From
John 15:1-8
H,
Still on the theme of birthdays and wishes, I keep asking
myself if it is really possible to ask anything of God as Christ encourages us
to do. It is all tied up to character, is it not? If we are “in character”
everything we ask will be valid. We will ask according to character and that
holy being cannot be resisted.
To put this in another way, if we are actors on a stage
and we know the right lines then it will all work together for good. The universe
of the play will be coherent and sensible. If we ad lib here or there or
freestyle it but keep the themes and major ideas going the story would still
move along. But, if we have no idea of the message, do not get the theme or
setting or what it all means, we begin to act at a disadvantage and no one
watching the play will make much sense of our production.
At some point, every analogy breaks down but you get the
larger point. We learn the lines first to get in character but after a while we
may become one with the famous method and not need to stay in character but
will be that character. It is in the now, the great dress rehearsal for
eternity, that we need the props of miracles and rescues and prayers and study.
We are nowhere near the heart of His thing. We are struggling. Life is closing
in. We fall and we make mistakes but we are in it. The vital thing now is to
stay in it. To not give in and walk away from love.

We are fruitful in some areas and fruitless in many. He is
pruning. He is taking out the bad bits. We are stepping into the most thrilling
character of all: Christ. We must stay there. The desire to be good and godly
will be sorely tested by our need to do evil. Our blind spots will make us
think we are walking forward even when we are way back. Our eyes opening will fill
us with a supreme hunger for change. We will see what we really need is
character above charisma, truth above consolation and everlasting bread over
the sweet barren feed of material safety. Then, it will come slowly; we will
see our great need to be like Him. To live as He lived and lives. On our knees
we will cry out for this new heart, new body and new mind. On His throne He
will grant every individual request.