2023-06-29 A Meditation on At the Ready

“3 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” (Eph 3:1–13 ESV)

Mindset at the ready, there is a neat and formal sense in which we labor on theological matters, these leading us as well as any into spiritual battle. For the enemy appears then shrinks back; our strength, instead of joining the fight, suddenly mocks us as overly pugnacious or too feisty; where did that enemy go? Where is the entire motivational Cause I had worked up? Why is today just a day like any other, when yesterday’s call and vision was of a battle joined, leading into a fight, made decisions to labor in this vineyard, not to exclude any, but in practical applied strength and utility.

We choose a vineyard to labor in, care for the poor, entertainment for the soldier, brave designs for society and for the right wars to be fought, education for the youth, sanctuary for the dreamer. We design. We envision. We itemize what is most important, no blind submission but one with contract or decisive yes and no: we prove ourselves worthy submissives via submitting to God on High and to His Character. Anything else is a test of our pluck and conscientiousness. Anything else is vain fantasy, obtuse harassment of that Father who is quite busy Himself.

We are therefore prized with Theology as a casus belli. Each of us spends the moment and period of time of detente or pre-war playing war games of our own, with our own push to enact what visions have come, to make those decisions that discomfit, to make corporate prayer or laying on of hands. To be servants of one another, and of Christ. To say the very thing that will be gobbled up and immediately indulged. For such are any Christian words of reassurance, of Grace, of healing. Those words, inspired by someone in the crowd who heard how Law was tormenting this cadre or that cadet, and had a vision of some ecstatic Now. Some ecstatic unapologetic invocation of Heavenly composure and reassurance. We are fighting a war within, and we say the lighthearted thing that will get us cornered and confronted. For in this is rediscovered that reason, that personal quest that many easily are egged into calling “Crazy!”. “See how insane this one is, to plead the blood!”; “What a head case is that one!” All of us so sensitize ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable in the forward gesture called Testimony. It is gobbled up. People scream, “More Ovaltine, please!”, or “A little less confrontational, please!” when all we did was to speak from our own heart.