I don’t know about you, but I can only absorb so much of what is happening in our culture that disturbs me.  The problems that our culture faces, and the solutions that are being offered make me wonder what will happen to our nation.  In all the commentary, the reality of a sovereign God, who is in control of history and who has invited me to live my life under his lordship can easily be forgotten in the midst of all the voices wanting my attention. I must remember that  God has says, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” (Isaiah 14:24)  I am so thankful that I belong to the kingdom of God.  I always end up praying, “May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”  That gives me hope and certainty.  Jesus and his kingdom has come and it will endure into all eternity. We may ask as Sam did in his conversation with Mr. Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, “What sort of tale have we fallen into?”

There is a danger for men to get caught up in their small story, with the need to control and understand, that we forget we have entered into God’s story, which is so much bigger.   Listen to this quote from a book entitled, “Deep Mentoring”. “We understand the plot line of God entering our story, but we fail to realize we have entered God’s story.  Our stories are too small.  And consequently our God is to small.” I don’t know about you, but that is a very convicting statement for me as a follower of Jesus when I get my spiritual eyes off the lord and unto my need to understand and control. Eugene Peterson reminds us that, “story is our most accessible form of speech.”  Story is the primary way in which the revelation of God is given to us.  From beginning to end, Scripture is written in the form of story.

God invites us to become a part of his everlasting story  by inviting our participation in what he is doing in the earth.  Jeremiah tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).  The danger for men is our tendency to turn God’s story into information, to be used, rather then allow God’s story to transform our lives.  We can use “spiritual” information, to take matters  into our own hands, taking charge  of how we will live our lives.

Men, there is the real danger that we can so easily make up our own story of “salvation” that we miss what God is saying to us.  We must never forget that the God’s story in scripture is meant to draw us into a relationship with God.   Jesus tells us, “The Spirit can make life.  Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen.  Every word I’ve spoken to you is a ‘Spirit-word’, and so it is life-making.” (John 6:63 – The Message).  Allow God’s story to impact and expand your story.  Become aware of the ways in which you try to fit God into the “small box” of your story.