Invitations

 I can assume the Lord is moving and wishes me to follow, on the basis of events in my life, and certainties which assert themselves. In the matter of attending a banquet, the Lord used the image of a banquet at a wedding. He can invite, but He will not force anyone to sit down to dinner with Him.

The problem for the Christian is, to sort out and separate conflicting impulses in such a way that the Lord's Will is obvious and other motions are damped out.

Indeed, the enemy is vigilant for any opportunity to play with our emotions, in order to hide the danger of invitations we receive. The Will of God is accompanied by peace. By that I do not merely mean we experience no emotion whatever, but the deep and abiding rest of the soul is established in an impereturbable peace; the enemy is always trying to disturb that rest and that peace because he cannot abide the presence of the Lord which is manifested by that joyful peace. When you hit your thumb with a hammer, accidentally, you drop the hammer and hop around a bit until the pain is reduced enough to be tolerable. The peace of the Lord was always there, but the impact on the finger by the hammer is capable of drowning out the perception of peace.

Similarly, the rest I am speaking of is no emotion, but it evokes emotions that soothe and augment a spiritual rest. Finding a haven where we may rest in the solitude surrounding the Lord is a matter of persistent evaluation of the suitability of a place where we may experience the rest and the peace in order to listen for the voice of the Lord.

While we should not avoid consolation, neither should we importune the Lord like an immature child, "daddy I want more." The quickest way to squelch that consolation which is so appealing, is to insist on having it. A mother has only so much milk to give her baby; crying an fussing will not cause an increase in lactation.

At the same time, as we get older, we begin to realize time getting short. The prudent man notices, and strives to make the most of his time. We are given time in order to do the Will of the Lord, and He knows how to take a trial and turn its pain into a powerful voice of intercession to bring us salvation, so long as our heart is truly fixed on Him, and not merely to satisfy ourselves. We generally lack the insight to realize how trivila most of our longings are. That demands that we analyze ourselves, and listen to others with a perspective on the Lord to guide us to the place we should be.

While participation in the passion-life of the Lord is a laudable thing, it does not happen merely to satisfy some longing for a spurious pain that may have nothing to do with God at all. So long as its origin is seen to emanate from our own emotions, we should recall ourselves to an attitude of selflessness that characterizes the Lord, and a realization that what He offers us by way of participation is of such caliber as will force us to endure merely for love. Any other motive is suspect.

The Lord loves those who love Him. He loves anyone who is willing to shoulder part of His burden.  pious man will realize how deep is His sorrow and pain as the original sufferer of crucifixion. He lends part of it as a burden to us; a burden to be borne with and by His strength and according to His love, because it is not bearable in any other way.

He will maintain what selflessness we possess, and weave our acquiescence into His Will and His workings, so that our desires do not conflict with His and we remain selfless and useful to Him as a passive participant in what He wants to do.

It is no secret that selfishness tries to assert itself at all times, while the Lord is operating in us, to Will a cooperation with Him. If you perceive His work in you, give thanks and try to cooperate as well as you can.

If you find joy bubbling up from within you, give thanks and draw closer if you can.

If you become aware of a new idea, know that someone else may already have thought of it. Investigating the possibilities of cooperation can enhance the execution of God's Will, so long as one remains awake and does not allow oneself to drift off to some specious dream. Often God's Will provides that two groups of a similar nature will conceive similar ideas at the same time. If you recognize such a work, it is worth wondering what the Lord may have in mind. The preeminant work must be that the Lord's Will is visible and the path forward to accomplish something in His Name is the impetus behind the action.