PROOF AND APPROVAL

If you have seen the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,* did you happen to catch this exchange between King Peter and Queen Lucy? The region of Narnia (it’s been stripped of kingship) is in perilous trouble, and Peter is staring at a mural of Aslan, the Great Lion and Sovereign over all. When they had faced danger before, Aslan came to their rescue and guided the kings and queens with his wisdom. It’s been over a thousand years since anyone has seen Aslan, and even King Peter is beginning to have doubts.

Peter: You've seen [Aslan]. I wish he'd just given me some sort of proof.
Lucy: Maybe we're the ones that need to prove ourselves to him.

It is so easy, isn’t it, to want proof that we are on the right path; making the right decisions; following our calling; or making noble plans that glorify the King of kings? We are a society of women and men who are evaluated routinely on our performance, as people, as workers, as parents, siblings, children, from the boardroom to the bedroom and everywhere in-between. We yearn for approval, for “proof” as Peter put it, because we have been trained up from a very early age to perform.

In his bestselling devotional My Utmost for His Highest,** Oswald Chambers writes: “God’s revelation of Himself to me is influenced by my character, not by God’s character.” That was part of High King Peter’s problem. His doubts about himself transferred into his doubts about Aslan.

That is routinely our problem too.

Queen Lucy had the perfect answer; “Maybe we're the ones that need to prove ourselves to him.” That is the crux isn’t it? In most cases, we have the tools. We often have experience. But when things get rough, we’re busy seeking approval when in fact; we have already been approved as witnessed by another Peter . . .

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1Peter 2:9).

If you are struggling today, needing a hand up, then think on this: if Christ is your King, then you have already been chosen as an ambassador, an heir, a princess or prince of the Throne of the Most High. You have what you need. You are approved.

So be encouraged. Go, act on what you know is right in the eyes of God and His Word, fulfill your noble plans, and as you go, tell others, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 10:7).


"A noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands" (Isaiah 32:8).

*The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) Walden Media
** My Utmost for His Highest, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI

HONOUR AND THE NOBLE PLAN

Excerpted from Noble Plans and the chapter "On My Honour":

In the medieval period, a lord or lady’s honour was the group of manors or lands he or she held. “The word was first used indicating an estate which gave its holder dignity and status.”* For a person to say “on my honour” was not just an affirmation of his or her integrity and rank, but the veracity behind that phrase meant he or she was willing to offer up estates as pledge and guarantee. (Excerpted from Noble Plans)

The meaning of honor has changed over time, hasn't it? What about the biblical definition?

One Hebrew word for "honor" is kabad, and like a coin, this singular word has two sides to it. Side one: honor, glorify, abundance. The other side: heavy, burdensome. Think about that for a moment, that biblically, one cannot come without the other. Perhaps that brings some clarity to Exodus 20:12, were we are instructed to "honor/kabad" both father and mother.

Again, time has greatly diluted the early understanding and application of "honor." Is there a way to recapture some of the old "recipe?" Can life be lived so that when we give our word, it has the full pledge of all we are behind it? Can honor be received knowing and accepting the burdens that come with it?

Here is something to think about as you make your noble plans: "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no" (James 5:12). As fellow sharers in the inheritance of the Great High King, our word is our bond. When you say "yes," stand by your word. When you say "no," mean it and do not stray. You are the Sovereign's ambassador in this world (2Co 5:20 ). He would not waiver, He would not change His Word. As His appointed ambassador, bearing the honor of the Sovereign King, should you?


"A noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands"

*A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases, Christopher Corédon, ©2004, D.S. Brewer, Cambridge

NOBLE PLANS - WHY SOME JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND

Have you read C. S. Lewis’ book The Weight of Glory? If not, there is a host of gems, a treasure-trove of wisdom waiting for you in that 198-page book. You’re heard it said, “Never judge a book by its cover.” The axiom certainly applies to The Weight of Glory. *

Yesterday I finished the chapter “Translation,” and today, I have a new perspective on my fellow man and sadly, the failings of my own human condition. I better understand why, even after decades of trying to be a Christ-like example to friends, neighbors, and relatives, they still see the faith as “foolishness” (1Co 1:23). Even among my believing friends, the pursuit of noble plans is often viewed with blank and sometimes amused stares. And of course, as I have tried to comprehend why God has trudged me down some of the difficult paths He has taken me, I begin to grasp why I am inadequate to the task.

Despite a great yearning, I could never articulate the context as well as C. S. Lewis, but to reiterate what I can in my own words: imagine that you are on a team of explorers into the deepest of unknown jungles. There, you stumble upon a young man, perhaps in his twenties, who has never met another human being. He sees you, he sees that you have arms, legs, faces, and hair . . . he hears you uttering sounds from your lips.

But there the associations come to a startling halt. Nothing else about you is familiar: the “words” you speak are gibberish; the clothes you wear are a complete and total shock. The tools you hold are beyond his frame of reference and appear “magical.” In short, he cannot understand you. He sees that you are similar, and he wants to understand, but he cannot.

On the other hand, in sheer moments upon meeting the lad, you have a total comprehension of his situation. Not only do you understand his predicament, your brains are filtering through a world of knowledge and questions at your disposal: “Where did he come from?” “Is he a survivor from that crash 17 years ago?” “Would he be the son of professor so-and-so?” These are questions and concepts the young man has no ability to understand, let alone ask himself.

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1Co 2:14).

To share a more contemporary example, in the 1967 episode of Star Trek, “Mirror, Mirror,” Captain Kirk and his companions return from an alternate universe, where he and his ship were responsible for what would be unspeakable crimes in our universe. During the episode, “good” Kirk was transported into their reality and the “bad” Kirk and companions were brought here. As the program draws to a close, Kirk asks his first officer Spock, how he knew the “bad” Captain Kirk was not him. Spock’s response? “It was far easier for you as civilized men to behave like barbarians than it was for them as barbarians to behave like civilized men.”

In short, those who do not have the ability to see the world from a biblical worldview, will always have a difficult, if not impossible time grasping its meaning. In its place they will attempt to fill it with every form of counterfeit and seemingly noble plan, yearning as that young man in our jungle story would have: to relate, to share, and to partake. And sadly, barbarism may rise in the vacuum of biblical literacy, as has been the case in modern history (i.e. Nazi occupied Europe, Bosnia, Iraq, Yugoslavia, and the list goes on).

The take away:

1) In the Scriptures, the faithful are often referred to as “the elect” or “the chosen” (ref: Ps 105:43, Isa 43:20, Mt 24:22, Mt 24:31, Lu 18:7, Ro 8:33, 1Pe 2:9). Think on that, my friend, and with new eyes understand what that means! Beyond your salvation, ponder the incredible gift that God has elected you to share! Paul understood and speaks across the eons to us today, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1Co 2:14). God has called — or is calling you — out of that darkness and into His light (2Co 4:6).

2) You may not now — or ever — comprehend why your life is as it is, why the hardships and trials you have had to endure have happened, or perhaps even why your life has been so trouble-free when you witness such agony around you. Take hope, friend. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1Co 13:12).

3) Have compassion on your fellow man. It can be frustrating even to the point of anger and abandonment to share your spiritual convictions with those outside the fold (and few things anger them more than to realize that their intellect is not up to the task). What compassion would you shower on a youth found in the jungle? It would be great! It would be rich with hope, love, and patience. So let it be for those in your network of friend and family, your neighbors and co-workers. “Have mercy (compassion) on some, who are doubting” (Jude 22 – parenthesis mine). This is a noble plan.


"A noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands"

*The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis, HarperOne, ISBN: 978-0060653200

LETTERS PATENT

From Noble Plans

In the medieval period a noble document meant to be read publicly were called Letters Patent.

"These were royal letters, sent open with a seal and pendant attached Their contents were not considered to be secret. Such letters authorised an action or instructed for instance, a sheriff to act. "*

In this day and age of e-mails, tweets, and instant messaging, it would be a rare and exotic thing indeed to receive a parchment bearing a message written in ink by quill, emblazoned with a wax seal and a pendant.

Yet I am reminded of the words of Rabbi Saul of Tarsus in 2Cor 3:2-3 where he refers to Christ's disciples as living letters, "known and read by all."

That means you, beloved. You are that rare parchment, sealed with the noble and eternal sign of the King of kings. You are His Letter Patent, bearing the seal and sentiment of your Sovereign.

When people read you — and they most certainly do — what do they read?

Being God's Letter Patent is a noble part of being an heir of the King, and an important aspect of any disciple's noble plan.


"A noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands"

* (A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases, Christopher Corèdon with Ann Williams, ©2004, D. S. Brewer, Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK, p. 175)

LOOK AND REMEMBER

In Numbers 15:39, God instructs his people to tie fringes to the corners of their garments to "look upon and remember." In fact, the spiritual principle of "look . . . remember" occurs often in the Scripture. Why?

I believe it is because we humans have a remarkable capacity to forget. God knows this, which is why we are so often called upon to "remember" (Ex 13:3, Deut 5:15, Deut 8:18, Ps 105:5, John 15:20, 2Ti 2:8). So we have cycles of seasons and holidays, rituals, and reminders, from festival favorites to wedding rings, from calendars to bobble heads: all of which serve to remind us of those things which are important, of things about which we are passionate.

While desktop wallpaper certain does not rank up there with Scripture, nor should it, it can serve a positive purpose, and for those seeking to live noble lives and make noble plans, these can be constant reminders so you "look and remember."

Here are free desktop wallpaper files for you to download, to help you in your quest to make and remember your noble plans.


Noble Plans Desktop No. 1

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Noble Plans Desktop No. 3

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Noble Plans Desktop No. 4

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Noble Plans Desktop No. 5

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"A noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands"