All Speaking at the Same Time

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Pete

Last night I was in a room meeting with about 90 other people. And, at one point, they were all speaking at the same time! Speaking loudly at the same time. And it was wonderful.

One of the perks I get from serving on the board of Village Missions is that I am welcomed to attend a VM regional summer conference each year. Conferences held in various districts to allow missionary-pastors and their families, who serve in small communities in rural America, to come together and be hosted for a week of rest and renewal. It’s a joy and a privilege to get to hang out with these faithful servants for a few days — even though they have a habit, when they come together, of repeatedly all speaking at the same time. But hey, that’s what God’s people are supposed to do.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

(Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV)

Addressing one another . . . That’s the phrase that popped this morning in the afterglow of last night.

Most other translations render it speaking to one another. That’s what we were doing last night, speaking to one another, all at the same time. But far from it being a cacophony of sound, it was much more like a symphony. No one competing to be heard over someone else, but every one communing. For we were all speaking to one another with spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts and with our mouths.

All voices in unison, reflecting our unity in the Spirit (Eph. 4:3-4). And yet, some voices breaking into a harmony part here and there, a reminder of our diversity. Bottom line though, even as we lifted our voices to heaven, we were also addressing one another in that room. It’s what sinners saved by grace are to do when they worship together through song.

What a privilege it is to sing with God’s people of God’s praise. We take it for granted so often, don’t we?

And, in our hyper-individualistic, self-defining, self-realizing culture, we can fall into the trap of thinking that when we sing songs of praise that it’s just a thing done only for Jesus and directed only to Jesus. But, while that’s true, if I’m picking up what Paul’s laying down here, then there’s something more — another dimension we’d do well to keep in mind. When we saints get together to sing, then we are also speaking. All of us. All speaking at the same time. Speaking with one voice. Speaking to one another. I can encourage the saints standing around me even as I sing of the glories of the One enthroned above me.

The group here will gather a few more times this week, Lord willing. And we’ll do it again — all of us speaking loudly, all speaking at the same time. All of us addressing one another even as we give thanks always to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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What’s the Therefore There For?

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Pete

This morning the chewing seems a little harder. Arrested by a verse that normally, I think, I’d just pass over. But it’s a therefore — and trying to be clear on what it’s there for — that’s got me thinking. So, while I might quickly jot down some thoughts now, I’ll probably be noodling on this some more.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

(Ephesians 4:25 ESV)

Each one of you speak truth with his neighbor . . . That’s a command to obey. Got it.

What am I to do? Speak truth. To whom? My neighbor. Thinking that’s more than just the guy next door but more like “the neighbor” in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). As in, I am the neighbor of whoever God brings me into contact with, for we are all members of one another.

Okay, so speak truth with whoever I get to speak with. Got it.

But here’s the thing, in this crazy culture of ours where truth is so much up for grabs, how can I know that what I am speaking is really the truth. That it’s not fake news from a fake news source? That it’s not the social media algorithmic accentuation of what I already have a bias towards wanting to believe? That it really is science and not sham science? Even if I am up to being so bold as to speak out, how can I know I am speaking truth?

And so, that’s why I’m wondering if figuring out what the “Therefore” is there for might not be helpful.

Therefore, having put away falsehood . . . So, where did we talk about putting away falsehood? I think it’s in the paragraph right before this one.

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self . . .

(Ephesians 4:17-22a ESV)

My summation? Stop being worldly. Keep in the word. Be relentless in dealing with your old ways.

Stop being worldly. Don’t walk like the culture walks. Don’t think like it thinks. Do not concede to the concessions the world feels it needs to make. You are of the light, don’t take your cues from those darkened in their understanding. Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming callous and hard just as they have become callous. And a callous person feels no obligation towards his neighbor, much less to speak truth with his neighbor.

Keep in the word. Brother, sister, we have learned Christ. We heard about Him, we have been taught in Him. And He is the living Word. So, above all else, we must — as much as depends on us — purpose to keep in Him. Abide in Him. Abide in His words. Let His words abide in you. Only then, will the command to speak truth be less a gut it out, self-discipline obligation but more a supernatural necessitation. A person in the Word, overflowing with Word, will want to speak truth with his neighbor.

Don’t stop dealing with your old ways. Put off your old self. The sense of the verb to put off is to do it, and keep doing it, and be prepared to do it some more into the future. Dealing with the old nature isn’t a one and done thing. Every day there’s a battle. Every day we need to put off your old self and put on Christ. Your gonna serve somebody, determine — again, as much as depends on you — that that somebody will be your Savior and not your old self. And the person who does? Yeah, you guessed it, he or she is pretty likely to speak the truth with his neighbor.

Worth noodling on? I’m thinkin’ . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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Songs for the Sojourner (2014 Rerun)

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Pete

Hovering over a verse in the Psaltery’s love song to the Word of God. If I had decided to write down a few thoughts this morning, I think I might have titled it “Whistle While You Walk.” Instead, I was encouraged by these thoughts from before the days when streaming was a thing . . .

I have a fairly good sized iTunes library of music. And in my library I have a playlist I’ve called “Top Rated.” I’ve gone through all my albums and have put the best one or two songs from each album into the playlist. When I buy a new album I will, at some point, select the song that has connected with me the most and add it also to the list.

As such, it’s become my “go to” playlist. When I’m feeling kind of up . . . I’ll often listen to those familiar favorites. When I’m feeling not so up . . . I’ll go to these songs that I know have ministered to my soul in the past. When I need something playing in the background that I KNOW will be in tune with wherever I’m at . . . yup, “Top Rated.”

The psalmist, it seems, had a “Top Rated” playlist too . . .

Your statutes have been my songs
       in the house of my sojourning.

(Psalm 119:54 ESV)

Working through Psalm 119 is always one of the favorite parts of my reading plan. Twenty-two readings . . . eight verses per stanza . . . one grand theme. The living Word of God. His laws . . . His testimonies . . . His commandments . . . His precepts . . . His rules . . . His statutes . . . His promises . . . all, says the songwriter, “are my delight” (119:24). And, as discovered this morning, they were also his songs. Songs for the sojourner.

By the very nature of being a sojourner, things are transient. Pilgrims don’t expect a lot of permanency. Even the house of those sojourning is temporary . . . something that can be packed up, picked up, and ported to wherever the next stop happens to be. The way of the sojourner often leads through deserts . . . sometimes encounters enemies . . . and once in awhile, finds a nice resting place beside some oasis. But there’s always an expectation, that until they reach home, the way of the pilgrim will be one of constant change and new challenges. It is then that pulling out the “familiar tunes” can be not only a blessing, but a great stabilizing force.

Such is the Word of God.

There’s no greater lyric, than the lyric breathed out by God Himself through holy men as they were moved by the Spirit of God. No greater melody than the rhythm of heaven pulsating from the precepts and promises of God. Appropriate for under-girding the soul when it’s soaring with wings of eagles . . . so helpful for lifting the soul when it’s mired in the muck. These eternal songs by divine revelation find their way on to our “Top Rated” and we sing them in the house of our sojourning . . . as we travel the pilgrim’s path.

Those who know me well know how easy I can sometimes get thrown off kilter. Don’t think it often shows itself outwardly, but things can go so upside-down so quickly on the inside. On my heels . . . lacking the predictability and stability that I so naturally desire . . . all a reminder that I’m not home yet. And so, “wherever I lodge” (NIV), it’s good to “hit play” on the songs of salvation. To open up in the morning the songbook of revelation . . . trusting the Spirit of illumination to remind me of the “old, old story” with familiar, yet fresh, insights from God’s Word.

Then begins the song . . .the making of blessed melody in the heart. Then, there rises the soul-soothing tunes of a faithful Father who has promised to always accompany us on pilgrimage. Then, explodes the symphony of grace . . . the movements of all that God has done . . . the compositions being written daily by mercies that are new every morning . . . and the anticipation of the crescendo that will be heard when the last trumpet sounds. All found in the Word of God . . . all found in His “Top Rated.”

Your Word has been my song . . . and will continue to be my song . . . in the house of my sojourning.

All by Your grace. All for Your glory!

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A Magnifier

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Pete

One of those mornings where a few words in a pretty well known bible story just grab me. Just five words. Each word, when alone, easily defined. But when those words are combined, the phrase stretches my ability to articulate what they even mean. Though I think I know what it looks like in action, I’m hard pressed to fully understand the dynamics behind this phrase. Five words that ignite something in me. Five words that I want to know, more and more, experientially. Five words that create a sense of awe when I think of the privilege of participating in the experience. Five words spoken by another long, long ago. But five words I claim as my own this morning.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
       and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant.”

(Luke 1:46-48a ESV)

The scene? Two women sharing a moment. Cousins connecting over a common condition. Both of them “great with child.”. One is an older lady, and, for all intents and purposes, she has no business being pregnant because she is “advanced in years” (1:7). Yet, she is expecting, for prayer prevailed and God had removed her barrenness (1:13). The other woman is a much, much younger lady. She also has no business carrying a child as she is yet a virgin (1:34). But the Holy Spirit has come upon her, the power of the Most High has overshadowed her, and she has conceived the Son of God (1:35). And as they come together, belly to belly, the older, filled with the Spirit, confirms the prophetic word spoken to the younger (1:41-45). Then the younger, unable to constrain the Spirit, breaks forth in praise (1:46-55).

My soul magnifies the Lord . . . those are the five words I’m chewing on this morning.

What does it really mean for one’s soul to magnify the Lord? How does it work? What does it look like? What does God think when He beholds a human soul magnifying His divine being?

Literally the word “magnify” means to “enlarge”, to “make great.” Makes sense. When I use a magnifying glass, I’m making something appear larger so that it can be seen more easily and clearly. I’m bringing it into better view. So how does the soul “enlarge” God?

Not that God needs to be enlarged. Not that I need to or can make Him any greater than He in essence already is. And yet, it would seem my soul is able to bring that greatness into clearer view. How does it shine the light and increase the focus on the magnificence of a great God?

Through praise? Yeah, that’s the audible articulation. But it’s more than just the fruit of the lips being offered (Heb. 13:15). There’s something deeper, a fount from within which gives rise to the words spoken without.

With a profound sense of what God is doing in her life –“He has looked on the humble estate of His servant”, the younger lady, Mary, praises God from an inner wellspring pouring out into her whole being. She sings from the seat of her emotion, intellect, and will. She sings from her soul. A pump within her spirit is primed by a deep, deep joy and the water that flows is the joyful declaration of who this great God is and all that He has done.

She lifts her voice and declares that God is mighty and that His name is holy. His mercy is known by those who fear Him as He makes known His power. He scatters the proud, brings down the mighty, and exalts those who humble themselves before Him. He fills the hungry. He helps His servants. He remembers His mercy. And, praise God, He follows through on His promises (Luke 1:49-55).

While such an inventory of God’s blessings should be tell’t, it brings God more clearly in view when it is felt. The mouth speaks, the spirit rejoices, but it is the soul which magnifies.

And it strikes me that I too can participate in this privileged experience of being a magnifier.

I know of His greatness from what has been revealed from His word, from the illumination graciously provided by His Spirit. But I also know of His greatness from the favor shown to this “humble servant” within my own sphere. Whether through times of feasting or through times of famine, I’ve known what it is to be in His presence. And I know the priming of the pump as joy gushes forth, and my spirit rejoices. I know what it is to want to praise and worship Him from my most inner being. I know what it is for my soul to magnify the Lord.

Oh, blessed experience! What a holy privilege to be a magnifier of the Lord!

“Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
       and let us exalt His name together!”

(Psalm 34:3 ESV)

Only and always by His grace.

Always and only for His glory.

Amen?

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Offensive

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Pete

This morning, I’m chewing on five words in the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. And, if I’m picking up what is being laid down, as much as we might try to respectfully and winsomely persuade others (2Cor. 5:11), or as prepared as we might be “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope” that is in us and to do so with “gentleness and respect” (1Pet. 3:15), when it comes to the message of the cross, for some it’s just going to be offensive.

But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

(Galatians 5:11 ESV)

The offense of the cross . . .

All Paul needed to do, to be inoffensive, was preach a little “Jesus PLUS.” As in, Jesus’ finished work on the cross PLUS our finished work of observing the law, therein lies salvation, therein is our “hope of righteousness” (Gal. 5:5b).

A little Him, a little me . . . some of His work along with some of my worth . . . a blend of God’s freely offered grace supplemented by some of my merit worthy of forced divine obligation . . . three parts His righteousness imputed, one part my righteousness inserted . . . and what do you have? A comfortable cross.

Or, as Paul puts it, “this persuasion” is actually “a little leaven” which “leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:8-9).

This isn’t just some modified good news, it’s not good news at all. It’s not just a slightly different gospel, it’s a distorted gospel (Gal. 1:6-7). It’s not a variation to be accepted, it’s an out and out derivation to be accursed (Gal. 1:9).

So, why the temptation to mess with the good news by sprinkling in a bit of our own good works? Because of the offense of the cross. And none of us likes to be offended.

For those of us with an ego, for those of us who have found a standard next to which we can stand and find ourselves looking pretty good, for those of us who want to boast a bit in what we’ve become, to sing “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling” (Rock of Ages) is kind of a gut punch. I bring “nothing?” Really? Nothing? Nada? Zip? Zilch? Bupkus?

Ouch!

No, not “ouch.” But “how dare you!” I’m offended!

Good. Now you’re getting it. Now let that offense morph into acknowledgement. And acknowledgment into contrition. And contrition into confession. And confession into desperation. And let that desperation lead you again only to the cross.

Not talking to unbelievers here. But brothers, sisters, I’m thinking about us. Let us beware of thinking that there is any place for any form of man produced “circumcision” in our gospel. We still have nothing in our hands to bring — nothing that Jesus hasn’t already placed in our hands and enabled us to carry. We still have only the cross to which we cling. For “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” and “if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1John 1:8, 10 ESV).

Hmm . . . maybe that’s sounds a bit offensive. Good. It’s what qualifies it, in a sense, to be part of the good news — the good news that still proclaims . . .

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1John 1:9 ESV)

Oh, to embrace the offense of the cross. To know afresh the reality of its cleansing.

Only — yes, ONLY — by His grace.

Always for His glory.

Amen?

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The FROM and FOR of the People of God (2016 Remix)

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Pete

It’s a short song. Less than a hundred words parsed into eight verses packaged into four stanzas. It’s a short song about a great God to be sung by a redeemed people.

The God of Jacob is the focus of Psalm 114. The God before whom the sea fled, the river reversed course, and the mountains and hills wildly ran away. Why? It’s just what the earth does in the presence of the Lord, it trembles. It dances wildly in response to heavens majesty. It vacillates between retreat and drawing near as it responds to the Glory with a sense of dread and yet great joy as perfect holiness draws near. It is the fear of awe and worship. It’s just what creation does when it sees its Creator.

But while God is the focus of the song, what captures my attention this morning is the first stanza which talks of His people. And I tremble. Because I’m reminded that God’s people have been redeemed not just FROM something but FOR Someone.


When Israel went out from Egypt,
       the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became His sanctuary,
       Israel His dominion.

(Psalm 114:1-2 ESV)

They were led out of Egypt. They escaped the angel of death and were delivered from the land of bondage. They were showered with the plunder of their oppressors and were free to worship the God of their liberation. A pretty good day, all in all, for the house of Jacob. There were saved FROM slavery, freed FROM oppression, rescued FROM their enemies.

But while it felt like it was all about them, it really wasn’t about them at all. Not when you consider what they were rescued FOR.

Judah’s redemption was so that they would become their Redeemer’s sanctuary. Israel’s rescue was so that the people might become their Rescuer’s dominion. They were to be a place where His glory would dwell and His rule would be known on earth.

Those led out of Egypt were to be God’s holy place. They were set apart so that the God of heaven might touch down on earth in their midst. Provision made to make the unholy holy, so that He who is holy, holy, holy might be manifest among them. Not perfect people, but purchased people, fit because of God’s sanctifying work alone to be the place of His dwelling on earth. That they were saved FROM Egypt was amazing, that they were saved FOR His holy dwelling place was fall to your face, tremble in your boots, awe invoking.

Those delivered from Pharaoh were also called to be the realm of God’s rule. Want some insight as to the inner workings of heaven? Look no further than to God’s people. Among them would be God’s kingdom on earth. The precepts, the principles, the practices, and the power of heaven would be seen in them as they traded the rusting chains of Egypt for an unreserved allegiance to heaven. Though the throne in their midst would be seen by faith, their obedience to their King who sits on the throne would be visible through their faithfulness. Saved FROM the tyrannical rule of one who sought only to use them up and spit them out, they were also saved FOR Him who had come to give them life, true life, life to the full.

That’s the FROM and FOR of the people of God.

To see our salvation only in terms of what we’ve been saved FROM is to only see half a salvation. But to grasp something of what we have been saved FOR is to whirl about, flipping back and forth between holy fear and inexpressible joy, in glorious worship to our God.

God’s people have been called out so that they might be “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). They have been gathered apart to demonstrate what heavenly rule looks like as “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13).


Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
       at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
       the flint into a spring of water.

(Psalm 114:7-8 ESV)

When I pause to consider anew not only what I have been rescued FROM but also what I have been redeemed FOR, it’s enough to make me tremble.

Because of His wondrous grace . . . all for His awesome glory!

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Put Away (2008 Remix)

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Pete

As I look back in the archives, the format of my journaling was a little different back in the early days. Obvious this morning as I read some thoughts from 2008. But regardless of how I rendered my words, the impact of THE WORD is the same. So, I’m taking something from this day in my reading plan 17 years ago, touching it up a bit and posting it. Marveling afresh that God has put away my sin.

Ok . . . so my “aha!” moment this morning seems now pretty obvious and more of a “Duh, why didn’t I really get that before?” But hey, sometimes the word of God is like that. You know you “know” it . . . but then you read it and it hits you afresh and you just sit back and look heavenward and say, “Wow!” This is what I saw this morning . . .

2Samuel 11 and 12 . . . David & Bathsheba . . . very familiar story . . . read it a number of times . . . have heard it preached on a number of times . . . pretty familiar ground. But here is what hits me . . .

In chapter 12 the prophet Nathan has confronted David with his sin — his lust . . . his adultery . . . his treachery . . . his murderous plot. Man! . . . what an ugly list. There’s no doubt as to how the the law sees it — Death!!! And David doesn’t deny it. “I have sinned against the LORD,” he says. Busted!! Exposed!! Guilty!! David, this man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) knows that it isn’t just that his transgression is against Bathsheba and Uriah, but his sin is against God Himself. David’s crushed . . . broken . . . good time to read Psalm 51 . . .

And here’s the phrase — actually the two words — I’m chewing on in Nathan’s response to David’s confession and repentance . . .

And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

(2Samuel 12:13b ESV)

Put away . . .

The NIV and NASB translate it this way, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” And as I read that, the light bulb goes on as I realize afresh, “This is not some arbitrary act of God. This is not a whim by which God says, ‘I like David . . . I won’t hold him accountable for this . . . even though others might.’ ” No, a holy God could only be a holy God and yet still “put away” or “take away” David’s sin because of an event yet to occur on earth that had been determined before the foundation of the earth in heaven. God could only justly put away David’s sin because of the impending atoning sacrifice of His Son on a Roman cross. Jesus, fully God, part of the Triune Godhead . . . would become fully man, a descendant of David . . . would come as the Lamb of God, to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and, in doing so, allowed God to put away David’s horrendous sin.

It wasn’t about showing favoritism . . . that’s not the way our God works. I read that this morning in Galatians, “God shows personal favoritism to no man” (Gal. 2:6)

It wasn’t about God overlooking sin . . . turning His head . . . ignoring it . . . that isn’t how God operates. Psalm 111 reminded me this morning that, “The works of His hands are truth and justice” (Ps. 111:7 NASB).

God didn’t look away. He put away. With justice . . . in truth . . . in absolute holiness and righteousness . . . God sent His Son who knew no sin to become sin for David . . . and for me (2Cor. 5:21).

How glorious to see the cross this morning even in this old, familiar, “pre-age-of-grace” story. To see the grace of God poured out on a sinner. To realize anew that this sinner sitting in this chair is too a recipient of such wondrous grace, is also a benefactor of the finished work of the cross of Christ!

Hallelujah! What a Savior!!

My sin is put away.

By His grace. For His glory.

Amen?

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Where Did He Always Eat?

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Pete

No home cooking for that guy. No Door Dash or Uber Eats either. He never had to ask, “Where are we going?” or “Who’s making dinner tonight?”

Hovering over 2Samuel 9 and the story of Mephibosheth this morning.

He was King Saul’s grandson. Jonathan’s son. Thus, naturally speaking, he was an enemy of the king currently on the throne.

He was also unable to walk, “crippled in his feet.” Living with a guy whose name means “sold” in a place whose name means “not a pasture.” Kind of fitting, I think. A guy so infirm and incapacitated that he’s unable to fend for himself, so dependent that, effectively, he has to be owned by — sold to — someone else. And he’s living, if not in a desert, then on a patch of ground so rocky, weedy, and dried up, it’s unfit for bearing fruit. Beyond that, not a whole lot known about Mephibosheth.

But, if repetition is any indication (and it is), this one thing the Spirit of God wants us to know — He wants us to know where Mephibosheth dined every night.

And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

(2Samuel 9:6-7 ESV)

And you shall eat at my table always . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning. (Pun intended.)

And in case the reader misses where this enemy by birth would dine each night, it’s repeated again (v.10b) and again (v. 11b) and again (v. 13b).

Where did he always eat?

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

(2Samuel 9:13 ESV)

I guess I could noodle on this and imagine what it was like for Mephibosheth to be carried in and carried out of the dining room each night. Somewhat humbling. I could try and imagine how uncomfortable he felt, perhaps, sitting there with all the king’s sons (v.11) — talk about your “one of these things is not like the other.” Somewhat awkward. However, I could also imagine how grateful he must have felt being the recipient of such kindness. Somewhat amazing! I could simply meditate on what should have been a nightly experience of awe and wonder as he considered again the privileged place he occupied because of a promise (1Sam. 20:14-17).

And then, I could take that meditation . . . and make a translation . . . because of the correlation . . . that exists with my present situation and my privileged place at the table of another King, the Greater David, Jesus.

I too have been welcomed at a King’s table because of a promise. Though I was lame in both feet and without strength (Rom. 5:6 NKJV), while I was by nature an enemy (Rom. 5:10), I know what it is to be shown kindness for the sake of Another. For I too always have a place to feed. A feast at which to dine. A table at which I forever have a place.

So, this morning, it’s not just what I’m chewing on that gives rise to wonder but where I’m doin’ the chewin’ that evokes worship. I’m at the King’s table.

Always at the King’s table.

By His grace alone. For His glory alone.

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Spend and Be Spent

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Pete

To be sure, Paul knew what it was to witness not only in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, but also to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). He knew what it was to leave the comfort of home for the sake of bringing the good news to those who needed to hear the good news. Knew what it was to give up everything in order to travel everywhere preaching the gospel. Paul knew the cost of pursuing the lost. But as I read in 2Corinthians this morning, it hits me that he was also willing to pay a great price in order to care for the found.

Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?

(2Corinthians 12:14-15 ESV)

I will gladly spend and be spent for your souls . . . That’s the turn of phrase I’m chewing on this morning. As Peterson puts it,

I’d be most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life, for your good.

(2Corinthians 12:15a MSG)

Okay, these people have already “punched their ticket”, they’re already Spirit sealed and heaven bound. Yeah, they’re a little dysfunctional (okay, maybe a lot), but hey, they’re saved. So, move on. Don’t sweat the saved stuff. There’s only so many resources. Only so much patience. Isn’t the priority the unsaved? Evidently, with Paul, it wasn’t an either / or proposition.

For Paul, it seems, it wasn’t enough for people to just be Christians, it was kind of important to him that they behaved as Christians too. Seems he wasn’t content just to get them in the door of the church but was also willing to invest heavily in making them disciples of Christ. And so, he would most gladly spend and be spent for their souls.

He would incur expense and exhaust by expending so that those redeemed by Jesus would reflect something of Jesus. He would put out the effort — even if that meant a third visit — if it meant it would build them up (2Cor. 12:19). We would empty his pockets if it meant an end to the “quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” among them (2Cor. 12:20). He would mortgage his life in hopes that his care and concern for them would cause them to repent of “the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced” (2Cor. 12:21). It wasn’t enough for Paul simply to see sinners engaged to Christ, but he also desperately desired to see them presented to Christ as a pure bride (2Cor. 11:2). Paul was ready to pay the price of being a vessel for Jesus’s use to “present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27) — both positionally and practically.

Okay, good for Paul. What about me?

Thinking that while I might not be called to pay the price in the same way as Paul did to go to the ends of the earth, I’m still called to find God’s place for me in the Great Commission. Similarly, while I might not be asked to spend myself on spiritually fathering churches as Paul was, as a member of the family of God I do have a place for investing in the family’s flourishing. I should be prepared to ante up something for the sake of building up brothers and sisters in Christ. Whether it’s the “price of admission” of just regularly attending the gathering of the saints, or it’s being a little more “in” by investing time with others in a community group or in one-on-one encouragement, or it’s being “all in” by lovingly drawing aside those tripped up in sin and restoring them in a “spirit of gentleness” (Gal. 6:1), like Paul I too am called to invest in those who are already saved.

While loving the lost might be part of the Great Commission, loving one another is part of Jesus’s Great Commandment (John 13:34, 15:12, 15;17). And both are worth investing in.

Spend and be spent. Gladly. Not only for the sake of those who are need to be saved, but also for the good of those are being saved.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Deliverance Plus

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Pete

Noted a command to obey in Psalm 107 this morning. So . . . I’m gonna obey it!

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
       let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

(Psalm 107:43 ESV)

After 42 verses, the songwriter says, in effect, “Don’t just sing it, sit it in. Think it over. Consider diligently the implications of, as Peterson puts it, “GOD’s deep love” (MSG).

Okay, let’s do it.

Psalm 107 is a call to “the redeemed of the LORD” to “give thanks to the LORD, for His steadfast love endures forever” (v.1). And redemption, the songwriter says, is “from trouble” (v.2). And so, if you’re gonna sing the song of the redeemed you’re gonna sing of trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble.

Four scenarios of trouble are composed by the lyricist. “Some wandered in desert wastes” (v.4) and were famished. “Some sat in darkness” (v.10), near death because they rebelled and spurned the counsel of God. “Some were fools through their sinful ways” and suffered greatly, so much so they couldn’t even eat. And finally, while the song starts in the desert, it finishes in the sea where “Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business” (v.23). Just everyday people doing their everyday job amidst the everyday upheavals and chaos of everyday life and, on this day, they encountered stormy winds and lifted up waves and they were in trouble, too.

Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble. Obey the psalm’s command and “attend to these things”, and you’re gonna know that, just as Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). So, what’s a guy (or a gal) gonna do?

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.

(Psalm 107:6 and 13, and 19, and 28 ESV)

Four times, in every scenario, from the desert to the sea, from trouble caused by foolishness to trouble caused by sinfulness to trouble found even in faithfulness, regardless of the level or degree to which “they deserved it”, they cried to the LORD in their trouble. Okay, that’s makes sense. Dialing 911 is what you’re gonna do in an emergency. But what makes less sense perhaps, is that in every troubled scenario, God delivers them from their distress. But hey, that’s what makes the redeemed the redeemed. And that’s what makes the steadfast love of the LORD steadfast. Hence, that’s why they should give thanks.

So, what do we know from the song about being redeemed? Well, as the songwriter sings again and again, God delivers. Yeah, but there’s more!

He also leads the delivered “by a straight way” (v.7). He brings them “out of darkness and the shadow of death” and “bursts their bonds apart” (v.14). He sends out His word and heals them and rescues them “from their destruction” (v.20). And He makes “the storm be still” and brings them to “their desired haven” (v. 29-30). That’s not just deliverance, that’s deliverance plus!

Deliverance plus. That’s the experience of the redeemed. That’s my experience. My experience from when I was first delivered “from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). And it’s been my experience of every deliverance I’ve known since then — deliverance needed because of my foolishness, my sinfulness, and even when in my faithfulness the storms of life were simply overwhelming.

Yeah, we’re gonna have trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble in the world for all sorts of reasons. “But take heart,” says Jesus, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And overcoming comes from deliverance plus.

Isn’t that what redemption is all about? I’m thinkin’ . . .

So, having obeyed this command-to-obey in the last verse of the song, I’m guessing I should obey the command-to-obey in the first verse of the song.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
       for His steadfast love endures forever!

(Psalm 107:1 ESV)

Yes, I will. Because yes, He is. For yes, it does.

And I have known that steadfast love through trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble.

Because of His abundant grace. Only for His all-deserving glory.

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