Writing Things Out of Order

1 Thessalonians is perhaps one of the most joyful books in the New Testament. The end of each chapter holds a reminder of better times to come, the return of Christ. To some, this is not great news, and the subject of Eschatology is a bit frightening to many. While the final chapter of my life has already been written - remember, He knows the number of my days and the number of hairs on my head - I still must live out those days.

Speaking of hair, I will apparently be sporting a new look soon. Am told that the chances are REALLY GOOD (that was the way my oncologist phrased it) that chemo is going to cost me my locks. But it will grow back. Have you ever had a sunburned dome? I have had just the part in my hair burned before. I don't part my hair anymore.

Back to the subject at hand. The closing chapter of 1 Thess, ch 5, offers some practical advice in dealing with the remainder of this life. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. From the viewpoint of a recovering alcoholic and addict this is the answer to a prayer, literally. The 11th step of all the "Anonymous" programs (all 500+ of them) tells me to "[pray] only for knowledge of His will for [me] and the power to carry that out." By the way, if it escaped you, that's two separate ideas there, knowledge and power.

A popular saying states that knowledge is power but I disagree. For that matter, I disagree with some of the "powerlessness dilemma" as posited by Alcoholics Anonymous. Oh, to be certain I am powerless over alcohol once I consume it. But as regards the ability to leave it alone?

When I pray for knowledge of His will for me I get a clear "whatever you do, just don't drink" reply. And I truly believe that while He provides the power to avoid the drink, I must exercise that power.

It seems the key lies in the source of the knowledge. If I rely on myself as the source, self-knowledge, well ....... We have seen how that turns out, haven't we. Referring back to earlier writings, I lack any solid base of true wisdom over any considerable period of time.

Prayer, meditation and regular reading of His word are all required; all of them. Two alone, contrary to AA's 11th step, will not work in my life. Prayer is simply talking to God. Meditation allows me to listen to God. But how to interpret the messages I receive, or even determine if the messages are actually from Him? Remember that we have a tendency to discern right from wrong based on what we agree with. New readers may be lost here by some references - but I think you'll understand.

I choose not to be the benchmark for right and wrong. Today, people think the greatest truths are simple and clear, black and white, simple lines - no fuzziness or mystery - until they look closely at their own lives and examine the areas where they compromise so readily. Then the gray areas begin to grow. This outlines my need for direction and it is only available in His word.