I found this post expresses very well what I feel, even now, about my current state.
Chris Tomlinson from the Gospel Coalition blog:
The state of my union is not that good. I don’t think you’re supposed to say that sort of thing, but it’s true, so I guess it’s worth saying.
I’m not talking about our country, which remains strong despite its many issues. And I’m not talking about my marriage, which is still my greatest earthly delight. The union I’m talking about is the union that matters most: my union with Christ.
The struggle I face today is the cavern that exists between what I know and what I live. I say that Jesus is the greatest satisfaction to our soul’s deepest cravings, and I believe this deeply. But I’m not living in the embrace of this reality today. There are just far too many concerns on my heart. I tell myself this is simply a busy season of life, and this will all soon pass, and I’ll be able to reconnect with God once more before long.
But tomorrow is never the best day to commit to the Lord. James wrote that we “do not know what tomorrow will bring,” and he’s right. Today is always the best day to abide in Christ.
The state of my union is not Jesus’ fault—His faithfulness has never wavered. I suppose I could get down on myself, working to summon the motivation to go and make our relationship right again. But this kind of striving never produces lasting results. I know that we’re supposed to work out our salvation, but it’s telling that Jesus’ teachings on the vine and the branch in John 15 are that we should remain in Him.
Remaining means we were there in the first place. “You did not choose me, but I chose you [to] go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16). Just as it is the vine which first produces the union with the branch, so too it is Christ who brings us to Himself as we first become new creations. His command is to then remain in Him. This is what I have been failing to do, and it’s something I’ve now confessed to God.
Whenever our nation’s leaders talk about the State of our Union, they generally express great resolve and optimism, no matter what the state of our country is in. And despite the state of my union today, I also have great hope. I don’t have this hope because of my own resolve. I have this hope because of the greatness of my God.
God bless me, in spite of my wandering heart, for His glory. And God bless you as well as you strengthen your union with Christ by remaining in Him.
Question: What is the state of your union?
HT: Chris Tomlinson
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Not Miser's Money
Do we suspect that God is stingy with His grace or hesitant to keep His promises? I surely do at times.
A wonderful quote:
“God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; he intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, Lord, do as thou hast said. We glorify God when we plead his promises.”
- Charles Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, January 15
HT: Of First Importance
A wonderful quote:
“God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; he intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, Lord, do as thou hast said. We glorify God when we plead his promises.”
- Charles Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, January 15
HT: Of First Importance
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My Friend Celia
Today I got to see my friend Celia. She’s a tiny lady, seems to shrink a little more every time I see her. She lives in a government-subsidized apartment, way up on the 12th floor.
Celia has terrible back pain and knee problems; she only has one seeing eye, and the doctors have told her she’ll lose vision in that before long. Lately she’s been complaining of bad headaches, but she hasn’t let me take her to the doctor.
I don’t get to see Celia every week. Sometimes when I call it just rings and rings (she has no answering machine). And sometimes she will answer, but she says that she just can’t take the pain anymore, so she has gone to bed (even in the afternoon).
There are lots of things to pray about for Celia. But the thing I pray for most is that God will give her faith in Jesus.
Today I told her that our church is trying to memorize the Sermon on the Mount this year, little by little. She has heard of the Sermon on the Mount. She has heard of the Beatitudes too, but didn’t know much about them. I practiced saying them to her.
“What do you think that means, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’?” I asked her.
“Well, I supposed it means people like me,” she said.
I told there are two kinds of poor: people who are poor in money and possessions and people who know that there is nothing good in their hearts—they don’t have anything good inside to offer God—and knowing that about yourself is being poor in spirit.
“To be blessed means you’re happy; good comes to you,” I said. “And this says that you’re blessed if you know you can’t earn God’s favor, because you don’t have anything good inside yourself. That’s because if you think you’re good and you can earn God’s favor, you won’t take the way of escape that God made for you. Do you know what that is?”
“I suppose it’s being good, doing good things,” she said.
“It’s Jesus,” I said. And I explained (again) how God sent Jesus—who was God—to be a human and live perfectly. And when He died, He didn’t die because He sinned… He died so that He could pay for my sin.
“And when God asks why should I come to heaven, I don’t point to me, I point to Jesus—it’s because Jesus was perfect and took the penalty in my place. That’s the best news there is,” I said.
Well, Celia just said, “Hmh,” like she generally does. But she still let me pray for her before I left (which I generally do).
And I’d like to ask you to pray for Celia too, that God would give her a poor spirit and a rich inheritance in Jesus.
Celia has terrible back pain and knee problems; she only has one seeing eye, and the doctors have told her she’ll lose vision in that before long. Lately she’s been complaining of bad headaches, but she hasn’t let me take her to the doctor.
I don’t get to see Celia every week. Sometimes when I call it just rings and rings (she has no answering machine). And sometimes she will answer, but she says that she just can’t take the pain anymore, so she has gone to bed (even in the afternoon).
There are lots of things to pray about for Celia. But the thing I pray for most is that God will give her faith in Jesus.
Today I told her that our church is trying to memorize the Sermon on the Mount this year, little by little. She has heard of the Sermon on the Mount. She has heard of the Beatitudes too, but didn’t know much about them. I practiced saying them to her.
“What do you think that means, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’?” I asked her.
“Well, I supposed it means people like me,” she said.
I told there are two kinds of poor: people who are poor in money and possessions and people who know that there is nothing good in their hearts—they don’t have anything good inside to offer God—and knowing that about yourself is being poor in spirit.
“To be blessed means you’re happy; good comes to you,” I said. “And this says that you’re blessed if you know you can’t earn God’s favor, because you don’t have anything good inside yourself. That’s because if you think you’re good and you can earn God’s favor, you won’t take the way of escape that God made for you. Do you know what that is?”
“I suppose it’s being good, doing good things,” she said.
“It’s Jesus,” I said. And I explained (again) how God sent Jesus—who was God—to be a human and live perfectly. And when He died, He didn’t die because He sinned… He died so that He could pay for my sin.
“And when God asks why should I come to heaven, I don’t point to me, I point to Jesus—it’s because Jesus was perfect and took the penalty in my place. That’s the best news there is,” I said.
Well, Celia just said, “Hmh,” like she generally does. But she still let me pray for her before I left (which I generally do).
And I’d like to ask you to pray for Celia too, that God would give her a poor spirit and a rich inheritance in Jesus.
All Paths Lead To...
Insightful:
"Some of you want me to say, 'All paths go to the same place.'
They do: Hell.
And Jesus alone is Savior. Jesus alone is Savior."
(Hear the full sermon.)
"Some of you want me to say, 'All paths go to the same place.'
They do: Hell.
And Jesus alone is Savior. Jesus alone is Savior."
(Hear the full sermon.)
Monday, January 25, 2010
What's Wrong With Revenge?
We’ve all had wrongs done to us and felt the struggle against responding vengefully or letting bitterness taint a relationship in the future.
In Genesis 50, when Jacob finally dies, Joseph’s brothers realize that they have lost their fatherly buffer against the wrath of their wronged brother. They spin an ill-concealed little white lie, saying that Jacob charged them to tell Joseph to forgive them, when he was gone.
A humbling response:
“But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?”
Holding a bitter, unforgiving heart is setting myself in God’s place.
God is God. He has purposes in evil that can produce great good … and He has promised that evil will never go unanswered. It will receive its fullest recompense—on the wicked or on His Son, in their place.
In Genesis 50, when Jacob finally dies, Joseph’s brothers realize that they have lost their fatherly buffer against the wrath of their wronged brother. They spin an ill-concealed little white lie, saying that Jacob charged them to tell Joseph to forgive them, when he was gone.
A humbling response:
“But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?”
Holding a bitter, unforgiving heart is setting myself in God’s place.
God is God. He has purposes in evil that can produce great good … and He has promised that evil will never go unanswered. It will receive its fullest recompense—on the wicked or on His Son, in their place.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Life Is Precious
Today we went to the state capitol to demonstrate our conviction that abortion is wrong because life is a gift from God and every baby, even unborn, is made in His image.
Here is a video that I found on Justin Taylor's blog, which is a beautiful picture of how no life is an accident, a mistake, or a discard:
99 Balloons from Igniter Media on Vimeo.
HT: Justin Taylor
Here is a video that I found on Justin Taylor's blog, which is a beautiful picture of how no life is an accident, a mistake, or a discard:
99 Balloons from Igniter Media on Vimeo.
HT: Justin Taylor
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Impossible Joy
In Genesis 37, when Joseph’s tunic was brought home to Jacob, torn and covered in blood:
“Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, ‘Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.’ So his father wept for him” (37:34-35).
For 22 years (by my calculation), Jacob grieved the death of his favorite son. He spoke of the loss when all the brothers returned from their first trip to Egypt; Judah explained his father’s grief when they were detained from returning on their second trip. Jacob’s life was marked indelibly by the pain of losing Joseph.
Which, to me, makes Genesis 45:25-28 all the sweeter:
“Then they [all Joseph’s brothers] went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. They told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’
“But he was stunned, for he did not believe them. When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
“Then Israel said, ‘It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’”
What impossible joy! What wonder! What ecstasy, to be granted the reunion for which he had spent so many years longing, weeping, heart-broken!
I was reflecting on what it might say of God, that He would build such a story into His Word. What does it point to?
I think of the synagogue leader who was seeking Jesus’ help for his sick daughter, only to be delayed by another woman needing healing. He got word, the daughter was dead. But Jesus, coming and touching the child’s hand, called her, and “immediately, the girl got up and began to walk” (Mark 5:42).
Consider the widow whose son died, walking and wailing in the funeral procession. Jesus told her, “’Do not weep.’ And He came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise!’ The dead man sat up and began to speak” (Luke 7:13-15).
Perhaps the encounter that best defines what all this means for us is the one that brought Jesus Himself to tears, the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus had something in mind when He heard of Lazarus’s illness: “So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was” (John 11:6).
When Jesus arrived on the scene, Lazarus was dead, his sisters grieved, and Jesus Himself wept.
At the gravesite, Jesus commanded them to roll away the stone (and a skeptical Martha reminded Him of the stench that would testify to four days of decay in her beloved brother’s body).
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (11:40).
So they removed the stone. And Jesus looked upward and prayed:
“’Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me’
“When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’
“The man who had died came forth” (11:41-44).
Why did Jesus linger, so that His friend died before His arrival? Why did He speak to Martha, promising that if she believed she would see the glory of God? What was His ultimate aim in raising this friend from the dead?
I wonder if all of these stories were recorded so that we could have snapshots of the impossible joy that Jesus will give to everyone who believes in Him--and to show the radical glory that belongs to the One who wrecks the misery of death and vanquishes its stranglehold on this broken world.
See John 11:4: “But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not to end in death but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
And John 11:25-26, as Jesus talks to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”
These foretastes may be meant to point us to the final triumph:
“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” it meant that death could no longer win in any who trust Him.
Death, grief, loss are all a part of this world. But one day, no matter the sorrow, Jesus in His exquisite triumph will fill our broken hearts with a joy that seems impossible, unimaginable, inconceivable to us now. His glory will shine, and our hearts, like Jacob’s, will be revived.
Hasten the day.
“Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, ‘Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.’ So his father wept for him” (37:34-35).
For 22 years (by my calculation), Jacob grieved the death of his favorite son. He spoke of the loss when all the brothers returned from their first trip to Egypt; Judah explained his father’s grief when they were detained from returning on their second trip. Jacob’s life was marked indelibly by the pain of losing Joseph.
Which, to me, makes Genesis 45:25-28 all the sweeter:
“Then they [all Joseph’s brothers] went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. They told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’
“But he was stunned, for he did not believe them. When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
“Then Israel said, ‘It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’”
What impossible joy! What wonder! What ecstasy, to be granted the reunion for which he had spent so many years longing, weeping, heart-broken!
I was reflecting on what it might say of God, that He would build such a story into His Word. What does it point to?
I think of the synagogue leader who was seeking Jesus’ help for his sick daughter, only to be delayed by another woman needing healing. He got word, the daughter was dead. But Jesus, coming and touching the child’s hand, called her, and “immediately, the girl got up and began to walk” (Mark 5:42).
Consider the widow whose son died, walking and wailing in the funeral procession. Jesus told her, “’Do not weep.’ And He came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise!’ The dead man sat up and began to speak” (Luke 7:13-15).
Perhaps the encounter that best defines what all this means for us is the one that brought Jesus Himself to tears, the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus had something in mind when He heard of Lazarus’s illness: “So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was” (John 11:6).
When Jesus arrived on the scene, Lazarus was dead, his sisters grieved, and Jesus Himself wept.
At the gravesite, Jesus commanded them to roll away the stone (and a skeptical Martha reminded Him of the stench that would testify to four days of decay in her beloved brother’s body).
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (11:40).
So they removed the stone. And Jesus looked upward and prayed:
“’Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me’
“When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’
“The man who had died came forth” (11:41-44).
Why did Jesus linger, so that His friend died before His arrival? Why did He speak to Martha, promising that if she believed she would see the glory of God? What was His ultimate aim in raising this friend from the dead?
I wonder if all of these stories were recorded so that we could have snapshots of the impossible joy that Jesus will give to everyone who believes in Him--and to show the radical glory that belongs to the One who wrecks the misery of death and vanquishes its stranglehold on this broken world.
See John 11:4: “But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not to end in death but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
And John 11:25-26, as Jesus talks to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”
These foretastes may be meant to point us to the final triumph:
“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” it meant that death could no longer win in any who trust Him.
Death, grief, loss are all a part of this world. But one day, no matter the sorrow, Jesus in His exquisite triumph will fill our broken hearts with a joy that seems impossible, unimaginable, inconceivable to us now. His glory will shine, and our hearts, like Jacob’s, will be revived.
Hasten the day.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Amazing Grace
In our Wednesday evening gathering tonight, we were looking at chapter 8 in C.J. Mahaney's Humility.
A quote of Charles Spurgeon struck me:
I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love.
Ahh, what a kindness, that God did not wait for us to earn His favor but put His favor on us through His Son.
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).
A quote of Charles Spurgeon struck me:
I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love.
Ahh, what a kindness, that God did not wait for us to earn His favor but put His favor on us through His Son.
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).
Burdens
Right now, in my immediate circle of family and friends, I am praying for eleven people who are looking for jobs—one just laid off Friday.
I have two close friends who have had serious (potentially life-threatening) pregnancy complications in the past week, and they still aren’t out of the woods.
Unknown thousands of people have lost lives, homes, all material possessions in Haiti after the earthquake.
At my church, there were funerals for five or six people in the last two weeks.
I’ve been getting daily updates from another young woman, whose friend was air-lifted to Mayo, has had one surgery and is facing open-heart surgery next week.
My boss just moved into a lovely home—but he got it because the previous owners were not able to pay their mortgage and lost it. And there are those close to me who are facing the same situation.
All these burdens—not mine, per se, but very real and big in the lives of people I love—what do I do with them? How do I care for people whose worlds hold such difficult and life-altering circumstances?
I don’t want to condescend with platitudes. I don’t want to pose with spiritual suggestions or pat their hand, encouraging them to claim God’s promises for victory and solutions to all their problems.
Certainly, God has given a Solution to all their problems. And He has assured a triumph that will never be overthrown. But in the moment of pain and perplexity, perhaps I am not the voice they need to hear, reminding them of those never-failing truths.
My Bible reading this morning took me to Psalm 16:
“Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.’”
The honesty of the Psalms is a comfort, especially when my words sound hollow and trite, even in my own ears.
“I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
I don’t always know when to speak and when just to listen. But I know the Comforter is near and helps us in our weakness—for we don’t always even know how to pray, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.
So for now, I pray that the Lord will draw eyes to Himself. That I may be a help and encouragement. That the Lord will prompt me to speak or shut up. And that in the very midst of difficulty, His reality, His power, His beauty, His purposes, His provision, His majesty, His holiness, His tenderness, His attentiveness, His comfort, His mercy, and His glory will become deeply sweet and hopeful to the ones who suffer most acutely—that God Himself will be their portion and their joy.
And may it be for me too. My job and my life are in His hands, just like them.
[I started writing these thoughts on Saturday but wanted to ruminate a little longer. Last night, I was listening to a sermon and felt so encouraged by the exhortation to cultivate faith; it seemed to fit well. It starts at about 12:08.]
May God increase my capacity to trust and love Him in the best and worst of times.
I have two close friends who have had serious (potentially life-threatening) pregnancy complications in the past week, and they still aren’t out of the woods.
Unknown thousands of people have lost lives, homes, all material possessions in Haiti after the earthquake.
At my church, there were funerals for five or six people in the last two weeks.
I’ve been getting daily updates from another young woman, whose friend was air-lifted to Mayo, has had one surgery and is facing open-heart surgery next week.
My boss just moved into a lovely home—but he got it because the previous owners were not able to pay their mortgage and lost it. And there are those close to me who are facing the same situation.
All these burdens—not mine, per se, but very real and big in the lives of people I love—what do I do with them? How do I care for people whose worlds hold such difficult and life-altering circumstances?
I don’t want to condescend with platitudes. I don’t want to pose with spiritual suggestions or pat their hand, encouraging them to claim God’s promises for victory and solutions to all their problems.
Certainly, God has given a Solution to all their problems. And He has assured a triumph that will never be overthrown. But in the moment of pain and perplexity, perhaps I am not the voice they need to hear, reminding them of those never-failing truths.
My Bible reading this morning took me to Psalm 16:
“Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.’”
The honesty of the Psalms is a comfort, especially when my words sound hollow and trite, even in my own ears.
“I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
I don’t always know when to speak and when just to listen. But I know the Comforter is near and helps us in our weakness—for we don’t always even know how to pray, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.
So for now, I pray that the Lord will draw eyes to Himself. That I may be a help and encouragement. That the Lord will prompt me to speak or shut up. And that in the very midst of difficulty, His reality, His power, His beauty, His purposes, His provision, His majesty, His holiness, His tenderness, His attentiveness, His comfort, His mercy, and His glory will become deeply sweet and hopeful to the ones who suffer most acutely—that God Himself will be their portion and their joy.
And may it be for me too. My job and my life are in His hands, just like them.
[I started writing these thoughts on Saturday but wanted to ruminate a little longer. Last night, I was listening to a sermon and felt so encouraged by the exhortation to cultivate faith; it seemed to fit well. It starts at about 12:08.]
May God increase my capacity to trust and love Him in the best and worst of times.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Spread His Fame
Lest we get too stuck in the mud with our particular mode of worship in music:
Shai Linne: Spread His Fame
Posted using ShareThis
Shai Linne visited our church last year. It was a rare treat ... and a good opportunity for most of us to expand our spectrum of worship.
Shai Linne: Spread His Fame
Posted using ShareThis
Shai Linne visited our church last year. It was a rare treat ... and a good opportunity for most of us to expand our spectrum of worship.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Long Resistance to Temptation
Genesis 39 tells the familiar story of Joseph’s rise to the highest place of responsibility in Potiphar’s house—and the attempt of Potiphar’s wife to seduce him.
What I did not recall was:
“It came about as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her” (39:10).
Oh, may the Lord give me the same tenacity in resisting temptation—not just by gritting my teeth and holding out one more day, but with the awareness of sin’s utterly empty promises and of the freedom and life and grace that we taste by “fleeing.”
What I did not recall was:
“It came about as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her” (39:10).
Oh, may the Lord give me the same tenacity in resisting temptation—not just by gritting my teeth and holding out one more day, but with the awareness of sin’s utterly empty promises and of the freedom and life and grace that we taste by “fleeing.”
Sunday, January 17, 2010
What Could Have Been and What Will Be
Maybe one of the most difficult struggles when facing loss or heartache is being overwhelmed with all that "could have been"--and never will be.
A young couple lost their only son at less than 9-months' age last year. Here is a profound reflection on the sadness of what could have been ... and the great joy of what will be.
Only, only God could take the worst imaginable loss and transform it (in a way that will be fully visible one day) into unimaginable good.
A young couple lost their only son at less than 9-months' age last year. Here is a profound reflection on the sadness of what could have been ... and the great joy of what will be.
Only, only God could take the worst imaginable loss and transform it (in a way that will be fully visible one day) into unimaginable good.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Acceptable Worship
What makes someone acceptable to God, worthy of dwelling with Him? Psalm 15 gives this list.
1. Walks with integrity
2. Works righteousness
3. Speaks truth in his heart
4. Does not slander with his tongue
5. Does not do evil to his neighbor
6. Does not take up a reproach against his friend
7. Despises a reprobate
8. Honors those who fear the Lord
9. Swears to his own hurt and does not change
10. Does not put out his money at interest (unjustly)
11. Does not take a bribe against the innocent
So, is this a checklist for holiness? If we simply toe the line with these 11 items, do we make the cut?
It can’t be.
Consider #2: “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Our most shining efforts to work righteousness are tainted with pride and impurity and are repulsive to God.
Or take #3: “Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts’” (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah, a good prophet of God wrote that—he was alarmed to realize that his mouth was filthy when seen in relation to the flawless God.
And #4: “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Every careless word? I’m not even particularly talkative, and I still have countless words that I should never have said.
Consider #8: About the very most religious people of all, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead man’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). These were the most honored, most fervent people of all at Jesus’ time, and He blasted them as worst of all.
So if Psalm 15 is not a recipe for pleasing God, what is it?
I think it is the description of a life changed. Our best efforts can’t succeed in earning God’s favor. Ever.
But God made a way for His standard to be fulfilled and our hearts changed.
Paul (one of those super-religious leaders … before he trusted in Jesus) said about his former life of religious efforts and accomplishments:
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:6-9).
Christ became the Righteous One for us. And when we trust Him, He changes us from the inside out.
1. Walks with integrity
2. Works righteousness
3. Speaks truth in his heart
4. Does not slander with his tongue
5. Does not do evil to his neighbor
6. Does not take up a reproach against his friend
7. Despises a reprobate
8. Honors those who fear the Lord
9. Swears to his own hurt and does not change
10. Does not put out his money at interest (unjustly)
11. Does not take a bribe against the innocent
So, is this a checklist for holiness? If we simply toe the line with these 11 items, do we make the cut?
It can’t be.
Consider #2: “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Our most shining efforts to work righteousness are tainted with pride and impurity and are repulsive to God.
Or take #3: “Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts’” (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah, a good prophet of God wrote that—he was alarmed to realize that his mouth was filthy when seen in relation to the flawless God.
And #4: “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Every careless word? I’m not even particularly talkative, and I still have countless words that I should never have said.
Consider #8: About the very most religious people of all, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead man’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). These were the most honored, most fervent people of all at Jesus’ time, and He blasted them as worst of all.
So if Psalm 15 is not a recipe for pleasing God, what is it?
I think it is the description of a life changed. Our best efforts can’t succeed in earning God’s favor. Ever.
But God made a way for His standard to be fulfilled and our hearts changed.
Paul (one of those super-religious leaders … before he trusted in Jesus) said about his former life of religious efforts and accomplishments:
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:6-9).
Christ became the Righteous One for us. And when we trust Him, He changes us from the inside out.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hidden in Your Heart
I heard someone say after church on Sunday that it was the best sermon he had ever heard.
I'm not sure if I would rank it "best ever," but this sermon
(http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2010/4465_Holding_Fast_the_Word_of_Life_in_2010/),
along with last year's at the same time
(http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2009/3483_If_My_Words_Abide_in_You/),
were both powerful reminders that I really want to have God's Word hidden in my heart, that it is possible to capture, and that it is worth investing significant energy to memorize.
They are worth listening to, if only for those compelling reminders.
I'm not sure if I would rank it "best ever," but this sermon
(http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2010/4465_Holding_Fast_the_Word_of_Life_in_2010/),
along with last year's at the same time
(http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2009/3483_If_My_Words_Abide_in_You/),
were both powerful reminders that I really want to have God's Word hidden in my heart, that it is possible to capture, and that it is worth investing significant energy to memorize.
They are worth listening to, if only for those compelling reminders.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Praying All Night
I woke up this morning at 11am, rather disoriented and groggy. My eyes hurt. My head ached.
It was about 5 1/2 hours after Ben and I got home from the All Night of Prayer at church last night.
My (still somewhat disoriented) reflections:
- To pray all night is something Jesus did (and I doubt He took the weekend off to recover). I feel very weak, recognizing what a big deal it is for me to give one night for prayer.
- Praying all night is not generally an emotionally-enlivening experience. By about 3am, I felt numb and had a hard time formulating words into a coherent sentence. But, like Romans 8 says, the Spirit helps our weakness, for even when we do not know how to pray as we ought, He intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
- A night of prayer goes quicker than one might think. We spent the night primarily focusing on various ministries of the church--and we certainly did not cover it all exhaustively! Consider all the other areas of life that could be lifted up: family needs, world concerns, government and leaders, personal growth, neighborhood relationships, and so forth.
- We prioritize time for things that matter most to us. I am humbled to recognize how often I DON'T prioritize time for prayer. But considering the amazing promises God gives us related to prayer, I can think of almost no better investment of time.
- Groggy, head aching, and a little woozy, I was nonetheless content and very thankful when the night ended. Who knows what powerful mercies God may bring to our church this year in response to weak, simple requests from tired people.
"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name" (Daniel 9:19).
"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14).
It was about 5 1/2 hours after Ben and I got home from the All Night of Prayer at church last night.
My (still somewhat disoriented) reflections:
- To pray all night is something Jesus did (and I doubt He took the weekend off to recover). I feel very weak, recognizing what a big deal it is for me to give one night for prayer.
- Praying all night is not generally an emotionally-enlivening experience. By about 3am, I felt numb and had a hard time formulating words into a coherent sentence. But, like Romans 8 says, the Spirit helps our weakness, for even when we do not know how to pray as we ought, He intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
- A night of prayer goes quicker than one might think. We spent the night primarily focusing on various ministries of the church--and we certainly did not cover it all exhaustively! Consider all the other areas of life that could be lifted up: family needs, world concerns, government and leaders, personal growth, neighborhood relationships, and so forth.
- We prioritize time for things that matter most to us. I am humbled to recognize how often I DON'T prioritize time for prayer. But considering the amazing promises God gives us related to prayer, I can think of almost no better investment of time.
- Groggy, head aching, and a little woozy, I was nonetheless content and very thankful when the night ended. Who knows what powerful mercies God may bring to our church this year in response to weak, simple requests from tired people.
"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name" (Daniel 9:19).
"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14).
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A Word for Worriers
This looks to be a hectic week. Here is a message from Justin Taylor's blog that strikes me as particularly appropriate and very hopeful:
A Word for Worriers
Posted using ShareThis
A Word for Worriers
Posted using ShareThis
The Revelation Song
I haven’t been able to get this song out of my mind since we sang it at church Saturday night. After a rougher-than-average Sunday morning, it is a good way to lift my eyes back up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_3W8XI7W2w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_3W8XI7W2w
In the Beginning Was the Word
In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He existed in the form of God.
All things came into being through Him,
And apart from Him nothing was made that’s been made.
He existed in the form of God.
The Word was with God,
And the Word was God.
Who, although He existed in the form of God,
Did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Equality with God not a thing to be grasped,
But emptied Himself.
And the Word became flesh. Became flesh,
Taking the form of a bond-servant,
Made in the likeness of men.
The Word became flesh,
Emptied Himself,
Being made in the likeness of men.
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
Like a root out of parched ground.
Made in the likeness of men.
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Being made in the likeness of men.
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
Made in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself.
He humbled Himself,
Being made in the likeness of men.
He was in the world,
And the world was made through Him,
And the world did not know Him.
He came to His own,
And His own did not receive Him.
Did not know Him.
Those who were His own did not receive Him.
Made in the likeness of men.
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief,
And like one from whom men hide their face,
Made in the likeness of men,
He was despised and we did not esteem Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men.
And apart from Him nothing was made that’s been made.
And the Word became flesh.
He humbled Himself, humbled Himself,
He was obedient to the point of death.
He humbled Himself. He humbled Himself.
The Light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness did not comprehend it.
The Word became flesh.
He humbled Himself.
Obedient to the point of death.
Those who were His own did not receive Him.
He humbled Himself, to the point of death.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried.
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
And we have seen His glory,
Glory of the only Son from the Father,
Full of grace and truth.
So they cried, “Away with Him! Away with Him!
Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
Cried, “Away with Him! Away with Him!”
He humbled Himself,
Death on a cross.
He humbled Himself, to death on a cross.
But the LORD was pleased to crush His Son,
Putting Him to grief.
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
“Away with Him! Away with Him!”
They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross
To a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.
There they crucified Him.
They crucified Him.
They crucified Him.
Because He poured Himself out to death
And was numbered with the transgressors.
He Himself bore the sin of many
And interceded for the transgressors.
Therefore when Jesus received the sour wine,
He said, “It is finished!”
And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us
To fall on Him.
For from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
For the Law was given through Moses;
Grace and truth through Jesus Christ.
For this reason also
God highly exalted Him
And has bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.
So that at the name of Jesus
Every knee should bow
Of those who are in heaven
And on earth and under the earth.
And every tongue should confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord
To the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He existed in the form of God.
All things came into being through Him,
And apart from Him nothing was made that’s been made.
He existed in the form of God.
The Word was with God,
And the Word was God.
Who, although He existed in the form of God,
Did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Equality with God not a thing to be grasped,
But emptied Himself.
And the Word became flesh. Became flesh,
Taking the form of a bond-servant,
Made in the likeness of men.
The Word became flesh,
Emptied Himself,
Being made in the likeness of men.
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
Like a root out of parched ground.
Made in the likeness of men.
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Being made in the likeness of men.
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
Made in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself.
He humbled Himself,
Being made in the likeness of men.
He was in the world,
And the world was made through Him,
And the world did not know Him.
He came to His own,
And His own did not receive Him.
Did not know Him.
Those who were His own did not receive Him.
Made in the likeness of men.
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief,
And like one from whom men hide their face,
Made in the likeness of men,
He was despised and we did not esteem Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men.
And apart from Him nothing was made that’s been made.
And the Word became flesh.
He humbled Himself, humbled Himself,
He was obedient to the point of death.
He humbled Himself. He humbled Himself.
The Light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness did not comprehend it.
The Word became flesh.
He humbled Himself.
Obedient to the point of death.
Those who were His own did not receive Him.
He humbled Himself, to the point of death.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried.
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
And we have seen His glory,
Glory of the only Son from the Father,
Full of grace and truth.
So they cried, “Away with Him! Away with Him!
Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
Cried, “Away with Him! Away with Him!”
He humbled Himself,
Death on a cross.
He humbled Himself, to death on a cross.
But the LORD was pleased to crush His Son,
Putting Him to grief.
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
“Away with Him! Away with Him!”
They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross
To a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.
There they crucified Him.
They crucified Him.
They crucified Him.
Because He poured Himself out to death
And was numbered with the transgressors.
He Himself bore the sin of many
And interceded for the transgressors.
Therefore when Jesus received the sour wine,
He said, “It is finished!”
And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us
To fall on Him.
For from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
For the Law was given through Moses;
Grace and truth through Jesus Christ.
For this reason also
God highly exalted Him
And has bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.
So that at the name of Jesus
Every knee should bow
Of those who are in heaven
And on earth and under the earth.
And every tongue should confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord
To the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
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