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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Seek, Seek, Seek

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Pete

It’s a command to obey in Psalm 105 that hooks me this morning.

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name;
       make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
       tell of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
       let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
       seek His presence continually!

(Psalm 105:1-4 ESV)

Seek His presence continually . . .

It’s an exhortation to not just desire, but to so long for as to require the presence of the LORD. And it raises a curiosity within me. Isn’t it a bit odd that we should yearn after and go after the presence of a God who is omnipresent?

I do a bit of digging, and the command is literally to seek “His face.” While God may be already present because He is always and everywhere present, the songwriter says that His people are wired to want to know His face, and thus they should seek to know Him up close and personal. That’s something to chew on . . .

But then I turn to Spurgeon and his thoughts on the psalmist’s lyrics. And his words end up being a big part of my meal this morning.

“Seek, seek, seek, we have the word three times, and though the words differ in the Hebrew, the sense is the same. It must be a blessed thing to seek, or we should not be thus stirred up to do so. To seek his face is to desire his presence, his smile, his favor consciously enjoyed. First, we seek him, then his strength and then his face; from the personal reverence, we pass on to the imparted power, and then to the conscious favor. This seeking must never cease — the more we know the more we must seek to know. Finding him, we must “our minds inflame to seek him more and more.” He seeks spiritual worshippers, and spiritual worshippers seek him; they are therefore sure to meet face to face ere long.” – Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David

Seek His presence continually . . .

. . . sure to meet face to face . . .

Through the favor of God’s grace.

To know the fullness of God’s glory.

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Another Subscriber?

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Pete

My morning routine is first and foremost for my benefit. It’s my quiet time. It’s my time in the Word. Time to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18), but equally as important, time to commune with the Triune God. Time with the living word of the Father, conveying something of His wonderful workings through the Son, brought to light by the inner dynamic of the Spirit. As such, every time I open the Word, it’s another opportunity for an encounter of the divine kind. Word of God speak!

I’m not unaware, however, that others have benefited from this routine as well. What began years and years ago as morning thoughts e-mailed to my wife and daughters is now a blog with e-mails being sent to a list of subscribers every time I post. I’ve often wondered that others might be encouraged by stuff I’m chewing on but have chalked it up to the fact that Jesus delights to feed people even if it’s with but an offering of a few loaves and a couple fishes. So, while I don’t count or track subscribers, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t aware they exist.

And this morning, it’s another subscriber who’s been put on my radar.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
       I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
       for I rejoice in the LORD.

(Psalm 104:33-34 ESV)

May my meditation be pleasing to Him . . . How’s that for a prayer to pray?

Sure, the specific context may be that of what comes to mind when singing, but I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to think the songwriter’s desire is that, as the New Living Translation puts it, “all my thoughts” — including my morning thoughts — would be pleasing to Him.

But is that really real? That our meditations might in some way be pleasing to the One who is the source of all pleasure? That somehow the God of creation would find some joy in our meager musings? That the God who transcends time and space might give attention to our closeted contemplations and whisper to Himself, “Sweet” (NKJV)? Yeah, I think it’s really real.

And it’s not about how deep we think or how well we write (or whether we write at all). Not dependent by us always picking up, fully and accurately, what’s being laid down and then laying out clearly what we’re picking up. Not that it’s an expectation of delivering without fail a deliverable every morning. In fact, it’s not about producing at all. God, the psalmist seems to be saying, delights just in our pondering.

May my meditation be pleasing to Him . . .

Another subscriber? I’m thinkin’ . . .

More evidence of His amazing grace.

More reason to ascribe to Him all the glory.

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A Question. An Answer. An Effect

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Pete

Okay, as I sit back after my readings and start in on this morning’s meal, it’s scrambled eggs. No one passage, no single thought, rises to the surface as THE thing to meditate on. Rather, it’s a mix of observations coming together from different readings. A question here, an answer there, and an effect in yet another place.

First, a question. Context? Jonathan and his father, King Saul, get into an argument over the dinner table. Subject? David. Jonathan seeks to defend him, while Saul is set on destroying him. Cue, the question . . .

Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

(1Samuel 20:32 ESV)

Why should He be put to death? Nothing deserving of death. Nothing deserving of anything but praise and honor. A servant of the king, a warrior under his command, David was nothing but noble and without fault. Hmm . . . sounds like “the greater David”, Jesus. And the question could be asked of Him as well. Why should He be put to death? What has He done?

Then, as I read in 2Corinthians, an answer.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.

(2Corinthians 8:9 ESV)

He became poor . . . How’s that for an understatement?

How poor? Philippians 2 tells us. Divested of His visible deity and all His heavenly glory in order to come to earth in the flesh, “being born in the likeness of men”. Took off, as it were, His royal garments in order to put on the clothes of a servant. So humbling Himself He became “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Php. 2:6-8). How poor’s that? Pretty poor!

So, why should He be put to death? Why should He have been made so poor? So that you by His poverty might become rich. Hmm, again . . . tell me more about these riches.

Reading three. Behold, an effect.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
       and forget not all His benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
       who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
       who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
       so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(Psalm 103:2-5 ESV)

Talk about your benefits! Talk about being made rich. Sins forgiven. A diseased soul, infected by a deceitful heart (Jer. 17:9), made whole. The price paid in full by His self-embraced poverty to redeem me from bondage to sin and death.

But wait, there’s more! I’m crowned — yes, crowned! — with God’s own steadfast love and mercy. Filled to overflowing with His goodness.

Sounds like a “from rags to riches story” to me.

A question. An answer. An effect. Worth chewing on? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

For His grace. For His glory.

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Singing is Serving

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Pete

I know this morning’s observation isn’t a first-time observation. So, I look back in my journal and see that 2008 appears to have been when it first struck me. And since then, it has stuck with me. I journaled on it again in 2015, and in 2022. And this morning, once more, I am struck by the thought that singing is serving.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!

(Psalm 100:1-2 ESV)

Making a joyful noise to the LORD . . . Serving the LORD . . . Coming into the presence of the LORD with singing . . .

That’s not three different commands to obey. And I don’t think it’s two with one sandwiched between another repeated. But the structure of these opening lyrics seems to be a thrice beckoning to the people of God to do one grand thing. To sing. Thus, singing is serving!

And in case we missed the ask, the songwriter repeats it again.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
       and His courts with praise!
       Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

(Psalm 100:4 ESV)

Wanna serve God? Sing to God. Wanna work for Him? Worship Him. Wanna attend to Him? Ascribe to Him the glory due His name.

We may not all be preachers or teachers. Not all of us can lock ourselves in a room with babies, or preschoolers, or –Lord give us strength– 5th grade boys. Not everyone is able to put themselves out there to be a greeter. Not everyone can play an instrument. Not everyone is of sound enough body to help with set up and tear down. Many of us don’t know our spiritual gifting. Some of us are still too unsure of who we are in Christ to step up or step out and say, “Here am I. Use me!”

But all of us can sing. All of us can make a joyful noise. There’s not a believer who doesn’t have reason to give thanksgiving. Not a soul saved who doesn’t want to praise God for their salvation. No one who has been sealed with the Spirit’s residency that doesn’t want to bless the Lord.

So, just do it! Sing! Come into the LORD’s presence and serve!

And regardless of whether you can carry a tune or even know what it means to “sing on key”, as you make your joyful noise to the LORD hear your Master respond, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21).

Singing is serving. Worship is what God wants. Praise is prized in the courts of the King.

Go for it!

By His grace. For His glory.

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How Heavy is Heaven?

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Pete

True confession . . . I start most days with the NY Times and a quick scan of the headlines (right after I do the day’s Wordle). And then, as time permits, over the course of the morning I tap into other news sources and podcasts. Some with a more “left” bias, those that would be classified as having a “liberal” leaning, and also some that tilt “right” and would come from more of what would be considered more of a “conservative” predisposition. Oh yeah, and I also go to what I consider to be a somewhat neutral news source so that I can try and establish what’s factual through the “evidence of two or three witnesses”(2Cor. 13:1). I find I need to try and keep up on the truth of what’s happening, not because I necessarily like soap operas, reality TV, and drama, but because I think it’s important to keep trying to answer the question, “How should we then live?” (Thanx, Francis Schaeffer).

But there’s a price to be paid for that habit. In case you’re unaware, what’s going on in our world can be pretty heavy. A lot to try and take in. Somewhat burdensome. Discouraging even. Add to that the run-of-the-mill personal trials, tribulations, and sufferings and, oh man, the weight can be crushing.

That’s why I also start most days with my bible. Why, in addition to staying in touch with the left and right of my horizontal existence, I need to be tethered and cling to the up and down of my vertical reality. Knowing that regardless of how heavy things are here and now, things will be heavier there and then.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

(2Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV)

We do not lose heart . . . our inner self is being renewed day by day . . . this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison . . . Chew on that for a bit!

Take in all the daily news you want (from reliable sources not algorithm-driven social media). Seek to be like the ancient men of Issachar “who had understanding of the times,” to know what they ought to do (1Chr. 12:32). But know it’s gonna affect your heart. Depending on your own bias, it’s gonna evoke ire or empathy. At times you’re going to be livid for feel like you’re languishing. As my friend used to say, your heart’s gonna be up and down like a toilet seat.

But don’t lose heart. Be renewed day by day.

How’s that gonna happen? Take in the good news daily as well — lots of it! Consider not just the things that are seen, the things that are transient, but meditate — think long and hard — on the things that are not seen, things which are eternal. Know that whatever the weightiness of the world we experience, it is but preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

How heavy is heaven? Way heavier than any heaviness we experience here and now.

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.

(2Corinthians 4:16-17 MSG)

Small potatoes compared to what’s coming!

To misquote the old southern gospel song, “How heavy heaven must be . . . ” (Check out the actual song by clicking here)

Not a day goes by without His unfolding grace . . .

And not a day goes by without the renewed inner self giving Him glory!

Amen?

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Reflecting & Radiating (2015 Remix)

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Pete

A letter from Christ. Written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Engraved not on tablets of stone. Instead, inscribed on tablets of human hearts. That is how Paul regarded the saints at Corinth (2Cor. 3:3). And, not gonna lie, that’s how I regard myself. I think it’s a safe application. Written to them but also written for me, I think it’s fair to count myself as a page in the eternal epistle God is writing through grace by His Spirit.

Not that I’m much of a letter to read. There’s a lot more editing to be done. But as I hover over 2Corinthians 3 this morning . . . and if I’m understanding Paul’s comparison of the old and new covenants correctly . . . and if I’m picking up on what Paul is laying down concerning the life giving ministry of the Spirit of God . . . then I am, to some degree, reflecting and radiating the glory of God.

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

(2Corinthians 3:16-18 ESV)

The old covenant was given through Moses. Written on tablets of stones, it provided the means for relationship based on the letter of the law. Though Paul describes it as “the ministry of death” (v.7) and “the ministry of condemnation” (v.9) it came with glory. Such glory that it caused Moses’ face to shine. Such glory that the Israelites couldn’t look upon the face of Moses and so he wore a veil (v.7). Glorious not because it provided the means of salvation, but rather, glorious because it was God’s appointed manner to direct men and women toward the Son of salvation. Yet it was a glory that faded.

Cue the glory that surpasses it (v.10), the glory that is permanent (v.11). Not the glory of a binding law conveyed through a man of God coming down from a mountain, but the glory of born-again life given by the Spirit of God come down from heaven itself. The Spirit of life and light supplanting the letter of the law. The glory of the Spirit surpassing the fading shine on Moses’ face. The Spirit of God providing once for all, and once forever, freedom. The veil removed through Christ (v.14b). The glow of glory directly reflected upon, and radiated from within, the faces of believers.

We turn to Jesus and the veil of darkness, guilt, and shame is removed. Thus, we behold the glory of the Lord. Literally, we become a mirror reflecting the glory of the risen Christ as by faith we are brought face to face with Jesus through the active agency of His indwelling Spirit.

Though dimly, we reflect Christ. His majesty and radiance faintly seen in sinners saved by grace. Those once of the letter of the law now walking in the freedom of the Spirit. Those once bound by sin and death are now released by the finished work of the resurrected Christ. Those once with hearts of stone, now given hearts of flesh — hearts which can be written upon by the Spirit to mirror a measure of the wondrous work of God’s overflowing love.

But beyond just mirroring something of the glory, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. The reflecting of His glory increasingly becomes a radiating of that glory. The Son’s rays not just bouncing off our faces but emitting from within our very being.

As the Spirit of life continues His sanctifying work of conforming us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), we emanate the glory of Christ. And that, because we no longer live but Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20). As such, the mind and heart of Christ bubble to the surface exuding the presence of God from within. And this not of ourselves, for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Reflecting the glory of God.

Radiating the glory of God.

Even so, blessed Spirit, keep writing the letter. Keep transforming us from one degree of glory to another.

Only by God’s grace. Always for God’s glory.

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Reality Within Hyperbole

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Pete

“Hyperbole”: a figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis, not to be taken literally.

That’s what I think I’m encountering as Jesus makes a point to His disciples in Mark 10. But within this hyperbole, I’m chewing on some reality.

Peter began to say to [Jesus], “See, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

(Mark 10:28-30 ESV)

Houses and family and lands! Oh my! Whose not in for that deal?

Peter’s just been listening to Jesus tell a rich, young guy to sell all he has and give it to the poor and then he’ll have “treasure in heaven” (Mk. 10:21). And while the young guy walks away, Peter’s doing the math, “I’ve walked away from everything. Same deal me for me? Treasure in heaven?”

Cue Jesus and some hyperbole. He doesn’t dispute that Peter has left everything to follow Him. Instead, He tells Peter, “It’s gonna be worth it all.” You’ve left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake? You’ll get it all back . . . and then some . . . like a hundred times some!

Jesus wasn’t promising Peter a hundred houses for the house that he barely lived in any more because he was always on the road with Jesus. Wasn’t promising him a family a hundred-times bigger than the family he rarely saw because he was following Jesus. Wasn’t promising him a hundred acres for every acre he could no longer tend because he was tending to matters of a land yet to come? Not literally, at least. That’s what hyperbole is, an exaggeration for emphasis. Peter, says Jesus, what you’ve left doesn’t compare to what you’re investing in! Its gonna be worth it all!

Okay. Let’s say you can go with that. But then there’s those two words that get thrown in there . . . with persecutions. Kinda’ sneaky, huh? And guess what? Not hyperbole. Not exaggerating. Persecutions come with the promises– it’s a package deal.

Persecutions. Harassment. Mistreatment. Misunderstood by your friends. Held in contempt by the world. So that’s the deal — a hundredfold yet with hostility. How’s that for some reality within hyperbole?

But guess what, Peter? It’s still gonna be worth it all.

Because, beyond all the “hundredfold” blessings of following Me now — even the blessing of suffering for My sake (Matt. 5:10-12, 1Peter 3:14) — in the age to come eternal life. And Jesus isn’t exaggerating! That’s more reality!

You’ve left everything? Hyperbole? Probably. But let’s not minimize the price you’ve paid for following Jesus.

You’ll reap a hundredfold? More hyperbole? Yeah, but how much family has come into your life because you’re now part of the family of God? How many homes have you been welcomed into? There’s certainly blessings to be known even now.

Persecutions now? Reality? Yes sir. Yes ma’am.

Still gonna be worth it all? I’m thinkin’!

‘Cause in the age to come eternal life! More reality!

By His grace. For His glory.

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