbling a ball with them, painting pictures, and educating them. A “good” mother or father is one who leads the children to the REAL Jesus, in intimacy, and zeal, and love, and total abandonment—and demonstrates all of that daily, amongst the Saints themselves. Anything less is subtly but surely DESTROYING our children (as nice and warm and fuzzy as it may seem), by teaching them a value system that will lead them towards dullness, deception, and death. Let’s do it Right, in Him and through Him, for His Glory!
That is to say, imagine that I lived in a third world country such as Mozambique. Trees are rare there, as you know. Now, what IF (hypothetical illustration) generations have taught that feeding sawdust to children was what made and kept children healthy? I might fight and kick and scratch, and travel extensively and work sacrificially, to find a way to “GET SAWDUST FOR MY DEAR CHILDREN!” If I thought sawdust was extremely nutritious, and my children’s illnesses were caused by sawdust deficiency, I would pour great energy into acquiring sawdust, at the expense of other personal goals and desires.
John, by your admission (and admirable honesty) on more than one occasion, you are viewing the temporal (sawdust) as nutritious and essential for your “family’s” well being. You are CONVINCED of it, based on your upbringing and your inherited value system, and your lack of clear vision of the UnSeen Realm. In what you described of your daily functioning, you feed your children that which will KILL them, thinking that it is life-sustaining. Sawdust or methanol in the bloodstream is TOXIC and ACCUMULATES UNTO DEATH. They are not nutritious. We serve a MYTH when we do that! Education, emotional bonding, food and shelter, fun, etc…Your efforts are misguided if you are seeking primarily to provide that which cannot bring or protect life at the expense of the ONLY things that CAN sustain and protect. Only focus, sacrifice, and passion (and decisions and time which reflect this AS Priority ONE, “seeking FIRST the Kingdom”) for Jesus of Nazareth and that which are His—are ALIVE with Possibility and Miracles and Meaning. We find our lives...by LOSING them. Ouch! The other stuff takes care of itself, as Jesus said. And it truly does, at a level FAR beyond what we could achieve by our own efforts and skills and meager individual gifts and time.
Well, I do appreciate your heart in bringing it up, and always have. We have a couple of guys who live near us who know their urgent need to come to grips with this, also. You do need to ACT in your daily life as if the UnSeen is the passion of your life. You must, OF COURSE, stop feeding sawdust to your biological family on the MYTH that it is nutritious and essential! You’re NOT doing them any favors by demonstrating a FAULTY priority system. As in the note at the beginning about a “good” father or mother, we are HARMING—not loving—our children if they don’t SEE our priority system as serving HEAVEN. This is to be distinguished as far as the east is from the west from “christian culture and christian philosophy” that’s added to an otherwise purposeless and shallow life and self-serving worldly affections (or even “my ministry” foolish religious affections).
Make the UnSeen the primary objective you have for your biological family by LOSING YOURSELF AND THEM INTO JESUS AND INTO HIS BODY AND WHAT IS HIS. In so doing, you are giving them MORE, not less! It “feels” risky maybe, but both the Scriptures and more than fifteen years of WATCHING it happen with triple digit numbers of children locally, including my own, give me the idea that God is right, after all! Duh! So...blindness, and not “discerning the Body,” and continuing in our own ways—always having to be in the driver’s seat ourselves—is sick or even lethal, according to God (1Cor.11, 12; Heb.3, 10, 12; Rev.2-3; Luke 9:57-62).
Here’s a BIGGEE. You need to know that all of THIS is what the planet is even here for: to separate the blind and self-centered from the Genuine. After having separated and purged, the planet’s systems and pressures—by the Holy Spirit’s Guidance—will then continue to test and equip and prepare for the Glorious Assignment those for whom Destiny is rapidly approaching—the Offspring and co-Workers of God. Who are those who will be shown to be of a different Breed, breathing different Life? It won’t be the “good person” versus the “bad person”—but it will be those who can See and will Respond, versus those who FAKE IT. Some are merely trying to get along with the “christian culture” and not stir up any trouble that will upset anyone, but they are still blind, self-centered, and self-willed. Some want to be “somebody” within religion (“house church” or “institutional christianity,” or by themselves) with borrowed revelations, human adrenaline and pride. Some hide behind fear or “hurt” as their reason for not responding to the Shepherd’s Voice. Everyone will be shown for what they are, and receive appropriate compensation, according to Jesus and those whom He Instructed. The planet and this present age EXIST to apply the pressures that will separate and then equip.
In the (edited) “Matrix” movie, the weasel-of-a-man eating the steak with the enemy (what was his name? “Zilch”?) was willing to live for what wasn’t real. Why? Because, in his selfishness and lack of comprehension, he was WILLING to be deceived by illusions, and eventually even OPPOSE what was True, in order to be comfortable. Physical comfort, religious comfort, “family” comfort, social comfort, occupational comfort, leisure time comfort, ego or financial comfort, religious ambition comfort...it’s all the same.
Well, I’m glad you were willing to endure sleepless nights for a Worthy cause...
I’ll continue to pray, of course, John. Your heart wouldn’t be stretching towards these things if Father didn’t mean to bring them to pass in your life and family! Love,
4/19/2001