Two Tunes

 "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10...."The world has been moved most by those who have contradicted it most." G.K. Chesterson

Vance Havner tells the story of a group of small boys who were marching in a parade where one little boy was out of step with the rest. A closer look at it afterwards revealed that the little fellow had a transistor radio hidden in his shirt. He was marching to music a thousand miles away. To this Havner wrote, "That's the way a Christian ought to go through this old world - out of step with its music and its movement, marching to the drumbeat of another realm."

What's the music that we in the western church are marching to? Is it the drumbeat of the world, or that of the Kingdom? It can be very hard to come up with an honest answer to that. By the very nature of our faith, we are to appear "peculiar" to the world. Yet it seems the majority of professing believers want to appear as anything but that. We seem more interested in marketing an image than we are in bearing His image to a lost world. Many pastors and fellowships have sought to present a hip and cool Jesus to a world that is also hip and cool. The cross of Christ is put in a storage room in the back of the church as we seek to be relevant. Relevant to what? As someone said, we have been trying so hard to be relevant that we no longer know how to be reverent.

Do you know the verse from the old hymn "Higher Ground?" ...."My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where these abound, my prayer, my aim, is higher ground." How many of us can say that it is truly the desire and aim of our hearts? We seem to be far more comfortable with our focus being on what's to be found in the lowlands of this world. Comfort, security, success, applause. We, including pastors, are more enthralled with building our own kingdoms than seeing His come to fullness. We never behold the wondrous views to be realized from the high places in Him. We're content with the limited scenery of this world. Abraham sought tirelessly and constantly for that "city," that "country," whose builder and maker was the Father Himself. He was never in step with the world around him, and so, illustrating Chesterson's words, he left an impact that carries onto eternity. What impact have we?

Oswald Chambers spoke much of getting into the "stride" of God, moving in unison with Him. Moving in such intimacy that an observer could not see and space between the Father and ourselves. I want to walk in His stride. I want to be like that little boy in the parade, in sync with the music of heaven, out of sync with the drumbeat of the world. I want something only He can make possible. I want to spend my life on this side of eternity looking for that city that Abraham sought, while at the same time, living in the One who built it. Such a life is possible when we walk in step with Him. When we get into His stride. Two tunes will come to our ears; that which is composed by the world, and that which is composed in the heart of the Father, written in the blood of Christ. Which tune will we hear? Which are we hearing now?

Blessings,

Pastor O