Divine Rhythm

Recently we took a trip that might have been one of my families last where the four of us share a hotel room (yes, my kids have grown up). This has always been a treasure for me, but my timing does not match the rest of the family. I am an early riser; it’s what I do. I read, pray, study; it is my time of fellowship with God. This time was a little different. I was reading a chapter in Tim Keller’s “The Reason for God” called The Dance of God.

In this chapter, Keller describes the Christian life and in it he beautifully describes what it is to glorify. He tells us to glorify is to praise, enjoy and delight in something. He tells us to glorify is to defer and to sacrifice your own interest to devote yourself making the other happy. Your ultimate joy is their joy. He goes on to say that this process “creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love.” An amazing rhythm…

I read somewhere that Hebrew tradition tells us that dance functioned as a process of prayer and praise, as an outward expression of rejoicing, and as a way of reconciling God and His people. We can see this image in scripture as we know from Exodus 15:2; The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. In Psalm 149:3 we see; Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

As I sat in my hotel room reading about this, thinking about this, with the three people I love most in this world soundly sleeping; I suddenly felt an overwhelming peace, a beauty, a joy that I can’t adequately describe. I sat in silence with only the light for my book. I could hear the joyful rhythm of my three girls breathing as they slept. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I thanked God for allowing me this dance. Simply divine.

Grace and Peace!

Going Through the Motions

Matthew West has a new song out entitled “The Motions”. If you like Contemporary Christian music this is a good song. It is sticking with me and has caused me pause. The chorus is a plea.

“I don't wanna go through the motions; I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, what if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?"

Maybe we should all pause and think about that for a while. Do we approach our Christian lives with all consuming passion? Or do we simple go through the motions?

In Romans we see 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

And in Galatians 4:18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.

I don’t know about you, but this is a challenge for me; to approach everything with passion and zeal. With good purpose and out of gratitude for all that has been done for me, to do more than simply go through the motions. Maybe that is a call for us all; approaching this life we are given with passion and zeal, serving our Lord with passion and zeal, and giving our all just as our Savior gave us His all.

J. C. Ryle wrote about Zeal and I recently stumbled across it. It is a fitting reminder for us all;

“It may be true that wise young believers are very rare. But it is just as true that zealous old believers are also very rare. Never allow yourself to think that you can do too much--that you can work too hard and long for the cause of Christ. For every man that does too much I will show you a thousand who don't do enough. Instead think that "Night is coming, when no one can work." (John 9:4). Give, teach, visit, work, and pray as if you were doing it for the last time. Take to heart the words of a zealous Christian, who said, when told that he ought to rest a little, "What should we rest for? Don't we have all eternity to rest?”

Why should we rest? I know I have been prooftexting a bit, but I am reminded in Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Father, may we all work at it will all our heart, with an all consuming passion, with the zeal that You deserve not because we can earn anything, but because of Your love for us!

Grace and Peace!

Forgiveness

I have really been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately. There are a couple of things going on in which I really need to let go and truly forgive. Our pastor just did a sermon on Matthew 18 where Jesus explains to Peter that we should forgive an uncountable number of times if needed. Christ explains that we should forgive just as we have been forgiven. It brought to mind Psalm 103;

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Just as our Father has compassion on us; shouldn’t we have compassion for others? Now this is easier said than done and forgiving doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any consequences for these transgressions. However, it does mean that we should forgive from the heart and isn’t this the pattern the example our Savior provides for us? And shouldn’t we all strive to be more Christ-like?

I recently came across something that Octavius Winslow said about forgiveness. It truly moved me and is helping me see the “why”. Winslow said;

“If there is a single exercise of divine grace in which, more than in any other, the believer resembles God, it is this. God's love to man is exhibited in one great and glorious manifestation, and a single word expresses it-forgiveness. In nothing has He so gloriously revealed Himself as in the exercise of this divine prerogative. Nowhere does He appear so like Himself as here. He forgives sin, and the pardon of sin involves the bestowment of every other blessing. How often are believers called upon thus to imitate God! And how like him in spirit, in affection, and in action do they appear, when, with true greatness of soul and with lofty magnanimity of mind, they fling from their hearts, and efface from their memories, all traces of the offence that has been given, and of the injury that has been received! How affecting and illustrious the example of the expiring Redeemer! At the moment that His deepest wound was inflicted, as if blotting out the sin and its remembrance with the very blood that it shed, He prayed, as the last drop fell, and as the last breath departed, "Father, forgive them." How fully and fearfully might He have avenged Himself at that moment! A stronger than Samson hung upon the cross. And as He bowed His human nature and gave up the spirit, He could as easily have bowed the pillars of the universe, burying His murderers beneath its ruins. But no! He was too great for this. His strength should be on the side of mercy. His revenge should wreak itself in compassion. He would heap coals of fire upon their heads. He would overcome and conquer their evil, but He would overcome and conquer it with good: "Father, forgive them."

Father, may our strength be in mercy, may our revenge be compassion, and may we overcome and conquer with good. Father, forgive us and help us forgive!


Grace and Peace!

Divine Fingerprints

Our Church has a business outreach in its beginning stages. We are striving to equip Christians to be just that in their workplaces; to be salt and light in places where they will encounter skeptics, seekers, other Christians and a range of situations. We have several studies we do and are currently in the middle of one. I am part of a small group of men that are digging deep into Tim Keller’s book; “The Reason for God”. In this book Keller has a chapter on “The Clues of God”. In this Chapter Keller begins by saying that while for some there may not be irrefutable proof for the existence of God, that there are numerous strong clues for His existence. Keller calls them Divine Fingerprints.

I love that analogy. Another it brought to my mind is that the preponderance of the evidence; even for the unbelieving eye, points to God. I am reminded of Romans 1:20;

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

You know we really are without excuse. All we have to do is look around at this amazing creation and see what an amazing God we have. Even as I write this I see a most beautiful sunrise. It truly is the work of His hands. We are reminded of this in Psalms 19:1

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

If we look closely we can see that the heavens really do declare the glory of God. His fingerprints are everywhere and what comfort I take from that. We have a truly amazing and loving God. I will close with a short passage from Nehemiah 9;

5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting." "Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

You alone are God! You give life to everything and the multitudes of heaven worship You! Look everyone His fingerprints are everywhere.

Grace and Peace!