"Howling With Sparrow"

Howling is infectious. Our family is well acquainted with this canine reality because through the years we have owned four beagles (or have they owned us?). Our current blessing, Sparrow, may be the best howler of all our hounds, and it takes very little to get her to throw her head back and bay at the moon, the ceiling, or whatever may be up there willing to receive her song.

I must confess that the "very little" that most often motivates Sparrow is her human family. Yes, we love to get Sparrow singing, so to speak. If we howl, she howls. So we howl. We're pretty good at it actually, or at least I think so. If the neighbors can hear our concert - which I hope they can't - I suspect they must think that the Davis family is either harboring a secret kennel of beagles, or that we have gone stark raving mad. It's quite a cacophony of sound, and while I've never really focused on the visual aspect of the experience, it must also be somewhat of a sight to behold. And no, there will be no audio or video on our website forthcoming!

Even more infectious than howling, our capacity for the sound of words powerfully influences others, for good or for ill. "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health" (Proverbs 12:18). What we say and how we say it fills the air with either life or death, and the challenging and even disturbing truth is that every word we say has this effect. "I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matthew 12:36). "Idle" in this verse means leisurely, or even lazy. That is, we will one day answer for words spoken with no view toward their effect and influence, and while such judgment of believers' utterances will not affect our assured place in Heaven, the matter is nevertheless solemn and very serious. Did our words consistently "infect" our world with the spirit and truth of the Lord Jesus, or with the darkness of the flesh? We will face that question at the judgment seat of Christ.

We must face the question today, and for the rest of our earthly lives. There are few more important issues than what we say and how we say it. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Our only hope in this matter the same hope we have in every matter. We must trust the Lord Jesus with all our hearts, receiving His forgiveness and cleansing for past failings, and submitting our tongue to Him for safekeeping and enabling to express His life. "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3). Sparrow provides for us a powerful reminder and lesson, and one that we should often consider together for the purpose of remembering that our words will be either graced with life, or laced with death. Indeed, others will "howl" with us, as it were, and may we lead always in the chorus that honors and reflects the Lord Jesus.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

(Proverbs 25:11-13)

"Help Yourself!"

"God helps those who help themselves." No, He doesn't - "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help" (Psalm 121:1).

God helps those who help themselves to His help. Yes, He does - "Ask and ye shall receive" (John 16:24).

Those who affirm the former adage often do so in the attempt to promote personal responsibility. Certainly this is a good thing, and the motive may be sincere. The means, however, is faulty. The idea that God is merely adding His enabling to our own efforts cannot be reconciled with the Bible's ongoing declaration of our complete dependence upon "the hills, from whence cometh my help." "Without Me, ye can do nothing" said the Lord Jesus. God "giveth to all life and breath and all things" wrote the Apostle Paul. David prayed "that I may know how frail I am". Our Lord "upholds all things by the word of His power," including ourselves (John 15:5; Acts 17:25; Psalm 39:4; Hebrews 1:3). The truth of the matter is our Heavenly Father does not need our help by the vanity of our efforts to help ourselves, nor does He add His provision as a mere complement to our own strivings. "He is thy life" declared Moses long ago to Israel, and we will never know either grace or true personal responsibility until we confess that "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

The recognition of reception as our God-given capacity to respond to Him establishes the foundation of authentic personal responsibility in us. "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach" (Romans 10:8). When we trust the Lord Jesus, in response to the Holy Spirit's illumination, leading, and enabling, the character of Christ is revealed in us. His personal responsibility more and more motivates us to relate rightly to God and others. Helping ourselves to His help, and then bearing the fruit of the Spirit as the inevitable harvest of true faith - this is the motive and the means by which we increasingly find ourselves fulfilling the responsibilities of our lives in a manner that glorifies God rather than ourselves. Yes, our Lord helps those who help themselves to His help, leading to His own personal responsibility manifested in us and by us.

"He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper."

(Hebrews 13:6)

"Acceptance and Adjustment"

Fried chicken. In a kayak. On Mobile Bay. Nice breeze. Beautiful sunset. In other words, God is very, very good.

Frances and I set out late one afternoon last week, planning on reaching a small beach area we've discovered on the western shore of the Bay. With the aforementioned chicken and fixings, we looked forward to a nice picnic on the beach after a 45 minute paddle to the site. Alas, however, the tide was in, and there wasn't a spot of dry land to be seen. We therefore decided to have our meal in the boats despite the fact that Mobile Bay was choppy and raucous that afternoon.

It worked out well, despite the churning waters that caused us to have to concentrate on stability as well as eating. The chicken was great (if you want to know how to fry chicken so that it will almost bring tears to your eyes and sublime happiness to your palette, I'll be glad to tell you). The company was better. And the setting sun and a soft wind made for a blessed experience.

"A man's heart deviseth his way. But the Lord directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

We make our plans, and it's proper that we do. God Himself is a planner, having an "eternal purpose in Christ" (Ephesians 3:11). Still, we often have to adjust to different circumstances and conditions than we anticipate (something He never has to do, of course). I had laid out the details of the picnic for nearly a week in my mind, and had really looked forward to it. The little beach is a nice place, with reeds that beautifully filter the setting sun, and a wonderful view of the Bay. Things didn't work out as planned, however, and acceptance and adjustment became necessary. By God's leading and enabling, we did so, and ended up having an experience just as wonderful as the one we had planned.

Throughout our lives, the reality of acceptance and adjustment continually presents itself to us. For example, I recently heard a commentator suggest that the most important quality a President must possess is the capacity to respond well to the many unexpected circumstances and conditions he will face while in office. I think this is true, and a good prayer to pray for our leaders is that they will respond well to the unexpected. We should pray this for each other and for ourselves as well. The One to whom we have entrusted both time and eternity perfectly anticipates the exigencies of both. Our Heavenly Father is never caught by surprise - "His understanding is infinite" - and He never requires contingency plans in case things don't go as He anticipates (Psalm 147:5). Of course, this Divine sensibility is impossible to understand because we have no frame of reference for knowledge of the future. It is a wonderful thing to trust, however, as we look to God for His leading, enabling, and provision. Indeed, our capacity to accept and adjust rests on our understanding that our Lord never has to do so.

"Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world."

(Acts 15:18)