Christmas - A Proper Focus

I believe I have been on a journey (imagine that); a journey to correct my vision concerning Christmas. A couple of years ago, I was focused on the prophecy of the birth of Christ and the lesson of expectant hope. I focused on Isaiah 9:6 –

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. 
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

What an impact the thought that by the birth of Christ we can live with this expectant hope knowing that no matter what, no matter the circumstance, no matter the condition, we can live with confidence that it is better farther on! It was a lesson in faith and perseverance.

Last year I was drawn to Isaiah 7:14 –

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

I was just awestruck by Immanuel; God with us and the realization that our God has given us the most radical and wonderful gift…the gift of Himself! Amen. That has guided me to my contemplation for this year; a pretty important theological doctrine – the doctrine of incarnation.

I looked this word incarnation up in the dictionary and found this; “the embodiment of a deity in some earthly form, the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.” So for me it is the fact that Christ is fully God and fully human at the same time; how divine, how complex, how wonderful. We can see a picture of this in Philippians 2;

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 
7 rather, he made himself nothing 
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As I focus on the incarnation of Christ, I wonder why, why is this so important and as I prayed and meditated over this I found some clarity in two passages in Hebrews. First, Hebrews 2:14-18;

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human 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 the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.


Also, Hebrews 7:23-28;

23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

So as I ramble through this what becomes clear is that because Christ was born; we have the only true hope and what a radical gift. Because Christ came into this world we can know that he came to save completely, to intercede for us, to atone for our sin. Halleluiah!

We can come to understand that since the fall there has opened this great chasm between God and man and that Christ – fully God and fully human is the only way to bridge that chasm – to restore the relationship between God and His people. Can you see that the beauty of the incarnation is the proper focus and the beauty of Christmas? I think I have used this quote before, but B. B. Warfield wrote so eloquently concerning the incarnation.

“The Glory of the incarnation is that it presents to our adoring gaze, not a humanized God or a deified man, but a true God-man – one who is all that God is and at the same time all that man is – and that means this; one on whose almighty arms we can rest and to whose human sympathy we can appeal.”

Father, this Christmas we just praise you for your glorious plan of redemption which sent a child that is our wonderful counselor, our mighty God, our Everlasting Father, our Prince of Peace; a child who is named Immanuel – God with us always; a child in human form who came to save completely, to intercede, to atone for our sins. Father, you sent us a true God-man in whose almighty arms we can rest! Abba, Father we love you!

Merry Christmas all!

Grace and Peace!

Eyes of Faith

I have hit what I will call a dry spell. It has been a very busy year with a lot going on and as I try to blog out 2011 it has become difficult. Nothing seems to touch me, but this morning I was reading in Hebrews 10 and I came upon verses 35 and 36;

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

As I dwelled on those verses it occurred to me just how important our faith is during our dry times. It occurred to me that by faith we must learn to see through eyes of faith; that we must develop eyes of faith to see beyond the physical. But how?

This passage in Hebrews seems to say we will have our trials but have confidence, have faith and by doing so the promises of God will come to us so perhaps by seeking God and His promises our eyes of faith are developed.

Spurgeon says; “The sight of the promises themselves is good for the eyes of faith; the more we study the words of grace, the more grace shall we derive from the words.”

So as Christmas approaches as I dig into the Word; I really can’t see any better gifts than the promises of God; promises of redemption, of forgiveness, of the Love of our great God through Christ, of adoption into the covenant family, of inheritance, of sharing His glory for all eternity. Oh my! My eyes of faith seem to be clearing.

In 1 Peter 1:8-9 we are told:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

May we all develop our eyes of faith and be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy! Amen and Amen!

Grace and Peace!

The Blessedness of Eternal Life

John 6:47

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Have you ever stopped to think (pray) about the blessing of eternal life with Christ; the joy, the wonder of it all, no more tears, death, mourning or crying or pain? Even when I just catch a distorted view of this I am filled with a joy and happiness that is difficult to express.

Kevin DeYoung in his book, The Good News We Almost Forgot paints as good a picture as I have read of this gift of grace called eternal life. He says;

“The blessedness of eternal life is like savoring your favorite food, drinking you favorite drink, laughing with your favorite friends; it’s like seeing your wife on your wedding day sparkling in her overpriced dress and grinning from ear to ear; it’s like holding a newborn baby or watching your grandkids play; it’s like standing on a dune overlooking Lake Michigan on one side and seeing a sea of green treetops on the other; it’s like the peaceful majesty of corn blowing in the breeze in July, or watching and afternoon storm roll over the front range; it’s like being awed by a visit to the Great Wall of China or the skyline in New York City or the York Minster Cathedral in northern England. And it’s like that rare moment when you know in your bones that God is with you and you know you really love Him and you want to sing and shout and tell everyone how you feel. It’s like all these moments-except the moments never stop and never wane.

Life everlasting is like all of this power, beauty, delight, truth, and sweetness rolled into one experience, then multiplied by ten, then by a hundred, the by ten million. Eternal life in God’s presence will be such a weight of glory that we will feel as if we never knew happiness before and all our troubles will be in a moment forgotten as so puny and so trivial and to be utterly inconsequential compared to all this joy.

And this experience of delight and glory will go on forever.”

I can only imagine – Thank you Jesus! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Voice of Thanksgiving

Psalm 26:7 (NASB)

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving 
and declare all Your wonders.

Father, this Thanksgiving Day I am truly amazed at the wonders of your glory. In my moments of fuzzy clarity I am amazed by every sunset, every grain of sand, every relationship, every cloud filled blue sky, every tree and flower amazed by these glimpses of Your beauty and glory! Every smell at Thanksgiving, every remarkable piece of nature, every breathtaking sight speaks volumes to your being.

It causes me to say Halleluiah; our Indescribable God is altogether great, altogether loving, altogether lovely, altogether wonderful!

Father, when I think of your plan of redemption, when I think of all Christ has done, when I think by the power of the Holy Spirit; I must proclaim with a voice of thanksgiving declaring all your wonders.

When surrounded by these glimpses of your glory I am able to recognize the wonder of it all! Abba Father, with a voice of thanksgiving I proclaim amen and amen!

Grace and Peace!

Sola Gratia

Ephesians 2:8 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

This morning as I sit spending some quiet time in study and prayer I am just struck by this thing called Amazing Grace. As I sit here listening to Chris Lizotte singing songs such as Sweet Mercy, The Love of God, and I Will Trust You I am humbled and oh so thankful for the grace of God through Christ in my life.

As I sit here this morning astonished by grace alone I recognize this thing called grace is so amazing, so saving, so reconciling, so wonderful, but it is also so empowering. Augustine reminds us that Grace enables us to “perform with love the duty that they know.” Augustine expands this saying;

“The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord must be understood as follows: grace is the only thing that delivers human beings from evil; without it, they do absolutely nothing good, whether in thought, or in will and emotion, or in action. Grace not only makes known to people what they ought to do, but also enables them to perform with love the duty that they know.

The apostle Paul certainly asked God to inspire the Corinthians with this good will and action when he said, ‘Now we pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear to be approved, but that you should do what is good’ (2 Cor.13:7). Who can hear this and not wake up and confess that the Lord God is the One Who turns us away from evil so that we do good? For the apostle does not say, ‘We admonish, we teach, we exhort, we rebuke.’ He says, ‘We pray to God that you do no evil, but that you should do what is good.’ Of course, he was also in the habit of speaking to them, and doing all those things which I have mentioned — he admonished, he taught, he exhorted, he rebuked. But he knew that all these things which he was openly doing in the way of planting and watering were of no avail, unless He Who secretly gives the increase answered his prayer on the Corinthians’ behalf. For as the same teacher of the Gentiles says, ‘Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God Who gives the increase’ (1 Cor.3:7).”

Abba Father, we pray that we would do no evil, but that which is good. Gracious God, we pray that we would perform with love and we pray that as we plant and as we water that you would give the increase – all to your glory!

Grace and Peace!

Faith Defined

The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines Christian faith as “Belief, trust, and obedience to God as revealed in Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 11 we are told that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Can you see that both definitions rely on that with which we have faith. There is a criticality in the object of our faith; an absolute necessity. Faith becomes our link to the object of our faith.

Kevin DeYoung offers an interesting perspective and illustration;

“Faith is only the instrument by which we embrace Christ, have communion with Him, and share in all His benefits. It is the object of our faith that matters. If you venture out onto a frozen pond, it isn’t your faith that keeps you from crashing into the water. True, it takes faith to step onto the pond, but it is the object of your faith, the twelve inches of ice, that keeps you safe. Believe in Christ with all your heart, but don’t put your faith in your faith. Your experience of trusting Christ will ebb and flow. So be sure to rest in Jesus Christ and not our faith in Him. He alone is the one who died for our sakes and was raised for our justification. Believe this and you too will be saved.”


Grace and Peace!

Resurrection

Those that know me know that I do not have a 20 year history as a Christian. I do not have the contextual or historical knowledge and have to work hard (not to earn, but to understand) to grasp what seems to come easy for some. I was not raised studying catechisms, but have discovered just how wonderful, helpful and illuminating they can be.

I had to start with a definition. A catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine usually in a question and answer format. Jerry Bridges says; “A Catechism is simply a means of instruction by posting a series of questions about God, humankind, and answering those questions from the Bible. A catechism is never out of date as it seeks to teach us the eternal truths of scripture.”

I have recently been spending a little time in the Heidelberg Catechism. It is a wonderful, heartfelt commentary covering the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. I am using Kevin DeYoung’s book; “The Good News We Almost Forgot” as additional commentary on this Catechism. DeYoung points out that; “Heidelberg’s structure is unique in two ways. First, the overall structure fits into the pattern of salvation found in the book of Romans. ..the Catechism deals with man’s misery, man’s deliverance, and finally man’s response – or to put it more memorably; guilt, grace and gratitude.”

I just came across a question that has just touch my heart. Question 45 of the catechism asks; How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? Something we may know but should be able to articulate. I must admit I struggled with this. DeYoung points out there has been no more important event in history than the resurrection of the Son of God. Amen!

But why? What is the benefit? The catechism points out three distinct benefits. First, by his resurrection He has overcome death, so that He might make us share in the righteousness He won for us by His death. Can you see that without the resurrection nothing was truly conquered; not death, not sin, not evil. That by His wonderful resurrection He satisfied divine justice, His offering was acceptable to God and the work of salvation is complete. By His resurrection we can now share in His righteousness.

Second, by His power we too are already now resurrected to a new life. DeYoung points out “that our hope of new life is not just a future goal; it is a present reality.” Isn’t that so encouraging? This new life points us to the personal relationship believers have with Christ, but there is even more.

Third, Christ Resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection. His resurrection is the first step toward a glorious and eternal transformation. The resurrection of our Lord and Savior points us toward that eternal hope.

I will end with Philippians 3:20-21; But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Wow!

Grace and Peace!

Fleeing

A friend and I have just started a study of the book of Jonah. Neither of us has ever really studied this rich book. I must admit that I am getting so much from this book and was amazed as I dug into the first three verses.

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

In these first three verses we can see so much. Sinclair Ferguson points out that right from the start we see Jonah turning from the word of God and fleeing from the very presence of God. And when you stop to think about it, don’t we all do that? As we sin, aren’t we turning from God, fleeing from God? Tullian Tchividjian says “to flee from God is to rise against God. It is stand-up, straight-out, in-your-face defiance against the One to whom we owe all loyalty and Love. It means insisting that our way of doing things is better than God’s way”. Ouch!

Tullian also uses Moby Dick and the chaplain Mapple to illustrate and summarize. Mapple in his sermon says; “If we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in the disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists.” Isn’t that so true, but so hard to admit.

Our broken natures, our human nature just point to the fact that we are rebels. We are self sufficient, self-centered beings. Abraham Kuyper once wrote; “Our heart is continually inclined to rebel, against the Lord our God. So ready to rebel, that O, so gladly, were it but for a single day, we would take from His hands the reins of His supreme rule, imagining that we would manage things far better and direct them far more effectively than God.”

When we stop and reflect, when we come to terms with our nature, then and only then can we see just how desperate we are, how low, how broken, how in need of saving we are. As we stop and recognize our need, as we begin to turn back toward God there is hope. In Luke 15, we read:

20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

How comforting to know that as we recognize our broken ways we can turn back to God through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can turn back and know our Father in Heaven is there with Open arms. That as we turn our Father will run to us and we can celebrate!

Father, forgive us as we sin against you. Thank you that although we are dead in our sins, we can be alive in Christ; that though we are lost we can be found! Father, thank you for your grace and your marvelous plan of redemption. Amen!

Grace and Peace!

Father Heart of God

J. R. Cobb was a guitarist and song writer; and he wrote a big hit called Spooky, went on to be in a band that meant a lot to me in the 70’s – when I was just an infant – the Atlanta Rhythm Section who had such songs as So into You, Oh, Atlanta, Doraville, Homesick and Dog Days – Anyway, in 1994, J.R. wrote a song recorded by Wynonna called Rock Bottom and in that song there is this lyric – “Rock Bottom is solid ground, and a dead end street is just a place to turn around.” Although, at difficult and trying times it may appears as if we have hit rock bottom; as believers we are far from rock bottom, as believers we are on solid ground, in life we may hit a few dead end streets, but as we turn around we can rest assured Our Father in heaven is there for us.

For me that is so reassuring, it also helps me to understand that when we hit those dead end roads that there is a process for turning around. In business, we are trained to understand human reaction to bad news, to dead ends and it is something called the SARA model. Heard of it? I have had to go through this many times when I found out about certain decisions or circumstances. The S stands for Shocked and as these dead ends occur I am shocked and I just can’t believe this is happening.

Next, the A stands for Anger and I usually go thru this period of Anger – not really anger more like extreme disappointment thinking all that work, all this time for what?

Then I hit the R or the rejection mode – I say to myself; no this can’t be, there must be a reason that I can turn around, there must be something I can do to convince or change the decision or circumstance. And then and only then did I hit the final A – acceptance saying ok it is real, now what.

You know Sara can be spelled another way with a H at the end and for me after I accept I can then move to the H’s of Help, Healing and Hope and as believers aren’t we blessed to have the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit? As I was recently going through this process I found myself in the book of Philippians, a book that many people call the book of encouragement, as Boice says “no book in the Bible is so filled with joy as Philippians – a joyful book of only 104 verses that also covers major Christian doctrines such as Christian love, hope, aspiration, joy and confidence.” As I was reading I found myself dwelling in Philippians 3:12-14; There is not time to really break this passage down, but a little context we should consider is that Philippians was written by Paul while in prison and most agree around AD 60 and Paul was Martyred in around AD62, so while Paul had every reason to be down, give up, be distressed, he wasn’t any of those things and he wrote his most confident joyful letter. There is so much in these 3 verses that we could talk for hours, but I will just highlight a couple of things that just shook me to the core.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, 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, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.


So as I come to terms with where I am, where we are my encouragement is to press on no matter the circumstance – whatever that means, I am to press on in faith, I am to press on in humble confidence, I am to press on in Christ, I am to forget what is behind and strain (straining must indicate it might be tough) toward what is ahead; my focus is Christ. As I come to feel that way I am reminded and overwhelmed by the promises of God that he is with us and will not forsake us, that he loves us – oh how he loves us that as we turn around from our dead ends he is there with the arms of a father wide open, that he is our Father in heaven and we are his Children, that we can trust and rest in the father heart of God.

One final illustration, anyone know who Derek Redmond is? He was a world-class track athlete from Great Britain; a world champion in the 400 meters; he held the British record in the 400 meters and won gold medals in the world championships which lead up to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. This was a man who had trained almost his entire life to compete for a medal in the Olympics. I don’t know if Derek Redmond is a Christian or not, but his story gives me a clear picture, great encouragement and blessed assurance of the Father heart of God.

Derek Redmond in the semi-final of the 400 meter event was off to a great start and as he was into the first turn he tore his hamstring going down in great pain. Imagine the disappointment a lifetime of work gone in a blink. He sits crushed for what seems like forever, and then something happens. He picks himself up; he presses on determined to finish the race! He presses on forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. He struggles, limps, hops toward the finish line. As he struggles forward you see a commotion in the crowd when a man burst through security, it is his father. His father runs along side and wraps his arm around his son and together they finish the race.

Abba Father, we thank you for your heart for us your children. That no matter what is going on in our lives you are there as we press on. We thank you for your great love, your grace and mercy. Amen!

Press on everyone; we have a Father in Heaven there for us.

Grace and Peace!

Is the Grass Always Greener?

I am sure most of you have heard that old saying that the grass is always greener on the other side. Lately I have been wondering why that is, if you stop to think about it even when you get to the other side the grass will be greener elsewhere; at least in our minds. I think it is human nature; part curiosity, part uncertainty. It is a strange phenomenon and can actually negatively impact things.

In general, people think what they want is better than what they have and so many times it just does not work out that way. In fact, it could lead to taking so many good things for granted. Do you ever wonder what people on the outside looking in at our lives would say as they are looking at our grass? Hmmm…

So you might ask yourself; self what is so bad about this greener grass mindset? If this mindset dominates your thinking then you could be missing out on the incredible things you have; you could take your current situation for granted. So what can we do to insure that we are not letting the green grass mindset dominate?

First we can learn to be content in our circumstances. Does that mean we should never strive for better; to be better…no! But, it does mean we should strive not to take the many blessings of life for granted. Hebrews 13:5 tells us;

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Second, we should always have a proper focus on Christ to enable us to see just how green our grass is. Hebrews 1:1-3 reminds us;

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

You know I understand that things will never be perfect in this broken world, but with a proper focus on Christ we might begin to see the radiance of God’s glory, we might begin to understand things to come and we might begin to see that with a relationship with Christ our grass is so green!

Grace and Peace!

A Question of Faith

Things can seem so overwhelming in this fallen world; economy, unemployment, illness, storms, earthquakes, crime, wars… Many years ago I was facing one of the most trying times of my life. I found myself troubled, worried, and so very weary. There was just no escaping this “feeling” of fear and depression. For one of the first times in my life I turned to the Bible. It seems as if everywhere I read a few powerful themes rose up; God is a God of love, God is faithful and a God that can be trusted.

I took great comfort in those truths and a statement came to mind; It is a question of faith! Whatever we may be facing it is truly a question of faith. That brings to mind Jeremiah 17:7;

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

This simple statement; It is a question of faith, was such a great reminder that I wrote it down on a 3X5 index card. I started carrying it in my pocket and as I faced my trying circumstances I would pull that card out and look at it; what peace, what comfort!

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us;

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Oh what a God we have. I carried that little card for a very long time, but a few years ago a good friend was facing a very difficult time and as he and I were talking I told him this story and handed him my card.

If you are troubled; have faith!

If you are worried; have faith!

If you are weary; have faith!

If you are facing untold trials; have faith!

In 1 Corinthians 4:6-9 we read;

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Father, we thank you that through faith in Christ as Lord and Savior and by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can rest assured come what may. Even when we are hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down, we know that by faith we can trust in your surpassing power. Abba, Father we love you…Amen!

Grace and Peace!

Unconquerable Hope

It is amazing how God stretches me to learn, to grow; placing people, questions and scripture together at just the right time. I have a friend who is a teacher at YWAM and he recently sent me an email asking about Matthew 15:21-28.
This is a passage I have often wondered about myself but upon study we find so much:

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” She said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

First a little context; Jesus and His disciples have traveled about 50 miles to Tyre and Sidon and while still among mostly Jew this territory had tremendous gentile influence. Next, Matthew identifies this woman as a Canaanite and if you remember from time of Judges the Canaanites were not just Gentiles, but were the enemies of Israel (and what does Christ teach us about enemies). Also, we need to consider the people involved; Jews, Disciples, Gentiles so there could be multiple lessons

Picking up in verse 22 - this woman was crying out - the word means so much more than just crying out - there is a sense of loudly talking and praying associated with this word and look how she recognizes Christ as Lord and as Son of David - she recognizes Christ as messiah when most Jews did not or would not accept that so you can begin to see what Hendriksen calls the "great contrast between the unbelief of the Jews and the faith of this woman, born a Gentile". Move to verse 23 and notice how Christ responded (with silence), but the disciples responded and look how they responded…"send her away"…Mounce writes that in this verse the insensitivity to suffering by Jesus is explainable by the rest of the lesson on faith, but the disciples were without excuse; they were annoyed and considered this woman a bother (where was the Christian love).

In verse 24, Jesus explains the he is for the lost sheep of Israel (Jews) so while he seems to refuse immediate help for the woman, and most people tend to downplay this, but notice he also did not send her away; refusing the request of the disciples so maybe this is more for the disciples than the woman. Then in an amazing display of faith the woman kneels before Christ (and reading of different versions help here, look at KJV); that word kneel in Greek is proskyneō - and also means to worship - amazing! So in this verse we see the reverence of this woman in agony worshipping Christ and the intense love she has for her daughter; she simply cries out, "Lord, Help me" - a prayer we all need…

Then comes verse 26 and Christ answering in a somewhat concerning manner - it is not right to give the children's bread to the dogs… SO there are probably two concerns to consider; first, why did Christ use this seemingly harsh phrase and second why did he delay in helping? First, the phrase is certainly cultural and in Greek there are several words for Dog - some mean savage, ugly dogs but not this one - in Greek this word is Kynarion - which is like a little puppy or house pet - well loved! Barclay remarks about this verse saying "we can be quite sure that the smile on Jesus' face and the compassion in his eyes robbed the words of all insult and bitterness" - which brings us to the delay - why delay in helping? Well for one thing this is certainly not the first time in the bible there is a delay in answering/helping - Abraham and Sarah had to wait patiently and persistently; Many of the Psalms written by David cry out on the wait; Jairus in Mark 5; Lazarus in John 11, so we can see this pattern of delay which is usually a lesson in faith. In this case it could be said that this woman displayed great faith, but also that her faith was refined as you can see by her answer in verse 27. Hendriksen calls this verse a "glorious expression of faith" and in this verse you can see her humility - she doesn't resent be called a dog as long as she is loved, you can see her eternal hope as she turns even what seems to be a negative response of no help into reason for optimism (even dogs get crumbs), you can see her "unswerving faith in Christ" as she sees Him as Lord, Savior and Master, and finally you can see her perseverance in faith - oh my! Barclay wrote of this as an "Indomitable persistence springing from an unconquerable hope" - Amen and a lesson for us all.

Then in verse 28 we see the daughter healed instantly and Christ declaring O woman, great is your faith - His love is so great that he praises expressions/examples of faith - another lesson for us all! So while this passage can be concerning there is so much in it - a lesson on the right position of our hearts as disciples of Christ to learn to love well especially those in need, a lesson on faith - patience and persistence in faith, it is a lesson on the great love of Christ and that no matter the trials before us there is Hope in Christ!


Grace and Peace!

Blessed

The English writer Aldous Huxley once said; “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” In America, that may be even truer. Some say you don’t know just how blessed you are until you are inconvenienced or until you lose something. I guess that is just human nature in a fallen world.

I have been focused lately on small things I don’t know why, but I do know I am blessed. I heard a discussion some time back that went something like this;

Did you wake up this morning; you are blessed!
Are you breathing today; you are blessed!
Do you have food to eat; you are blessed!
Did you have a place to sleep; you are blessed!

You know we are truly blessed, but there is more…we (I) tend to count my blessings in only material things when there is so much more to be thankful for. It brings to mind Psalm 32;

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Father, we are a blessed people and mostly we thank You for the eternal blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank You for His work on the cross that covers our broken ways, our taking for granted so many blessings, our sin. Father, we are truly blessed and no matter what our day brings, may we focus on You, on Christ, on the Holy Spirit. We are truly blessed…Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Reckless Leap

As I continue my journey through the book of Mark, there are many examples of extreme faith; a faith that may appear to the worldly as a reckless faith. There is the faith of the four friends who cut a hole in someone’s roof and lowered their paralytic friend to Jesus; there was the sick woman who touched Christ’s cloak; as well as the mother of the possessed child. And there is Bartimaeus; a blind man who begged Christ for mercy despite being rebuked by the crowd. A blind man who as soon as he heard Christ was calling him leaped to his feet and went to Jesus. We find this story in Mark 10:

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

In this passage a blind man with such faith, a faith some would call reckless, some would rebuke, a man with such faith his focus was clearly on Christ. I read somewhere that this passage is a good example of active faith in contrast to what some would call safe religion. A faith that was active in seeking Christ, leaping and running to Christ despite all odds. For me it is an introspective call; a call to ask is my faith active and alive, a call to examine what I pray for, to examine just exactly what am I clinging to…

Oswald Chambers once wrote:

“Our clingings come in this way – we put one foot on God’s side and one on the side of human reasoning; then God widens the space until we either drop down in between or jump onto one side or the other. We have to take a leap, a reckless leap, and if we have learned to rely on the Holy Spirit, it will be a reckless leap onto God’s side. So many of us limit our praying because we are not reckless in our confidence in God. In the eyes of those who do not know God, it is madness to trust Him, but when we pray in the Holy Spirit we begin to realize the resources of God, that He is our perfect heavenly Father, and we are His Children. Always keep an inner recollectedness that God is your Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Father, through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit help us to take that reckless leap of faith, filling us with confidence, allowing us to trust that you are our perfect heavenly Father and that we are your Children. Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Stunned

It is kind of an amazing thing; the impact contemporary Christian music has on me. No comments please, but the older I get the more emotional the impact of certain songs; the music inspires, lifts, encourages, convicts, shapes and always points me to Scripture and always to Christ.

Recently a song by Sidewalk Prophets has had this impact on me (in fact I am listening to it as I type). The title of the song is “You Love Me Anyway” and the group points to Romans 8:18-39 as inspiration and verses 31-39 just bring it to life;

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; 
 we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord..


The lyrics of the song just resonate with me; “I am the thorn in Your crown; but You love me anyway. I am the sweat from Your brow; but You love me anyway. I am the nail in Your wrist; but You love me anyway. I am Judas’ kiss; but You love me anyway!”

The love of God is stunning; I am in awe! God loves me (and you); a person so broken, so denying, so betraying, yet he loves me anyway!

Titus 3 explains this; 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

So despite myself and my ways there is a rescue plan through Christ by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. There is hope eternal. Amen.

1 John 3:1(a) shouts; 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Father, how stunning is your love; how overwhelming that we should be called Children of God!

Grace and Peace!

Due Apprehensions

I have recently been reading R. C. Sproul’s book; “The Soul’s Quest for God.” In the book I am gaining some great insights into the Biblical pattern for spiritual growth. I was struck by the chapter on Divine Illumination and just how essential the power of the Holy Spirit is for us to truly grasp and understand and know and enter into relationship with God.

Sproul bases the chapter on a famous sermon delivered by Jonathon Edwards in 1734 entitled “A Divine and Supernatural Light”. The sermon is based on Matthew 16:17;

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

Of this verse, Edwards states; “The spiritual light is not the suggestion of any new truths or propositions not contained in the Word of God…But this spiritual light that I am speaking of, is quite a different thing from inspiration. It reveals no new doctrine, it suggest no new proposition to the mind, it teaches no new thing of God, or Christ, or another world, not taught in the Bible, but only gives a due apprehension of those things that are taught in the Word of God.”

So we are reminded that for spiritual growth there must be a work of the Holy Spirit in each of us. That work is a comforting assistance in the illumination and understanding of the Word of God in a manner that is due the Word of God.

Sproul maintains that there are some things non-Christians can learn; they can be affected to some degree, but are so much less than true illumination and revelation. So by divine illumination we can begin to see and understand the things of God in a manner worthy of God…that is “due apprehension”.

Edwards goes on to tell us that it is so much more than knowledge; it is so much more than a rational belief. Edwards states; “There is not only a rational belief that God is Holy and that holiness is a good thing, but there is a sense of the loveliness of God’s holiness…there is a difference between having an opinion that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. There is a difference between having rational judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of its sweetness.”

Father, we thank you for your Holy Spirit who provides the divine illumination, who reveals and helps us have the due apprehension of your Word. Thank you that through Christ and by your Spirit and Word we can come to truly know, to sense, to taste the sweetness of a relationship with you.

Grace and Peace!

I am Willing

I have just started a study of the book of Mark. I feel led to dwell in this book, to see all and seek and understand all that I can (knowing my absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit). The journey is starting slowly but is so rich.

I just finished up chapter 1 and gleaned many things, but one passage just touched my heart. Mark 1:40-42:

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

I see a couple of things in this short passage. First I see the great faith in the man with leprosy, but more importantly I see the great love of Christ. If you really stop to think about this, can you see that in context no one would ever touch a person with leprosy. In that culture lepers were to be avoided at all cost.

Can you imagine the emotional impact of never having any contact, everyone avoiding you and no one ever touching you? Years go by without the touch of another human. So while you have a dreaded disease, this disease is also devastating spiritually and emotionally.

But look at our savior, filled with compassion. He doesn’t just heal the man, he touches the man. Oh, how He loves us (to borrow a phrase from David Crowder)! Jesus didn’t have to touch the man to heal him, yet he did. A theologian described this as “an unheard of act of compassion.” I am just overwhelmed at the love Christ has for us.

As I wrap this up and if we really stop to reflect, aren’t we all lepers spiritually? Don’t we just desire the loving compassionate touch of Christ? He is willing!

Father, thank you for our Lord and Savior, filled with love and compassion, willing to cleanse the unclean like me. Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Biggest Loser

In his book, “Too Good to be True”, Michael Horton discusses a concern for contemporary Christianity. That Christianity has become the religion of success. That in America we have gone from a country for the poor, weak, heavy burdened to a country of the successful and that Christianity has gone from the religion of the “sick soul” to the religion of the “healthy minded”.

Horton points out that; “a religion of healthy-mindedness, which ignores the reality of the fall in all its aspects, renders itself finally nothing more than a form of therapy during times of plenty, and irrelevant in times of tragedy. What we need is not therapy, but news – good news, the kind of news that lifts up the downcast, binds up the broken, save the lost, and brings hope to those who are at the end of their rope.

The bottom line…is that the gospel is good news for losers, that in fact we are all losers if we measure ourselves by God’s interpretation of reality rather than our own.”

It seems to me this is a matter of vision. Can we see beyond the ways of the world, can we see beyond temporal success, can we see the perfection of Christ that he would come to save the “losers” of the world?

There are trials and suffering in this world and it can only begin to make sense through the lens of grace; the lens of redemption. I am reminded of Psalm 40:

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; 
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. 
Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.

Praise God! Father, may we come to understand your love is amazing, that despite ourselves you love us still, that the Gospel is good news for us all and that when we come to see ourselves in terms of your eternal reality; we come to see just how amazing it is that through Christ there is a great reversal; the poor become rich, the weak become strong, the heavy burden is lifted, the losers are winners.

Grace and Peace!

Landing Gear

You know I have recently been reading Keller’s book “King’s Cross”. It is a wonderful journey through the book of Mark and provides some great insights. Last week I was finishing the book up as I was traveling; flying to Atlanta to visit family.

I was reading about spiritual darkness and how in a world gone awry we lose sight of eternal things; we are spiritually blind. We are blind to eternal things, to eternal hope, to the eternal and infinite love of God.

In this broken world there are broken things, there are evils and trials; there is suffering that is unexplainable. Keller points out that Christianity is the only faith that says that God himself actually suffered, but that when we really stop we can come to understand that this was the greatest act of love, power and justice. We can come to understand that God actually entered this world, suffered, crucified on a cross just to rescue us. Oh, what an infinite love!

Keller points out that as we go through trials and suffering that; “you may be completely in the dark about the reasons for your own suffering…But the cross tells you what the reason isn’t. It can’t be that God doesn’t love you; it can’t be that He has no plan for you. It can’t be that He has abandoned you…The cross proves that he loves you and understands what it means to suffer. It also demonstrates that God can be working in your life even when it seems like there is no rhyme or reasons to what is happening.”

However, as God becomes the light of our life there is a peace, a comfort, hope! Philippians 4:17 tells us; “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Keller shares that he once had thyroid cancer and while it was treatable part of the treatment was surgery. As you might imagine there was still some concern and as he was undergoing anesthesia he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen. But it came to him that because of Jesus’s death evil and suffering are but a temporary, passing thing; that there is hope and love forever and eternal. Keller resolved it didn’t matter what happened in surgery – “it was going to be all right”.

In all seriousness, as I finished up that section of the book, the captain came over the PA and said; “ladies and gentlemen, it seems we may have a problem with our landing gear.” It seems there was a warning signal that our landing gear was not properly locking into place. It was going to required some in flight testing. Actually, there was no real panic in the aircraft, but certainly some concern. But as I think about it I can remember a tremendous peace coming over me. I looked at my wife and simply said; “it is going to be all right.”

And you know what; it was!

Father, thanks so much that when you are the light of our life there is such peace, such love and such comfort in our lives. That by your light we can get beyond the spiritual darkness of this world. That through Christ we can see that death and suffering are but temporary things and that no matter what, no matter the trial, no matter the suffering – it will be all right! Amen…

Grace and Peace!

Without Excuse

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 people are without excuse.

You know man is truly without excuse. Just this weekend, I had the privilege of being in creation. My senses were heightened for some reason; I was hearing and noticing things that would typically go un-noticed. I saw a sky of deepest blue, with some majestic clouds glowing from a huge late afternoon sun. I could hear the splashes of mullet jumping for joy, birds singing and a warm gentle afternoon breeze.

I started looking around and saw blue heron hunting for an afternoon snack. I heard the call of an Osprey high above lighted in a tree with a fish in its talons. I saw a flock of roseate spoonbills and their brilliant pink coloring flying in formation; pelicans roosting on top of poles, seagulls screeching and flying all about.

As the day continued to move toward night brilliant colors were all around; pinks, blues, orange. Shadows from trees grew and the few clouds seemed to explode in brilliance. The sun highlighted several palms gently swaying in the breeze. Oh my!

How great is our God.

Father, how could anyone doubt your existence? Man truly is without excuse. And there is nothing more beautiful than your plan for our redemption through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father, thank you for your grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit may our senses be heightened, may we never fail to see the beauty of your creation, and may that beauty leads us to recognize the glory of our great God.

Here I am to worship; Here I am to bow down; Here I am to say that you’re my God. You’re altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me.


Grace and Peace!

Current of My Desires

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

As I think of this verse it gives me great comfort, it excites me, but it also gives me pause. If the new is here in me, why do I still fall short? Why do I amaze myself by my broken ways? I know there is hope, thankfully I know there is grace, but how do we know if the new is truly here?

I have a very good friend and we have deep discussions. Early on in our conversations he inquired; “how do you know you are Christian?” I think that is a remarkable question, one that requires thought and prayer. Yet, I also believe it is a simple and straightforward question.

I really have come to believe that if anyone is in Christ the new is here and as such there is evidence. The evidence may be small traces, but nonetheless there. I recently came across a discussion of this in Tullian Tchividan’s book; “Do I know God”. Tullian states that one of the ways we know God is that how we live begins to look different; radically different in some ways. He points to the missionary Henry Martyn. A man born in 1781, who studied at Cambridge, and was a brilliant mathematician and a man skilled in languages, a man that intended to become a lawyer. A man who saw his life transformed and instead went to India as a chaplain in 1806. During his ministry, he translated the New Testament into Hindi and Persian.

Henry Martyn did amazing things and while that in and of itself is amazing, that is not the point. Martyn explains the new creation and new life of believers so well! He wrote to a friend;

“As I have this day been constrained to adore the mercy of God who hath saved me from recent snares, so will I now praise him for having turned me from a life of woe to the enjoyment of peace and hope. The work is real. I can no more doubt it than I can my own existence. The whole current of my desires is altered, I am walking in quite another way, though I am incessantly stumbling in that way…”

Martyn shows us that as we become a new creation in Christ our desires change and even though they change we stumble, we have set backs, but we also turn back to Christ! I love the imagery of the current of the river of our lives and as we plod along in the current, the bottom can be slippery, we can slip and fall, but by God’s grace,the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we get back up.

Lord, we thank you that by your grace the current of our desires change; forgive us as we stumble and we praise you that through Christ the old has gone and the new is here! Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Have You Heard the Good News?

Matthew 11:5

The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

I have been thinking a lot about religious differences lately. It seems to me that there is only one religion that is based on some kind of good news. We all may know the word “gospel” actually means good news, but have we every really stopped to think about what that means deep down?

Well, the word gospel comes from the Greek word euaggelizō which means; to bring good news or glad tidings, but it also has with it this deep feeling of joy; unspeakable joy! I think that is what we have lost sight of in the culture of our day. That this news is so joyfully good! And it is just that; news. It is not a set of regulations or something to be accomplished, but something that in history has been accomplished for us. Does that make sense?

Tim Keller puts it so well in his new book “King’s Cross” when he says, “Right there you can see the difference between Christianity and all other religions, including no religion. The essence of other religions is advice; Christianity is essentially news. Other religions say, “This is what you now have to do in order to connect to God forever; this is how you have to live in order to earn your way to God.” But the gospel says, “This is what has been done in history. This is how Jesus lived and died to earn the way to God for you.” Christianity is completely different. It’s joyful news.”

It truly is such joyful news that as one comes to hear it, to believe and accept it, it is truly life changing. And out of that joy you want to be around others who believe, you want to learn more and more, you want to help and love others, you want to share the good news with a world so desperate for good news.

And in case you were wondering; just what is that good news? The good news is that we have a true Lord, Savior and King in Jesus; that we have a King that loves us so much he was willing to sacrifice all to restore our relationship with God. He sacrificed all so that our self-centered, broken, greedy, non-caring (I could go on, but you get the point) hearts are forgiven and transformed. We have a king that loves us no matter how unlovable we are, no matter our past, no matter what; and that is truly amazing grace!

So my friends may we all be spiritually raised up, able to see; to walk, to be cleansed in the joyful good news of Jesus Christ! Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Trouble

I really enjoy the music of Ray LaMontagne; his sound is a bluesy, soulful, raspy sound, one that is just right up my alley. All you have probably heard his song “Trouble”. It was a hit and has been used on one of the major insurance carrier’s commercials.

One of the first lines says; “Trouble been doggin' my soul since the day I was born.” I really think that is so true of life for all of us at least to some degree. However, some seem to think that a faithful and loving relationship with Christ should prevent this trouble. You know, I just don’t see that anywhere in the Bible. I see there may be trouble even for believers.

Tullian Tchividjian discusses this in his book, "Do I Know God”. He is discussing the promises of God and states; “Too many people fall into the trap of believing that God is some kind of cosmic genie in a bottle. Or we expect that He owes us something whenever we do something good for Him… I have found myself many times accusing God of breaking promises He never made. The truth is, God never promised to deliver us from affliction here and now, even if we are really good."

Tullian points to Psalm 46:1; God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

He points out that God is there for us while we are IN trouble, not from trouble. So it seems to me that trouble may come, but as Christians we can rest assured that we have a refuge and strength through Christ whatever may come our way. You know that is so comforting to me. The next few verses of Psalm 46 provide even more assurance and it culminates for me in the first part of verse 7; The LORD Almighty is with us.

Isn’t it so amazing that no matter the issue in front of us, the concern, the worry, we have refuge, we have strength; the Lord Almighty is with us! Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Waiting Here For You

Recently, I was just so encouraged. I came across Psalm 27:14;

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

The feeling I got was just this expectant hope; a hope worth waiting for. My Study Bible says of this verse that we should look to Him with dependence and trust and when we do we are able to be strong, to be courageous, to take heart; no matter what!

There is a new song out (new to me anyway) sung by Christy Nockels (see video below) called “Waiting Here for You” and the lyrics remind us of all the Lord has done for us and as we come to grips with that we will “wait here for you with hands lifted high in praise.” That just sums it up so well!

Father, no matter what we will wait for you.

Father, no matter what we will be strong.

Father, no matter what we will take heart.

Father, we are waiting here for You with hands lifted high in praise. Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!

What Easter Means to Me

I have this theory that all preachers take a course in asking good questions; it is just something they all get in pastor school. I believe I have mentioned our Assistant Pastor is just so good at asking these “questions”. Well he has done it again; a question that has just caused me to dwell on it for some time.

Last week he asked; what does Easter mean to you? I must admit that in the past Easter meant eggs, baskets, bunnies, good food, family…the list goes on. Years ago I started to notice something different in my Mother-in-law. This was her favorite holiday, she would just display this visible joy on Easter; I didn’t quite get it.

However, as I came to know Christ; I get it now! For me Easter is a time of reflection and introspection and don’t get me wrong, as it is ultimately a time of amazement and joy! The dictionary defines introspection as a reflective inward look: an examination of one's own thoughts and feelings. I think Easter gives us the opportunity to examine our own thoughts and feelings and for me it is so emotional, resulting in this unspeakable joy.

I now reflect on all Christ went through in that time, from a triumphant entry, to a washing of the feet, a breaking of bread, betrayal, denial, interrogation, torture and then; oh my, He took nails for me (us).

I think of the miraculous transformation; from death to life, eternal life, conquering, overcoming, overwhelming! I think of all Christ did for me (us) and because of me (us). I am awestruck. What love!

Easter means so much to me now; a time of love, worship and adoration. As Psalm Sunday approaches I pray that we all will have a time of introspection, reflection and clarity as we consider all Christ went through just for us! Amazing.

Grace and Peace!

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

You know as believers, it is possible to get this amazing “peaceful easy feeling” (sorry Eagles); a peace that transcends all understanding. While this feeling is not continuous or constant; at least for me, it is there.

Being a child of God should be so comforting, so encouraging, so peaceful but the world sometimes gets in the way. Billy Graham in his book “Peace with God” said, “I would not trade places with the wealthiest and most influential person in the world. I would rather be a child of the King, a joint-heir with Christ, a member of the Royal Family in Heaven. I know where I’ve come from, I know why I’m here, I know where I’m going – and I have peace in my heart. His peace floods my heart and overwhelms my soul.”

I don’t know, but somehow that encourages me. It reminds me that the more I seek to know our great and glorious God, the more peace will "flood my heart and overwhelm my soul."

I think Romans 8 gives us an idea of this amazing prospect.

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

So we may have our ups and downs, that peaceful easy feeling may come and go, but we can rest assured as adopted children, as co-heirs with Christ (WOW) and we can cry out Abba, Father! Simply amazing.

Grace and Peace!

Cause and Effect

Mark 9:24; Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Wikipedia says that cause and effect is the “philosophical concept of causality, in which an action or event will produce a certain response.” I have been thinking about this lately and how it relates to Christians.

Many times our natures drive us to look first to the effect while ignoring or even forgetting the cause. We develop our checklist of effects; you must go to Church, you must believe this, you must believe that and if you do you are a Christian.
I worry in our haste we may be reversing the true order of things. This checklist in reality is the effect of becoming a Christian and we must always first look to the cause; Christ!

Oswald Chambers says; “It is absurd to tell a person one must believe this and that; in the meantime he or she can’t! Skepticism is produced by telling people what to believe. We are in danger of putting the cart before the horse and saying a person must believe certain things before he can be a Christian; his beliefs are the effect of his being a Christian, not the cause of it.”

So in our zeal are we putting the cart before the horse? Are we focused on the task rather than what has been accomplished? Don’t get me wrong, this is not a call to do nothing. However, this is a call to rest in the message of Christ, a call to share the message of the cross with proper focus and not a checklist of effect. It is a call to share the cause of the good news!

1 Corinthians 1:18 reminds us: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

May all who are being saved look first to the cross; the power of God!

Grace and Peace!

Pattern of Temptation

Those that know me know that I just love Tim Keller’s writing. Well, Keller has a new book out called; “King’s Cross – The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus” and although I am only 20 pages into it; I believe it is his best yet.

Early in the book, Keller points to Mark1:12-13;

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Keller shows us a biblical pattern; a pattern he also describes as a battle going on even today. A pattern of temptation that started in Genesis; a pattern where the Spirit moves, God speaks and Satan tempts. A pattern that continued with Christ as the Spirit sent Him into the desert to be tempted by Satan.

Keller says; “Now here in Mark: The Spirit, the water, God speaks, a new humanity, history is altered, and immediately the pattern continues with Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness…Not surprisingly, many surviving Christians were tempted to doubt their beliefs, tempted to hedge their commitment to God. But here they see Jesus, like Adam, experiencing a spectacular relationship with God and then having to contend with a threat of His own. You see, the wilderness isn’t just a random detour into trouble – it’s a battleground.”

Yet, there is hope! Again, Keller says; “But God didn’t leave us defenseless. God said to Jesus, “Obey me about the tree” – only this time the tree was a cross – “and you will die” And Jesus did. He has gone before you into the heart of a very real battle…What he has enjoyed from all eternity, he has come to offer you. And sometimes, when you’re in the deepest part of the battle, when you’re tempted and hurt and weak, you’ll hear in the depths of your being the same words Jesus heard: “This is my beloved child – you are my beloved child, whom I love; with you I’m well pleased.”

So encouraging, so humbling. Paul helps in Ephesians 6; 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Everyone, as believers we have the shield of faith to protect, we have a helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God. Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Watchmen

I recently came across Isaiah 62:6-7; 6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

This day these verses gave me pause. Somehow I found this passage so hopeful; full of instruction; yet so inviting. This word watchmen means to watch over, to protect, to preserve and I take great comfort knowing as believers we have watchmen; watchmen that takes no rest day or night. We have an instruction to call on the Lord continuously and we have an invitation to call on the Lord with any and all things; a Lord who continually works on our behalf no matter this issue.

Oswald Chambers tells us that a great intercession is seen in this passage; he calls it entering into the “Ministry of the Interior” where we become linked with our Lord and the Holy Spirit in intercessory prayer at the throne of God! Chambers states; “One of the first lessons we learn in the Ministry of the Interior is to talk things out before God in soliloquy – tell God what you know he already knows in order that you may get to know it as He does.”

Somehow I get great comfort knowing that I have a God who is so powerful and loving and cares that I know Him and provides such amazing watchmen to help, to counsel, to comfort, to intercede and to watch over me all my days.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tell us; 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

May we rejoice always, pray continually giving thanks for all things.

Grace and Peace!

Known

I am part of a couple of groups and one is wrapping up a study of the book of Job and in it we have come to see Job’s longing to better know God. The other group is focusing on the attributes of God – which is our attempt at getting to know God better. All this just seemed to converge on me at once; but it just lit up for me and I was in total amazement; I was humbled and grateful.

Psalm 139:1 (ESV) says; “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” and as I thought about that I came to realize that I am known by God and still He loves me. I am totally known in all my brokenness and still He loves me. I am fully known as the sinner that I am and still He loves me. I am in Awe.

Paul prays for each of us in Ephesians 3 (NIV); “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Oh, how truly amazing!

A.W. Pink says of God’s all knowing and all loving ways; “The apprehension of God’s infinite knowledge should fill the Christian with adoration. The whole of my life stood open to His view from the beginning. He foresaw my every fall, my every sin, my every backsliding; yet, nevertheless, fixed His heart upon me. Oh, how the realization of this should bow me in wonder and worship before Him!”

Lord, how I adore you; may we all bow in wonder and worship!

Grace and Peace!

Song of Joy and Comfort

I have this process of reading most mornings and things seem to come before me just as I need them. Recently I was reading about a Scottish Minister from the 1600s; Samuel Rutherford. His biography states that he went through many trials and great suffering losing his wife and two children, yet was transformed and used as a great comforter of people.

As I was reading I came across something Rutherford wrote and it just overwhelmed me with a sense of comfort.

“I creep under my Lord's wings in the great shower, and the waters cannot reach me. Let fools laugh the fools' laughter, and scorn Christ, and bid the weeping captives in Babylon to sing them one of the songs of Zion. We may sing, even in our winter's storm, in the expectation of a summer's sun at the turn of the year. No created powers in hell, or out of hell, can mar our Lord's work, or spoil our song of joy. Let us then, be glad and rejoice in the salvation of our Lord, for faith had never yet cause to have tearful eyes, or a saddened brow, or to droop or die.”

Nothing, not anything can spoil our song of joy! As such we can be glad and rejoice in the salvation of Jesus Christ. Amen!

This brings to mind Psalm 95:1-7:

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are the Rock of our salvation and we are the flock under your care! How comforting is that…let us sing for joy!

Grace and Peace!