Learn the Secret

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Pete

A little bit of Paul and a little bit of Psalms combine this morning to awaken awe and promote peace. How come? Because through my readings, the Spirit drives home a secret.

First, Paul. He’s wrapping up his letter to the saints at Philippi, rejoicing that in a tangible way they have been able to show their concern for him as they’ve had opportunity to meet some of his need. And yet, Paul says, “I don t have a sense of needing anything” (Php. 4:11a MSG).

In fact, Paul continues to write . . .

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:11b-13 ESV)

Twice Paul declares, I have learned.

First, he had learned to be content. Life experiences had increased his knowledge of how to reduce felt needs and walk independently of changing circumstance. By use and practice, in situation after situation, through season after season, he became increasingly informed as to how to look beyond his fluctuating place in life and rest in his unchanging power for life.

Paul then goes on to speak of more learning. I have learned the secret . . .

Different word than the first. This word in the original has the idea of being initiated into a mystery. Of being fully instructed, of being intimately acquainted with a thing that not everyone is acquainted with. He had found the “recipe” (MSG) for living independent of circumstance, the secret of living in every situation (NLT).

Paul’s secret sauce? I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Cue the Psalms.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
       From where does my help come?

(Psalm 121:1 ESV)

It’s a song of ascents. A song for the upward trek of the pilgrim pressing on to know the presence of God. A journey marked by hills. Hills hard to climb. Hills inhabited with the compromise of idols, high places, and altars built to lesser gods. Hills which often present more like mountains. Mountains seeming so high that to lift up our eyes towards them seem unscalable or impassable.

So, where does my help come from? What’s the secret of living in every situation?

My help comes from the LORD,
       who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
       He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
       the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
       nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
       He will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
       your going out and your coming in
       from this time forth and forevermore.

(Psalm 121:2-8 ESV)

The mystery to be learned towards contentment is found in the Source of the strength to do all things.

The secret of living in every situation is found in the One who has created everything, the Maker of heaven and earth. The One who promises to protect His own. The One who never sleeps nor slumbers, the One who is never caught off-guard or unawares. The One who has said He would be our shade. The One who has purposed to be our Keeper, Guardian, and Protector of our going out and our coming in from this time forth and forever more — which sounds a lot like being always aware and actively engaged in every situation.

Yeah, it’s a learning a process. So, sometimes I’m gonna forget. Or sometimes the next hill is gonna be bigger than all the previous hills and I’m gonna have my doubts. But if, by His gracious Spirit at work in me, I can remember that I really can do all things through Him who strengthens me; if, by His ever-present power, I can believe even amidst my unbelief that my help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth, then I too, like Paul, can learn the secret.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Let Your Reasonableness Be Known

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Pete

Rejoice in the Lord always
And again, I say rejoice
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again, I say rejoice

Rejoice, rejoice,
And again, I say rejoice
Rejoice, rejoice,
And again, I say rejoice

Okay, not a lot to that little song. But from what I can tell, it’s endured for a generation.

Looks like the version I remember was released in 1985, 40 years ago! I remember singing it by memory in kids’ club, singing it off acetate overheads at teens’ camp, and even singing it out of our hymnal at “adult church”. Google it, and you’ll also find a number of relatively recent music videos to sing along to. Hmm . . . talk about a song for all seasons. And it is for all seasons because it commands us to rejoice in the Lord always!

Yeah, Philippians 4:4 has gotten its fair share of play time over the years. For many of us, rejoicing in every situation is pretty much embedded as not only a command we have to obey but, by the Spirit’s enabling, as a deep-felt way we want to do life.

This morning, as I read the first part of Philippians 4, I’m wondering how our generation might look different today if someone had created a winsome, catchy little song out of the next verse.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.

(Philippians 4:5 ESV)

That phrase, your reasonableness, is translated in a variety of ways. The old King James renders it your moderation. A number of other translations as your gentleness, or your gentle spirit. The CSB says your graciousness, and Young’s Literal Translation represents the original as your forbearance.

Wuest, in his literal interpretation of the New Testament, tries to capture the nuances pictured by the word with your sweet reasonableness, your forbearance, your being satisfied with less than your due. And the Amplified Bible really amplifies it; your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience. Okay, noodle on that being known of you to everyone and you get the idea of what this lesser-known command-to-obey is getting at.

And, while we are to rejoice always, we are also to show our reasonableness to everyone.

See that last word? Everyone! As in be gentle to everyone, forbear with everyone and be merciful, tolerant, and patient with . . . Who? You know. Everyone. Be gracious to everyone, even if it means having to settle with less than you think your due by everyone.

Oh, how that would change the discourse in so many of our churches. Change it by providing space to talk about things which today we opt not to talk about for fear of a lack of reasonableness — either on our part or on another’s. Change it by sharpening one another as openly and transparently, with gentleness, we graciously dialogue together about our opposing views and application of Scripture, patiently listening to one another as people who are “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

And not only might it transform our fellowships, but if we really took seriously the command to let our reasonableness be known to everyone, then how might our world, our culture, be impacted? What difference would it make if we came across less and less like we’re angry and at war with those who don’t know Jesus, but more and more as ambassadors sent into our world wanting sincerely to win our world — to win everyone — to Christ? To win those we encounter through dialogue designed to detail for them the good news of grace found in the gospel. Engaging in gracious dialogue characterized by reasonableness and gentleness, demonstrating to an ever-hardening world the soft heart of the Lord Jesus, the One who describes Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29).

So then, how about this little ditty? . . .

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone
And again, I say let it be known.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone
And again, I say let it be known.

Be gentle, be gracious,
And again, I say let it be known.
Be patient, be merciful
And again, I say let it be known.

Okay, doesn’t quite carry the same lilt as its better known, 40-year-old predecessor. Not gonna be as big a hit.

But words worth chewing on? Words worth making our own? Words worth becoming increasingly representative of who we are? Words perhaps worth singing? I’m thinkin’ . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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Like Hitting a Bad Note

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Pete

It really is kind of a shocking end to what’s been a magnificent and glorious opus. And what an opus Psalm 119 has been.

It’s been a song to beat all other songs — not just in length, not just in the clever use of the Hebrew alphabet and as a master class in alliteration, but in illustrating an orientation towards, and a desire for the Word of God that stirs the heart with longing to make the song one’s own. The songwriter loves the Word, rests in the Word, longing even to ingest the Word. His delight is in the Word, his hope is in the Word, his deepest desire is to always obey the Word. He claims the Word as a lamp for His feet, the unfailing plumb-line able to keep him from evil, an ever-reliable GPS presenting the way of righteousness.

So, to sing the final words of the last verse, to mouth the closing lyrics of the songwriter’s Spirit-led love song for God’s revelation, feels, at first, like hitting a bad note. Like playing a wrong chord. Like singing a misplaced lyric. Or does it?

Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
       give me understanding according to Your word!
Let my plea come before You;
       deliver me according to Your word.
My lips will pour forth praise,
       for You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue will sing of Your word,
       for all Your commandments are right.
Let Your hand be ready to help me,
       for I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
       and Your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise You,
       and let Your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,
       for I do not forget Your commandments.

(Psalm 119:169-176 ESV)

Give me understanding . . . teach me Your statutes . . . for I have chosen Your precepts . . . Your rules help me . . . Your commandments are right . . . Your law is my delight . . .

Sing it, bro!

I have gone astray like a lost sheep . . .

Screech!!!! What?!?!? Who just dragged the needle across that vinyl? Where did that come from?

From being real.

While we may love the Word, long for the Word, study to show ourselves faithful workmen and workwomen of the Word, and determine to obey the Word, if we’re real with ourselves, the times are many, and the circumstances too common where we wander from the Word.

Tripped up by sin. Fallen to the flesh. Frustrated because the good I want to do I don’t and because the evil I do not want to do I keep on doing. Though I have the desire to do what is right, again and again I come up short on the ability to carry it out (Rom. 7:18b-19). And so, more often than I care to admit — and probably more often than I actually do admit — I go astray like a lost sheep.

Yeah, just keeping it real.

But you know what else is real? We have a Good Shepherd (John 10:11-16) who leaves the ninety-nine in order to go after the one that’s wandered off (Luke 15:3-7). And to Him we can sing, “Seek Your servant” . . . “Come and find me” (NLT).

And He does! No matter how far we roam, He persistently always finds the way to the door of our heart and knocks. If we’ll open the door, He comes in, ready to again commune with us (Rev. 3:20). And He leads us back, even if that means picking us up and carrying us on His shoulders.

Praise God!

While we may falter, He never fails. While we might rebel, His kindness leads us to repentance. While we might stray, He will always seek.

Okay . . . So, maybe it’s not such a bad way to end the song.

Because it sings of His amazing grace. And because it resounds for His all-deserving glory.

Amen?

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An Upward Call (2013 Remix)

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Pete

I think it’s true to say that I am always inspired and challenged by Philippians 3. Inspired by the thought of counting all things as loss against the gain of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ” (3:8). Challenged by the palatable passion of Paul as he “presses on” to “reach out” (MSG) and to “lay hold” (NKJV) of all that is promised him in Christ and to “make it His own” (3:12 ESV). So, as I noodled on Paul’s exhortation that those who “are mature” should “think this way” (3:15), I went back in my journal and read some of my thinking from years gone by. A post from 2013 particularly grabbed me, so thought I’d rework it a bit. Perhaps because — 12 years later — I’m still a fan of America’s Got Talent, The Voice, and American Idol. But more so because I’m still in awe of the privilege to pursue an upward call.

I’m a sucker for talent shows. Not the type where they mock and ridicule people who think they have talent, but the type of show where they give those with legitimate talent a shot. And there’s a continuum of competitors. On the one end of the continuum there is the guy, or gal, who think they deserve to be there and that it’s the world’s good fortune that it finally gets the chance to discover how talented they really are. Buzzer! 3 X’s! They get a “No” vote from me.

On the other end of the continuum is the performer who is truly thankful for the opportunity to compete. Often they don’t know the depths of their talent. They’re surprised by the affirmation from the audience and the commendation from the judges. And, when they move on to higher rounds, they still maintain a humility which says, “Should I go home tonight, I’m grateful for the chance I’ve had and am privileged to have shared this stage.” Not gonna lie to ya’, I like those people . . . a lot!

Paul considered himself as running a race (1Cor. 9:24, 2Tim. 4:7). This race, in a sense, the ultimate “reality show” — no, perhaps the only true and legitimate “reality show.” And, if anyone deserved not to be “voted off” the show or disqualified from the race, it was Paul. For Paul saw the race as less about competing and more as the wonder of participating. Paul never lost the sense of the privilege that was his to even be running the race because he considered it to be an upward call.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:12-14 ESV)

Sometimes I sense that some believers view the command to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1) as the price they have to pay for being saved. Sort of, if you want heaven, then you there’s just some stuff you’re gonna have to do, or not do, on earth. Paul, however, viewed the call, not as a price to pay but as a privilege to respond to.

Paul, who considered himself the foremost of sinners (1Tim. 1:15), never lost the humility born out of awe and wonder that Jesus had called him, that Jesus had met with him, that Jesus had given him not only a new name, but a new heart and a new mind as well. So, Paul pressed on not because he had to but because he got to.

Paul ran the race not because he kept looking over his shoulder to see if some angel was going to kick his behind if he slowed down, but he wholeheartedly engaged in the race because of what was ahead and the prize before him. He had been privileged to be entered in the race and so, he would run the race. He had been blessed to receive an upward call, and he would, by God’s grace, pursue an upward call.

I think it was a rush for Paul to strain forward to what lies ahead because it couldn’t be done in his own power and strength. Instead, he had to figure out how to use all the tools that had been given him along with the call, experiencing the exhilaration of actually leveraging what had been promised him as a “partaker in the divine nature” (2Peter 1:4). His mind actually being renewed by God’s word. His life actually being transformed by the indwelling Spirit. Learning to recognize more the Spirit’s leading. Being more aware that the thoughts forming in his puny human brain were actually the mind of Christ. Experiencing the reality of the dynamic of being part of the body of Christ, coming together with other believers to be a holy temple for God, a dwelling place through His Spirit. While it was hard at times — like, really hard — at times, I think it was also a thrill for Paul to run the race.

Me in Christ, Christ in me. Laying hold of Him because He has laid hold of me. That’s an upward call if I’ve ever heard one.

It’s not something I “qualified for” because of my abilities. Not something to boast in. Not a price to pay for sins forgiven. Instead, it is something I’ve been “entered into” because of who Christ is and what Christ has done. Something to be humbly counted as a blessing to be part of. Something to be earnestly responded to as a privilege to press on towards.

And, should I go home tonight, I’m just thankful for the opportunity to have shared the stage, to have run the race, and to have pursued an upward call.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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Get Rid of the High Places

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Pete

Continuing to make my way through 2 Kings. This morning, it’s chapters 14 and 15. And the ominous back beats that characterize 1 and 2 Kings continue to pulse as king after king is introduced. The pattern is pretty obvious.

In the northern kingdom, Israel, while repeatedly reading of a new king after a new king taking the throne, it’s the same old, same old story concerning their reign.

And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

(2Kings 15:28 ESV)

Five introductions to kings of Israel this morning followed by five indictments of their doing evil in the sight of the LORD (14:24, 15:9, 15:18, 15:24, 15:28). Five royal refusals to depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the sin of openly and persistently and passionately worshiping idols, of bowing to golden calves as their god (1KIngs 12:25-33) while casting the true God behind their back (1Kings 14:9). And I know what’s coming. Judgment. Exile because of idolatry. The northern kingdom eventually overrun and carried away by the Assyrians (2Kings 17:6-23).

But there’s a counter back beat reverberating through these chapters, as well. A contrast highlighted as the kings of the southern kingdom, Judah, are chronicled. But not a complete contrast.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD . . . Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

(2Kings 15:34-35a ESV)

Three times it’s repeated in this morning’s reading (14:3-4, 15:3-4, 15:34-35), the kings of Judah did what was right in the eyes of the LORD . . . nevertheless . . .

And it’s that nevertheless that’s leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I chew on it.

For, while the kings of Judah stand in contrast to the kings of Israel, I also know about the end of their line. The southern kingdom too will fall, Jerusalem will be destroyed, and God’s people will be led away into captivity by an enemy nation (2Kings 25:1-17). And how come the end is the same for those who did what was right as it was for those who did what was evil? Ultimately because of the nevertheless.

People! We gotta get rid of the high places! We need to deal with all the desires and all the things and all the practices which cause us to worship God mostly but not worship God wholly. Because, eventually, they are gonna trip us up and cause our fall.

Doing right in the eyes of the LORD is a good thing. But the nevertheless’s have a way of making that good thing eventually a lesser thing and ultimately a no thing at all. As the old southern gospel song puts it:

Sin will take you farther than you want to go,
Slowly, but wholly, taking control,
Sin will leave you longer than you want to stay,
Sin will cost you far more than you want to pay.
(The Cathedrals)

How this guy in this chair needs to keep dealing with the high places, the places of “good enough”, the places of compromise and “close enough.”

And yet, thank God that dealing with my high places is about my flourishing as a child of God and not about my freedom being dependent on my works. Praise Him, that my King, Jesus the King of Kings, did what was right in the eyes of the LORD with no hint of any nevertheless, and that my right standing before the Father is found fully in my union with the Son and that the realization of my redemption is sealed and guaranteed by the Spirit.

And that should be more than enough motivation to want to get rid of the high places. Amen?

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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Honoring Such Men (2013 Rerun)

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Pete

This morning, I’m obeying a command-to-obey. “Honor such men,” writes Paul. So, I will by re-posting something from 2013.

But as I do, I’m reminded that believers should be an honoring people. In fact, Paul tells another church that when it comes to giving credit and acknowledging other’s character and contribution there should be healthy competition among a church family as they “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10b).

Here’s my shot at showing honor to this guy. Anyone wanna try and beat it?

You don’t find him mentioned outside of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Don’t know much about his background other than what you might glean from his name. Not really a Jewish name . . . you kind of guess the boy was raised pagan . . . really pagan. Seems he was named after the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Literally, his name was “Lovely.” Hows that for a handle for a young strapping boy to have to wear as he grows up?

Hi, what’s your name? . . .
Lovely. . . .
What’s lovely? . . .
Me. . . .
Uh, yeah, but I wanted to know your name . . .
It’s Lovely. . . .
Yeah, I’m sure it is. But what is it, what’s your name? . . .
Lovely.

A boy named after a love goddess . . . a young man called Lovely. But somewhere along the way he met the true God . . . the One whose name is Holy . . . whose name is LORD of Hosts . . . whose Son’s name is above all names. At some point Lovely encountered the Lamb. And you glean from Paul’s reference to him, that, in Christ, Lovely lived up to his name.

His actual name was Epaphroditus. He’s mentioned twice by Paul. And, says Paul, he is a man to be honored.

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need . . . So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men . . .

(Philippians 2:25, 29 ESV)

Check out the many hats this guy wears . . . a brother in the Lord . . . a fellow worker . . . a fellow soldier . . . a messenger . . . a minister. Wow! This guys is . . . well, Lovely!

Not a minister in the sense of a paid clergyman . . . but in the sense of a servant. Sent by the church at Philippi to Paul with a financial gift for the apostle, Epaphroditus faithfully carried their message of support to the prison-bound man of God. And while we don’t know the details, Paul says that Epaphroditus “nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me” (Php. 2:30). Lovely was no pansy.

The journey from Philippi to Rome had, evidently, been a tough one. Epaphroditus had become ill, near to death, as result of pressing on to complete the ministry he had been given. As a soldier enduring the battle . . . as a worker laboring to finish the task . . . he pressed on to make sure that Paul received the gift the Philippians had sent by him. Lovely was no quitter.

And you sense also that Paul really appreciated the guy. Beyond delivering the gift, Epaphroditus was a brother . . . a brother that, had he died, his death would have brought “sorrow upon sorrow” to Paul (2:27). Beyond finishing the job, he also brought a fellowship that Paul valued . . . a kindred spirit . . . through the Spirit. Lovely was loved.

Honor such men. Epaphroditus was kind of a bit player. Shows up only here . . . all he did was carry some money from one place to another . . . though it almost cost him his life. But his name is God-breathed . . . captured as part of the record of God’s inspired Word. And his name is found also in the Lamb’s Book of Life . . . forever written with the blood of Christ by the grace of God.

And, on that day, I wonder if the conversation might go something like this . . .

Well done good and faithful servant. What’s your name? . . .
Lovely. . . .
Yes it is, My child, yes it is.

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Windows in Heaven (2017 Rerun)

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Pete

Windows in heaven . . . the phrase grabbed me this morning as I read in 2 Kings. A wide opening through which God’s abundant provision can flow. If heaven were a great fire, think of its window as a chimney billowing smoke. If heaven were a reservoir beyond measure think of this window as a sluice opened wide and flowing rivers of water pouring out.

Think living water, so much so that you thirst no more. Think of manna every morning, in such abundance you’d be hungry no more. Brought to you by windows in heaven.

Think of a Savior, God in flesh, God with us . . . sent of the Father to meet our greatest need, able to satisfy our every need. Sent to us how? Yeah, you guessed it, through windows in heaven.

Here’s some thoughts from a few years ago that added to meal this morning.

Situation? Desperate. Famine followed by siege. Even when they could freely leave the city walls, there was so little food in the fields. It was so bad, in fact, that even donkey heads and dove’s dung were only accessible to the rich who could afford to pay the outrageous, inflated prices for such meager means. And now that the enemy had boxed them in the city, they could do nothing but wait and slowly starve to death–some, in a desperate attempt to extend days of life, even resorting to cannibalism. Not only were they without food and freedom, the people were without hope. And the king, he was without power. And, in the frustration of his own impotence, the king sought to lash out at God by killing God’s prophet. Like I said, the situation was desperate.

Cue windows in heaven.

But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD Himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

(2Kings 7:1-2 ESV)

Elisha’s prediction of such sudden abundance that they’d practically be giving away food was met with open, sarcastic cynicism by a palace aide. If God Himself were to make windows in heaven . . . if even the Almighty were to open the floodgates of paradise’s storehouse . . . if the shutters were flung wide open and the miracle of manna were multiplied beyond number . . . how could this be?

This captain of the king could have believed. Instead he berated. And ultimately, forfeited the blessing.

Read the rest of the story in 2Kings 7 and you find out how such a miraculous turnaround came to be. More importantly, read the rest of the story and you’ll fall at the feet of the One who is able to turn death into life by Himself opening windows in heaven.

Our God is the God who is able to intervene in desperate situations.

He is the God who did intervene in the most desperate of situations–people laid siege by sin and death. Entrapped by the desires and weakness of the flesh. Desperately seeking sustenance through every vain self-satisfying endeavor. Without means or money to buy bread and water needed for life . . . true life . . life to the full.

Cue windows in heaven.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. . . . For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent me.” So the Jews grumbled about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

(John 6:35, 38, 41 ESV)

The abundance of heaven made manifest through the Son of God. Sin’s life-draining pursuit replaced by the Savior’s life-giving salvation. Death’s power swallowed up in the resurrection’s victory. And for all who believe, living water from windows in heaven.

Not just the price paid for the famine of the past. Not just a hope for a place at the table where we will feast in the future. But, as well, the promise of heaven-sent provision for every hunger and desperate situation we face today. The finished work of the cross a forever display of God’s love and care for His people. The empty tomb a reminder of the power of God to reverse what we might think to be irreversible. The Spirit of God, a flowing river out of the hearts of those believe, as an ever sustaining Helper and Comforter from windows in heaven.

Ours is to believe. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without moving forward in faith, impossible to receive from windows in heaven.

Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

(Malachi 3:10 ESV)

All because of grace. Only for His glory.

Amen?

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Where Understanding Comes From

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Pete

From today’s readings, I’ve been shaken a bit by a fresh reminder that God will send even lying spirits from heaven to accomplish his long-range plans on earth (1Kings 22:19-23). And that just set me up for a fresh remembrance that the battle we are engaged in because of the worldly and cultural chaos around us — and make no mistake, we are engaged — is not simply against “flesh and blood, but against . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). Yet, it’s the thirteenth stanza of the songwriter’s 22-verse love song about the word of God that I find myself hovering over, this morning.

Oh how I love Your law!
       It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
       for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
       for Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
       for I keep Your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
       in order to keep Your word.
I do not turn aside from Your rules,
       for You have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste,
       sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding;
       therefore I hate every false way.

(Psalm 119:97-104 ESV)

Wiser than my enemies . . . more insight than my teachers . . . greater discernment than the aged . . .

That’s the songwriter’s claim. That’s my food for thought.

And from where does this “more than” wisdom, insight, and discernment come from?

Through Your precepts . . . From what God has spoken. The written word and the living Word (John 1:1-3, 14; Hebrews 1:2). The word before me, the Word within me.

And how does this “more than” wisdom, insight, and discernment come about?

You have taught me . . . The Trinity in action. God speaks, the Son embodies, the Spirit illuminates.

And my part? Well, in some measure, and to some degree, I grow in understanding. I grow in wisdom, better able to recognize and out maneuver the enemy. And I increase in insight, my mind increasingly more attuned to things above and not as clouded by things below. And I discern more deftly, able to recognize the lying spirits. Because I’m infused with the living Word, instructed by the Spirit through the written word, I grow in confidence as I engage in the battle, more adept at wearing “the belt of truth” and wielding “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:14, 17b).

Wiser. With more insight. With greater discernment.

Because . . . Oh, how I love Your law!

Because . . . Your words are sweet, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Because . . . that’s where understanding comes from.

Only by Your grace.

Always for Your glory.

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Exceedingly Broad

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Pete

If we really believed it then we’d really be after it. If we thought it was true, we’d make sure to invest the time.

This morning, I’m chewing on a verse in Psalm 119.

I have seen a limit to all perfection,
       but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

(Psalm 119:96 ESV)

Perfection. Completeness. It has its limits.

Today’s 10 out of 10 is tomorrow’s 8 — so was it really ever a 10? And even if we think we’ve achieved 10 out of 10, our “perfection” is still capped by a less-than-perfect world. Perfection within an imperfect ecosystem limits all perfection. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Yet, there is something which is perfect without limit. Something that is exceedingly broad. Something which, because of its source, is boundless (NIV). Something without limit (CSB). Something which even the horizons can’t contain (MSG). And that thing? The B-I-B-L-E . The perfect book for me. God’s spoken word.

While everything created by God has a limit as to its degree of wholeness, that which is spoken by God is beyond measure, surpassing calibration. What is breathed out by God is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2Tim. 3:16). An exceedingly broad word is able to make a man of God complete. A boundless revelation — encompassing eternity past to eternity future — all-sufficient to make a woman of God perfectly fitted for whatever God’s purposes for her.

It’s there. Within the covers of the Book. The precepts, the principles, the parables, the pragmatics, without limit as to what it can inform. Fully able to address all stages and stations of life. Applicable in every situation.

Unbounded as to what it can transform. The more it is taken in, the more it renews the mind, leaving in its wake the mind of Christ.

All that is needed in order to conform. When enlivened and enacted through the Spirit, causing us to increasingly reflect the perfect image of God we were created to bear.

How broad is the word of God? Exceedingly broad!

If we really believed that, wouldn’t we purposefully, intentionally, consistently, and persistently be in our Bibles? I’m thinkin’ . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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Ravens and Gentiles and Widows, Oh My!

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Pete

Hovering over a verse in 1Kings 17 this morning. Maybe an expected promise, but certainly fulfilled in unexpected ways.

There’s a drought in the land of Israel. The LORD God Himself has turned off the tap so that no rain falls in Israel because of her prevailing and persistent sin — sin sourced in and through their wicked, wicked king, Ahab. So, what’s a prophet of God gonna do when there’s no rain and he has no food? Short answer: rely on the Lord’s provision. And how does the LORD God provide for faithful, obedient, follow-the-law Elijah? With ravens and Gentiles and widows, on my!

First God sends unclean birds to serve up bread in the morning and meat in the evening to feed His touch-no-unclean-thing servant of God (1Kings 17:6). Unexpected? I’m thinking . . .

Then God sends His come-out-from-among-them-and-be-separate follower into “them’s” land. “Arise,” says the LORD to Elijah, “go to Zarepheth, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there” (1 Kings 17:9a). Go to a Gentile city, says the LORD, I’ll provide for you there. Unusual? Seems to me it could be seen that way.

Finally, Jehovah Jireh (Gen. 22:!4), Elijah’s Provider, sets the prophet up with a widow who is running out of resources to even feed herself and her son much less a guest. She’s the least of these with the least to offer — even before the drought. As Elijah shows up at her door looking from some hospitality she is preparing a last meal for her and her son, about to run out of what little flour and oil she has (1Kings 17:12). And Elijah, prompted of the LORD says to her, in effect, “Go ahead, cook up that last meal and let me eat first.” Unprecedented? For her for sure. For Elijah? Well, after ravens and Gentiles, why not be dependent upon a widow without any wherewithal?

And it all sets me up for the verse I’m chewing on this morning.

And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that He spoke by Elijah.

(1Kings 17:13-16 ESV)

The jar shall not be spent, and the jug shall not be empty, until the day the LORD sends rain . . . how’s that for a promise to claim in famine? How’s that for a pillow on which to lay your head at night during the drought?

Though the season may be a wasteland, despite being at a loss of what could possibly nourish body or soul, regardless of how little you think you have to draw on, the jar shall not be spent, the jug shall not run empty, until the day the LORD sends the rain.

And the LORD will send the rain. Weeping may last for a night — maybe a really, really long night — but joy will come in the morning (Psalm 30:5). And in that night, amidst the weeping, God will provide. The flour won’t run out, the oil won’t run dry. Provision will be made. Even if through unexpected or unanticipated ways — like through ravens and Gentiles and widows, oh my!

Hmm . . . worth chewing on, I think. Worth believing, I’m sure. The kind of promise that helps us to keep on keepin’ on.

All by God’s grace. All for God’s glory.

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