I grew up in 'rural' Wisconsin where the deer (but no antelope) played until...that appointed time in November when the good men and women of the Northwoods dress all in orange and express their inner Elmer Fudd (the hunter). Looking maybe like Hare Krishnas with Guns? November 18-26 was rifle season for 2023 in Wisconsin, so if any deer are reading this... CONGRATULATIONS, you made it through another year. Now, remember to stay off the highways. Now let me segue from the gun-toting mentioned above Wisconsin venue to Psalms 42:1. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. Of course, my cartoonist brain pictures DEER PANTS as waders worn by deer as they live in the great outdoors, with lakes, rivers, and bogs for water, keeping their little hoofies from getting pruny. Or.. Bucky Boucher is like Bobby Boucher, aka 'Waterboy' or, in this case, Waterbuck.. who knows quality H2o when he sees it. Now let me safely but 'awkwardly' segue BACK from dry hoofies to the vital truth of Psalms 42:1. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. This desire for God should be our #1 pursuit, BUT what does it look like to desire the Lord that way? Recently, my wife and I had dinner with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and we discussed Psalm 37:4- Take.delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 raises the question, just like Psalm 42:1. What does genuinely delighting in the Lord look like? I know it is a beautiful verse to read, but does it describe my soul's desire. Do I delight in the Lord, and if so, what do the true desires of my heart look like? The desires of this world appear to be greed, power, status, and pleasure with very few boundaries. It goes without saying Christians should not share these desires of the world. So, what are these Godly desires of my heart? Godly desires will bring you... the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillippians 4:7 What would be the result if these Psalms measured my pursuit of and love for God? Does my soul desire God? Do I delight in Him? Or does this pursuit of God get derailed after a long day of doing life with this or that crisis and/or perceived crisis? Where is my delight and my desire? It takes a concerted effort to focus while living amid the clutter of this 24/7 rush hour distracted world. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Mt 6:10. This part of the Lord's Prayer should be foremost and paramount in our minds, hearts, and will. Next... more good instruction from the Apostle Paul Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 To Put this all together... To fit the desire and discipline of Phil 4:8 perfectly with a soul that desires Ps 42:1 and delights Ps 37:4 in the Lord while seeking His will Mt 6:10. This will result in a life with the Peace described in Phil 4:7, But honestly, the above scripture truths are easier said than done. This world muddles truth and reality with its barrage of 24/7 news propaganda and social media narratives against God and painting traditional Christian values as hate speech. But if we seek God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and love others as ourselves, Mark 12:30-31 the rest will be trivia by comparison, and then we can be content no matter our circumstance. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength! Philippians 4:11-13 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 May God bless each of you in your pursuit of Him. There is no more excellent pursuit than our creator. Come thirsty, and stay.. satisfied. Jeff (not hunting) Larson 9/15/2023 Well, at least I never...Ever console yourself regarding your behavior, words, judgments, and/or circumstances that make you look bad by qualifying these moments with the following.... “Well, at least I am not like so-in-so." With these simple words, I prop up my relative goodness by comparing myself with someone I deem as more flawed than me. And just like that... WHAM BAM my life is graded on a gentle self-affirming curve. Using this self-affirming yardstick, let me share a few 'at least I never' moments from the Bible and today for you to measure your goodness. Are you ready? Let’s get started. The Old Testament
The New Testament
Today
Of course, these 'at least I never' examples are only here to make you smile, as any comparison to another person is a flawed yardstick at best. Instead, we are called to Love God with all our heart and love others, not compare (i.e., 'at least I never' ) with them. Also, concerning our goodness... We are not so good. Our sins are as scarlet, He makes them white as snow. Isaiah 1:18 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by HIS GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 AGAIN... all are Justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus! This is our hope and promise from God and not by comparison to anyone you are 'at least not like'. He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 May God bless and comfort you with these promises of God's Grace for a repentant heart and where you no longer look to rely on any 'at least I never' yardstick. Jeff (at least I do not attend a snake handler church) Larson 3/20/2023 Your will.. my will?Our Father who is in Heaven, GREAT is your name... Your kingdom come, YOUR WILL be done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven. Many of you know this is the start of the Lord's Prayer (Mt 6:9-13) and we should NOT gloss over this prayer introduction to get to the GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY (me me me) BREAD part. Of course, our God hears, cares, and answers prayers for our needs & well-being BUT... today let's focus on God's will not my will. God's Will on Earth? So how is that working out?
With all the tension among believers, I am looking for an MMA pay-per-view event featuring Catholics v Protestants to determine once and for all.. who really is saved? It can't be both.. can it? I mean, one of the two must be on the fast track to HELL. Or will there be a Pro(testant)-Wrestling match with a high-flying Beth Moore coming off the top rope attempting to way-lay John MacCarther. But while I DO LIKE BUNNY TRAILS.. let us now return to the LORD'S PRAYER. God your will be done on Earth.. starting with .. Jeff. Throughout my life (I am 65 now) I have prayed "Lord show me your will for my life." many times. At times regarding big decisions and that is good always to seek the Lord and His will, but I have come to realize this prayer "what is your will for my life?" can become me-centric. Prayers focusing on the right job, house, finding Mrs. Right/Larson, or even a car purchase wanting God's can become my own little Prosperity Gospel prayer rather than 'thy will' pointing to God's kingdom (souls saved, and a society honoring Him). Looking back I wish I could have heard an audible voice from Heaven telling me if I was close. :) God could be heard from the Heavens with the words... "Warmer, warmer.. hmmm.. colder, colder.. now you are FREEZING. And so I guess living in Minnesota and being COLDER is about what I deserve. ANYWAYS... Truth is (insert light bulb moment for me here) The prayer "Lord what is your will for my life?" should be more specific... "Lord how can I serve you today, show me what I can do for your kingdom." "How can I be that part of the Lord's Prayer helping God's Will be Done? What would that look like if God's will was being done by those of us in the church? What if we were faithful in the moments that make up our days? What if we truly worshipped God in words and deeds with our eyes first on God and then on the needs of others? What would that look like? Even my little Back Pew Ministry. I am blessed to be used by God in a way that He uniquely wired me. but even in my world of cartoons, I can take my eyes off of humbly being used by God in this small way to pray for God to bless The Back Pew into becoming The FarSide, or Calvin & Hobbes of Christian cartoons, complete with a modest (OR.. substantial) income. "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" In recent years I have become more intentional in MY PURSUIT OF GOD. While I am and always will be a work in progress and have not resulted in an exorcism of my old self, it has become both a convicting and inspiring journey where today my prayer is .. "Lord what is your will for my life going forward? How can I serve you? Lord help me NOT to bury my talents in the sand, but instead do my part so GOD'S WILL is done on Earth as it is in Heaven. AMEN." I write this hoping it does not take any of you 65 years to figure out God's will for you to serve Him. But if it does, 65 is not too late. Love God, Serve God where your will is God's will. May God bless you all in this journey of discovering who you are intended to be in God's Plan and for HIS Kingdom on Earth. Amen Jeff (slow learner) Larson --> |
AuthorThe mutterings on life and faith by cartoonist Jeff Larson Archives
September 2024
Categories
All
|
Back Pew - Draw Close to God
My Book- 116 pages of cartoons of 'Clean Humor & God's Truth' CRITICS ARE SAYING.
|
LAUGHTER is just a click away
|
12/3/2023
2 Comments