Looking For Love (In all the wrong places)

  

Thessalonians 2:19-20

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

This reminds me of the old song from the movie Urban Cowboy; ‘Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places.’ John Stott says that “In verses 19 and 20…Paul asks rhetorical…questions which expresses his great love…What Paul seems to mean is that his joy in this world and his glory in the next are tied up with the Thessalonians whom Christ…has so obviously transformed.”

I think Paul is reminding us that we often look for joy in the temporal circumstances of this broken world. We boast and find joy in the fish we catch, our conquests, masteries, our abilities. And while we may find some happiness in these things, these things shall surely fade away. Perhaps Our boast before the Lord should be, we are his! Perhaps we should find and give our love because Jesus first loved us! Perhaps we should live happy, joyful lives filled with love because of our transformation in Christ…

Grace and Peace!

Come and See

 

Psalm 66:5, 8-9, 20

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man…Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip…Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

Derek Kidner says this Psalm shows us the “God of all-of many-of one.” It is an amazing and hopeful reminder. This remarkable Psalm shows us that we have a God that provides, for all even the broken like me, that we have a God that protects our weary and troubled souls, that no matter our circumstances God will not reject our prayers, that through it all God loves us always and anyway.

James Boice said of this Psalm; “For whatever our triumphs may be, they are always by the grace of God and we must say, “To God alone be glory.”

Amen and my response to this Psalm is a joyful praise to the God that helps me, that hears me, that loves me still…

Grace and Peace!

Stay Thirsty My Friends

 

Psalm 63:1-3

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

I’ve read this Psalm many times, but recently it occurred to me that when we realize the vast wasteland of our existence and our desperate need of rescue, how could we not have this overwhelming desire for God Almighty in all His Power and Glory? As we wearily approach our only hope and see that he loves us no matter what, when despite any circumstances we are secure for all eternity, how could we not praise Him?  

In John 4:13-14, Jesus said “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

That to me is the very definition of eternal hope. It shows us a gospel fueled life, an enduring love.

Chris Benefield said this about Psalm 63:

“Storms will come; winds will blow; life will bring situations that we had rather not face. But even then we are secure in the shadow of His wings. He has covered us with His abundant mercy. We are secure in His mighty hand. He is our portion and our stay. What could possibly come my way that the Lord would be unable to handle?”

In the mid 1600s, Thomas Ken wrote a hymn that has come to be known as ‘The Doxology.’  It seems appropriate to end with this…

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Grace

 

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…

I’ve been thinking a lot about grace, my daily need of it and how life can be at times a real struggle. I read that God’s grace is his unmerited favor. And boy I sure can corner the market on unmerited!

There is a country song out titled Need A Favor by Jason DeFord (Jelly Roll). It has this lyric: 

“Who the hell am I, to expect a savior?

If I only talk to God, when I need a favor?

But God, I need a favor.”

That is so me. Seems all I do is ask for favors. I give our great, loving and merciful God a to do list, but it seems every day I do need a favor.

It is during my struggles that I realize that my only true hope, my only hope is unmerited favor, that my only hope is the favor of God. And as I worry and fret it hits me that because of God’s love, because of Christ’s finished and complete work, because of grace, I am granted favor. Because of grace, I am saved. And that is good, refreshing, restoring news!

Hallelujah and thank you Jesus! And boy do I need a favor!

Grace and Peace!

Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all those providing mother relationships to the world. Moms, mom-in-laws, wives, sisters, daughters, nieces, cousins, aunts, friends, mentors, and neighbors…

Proverbs provides us a picture of these mother influences.

Proverbs 31:25-29

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

And in Isaiah we see the loving comfort of God and the loving comfort provided by our mother influences. 

Isaiah 66:12a, 13a, 14a

For thus says the LORD:

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you…

You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice…

This day I see and I am thankful and rejoicing for all the strong, wise, kind and caring mother influences in my life. 

Grace and Peace!

Grace and Peace

Philippians 1:1-2

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So much in the two opening verses of Philippians but the big idea for me is that grace is required for any real, true, shalom peace, at least for me. I know grace is the only way we have peace with God. But oh how I need grace to have that internal peace deep down in my broken, selfish, prideful, sinful soul. God’s grace secured for us by Jesus is the one thing that late at night and in my darkest times allows my heart, mind and soul to rest!

James Boice reminds that “Grace is the unmerited and abounding favor of God toward men and peace is the result of that favor. It is the result of the reconciliation of man and God through Jesus’ death - peace obtained at the cross of Christ.”

Serven and Griffith tell us that: “The word Saint does not mean a perfect person. The Bible talks about how a Saint is someone who has been chosen by God, who has been set apart by God, who had been loved by God with a special love. But saints aren’t better people. They are just as messed up as the rest of us…that doesn’t change the fact that saints are loved by God and set apart by him. They are still loved by Christ and forgiven by him. This love motivates them, albeit inconsistently, to live more God-pleasing lives.”

With the grace of God, even an imperfect and broken Saint like me can find peace…

Grace and Peace y’all!

Psalm Thoughts

 

Psalm 46:1, 7-11

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

John Stott wrote “we live in an epoch of crisis.” This seems especially true these days. This Psalm gives me comfort in trying times, this doesn’t mean we won’t have trying and very difficult times, but it reminds me that Jesus is with us through it all, he is a present help in our times of trouble, our fortress here and now, our gain for all eternity.  

It is said that with his dying breath John Wesley exclaimed; “The best of all is, God is with us.”

So in these crazy days, let’s remember that God is God and he is with us!

Easter 2023

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

Oh how I need the message of Easter, especially this year. In all my brokenness, in a time where I seem to get swallowed by my fears and shortcomings, where it seems I am driven by my doubts and insecurities, surrounded by a world of brokenness, and at times I have just this hopeless feeling. 

But, Easter tells me I can rest, I can be at peace because with Jesus it is finished. It shouts to me that I can be hope-filled and joyful because it will be so much better farther on. It proves to me that I can be thankful in all circumstances.  It assures me that I am redeemed, forgiven and steadfastly loved. And it inspires me to be amazed by the riches of God’s grace!  

Oh Lord how I need you everyday and wonderfully Easter convinces me that no matter what you are with us…

Happy Easter Everyone - He has risen!