“Oh dang, I left the keys in my
car... with the windows down.” “Why did we decide that a dress
shirt was necessary on this scorching hot afternoon?” “You should
definitely avoid having taco's for two out of your three meals today.
Don't you remember what happened last time?”
Voices. They are present at almost
every moment of our lives. Hopefully yours speak more intelligently
than mine. Sometimes they join us and affirm our actions. Other times
they rally around us and condemn our intuitions, but if one thing is
for certain, they most definitely have an opinion. What. You don't
hear voices?
Some will call it a conscience.
Although true, this is a poor definition. Genesis would tell us that
we as humanity were intelligently created in the image of God. Romans
8 would tell us that the Holy Spirit indwells a man upon full belief in Jesus.
On the other hand, some men will blame the demons inside their head. This can
still be appropriate---but is probably giving far too much credit to an
unworthy source. 1 Peter 5 warns that the devil roams about
as a prowling lion seeking whom he may devour, but how cocky of you to
think that he is always seeking you?
When is the last time that you
changed the world, you Ghandi wannabe?
This quickly brings us to some stark
conclusions about the little friends inside of our heads (oh, just
admit it already).
When you are struggling, it is most likely a rare occasion that you are
being tempted. God doesn't tempt you (James 1), and you have enough
junk to think about on your own. How many times do we see Christ going to be tempted in Scripture? Not much. And the enemy had every reason in the world to rain on His parade. But at the same time, if you
are a believer, you probably aren't just talking to yourself. Think
about it. If God is three, wouldn't He commune amongst Himself?
If
you are a believer, you are most likely communing with the indwelling Spirit
inside of you; often times, it may unbeknownst to you. Further,
Galatians 5 would tell us that every believer is also still wrestling
with his flesh. This brings us to three likely
voices:
1). The voice of the Spirit.
2). The voice of the flesh.
3).
The voice that has to decide between the two.
Oh wait. You said you
hear voices sometimes?
This morning in service, as I stood
there trying to jam out to a song that I was most certainly
unfamiliar with, thoughts popped into my head just like young
children that are seeking attention might pop into a room. I had to assess
which one needed my time the most. Firstly, came the one whom felt it was fine
to just: “Roll with it. Don't try too hard to learn this. After
all, it is just a song.” Then came, “Dude, look at that guy
worship. Isn't that distracting?” After that came a slow complaint, “Man, why aren't they playing anything that I know.” Fourthly,
little boy people pleaser piped in with, “If I raise my hands, will
I make the guy next to me feel uncomfortable?” "Will the band think that they are rocking out too hard?"
Somehow, among the thunderous roar
of these childlike thoughts, I was able to hear the still, small
voice of the Spirit: “You can only praise one thing at
time.”
I was wily Coyote. I was blazing
along, just about to catch that obnoxiously crafty roadrunner
when: 'BAM!'
Yes, ACME had made an anvil delivery to my face. My
dentist was not going to be excited about this package. I guess he's
never really excited about any of my packages. Anyways...
What I am trying to say is: friend,
you can only praise one thing at a time. Think about it. You cannot
marry two opposing ideas to one another. Either you drive a
motorcycle off of a cliff or you do not; you cannot change your mind
halfway in the act, nor can you drive your motorcycle only halfway
off of the cliff. Gravity simply refuses to allow you grace on that
item. So the little voices inside your head? You can only agree with
one of them fully.
This floored me this morning. How
often I will speculate to assure myself that I am not obstructing the mood of
others in the room versus simply singing praise to an audience
of One. So what if I come home dancing? Remember how God scorned
David's wife for despising his praise of the Lord? When is the last
time you saw a grown man, fully bearded, donning his spear and home
from war praising the Lord for who He is. Even reading that text,
have you wondered why you can't worship the same way? Let me give you
a modern context. When is the last time that your body would not
allow you to stop grooving to the grace of Jesus when you got home
from work? How come you can give J-Beebs or One Direction
the head bang on the drive home? I'm spotting some inconsistency,
homeboy.
You live for an audience of one.
The ketchup stain that you got on
your way to church this morning because there was a 2 for 2 deal at
Speedway, and you had to be certain that your stomach would not deter
you from paying attention to the message, and it was a really fast
stop, and you definitely have the skills to eat and drive; in your
mind, that is either the headline story on CNN or a kindred moment among the brotherhood of other questionable decisions that you
happen to make all of the time.
*Okay, breathe.*
All of these decisions have been
replaced by the grace which is fixed at the cross of Christ, if you
believe. So you have a choice. Listen to the voice that tells you to
run to the bath room with your 'OxiClean' pen and work that stain out
like a model good boy, or raise your hands in humble thank you that you have
entered into this world with nothing and will exit the same exact
same way.
*One more breath*
Or you can quickly point out the enormous stain on your pants
so that every passerby will know that you know that they know that you both
see it, or be broken and humbled at the foot of the cross and worship: regardless of what others may be thinking.
You live for an audience of one.
Why do you think that He only gave
us one voice? Why do you think that we can only truly have the power
to impact our present moment? Is 1st Corinthians 10:31
only for pastors and very obedient home-schoolers? No. Everything you
do is for an audience of One. Everything you do is deemed as
righteous or not by One. Mercy and grace are extended from the hands
of One. Light is shined into the darkness of this world and our evil
hearts by One. Are you bright without Him? Do you come to Him only
when your flame is dying out, or is He a lamp to your feet and a light
to your path at all times?
I told a good friend that my life
is seemingly composed of burning bush moments. It seems as if I
should have learned this particular one earlier. Then again, I
probably have. But at least in this moment, I can fully praise Him
with my one and only voice
Can you say the same?
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