Child of God

 Galatians 4:4-­7 (NLT)
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. 

As Christmas approaches I have been thinking a great deal about the birth of Christ as it relates to God’s amazing plan of redemption. Christ, born as a child to live a sin free life, to love, to serve, to sacrifice so that we might become a child of God. God sent His Child so that we might become His child. Christ born of flesh; God in flesh; incarnate, so that we might be restored all to His glory. 

This brings to mind the lyrics from the Christmas Carol, ‘What Child Is This.’ 

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, 
While shepherds watch are keeping? 
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; 
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary. 

Why lies He in such mean estate, 
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here 
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, 
The cross be borne for me, for you. 
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary. 

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
 Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high, 
The virgin sings her lullaby. 
Joy, joy for Christ is born, 
The Babe, the Son of Mary 

Luke 2:8-­‐14 

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 

Joy, Joy For Christ is Born. This Christmas may we be amazed and in awe; may we proclaim Glory to God in the highest; may we recognize the good news that our Savior was born; He is Christ the Lord! 

Grace and Peace!

Believer's Pace

Have you ever stopped to think about how rushed we are at this time of the year? I continue to be amazed at this thing we call Christmas shopping, the pushing, the shoving, the hurry. 

To me it just magnifies a picture of life; life full of me trying to be in control, me rushing around, me taking important things for granted, me with wrong priorities. Doing so many things that none are done well. 

As I think about this I begin to see this is a reflection of my spiritual life. I want to control things, rather than to trust God. I want to have things in my timing rather than to trust in God’s perfect timing. 

Life seems so busy, there seems to be so many things to get done, so many things to complete, so many troubles, so many...well you get the picture. 

Recently I was reading and came upon Isaiah 28:16 (Amp): 

"Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion a foundation of Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes in, trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone, will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away in sudden panic." 

Isn’t that so comforting; as believers we have a foundation of Stone, a precious Cornerstone that we can trust in, rely on and adhere to. We have that Stone in Christ. 

I kept digging and found something Spurgeon wrote concerning this verse: 

"How is it with me? Am I believing, and am I therefore keeping to the believer's pace, which is walking with God? Peace, fluttering spirit! Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him! Heart, see that thou do this at once!"

Peace my fluttering spirit!

May we all walk the believer’s pace. 

Grace and Peace!

Comfort Zone

Have you ever thought about this phrase comfort zone? The Free Dictionary defines comfort zone as “a situation or position in which a person feels secure, comfortable, or in control.” Sounds like a pretty good place to be, but don’t we often hear that we need to stretch; to get out of our comfort zones? 

Recently, we had a great discussion about our comfort zones. We tied it to our study of David Platt’s book “Radical”.  In the book, Plat has a small section that mentions the sovereignty of God. The Sovereignty of God is defined as God’s ultimate Lordship and rule over all things. His divine will is supreme over all. Platt points to Matthew 10:29; 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” 

In God’s sovereignty I see such comfort, such security with God in control. Platt goes on to say that “we can rest confident in the fact that nothing will happen to us in this world apart from the gracious will of a sovereign God. Nothing.” 

So when we really bring this to conclusion can’t you see that as Christians, as believers, as those who through Christ fully trust in God, we should never be in anything but a comfort zone.

As Christians, we should come to recognize that life is all comfort zone; no matter what, no matter the situation or the circumstance. We should come to realize that as a child of God we are secure, we are comfortable and God is in control.  Amen! 

So if we can really come to terms with this we can stretch, we can grow, we can try new things; we can with confidence talk to our neighbors, help those in need, reach out for the Glory of God; and we can do this as part of a believers comfort zone. 

May we all fully, totally and completely trust in our great God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit...what a comfort zone! 

Grace and Peace!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Can you believe that Thanksgiving Day is upon us? You know for me Thanksgiving has become a time for reflection about the year; about the ups and downs of life; about all I really do have to be thankful for, but this year there is something more...

Have you ever stopped to think about what taking things for granted really means?  This has been on my mind and heart for a while and has caused me pause.  I searched for a definition of the phrase; taking things for granted and guess what?  There are many, but none seem to satisfy.  I was able to combine two or three definitions to come up with something meaningful to me; taking things for granted means to value something too lightly because it has come to be expected.  It means we are failing to appreciate things we consider ordinary and routine.

Thanksgiving for my family is a time to gather, enjoy food, watch sports and just be together.  This year I think there will be more.  I am going to stop and take stock of just how fortunate I am.  I am going to try my very best to recognize all the things I have to be thankful for; even simple things like clean water to drink, plentiful food, electricity, family, a job, health, safety and freedom.  I am going to try my very best to recognize the extraordinary things I have to be thankful like salvation, grace, mercy and the love of our Great God through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit; the One who provides all the blessings; simple and extraordinary.

Psalm 100 reminds us...

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations.

This day may we all shout for joy to the Lord, may we enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise knowing, resting, trusting that He is good and His love endures forever - AMEN!

Friends, what are you thankful for? 

Grace and Peace!

A Study on Repentance

You know we are clearly told to repent and believe. As I have recently been dwelling on this I began digging a little deeper on this thing called repentance. The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines repentance as “the act of expressing contrition and penitence for sin. Its linguistic roots point to its theological meaning of a change of mind and life direction as a beginning step of expressing Christian faith.” 

Sounds pretty important if you ask me; but I continued. The word repent in Hebrew is Shuwb and means to return; to turn back with this overarching result of restoring. In Greek, the word is metanoia and means literally to change your mind. I think F. F. Bruce captured all this when he wrote “Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness.” 

I love that! I think we can clearly see the importance and result of repentance in Luke 15. Christ tells us that as we (sinners) repent there is a rejoicing in heaven. He tells us this twice: 

Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-­nine righteous persons who did not need to repent. 

Luke 15:10 – In the same way, I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. 

So repenting seems to be pretty key and then in the parable of the lost son we see a picture that just for me brings all this together. Luke 15:18-­‐24:

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son;  make me like one of your hired servants.’  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. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “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. Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 

Can you see it? Can you see the turning from sin to God? Can you see the father heart of God running to us? Can you see the contrition and penitence? Can you see the divine forgiveness? Can you see the restoration? Can you see the celebration? Amen!

Friends, let us all repent and believe!  

Grace and Peace!

Election Season

No matter the outcome, I bet we can all agree that we are glad the election is over (well maybe not yet in Florida)! I recently read that for some winning can not only be your goal, but winning can be your everything. 

However, for believers our goal should be trusting God no matter what.  Sometimes that is tough to do. 

I take comfort in Romans 13:1: 

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.

As the election moved past us I was thinking about Job.  Job went through tremendous trials and spent a good part of the book wondering why?  Eventually God responds and they have this brief exchange in Job 40:1-­4: 

The LORD said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”  Then Job answered the LORD: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 

Job continues in chapter 42:1-­3: 

Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’  Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 

Father, even though we may not understand all your ways; I know we can trust you in all things. I know your purposes and plans can not be thwarted and that these things may be too wonderful for me to know.  Father, we are so happy your are the ultimate authority in whom we can trust!  Amen 

Grace and Peace!

Ambassadors

2 Corinthians 5:17-­‐20 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 

You know our church has recognized that we need to be a more outward facing church – more missional in nature! We noticed we have become very good at serving our members – growing and maturing, but something was missing. Ralph Moore points out that most established churches serve their constituents well, but on the whole are not winning the unchurched. 

So we began to think that to attract the unchurched we needed to be outward minded. We need to reach out into our neighborhoods, our schools, our towns, our culture. Some would say we need to be relevant and while this can sometimes be taken to extreme, we must attract and engage. 

Our pastor recently gave a sermon and in it there was an illustration that as believers we can be three types of people: Tourist, Immigrants, or Ambassadors. He went on to say that as tourist we merely visit and do not connect to the culture around us; as immigrants we actually become the culture; and as ambassadors we respect and actively engage the culture all while knowing our citizenship is not of the culture. 

This caused me to think deeply about what it means to be an ambassador; an ambassador for Christ. I found a definition in a bible dictionary that tells us that an ambassador is the official representative of the King; that ambassadors are raised up and qualified by the work of Holy Spirit, appointed for spiritual care. And as Paul points out above to carry the message of reconciliation out into the world – what good news that is! Amen. 

King Jesus, help us as your ambassadors to be an attractive light in the culture around us a light that can show your love, your grace, your sacrifice that we might be reconciled to God! 

Grace and Peace!

The Sufficiency of God’s Word

John Piper once said; "the Scriptures are sufficient in the sense that they are the only (once for all) inspired and (therefore) inerrrant words of God that we need, in order to know the way of salvation (make you wise unto salvation) and the way of obedience (equipped for every good work)."

In Psalm 19:7-14 we  find: 

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.  The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.  By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.  But who can discern their own errors?  Forgive my hidden faults.  Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.  Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

And in 2 Timothy 3:16-17  we see:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I know that God’s word is precious, I know it is needed and necessary and all sufficient but in our struggle to be relevant, to be authentic in our culture we must be careful to insure that our ministry is Christ centered as revealed by the Word of God.  I believe we must be relational to reach others, but is it possible to take being relevant too far?

David Platt in his book Radical says; “But is his Word enough for us?  This is the question that often haunts me when I stand before a crowd of thousands of people in the church I pastor.  What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs?  What if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated?  What if the air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed?  Would his Word still be enough for his people to come together?”

Something to think and pray about…Father God, I pray the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart would be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!  Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Jesus - Our Savior

It seems that lately I have had a renewed and overpowering sense of awe for Christ and all He was, is and will be. I am utterly amazed by His majesty, love, mercy and grace. This obsession is bringing into focus the Gospel; the good news. And what good news it is! As my vision becomes more and more focused on Christ, I am able to see my urgent and all encompassing need for a savior. I am able to see my totally broken nature, the darkness of my heart, my sin.

I am so thankful that our Lord is mighty to save. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us; The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Wow, not only will he save; he will actually rejoice in doing so…I recently came across a writing from Joseph Parker; an English pastor and preacher from the 19th century. Parker wrote:


“Out of a true knowledge of sin will come a true appreciation of Jesus Christ as the Savior. Apart from this, he will be a strange teacher; with it, he will be the Redeemer for whom our hearts have unconsciously longed when they have felt the soreness and agony of sin. We could sum up the Christian creed in a sentence, yet that sentence contains more than all the libraries in the world. The faith which bears us up above all temptation and all controversy, the faith in which we destroy the power of the world and soar into the brightness of eternal day, is this: I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God!”

Amen! So as we recognize our brokenness, as we feel nowhere near good enough as we struggle in this life let us remember we have a Savior. Let us proclaim, I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let us know with every fiber of our being we have been rescued.

Colossians 1:13-14 tells us: For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Oh what good news the Gospel of Jesus Christ!


Grace and Peace!

Faithful Brothers

I am part of a group of guys that meets each Friday morning to explore things Christian.  It is a good and diverse group, which brings different perspectives and thought.   I am so excited as we have embarked on a study and discussion on the book of Colossians. N. T. Wright describes Colossians as one of the shortest of Paul’s letters, and also one of the most exciting. Further he says; “It is more like a flower, growing from a small bud and then gradually opening up to reveal, layer upon layer.”

I am so looking forward to this study.  Even the first two verses have caused me to pause.

Paul, and apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Paul’s letters were usually written to instruct, to answer or out of concern for issues rising up, all of which apply even today.  Of these first two verses R. C. Lucas writes; “The danger to ‘faithful brethren’, rooted and grounded in Christ lies not so much in false teaching from outside the boundaries of the Christian church…No the danger for the enthusiastic young converts comes from error within the Churches.”  Ouch, can we see this today?

I pray for our churches that we will focus on the gospel, on Christ and His finished work for our salvation.  I pray that we will develop community and relationships with Christ at the center and I pray we know the difference between sound doctrine and self-righteousness.  Maybe it is me, but lately I see Churches taking stands on big issues; issues like politics and abortion and you all need to know and believe I agree with the Christian worldview on such subjects, but as I think back to what attracted me to Church, it was the fact that it was a safe environment for all; the lost, the non-believer, the spiritually mature.  All welcomed, all loved, all growing.

I try to think that if we are truly trying to reach the lost; are they going to feel safe or welcome if the first thing they see is a table with a political petition involving one of these major issues of the day.  And as I think about it where are the tables and petitions against gossip, self-righteousness, idolatry, and the sins I struggle with every day?

I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but when I see these things, I try to put myself in the shoes of the lost (since I once was lost) coming to church for the first time.  So what if someone shows up broken and searching and desperately seeking grace and forgiveness and love and that person is greeted with a table and a political petition?  Will we ever have a chance to know and love them, will we ever have a chance to enter into their suffering and guide them toward Christ as the answer, will we ever have a chance to establish a relationship with this person so that we are there with them as they come to recognize their sin and the need for a savior?

Again, not sure I am making sense, but if we are serious about being a more outward facing church I feel strongly we need to face outward with hearts full of love, hospitality, serving; offering grace and hope (1 Peter 4:8-10). We should teach (especially the lost) with patience and gentleness (2 Tim 2:24-25).

I recently was reading a pastor's blog and he made the statement; "strength without sensitivity hurts the wrong people".  I thought that was such great insight. We ought be asking ourselves in our efforts; who will we hurt? 

Now all this said, please understand I do believe we desperately need the whole truth, we need all of the Word, but to me it is more of how that truth and Word is presented, taught, expressed.  This sinner is so thankful that for me these truths were presented in the context of the great Love of Jesus; full of grace bringing such peace!

Father, oh how we need you now!  Help us to know the way, help us to reach out in love and show others the only true hope; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Father, I am so glad You are God and we are not!

Grace and Peace!

Under Great Pressure

2 Corinthians 1:8b-11

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.   Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

What a great and encouraging passage.  A passage we can learn and take so much from.  This is a message for all.  No matter our stage in life, our vocation, our location there is pressure.  Seems to me this pressure is greater than ever.  As we face the great pressures of life what are we to do? 

In this passage Paul shares that the pressure he was facing was beyond his ability to endure.  It was a crushing and defeating pressure and Paul points in the right direction.  Although Paul went through much greater trials, I still can relate to that feeling!  Paul tells us that when we find ourselves facing great pressure and circumstance we should not rely on ourselves, but we should turn to God.  We should rely on God; so simple, yet so profound.

When we stop and think about it God has delivered us and will deliver us from trying circumstances and as such we should trust Him.  Further, Paul shows us the importance of prayer.  Intercessory prayer is important and why is it we are reluctant to ask for our friends and family to pray for us?  This prayer provides help, support and in the end will provide praise and thanks as we are delivered.  Honor and Glory to God seems appropriate. 

As these two vital things are linked; reliance on God and prayer we see this wonderful thing.  A thing called hope!  So everyone, no matter where we are, no matter the circumstance, no matter the great pressure; may we all rely on God and may we all pray for each other in times of need.  On Him may we set our hope!

Grace and Peace!

It is Finished!

John 19:30a: When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

This particular verse has been sticking with me for a while.  I am dwelling on it, praying about it, learning from it.  It is really difficult to describe the impact this verse is having on me, the emotion, the realization, the weight and what good news it is.

Stop and think about this verse, immerse yourself in it and ask yourself what is finished? You know believers and non-believers alike have turned from God, we are broken, self centered and I know I have come to recognize my total brokenness; my sinful nature.  As such I know I have such a debt to be paid.  What can I possibly do to make it up; absolutely nothing – It is finished!

The phrase it is finished in Greek means to complete, to carry out, to perform, execute, complete, fulfill – it is rich in it’s meaning.  It is also an accounting term used to designate that the debt is paid in full.  Isn’t that just amazing.  Christ has paid our debt in full; there is nothing we need do.  That is the gospel, that is the good news.  In response, I am just filled with awe, wonder and joy! 

Charles Spurgeon once gave a sermon on this verse and to paraphrase; Spurgeon encourages us to tell the world it is finished.  When someone comes to you saying they are not good enough, tell them it is finished; when someone says the struggle with sin is too great, tell them it is finished; when someone is struggling with doubt and fear, tell them it is finished! When we struggle with faith we must remind ourselves even daily that it is finished!  Amen

Finally, Collin Wittaker tells the story of the Christian missionary to China; Hudson Taylor’s conversion;

Finding himself with time on his hands and bored he went into his father's study to find a book to read. Failing to find one that interested him he flipped through a little pile of pamphlets. A gospel booklet attracted his attention and he picked it up but only with the intention of reading the story part. It was a warm June day and he retreated with it into the old warehouse behind the shop and curled up in a corner, fully intending to stop reading when he came to the religious bit. But one sentence suddenly struck him and made him think. The phrase was, 'The finished work of Christ'. Immediately the words 'It is finished' came into his mind. He had struggled to be a Christian in his own strength and failed; he had got the idea that one's bad deeds had to be somehow balanced or paid for by one's good deeds. Now the question came into his mind, 'What was finished?' Suddenly, like a light shining into his heart, the Holy Spirit revealed the truth to him. It was as clear and bright and warm as the rays of the summer sun shining outside. He realized that the debt of sin was paid in full by Christ for us, for the whole world. Then came the thought, if the whole work was finished and the whole debt paid, what was there left for him to do? The way of salvation dawned upon Hudson at that moment. He realized there was nothing to be done except to fall down on his knees and accept the Savior and His salvation, and to praise Him forever.  There and then he fell on his knees and was praising God.

May we all come to realize the great debt that has been paid for each of us in every way.  May we see that this debt has been paid in full, it is finished and as this realization overcomes us, may we all fall on our knees, praising and worshipping our Lord!

Grace and Peace!

A View From the Porch

Recently my wife and I went on a vacation.  It was a whirlwind trip through Georgia and Tennessee; spending time with family and friends.  The last leg of our vacation was spent in Tennessee at the home of my mother-in-law.  It is a beautiful place in the foothills of the great Smokey Mountains. 

Her home has a porch complete with rocking chairs where you can relax, reflect and well rock.  One day I happened to have an hour or so alone on the porch staring across a green pasture and into an evergreen and hardwood hillside; a peaceful view.  It was one of life’s simple pleasures.

This was a needed vacation (yes, I need another one).  Overwhelmed with work and church and life and the list goes on; I was feeling weak and seemingly doing so much and not doing it well.  The more I did the weaker I was feeling and as I reflected upon this an amazing song by Chris Lizotte entitled “Power in Weakness” came on.  At the same time I was finishing the book Defiant Grace by Dane Ortlund and came upon a beautiful description and thought of just how fantastically good and overwhelmingly great Christ is. 

He links the discussion to the book of John and states that in John’s Gospel we can clearly see the divinity of Christ, His greatness, but that we can also see the goodness; that Jesus is there for needy sinners like me.  It is just an amazing union of “greatness and goodness, might and mercy, strength and salvation.”

Ortlund completes this description stating; “In Jesus Christ, believers have a Lord and a Savior.  He is over us and He is next to us.  Jesus is a King to represent God to us as well as a Priest to represent us to God.” Amen!

So as I sat there or better yet rocked there and contemplated this idea, as I thought about this as it relates to my weak attempts to do stuff, as I relate this all to my worries, job, economy, service, church another song by Chris Lizotte; “Peace in the Middle of a Storm” came on.  As I rocked, as I observed the beauty of the hills and as I took in this view from the porch there was great peace and tremendous joy.

I know this was probably not some great theological moment, but it sure was a great spiritual moment.  It brought to mind Matthew 11:28-29 and the words of our Lord and Savior:

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Lord Jesus, as I find your power in my weakness; as I find rest for my soul in the middle of the storm, I say humbly and simply, thank you.

Grace and Peace!

A Most Extraordinary and Amazing Affair

Have you ever really thought, thought deeply about the incarnation of Christ?  On my clear days, days when I can focus, days when I can think deeply, days when I can meditate; on one of those days as I focus on the incarnation of Christ I am in awe.  That God would become man for our salvation, so that we might be saved by grace is absolutely astounding to me. 

  

Of the incarnation Tim Keller once said; 

"As great as it is, God did not simply send us the bible, a message through the communication medium of writing. If that was all he could do for us, salvation would ultimately be in our hands —it would have been up to us to follow his instructions. But instead, God also came himself, in the flesh, to be fully present to us in Jesus Christ. It is only through his being fully present with us that we could be saved by grace." 

I love the fact that Christ is fully present with us that we might be saved by grace.  It is amazing as is the workings of God.  It brings to mind Hebrews 1;

"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  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.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."

Christ truly is the radiance of God's glory - what an image!  Recently I came across something the Puritan John Gill wrote concerning the incarnation.  Gill states;

"The incarnation of Christ is a most extraordinary and amazing affair.  It is wonderful indeed, that the eternal Son of God should become man; that he should be born of a virgin...and all this in order to effect the most wonderful work that ever was done in the world, the redemption and salvation of men..."

You know it truly is a most extraordinary and amazing affair!  Thank you Jesus!

Grace and Peace!

The Joy of the Lord

I remember a time that we had several of our daughter’s friends over.  We were going to cook out, fish off the dock and just have a great time of fellowship.  As some of our guests were fishing they noticed the mullet jumping and if you been around mullet they jump quite often and you regularly see this.  One friend says to the other, “why do mullet jump?”  The other friend said, “because they have the joy of the Lord in their hearts.” 

Now when I heard it I found it amusing, but it might be a great picture of what it is like to have the joy of the Lord in our hearts.  To my knowledge science has not proven why mullet jump and that is really not the point here.  The point is we, as believers shouldn't we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts. 

So when we stop and think about it, when we think of the grace extended us, when we think that we can love Jesus, because he first loved us, when we think of the blessings and mercy; shouldn’t we be joyful?

I am reminded of Psalm 28:6-7:

Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.   The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Hearts leaping for joy…Amen!

Grace and Peace!

The Mark of a Christian

The other day I saw several Christian bumper stickers, I saw a van with the Fish symbol, I saw several cars with a window sticker from local Christian radio station, I saw a cross on the dash board of another car and it made me think.  Are these signs effective?  I started to dwell on this and wonder if all Christians should express their faith in this manner.  As I continued this thinking I came across a book from  1970 written by Francis Schaeffer titled “The Mark of a Christian”.  In it Schaeffer writes:

 “Through the centuries men have displayed many different symbols to show that they are Christians. They have worn marks in the lapels of their coats, hung chains about their necks, even had special haircuts. 

   Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of this, if one feels it is his calling. But there is a much better sign — a mark that has not been thought up just as a matter of expediency for use on some special occasion or in some specific era. It is a universal mark that is to last through all the ages of the church till Jesus comes back. 

   What is this mark? 

   At the close of his ministry, Jesus looks forward to his death on the cross, the open tomb and the ascension. Knowing that he is about to leave, Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come. It is here that he makes clear what will be the distinguishing mark of the Christian: 

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:33-35) 

This passage reveals the mark that Jesus gives to label a Christian not just in one era or in one locality but at all times and all places until Jesus returns. 

   Notice that what he says here is not a description of a fact. It is a command which includes a condition: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." An if is involved. If you obey, you will wear the badge Christ gave. But since this is a command, it can be violated. 

   The point is that it is possible to be a Christian without showing the mark, but if we expect non-Christians to know that we are Christians, we must show the mark.”

Expressing our faith through love…doesn't that just sound right?

Grace and Peace!

I Will Trust You

I love music; music of all kinds.  I came up during the era of southern influence with bands like the Allman Brothers, Wet Willie, Elvin Bishop, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the list goes on.  As such, I tend to gravitate to that sound.  I have come across an artist with such a sound in the Christian music world; Chris Lizotte.

To quote from his biography: “Chris was born and raised in Orange County, California, and is currently the Worship Pastor at Vineyard Community Church in Laguna Niguel, CA.  He has led worship for such events as The National Youth Leaders Convention, Promise Keepers, Campus Crusade as well as many other events across the Nation and Europe.

Somewhat unpredictable with the musical direction he takes on his albums, Lizotte’s lyrical direction always seems to remain consistent. He has a goal to touch, encourage, and relate to the hearts of the churched and the un-churched.  In his release “Signal Hill Revival”, gospel, blues, and rock tones merge together to create an unforgettable sound that is sure to delight fans of various musical genres.”

Part of Signal Hill Revival is a song entitled “I Will Trust You”.  It has touched me deeply.  Enjoy the lyrics!

“In my weakness would You come
Help me stand up, help me run
To the shadow of Your wings
And the comfort that it brings

And I'll wait and be still
And I'll know You are God, You are God

I will love You and adore You
I will trust You, God
I will sing in times of trouble
And I will trust You, God”

Father God, no matter what we love you and adore you.  We will trust you, God! We will sing in times of trouble and we will trust you, God!

Grace and Peace!

The Beauty of Creation

I have been blessed to have some time living by the water; a saltwater inlet.  It is peaceful and a remarkable place to contemplate life.  I was recently cooking out and as I had the meat on the grill, several manatees swam past.  I noticed the mullet jumping almost in unison and a roseate spoonbill flew past.  The seagulls were fishing and to put it simply it was an amazing, peaceful and beautiful time.  It occurred to me just how amazing and beautiful our God is.

  

I recently came upon this writing by Saint Augustine entitled;

The Beauty of Creation Bears Witness to God

“Question the beauty of the earth, the beauty of the sea, the beauty of the wide air around you, the beauty of the sky; question the order of the stars, the sun whose brightness lights the days, the moon whose splendor softens the gloom of night; question the living creatures that move in the waters, that roam upon the earth, that fly through the air; the spirit that lies hidden, the matter that is manifest; the visible things that are ruled, the invisible things that rule them; question all these. They will answer you: "Behold and see, we are beautiful." Their beauty is their confession to God. Who made these beautiful changing things, if not one who is beautiful and changeth not?”

I am reminded of Psalm 8:

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:  all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!