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| The Jordan River in the vicinity where Jesus was baptized. |
So I decided that I would dip myself beneath the Jordan
seven times as a way of relating to Naaman. I too need to be cleansed and restored.
But then new thoughts came to me. Jesus did not get baptized to show belief in
Himself. He got baptized as a sign that He had consecrated Himself for the
mission that lay ahead, for a life of total dependence on and obedience to the
Father; a life of service and sacrifice. He chose to symbolize that through a
public rite which was common in His day. I already believe in Him and in 1972 I
declared that publically at the Wisconsin campmeeting. But now I feel a need to
consecrate my life in the way that
Jesus did.
Yesterday morning I completed my study of the Book of Nehemiah.
He was not a preacher but an administrator. His total devotion to God was acted
out in a very secular mission, to rebuild the wall surrounding Jerusalem; not
the temple, not the system of worship, but the wall of defense against physical
attack. He was fulfilling what Artaxerxes had commanded Ezra, his contemporary,
to do: “After you have fulfilled what I am asking, then with any leftover gold
and silver do whatever seems best to you within the will of your God.”
Personally determined action “within the will of your God...”
There is a time for our getting up and putting our hand to whatever task makes
sense, even if we have not heard God’s direct command to do it. Samuel told
Saul to spend time in devotional activity and then to go forth in that light to
do whatever his hand found to do, because God would be with him. So Nehemiah similarly
spends time in prayer, acknowledging God’s sovereign goodness and faithfulness,
and confessing his nation’s and his own sinfulness. Then He asks for God’s
direct blessing as he goes forth to make an audacious request of the king, a
request that would put Nehemiah at great risk and forever change his life.
Through the remainder of his journal, he records his
definite and physical actions. When he voluntarily suffers privation on behalf
of a people who will never notice or thank him, he simply asks God to remember
his good work. When people use deception and intimidation in a vain attempt to
pull him off task, he simply asks God to remember them, and not in a good way. He practices trusting God to both
reward and to punish in His time. He lives by Paul’s injunction to leave
vengeance to the Lord; let Him repay. He also lives by Micah’s injunction to do
the right thing for the good of all while staying focused on God.
This is exactly what I want in my life, and I know how
easily I can be distracted. I can be intimidated by the opinions of people
around me. I can also be kept from action by a desire to have complete
knowledge before I act, even though I know “complete knowledge” is a mirage.
I love God. I want to be energetic within His will. But the
things I’ve mentioned are like leprosy crippling the fingers and toes of my
efforts. So, like Naaman, I need cleansing and restoration.
Today I stand today between two chapters in my life; my
service as a principal and my future work which is yet to be revealed. Whatever
I do next, I want to do it all within His will. I want my mind and heart to be
focused unbendingly on His goodness and His holiness, but then I want my body
to be dedicated to action; the kind of action that is driven by His grace and
mercy and does not flinch at thoughts of difficulty nor at the opposition or
misunderstanding of others.
So I have made my decision. I will be baptized
into the energetic, sacrificial ministry of Jesus, and like Naaman I will ask Him
to cleanse me from all that eats away at my courage and commitment.
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