“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” II Peter 1:3-4 (continued below)
The lady with a rich foreign accent bent down and whispered something in my ear at the plush restaurant overlooking Fenway Park, “Mr. Davis, your bill has been taken care of. The house is yours.” I told my family ‘the house was ours’ and we ordered accordingly! There are at least three ways I could have squandered this golden opportunity:
- I could have refused to believe the kind waitress. I could have said to my family, “That crazy lady said ‘the house was ours,’ but don’t believe it. It is too good to be true. You know nothing like this has ever happened to us before, so why should it happen now? You may only order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with chips. You may get lemon with your water if you’d like.” Wouldn’t my family have loved me for making such a proclamation?
- I could have failed to recognize what ‘the house is yours’ meant. Before eating we were invited down to the field where the Red Sox were taking batting practice. We were not the only fans there, but it was a great chance to say ‘hello’ to a player or to get an autograph. Taylor and Kinsey, baseballs in hand, were standing close to two men when a tall player walked out of the dugout. “Mikey!” one of the men shouted and the player came over and hugged them. Some kids scampered over to get Mikey’s autograph and he graciously signed as he visited with his friends. Kinsey was standing so close she could have reached out and patted Mikey on the back. She looked over to Taylor and asked, “Should I get this guy’s autograph?” Taylor whispered, “No, I don’t know anyone named Mikey on Boston’s team.” In the first inning of the game (viewed from our seats behind home plate
), a runner got on base allowing the clean-up hitter to come to bat. “Oh no!” I heard Taylor moan. I asked, “What’s wrong?” Taylor pointed his finger and said, “That’s Mikey!” As a golden voice announced third baseman Mike Lowell was coming to the plate, Kinsey asked, “Taylor why didn’t you tell me to get his autograph? He’s one of their best players!” “I didn’t recognize him!” Taylor replied. Mikey hit a homerun that night to help the Red Sox win the game. - I could have taken the family to eat at McDonald’s right before going to Fenway Park and we could have been so stuffed with Big Macs and fries that we weren’t even hungry. What a shame that would have been.
I’m glad I didn’t ruin this part of our trip, but I wonder sometimes if I make worse mistakes when God whispers, “The house is yours.” The apostle wrote, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…” and I think, “But God doesn’t really mean ‘everything.’” And in my refusal to believe what the Holy Spirit says is true, I settle for ineffective living and little witness to the power and goodness of God.
Or perhaps I don’t recognize that God’s great promises are for me. “I am with you always… to the very end of the age.” “But Christ was just saying that to his disciples two thousand years ago,” I argue. Perhaps Jesus would answer, “But you are closer to the end of the age than they were! Don’t you recognize I am talking to you? When you receive my precious promises for yourself you are able to participate in my divine nature and escape the corruption of the world. Don’t you remember that multitudes rejected God because they failed to recognize me? Pray for eyes to see and ears to hear and the willingness to obey.”
Or perhaps deep down I believe what God says is true and perhaps I even recognize his promises are for me, but when the invitation comes to participate in the divine nature and add to my faith all the essentials God offers, I say, “No thanks, I’m full.” And when the Father asks (though he already knows the answer), “Why are you full?” I must admit that with the brief time I’ve been given on this earth I have chosen to pursue lesser things. “Why don’t you sit in my presence and learn of me?” Jesus asks. “Well Lord, you know I’m a big Red Sox fan now and, you see, the playoffs have just started and I’m sure hoping they make it to the World Series, so maybe I’ll get back with you at the end of the month.” Of course when baseball season ends another activity will fill me up so I won’t be hungry for the things that count. Could I actually exchange true riches for a bowl of porridge? This is one of the devil’s key strategies in our land if you’ve not noticed. He doesn’t mind too much if Christians take their few minutes of worship every week as long as it is just ‘token time.’ If hearts are set on things other than God the enemy knows his kingdom is safe (for the moment). But how he lashes out when a believer says, “These fleeting pleasures of the world are not what it is all about! I’m not going to fill up on junk when a feast is being offered! Lord, forgive me. I am hungry for you! Fill me with your Spirit and use me as your instrument.” Though the devil despises such wisdom, the Master says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” II Peter 1:5-9