Gifts at Christmas - Part 3

We have now reached the point of unwrapping the final gift; the gift of gold. Matthew 2:11 reminds us of the great gifts presented to our Lord and Savior;

11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

So let’s look at the gift of gold and what a gift it was. Gold; over time, has symbolized power, beauty, purity and accomplishment. Throughout history gold has been considered a precious metal with great power and has been used financially as well as medically. It is interesting to note that Homer in the Odyssey calls gold the “glory of immortals”. Further, we can see that gold is mentioned in Genesis 2 where we are told of the land of Havilah “where there is gold and the gold of that land is good”. So I think we could all agree that this gift of gold presented to our Lord and Savior was a gift befitting a King! A gift for a King that is all powerful, all beautiful, all purifying and all accomplishing.

Throughout scripture we see Christ identified as King; our King. In John 1, Nathanael declares,

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel”.

Nathanael recognizes Christ as our King, just as these wise men have done. I am awestruck as I read Revelation 19 where we see;

“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

So this Christmas may we all remember that to us a child is born; to us a son is given. May we all come to correctly recognize just as the wise men did that this child is our great physician, our high priest, our King of Kings! As we correctly recognize Christ, may we as these wise men did bow down and worship him.

As we celebrate this Christmas may it be all about Him who saves us. As Paul teaches us in 1 Timothy;

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Grace and Peace!

Gifts at Christmas - Part 2

As we continue to unwrap the gifts of the first Christmas we are reminded of the gifts presented to Christ in Matthew 2:11; 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Stepping through the gifts, examining, learning and applying brings us to incense and in some translations Frankincense.

This gift too was valuable. Incense has historically been used to purify, to eliminate bad things, odors for example. Wikipedia states that incense "is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term incense refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. Many religious ceremonies and spiritual purificatory rites employ incense, a practice that persists to this day. Incense is also used in medicine and for its aesthetic value."

The bible reveals incense being used by priests to purify and to create an aroma pleasing to the Lord. So these wise men have brought our Lord and Savior this gift of incense perhaps creating something pleasing, but also perhaps to identify our great high priest. So what can we take from all this?

Let's begin by looking at Hebrews 2:17; For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for[a]the sins of the people. So can you see that Christ is our high priest atoning for our sins?

Since Christ has done that for each of us; what does that mean for believers? I think we can find the answer in 1 Peter 2:9; 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Wow, isn’t that amazing? As believers we are a chosen people; a royal priesthood. So as believers we are to be priests telling the good news to all who will listen; to love and serve our high priest. Francis Schaeffer says that “Christ is our priest, and in fellowship with Him every believer is a priest.” What an honor; what a responsibility.

To conclude the gift of incense can seem insignificant in our current culture, but I have come to see what true significance it has for each of us. It purifies, identifies and sets the course for all believers. Let’s end with a couple of verses Revelations 1;

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

May we all go forward as a royal priesthood serving Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood!

Grace and Peace!

Gifts at Christmas - Part 1

I am going to attempt something during this Christmas season. I want to explore something. I want to take a single verse; Matthew 2:11 and attempt to blog a series on this one verse. In this verse we are told;

11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

What immediately comes to mind is that upon seeing the Child; upon recognizing Christ our Lord they bowed and worshipped. Shouldn’t we all? However, I want to look at the last sentence in the verse and attempt to unpack (or maybe I should say unwrap) the three gifts and examine what we might learn from these gifts, what they might tell us about Christ and perhaps what we might learn about our relationship with Christ.

I would like to invert the order and begin with Myrrh; probably the least recognizable to each of us. I will be honest and tell you I wasn’t really sure what is was, how it was used or if it is even around anymore. However, upon doing a little research I found that Myrrh has many uses ranging from a preservative to perfume to a medicine.

What really struck me were the healing properties of Myrrh. Myrrh is used to treat many ailments and is also known for regenerating properties. A popular aromatherapy site states that Myrrh’s medicinal uses include; Anti-infectious, Antiviral, Antiparasitic, Hormone-like, Anti-inflammatory, Antihyperthyroid, and helps support the immune system.

So we might say the Myrrh is good for what ails you and you must admit what ails us most is our broken natures. With such brokenness comes great need; the need of a great physician; a healing, regenerating, preserving savior! Maybe those wise men were pretty wise; symbolically helping to reveal to us something about the nature of Christ.

I just love this imagery; the image of being healed; regenerated by the loving touch of Christ. Wayne Grudem defines regeneration as “a secret act of God in which He imparts new spiritual life to us”. Sounds like pretty powerful medicine for what ails us.

We can see healing by Christ in scriptures; both physical healings, but more importantly spiritual healings. And when we think of the spiritual healing that we need, I am so comforted by Isaiah 53 which reminds us;

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

So, by His wounds we can be healed; restored. However, most are reluctant even avoid medicine so how do we take this medicine; the medicine of Christ shown through a gift of Myrrh? As Christ himself tells us in coming to heal the young daughter of Jairus in Luke;

50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

How appropriate the gift of Myrrh; a gift given to a child and freely given to us. Friends, don’t be afraid; just believe!

Grace and Peace!

Thanksgiving Prayer

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before you praising you and all your glory; praising you for your grace and mercy; praising you for your love. Father, forgive us our debts and help each of us to forgive our debtors. Lord, this Thanksgiving I am reminded of Psalm 30 where we hear; 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

So Father, this day we stop and say thank you, thank you forever! Thank you for all things; every precious breath, every wonderful sight, every beautiful sound; and we thank you for the many blessings of life. Mostly we thank you for your Son, our Lord and Savior, our King, Jesus Christ. We thank you that by His work on the cross, our debt is paid and we can have a restored and glorious relationship with you for all of eternity!

Oh God, how good and gracious you are! And as we thank you for all blessings, we still recognize true need. This day we pray for the homeless, the poor, the hungry, those with health issues and those struggling in these trying times that you would comfort, heal and provide. We pray for our men and women in the Military and especially those overseas away from friends and family during the holidays that you would protect, encourage and help them to feel loved. We pray for this nation and our leaders that you will work mightily granting wisdom and direction that would be pleasing and glorifying to you. We pray for your Church that it will be strengthened and encouraged with the unity that comes from loving you. We pray for families and family values; that you would protect and solidify the very concept of family and align family values according to your will. We pray for our children that you will touch their hearts helping them to stand firm in these trying times. And we pray for all Christians, Christians facing trials, temptations, uncertainty, praying as the words of King Hezekiah remind us; "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. Father, no matter our circumstance, help us to be strong and courageous as there truly is a greater power with us.

Finally, we pray that you would open our heart and minds to the glorious power of your word, praying as Paul prayed in Philippians; "that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and that we may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, that we may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the Glory and praise of God."

Father God, we love you and pray these many things in the most holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Grace and Peace!

Double Listeners

Have you noticed a trend in our Churches to be cool or hip and I am not even sure what the new trendy description might be. However, the word I keep hearing over and over is relevant. We need to be relevant in our culture. I have been thinking a lot about that and what does that mean?

Yourdictionary.com says that relevant means; bearing upon or relating to the matter in hand; pertinent; to the point. So to me, applied to our current culture Christians need to be able to relate to those in our culture with something to the point. I think I can agree with that. However, I think there is a tension; a tension between the draw to be cool and hip and the need to be set apart.

Wouldn’t you agree as Christians we should be different? There should be some difference between us and the world. I think this is a healthy tension as long as we keep it in perspective. We do need to fit in, we need to be able to relate to the world, we need to build relationships and trust; so that we can share exactly what make us different; to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

1 Chronicles 12:32 describes the men of Issachar like this;

men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian says of this verse; “The Bible makes clear that Christians must be people of double listening—listening both to the questions of the world and to the answers of the Word. We’re to be good interpreters not only of Scripture but also of culture.”

Double listeners; I love that image. Dare I say I can relate to it? Yes, we must be able to navigate in the culture of our time, we must welcome the tough questions of the day, but we must remain set apart from some of the world’s trappings. So while there is this tension; be on guard, stand firm. I heard it once said, “Love them until they ask why”.

Father, like the men of Issachar; may we all understand and know what to do!

Grace and Peace!

Fishing with Jesus

Our Church is progressing through a sermon series on Christian community. In conjunction with that our small groups and home fellowship groups are doing a study on Christian community called “The Life-giving Power of Community” written by John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson and Judson Poling. It is a challenging series and study.

Recently we were given an interesting premise. Jesus is not only our Lord, Savior, and teacher, but Jesus also longs to be our friend. We are given this to reinforce the reality that true Christian community requires true relationship. It is very interesting to think about Jesus as all that He is, but to also realize in a true relationship He is also our friend is simply amazing beyond words.

We can see this in scripture. In Matthew 11, Jesus is described as a “friend of sinners”. More clearly in John 15 we see; “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

I just love that thought and as the old song goes, “what a friend we have in Jesus”. As part of our study we were given a spiritual exercise to take time to do something you love and to invite Jesus to be part of it. We were encouraged not to make this too formal as in prayer, but to just bask in the presence of Christ and to just speak to him as a friend there with you in this activity.

As you might have guessed I invited Jesus to go fishing with me. I gathered all the equipment, walked down to the edge of the water, marveled at creation, and began a most excellent fishing expedition. Things started out great, just some casual conversation and it was amazing to recognize the presence of Christ there fishing with me. However, soon I became focused on the fishing, the lures, the timing of the tides, the movement and forgot my friend was with me.

I suddenly realized I had invited Jesus to go fishing with me and in the busyness of my activity I had forgotten Him. Oh, isn’t that like life? Do we all get so busy, so focused on the things of life that we forget our Lord, our Savior, Our Friend? I know I do. Try the spiritual exercise some time. Invite Jesus to do something with you. Don’t hold back; something amazing might happen.

Father, forgive me my lack of attention to that which is so important, so vital, so loving and (here’s the good news) so filled with grace and mercy. May we all focus more on a true loving relationship with Christ our King!

Grace and Peace!

My Redeemer Lives

My Friday morning men’s group is continuing to study Heaven. Randy Alcorn has written a tremendous book on the subject; thought provoking, scripture based and instructive. We are making great progress. Just last Friday, we were looking at continuity in Heaven; the thought that on the new earth there will be continuity not just spiritually, but also in some amazing way physically.

Alcorn uses Job 19:26-27 to illustrate, but those that know me know I must go a little further so I started at verse 25 and was amazed.

25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

I do see the continuity, but look at the prophesy. I do see that in the end Christ Himself will stand on the earth and even after death we will see God in our own flesh, but this passage has caused me pause. There is some debate as to when Job was written, but most agree it was at least 500 years before Christ. As such I was simply amazed. Through all Job’s trials and suffering in life, he still lived with this expectant hope of a Redeemer; a Redeemer that lives and that he yearns for. I just can’t get this out of my mind.

It brought to mind another verse. In Psalm 119:71 we see;

71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Maybe that explains a lot. Pastor Scotty Smith wrote about this verse saying; “Most grace-full Father, only a deep conviction about your love for him could have moved King David to praise you for the gift of affliction and pain. The same is just as true in my own life.” He concludes in a very uplifting way; “Lord Jesus, because you took all the afflictions I deserved as a sinful rebel, I’m now only afflicted as a beloved son.”

I know this probably seems a little disjointed, but it just amazes me that Job and all he went through still looked forward with confidence that our Redeemer lives and that one day all will be right and he will see God; it amazes me that King David acknowledges that his afflictions are good so that he might truly know his God; and it amazes me to learn that despite my broken and sinful nature that Christ’s work on the cross ensured that any afflictions in this life will come to me as a beloved son.

Abba Father, how amazingly loving and grace filled you are. Thank you and may we all live expectantly, looking forward to truly knowing and loving you as a beloved son! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Overwhelmed with Wonder

Good and Gracious God, In the Psalms we read; “Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty" and Father, this day we humbly come before you praising you for the majesty of your being, the splendor of your love, the mercy of your saving grace. You are so deserving of our praise and worship and we are such an undeserving people. Lord, we confess our many shortcomings and inequities and beg your forgiveness. As we find in Jeremiah, “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." God, you are the one we praise.

Father, we thank you for the many blessings of life. We thank you that you are in our lives, we thank you for your spirit, our comforter and counselor; and we thank you for your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord you are truly amazing and your Word is truly amazing; a passage in Mark says; “As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him." Father, may we your children be overwhelmed with wonder and never hold back as we run to greet our great Savior.

Father, such a blessed people, yet there are still needs. This day we pray for your Church that it will forever be an expanding beacon of hope and light. We pray for Christians around the world that you would strengthen, inspire and provide unity. We pray for missionaries spreading the good news; praying for comfort, strength and shelter. We pray for this nation as we continue to face uncertainty and trials of many kinds. We pray that you will be with us, that you will lead, guide and direct this nation and that we will be a nation that turns to you for all things. We pray for our leaders that you will provide wisdom and we pray for those serving this country that you will protect and encourage. We pray for families that you will work mightily to preserve; we pray for perfect peace and that love will abound.

Lord, we pray for healing, comfort, opportunity and a mighty movement that will be glorifying to you. Mostly we pray your will be done. Father Abba you are so good, so loving, and so full of grace; may we all be overwhelmed with wonder! We love you and thank you; praying all these things in Jesus most Holy name. Amen

Do so More and More

Every once in a while a passage just sticks with me. I will keep returning to it and finally I will dive a little deeper into what has grabbed my attention. Well this is true for a couple of verses in 1 Thessalonians. In this letter to the Thessalonians Paul addresses the return of Christ, but also encourages believers to a life of Holy Living.

Drilling this down just a little more, Paul encourages brotherly love. Verses 4:9-10 are the ones that keeping coming to mind.

9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

Can you see the encouragement? Can you see the plea? As believers do we ( I ) love our brothers? As Christians do we ( I ) love enough? Can you see the reminder to do so more and more?

Hendriksen in his commentary on this passage says this; “Perfection had not yet been reached. This admonition is always timely, for in this life no Christian ever reaches the ideal of ethical perfection.”

Maybe that is the encouragement for me; a reminder that perfection is not reached but there should be a continual striving to become more like Christ. Not because we can earn anything, but out of loving gratitude. So when I get a little complacent, even a little pleased with myself, maybe just maybe I need a reminder of just how much Christ did for me, for each of us and as such I should do so more and more; humbly with a loving heart. All we are talking about here is sharing Christian love with a world so desperate for this love.

So there’s the challenge for us all; to go out and share some Christian love with our brothers, our neighbors, even our enemies and to do so more and more. Wow.

Oh how I love God’s Word. It is truly living, inexhaustible and life changing. May we all go do so more and more! Amen

Grace and Peace!

Heaven

1 Corinthians 9

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Have you ever really stopped to think not in temporal terms, but really think about this prize? Have you ever contemplated this prize that we are all running toward? One of my men’s groups is starting a study on Heaven. I am anxious, excited and a little scared as I realize just how little I know about Heaven.

We are using Randy Alcorn’s book appropriately titled Heaven and he points out I am not alone in my lack of true understanding; a biblical understanding of heaven. He points out that even in the finest bible colleges and seminaries very little attention is given to detailed biblical study of heaven.

I am excited; maybe it is something that comes with age. Alcorn quotes Spurgeon who said; “To come to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of a raging storm, to come to rest after long labor, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes”.

I can’t wait to get started! This brings to mind a story (imagine that). A couple of years ago a friend of mine brought his family to our church for a cook out and a night of contemporary and live Christian music. It was just a nice, fun filled evening with games and activities for kids, food and then a night of music.

As we were sitting there under the “heavens” listening to the music there was a break between bands. As we sat in anticipation of the next band, my friends young daughter looked at her mother and said “Mommy, I can’t wait it’s going to be wonderful”.

I think as we uncover this prize, as we begin to understand Heaven; “it’s going to be wonderful”.

Father, as undeserving servants we thank you that there is still a prize; a prize to spend eternity with you in paradise. Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Mind-boggling!

Grace and Peace!

Absolute Ideals and Absolute Grace

This title is inspired by Yancey’s book “The Jesus I never knew” and has really helped to open my mind a little to this thing called Grace. In his book Yancey points out that Jesus never lowers God’s standard in any of his teachings; his response to the young rich man, comments on divorce, money, all moral issues. Yancey points out that;

“Jesus never lowered God’s ideal. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”, he said. “Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Not Tolstoy, not Francis of Assisi, not Mother Teresa, not anyone has completely fulfilled those commands.

Yet the same Jesus tenderly offered absolute Grace. Jesus forgave an adulteress, a thief on the cross, a disciple who had denied ever knowing him. Grace is absolute, inflexible, all-encompassing. It extends even to the people who nailed Jesus to the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” were among the last words Jesus spoke on earth.

Grace is for the desperate, the needy, the broken, those who cannot make it on their own. Grace is for us all.”

I would add that Grace is for us all even those who don’t yet see the need; those who only see the speck in their brother’s eye. Oh, how I need Grace! As we think about absolute ideals and absolute grace can you begin to see that these absolute ideals reveal to us the character and nature of God and give us something to strive for while revealing to us our overwhelming need for absolute grace?

I now more clearly see the chasm between what God is like and my truly broken nature and because of the absolute grace of God through Christ I will endeavor to bridge that gap joyfully; full knowing that I will never quite make it; recognizing full circle the grace and love of God for me, such a undeserving man.

Wow! Grace is truly amazing. I will close today with an excerpt from Spurgeon’s book “All of Grace”:

“"By grace are ye saved." Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified, and saved. It is not because of anything in them, or that ever can be in them, that they are saved; but because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God. Tarry a moment, then, at the well-head. Behold the pure river of water of life, as it proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb!

What an abyss is the grace of God! Who can measure its breadth? Who can fathom its depth? Like all the rest of the divine attributes, it is infinite. God is full of love, for "God is love." God is full of goodness; the very name "God" is short for "good." Unbounded goodness and love enter into the very essence of the Godhead. It is because "his mercy endureth for ever" that men are not destroyed; because "his compassions fail not" that sinners are brought to Him and forgiven.”

Amen and Amen – God thank you that your compassion fails not! Father as we think about Your grace help us to “tarry a moment” and help us contemplate Your pure river, Your love, and Your mercy!

Grace and Peace!

The Riches of His Grace

I have been wrestling even overwhelmed lately with understanding more about the grace of God. It’s tough to do when things seem so hard, but what a glorious gift it is if we can frame it correctly. For me I must try to as some would say “think outside the box”; I must think in spiritual terms, in eternal terms.

I have to think about God so loving the world. I have to think about a Savior so willing to sacrifice His life. I have to quit thinking in worldly and yes selfish ways and think as one convicted, as one in desperate need of saving.

Only then can I come to a point where I can see the magnificence of His grace. I think this is truly “marvelous beyond words”. Only then does my heart begin to fill with appreciation, with wonder, with love! Amen and Amen.

This brings to mind Ephesians 1;

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

You know I love to think about the richness of God’s grace; what a blessing so glorious, freely given, chosen to be holy and blameless…it is mind boggling! I know life is hard, I know things are tough, I know things can be discouraging even downright depressing (pardon my southern roots), but…take heart! We have a God who loves in ways so radical it is at times beyond comprehension; we have hope of better things to come; we have a Savior who paid all for each and every one of us.

So wherever you are in life…take heart! Focus on the cross; focus on our Savior; all by the riches of God’s grace. I will end with a single verse from John 16;

33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Good and gracious God, we thank you that through Christ we might experience peace, we thank You that by your grace…the riches of your grace we can take heart!

Grace and Peace!

Empty Nesters

Wow, I can't believe we moved our baby girl out of the house and into a college dorm! That was a tough thing to do both physically (Man, I am getting old!) and emotionally (Man, am I getting old?). Life does seem to move along whether you are ready or not. I was sharing how tough it was with both of our “girls” gone now and I made the comment that my wife and I will now see if we really like each other again. I was pretty sure that I would like her; I was just worried about her liking me.

Kind of funny, but there really is an emotional battle going on. Combine this battle with the busyness of life, cars in need of repair, demands of work, a struggling economy, national concerns… Sometimes I just want to scream, but wait there is this!

Psalm 121


1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Father, thank you that you are there, that you are my help, that you will not let my foot slip, that you will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore. Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Living by Grace

Ever heard the phrase living by grace? Have you ever struggled with what that means for Christians on the path to maturity in Christ? I do; every day. I struggle with what it means and how to apply it to my life; I struggle with, is that what we are really doing in our churches? Now I do understand there will be critics out there that will say where I am about to head is a slippery slope that living by grace might be taken too far; that as Paul writes in Romans 5; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more.

So should we go on sinning so that grace might increase? As Paul answered; By no means! So where does that leave us as we struggle with this concept of living by grace? I think Jerry Bridges says it so well in his book; Transforming Grace. In it he says; “The solution to this problem is not to add legalism to grace. Rather, the solution is to be so gripped by the magnificence and boundless generosity of God’s grace that we respond out of gratitude rather than sense of duty.”

He then quotes Steve Brown, former pastor of Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church; “The problem isn’t that we made the gospel too good. The problem is that we didn’t make the gospel good enough.” Isn’t that an amazing thought? We don’t give God’s grace the understanding and right standing it deserves; a position where we are “gripped” by its magnificence; a position where we never take the grace of God for granted responding out of loving gratitude.

What I worry about, what I wonder about, what I struggle with is how are we as Christians living by grace and sharing this “good news”? Are we so concerned about taking this gift of grace for granted that we begin to add requirements for living by grace? Is that where our teaching, sharing and even preaching is headed?
Bridges adds to this thought; “We have loaded down the gospel of the grace of God in Christ with a lot of “oughts”. “I ought to be more committed, more disciplined, more obedient.” When we think or teach this way, we are substituting duty and obligation for a loving response to God’s grace…Steve Brown was right. We often don’t make the gospel good enough. We preach grace to the non-Christian and duty to the Christian.”

Is that where we are headed? Or can we by grace come to grips with this indescribable gift and give the grace of God its’ proper position. Bridges points out that as Christians we do have a duty and obligation to God, but that our motivation should not be fear, rather our motivation should be sincere, loving gratitude for the mercy of God through Christ.

Martin Luther once wrote, “A lawdriver insists with threats and penalties; a preacher of grace lures and incites with divine goodness and compassion shown to us; for He wants no unwilling works and reluctant services, He wants joyful and delightful services of God.

To live by the grace of God is an amazing thing, a comforting thing, a hopeful thing. Don’t you think that as we begin to see and understand this thing called grace, that as we begin to live in this thing called grace, our excitement should build, our loving gratitude should over come us and we should shout from the rooftops about the grace of our God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As we read in 2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

God, may we all begin to recognize this amazing gift of grace and may we all be gripped by the magnificence of your grace. May we all endeavor out of loving gratitude to share the gospel message of grace; Abba, Father, we love you.

Grace and Peace be yours in abundance!

Jesus Paid It All

I recently had a deep conversation with a very good friend. During this chat we discussed the perception that deep down people are pretty good. That when you boil it all down most people had a good, loving, and helpful nature; some might call this moral relativism (I’m OK, Your OK). This has caused me pause. I have thought about this deeply. It causes me to worry! Oops… But if that is the attitude, how can we truly understand just how indebted we are to the God of the universe, just how much we really need saving, just how much we are in dire need of the transforming grace of our Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ?

So we must strive to understand our nature; King David helps us with Psalm 51:5;

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

And Paul writes in Romans 3;

10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15"Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know." 18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

So if we can let go of the post modern perception of the nature of man, perhaps we can begin to come to grips with the totality of our broken natures, our rebellion against God. Maybe we can better come to grips with our hopeless state. To paraphrase Jerry Bridges in Transforming Grace says; “Sin, in the final analysis, is rebellion against the sovereign Creator, Ruler, and Judge of the universe. Sin is not only a series of actions; it is also an attitude that ignores the law of God. But it is even more than a rebellious attitude. Sin is a state of heart, a condition of our inmost being. It is a state of corruption, of vileness, yes, even of filthiness in God’s sight.”

Now you might be thinking just where in the world are you heading with this, but I feel we must really understand our true natures and the debt we have incurred. As we do that we will come to understand and appreciate our need of a savior (we can’t save ourselves), our need to be rescued, a need for someone to bail us out (pay our debt). Bridges goes on to say; “But, because of His grace, God did not consign us all to hell; instead, He provided a remedy for us through Jesus Christ. The meaning of Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, then, is that Jesus by His death turned aside the wrath of God from us by taking it upon Himself. As He hung on the cross, He bore our sins in His body and endured the full force of God’s wrath in our place.”

Can you see it? Can you let yourself feel the emotional impact of God’s grace through Christ and begin to understand the price that was paid? Thank you Jesus.

The older I get the more emotional I seem to get. I still get tearfully grateful when I really come to grips with the price that Jesus paid for each of us. I still get a little teary eyed with certain music and this whole subject brings to mind one of my favorite hymns; Jesus Paid It All. Any of you every heard it? Well it is a snappy tune, but there is so much more to hymns and there can be a deep meaning that should be reflected upon. In the case of Jesus Paid It All let’s try to find some scriptural reference beginning with Psalm 103:1-5;

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

And how about Isaiah 1:18;

18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Or how about John 3:16-17;

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Can you begin to see the love our God has for us? Can you see this love is unfailing, patient, kind? Can you begin to feel the emotion deep inside; the love for our God and our Savior and our Comforter? Can you being to feel the gratitude well up inside. If you have five minutes watch this great hymn performed by Kristian Stanfill during the Passion Tour.

Merciful God, we thank you so much for loving such an undeserving creation, we thank you so much that Jesus paid it all; may we all come to understand with eternal awe and gratitude the magnitude of that sacrifice.

Grace and Peace!

Grace Notes

I recently heard Philip Yancey discuss being a grace note in other people’s lives. That really hit home with me and could give us all a perspective for reflection. Yancey meant that when we are confronted with some of life’s difficulties (even trivial stuff) we can react with grace becoming not only an example, but also demonstrating love to our neighbors.

The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines grace as “unmerited favor”. I love that. I read somewhere that there is a term in music called grace notes and I read a description that it is the most wonderful sound. So what if we all took the challenge to become grace notes to those we interact with?

In 2 Corinthians 4:15 we see; All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Perhaps by being grace notes there is a benefit to others, as well as to us with the glory going to God. Sounds good, but...easier said than done. With all this in mind I began to wonder, do I provide grace notes to those I interact with? Humbly I must answer not very often.

Recently I had the opportunity. I was sitting stopped at a red light in my car, listening to my favorite tune and life was good. All of a sudden someone bumped me from behind. I get out to survey for damage and the truck is still pressed solidly against my bumper. I walk back to the truck and notice a man on his cell phone still talking. He looks at me and says “did I hit you”? I was beside myself and proceed to pretty much scream at him saying yes you hit me!

There was no real damage, but I could have handled it so differently; I never even considered that he could have been getting tragic news on the phone or what kind of day he was having. I could have been a grace note and treated him with unmerited favor causing this man to think just how can you be joyful during a trying time. Perhaps if I had been a grace note in that man's life, then that man would go and act as a grace note in someone else’s life.

Not too graceful, but you know there is hope. Not too long ago I wouldn’t have even given my actions a second thought, but now by the “grace” of God I see my shortcomings and perhaps next time I will provide that grace note for someone else all to the glory of God. Perhaps these grace notes will spread exponentially…just think!

God, thank you for your unmerited favor in our lives; thank you for the transforming grace of Jesus Christ that is marvelous beyond words and may we all begin to act as grace notes in the world!

Grace and Peace!

Stuck

A friend of mine shared a story about one of his grandchildren. It seems as if one of the first words this grandchild learned to say was stuck. It came about as the child learned to crawl. As the crawling became more frequent the child would sometimes get stuck in tight spots. It seems there was no panic, no screaming; the child would just repeat the word stuck until someone would come help; to unstuck the child.

This illustration caused me to think; it caused me to relate this child’s situation to my spiritual life. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel spiritually stuck. Perhaps I should just say stuck until someone comes to unstuck me? Perhaps there is more truth to that than we realize.

Philippians 4:6 reminds us;

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

But sometimes when stuck we don’t know what to pray for, but not to worry as we see in Romans 8:26-27;

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Maybe when we are stuck, the way we ask for help in getting unstuck is through prayer? We pray our way out of stuck and the Holy Spirit is there to help us. While this is pretty simple, can’t it be that simple? While simple it is truly amazing. In our weakness, in our stuckness, even when we don’t know what to pray for God is at work; the spirit intercedes for us. How comforting when I am stuck.

Many years and pounds ago, I played organized basketball. I love to shoot, but there were times when nothing would even come close to going in the basket. I would struggle, with no confidence; I would hesitate, I was uncertain as to what to do with the ball. A wise coach once told me the secret to overcoming a shooting slump was to shoot your way out of it. Don’t hesitate, just keep shooting.

Maybe that is a lesson for us all. Feeling stuck? Keep praying; pray your way our of being stuck.

God, in times of trouble and uncertainty; in times when we don’t even know what to pray for; in times when we feel spiritually stuck, thank you for your spirit to intercede for us and may we all pray our way out of the stuckness.

Grace and Peace!

Welcome Mat

Our business men’s group recently reviewed a tough teaching concerning showing favoritism. We used part of a sermon from Francis Chan to kick it off and we covered James 2:1-13;

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,"[b] also said, "Do not murder."[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

This really caused us to stop and think. I began to ask myself is my welcome mat out? In fact in our Churches is our welcome mat out or do we show favoritism? It brought to mind Luke 15:1-2;

1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Can you see the example that Christ set? He welcomes sinners and eats with them. It seems so obvious, yet can be so hard. As Christians should we offer places of unconditional acceptance; a place of love, family and hope? This reminds me of a story a friend’s pastor told a story to which I have certainly embellished.

Once upon a time there was a fine Church in a fine city. Sunday service was truly a time of worship. The congregation would gather, truly a Church family. One Sunday as the sermon was about to begin, a stranger walks in. He is dressed so differently, with leather pants, jacket and chains. He was wearing a bandanna and proceeded to walk down to the first row (you know the empty one) and sat right in front of the preacher.

Now the preacher notices this man and notices the whispers in the congregation. However, after the sermon the man disappears quickly. Some of the longstanding members of the congregation stopped the preacher to express a little concern over the appearance of the visitor, but there was little to do; probably just a man passing through town.

The next Sunday, the stranger appears again and sits once again in the front row. The preacher can see the stares and whispers. After the sermon, he makes a point to find this man. He tells him how truly glad they are that he found this Church and how welcome he was. He goes on to say that while they are truly happy he is worshipping with them; their Church is a little more conservative and tries to put on their Sunday best for worship. The man looks confused and the preacher advises him to go home and pray about what God would have him wear to Church.

The next Sunday comes and the stranger appears wearing exactly the same thing he always had. The congregation again is staring and the whispers become louder. The preacher is a little more concerned and after the sermon corners the man. He says to the stranger, “I thought you were going to ask God what He would have you wear to our Church”. The stranger answered, “I did”. There was a pause and the preacher finally asked, “Well what did He say?” The stranger hesitated and then humbly said, “He said He didn’t know because He had never been in your Church”.

Humorous? Perhaps, but what a lesson. Friends, is our welcome mat out? Better yet are we out seeking; are we stepping out in faith; outside of our comfort zone to develop relationships?

God, may we all put out the welcome mat of Christ; may we all seek the lost and the lonely; all to your Glory!

Grace and Peace!

Mist

Recently two groups I am involved with have been examining life, living in this world and true priorities. We discussed how difficult it is to walk with proper focus – without the world’s distractions. As we have discussed and studied we realize how temporary, yet what opportunities there are in life; how trying, yet how wonderful it can be; how limiting, yet such joy is possible. As such we came across James 4:13-14;

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

I recently stumbled upon the story of a young man named Clayton MacDonald and I had the opportunity to see a video where he discussed this same passage. What an amazing witness and example. His story is so tragic in emotional and temporary terms, but so victorious in spiritual and eternal terms. I was simply amazed at his courage, passion, focus and energy to help all that he could. Clayton was an extraordinary teen, student, champion diver, but more than that Clayton was a Christian. Clayton battled cancer from a young age, yet his priorities in life were so amazingly clear. His life must have been anything but easy yet he set such an example.

Clayton recently died of leukemia and I am confident that all is well with Clayton. I take comfort in Revelations 21;

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Clayton knew his time was but a mist and he gave his all to ensure that everyone he came into contact with might have eternal hope. His focus was true and pure. Clayton was confident of his position; by the grace of God we all can be just as confident. One day I plan to shake Clayton’s hand; brothers in Christ. I highly recommend that anyone reading this take a few minutes out of their busy schedules and watch this short video about Clayton’s life.

Clayton’s Story

This video is so convicting, so encouraging, so true! Friends, I must ask, what is our life? God may our mist be a mist of faith, a mist of hope, a mist of truth, a mist of service, a mist spent glorifying you.

Grace and Peace!

Sweet Holy Spirit

Have you ever considered just how important and vital the Holy Spirit is? The whole subject of the Trinity can be so complicated yet there are great teachings on the nature and the character of God the Father, there are great teachings on the person and work of God the Son, but when did you last read a book devoted to God the Spirit?

In his book “Knowing God”, J. I. Packer states that “the average Christian, deep down, is in a complete fog as to what work the Holy Spirit does”. I must admit it is a little confusing to me as well. Packer goes on to show that without the spirit there would be “no gospel and no New Testament”. Packer points out you can see it so clearly in 1 Corinthians 2:9-13;

9However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

Packer surprisingly concludes that without the Holy Spirit there would be no Christians. You have to think about that for a few minutes… Examining 2 Corinthians 4:4 we can see;

4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

So clearly without the power of the Holy Spirit we would remain blinded. You know this is really amazing. Still it can be complex; hard to grasp. I did find a great description of the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit and the link to the Father and the Son. It is from a sermon given by Spurgeon and in it he says;

“Christ’s blood and righteousness are like wine stored in the wine-vat; but we cannot get thereat. The Holy Spirit dips our vessel into this precious wine, and then we drink; but without the Spirit we must die and perish just as much, though the Father elect and the Son redeem, as though the Father had never elected, and though the Son had never bought us with his blood. The Spirit is absolutely necessary. Without him neither the works of the Father, nor of the Son, are of any avail to us.”

Remarkable! These intricate workings; so comforting; so necessary, so loving! I am reminded of the words of Christ in John 14;

25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

My friends do not be troubled and do not be afraid; for the Spirit is with you. Father, thank You so much for this majestic plan, thank You for Your Son; our Redeemer and thank You for Your Spirit; our Counselor.

Grace and Peace!

Passing the Torch

My wife and I have been through an emotional time; our youngest daughter graduated from High School. I am so thankful that our kids had the opportunity to attend a Christian School. As such there is a tradition of having a “senior breakfast” with parents, teachers, and students. It is a time of fellowship, food, fun and prayer.

During this breakfast the School Pastor gave a message from 2 Kings 2. It is the passage where Elijah “passes the torch” to Elisha. It is an amazing passage;

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. 10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not." 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. 13 He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

This morning it was a message to the kids; a message that now they had been trained and instructed and were about to head out into the world and much like Elisha they must now pick up the “cloak” and with faith strike the water and cross over to independence, while also becoming a Christian light. It was a great message and challenge, but deep within was also a message to the parents.

Now the kids stayed to rehearse for graduation and the parents all left for home. It was kind of a quiet ride home for us. We were listening to our favorite radio station and the DJs had written letters to their kids that were about to graduate and there was such emotion. One wrote that he hoped he had done enough to help prepare their child, one wrote how much he enjoyed spending time with his child and then one wrote thanking God for choosing her to be the parent of her child. I don’t do it justice, but hopefully you get the point.

My wife and I are now driving down the road holding hands with tears in our eyes; our little girl all grown up.

God, thank you for this day! God, I hope and pray we did enough and thank you so much for allowing us to be the parents of such fine daughters. As the School Pastor prayed, we too pray for a double portion of your spirit to bless the class of 2009.

Grace and Peace!

Stand

You know the older I get the less I like to travel on business. It is not the work; it is being away from family and friends. I know, that must sound too mushy, but it is true. I recently traveled to our headquarters for a quarterly review. When I do travel it does give me some time to concentrate on my reading. I started a new book called “Stand” edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. In this book they recruited some great writers to capture their thoughts on enduring in ministry.

It is a wonderful book with some of my favorites; Piper joined by Jerry Bridges, Randy Alcorn, John MacArthur and Helen Roseveare all contributing chapters dealing with perseverance. It is inspiring to read the stories of these fine people and their lives in ministry; to pick up the wisdom each has gathered over the years.

If any of you are tired from your spiritual journey, I think this book will help you gain that second wind; to inspire endurance. You know our efforts are just that; a journey through life complete with ups and downs. It is one we are called to endure to move forward and by looking to the proper source for our strength will enable us to “finish the race”.

I am reminded of a passage in Isaiah 40;

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 9 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Are you tired and weary? Stand Firm, endure, persevere; turn to our savior and fight the good fight, continue the journey, and consider the verses from Hebrews 12 used by Helen Roseveare to end her chapter;

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

May we all soar on wings like eagles, may we run and not grow weary and may we fix our eyes on Jesus!

Grace and Peace!

Knowing God

You know much has been said about National Day of Prayer. For me it was an encouraging and hopeful day. It was a day where people across this nation stopped and lifted prayers to our glorious God. It has caused me to reflect upon this day and upon prayer. This year my home fellowship group is studying prayer, and it has been so helpful in my prayer life. With all these things converging, I asked myself; why pray?

You know there are a number of good answers, we are commanded to, we pray to praise God, request things, thank, confess, worship and all those are important, but something really exciting to me is that prayer provides a way of knowing God.

A.W. Tozier minister and author of Pursuit of God had this to say about prayer:
"So when we sing, draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, we are not thinking of the nearness of place, but of the nearness of relationship. It is for increasing degrees of awareness that we pray for a more perfect consciousness of the divine Presence."

And Oswald Chambers minister and author of My Utmost for His Highness said this:
"Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting something for ourselves; the biblical idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself."

Isn’t that an amazing thought; that through prayer we can truly know God. I think we can find it in scripture. In Jeremiah 24 we find this verse;

7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Can you see it? Can you see the call to know God and that prayer is our means to knowing our great and glorious God. Now just what does that mean and what can we learn from this one verse? I think we can peel back three things here.

First, through prayer we get to know God by having a relationship with Him. You can see it in this verse, our gracious God gives us a heart to know Him, to know that He is our God and we are His people and what a beautiful relationship it is. I just love the verse in Revelations 3 that gives us another picture;

20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Even though Revelations 3 is a warning of sorts, it shows us that to know God is relational and requires a means of not only talking to, but a means of connecting and that brings us to our second point.

That through prayer we get to know God by communicating with him. We can see it in Jeremiah where God tells us we will be a people that return to Him. However, we must return as a people who recognize their brokenness and as a people who can return to their God only by the sacrifice of Christ. And the way we return, the way we communicate is through prayer. We can find this communication throughout scripture and we can even see that God hears our communication; our prayer. Let’s quickly look at Isaiah 38;

'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears

Brother Lawrence described it this way; "There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God."

Isn’t that so comforting? We, through prayer can have a continual conversation with God. And as we do, as we have a relationship with Him and as we communicate with Him an amazing thing happens which brings us to our last point.

That through prayer we get to know God by loving Him. We see it in Jeremiah 24 as we are not only a people that return to our God, a people that establish a relationship, that communicate, but that we return to our God with all our hearts. It is so clear that as we get to know God we are to love Him. I just love Deuteronomy 6:4-5;

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

So what has become clear to me is that through our prayers we come to truly know God. Through prayer the communication starts, the relationship begins and the love between God and His people grows. The great theologian, J. I. Packer had this to say about knowing God:

"Knowing God involves a personal relationship whereby you give yourself to God on the basis of his promise to give Himself to you. Knowing God means asking for His mercy and resting on His undertaking to forgive sinners for Jesus’ sake. Further it means becoming a disciple of Jesus, the living Savior who is there today, calling the needy to Himself as he did in Galilee. Knowing God, in other words, involves faith- assent, consent, commitment – and faith expresses itself in prayer.

Finally, we have been brought to the point where we both can and must get our life’s priorities straight. But it is tragic that so many in our day seem to have been distracted from what was, is and always will be the true priority for every human being – that is learning to know God in Christ".

Isn’t that our real challenge, the challenge for each of us is how are we getting to know God? How are we spending out time? If you have three minutes watch this video.

Isn’t that so true? Life seems so busy, but again what are our priorities? Phillip Yancey wrote a great book and study on Prayer and in it he says that he is so busy, but in all his busyness he still finds time for the important things – things like e-mail, favorite shows, and the list goes on. You know if we will admit it we do make time for the things we really want to do. Yancey goes on to point out that "if prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer."

Let that be our encouragement; May we all learn more about prayer, may we all pray more, and may we all know God!

Grace and Peace!

National Day of Prayer

National Day of Prayer is fast approaching. For anyone that didn’t know; this day was established in 1952 by a joint resolution of congress and signed into law by Harry Truman. That kind of astonished me as I have only been aware of this day for a few years. That probably speaks much to my spiritual journey.

I have given this day much thought and as much as I wish we didn’t have to have a national day of prayer; as much as I wish everyday was national day of prayer; I believe this is a worthwhile endeavor. Setting aside the first Thursday in May for this nation to come together and pray to God is some how encouraging to me.

This has caused me to think more about prayer and what prayer really is; being in relationship with our amazing God. That can be an intimidating thought, but we are called to pray; just as our Savior showed us the way. The challenge for me and maybe all of us is that my prayers need to be more than mere words; more than simple requests.

To me prayer must come from the heart. So my prayer is for my prayers to be heartfelt. My prayer is for my prayers to be more than something I have to do. My prayer is for my prayers to be meaningful and loving communication with my Lord.

As National Day of Prayer approaches, that is my prayer for us all. That we lift up praise, that we confess our brokenness, that we give thanks and that we lift up petitions for our friends, families, nation, Christians around the world, missionaries, those less fortunate…and the list goes on and on and on.

Martin Luther once said; “Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart”. Father, help us all to pray from the depths of our hearts!

Grace and Peace!

Two Thieves

I recently shared the impact this Easter was having on me and described it as struggling with emotion; but in a good way I think. I keep getting drawn to certain passages related to the week leading up to the crucifixion, the crucifixion itself and the great hope provided by the resurrection. I love it when this happens as this is usually a period of growth for me. Recently, I have been drawn to Luke 23:32-43.

32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[b]"

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I have read this passage, read it again, studied commentaries and a couple of sermons on this passage, yet I kept getting the feeling there was a little more. The feeling that there was something underlying it all and I have come to see something challenging; something convicting, perhaps something for us all.

I focus on Christ and the two thieves crucified with Him. I focus on the Word, what is being said and how it is being said and I came to realize that I too am one of the thieves. Aren’t we all? And the great question; the great challenge (at least for me) is which thief will I (we) be? Will it be the one hurling insults, railing against God and demanding of Christ; prove who you are by saving me. Or will I (we) be the thief with a humble heart that recognizes his own brokenness, acknowledges Christ as his Lord and pleas with all his heart to be remembered in his Savior’s Kingdom?

For me this will be a lifelong challenge, but think of the reward. You know there is great hope and these thieves show us the way. While these thieves may show us the way don’t focus on the thieves. Don’t focus on the cross to the left or the right, but focus on the cross in the center; the Cross of Christ.

One day, may we be with Christ in Paradise for all eternity…wow!

Grace and Peace!

An Easter Prayer

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before you this day praising you for all things. We praise you for your love, your strength, your sovereignty, your grace and we praise you for your Son; Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

This special day; Resurrection Sunday we humble ourselves and confess our brokenness, our many failures which make your sacrifice even more amazing.

Lord, this day we remember your word from John 16;

33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."’

Christ, we rejoice that you have overcome the world and that because of your atoning sacrifice we might have eternal peace and life and hope through you our savior.

Father, as we celebrate resurrection Sunday let us reflect upon the events and circumstances that faced our Savior during this most Holy week; a triumphant entry, the persecution, the plotting, the betrayal, a washing of the feet, a supper together, prayer, a soul overwhelmed with sorrow, torture, pain, denials, the separation. All done for each of us; your children.

God, we pray for Christians around the world facing trials of many kinds that you would strengthen, encourage, provide and comfort. We pray for your church that it will be an ever expanding, attracting light of hope and love. We pray for the beautiful feet of the missionaries bringing the good news to those in need.

We pray for this nation as it faces economic crisis, moral dilemmas, and threats of many kinds, that we will be a nation that turns to You for all things, that You will grant this nation wisdom, relief, hope, and love.

We pray for believers with their many needs, we pray for relief from economic suffering, we pray for healing from all ailments, we pray for guidance for the lost and love for the lonely. We pray for our Church leaders, our pastors, all ministry leaders and their families that they might be encouraged and strengthened.

Father, this special day I pray for each of us that we might remember the sacrifice and the events of this Holy week, that we might overcome our issues, troubles, and doubts and confidently proclaim as the apostle Thomas did; My Lord and God.

Father, mostly we pray that you would be glorified and your will be done. We pray these many things in Jesus most Holy name. Amen!

The Emotion of Denial

This year as Easter approaches I am feeling many emotions; some might say struggling with emotion. As such, I think it is quite fitting and amazing that our business after-hours Bible Study was covering John 18 and just this week we focused on the denial of Christ by Peter. As we dug deep, we cross referenced over to Luke 22:54-62 and something stuck us. We saw something we had never seen before (revealed?). We were all struck by the emotion of the denial; both the emotion of Christ and Peter. In the passage you must look close. As we read in Luke;

54Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." 57But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. 58A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. 59About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." 60Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Did you see it? It’s there in verses 61 and 62. After being seized and led to the high priest’s house for interrogation and persecution and after Peter denies Christ three times the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Can you feel the emotion of this event, can you imagine the hurt, the sorrow, the remorse, and yes the love.

In his commentary on this verse Hendriksen says; “when Peter heard the crowing of the rooster, and saw Jesus looking at him with eyes full of pain, yet also of pardon, his memory of Christ’s warning prediction was suddenly awakened.”
Then in verse 62 we see Peter’s emotion just explode as he moves outside and weeps bitterly. Hendriksen continues his explanation; “Peter goes out and weeps as only he can weep: bitterly, profusely, sorrowfully, his heart being filled with genuine regret for what he has done.”

I know this short blog can’t do this justice, but can you begin to feel the emotion of this denial. We can see that Peter weeps because he let Jesus down and by his denial he has added to the pain and suffering of Christ. But wait; don’t we all do the same thing? Don’t we deny in our thoughts, actions and deeds? Don’t we deny every time we slip and as such shouldn’t we all weep with sorrow and remorse.

But, there is good news as we see through Peter’s example; by grace we are forgiven, by grace we are saved! So, every time we deny, let’s remember that Christ; full of love and grace it looking straight at us! As we like Peter are suddenly awakened, may we weep, may we cry out for the amazing grace of our Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ!

Grace and Peace

Press On

Frustrated? Tired? Ever just want to give up on your spiritual journey? You know it might be so much easier to just give in and conform to the patterns of the world. Life; our walk can be a real struggle, but what should we do. I say we have an answer in two words; press on.

I can remember watching a marathon on “Wide World of Sports” (which reveals a little about my age) and during this race all had finished except for one competitor. Finally, this competitor comes stumbling in the stadium completely spent, dangerously dehydrated and a little delirious. He falls down, but somehow picks himself up and presses on; just a little further. He finishes the race. I will always have that image with me as it was one of the most courageous acts I had ever witnessed.

That race can be an encouragement for us as we pursue holiness, as we continue on our spiritual journey. There will be times when it would be easier to stop; to give up. I have hit this point, the point of breaking, but suddenly by some means of grace I am uplifted. It may be during some beautiful sign of nature, a song, studying the Word, or a time of prayer, but suddenly I feel reenergized and emotions spill out; joy, tears, comfort. I get my second wind (for those runners out there) and I press on.

Paul shows us this in Philippians 3;

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

So whenever we get down, tired, overwhelmed; may we all by some means of grace press on, running toward the arms of Christ. Press on everyone!

Grace and Peace!