Bits of Heaven. Russell J. Levenson Jr.

but as an opportunity to trust even more the One who is our perfect end?

       A Prayer

      O God of peace,

      Who hast taught us that in returning and rest we

      shall be saved,

      in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength:

      By the might of Thy Spirit lift us,

      we pray Thee,

      to Thy presence,

      where we may be still and know that Thou art God;

      through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

      —The Book of Common Prayer, p. 832

9 When Abram’s wife, Sarai, did not become pregnant within Abram’s timetable, Abram chose, at Sarai’s suggestion, to sleep with a maidservant from his household named Hagar. Hagar did become pregnant with a child, but the trouble that arose out of the conception, and ultimately, the birth, of Ishmael was a heavy burden in Abram’s household.

      Meditation 9

The Birthplace of Righteousness

      [Abram] believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

      —Genesis 15:6

       What inspires you to do the right thing?

      Like many of you, during my grade school years I attended my share of summer camps. One camp was just south of my home in Birmingham, Alabama. I remember it as an idyllic place where I learned to hike, fish for bream on a cane pole, and water ski. I knew family friends had something to do with the camp, but not until adulthood did I connect the dots that the camp was really a large family property that they generously shared as a day camp and as a gathering place for a wide variety of charitable and church-related functions.

      Over the years, our family became close to these generous camp owners. One day, without our inquiry, our request, and at no cost to us, they offered it as a timely and much-needed getaway for my wife, kids, and me. The respite began with a short list of instructions, the keys, and a wish to simply have a good time. We always did, and made our own memories there. The gift itself gave us a sense of gratitude and birthed in us a desire to always care for the place as if it were our own.

      What is the birthplace of doing the right thing? What really drives us to what the Bible calls “righteousness”? If your area of the country is in any way like mine, there are a number of television preachers—most of whom seem to believe that our behavior is not the fruit of relationship, but of fear. We act as good people not so much because we “want to,” but because “we have to,” or . . . well . . . else.

      In the last meditation, I said that I would touch on what God’s promise of numberless children meant to Abram. Abram, whom God eventually renamed Abraham, did become father to a few children, but he became the spiritual father of children without number—children that exceeded the number of stars in the sky, believing children who, like Abraham, “believed.” Abraham is actually seen as the patriarch of the three great world religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In the Christian faith, however, we see Abraham as the prototype not just for how we understand righteousness, but also for how we live it—how it becomes more than a just a word.

It is good that we get this word “faith,” not tucked in some obscure, hard-to-find verse in scripture, but in the first book—setting the stage for a recurring theological theme that is echoed again and again.¹⁰ Put simply, the pathway to right living is right relationship. Because we know (or should know) that God loves us, we are filled with a desire to live in good, right, loving ways. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

      The problem with focusing on “right behavior” rather than “right relationship” is that we all fail the “right behavior” test. When we focus solely on right actions, then we become riddled with guilt, shame, and a sense of failure. Pastor Charles Swindoll writes about this, suggesting:

By living like that, we develop a worst-case mentality. That is like my taking my keys and handing them over to one of my teenagers who just got a driver’s license and saying, “Now let me remind you, you’re going to have a wreck. So the first thing you need to do is memorize the phone number of our car insurance agent. That way, when you have an accident you can be sure to call the right number. But here are the keys. Hope you enjoy the drive.”¹¹

      When God took Abram out under that night sky, he made a promise to our ancient patriarch. We are told the promise came not because Abram deserved it, or earned it, or had never stumbled or fallen, but because God willed it . . . it was God’s gift, God’s decision to bless Abram. In response, Abram’s belief and trust in his relationship with God is what God deemed righteous.

      What makes a marriage? The vows or the love between husband and wife? What makes a friendship? Being the perfect friend or having affection for one another? What inspires loyalty in sports or military service? The jersey? The uniform? Isn’t having a right relationship the birthplace of living the right way?

      Not too very long ago, my family and I once again were given the gift of that lake home. My son and I hiked and fished, and he learned to ski in the very waters where I had learned so many years ago. When our time was over, we cleaned up, washed the linens, took out the trash—not because we had to, but because we wanted to, in response to a wonderful gift borne of mutual affection . . . borne of love.

       A Bit of Heaven

      What inspires you to do the right thing? Is it fear? Guilt? An attempt to somehow make up for wrong things? To balance the scales? When it comes to God, would you rather be “right” or be in a “right relationship”? If you know that “Abram believed and God credited that to him as righteousness,” how does that change your understanding of righteousness? If you know that “we love because He first loved us,” how does that change your motivation to do the right thing?

       A Prayer

      Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love, warm me and make me fervent that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust You altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in You. In You I have sealed the treasures of all I have. I am poor; You are rich and came to be merciful to the poor. I am a sinner; You are upright. With me there is an abundance of sin, in You is the fullness of righteousness. Therefore I will remain with You, of whom I can receive but to whom I may not give. Amen.

—Martin Luther, d. 1546¹²

10 See Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Ephesians 2:8–9.

11 Charles Swindoll, The Grace Awakening