Fear. Our nation is infested with it. Fear of authority, fear of imposition, fear for life, fear of tomorrow. Fear is birthing hate, pride, and mourning. God has not called His exiles to a life of fear.
1 Peter is a book about hope and submission. In view of the living hope sealed in us by the Holy Spirit for an imperishable inheritance, we are free to submit. We have the opportunity to choose to submit to governing authority, earthly masters, in social institutions, in the home, in the church, and before our mighty God.
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him; because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
Believers love verse 7. We claim it in every situation from fiery persecution to flat tires. We like the idea of a place to hoist off our anxiety, a God who takes all the heavy grief. But examining this verse in the context of the entire book of 1 Peter we see the incredible hope and firm foundation, which enables us to submit in the most unjust and terrifying of situations.
He cares for us. Real compassionate concern over our well-being. The mighty God cares for us. The God who sees all things, knows all things, judges justly even the intentions of the heart, the omnipotent One loves us.
Submission carries inherent anxiety for creatures determined to follow the idols of self. Submission is the opposite of every inclination of our heart. But time and again Peter reminds us that we submit not to the glory of man, not to our own glory, but all to the glory of God. In injustice, in persecution, in suffering we submit because the mighty one cares, and He has given us hope. When we humble ourselves under human authority, we show reverence for God's order and plan. And we show absolute faith that He is the mighty One, who cares for us.
Jesus Christ, the righteous One, the One man in history alone who did not deserve to suffer, "while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). Jesus Christ submitted to death, the greatest injustice in eternity, for God's glory by faith that God cares.
In light of this one more quote from 1 Peter: "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."
Does the thought of willing placing yourself under authority cause you anxiety? Believe that your God is both mighty and caring. Do you wonder what to do with your state of privilege in an unjust world? Honor all people (make great effort toward their honor), love your brothers, fear God, honor the king. Honor in public, honor in private, honor in deed, honor in word.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Carbon copies
When it comes to drawing, painting, and other visual arts, my abilities are singularly appalling. I draw stick figures. I paint "abstracts." Imagine my jubilation as a child when I discovered tracing. Whatever I wanted to create I could find in an already existing picture. I would throw back the curtains, press the image up against a window with my own paper over top, and voila! A beautiful copy! The lines my clumsy hands failed to execute on their own, flowed magically from my pen with a guide underneath. The spacing with which I always struggled became elegantly proportional as I followed the original. My copy was never quite as perfect (it was tiring pressing those papers up to the glass and tracing with careful patience!), but it looked better than anything I tried on my own.
1 Peter 2:21-24
"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
The word "example" in the Greek is literally "an original to be copied". Jesus Christ is the original. We lay our lives in line with His, and we trace. We copy His words, we copy His actions, we copy His attitude. Sometimes our picture does not look as perfect as His, but that never means we scrap the original and try life on our own. We seek forgiveness, we pick up our pen, and we start following Him again.
This is how we create the greatest masterpieces. We copy the Master. I love that simple image from my childhood. The light shines through the original and floods my copy. The light makes my beautiful life possible.
Where have you tried to create reality on your own, apart from our great Original? Has a demand for your rights, your way, your voice drawn your pen away from its tracing task? The Savior floods our lives with light. Can we open our eyes, pick up our pen, and copy the Master?
1 Peter 2:21-24
"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
The word "example" in the Greek is literally "an original to be copied". Jesus Christ is the original. We lay our lives in line with His, and we trace. We copy His words, we copy His actions, we copy His attitude. Sometimes our picture does not look as perfect as His, but that never means we scrap the original and try life on our own. We seek forgiveness, we pick up our pen, and we start following Him again.
This is how we create the greatest masterpieces. We copy the Master. I love that simple image from my childhood. The light shines through the original and floods my copy. The light makes my beautiful life possible.
Where have you tried to create reality on your own, apart from our great Original? Has a demand for your rights, your way, your voice drawn your pen away from its tracing task? The Savior floods our lives with light. Can we open our eyes, pick up our pen, and copy the Master?
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The first time I really understood His word
After moving halfway across the country away from friends, family, and my home church I was consumed by loneliness. For several months I desperately searched for a women's Bible study to attend. Several churches turned me down, several churches turned me off, and several offered the "Ladies Crazy Christmas Coffee" as a substitute for inductive, exegetical study. (Not that there's anything wrong with craziness, coffee, or Christmas. It's just that events with ugly sweaters don't challenge and revolutionize the soul the way being among God's own and in His word does.)
By grace God brought me to a Bible-teaching, God-fearing church that offered several women's studies. And then He brought me to Addie (name changed just in case). She led with grace and kindness. When I came in she was genuinely thrilled to see me, hugged me, and asked me all about my life. A few weeks later she invited me to coffee. She invited my family over to eat. She spoke with wisdom and joy.
Then, she posted something on Facebook, that made me do my bad theology squirm. I know my Bible. I know truth. God has graciously given me the ability to understand His word and the faith to believe it without hesitation. It is a gift. Sometimes I forget that. Because I am a sinner still saved by grace.
I looked at my mother and declared, "Can you believe, she believes that?" (And yes, it was said in that tone. That one that still makes me throw up in my mouth a little.)
My mother looked at me with wisdom and grace, and said, "But you were lonely, and she was your friend."
Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."
Addie chose better.
And by grace with forgiveness, I hope to also.
By grace God brought me to a Bible-teaching, God-fearing church that offered several women's studies. And then He brought me to Addie (name changed just in case). She led with grace and kindness. When I came in she was genuinely thrilled to see me, hugged me, and asked me all about my life. A few weeks later she invited me to coffee. She invited my family over to eat. She spoke with wisdom and joy.
Then, she posted something on Facebook, that made me do my bad theology squirm. I know my Bible. I know truth. God has graciously given me the ability to understand His word and the faith to believe it without hesitation. It is a gift. Sometimes I forget that. Because I am a sinner still saved by grace.
I looked at my mother and declared, "Can you believe, she believes that?" (And yes, it was said in that tone. That one that still makes me throw up in my mouth a little.)
My mother looked at me with wisdom and grace, and said, "But you were lonely, and she was your friend."
Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."
Addie chose better.
And by grace with forgiveness, I hope to also.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
The enemy we remember
As we remember...
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There fore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:12-13
Sometimes in the fires and the confusion we can forget who our enemy is.
Our enemy is not a person. Our enemy is not the violent man. It is not the hate-filled woman. We do not battle the godless philosopher, the angry politician, the evil terrorist. When we choose to believe that flesh and blood is the villain, we choose to relinquish our position to hate before we ever take up any armor. Hatred for human beings, laced with unforgiveness, arrogance, and fear, is a victory for the real enemy.
It is not easy when men harm us, when humans attack us, when people betray us to remember they are not the villain. They are lost. They are victims of the powers, pawns of the forces, slaves of the wickedness. They are captives of the darkness.
And so was I. But for grace, what measures of hate would fill me. But for peace, what war would I wage. But for the gospel, what venom would I swallow.
In His mercy Christ chose to lay down his life for the captives. He chose to bleed for the slaves. He chose to die for the lost. After we put forth every effort to make ourselves His enemy, God sent out a rescuer to make us His friends. The gospel is the news of grace, grace that frees the captives and teaches them to be free.
We are to be like Christ. We are to see our enemy for what it really is, to carry our armor without wearying, and to bring gospel to the captives. We are not to waste time battling flesh and blood, but standing firm in the gospel, guarded by faith, we are to resist the evil one. On a day when we remember great evil, we ought to remember the source of that evil, and who the ultimate victors will be.
Is there a flesh and blood human being you have made an enemy? What efforts are you wasting in hating man that could be directed into living the gospel? When everything crumbles, will Christ find you standing firm?
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There fore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:12-13
Sometimes in the fires and the confusion we can forget who our enemy is.
Our enemy is not a person. Our enemy is not the violent man. It is not the hate-filled woman. We do not battle the godless philosopher, the angry politician, the evil terrorist. When we choose to believe that flesh and blood is the villain, we choose to relinquish our position to hate before we ever take up any armor. Hatred for human beings, laced with unforgiveness, arrogance, and fear, is a victory for the real enemy.
It is not easy when men harm us, when humans attack us, when people betray us to remember they are not the villain. They are lost. They are victims of the powers, pawns of the forces, slaves of the wickedness. They are captives of the darkness.
And so was I. But for grace, what measures of hate would fill me. But for peace, what war would I wage. But for the gospel, what venom would I swallow.
In His mercy Christ chose to lay down his life for the captives. He chose to bleed for the slaves. He chose to die for the lost. After we put forth every effort to make ourselves His enemy, God sent out a rescuer to make us His friends. The gospel is the news of grace, grace that frees the captives and teaches them to be free.
We are to be like Christ. We are to see our enemy for what it really is, to carry our armor without wearying, and to bring gospel to the captives. We are not to waste time battling flesh and blood, but standing firm in the gospel, guarded by faith, we are to resist the evil one. On a day when we remember great evil, we ought to remember the source of that evil, and who the ultimate victors will be.
Is there a flesh and blood human being you have made an enemy? What efforts are you wasting in hating man that could be directed into living the gospel? When everything crumbles, will Christ find you standing firm?
Saturday, August 6, 2016
The Night I Betray, He Adopts
1 Corinthians 11:23-24
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Paul could have described that night in any other way.
On the night He was crucified...
On the night He bore the sin of the world...
On the night the Son of God died...
But when speaking to a church divided, to a people unwilling to divorce a pagan world, to brothers acting like enemies, Paul chose these words: "On the night in which He was betrayed."
As the betrayer sat among them, Christ still offered Himself broken for traitors.
For me. Who has been declared a saint, but often still lives in rebellion. While I still raged in my treachery, He loved with brokenness and blood poured out. He chose to die, to crown a rebel the daughter of the King.
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Paul could have described that night in any other way.
On the night He was crucified...
On the night He bore the sin of the world...
On the night the Son of God died...
But when speaking to a church divided, to a people unwilling to divorce a pagan world, to brothers acting like enemies, Paul chose these words: "On the night in which He was betrayed."
As the betrayer sat among them, Christ still offered Himself broken for traitors.
For me. Who has been declared a saint, but often still lives in rebellion. While I still raged in my treachery, He loved with brokenness and blood poured out. He chose to die, to crown a rebel the daughter of the King.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Seeking Him, Not Answers
In the intensity of major decisions, the wonderment of a temporal life which cannot see tomorrow, the desire to find the very best of everything, we riffle through theology looking for "His will." We plead at the steps of the eternal for one clear direction, one intelligible answer. Seeking His will can be a frustrating and confusing process. How are all those Bible study teachers "hearing His voice?" Am I just not godly enough?
I wonder what our lives would look like, if we spent less time seeking the exact answer, and devoted ourselves to seeking Him. Isn't it so much better to know His character, His power, and His Sovereignty than to know what tomorrow holds?
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:1-2
When we grow in the knowledge of our God, we will simultaneously come to know His will better.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another is psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21.
So how do we know God's will?
Seek God with all your heart. Do not let any trappings of religion, any sin, or any selfishness deter you from devouring His word, falling face down in prayer, and lifting your heart in worship.
His plan will never contradict His character.
His will is always unity in the body, gratefulness in believers' hearts, and faithful, wise, useful followers.
If the God you have come to know is faithful and true, then He cares about your tomorrow. He will not let you stumble.
I wonder what our lives would look like, if we spent less time seeking the exact answer, and devoted ourselves to seeking Him. Isn't it so much better to know His character, His power, and His Sovereignty than to know what tomorrow holds?
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:1-2
When we grow in the knowledge of our God, we will simultaneously come to know His will better.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another is psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21.
So how do we know God's will?
Seek God with all your heart. Do not let any trappings of religion, any sin, or any selfishness deter you from devouring His word, falling face down in prayer, and lifting your heart in worship.
His plan will never contradict His character.
His will is always unity in the body, gratefulness in believers' hearts, and faithful, wise, useful followers.
If the God you have come to know is faithful and true, then He cares about your tomorrow. He will not let you stumble.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
To Obey or Not to Obey: Who is King?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/june/no-evangelizing-outside-of-church-russia-proposes.html
"Russia's Newest Law: No Evangelizing Outside of the Church"
I forget sometimes what a blessing it is to blog for all three of my readers, to speak of God's goodness, to ask hard questions, and still to walk freely and without fear. What I sometimes force myself to do is what laws in other places demand Christians never do: speak truth.
I do not generally take to disparaging religions in this blog. I believe there will be men of every tribe, tongue, nation, culture, and religious affiliation in heaven. The opposite is also, sadly, very much true. God has very little interest in our religion, and much more interest in whether we receive the grace of the cross and the power of the resurrection, forgiveness of sins and faith in His Name.
That being said, originally coming from Utah, I had several Mormon friends post the following official response from the LDS church to the new legislation in Russia. From http://www.ldsliving.com/Church-Responds-to-Russia-s-Law-Banning-Missionary-Work/s/82606:
"The church will honor, sustain and obey the law. Missionaries will remain in Russia and will work within the requirements of these changes."
Why do Mormons have to obey the law? Because mostly they live by law and not by grace. Because they answer to men; to bishops, presidents, or prophets first, and not to the living, radical, sovereign God.
Any work we believe we can do to earn salvation nullifies grace. If we could attain any amount of God's favor in our own effort, then Christ died for nothing. If anyone can stand between you and your God as mediator other than the sinless priest, Jesus Christ, then you are still in your sins.
Those who have the words of life will not be silenced by any human requirement. Christians ought to live with honor and respect for all, even when faith necessitates rebellion. Evangelism is necessary. And now, evangelism is rebellion.
The issue of obedience to human authority is not a simple matter in the believer's life. We are urged to be subject and to obey. 1 Peter 2: 13-15 "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men."
We willingly submit to human authority because we know ultimately we are under God's authority. However, when human power requires sin of the believer, we submit first to Jesus Christ as King. Christians are called to share their faith, to make disciples, to be light in a dark world. When human authority demands we stop living in obedience to Christ's calling, then we rebel.
Who is your king? Do you obey men, live in a safe world, stay silent for fear? Or do you worship an almighty God, the ultimate judge, the Savior who has required us to go and make disciples.
Christians should ever display this great paradox: honor and rebellion.
Let us pray for the believers in Russia. Persecution is coming. But God has already overcome.
Let us pray for the unbelievers in Russia. May God's grace be declared from the hills all the louder when voices are ordered to be silent.
"Russia's Newest Law: No Evangelizing Outside of the Church"
I forget sometimes what a blessing it is to blog for all three of my readers, to speak of God's goodness, to ask hard questions, and still to walk freely and without fear. What I sometimes force myself to do is what laws in other places demand Christians never do: speak truth.
I do not generally take to disparaging religions in this blog. I believe there will be men of every tribe, tongue, nation, culture, and religious affiliation in heaven. The opposite is also, sadly, very much true. God has very little interest in our religion, and much more interest in whether we receive the grace of the cross and the power of the resurrection, forgiveness of sins and faith in His Name.
That being said, originally coming from Utah, I had several Mormon friends post the following official response from the LDS church to the new legislation in Russia. From http://www.ldsliving.com/Church-Responds-to-Russia-s-Law-Banning-Missionary-Work/s/82606:
"The church will honor, sustain and obey the law. Missionaries will remain in Russia and will work within the requirements of these changes."
Why do Mormons have to obey the law? Because mostly they live by law and not by grace. Because they answer to men; to bishops, presidents, or prophets first, and not to the living, radical, sovereign God.
Any work we believe we can do to earn salvation nullifies grace. If we could attain any amount of God's favor in our own effort, then Christ died for nothing. If anyone can stand between you and your God as mediator other than the sinless priest, Jesus Christ, then you are still in your sins.
Those who have the words of life will not be silenced by any human requirement. Christians ought to live with honor and respect for all, even when faith necessitates rebellion. Evangelism is necessary. And now, evangelism is rebellion.
The issue of obedience to human authority is not a simple matter in the believer's life. We are urged to be subject and to obey. 1 Peter 2: 13-15 "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men."
We willingly submit to human authority because we know ultimately we are under God's authority. However, when human power requires sin of the believer, we submit first to Jesus Christ as King. Christians are called to share their faith, to make disciples, to be light in a dark world. When human authority demands we stop living in obedience to Christ's calling, then we rebel.
Who is your king? Do you obey men, live in a safe world, stay silent for fear? Or do you worship an almighty God, the ultimate judge, the Savior who has required us to go and make disciples.
Christians should ever display this great paradox: honor and rebellion.
Let us pray for the believers in Russia. Persecution is coming. But God has already overcome.
Let us pray for the unbelievers in Russia. May God's grace be declared from the hills all the louder when voices are ordered to be silent.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Remind me again
Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in,
That wonderful redemption, God's remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning has passed away at noon.
I have heard many in the pews complain about a pastor's repetition. Same sermon. Same lesson. I know this already. I would gently remind them of how many times God repeats himself in the Scriptures. We need reminders. We need the truths of the gospel, grace, and God's character repeated to us day after day. There is nothing stagnant about the Scriptures; truth makes dead things radically alive!
2 Peter 1:12-13 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.
Truth leads to transformation. Hearing God's Word should encourage us to examine our lives, to be absolutely sure that we are living out the truth we claim. It does little good to memorize The Great Commission if we have no intention of making disciples. Knowing Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd" is useless if we live in fear, anxiety, and need. When you hear a sermon, or engage in a study that you think you know, pay even closer attention. It is often in the simple, familiar commandments that we most easily stumble.
That wonderful redemption, God's remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning has passed away at noon.
I have heard many in the pews complain about a pastor's repetition. Same sermon. Same lesson. I know this already. I would gently remind them of how many times God repeats himself in the Scriptures. We need reminders. We need the truths of the gospel, grace, and God's character repeated to us day after day. There is nothing stagnant about the Scriptures; truth makes dead things radically alive!
2 Peter 1:12-13 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.
Truth leads to transformation. Hearing God's Word should encourage us to examine our lives, to be absolutely sure that we are living out the truth we claim. It does little good to memorize The Great Commission if we have no intention of making disciples. Knowing Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd" is useless if we live in fear, anxiety, and need. When you hear a sermon, or engage in a study that you think you know, pay even closer attention. It is often in the simple, familiar commandments that we most easily stumble.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
The Root of our Spiritual Disasters
How much do we sacrifice for lack of knowledge of the word?
Our God is small because we do not know Him.
Our church is broken because we do not understand Him.
Our identity is a lie for lack of a mirror.
Our joy sleeps because it forgets how to sing.
Our faith quivers at the gentlest cut; because we dismiss the witnesses.
Our wings crack under the scorch of sin, forgetting ten thousand generations of history.
Our life is a dark and shadowy reflection of Christ; because we do not know His heart.
Psalm 19:7-11
The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Do not leave reward and blessing and courage and hope and power and forgiveness and love and unity and life on the table, when this virtue and freedom is available for a moment of our time and a quietness in our heart. Open the Bible.
Our God is small because we do not know Him.
Our church is broken because we do not understand Him.
Our identity is a lie for lack of a mirror.
Our joy sleeps because it forgets how to sing.
Our faith quivers at the gentlest cut; because we dismiss the witnesses.
Our wings crack under the scorch of sin, forgetting ten thousand generations of history.
Our life is a dark and shadowy reflection of Christ; because we do not know His heart.
Psalm 19:7-11
The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Do not leave reward and blessing and courage and hope and power and forgiveness and love and unity and life on the table, when this virtue and freedom is available for a moment of our time and a quietness in our heart. Open the Bible.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
The Villian Concert?
Certain battles are always being fought in the pews. As long as human beings fill those seats the battles against our flesh will erupt in some unkind volcano or another. However, it is the battle over Sunday morning worship that seems to boil the utmost of our pettiness and spew the ultimate of our malice.
In the sanctuary of my church back home there are florescent lights and softer can lights. Several times my husband and I requested that we turn off the florescent lights during the worship session. That industrial glare seemed so harsh, so external. We were told "No." So we worshipped in the cold, flickering lights. Because He is worthy of worship.
We were told "No" with the justification that having only the softer lights would make worship seem, "Too much like a concert."
There are worse things for our praises to be.
When was the last time you went to a concert? Did the people sit in disengaged stillness? Did they wonder when this song would be over, why none of their friends were there, why all the lights were low? Was the somberness palpable? Was the boredom consuming?
Let's imagine for a moment that every Sunday morning we did not attend a worship service. Let's imagine we attended the King's concert. We would sing with joy. With would jump with victory. We would dance with passion. That's right. We would dance. All of our friends would be there, rejoicing with us, and though we may not notice, the angels would lend their delight. We would not notice the lights, or the sounds, or the smell of the room. Because we came for Him. Not for us. A concert for the King: loud, vibrant, slaves set free clapping rhythms to their Savior, warriors dancing honor to the Lord, mourners weeping "It Is Well."
I think that is what Psalm 150 had in mind. A concert. To the King. Because He is worthy.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with hard and lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!
Maybe it is because I belong to the drummer. He mentions cymbals twice. And they are supposed to be loud. We have every reason, breathing saints, to praise Him.
In the sanctuary of my church back home there are florescent lights and softer can lights. Several times my husband and I requested that we turn off the florescent lights during the worship session. That industrial glare seemed so harsh, so external. We were told "No." So we worshipped in the cold, flickering lights. Because He is worthy of worship.
We were told "No" with the justification that having only the softer lights would make worship seem, "Too much like a concert."
There are worse things for our praises to be.
When was the last time you went to a concert? Did the people sit in disengaged stillness? Did they wonder when this song would be over, why none of their friends were there, why all the lights were low? Was the somberness palpable? Was the boredom consuming?
Let's imagine for a moment that every Sunday morning we did not attend a worship service. Let's imagine we attended the King's concert. We would sing with joy. With would jump with victory. We would dance with passion. That's right. We would dance. All of our friends would be there, rejoicing with us, and though we may not notice, the angels would lend their delight. We would not notice the lights, or the sounds, or the smell of the room. Because we came for Him. Not for us. A concert for the King: loud, vibrant, slaves set free clapping rhythms to their Savior, warriors dancing honor to the Lord, mourners weeping "It Is Well."
I think that is what Psalm 150 had in mind. A concert. To the King. Because He is worthy.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with hard and lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!
Maybe it is because I belong to the drummer. He mentions cymbals twice. And they are supposed to be loud. We have every reason, breathing saints, to praise Him.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
The running God
"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found." Luke 15:20-24
When it has been three days since you have prayed...
When it has been a week since you opened your Bible...
When the worship has been hollow for months...
When the world has been home for years...
He still runs to us with open arms.
The God who rejoices with dancing when one sinner returns, is the same God who sprints to His child who has forgotten Him for a season. Just a flicker of a glance over our shoulder, and His loving pursuit takes off.
Sometimes I still don't understand grace.
It's usually when prayers lapse into business, and communion will be tomorrow. Or the next day.
I want to run back to Him. Instead I crawl. I slink into the throne room sideways, groveling at the door. I apologize. I excuse. I justify. I promise. I plead.
As if the God I expect to find on His throne is not the one who poured out His blood on Calvary. As if the God who heaped up grace on a wretch like me, might stop loving me at any moment. As if I might need to bring another sacrifice, more atonement, fuller mercy.
When we enter the throne room with prayers of repentance, He laughs with joy, jumps up, and runs to embrace us. Grace means you can always turn your feet toward home.
Do you give up on relationship with Christ because you are unworthy? Indeed, we are! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and be bowled over in His eager embrace.
When it has been three days since you have prayed...
When it has been a week since you opened your Bible...
When the worship has been hollow for months...
When the world has been home for years...
He still runs to us with open arms.
The God who rejoices with dancing when one sinner returns, is the same God who sprints to His child who has forgotten Him for a season. Just a flicker of a glance over our shoulder, and His loving pursuit takes off.
Sometimes I still don't understand grace.
It's usually when prayers lapse into business, and communion will be tomorrow. Or the next day.
I want to run back to Him. Instead I crawl. I slink into the throne room sideways, groveling at the door. I apologize. I excuse. I justify. I promise. I plead.
As if the God I expect to find on His throne is not the one who poured out His blood on Calvary. As if the God who heaped up grace on a wretch like me, might stop loving me at any moment. As if I might need to bring another sacrifice, more atonement, fuller mercy.
When we enter the throne room with prayers of repentance, He laughs with joy, jumps up, and runs to embrace us. Grace means you can always turn your feet toward home.
Do you give up on relationship with Christ because you are unworthy? Indeed, we are! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and be bowled over in His eager embrace.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Communion
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26
Communion. A moment to remember and commune with the Lord. But we do not only join the Lord at the table. Communion is not about isolation, guilt, or shame. It is about grace and family.
In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6
We understand our salvation through metaphors of individuality. One man or woman broken at the foot of the cross, bought out of the market, set free in the court room. Some days we forget the beautiful metaphor of adoption. We are not just adopted as sons. We are adopted as daughters, sisters, brothers, grand children, nieces, and nephews. We are ransomed from a life and eternity of loneliness into a life and eternity of belonging as the beloved. The adopted does not receive a parent; they receive a family.
As a young woman in church communion was lonely. We were asked to examine ourselves quietly, confess, pray no one saw the thoughts as they formed at the front of our minds. If they knew... I would not be welcome at the table. We passed individual cups in silence, downcast eyes, closed up hearts. Drown out everything but memory.
Memories live in communion. With Him. With others. His death was not only grace enough for me. It is grace enough for my brothers, my sisters, my daughters, and sons. We remember together. We live together. We endure together. And we will reign together.
How could the understanding of your adoption transform this (and these) Christian life (lives)? When loneliness and shame beckon are you brave enough to come to the table?
1 Corinthians 11:26
Communion. A moment to remember and commune with the Lord. But we do not only join the Lord at the table. Communion is not about isolation, guilt, or shame. It is about grace and family.
In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6
We understand our salvation through metaphors of individuality. One man or woman broken at the foot of the cross, bought out of the market, set free in the court room. Some days we forget the beautiful metaphor of adoption. We are not just adopted as sons. We are adopted as daughters, sisters, brothers, grand children, nieces, and nephews. We are ransomed from a life and eternity of loneliness into a life and eternity of belonging as the beloved. The adopted does not receive a parent; they receive a family.
As a young woman in church communion was lonely. We were asked to examine ourselves quietly, confess, pray no one saw the thoughts as they formed at the front of our minds. If they knew... I would not be welcome at the table. We passed individual cups in silence, downcast eyes, closed up hearts. Drown out everything but memory.
Memories live in communion. With Him. With others. His death was not only grace enough for me. It is grace enough for my brothers, my sisters, my daughters, and sons. We remember together. We live together. We endure together. And we will reign together.
How could the understanding of your adoption transform this (and these) Christian life (lives)? When loneliness and shame beckon are you brave enough to come to the table?
Friday, June 10, 2016
It is not just dancing
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:18-19
As a child I looked forward expectantly to what I would do in heaven. I would run through fields of flowers and dance on the clouds. I would hold discussion with people from the Bible and brave men and women of the past. I would laugh with my sister at this brief moment called life and hear her every thought saved up for a lifetime. As I have grown a little older and been levelled to awe by my God time and again, this expectation has changed. All I want to do now is see my Jesus. I want to fall down and worship the Lamb who was slain for me. I want to cry out with the angels "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty!" He is faithful. He is patient. He is good. He has redeemed my life and filled it with all grace necessary to carry me to heaven's threshold. Jesus is our inheritance. His presence, His Lordship, His glory and blessings are our reward.
There are no tears in eternity, but I imagine there are heaping mounds of laughter.
What has stolen your hope? Is heaven so far away? Before we worship in heaven, let us practice our joy here.
As a child I looked forward expectantly to what I would do in heaven. I would run through fields of flowers and dance on the clouds. I would hold discussion with people from the Bible and brave men and women of the past. I would laugh with my sister at this brief moment called life and hear her every thought saved up for a lifetime. As I have grown a little older and been levelled to awe by my God time and again, this expectation has changed. All I want to do now is see my Jesus. I want to fall down and worship the Lamb who was slain for me. I want to cry out with the angels "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty!" He is faithful. He is patient. He is good. He has redeemed my life and filled it with all grace necessary to carry me to heaven's threshold. Jesus is our inheritance. His presence, His Lordship, His glory and blessings are our reward.
There are no tears in eternity, but I imagine there are heaping mounds of laughter.
What has stolen your hope? Is heaven so far away? Before we worship in heaven, let us practice our joy here.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Just who I am, is not who I am
"That's just who I am." In the face of criticism, opposition, or correction even Christians have clung to this personal right, this rigid existence, the war cry of idolatry. Some have gone far enough to declare, "That is how God made me." And since the Almighty is perfect, He must have created perfectly, and this quirk of self-righteousness can be in no way a fault?
These phrases do not only grate against my eardrums when the quirk pointed out is a sin. Sometimes we cling to the most benign of personality traits with a selfish rigor that becomes sin. Anyone played softball lately? When a brother lovingly points out that our aggression over a call at first may not be the battlefield on which to slay our integrity, out it comes: the venom of self-righteousness.
"God made me competitive."
Which may be true. But, He did not make you a jerk. That comes from a personal reservoir of our own ungodliness.
What on this earth is truly worth the corruption of our witness? What pieces of injustice, soon to be consumed in fire and forgotten, are worth the bruising of our character? What fleeting moment in time is worth all of a stranger's eternity? Maybe keeping our temper, sacrificing our wants, or dying to ourselves won't change the destination of a soul. We aren't promised that taking up our cross will get anyone saved.
But it might.
"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some."1 Corinthians 9:19-22
Our personality, even the "good" parts of it, is not worth trading for our identity. You are not the competitive man. You are not the emotional woman. You are not the whip quick thinker. I am not the sum of my cowardice.
We are new creations in Christ. Made new once by His grace, and remade daily in the image of the Savior. There is nothing in me worth dying for. Except the Spirit of Christ proclaimed to the nations.
Where have you allowed you to become too rigid for Christ to move? What grace have you sacrificed for the sake of your personality? May we become all things for all people for the brief glimmer of a chance that maybe one soul might taste salvation and be satisfied. Let us not cling to our venom, but whisper honey and hope.
These phrases do not only grate against my eardrums when the quirk pointed out is a sin. Sometimes we cling to the most benign of personality traits with a selfish rigor that becomes sin. Anyone played softball lately? When a brother lovingly points out that our aggression over a call at first may not be the battlefield on which to slay our integrity, out it comes: the venom of self-righteousness.
"God made me competitive."
Which may be true. But, He did not make you a jerk. That comes from a personal reservoir of our own ungodliness.
What on this earth is truly worth the corruption of our witness? What pieces of injustice, soon to be consumed in fire and forgotten, are worth the bruising of our character? What fleeting moment in time is worth all of a stranger's eternity? Maybe keeping our temper, sacrificing our wants, or dying to ourselves won't change the destination of a soul. We aren't promised that taking up our cross will get anyone saved.
But it might.
"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some."1 Corinthians 9:19-22
Our personality, even the "good" parts of it, is not worth trading for our identity. You are not the competitive man. You are not the emotional woman. You are not the whip quick thinker. I am not the sum of my cowardice.
We are new creations in Christ. Made new once by His grace, and remade daily in the image of the Savior. There is nothing in me worth dying for. Except the Spirit of Christ proclaimed to the nations.
Where have you allowed you to become too rigid for Christ to move? What grace have you sacrificed for the sake of your personality? May we become all things for all people for the brief glimmer of a chance that maybe one soul might taste salvation and be satisfied. Let us not cling to our venom, but whisper honey and hope.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Exhaling Desert
I breathe in Your fluid dust,
thick crimson soot, inhalation
of my being. Why do You see me,
when I blend so well with earth,
sister of moment lapping morning
silt from the stems of cacti,
matching the soft contractions
of stone in vibratory praise?
You are the chasm in upright
pillars of rock allowing daylight
to wash this shadow, to awaken
deep hues of desert into oceans
of blushing sand. You
are the perfection of a desert blossom
which drinks the sun,
but does not close in the night chill;
rather, You await the eye
of Your love under the silhouette
of stars. My God of distant Mountains,
the clouds suspended thick and cold
only long to be at your feet,
bleed rain to feel the burn
of Your touch on the skin of them,
and we both gaze in awe of You,
both soon to vanish,
desperate to diminish
in the sandstone of Your palms.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
He Mourns with Us
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
Jesus wept. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go.
John 11:32-35, 38, 41-44
The God outside of time had already seen and rejoiced in the miracle of life waiting. But for now, He wept with them.
Just because God has a plan for our lives, it does not mean He is callous to our grief. He wails with us now. And tomorrow, when life blossoms again, and hope is restored, and laughter rings in our world, His joy will be the wildest and the loudest.
The sorrows He allows for our benefit and for God's own great glory give Him no delight. The pain we carry in a broken world breaks His heart. He delights in hope, faithfulness, and a voice that has lost everything and still cries out, "I will obey!" And He delights in the miracle coming.
The presence of the Lord in our life is not a shield from sorrow. It is compassion standing in the suffering at our side and a promise for tomorrow. You are not alone in your grief. His eyes have wept over you. One day, He will also dance with you.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
Jesus wept. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go.
John 11:32-35, 38, 41-44
The God outside of time had already seen and rejoiced in the miracle of life waiting. But for now, He wept with them.
Just because God has a plan for our lives, it does not mean He is callous to our grief. He wails with us now. And tomorrow, when life blossoms again, and hope is restored, and laughter rings in our world, His joy will be the wildest and the loudest.
The sorrows He allows for our benefit and for God's own great glory give Him no delight. The pain we carry in a broken world breaks His heart. He delights in hope, faithfulness, and a voice that has lost everything and still cries out, "I will obey!" And He delights in the miracle coming.
The presence of the Lord in our life is not a shield from sorrow. It is compassion standing in the suffering at our side and a promise for tomorrow. You are not alone in your grief. His eyes have wept over you. One day, He will also dance with you.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Canning the Spirit
Our last garden produced dozens and dozens of tomatoes. Plump, sweet, and juicy, we decided to can all those homegrown, fresh, delicious virtues and savor them in the cold winter months. By the time we finished the canning process we had over twenty jars of tomatoes lining a shelf in our kitchen. They became decor. We would look at those bright red fruits in sparkling glass jars, and think of how blessed our garden was.
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.
What I think many of us miss in this beautiful metaphor is that fruit is meant to be eaten. It's purpose is to entice, delight, and satisfy. God does not fill us with blessings and fruits so that we can put such virtue on the shelf, useless to all. We are meant to grow in the light, bear beautiful fruit, and draw in the needy, the hungry, to feast in the bounty He provides.
God does not give us faithfulness to bottle and place out of reach. We bear faithfulness so the timid, the doubting, and the troubled can taste of honest trust in the King and be satisfied. God does not pour out peace in our life to sparkle aloof in the eyes of men. We have the fruit of peace, so our fellow believers in this tumultuous life can eat and be filled.
There is no winter with God. If we give fruit of the spirit to the hungry, an abundance more will spring up in its place. When we can the fruit of the spirit, seal it away for our own cold days, they will surely come icier than we imagined. If we let the hungry come to us (really to Him, who gives us the fullness of everything), we will never be in need before the God who is all sufficient. He is enough. So we are enough. Enough for others.
Has your joy been pickling on the shelf until it tastes of sour indifference? Has your gentleness fermented into passivity and indulgence? How can you offer ripe fruit of love and kindness to those starving for grace? You need save none for yourself. The great Gardener always provides.
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.
What I think many of us miss in this beautiful metaphor is that fruit is meant to be eaten. It's purpose is to entice, delight, and satisfy. God does not fill us with blessings and fruits so that we can put such virtue on the shelf, useless to all. We are meant to grow in the light, bear beautiful fruit, and draw in the needy, the hungry, to feast in the bounty He provides.
God does not give us faithfulness to bottle and place out of reach. We bear faithfulness so the timid, the doubting, and the troubled can taste of honest trust in the King and be satisfied. God does not pour out peace in our life to sparkle aloof in the eyes of men. We have the fruit of peace, so our fellow believers in this tumultuous life can eat and be filled.
There is no winter with God. If we give fruit of the spirit to the hungry, an abundance more will spring up in its place. When we can the fruit of the spirit, seal it away for our own cold days, they will surely come icier than we imagined. If we let the hungry come to us (really to Him, who gives us the fullness of everything), we will never be in need before the God who is all sufficient. He is enough. So we are enough. Enough for others.
Has your joy been pickling on the shelf until it tastes of sour indifference? Has your gentleness fermented into passivity and indulgence? How can you offer ripe fruit of love and kindness to those starving for grace? You need save none for yourself. The great Gardener always provides.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Germ Faith Planted
Luke 17:5-6 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said, if you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.
Have you ever bemoaned the smallness of your faith, mountains unmoved, trees still firmly planted, oceans undisturbed by the invasions of various faith tossing articles? Like the disciples, we long to search inside ourselves for the magic lever, the red button, that multiples faith like bacteria. If only an infection of God's grace would radically stir the microscopic faith inside!
Grace is not a quantity. We are under abundant, lavish, immeasurable grace or we are dead in sin. God's grace cannot be bought, earned, multiplied, or grown. Grace never fails because it is the gift of the unfailing Almighty.
And so is faith.
Somehow our quantifiable reality believes that this salvation is a joint effort: God supplies the grace, we supply the faith. Even your faith is a magnificent and undiminishing gift of God.
For the first time in history size is not the issue. God does not declare to his disciples, "This is how small your faith should be." Rather he compassionately reminds us that the focus is not our minuscule faith.
The focus is our enormous God.
A small faith planted in a great Lord rattles reality. It rips up mountains, churns oceans, and transforms lives. A big faith in God as we imagine Him (an idol, which is really nothing at all), is less than empty. It consumes, decays, disappoints, and despairs.
What effort are you pouring into finding faith, grace, and goodness in yourself? Imagine what our worlds would be if instead of seeking gifts we already have, we put all that labor into knowing the Savior, the incredible source of goodness, the matchless object of faith, the gushing river of grace.
Have you ever bemoaned the smallness of your faith, mountains unmoved, trees still firmly planted, oceans undisturbed by the invasions of various faith tossing articles? Like the disciples, we long to search inside ourselves for the magic lever, the red button, that multiples faith like bacteria. If only an infection of God's grace would radically stir the microscopic faith inside!
Grace is not a quantity. We are under abundant, lavish, immeasurable grace or we are dead in sin. God's grace cannot be bought, earned, multiplied, or grown. Grace never fails because it is the gift of the unfailing Almighty.
And so is faith.
Somehow our quantifiable reality believes that this salvation is a joint effort: God supplies the grace, we supply the faith. Even your faith is a magnificent and undiminishing gift of God.
For the first time in history size is not the issue. God does not declare to his disciples, "This is how small your faith should be." Rather he compassionately reminds us that the focus is not our minuscule faith.
The focus is our enormous God.
A small faith planted in a great Lord rattles reality. It rips up mountains, churns oceans, and transforms lives. A big faith in God as we imagine Him (an idol, which is really nothing at all), is less than empty. It consumes, decays, disappoints, and despairs.
What effort are you pouring into finding faith, grace, and goodness in yourself? Imagine what our worlds would be if instead of seeking gifts we already have, we put all that labor into knowing the Savior, the incredible source of goodness, the matchless object of faith, the gushing river of grace.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Dragging straw
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they [idols],
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.
Jeremiah 10:5
We see the foolishness of idolatry. Is there any greater idiocy than turning your bracelet into a statue of a cow and declaring this is the god who saved me? We parade these things before us; we drag them along behind us. We wrap them against our chest because of the cold. We sacrifice to them and for them. We lug the weight of their nothingness and slavery, dripping sweat onto them, which we will have to wipe away. There is no crueler god than the indifferent master. Everything we worship that is not the living Savior is viciously heavy and maddeningly silent.
We feel abandoned when we shout to our God, when we plead in earnestness and tears, and He does not act how we have determined He should. It is better to receive a heart breaking answer, even no discernible answer. Than to ask, beg, and plead, and have no one even hear. In the anger and the trembling and the blistered faith ready to burst, God is. He gathers up our wounded words and is not careless with our tears. He does not run from our wrath, nor pour out His own. He is. And He loves. And because He is, it is well.
But they are not. And nothing can ever be well in their service.
Why do we cling to these dumb and immobile gods? Do we think our image, our life, our needs, our pets, our fixes, our loves are so very precious?
"We don't worship ourselves and our idolotrinkets because we esteem them so highly. We do it because we esteem ourselves, our true identity, and the one true God so lowly." Jennifer Rothschild, Hosea.
May we have more faith in the God who is, who sees, speaks, hears, delights, and saves. We need no other master. We need no other purpose. We need no other fix. They are heavy, indifferent, and silent lords, but He...
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
Give ear, O Yahweh, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me.
There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord.
Psalm 86:5-8a
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Tumbled
When visiting family in Florida, I walk the beaches looking for shells. Most of the beaches are all picked clean of shells; however, there is new treasure to find in the sand: sea glass. Broken glass bottles, tossed in the ocean are tumbled over and over by the waves. The salts and tides frost the glass and smooth down all the sharp edges. Perfect sea glass has been tossed end over end by the current so many times that all the shine is worn away and it is smooth as a river rock.
How many days will we spend tumbled in the ocean, dulled by the gnawing salt, thrown onto the sand only to be dragged back to the waves?
If only we could make decisions that matter.
"...Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh." Joshua 24:15
One of the most telling symptoms of adulthood is the number and severity of decisions we have to make everyday. Having managed to somehow survive the day dressed, fed, and relatively uninjured, we reserve very little energy for less immediate, but far more important decisions. Instead, so many human beings collapse into the waves, tossed here and there, preferring an aimless life of drifting and tumbling to the effort and risk required in standing firm or pressing back against the current.
It seems we have forgotten that not choosing is very decisive.
Believers cannot wander into their day obtuse to spiritual battles, too tired to pick a side, too soft to claim holiness. A flippant Christian will be consumed and dulled in the waves. The clarity and brilliance of life in godliness will be frosted over in the elemental crust of ease.
If we are to live a life that matters, a life of purpose and light in a dark age, we have to decide every morning who our God will be. Love and meaning are not passive. They require decisiveness and courage. We either choose to stand against the tide, to crack it in half and howl the wind and waves back to the sea, or we choose to be lost in it.
Where have you neglected to choose whom you serve? On what days do you drift into life with no footing beneath you? Has your world been dulled and frosted, perhaps pretty, but ultimately useless, or do stand radically opposed to the waves, unbending, unbroken, firm on the Cornerstone? Choose for your self this day, but as for me, on Christ, the solid Rock, I stand.
How many days will we spend tumbled in the ocean, dulled by the gnawing salt, thrown onto the sand only to be dragged back to the waves?
If only we could make decisions that matter.
"...Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh." Joshua 24:15
One of the most telling symptoms of adulthood is the number and severity of decisions we have to make everyday. Having managed to somehow survive the day dressed, fed, and relatively uninjured, we reserve very little energy for less immediate, but far more important decisions. Instead, so many human beings collapse into the waves, tossed here and there, preferring an aimless life of drifting and tumbling to the effort and risk required in standing firm or pressing back against the current.
It seems we have forgotten that not choosing is very decisive.
Believers cannot wander into their day obtuse to spiritual battles, too tired to pick a side, too soft to claim holiness. A flippant Christian will be consumed and dulled in the waves. The clarity and brilliance of life in godliness will be frosted over in the elemental crust of ease.
If we are to live a life that matters, a life of purpose and light in a dark age, we have to decide every morning who our God will be. Love and meaning are not passive. They require decisiveness and courage. We either choose to stand against the tide, to crack it in half and howl the wind and waves back to the sea, or we choose to be lost in it.
Where have you neglected to choose whom you serve? On what days do you drift into life with no footing beneath you? Has your world been dulled and frosted, perhaps pretty, but ultimately useless, or do stand radically opposed to the waves, unbending, unbroken, firm on the Cornerstone? Choose for your self this day, but as for me, on Christ, the solid Rock, I stand.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Waiting for beauty
Ecclesiastes 3:11 - He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
We are designed for eternity. Our essence is designed to exist in forever and to understand mysteries and complexities only recognized outside of time.
How often do we fail to see beauty because we are so consumed by time? Perhaps the true loveliness we desire comes in the arms of patience and endurance.
Modern thought claims that personal morality is the only form of authentic ethics any human can have. This present age claims that right and wrong are entirely a matter of the present culture, the persuasion of the time, the preference of the temporal. There is no essence, there is no other, there is no more. There is only me. Therefore, we strive, struggle, lie, steal, and kill in order to manufacture beauty out of our own reality in this moment. But the ugliness of our selfishness cannot delve it's fingers into the softness of truth and mold beauty of out squalor. It takes patient hands, working in subtle pressure and fierce fire, to create beauty from mud.
We know only God constructs beauty. We know eternity awaits our final breath. We know He works from beginning to end.
But human beings hate the knowledge of beauty we have not made with our own gnarled hands. We hate the wait. We hate what patience requires: malleability.
Submission. Bending to Him. Spiraling into His plan. Leaning into His thoughts. No resistance. Our hearts know that eternity exists. Our souls sing to patience. But our will just cannot manage the endurance and malleability required for hope.
Do you live with eternity in your heart? Are your will, your spirit, and your life soft to the hands of God who works for beauty in His time? Can you wait long enough for loveliness?
We are designed for eternity. Our essence is designed to exist in forever and to understand mysteries and complexities only recognized outside of time.
How often do we fail to see beauty because we are so consumed by time? Perhaps the true loveliness we desire comes in the arms of patience and endurance.
Modern thought claims that personal morality is the only form of authentic ethics any human can have. This present age claims that right and wrong are entirely a matter of the present culture, the persuasion of the time, the preference of the temporal. There is no essence, there is no other, there is no more. There is only me. Therefore, we strive, struggle, lie, steal, and kill in order to manufacture beauty out of our own reality in this moment. But the ugliness of our selfishness cannot delve it's fingers into the softness of truth and mold beauty of out squalor. It takes patient hands, working in subtle pressure and fierce fire, to create beauty from mud.
We know only God constructs beauty. We know eternity awaits our final breath. We know He works from beginning to end.
But human beings hate the knowledge of beauty we have not made with our own gnarled hands. We hate the wait. We hate what patience requires: malleability.
Submission. Bending to Him. Spiraling into His plan. Leaning into His thoughts. No resistance. Our hearts know that eternity exists. Our souls sing to patience. But our will just cannot manage the endurance and malleability required for hope.
Do you live with eternity in your heart? Are your will, your spirit, and your life soft to the hands of God who works for beauty in His time? Can you wait long enough for loveliness?
Friday, May 13, 2016
In the arms of the thunder
There was a fierce storm here the other night. My son is afraid of the wind, rain, and thunder claps. As I lay listening to the howling, pounding, and roaring engulfing our home, I prayed to the kind Almighty that my boy would continue sleeping, that He would wrap my child in His gentle arms against the violent outside. In that moment I was struck by the irony of my request: would the God who thunders, protect from the thunder.
It is a divine paradox: the One who unleashes wrath, is the One who shields us from it.
2 Peter 2:9 "...The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment."
The eyes that blaze against sin, gently thaw our stony hearts.
The hand that wipes out nations, also wipes away our tears.
The feet that tramp out judgment on the earth, walk beside us in every need.
The voice that thunders, also whispers.
What do we have to fear in the perfect, patient, gentle arms of God? Even as His just wrath destroys, His perfect salvation is indestructible.
It is a divine paradox: the One who unleashes wrath, is the One who shields us from it.
2 Peter 2:9 "...The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment."
The eyes that blaze against sin, gently thaw our stony hearts.
The hand that wipes out nations, also wipes away our tears.
The feet that tramp out judgment on the earth, walk beside us in every need.
The voice that thunders, also whispers.
What do we have to fear in the perfect, patient, gentle arms of God? Even as His just wrath destroys, His perfect salvation is indestructible.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
The kindness of His discipline
"For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives...All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, after wards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Hebrews 12:6, 11
The latest secular "science" states that parents should never punish their children. No negative consequence should every be laid out, even in the face of outright rebellion. While I see many points worth arguing in this research, I believe the primary problem is a failure to see the steadfast and sacrificial love of firm discipline.
When filled with her own independent spirit my daughter rips her hand from my grasp, shrieks, "Me!" and darts across the street, she will face consequences. I can assure you they will be negative consequences. This is not because I am mean-spirited. It is not because I have a violent temper. I discipline my daughter because I value her precious life above her temporary happiness. I discipline because I am kind. I discipline because, despite how it hurts my heart to see her cry, I would sacrifice my own wants, needs, and desires for my daughter's benefit. A moment of sorrow now can evaporate a torrent of sadness lurking in the future.
When she chooses to be compassionate, patient, and brave, I applaud my daughter, heart near to bursting with love, with every positive and encouraging statement I know. But when she chooses to behave badly, I reprimand her with that same heart, the one that values her life with the deepest and most immovable affection.
How much more does the God of Ages, who poured out His precious blood for us, discipline us from a heart of steadfast and sacrificial love. God is not mean. He does not delight in our misery. He is kind.
Daniel chapter 4 recounts heavenly discipline on an earthly man. King Nebuchadnezzar looks out in pride and claims all the glory around him for his own. God sentences the greatest man on earth to eat grass like a cow and wander like a madman for seven years. Nothing negative in that. Upon acknowledgement of God and a heart revolutionized for worship and humility, God returns Nebuchadnezzar to dominion and blesses him even more than before.
Imagine if God did not intervene. Imagine the path this proud man walked and the dark destination to which it led. Years later another king ruled in pride. He refused to acknowledge God, and Belshazzar, rebellious and undisciplined, saw the writing on the wall. His life was required of him.
Do you see the grace of God to Nebuchadnezzar? His discipline though severe, brought about a crop of peace, virtue, and blessing. Is there anything more we want for our children? Is there anything more that God wants for His children. Peace. Virtue. Blessing. These are the gifts of discipline.
When you feel divine discipline on your life, remember the kindness of God. He blocks the destructive path with thorns. His grace is never more prevalent in the believer than when He is actively sanctifying us, changing us to resemble the righteousness He has already wrapped us in. Let us have joy in the trouble that corrects us. His scourging tears away the rotting flesh of our old self, to unleash the bold, faithful, and incorruptible disciple underneath. After all, "He is a good, good Father."
The latest secular "science" states that parents should never punish their children. No negative consequence should every be laid out, even in the face of outright rebellion. While I see many points worth arguing in this research, I believe the primary problem is a failure to see the steadfast and sacrificial love of firm discipline.
When filled with her own independent spirit my daughter rips her hand from my grasp, shrieks, "Me!" and darts across the street, she will face consequences. I can assure you they will be negative consequences. This is not because I am mean-spirited. It is not because I have a violent temper. I discipline my daughter because I value her precious life above her temporary happiness. I discipline because I am kind. I discipline because, despite how it hurts my heart to see her cry, I would sacrifice my own wants, needs, and desires for my daughter's benefit. A moment of sorrow now can evaporate a torrent of sadness lurking in the future.
When she chooses to be compassionate, patient, and brave, I applaud my daughter, heart near to bursting with love, with every positive and encouraging statement I know. But when she chooses to behave badly, I reprimand her with that same heart, the one that values her life with the deepest and most immovable affection.
How much more does the God of Ages, who poured out His precious blood for us, discipline us from a heart of steadfast and sacrificial love. God is not mean. He does not delight in our misery. He is kind.
Daniel chapter 4 recounts heavenly discipline on an earthly man. King Nebuchadnezzar looks out in pride and claims all the glory around him for his own. God sentences the greatest man on earth to eat grass like a cow and wander like a madman for seven years. Nothing negative in that. Upon acknowledgement of God and a heart revolutionized for worship and humility, God returns Nebuchadnezzar to dominion and blesses him even more than before.
Imagine if God did not intervene. Imagine the path this proud man walked and the dark destination to which it led. Years later another king ruled in pride. He refused to acknowledge God, and Belshazzar, rebellious and undisciplined, saw the writing on the wall. His life was required of him.
Do you see the grace of God to Nebuchadnezzar? His discipline though severe, brought about a crop of peace, virtue, and blessing. Is there anything more we want for our children? Is there anything more that God wants for His children. Peace. Virtue. Blessing. These are the gifts of discipline.
When you feel divine discipline on your life, remember the kindness of God. He blocks the destructive path with thorns. His grace is never more prevalent in the believer than when He is actively sanctifying us, changing us to resemble the righteousness He has already wrapped us in. Let us have joy in the trouble that corrects us. His scourging tears away the rotting flesh of our old self, to unleash the bold, faithful, and incorruptible disciple underneath. After all, "He is a good, good Father."
Sunday, May 1, 2016
When the worship clots in your throat
My husband came home from the ICU, showered, and drove us to church. On the way he shared a story about a boy now on the unit. In an instant everything can change. In one moment normal can be shattered, reality forever remade. If he lives, this boy will not walk again. Machines will breathe for him, eat for him, think for him.
And with that swirling in my consciousness, we entered a worship service. The songs today were:
"You are wonderful, You are Wonderful
Oh God, there is no one more Wonderful."
and
"It is well with my soul."
and
"Sing a new song
To Him who sits on
heaven's mercy seat."
When it comes to suffering, blame, and questioning I feel like God's champion. I believe without question because I have seen without fail that He is sovereign, good, and overflowing in grace. I have every answer to every question that demands "WHY!?" Salvation, faith, and hope forged in the fires, acids, and pressure of a dark world declare daily to my soul that it is well, that He is wonderful, that He always sits upon a seat of mercy.
But there is a boy in the hospital. And it was hard this morning not to choke on His praise.
Knowledge of God is all we have in a life that feels horribly unfair. When the torrent of emotion, and the flash flood of anger, and the waves of sentiment threaten to drown us; it is the knowledge of God that grows only stronger under our feet. Loving God has nothing to do with feeling love; it has everything to do with knowing Him. In knowledge we find trust. Who could doubt a God so good, so wise, so powerful, so concerned with me, and my children, and my church, and a boy who will not walk again? I don't feel like worshipping. But I know. And so I do.
"Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him." Job
And with that swirling in my consciousness, we entered a worship service. The songs today were:
"You are wonderful, You are Wonderful
Oh God, there is no one more Wonderful."
and
"It is well with my soul."
and
"Sing a new song
To Him who sits on
heaven's mercy seat."
When it comes to suffering, blame, and questioning I feel like God's champion. I believe without question because I have seen without fail that He is sovereign, good, and overflowing in grace. I have every answer to every question that demands "WHY!?" Salvation, faith, and hope forged in the fires, acids, and pressure of a dark world declare daily to my soul that it is well, that He is wonderful, that He always sits upon a seat of mercy.
But there is a boy in the hospital. And it was hard this morning not to choke on His praise.
Knowledge of God is all we have in a life that feels horribly unfair. When the torrent of emotion, and the flash flood of anger, and the waves of sentiment threaten to drown us; it is the knowledge of God that grows only stronger under our feet. Loving God has nothing to do with feeling love; it has everything to do with knowing Him. In knowledge we find trust. Who could doubt a God so good, so wise, so powerful, so concerned with me, and my children, and my church, and a boy who will not walk again? I don't feel like worshipping. But I know. And so I do.
"Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him." Job
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Into the wild
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Bring her into the wilderness,
And speak kindly to her."
Hosea 2:14
Sometimes we need to be taken into the wild to experience His kindness. Sometimes the desert is the only place that can allure us back to our God.
From the day before Justin's final exams:
"The Sovereign God unfolds His good plan with a vision of our lives from our first tears to our last breath, and every choice He makes in between is made in love. The loving choices can break our hearts. The loving choices can shatter our souls. The loving choices can build faith, hope, and joy. You build faith, hope, and joy by entering into environments that require great faith, by entering into moments of hopelessness, by entering into worlds devoid of light and laughter. In need of everything, we find our surest need of Him. And we find Him the surest fulfillment of need.
I knew He might take us there. Into the sorrow."
Into the desert.
Because sometimes in the sorrow and the wild is waiting His greatest kindness.
Let us not fear the barren places, the environments without comforts, the settings of sorrow. It is in the wilderness that He draws us back. It is in the wilderness that love flourishes. Let us worship in the desert.
Bring her into the wilderness,
And speak kindly to her."
Hosea 2:14
Sometimes we need to be taken into the wild to experience His kindness. Sometimes the desert is the only place that can allure us back to our God.
From the day before Justin's final exams:
"The Sovereign God unfolds His good plan with a vision of our lives from our first tears to our last breath, and every choice He makes in between is made in love. The loving choices can break our hearts. The loving choices can shatter our souls. The loving choices can build faith, hope, and joy. You build faith, hope, and joy by entering into environments that require great faith, by entering into moments of hopelessness, by entering into worlds devoid of light and laughter. In need of everything, we find our surest need of Him. And we find Him the surest fulfillment of need.
I knew He might take us there. Into the sorrow."
Into the desert.
Because sometimes in the sorrow and the wild is waiting His greatest kindness.
Let us not fear the barren places, the environments without comforts, the settings of sorrow. It is in the wilderness that He draws us back. It is in the wilderness that love flourishes. Let us worship in the desert.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
A god of expectations
Daniel chapters 8 and 11 predict the rise of the king of the North. This man was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, ruler of Syria. Secular history remembers only dates and wars and another big man in the Middle East. The Jews remember Epimanes: The Madman.
This king marched down through Israel to fight against Egypt. The Romans were not thrilled with this plan. Roman ambassador Gaius Laenas drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and in a very egalitarian display gave him an option: turn around and go home, or be cut down where he stood. Antiochus chose to go home in humiliation. He took out his rage on Israel. He murdered 100,000 Jews in and around Jerusalem. In an act of utter abomination he slaughtered a pig on the altar in the temple. Finally, he erected a statue of Zeus in the Temple courts. He laid waste to Israel.
Out of the carnage, a hero arose for Israel: Judas Maccabees. Using guerrilla warfare tactics, he led an army of dissenters against the Syrians. His efforts and the subsequent death of the Madman allowed religious freedom to return to Israel.
While the history lesson is fun, here's the point: Maccabees was a physical savior. He threw off the oppression of Syria. He avenged the people. He returned the system of worship and law to the Jews. He was loved for being a physical savior.
He was not the Messiah.
But the Jews wanted him to be.
Or at least, that's the Messiah they had in mind. They wanted a warrior to rise up, rally the guerrillas, and throw off Roman rule. They wanted the king to return, so they might rule the nations.
Jesus did not look like Judas. He preached radical and gritty sermons on forgiving our enemies, praying for our oppressors, and rendering to men their due. Jesus did not throw the Romans out of Israel; He threw Israelites out of the temple. He cared more about souls than rights. Jesus did not look like the Savior they were expecting.
So they crucified Him.
What do we expect our God to be? Do we demand salvation in the temporal and forget that he cares more for our spirit than our rights? Do we expect our God to fit in the box we have made for him, to purr tamely, to succumb to our will and vision? Why do we rage when our prayers are not answered? Why do we mourn when our perspective is challenged? Is it any less than the belief that Jesus Christ should be everything expected?
"You musn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion." The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Luke 19:41-42 "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes."
What saviors will we embrace when the One who died for us fails to meet expectations? You cannot tame your God. And I cannot imagine a single reason we ought to try. He is better wild, powerful, loving, holy, merciful, saving, forgiving, saving, righteous, saving, saving, saving.
This king marched down through Israel to fight against Egypt. The Romans were not thrilled with this plan. Roman ambassador Gaius Laenas drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and in a very egalitarian display gave him an option: turn around and go home, or be cut down where he stood. Antiochus chose to go home in humiliation. He took out his rage on Israel. He murdered 100,000 Jews in and around Jerusalem. In an act of utter abomination he slaughtered a pig on the altar in the temple. Finally, he erected a statue of Zeus in the Temple courts. He laid waste to Israel.
Out of the carnage, a hero arose for Israel: Judas Maccabees. Using guerrilla warfare tactics, he led an army of dissenters against the Syrians. His efforts and the subsequent death of the Madman allowed religious freedom to return to Israel.
While the history lesson is fun, here's the point: Maccabees was a physical savior. He threw off the oppression of Syria. He avenged the people. He returned the system of worship and law to the Jews. He was loved for being a physical savior.
He was not the Messiah.
But the Jews wanted him to be.
Or at least, that's the Messiah they had in mind. They wanted a warrior to rise up, rally the guerrillas, and throw off Roman rule. They wanted the king to return, so they might rule the nations.
Jesus did not look like Judas. He preached radical and gritty sermons on forgiving our enemies, praying for our oppressors, and rendering to men their due. Jesus did not throw the Romans out of Israel; He threw Israelites out of the temple. He cared more about souls than rights. Jesus did not look like the Savior they were expecting.
So they crucified Him.
What do we expect our God to be? Do we demand salvation in the temporal and forget that he cares more for our spirit than our rights? Do we expect our God to fit in the box we have made for him, to purr tamely, to succumb to our will and vision? Why do we rage when our prayers are not answered? Why do we mourn when our perspective is challenged? Is it any less than the belief that Jesus Christ should be everything expected?
"You musn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion." The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Luke 19:41-42 "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes."
What saviors will we embrace when the One who died for us fails to meet expectations? You cannot tame your God. And I cannot imagine a single reason we ought to try. He is better wild, powerful, loving, holy, merciful, saving, forgiving, saving, righteous, saving, saving, saving.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Miracles in the Stillness
"And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." But some of the scribes were sitting there reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak that way? Hi is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus, aware i His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home." And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this." Luke 2:3-12.
I am guilty of reading this story waiting for a miracle. The verses rush past me as I search for that breathless moment when my Jesus restores his body. Just like the crowd, I glorify God when I see the physical world transformed by His intrusion.
But the miracle happens before anyone gasps in amazement. In His perspective, God just waits for the moment of forgiveness. The real miracle is that God Almighty, whom no man has ever been allowed to see, would take the hand of a sinner. The miracle is that the heart of the Ancient of Days would see frail, human faith and be moved to mercy. It is more miraculous that the precious Lamb would bleed for sinners, than that perishable reality bend for the voice of her Maker.
Perhaps this is why Jesus asks which is harder. We wait for physical redemption, and overlook the hand of God transforming our spirit. Really radical miracles are invisible to the immediate crowds. We want to be redeemed from the abrasion of life, but fail to realize it is in the grit, before we are ever called to walk, that He works spiritual wonders.
Are you guilty of hoping for physical marvels and missing the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Let us tear down every obstacle, and wait in stillness, just a moment more, to experience truly divine wonders.
I am guilty of reading this story waiting for a miracle. The verses rush past me as I search for that breathless moment when my Jesus restores his body. Just like the crowd, I glorify God when I see the physical world transformed by His intrusion.
But the miracle happens before anyone gasps in amazement. In His perspective, God just waits for the moment of forgiveness. The real miracle is that God Almighty, whom no man has ever been allowed to see, would take the hand of a sinner. The miracle is that the heart of the Ancient of Days would see frail, human faith and be moved to mercy. It is more miraculous that the precious Lamb would bleed for sinners, than that perishable reality bend for the voice of her Maker.
Perhaps this is why Jesus asks which is harder. We wait for physical redemption, and overlook the hand of God transforming our spirit. Really radical miracles are invisible to the immediate crowds. We want to be redeemed from the abrasion of life, but fail to realize it is in the grit, before we are ever called to walk, that He works spiritual wonders.
Are you guilty of hoping for physical marvels and missing the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Let us tear down every obstacle, and wait in stillness, just a moment more, to experience truly divine wonders.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Perfect Hope
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13
Completely. Teleios. Perfectly.
We ought to hope perfectly. Nothing should cast doubt on the sureness of the grace and promise we have been given. Our hope should be full, unwavering, and constant. Because the source of our hope, the One who has promised it, is perfect, full, unwavering, and constant. Our hope for eternity, for the complete revelation of our unmerited favor from God is more certain than the rising sun. Hope allows us to stand. Hope gives us victory over disappointment, trouble, and despair. Hope perfectly. It is a command. It is a promise. It is a firm foundation.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
The lie of significance
The lie of temptation is that sin offers something equal to truth. The lie of sin is that it is more significant than God's Word. Temptation is full of subtle propositions that this one thing could be as paradigm-altering as the grace poured out over-abundantly into our lives. What would happen to the soul-wrenching temptations of our lives if we paraded them in tandem with the truth of God's promises?
Truth: "For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20). The price paid on our behalf to ransom us out of shame, sin, and death was the precious blood of the Lamb, imperishable, incorruptible, freely given for love without measure. Love of you. We are bought back. Redeemed.
Lie: This guy could love me like that. The blood of the Lamb isn't quite as valuable as blue eyes.
Truth: When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:33-34a).
Lie: What she has done is worse. I can't forgive that.
Truth: "Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11)
Lie: I would make a better god than Him.
When we examine the lies of sin through a divine perspective, we see that they are absolute foolishness. Who would trade the priceless, matchless love of a sacrificing Savior for the cheap, shallow, affection of an imperfect human being? Who could not forgive when we understand the vast, un-crossable canyon of crimes no longer held against us? When confronted with a God of infinite power displayed in matchless miracles, and grace-filled blessings, who could find a better master?
Yet somehow, we still believe the lies. Let us be refined for the sake of our redeeming, forgiving, wondrous God. Let us call sin what it is, expose that it is nothing compared to grace, and stand in the freedom of holiness.
What lies has sin whispered in your ear? What truth can set you free?
Truth: "For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20). The price paid on our behalf to ransom us out of shame, sin, and death was the precious blood of the Lamb, imperishable, incorruptible, freely given for love without measure. Love of you. We are bought back. Redeemed.
Lie: This guy could love me like that. The blood of the Lamb isn't quite as valuable as blue eyes.
Truth: When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:33-34a).
Lie: What she has done is worse. I can't forgive that.
Truth: "Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11)
Lie: I would make a better god than Him.
When we examine the lies of sin through a divine perspective, we see that they are absolute foolishness. Who would trade the priceless, matchless love of a sacrificing Savior for the cheap, shallow, affection of an imperfect human being? Who could not forgive when we understand the vast, un-crossable canyon of crimes no longer held against us? When confronted with a God of infinite power displayed in matchless miracles, and grace-filled blessings, who could find a better master?
Yet somehow, we still believe the lies. Let us be refined for the sake of our redeeming, forgiving, wondrous God. Let us call sin what it is, expose that it is nothing compared to grace, and stand in the freedom of holiness.
What lies has sin whispered in your ear? What truth can set you free?
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
I shall die as one of them
During our last visit back home, I was asked several times if we had stayed, would we continue going to our home church. The church is in rocky water. Sometimes getting out of the boat is less about fear of water-walking, and more fear of cutting your heel on the reef. Numbers are down, giving is down, courage is down.
Life-changing questions like this are more challenging for a woman. I am submissive to my husband. In the end, after whatever discussion occurs, if he says we go, well, then, we go.
But for me... I would stay.
Because I am part of the body. Church-leaving is not just ending attendance. It is not disappearing. It is not a gentle goodbye. Church-leaving is amputation.
Or it ought to be. Our church-leaving epidemic is leaving local bodies walking around with bloody stumps.
Or it ought to be. Our church-leaving epidemic is leaving local bodies walking around with bloody stumps.
In a "me culture" we have become dulled to, permissive of, even enthusiastic for the search for the church that "feeds me." We want to see people like us, hear sermons that inspire us (but with nothing too convicting or "judgmental"), sing songs that praise the safest version of God we can imagine, and be utterly liked by everyone in the building. Should one of these qualifications fail; we explore until we find a church that fits us better. C.S. Lewis said it this way:
"Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for a church that "suits" him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches." The Screwtape Letters
We have every human reason to go. We need friends like us. I need to grow. I can't stand that music, that pastor, those people. I was hurt. I am ignored. I am bored.
Could we enter humility and find every godly reason to stay? I can be the person who makes a difference. I can be her friend. I can help someone grow. I can worship, listen, love. I will forgive. I will stand to make an un-ignorable difference, to be an unavoidable blessing. I will enter into an adventure with my God that has everything to do with His glory, and nothing to do with mine.
Sometimes our churches just need a champion. Rather than sloughing off like skin from a corpse, maybe the dying church needs someone to stay and fight for her. Christ saved her. It was not so that we could let her die. Stand and be your church's champion!
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers a hopeless battle is approaching. A hand full of untrained farmers are facing 10,000 Uruk-Hai. The elf (supposedly the wisest and most divine of all the races) loses hope and declares to the already war-battered king "They are all going to die!"
The king replies without thinking or flinching, "Then I shall die as one of them."
My mother declared to my father, "Our church is dying."
His response was the same, "Then I shall die as one of them."
What has become of unity in the body? Almost every book of the new testament implores believers to do two things in their Christian life: stand firm and preserve unity. Maybe these two things are not so unrelated as we would like to think.
Do you love the church Christ has given you? How can you be her champion? Can you be selfless in a selfish age? Will you stand?
"Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for a church that "suits" him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches." The Screwtape Letters
We have every human reason to go. We need friends like us. I need to grow. I can't stand that music, that pastor, those people. I was hurt. I am ignored. I am bored.
Could we enter humility and find every godly reason to stay? I can be the person who makes a difference. I can be her friend. I can help someone grow. I can worship, listen, love. I will forgive. I will stand to make an un-ignorable difference, to be an unavoidable blessing. I will enter into an adventure with my God that has everything to do with His glory, and nothing to do with mine.
Sometimes our churches just need a champion. Rather than sloughing off like skin from a corpse, maybe the dying church needs someone to stay and fight for her. Christ saved her. It was not so that we could let her die. Stand and be your church's champion!
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers a hopeless battle is approaching. A hand full of untrained farmers are facing 10,000 Uruk-Hai. The elf (supposedly the wisest and most divine of all the races) loses hope and declares to the already war-battered king "They are all going to die!"
The king replies without thinking or flinching, "Then I shall die as one of them."
My mother declared to my father, "Our church is dying."
His response was the same, "Then I shall die as one of them."
What has become of unity in the body? Almost every book of the new testament implores believers to do two things in their Christian life: stand firm and preserve unity. Maybe these two things are not so unrelated as we would like to think.
Do you love the church Christ has given you? How can you be her champion? Can you be selfless in a selfish age? Will you stand?
Monday, April 11, 2016
Waiting on us?
Daniel, a man abiding in the knowledge of His God, understood from the prophecies of Jeremiah that the captivity of the Jews in Babylon would be seventy years. He realized this in the sixty-seventh year of captivity. At that moment he began praying, confessing his sins, the sins of his people, and asking God to remember His promise, to remember that exile should soon end.
"So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on your desolate sanctuary. O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 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 9:17-19
This is a single incident in history; no specific promise like this has been made to us. But on principle: is God's thundering action awaiting the prayer of one humble man? Is His answer waiting on your request? We no longer repent in dust and ashes, but I wonder if we truly understood the glory, power, and patience of God, if we would once again truly repent. How often do the words of our prayers forget the context of their speaking: The Almighty has invited us into the throne room, to pour out His great compassion. We do not pray "in God's will" because it is best for us. We pray in His will because it brings Him glory.
Who is the focus of our prayers? Can we be humble, repenting in ashes, pouring out our desires that God move for His Own Name, for His Own good? Perhaps the mountains await removal as God waits for us to cry out. It is not promised that He will work as we ask. But we will be changed in fervent prayer. And the world may be changed too.
"So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on your desolate sanctuary. O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 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 9:17-19
This is a single incident in history; no specific promise like this has been made to us. But on principle: is God's thundering action awaiting the prayer of one humble man? Is His answer waiting on your request? We no longer repent in dust and ashes, but I wonder if we truly understood the glory, power, and patience of God, if we would once again truly repent. How often do the words of our prayers forget the context of their speaking: The Almighty has invited us into the throne room, to pour out His great compassion. We do not pray "in God's will" because it is best for us. We pray in His will because it brings Him glory.
Who is the focus of our prayers? Can we be humble, repenting in ashes, pouring out our desires that God move for His Own Name, for His Own good? Perhaps the mountains await removal as God waits for us to cry out. It is not promised that He will work as we ask. But we will be changed in fervent prayer. And the world may be changed too.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Mutton Busting
There are many small, country towns around where I grew up. Utah is
considered to be “out west”, so there are a lot of ranchers, cowboys, and
farmers. Many of these little towns will host county fairs and rodeos in the
summer. My favorite rodeo event is mutton busting. For those of you city folk,
mutton busting is where sweet little cowpokes ride and wrangle sheep. A child
will climb on top of a sheep, the door to the corral swings open and the sheep
totters off. Lest you think this is some kind of animal or child abuse: it
involves food, fun, snuggles, and dirt. (My kids’ four favorite things in
life.) The end result is always a mess of curls, a dirty sheep, and a muddy
child.
1 Peter 5:1-5
"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
What noises resound in your sanctuary? Is it filled with joyful worship, loving encouragement, and useful, theological preaching? Or does the bleating of sheep echo from its walls? If God's sheep could truly clothe themselves in humility toward one another, our pastors would no longer endure the "baa baa baa" of boredom, unforgiveness, ungratefulness, complaint, and selfishness. The church is not a rodeo; the elders should not leave on Sunday afternoons swatting a dirty hat against their chaps, heading home to ice the bruises of mutton busting.
With Peter's exhortation in your head, Christians, help your pastors out! Make every effort to live as Christ has urged us: in unity, love, and humility, so that your elders do not have to spend precious ministry time wrangling rambunctious sheep. Our elders are busy men trying to lead local communities of believers in the will of God the Almighty. They should not have to mutton bust our immature bickerings or complaints. Let us be humble, well-mannered lambs, not dirty, fussy, muddy sheep.
1 Peter 5:1-5
"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
What noises resound in your sanctuary? Is it filled with joyful worship, loving encouragement, and useful, theological preaching? Or does the bleating of sheep echo from its walls? If God's sheep could truly clothe themselves in humility toward one another, our pastors would no longer endure the "baa baa baa" of boredom, unforgiveness, ungratefulness, complaint, and selfishness. The church is not a rodeo; the elders should not leave on Sunday afternoons swatting a dirty hat against their chaps, heading home to ice the bruises of mutton busting.
With Peter's exhortation in your head, Christians, help your pastors out! Make every effort to live as Christ has urged us: in unity, love, and humility, so that your elders do not have to spend precious ministry time wrangling rambunctious sheep. Our elders are busy men trying to lead local communities of believers in the will of God the Almighty. They should not have to mutton bust our immature bickerings or complaints. Let us be humble, well-mannered lambs, not dirty, fussy, muddy sheep.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Christian music bugs me
My associate pastor thinks I am incredibly picky when it comes to Christian music. He is not wrong. Picky is not exactly the right term though. The standards to which I hold music meant for our glorious Savior are just unusually high. While there are believers who attest that anything which mentions God or salvation is perfectly marvelous, more often than I'd like to admit I find myself scrunching up my face in frustration or disappointment, when I listen to popular Christian radio.
Just to clarify, this will not be a blog about the joys of old gospel music, or the impeccability of hymns, or the perfection of choruses, or the power of modern worship songs. I have no interest in defending whichever hill on which we've decided our worship will die.
Disclaimer number two: God cares about the state of our hearts more than the words of our lips. I have no right to judge heart motivations. But I do. Sorry. This will end with all fingers back in my face.
As believers, those who have had their death sentence shredded, replaced with life, hope, and divine, royal favor, we have the single greatest source of inspiration in all of reality. The mysterious, wondrous God should send our thoughts seeking knowledge and wisdom, pursuing a mind restructured to the ideas of the Holy Spirit in us. The beautiful, matchless Creator should send our heart soaring into poetry and passion, revolutionizing our perspective of the world. The gifts He spills out of too much grace, should make us rejoice so much that we laugh and cry and wonder. His goodness is so remarkable, we find moments of speechless silence.
So why does it feel like christian songs often take the easy way out? Why engage poetry when the rehashed slop of a secular love song serves just as well? Why force the mind to comprehend and imagine, when playing heart strings sells albums? Why focus on a huge God we cannot comprehend, when we could continue to wallow in the humanity we know so well? Why risk thoughtful, grateful, theological passion on a nation and generation of very safe Christians?
No, it is not every song. It is not every moment in certain songs. I know that it is hard to make art. I have been attempting to create for years.
Isn't He worth our all? The best lines, the best of our life, the best of our gifts given back to Him?
It is easy to pick on worship music, but I guess the question is much bigger, and therefore much more troubling. Doesn't God deserve the best that I can give Him? Where have I taken the easy way out, not brave enough to allow my mind to be stretched, my heart to be turned, my life to be re-directed? If we are to be worshipping with our lives, our lives should be effortful, submissive, beautiful creations to the One worthy of all worship.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Better is one day
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
Psalm 84:10-12
In 71 AD the Jewish temple was destroyed and the sacrifices came to a stop. Having rejected the Messiah, Jerusalem was laid waste, until not one stone stood on another. For the Jew, YHWH dwelt in the temple. His presence was in, His mercy flowed from, His blessing poured out of that one building. It would seem with its demolition, God had abandoned His people. However, something radically new was happening. rather than abandoning humanity, God chose to dwell more intimately with them than He ever had before. God chose to dwell inside of believers.
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
What does Psalm 84 say for the those who now walk as living temples, a holy priesthood to God? Better is one day as a sinner redeemed than a thousand days as the richest unbelieving king. Better is one day having hope for the future, grace for today, and peace with God than a thousand days reveling in darkness.
Is that true? Is the worst day in Christ better than the best day in sin? Sharing a divine perspective, we can confidently proclaim that it is better to endure a hard life on earth and find a loving Savior throwing the door open, running to you with open arms, drawing you into glory in eternity. Better is one day living without guilt. Better is one moment free of fear. Better is one life lived in the knowledge of God, than a thousand years of spiritual deadness, moral disaster, and terrifying uncertainty.
Does your perspective need an adjustment? Do you envy the goodness that sinners seem to experience? Can you boldly declare that the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is better than any other experience on earth?
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
Psalm 84:10-12
In 71 AD the Jewish temple was destroyed and the sacrifices came to a stop. Having rejected the Messiah, Jerusalem was laid waste, until not one stone stood on another. For the Jew, YHWH dwelt in the temple. His presence was in, His mercy flowed from, His blessing poured out of that one building. It would seem with its demolition, God had abandoned His people. However, something radically new was happening. rather than abandoning humanity, God chose to dwell more intimately with them than He ever had before. God chose to dwell inside of believers.
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
What does Psalm 84 say for the those who now walk as living temples, a holy priesthood to God? Better is one day as a sinner redeemed than a thousand days as the richest unbelieving king. Better is one day having hope for the future, grace for today, and peace with God than a thousand days reveling in darkness.
Is that true? Is the worst day in Christ better than the best day in sin? Sharing a divine perspective, we can confidently proclaim that it is better to endure a hard life on earth and find a loving Savior throwing the door open, running to you with open arms, drawing you into glory in eternity. Better is one day living without guilt. Better is one moment free of fear. Better is one life lived in the knowledge of God, than a thousand years of spiritual deadness, moral disaster, and terrifying uncertainty.
Does your perspective need an adjustment? Do you envy the goodness that sinners seem to experience? Can you boldly declare that the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is better than any other experience on earth?
Monday, April 4, 2016
tolerance or love
Tolerance. It is the war cry of postmodern ethics. Tolerance for preferences. Tolerance for choices. Tolerance for us and everything we believe we want to be. What are we really asking of society when we beg to be tolerated?
(From dictionary.com) Tolerate: 1. to allow the existence, presence, practise, or act of without prohibition or hindrance; permit. 2. to endure without repugnance; to put up with.
Is that all we really want from other human beings, to be allowed to exist? Do we just want to be endured by an indifferent world? Tolerance is such a dismal standard on which to hang our ethical reality. There is nothing so admirable in tolerating another person.
If my husband came home, threw down his backpack and muttered, "Babe, I can't wait to put up with you for the next 60 years," he would not draw another breath before we were in the car driving to marital counseling.
Tolerance is not enough. We are designed for love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Tolerance allows. It is passive, indifferent, unremarkable. It does everything expected, nothing brave, nothing sacrificial, nothing hopeful.
If I am labelled intolerant I hope it is because I love too much like Jesus Christ. He did not allow sin to continue. He would not tolerate spiritual disaster in human lives. He was never indifferent to [insert the adjective you just can't put your finger on]. The poor. The sinner. The rich. The priest. The criminal. The prophet. Love and tolerance do not co-exist. Love gives too much to leave people unchanged. Love hopes too much to stay far away and safe.
Why cleave to a mediocre standard? Why settle for tolerance? Why not aspire to be like our God?
Are there people you can show love to, when the world declares they are only worthy to be tolerated?
(From dictionary.com) Tolerate: 1. to allow the existence, presence, practise, or act of without prohibition or hindrance; permit. 2. to endure without repugnance; to put up with.
Is that all we really want from other human beings, to be allowed to exist? Do we just want to be endured by an indifferent world? Tolerance is such a dismal standard on which to hang our ethical reality. There is nothing so admirable in tolerating another person.
If my husband came home, threw down his backpack and muttered, "Babe, I can't wait to put up with you for the next 60 years," he would not draw another breath before we were in the car driving to marital counseling.
Tolerance is not enough. We are designed for love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Tolerance allows. It is passive, indifferent, unremarkable. It does everything expected, nothing brave, nothing sacrificial, nothing hopeful.
If I am labelled intolerant I hope it is because I love too much like Jesus Christ. He did not allow sin to continue. He would not tolerate spiritual disaster in human lives. He was never indifferent to [insert the adjective you just can't put your finger on]. The poor. The sinner. The rich. The priest. The criminal. The prophet. Love and tolerance do not co-exist. Love gives too much to leave people unchanged. Love hopes too much to stay far away and safe.
Why cleave to a mediocre standard? Why settle for tolerance? Why not aspire to be like our God?
Are there people you can show love to, when the world declares they are only worthy to be tolerated?
Sunday, April 3, 2016
God v man
Popular entertainment has a sudden fascination with discovering who "God" is. This exploration does not seem to be characterized by any renewed interest in spirituality or devotion, but rather with a suspicious and suspecting curiosity, as if humanity were poking at this snake-like idea of "God" with a long stick to see what It would do. We are more interested in what a supreme being has "the right" to do in our world, rather than what questions we have the right to ask.
This suspicion of divine power and the questioning of divine action has most clearly been highlighted recently by the movie Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. While the actual watching of this movie entailed some of the more miserable minutes of my week, it did ask a series of interesting questions: If called to court would God arrive, should He account for His choices, and what is the ethical standard by which to judge the Creator of the universe?
There was a man many years ago, who thought God owed him an answer. He called YHWH into court to plead His case and demand an answer from the One who knit him together. Job called the divine to a human court, demanding He acquiesce to a set of mankind's moral standards (the ones on which no two human beings can agree).
Job 13:3, 18 - But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue with God... Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.
Something incredible happened: God showed up. Summoned like a criminal, God came to court. He showed up, but He did not answer Job's questions. Instead He revealed who He was and is and is to come, a glimpse of the choices, actions, and character of the Almighty:
"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
Job 38:1-7
God did not owe Job any answers. He did not even owe it to Job to show up. He owes us nothing. But He has chosen to give us everything.
We have made power synonymous with evil. The human mind can no longer conceive of a Being with absolute power exercised in omni-mercy, unending patience, and perfect love. In humanity power corrupts. Unable to imagine a better reality, we conclude that power is inherently corruption. Patient power of gentle restraint has become an impossibility. God is not us 2.0. He is not bigger, stronger, faster, fighting the potential for evil. For now, His answer is mercy. His power is restraint. His grace is free.
For what moment in His gracious plan are you demanding God make an answer? Be reminded of who He is, what He has the right to do, and how often He lays aside those rights for the sake of perfect love. For your sake.
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