Made to last (3)

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40.8

We’re considering the question of what makes a classic? What lasts and has enduring value? In our day we are immersed in cultural forms that change more rapidly than this year’s fashions or next year’s automobiles. We are trained to think that only what is new and different has value. Everything is disposable. Everything can be replaced. Nothing lasts forever.

Yet the names of those who have made lasting contributions to human culture and wellbeing are familiar to all, especially those whose contribution was motivated by faith in God and Christ: Augustine, Patrick, Abbot Suger, Bach, Rembrandt, Milton, Hopkins, Wilberforce, Nightingale, King, and so many more.

It is possible to make things that last, things that have such integrity, beauty, and inherent goodness that each generation discovers them afresh, savors them anew, and transmits them to the generation that will succeed them. Since it is possible to make things that last, it should be the desire of each one of us to do so, especially since what we make by our words and deeds can have lasting effects for the glory of God for many years to come.

We’ve seen that the first step in such a work is making up our minds to do so, like the sons of Korah who declared to the Lord, “I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations” (Ps. 45.17). By devoting our words and works to the Lord, and giving ourselves conscientiously each day to knowing and doing His will, we may expect to have an impact for God’s glory in our own day and well beyond.

But even the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We need more than just intending to make something that lasts if we’re going to accomplish this objective. We need to make sure that what we endeavor to create is well rooted, firmly grounded, and established on an unchanging and unfailing foundation.

And that means grounding all our words and deeds on the Word and order of God.

The divine Word

“[T]he word of our God will stand forever.” The consistent testimony of Scripture is that, because it comes from the mouth of the Lord and by the Spirit of the Lord, whatever the Bible teaches is true, sure, and reliable for every good work (2 Tim. 3.15-17). If we want our words and works to make a lasting contribution, we must make certain to ground them, as much as possible, in the Word of the Lord in Scripture.

What does this require?

Certainly we must read and meditate in the Word of God if we would understand its wisdom and counsel. But we must also give ourselves to study and discussion of God’s Word, to seeking insight to its truths from great minds of the past and present, and to working hard at applying the truth of Scripture in every situation.

We want our words and deeds to communicate the love of God and to reflect the goodness, wisdom, and truth of God’s Word. Our natural sinfulness and the continuing barrage of misinformation coming at us from the spirit of the age make it that we must be diligent to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3.16). If we will do so, the Spirit of God will use the Word to liberate us from the restraints of sin and our own human limitations, and will lift us into the presence of God and His glory, there to transform us increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

And the more we are transformed by Jesus’ Word into Jesus’ image, the more our words and deeds will partake of that unchanging and unfailing essence, and thus be more likely to make a lasting contribution to the glory of God.

Make sure you are firmly rooted in the Scriptures, so that the spiritual perspective and energy that come from the Word of God inform, fill, and nourish all the words and deeds of your daily life.

The divine order

Once we have made up our minds to make a lasting contribution by our words and deeds, we must work hard to be grounded in and established on the Word of God, and to be continually nurtured by that Word all the days of lives.

But we must also seek to gain insight to the divine order as that is reflected in God’s world. There is an order to the creation which is a manifestation of the glory of God (Ps. 19.1-4) and which can provide us sound advice in seeking to make a lasting contribution consistent with the purposes and plan of God.

Here’s how the psalmist expresses his sense of the divine order: “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Ps. 33.4-11).

Of what does this “counsel of the LORD” consist? What would be some aspects of the “divine order” which we might look to in order to consider how to make a lasting contribution for the glory of God?

The divine order can be discerned on the basis of Scripture through the consideration of such things as the created order, the enduring works of great masters, the course of history, and the thoughts and lives of great men and women throughout the ages.

Through considering such subjects we may learn the best ways of communicating our thoughts, making beautiful things, helping others in times of need, maintaining good health, creating useful implements and institutions, and much, much more.

The Bible has very little to teach us about such matters. However, over the years, people have been able to discern a consistent order in such areas as logical thinking, the arts, raising children, public safety, business ethics, and so forth. These are all evidence of a cosmos which is upheld and sustained by the Word of Christ and the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. If we want to make a lasting contribution by our own words and deeds, it will be essential that we increase our understanding of the divine order by seeking to learn from those whose lasting words and deeds evidence agreement with that unchanging and unfailing order.

A question of time

Studying the Word and order of God requires careful planning, responsible use of our time, deep reflection, conversation with others, and a determined effort to put into practice whatever we are learning in our studies. If we give all our time to the fleeting pleasures of pop culture – TV, sports, light reading, and pop music – we’re not likely to shape our thoughts, affections, values, and ways according to the unchanging Word and order of God.

So if we want to make a lasting contribution by our lives, we’ll need to reconsider the best ways of using our time (Ps. 90.12; Eph. 5.15-17). Everything we do requires time, and all the time we have at any moment is simply that one moment in time. Either we will consume and perhaps waste our moments by spending them on fleeting things, or we will invest and extend them by giving our time to the creation of things that last.

And that’s a decision we will need to make every moment of every day of our lives.

For reflection: What kind of “investment” do the moments of your life reflect? For the next week, keep track of your time in 30-minute blocks. Write down everything you do. At the end of each day, review the record of your day. Beside every activity that seems have been an investment for a lasting contribution, put a +. Beside every activity that was merely momentary or wasted – not intentionally invested in something that will last – put a -. At the end of the week, set aside 30 minutes to talk with Lord about ways of improving how you use your time.

For action: Talk with some Christian friends about your current practice in learning the divine Word and order. Ask for suggestions concerning how you might improve these. Make a plan to become a more conscientious student of the Word and order of God.

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