Even When I’m Powerless, My Eyes Still Work

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Pete

No time this morning for journaling, so re-read some past entries — seems I’ve been captured by this story a few times over the years.

The words that particularly grabbed me this morning?

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (2Chron. 20:12b).

And the big idea that sticks this morning? Even when I’m powerless, my eyes still work.

Here’s how I summed up the story in 2017.

Reading about King Jehoshaphat this morning in 2Chronicles. This guy intrigues me. Talk about a leader who was firing on 7 out of 8 cylinders. Walked in the ways of David, rejected the ways of the Baals, obeyed the LORD (17:3-4). Made sure his people knew the Book (17:7-9), all the while setting his own heart to seek God (19:3). The misfiring cylinder? His Achilles heel? Unholy alliances. Just couldn’t keep himself from tethering himself to the household of Ahab, king of Israel (18:1).

God’s grace covered the Israel thing. But what inspires this morning is the king’s response to trouble . . . BIG TROUBLE!

Jehoshaphat describes it as a “great horde.” Not one, not two, but three nations rising up together to come against Jehoshaphat for battle (20:1). A great multitude making a great effort with the intent of inflicting some great damage upon Judah and its king. And what does the king whose heart is set on seeking the LORD do? He prays. And it’s the nature of his prayer that I’m chewing on this morning.

First, he acknowledges afresh, and reminds himself anew, of God’s power.

“O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You.”

(2Chronicles 20:6 ESV)

He puts His current situation in the context of God’s strength. Nothing on earth too hard for the God of heaven. Not even a great horde. God is sovereign. His rule is over all nations and over every circumstance. In His hand is power. Nothing able to withstand the might of our God. So, if God is for us, then who can be against us? And speaking of being for us . . .

Jehoshaphat then, before getting to the need at hand, replays God’s promise.

“Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?”

(2Chronicles 20:7 ESV)

It’s not like Jehoshaphat’s trouble was born from being outside the will of God–but was a direct result of being exactly where God wanted him. The land the horde were seeking to overrun was the land God had promised to Abraham. The land God had cleared before Joshua and those who had come through the wilderness. The land where the temple had been built and His glory had descended. These nations weren’t just rallying themselves against any old people, but they were rising up against the people of God, the people of promise.

And so, having grounded himself in the truth of God’s power and the surety of God’s promise, he now brings before heaven his trouble and declares it to be God’s problem.

“And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy–behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit. O our God, will You not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

(2Chronicles 20:10-12 ESV)

We are powerless. We don’t know what to do. But our eyes are on You. More than I can handle, Lord. Taps out my creativity or ability. Thus, I look to You, and You alone. O God of power and promise, I have no choice but to make this Your problem.

That’s a model for prayer, I’m thinking.

And God’s response? The Spirit, by way of a prophet, declares:

“Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.”

(2Chronicles 20:14-15 ESV)

Not your battle, says the Spirit. God is faithful to His promise, He’ll take this on as His problem. Oh, and by the way, not a problem for the God who is all-powerful.

And Jehoshaphat and the people bow their heads and go facedown and worship the Lord (20:18-19). Even before their deliverance they declare God’s praise. They believe that who God says He is, He is. That what God has promised to fulfill, He will. And that, when God fights our battles, He wins.

A king’s prayer. A prayer to a King.

Powerless . . . but his eyes still worked.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Nothing’s Random

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Pete

This week our church has been running a sports camp each evening hosting about 120 kids as they learn skills, play games, and burn off energy. I’m running (walking?) with seven and eight-year-olds and getting home each night with my grandson well past both our bedtimes. Kind of impacts what “bright and early” looks like this week (hence a mid-morning post) and how much time I have to chew on my morning readings in the morning.

But here’s what’s been running through my mind throughout this morning . . .

Back story . . . King Jehoshaphat, good king from Judah, enters into an alliance with King Ahab, bad king from Israel. Dumb move!

Ahab says, “I have an idea, why don’t you come along and help me war with my enemies?” Jehoshaphat replies, “Sure!” Ahab schemes, “How about I wear a disguise in battle, and you ride upon your horse with your royal robe on so that everyone knows you’re a king.” Jehoshaphat replies, “Sure!” Dumber move.

Enemy forces see the regal robe bullseye on Jehoshaphat’s back flapping in the wind and give chase. Jehoshaphat prays. God hears, God acts on his behalf: “And the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him” (2Chron. 18:31).

As for Ahab, he’s unseen, camouflaged amidst the battlefield as just another no-name, no rank solider.

But then, some other no-name, run-of-the-mill, non-descript, indiscriminate solider decides to take aim at whoever in the crowd.

But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

(2Chronicles 18:34 ESV)

At random . . . Now there’s some food for thought.

Innocently. Without intent. The archer just archer-ing ’cause he supposed to. And his eyes-closed, longshot arrow not only finds the disguised king but also “happens upon” a crack in the joints of the king’s armor.

At random?

Nope. Not buying it. No such thing as “at random” when it comes to an all-knowing, all-powerful, Sovereign God. If anything is clear in the Scriptures — Old and New Testament — it’s that God determines all things. Even where stray arrows end up.

God determines all things? Like all things? Yup, I’m pretty sure.

“I form light and create darkness;
       I make well-being and create calamity;
       I am the LORD, who does all these things.”

(Isaiah 45:7 ESV)

Who has spoken and it came to pass,
       unless the Lord has commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
       that good and bad come?
Why should a living man complain,
       a man, about the punishment of his sins?

(Lamentations 3:37-39 ESV)

Bottom line, nothing’s random.

If I have a beef with some of the cards I’ve been dealt me in this life, ultimately, it’s with the Giver of life, the One who, in His sovereign purposes and through the finished work of the cross, has called me to “have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10 NIV). If I can’t understand why, I can rest in Him who knows why (Isa. 55:8-9). If I fail to see how it’s good, I look by faith to the God who is good and promises all things will work together for good (Rom. 8:28).

There is a deep shalom for those who know nothing’s random (Ps. 131).

By His grace. For His glory.

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My Portion

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Pete

Psalm 142 is a cave prayer. Over the years, I have regularly paused to capture in my journal thoughts on cave dwelling — four of those times prompted by Psalm 142. So, I’m not surprised that Psalm 142 again gives me something to chew on this morning — not necessarily because I’m cave-constrained right now, but because I have been and, in all likelihood, I will be again. What does surprise me a bit are the two words that “popped” as my portion this morning.

I cry to You, O LORD;
       I say, “You are my refuge,
       my portion in the land of the living.”

(Psalm 142:5 ESV)

My portion . . . that’s what I’m chewing on this morning. You, O LORD, are my portion . . .

One of the things about cave living is there’s not much there. Think cave and you’re thinking not much light. Think cave and you’re thinking not much rest. Think cave and you’re thinking not much company. But while it doesn’t feel like much of a life, for most of us cave dwelling, from time to time, is very much a part of the land of the living. And David would declare You, O LORD, are my portion in the land of the living.

God is the “much” when there’s not much else. He’s our share when no one else is sharing. Our possession when we’re feeling largely dispossessed. Our reward when not much feels rewarding. Our all in all when there’s nothing else. You get the idea. So did David.

You, O LORD, are my portion . . .

Living water for my thirst. Bread from heaven for my hunger. The friend of sinners who knocks at the door in my loneliness. The ultimate prize for running the race — especially when that race includes pit stops in a cave.

Sometimes it takes a cave to remind me of my portion. Not just my portion some day in heaven, but my portion this day in the land of the living.

Oh, to know today the LORD is my portion.

As Spurgeon puts it, “there is no living in the land of the living like living upon the living God.”

To breathe, drink, and feed deeply on His all-sufficient, ever-present grace.

That it might be for His all-deserving, everlasting glory.

Amen?

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Righteous Hammers (2019 Remix)

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Pete

Found myself hovering over Psalm 141 this morning. A relatively short psalm but, for me at least, not an easy psalm to figure out.

It’s prayer, that’s clear (v.1-2). And there are some enemies involved, that’s obvious too (v.5b-10). But it’s the middle part of the psalm that seems a bit tricky. I think it deals with David’s concern about how he might interact with his enemies (v.3-4). So he prays, guard what I say. Keep my heart from evil. Don’t let me get drawn into “wicked deeds” and “delicacies” by justifying “company with men who work iniquity” as a means to an end. And here’s the really interesting part, while he trusts in God as his defender against his enemies, it seems he looks also to his friends to protect him from himself. Hmm . . .

So, as I often do when I’m stumbling a bit to understand a reading, I looked back in my journal to see if I’d chewed on the passage before. I had. Here are those thoughts, reworked a bit. Relevant 6 years ago, I think, relevant today. Because that’s how God’s word is, relevant for the ages, transcending cultural moments, “breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2Tim. 3:16).

Everything within David wanted to get into a shouting match. Insult me? I’ll insult you more! Slander me? I’ll show you what trash talking is all about! But though that was David’s natural propensity, his prayer in Psalm 141 asks for the supernatural. It reveals how a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) — and God alone tunes hearts after His own (Ezek. 36:26-27) — responds to the temptation of the flesh to get down in the dirt with the wicked.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
       keep watch over the door of my lips!
Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
       to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
       and let me not eat of their delicacies!

(Psalm 141:3-4 ESV)

And what grabs me this morning is David’s anticipation of what that guard might look like. That while God could use His unseen Spirit to mystically watch over the door of David’s lips, He might also choose to use a flesh-and-blood hammer to keep things buttoned-up.

Let a righteous man strike me–it is a kindness;
       let him rebuke me–it is oil for my head;
       let my head not refuse it.

(Psalm 141:5a ESV)

Reminded this morning of the need for righteous hammers in our lives. From time to time, the need for someone to strike us, to hammer us, to beat us down a bit, in order to keep us in line.

Faithful friends who can wield the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph.6:17), to protect us from ourselves. Relationships with godly people that are grounded in such transparency that the Spirit can use their sanctified voice to call out our bad behaviors and wavering hearts. Those who know us so intimately, and love us so unconditionally, that they are not afraid to bruise us deeply with the truth.

I fear those sorts of relationships are all too rare. In this age where we’re increasingly known by the pictures we post and the tweets we tweet, where self-esteem is built upon the number of “likes” and “follows” and “friends” we have, we find ourselves with no close friends at all. Superficiality rules the day. Transparency is something to be avoided.

In a time where increasingly every other pursuit chokes out the pursuit of the kingdom of God, time spent with God’s people is now measured in how often we gather with the saints per month rather than per week. As such, the number of godly voices many have speaking into their lives approaches zero — leaving the voices of the world to flow in un-checked. Our media feeds drowning out the voice the Spirit of God seeks to have through well-known and much-trusted people of God.

But it is a kindness to be struck by a righteous friend. It is like oil for the head to be corrected by a godly confidante. How every saint needs at least one righteous hammer in their life.

And it takes time, intentional time, to cultivate such relationships. What’s more, it takes honesty, vulnerable honesty, to open up our still-work-in-progress lives for another to see how messy that work is.

But I’m convinced it is a critical component in our sanctification. God wanting to use the voice of others to help us hear His voice. God leveraging the insights of others to help us see what He sees. God employing those who love us enough to call us out to keep us walking in the ways to which God has called us in.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend . . . (Proverbs 27:6a ESV)

Righteous hammers . . .

And this too by God’s grace. So that we might continue to live for God’s glory.

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The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose for Me

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Pete

I’m wrapping up an 18+ month cohort with some guys at my church, a cohort focused on preparing someone for pastoral leadership within the church. It’s been a great run. But honestly, this last assignment, though I appreciate its intent, is not one that particularly energizes me. “Develop a five-year plan . . . “

Though I think this five-year plan exercise is among the best I’ve seen in terms of how intentional the process is around drawing on so much what we’ve read, discussed, and prayed about over the past year-and-a-half, I just have always found it hard to think about coming up with a personal “purpose statement” or a multi-year “vision” of how I see myself “bringing God glory.” In fact, to sort of quote a young friend of mine from years ago, “Sometimes I struggle to have a plan for the next 5 hours.” Add to that some past experience with the unpredictability of what can happen in five years, and whew, seems a little daunting. But I’ll do the exercise. I know it will be helpful.

And this morning, as I read something in Psalm 138, I’m encouraged that while I may feel challenged at trying to articulate a plan, I can rest that God will fulfill His purposes.

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;
       Your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of Your hands.

(Psalm 138:8 ESV)

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

David’s giving thanks though he is walking in the midst of trouble (138:1-2, 7). He may be king, but his life has not been free from calamity. Might be at the top of the food chain but doesn’t exempt him from being tried by his enemies. His might be the highest name in the land and his power the most powerful in the land, but he finds himself needing to call out to the Name above all names for strength for His soul (138:3). How come? ‘Cause things are not going according to his five-year plan.

But at the end of the day . . . at the end of his prayer . . . at the end of this song . . . this weary monarch rests in reminding himself of the well-worn assurance that the LORD will fulfill His purpose for me.

Me too. Don’t know exactly what that will be over the next five years (or next five hours), but I know emphatically that the work He’s begun in me, He will finish in me (Php. 1:6).

And I know that while I try and plan my ways, the LORD will establish my steps (Prov. 16:9).

So, I’ll prayerfully do the exercise. And I’ll seek to rest in the promise that the LORD will fulfill His purpose for me.

By His grace. For His glory.

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No Looking Back . . . Mostly

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Pete

If you pause and chew on it a bit, it’s actually kind of chilling. They are words spoken by Jesus which, seems to me, might be considered among Jesus’ more harsh words. They hit as kinda’ judgy. After all, declaring someone “unfit”? Well, that just seems unfitting for the One who also said, “Come to Me, all . . . ” (Matt. 11:28). Here, you read them. What do you think?

Yet another said, “I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

(Luke 9:61-62 ESV)

“I will follow You, Lord.” Check! Very good. Way to pray the prayer.

“But first, let me go say my good-byes to my family.” Sounds reasonable. But nope! Buzzer rings! Big red cross appears! Not fit for the kingdom of heaven. What?!? Not leaving such a good taste in my mouth. What’s going on here?

Well, this is the third of three “following Jesus” stories recorded by Luke. The first guy (gal?) volunteers to follow Jesus — I’m in, Lord! He says, “I will follow You wherever You go” (9:57). To which Jesus replies, in essence, I’m not so sure you’ve really grasped what it is to follow Me. For, “foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (9:58). Does your “wherever” include “nowhere”?

The second “follower” is called of Jesus. “Follow Me” the Master says. This guy (gal?) is in but with a “but first” request — a request that seems kind of legit. “Let me first go and bury my father” (9:59).

Jesus sees something amiss here (maybe the guy’s (or gal’s) dad isn’t even dead yet). Regardless, the “but let me first” condition seems incompatible with the “Yes, Lord” response. Yes Lord, . . . but let me first. So, Jesus says, no, let the dead bury the dead. “As for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (9:60). Priorities, man. Go first. Seek first (Matt. 6:33). Proclaim first the kingdom of God.

And then we get to the “unfit” guy (or gal). The one who, like the first guy, volunteers and like the second gal, has a “but first let me” condition. The one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back.

The one who is in, but just mostly in. The one who’s running the race but who, rather than pressing on with eyes only for the prize at the finish line (Php. 3:14), finds themselves looking back over their shoulder wondering if they’ve left something precious back at the starting line. The one who’s presented their body as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1) but keeps wanting to scoot off the altar. The one who — way too close for comfort — is way too often kind of like me. Though I love to sing, “No looking back”, sometimes I find myself . . . well, looking back.

But Jesus says, I want guys, I want gals, who are all in. I encountered the biblical language for it earlier this morning in my 1Chronicles reading as David prayed for his people and for his son.

O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, performing all . . . ”

(1Chronicles 29:18-19a ESV)

Hearts directed to God. Whole hearts ready to follow in all His ways. Those are kingdom hearts. Fit hearts. All in hearts. Not half-hearts. Not ‘but first me” hearts.

So how “fit” am I for the kingdom? Not too fit — if it solely comes down to whether or not I, on my own, am fully in. But really, absolutely, positively, unalterably fit if I’m all in because I’m wholly in Christ.

While I want to be whole-hearted, Jesus actually is whole-hearted and without wavering. And I am in Him. So much so that it’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). His whole-heartedness is my whole-heartedness. His absence of “me first” is credited to my account even as I continue to battle with the old man who constantly wants to say, “Yes Lord, but let me first . . . “

So, yeah. These words can be kind of chilling and judgy if it’s just about my ability to gut out whole-heartedness or my self-discipline to keep from looking back. But to know that I am fit for the kingdom because Jesus is fit? To know that I am fully in because Jesus is fully in? To be in because I’m in Christ? Well now, that sends chills down my spine, too — but for a very different reason!

So, let’s go ahead and declare, “I have decided to follow Jesus!” Grab the plow! No looking back . . . mostly . . .

O, what a Savior!

What amazing, abounding, and unfailing grace.

Only for God’s glory.

Amen?

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Same Who. Same Why.

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Pete

This morning, as I read some familiar sounding words, I’m struck by how different the context seems to be for these words. And my initial conclusion is that it’s not just about what you’re doing, it’s about who’s asking you to do it and why.

Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

(1Chronicles 28:20 ESV)

Be strong and courageous . . . the LORD God is with you . . . He will not leave you or forsake you . . .

Those words sound familiar? They should. Them’s fightin’ words! Words spoken by Moses to the people of Israel at the end of their wilderness wanderings as they’re on the doorstep of the promised land ready to engage in Operation “Conquer the Land” (Deut. 31:6, 7, 23). Words spoken again to Joshua, the freshly appointed successor to Moses and commander of Israel’s army, who would soon lead them into battle (Joshua 1:6, 9, 18).

And I get those words. Joshua & Co. are a rag tag band of desert drifters, immigrants of slaves from Egypt, about to take on kings and kingdoms that have been established, organized, and militarized for centuries. So, they better be strong and courageous. So, they better believe that the God who had led them this far would not leave them or forsake them through what was to come. Those words kind of resonate in that situation.

But those words in Solomon’s situation? Words spoken not to a warrior at the precipice of war, but to a builder with everything already provided to do the building. Words spoken not to a relatively novice and very much nervous army but spoken to a king who could, at the scribble of a pen, conscript tens-of-thousands of workers to cut stones, move trees, cut lumber, fashion gold and silver, and raise a house (though a pretty impressive and ornate house).

Not minimizing the task at hand for Solomon — it’s gonna take years to complete. But “Be strong and courageous?” “Do not be afraid, nor dismayed?” “God is with you, never to leave your or forsake you?” Really? The blueprints have been drafted. The materials have been largely secured. The workforce is at hand. And, oh yeah, peace in the region has been secured. So, really? How come these words?

As I chew on it a bit, and as I read again some of what I’ve just read, I end up thinking it’s not just about the what but more importantly about the Who. Not just about the what but more weightily about the why.

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”

(1Chronicles 28:9-10 ESV)

Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you . . . be strong and do it . . . Noodle on that!

The what? Build a house for the sanctuary. Doesn’t sound as dangerous as going to war and conquering territory. But wait . . . there’s more.

Think about the who. The LORD God, the one who searches hearts and understands every plan and thought. And then, think about the why. For the LORD has chosen you.

Whether it’s about a Joshua who is to take a land, or a Solomon who is to build a house, what they have in common is that the LORD God had chosen them for a work He had determined. So, be careful now. Cause, while being delivered by God is one thing and being blessed by God is another, being chosen by God to do something for God is a “next level.” And now that sounds kind of familiar, too.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them . . .

You and I may have a different what than Joshua or Solomon — though some of our what is lot like Solomon’s (see the post from a couple of days ago) — but our who and the why is pretty much the same. Chosen of God, created for good works which God prepared for us.

So, be careful now.

So, be strong and courageous.

So, do not be afraid or dismayed. For He will not leave you or forsake you.

So, be strong and do it.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Follow the Leader

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Pete

They had turned to God from idols. And it showed in how they lived. Instead of living to serve only their appetites, they became known for serving the living and true God. No longer were they simply working for stuff and status in the world, but their focus shifted to waiting for God’s Son from heaven (1Thess. 1:9-10).

So, how does that happen? Where do you start? How do you know what you’re supposed to do (and not supposed to do) when you get “delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son” (Col. 1:13)?

You follow the leader.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

(1Thessalonians 1:6-7 ESV)

They received the word in much affliction. Believing the gospel, though evidence of God’s calling and the Spirit’s working (1:2), came immediately with cultural pressure and societal tribulation. How come? Because they very quickly became counter-cultural. Soon they were no longer going with the flow but swimming against the current. And that, because they followed the leader. They became imitators.

Imitators. Mimics. Copycats. That’s how they knew what to do as believers. That’s what brought on much affliction from their family, friends, and neighbors.

They traded in their WWWD bracelets (What Would the World Do?) for a WWPD bracelet (What Would Paul Do?). And before long they were sporting a WWJD bracelet (What Would Jesus Do?). They became imitators. They followed the leader.

Seems to me that while there’s a ton to learn about the Christian way, it doesn’t take a lot to start the Christian walk. All you need to do is find another Christian a few steps ahead of you and walk like they walk. Then start reading the gospels to see how Jesus did life and talked about life and imitate that too. Not in your own power, but in the power of the Spirit. Not perfectly, but boldly and intentionally — confident that the grace able to save you is also all-sufficient to sanctify you.

No matter where we are in our pilgrimage, there’s an imitator of Jesus who’s a few steps ahead of us. Someone who’s traveled a few more miles than we have, someone who’s gone down roads we may just be entering. There’s always someone we can imitate. Someone we can follow.

And beyond that someone, there’s the Savior. One who knows firsthand our wanderings and our weaknesses, who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 2:17, 4:15). So, imitate Him. With holy determination, and with Spirit-infused preoccupation, seek to live like Jesus. Even as Jesus has said He lives in You (Gal. 2:20).

So, mimic those who led you to Christ. Imitate those who lead your church. And, do what Jesus would do, the One who led you to Himself.

Easy? Nope.

Simple? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Just follow the leader . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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A New Testament Command from an Old Testament Source

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Pete

I think if I’m honest with myself, I don’t expect a lot from reading Chronicles. Not just because of the seemingly endless, and sometimes to me pointless — though ALL Scripture is God-breathed and profitable (2Tim. 3:16) — genealogies that occupy its first chapters, but because its about stuff already covered in earlier books. So again, if I’m honest with myself, I too often have too low an anticipation of being “surprised” by anything in this ancient book. But hey, when it comes to the “living and active”, sword-swinging, soul and spirit piercing, thoughts and intentions of the heart discerning word of God (Heb. 4:12), you never know when you’re gonna take one right to the heart.

This morning, it’s an exhortation by David to Solomon which cuts deeply as a command to obey.

Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD.”

(1Chronicles 22:19 ESV)

Son, says the aging king, beyond ruling over a great people, you are called to do something only you can do for a great God. So, set your heart and mind to seek the LORD. And what will that look like? It will look like building a sanctuary. It will look like constructing a sacred place. A place that will be holy because it will be where the glory of God dwells. Divinely set apart because it will be intimately and integrally associated with the name of the LORD.

So, my son, arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God.

And there it is, my command to obey.

“So get moving — build the sacred house of worship to GOD!” (MSG)

Oh, how we have missed the boat when we think about “going” to church. When our framework for gathering with God’s people is about what we “get” from it. When our definition of faithfulness is bound up in our attendance — especially when faithful attendance in our current culture looks like once or twice a month on a Sunday morning where we are in “receive mode.”

But what if that mindset were to shift? That, instead of just attending church, we viewed ourselves as building the church? That instead of going ready to evaluate the songs we sing and the preaching we hear, we went with the idea of being the place where the glory of God dwells? What if we equated setting our mind and heart to seek the LORD with actively building a holy place for the LORD. ‘Cause, you know, that’s what we’re doing.

. . . you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

(Ephesians 2:19b-22 ESV)

We aren’t just church members, we are tabernacle materials, growing into a holy temple in the Lord and being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

“Living stones”, that’s what Peter calls those who have come to Jesus. Because that’s how God sees those who are now “in Him.”

Church isn’t programming to go watch (and then critique); it’s a God-ordained program providing substance and focus for setting our minds and hearts for seeking Him. Church isn’t just a place to go in hope of finding God, it’s a place to arise and build in order to be the house God. Church isn’t something we go and do; it’s a gathering where we become the spiritual temple where Someone dwells.

So, let’s do it. Let’s set our mind and our heart to seek the LORD. Let’s arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD. Let’s be a house built for the name of the LORD.

And that, my friend, is this morning’s “surprise” — a New Testament command from an Old Testament source.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Hidden

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Pete

Five words. I’m chewing on just five words this morning. And one word kind of captures the taste in my mouth – overwhelming!

In this day of expressive individualism, where human flourishing is equated with being seen for “who I am”, the upside-down-ness of the kingdom jumps off the page as I read five words from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In a culture where so many want to be seen, as they post their Instagram-able lives and offer their Tweet-able (X-able?) wisdom, I’m a bit consumed with some of Paul’s reasoning as to why believers should have their minds set “on things that are above, not on things that are one earth” (Col. 3:2).

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

(Colossians 3:3 ESV)

Hidden with Christ in God . . . Take a moment and noodle on that for a bit.

Who am I? A dead man. Where am I? Hidden with Christ in God!

Hidden . . . Concealed. Covered up. Covered over. Escaping notice.

Hidden . . . Perfect tense — our hidden-ness an action “having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated.” Passive voice — our concealment not something we did to ourselves but something that was done to us. The grammatical mood? Indicative — a statement of fact, not in question, not up for debate, but just the way things are. Hidden with Christ in God.

Our individualism, our authentic self, expressed, in essence, by its lack of expression because we are hidden. Unexpressed because our individualism doesn’t really exist, as we have died to the old man and put off the old self (Col. 3:9) and are now defined in the context of a union. A union with Christ in God. A communion that cannot be seen by earthly eyes but is a heavenly reality “where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1b). A hidden-ness because we too are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).

With Christ in God . . . Not just in Christ, but actually with Christ. Not just with God, but in God. A double layered wrapping with the Holy Spirit’s sealing (Eph.1:13). How’s that for a triune encasing? How’s that for being hidden?

So, how hidden are we? Pretty hidden!

So hidden that when we live out our hidden-ness the world doesn’t even know us (1John 3:1).

So hidden that nothing can break God’s grip on us (Rom. 3:29).

So hidden that when He appears we too will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4).

All because our lives are hidden with Christ in God.

Kind of overwhelming? I’m thinkin’ . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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