Dead to Sin and Alive to God

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Pete

Chewing on Romans 6 this morning.

In the last couple of chapters Paul’s been explaining how Christ’s death for us has made possible a righteousness received by faith. That by believing that Christ died for our sin on the cross, we can be justified before a holy God. That, in His death, He has paid sin’s penalty, and through His risen life He imputes, or credits to our account, His righteousness. Thus, we have been saved through Christ’s substitutionary death.

But beyond the idea of this substitution, Paul also explains the implications of our identification. That while Christ died for us and for our sin, we also have died with Him and unto sin. That not only was He crucified for us to pay the penalty of sin, but, by believing, we too have been put to death with Him thus breaking the power of sin.

And so, Paul says, I need to connect the dots and consider myself dead to sin and alive to God.

We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. . . Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

(Romans 6:4, 8-11 ESV)

“Consider yourselves” is the ESV translation of the Greek word logizomai. Don’t need to be a Greek scholar to see that’s where we get our word for logic. It means to think, to compute, to calculate, to reckon, to connect the dots. If this . . . then that.

The word deals with reality. Of taking inventory and then drawing reasonable conclusions.

And so, if I have been crucified with Christ and now “live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20), then I need to count myself a dead man to sin and, by His enabling, live as He lived–for the Father’s will (Jn. 4:34, 6:38).

The logical conclusion of Him dying for us, is that we would count ourselves dead in Him. Dead to the old man. Dead to the old ways. Dead to the old desires. The power of the Spirit working in us, through regenerated spiritual DNA to, in reality, break sin and death’s dominion over us.

And then, to recognize that the reasonable implications of Christ being raised in newness of life is that, in Him, we too should know new life. That life, and life abundantly (Jn 10:10), begins now. Not necessarily the easy life, or the prosperous life, or life apart from suffering and trial, but life lived in Christ to God. The consecrated life, doing all we do for His glory (1Cor. 10:31). The abiding life, doing all we do by His power at work in us (Jn. 15:5). Eternal life, knowing that, even now, we can store up treasure in heaven (Mt. 6:20, 1Tim. 6:18).

Dead to sin . . . praise God!

Alive to God . . . may we know the reality of that by the power of God.

Because of grace. For His glory.

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If the LORD Delights in Us . . .

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Pete

They were done! They had hit the wall! They were ready to tap out!

“Enough,” they said. “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt,” they said.

After forty days spying out the promised land the majority had voted: “Uh, uh! No way! No go!”

Sure, it really was a land full of bounty, but it was also a land full of bullies. Really, really big bullies–so big that the spies “seemed to ourselves like grasshopper.” (Num. 13:33). And they knew bullies liked to crush grasshoppers under their feet. So, they said, let’s go home.

They had a fear problem. They had a “let’s be realistic” problem. They had a “who are we compared to them” problem. But something Joshua and Caleb, the minority opinion, said in rebuttal reminds me that, ultimately, what they had was a faith problem.

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.”

(Numbers 14:6-8 ESV)

I think they were all in agreement as to the facts. Fact: the land was exceedingly good. No disputing it flowed with milk and honey. If this was where they were to hang their hats, then the journey was worth it all.

Fact: God, by the very nature that He is God, was able to give them the land. An omnipotent God is no match for an oversized bully. A God who delivers from Egypt can deposit in Canaan. A God who parts the sea can tame the land.

So what was the problem? It was a faith problem. A “do I believe what I really say I believe” problem. It was an “if” problem . . . “If God delights in us.”

If He really takes pleasure in us . . . if He truly longs to incline Himself toward us . . . if He, for sure, desires us . . . then no problem that an all-powerful God can fulfill His covenental promise.

What they had was a faith problem. They didn’t, at a heart of heart level, believe that the Almighty God of creation delighted in them.

And I’m thinking that maybe that’s why we sometimes tap out because of fear. Or lose the drive to pursue the promise. Or head back to Egypt because it’s not working for us on the pilgrim way. We don’t really think that God delights in us. Sure, we’ll quote John 3:16 and how God so love the world, but we’re not really sure He so loved us . . . that He so loves us.

Maybe it’s because the accuser continually seeks to remind us of our failures and minimizes His forgiveness–that the blood of Christ really does “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn. 1:9).  Maybe it’s because we feel like we’ve been wandering in the wilderness so long that any anticipation of a promised land seems like pie-in-the-sky. Maybe it’s just because we’re weary, and weary people often don’t feel like people that someone else, much less the God of creation, is all that crazy about.

So maybe, just maybe, we need a renewed sense that God really does delight in His people.  And know again, by faith, that we are His people.

The LORD your God is in your midst,
   a mighty One who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
   He will quiet you by His love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.   (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?   (Romans 8:31 ESV)

Because of grace. For His glory.

 

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Complaining in the Cloud

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Pete

It must have been quite some sight to see the 600,000 plus men, along with their wives and children, break camp and set out from Sinai (Num.10). To see the horde of the redeemed marching away from the world of bondage to the land of promise. And in their midst, right smack dab in the middle of the twelve tribes, the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat–God in their midst. But more impressive than seeing the parade on the ground would have been to see what hovered overhead.

And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.

(Numbers 10:34 ESV)

So energizing was that initial departure from Sinai that Moses sought to convince his father-in-law to go with them, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the LORD has promised good to Israel” (10:29).

That’s why they set out–because God had said He had a land for them. That’s why the heightened anticipation–because God had promised good to them. That’s what the cloud before them by day, and the fire around them by night, should have reminded them of, that they were a people of promise.

It is all the more amazing then, that there was complaining in the cloud.

Don’t really know the timing, but in terms of how it reads in my Bible, it’s not long after they leave Sinai that they want to go back to Egypt. Not long after tasting and seeing the Lord is good, that they complain they have no meat. That bread from heaven is no longer good enough. And so, with the cloud above them, and the promise before them, “the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes” (11:1).

And I sit in silence and contemplate such folly. Not because I can’t understand how a child delivered of God, under the cloud of the presence of God, possessing the promise of God, would complain against God. But because I can. Forgive me, Lord.

The LORD had promised them good, all they could focus on was the food. The cloud was before them, but their “strong craving” (11:4) is ultimately what led them.

To be sure, perhaps I over-romanticize the thought of a swarm of nomads as they create their own cloud, a dust cloud. And I probably need to beware of seeing through rose-color glasses what was a massively hard journey. Nevertheless, the LORD had promised good to them and the LORD was in their midst.

So what allowed their cravings to overshadow His cloud?

I think there’s a clue in my Romans reading this morning–they weren’t fully convinced that God was able.

In hope [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.

(Romans 4:18-21 ESV)

Abraham too had been promised good. He too had been called to leave a land. He too had to endure an uncertain journey with no apparent fulfillment of the promise in sight. He too knew what it was to wonder at how it was all going to come together. He too knew the despair of “strong cravings” of longing for an easier way. But the divine testimony is that Abraham “believed against hope.” That he “did not weaken in faith.” That he didn’t waver through distrust concerning the promise, but, instead, grew strong in his faith. All because he was fully convinced that God was able to do what God had promised He would do.

Complaining in the cloud dissipates as we determine with holy resolve to believe the word of the Promise-Giver. The temptation to submit to the “cravings” to murmur is put down as we “trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not to our own understanding” (Prov. 3:5-5).

O, that we would be fully convinced that God is able. Confident that the cloud of His presence will lead us to the good He has promised.

By His grace. For His glory.

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A Privilege or a Pain?

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Pete

Ask me to think about moving the ark of the covenant and I immediately think about the poor guy who instinctively put out his hand and grabbed the ark to keep it from falling when the oxen pulling the cart it was on stumbled. He touches the ark and the Lord’s anger is kindled. The ark remains upright on the cart, but the guy ends up struck down beside it (2Sam. 6:6-7). Such are the occupational hazards of encountering the holy. Right motive, perhaps. Wrong method.

But what I’m reminded of this morning as I read in Numbers is that the ark shouldn’t have even been on the cart. That’s not how it was intended to be transported.

. . . the chiefs of Israel . . . brought their offerings before the LORD, six wagons and twelve oxen . . . Then the LORD said to Moses, “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service. And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder.

(Numbers 7:2-9 ESV)

Think about it. The Levites have all this stuff to transport as they travel to the Promised Land. Every time they set out, they’re charged with packing up the tabernacle and taking it with them. They are the ones making sure the place where God has said He would dwell among them would actually be among them. What a relief then, when they see the gift of six wagons and twelve healthy beasts of burdens to pull those wagons.

Do the math. Three divisions of men in charge of moving the tabernacle–that’s a wagon and pair of oxen each. “Good deal!” they’re thinking. “Load ’em up!” they’re thinking.

But not so fast. The sons of Kohath didn’t need no cart. Two strong oxen were of no benefit for them. For they were in charge of transporting “the holy things.” And the holy things were to be carried on their shoulders.  They were to be the cart.  They were the “beasts of burden.”

Think about it, again. Everything inside the tent–the lampstand, the table for bread, the altar for incense, and the ark in the holy of holies, cherubim and all–all of it either made of gold or plated with gold, was to be transported on the backs of men. I’m guessing that’s a lot of weight and they have a long way to go (and they don’t even know about doing laps in the desert for 40 years yet). So, was it a privilege or a pain?

What was it to get up everyday and know that at some point you’d be taking your turn under one of the sets of poles? And, after the debacle at Kadesh-Barnea, when, for forty years they wandered in the wilderness, what was it like for their kids to grow up knowing that they too, one day, would take their place bearing the weight of the holy things? Pain or privilege?

And as I chew on it, I wonder if sometimes we might view our association with the holy as more of a pain than a privilege. That we might see following Christ more in terms of what we have to do than what we get to do. That we view the Christian walk more as bearing the weight of a bunch of rules and expectations rather than carrying a weight of glory. That sometimes, we just might think the load would be lighter if weren’t having to do service for “the holy things.”

And I chew on it more, I think of Jesus and the weight He bore in order to transport the holy. The One who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. The pain paling in comparison to the privilege of bringing many sons and daughters into glory.

I’m no son of Kohath. And I’m not asked to carry anything on my shoulders that He isn’t prepared to carry it alongside with me. But I have been redeemed to interact with the holy, and that is a privilege. A privilege of grace–not because it’s deserved or earned, but because He has called me to sojourn with Him in the midst.

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”   ~ Jesus

(Matthew 11:29-30 ESV)

By His grace. For His glory.

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The Folly of Presuming

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Pete

I know the media crafts headlines to capture our interest and seduce our attention. I know there’s always a story behind the story that tends to get buried if it detracts from a sensational one-liner. But, not gonna lie, I had to smile when I saw this headline a few days ago: “Russian Olympian Who Wore ‘I Don’t Do Doping’ Sweatshirt Fails Doping Test.” Beyond knowing that she was filmed wearing the sweatshirt and that she did, in fact, fail a drug test, I don’t know if she knowingly took something to help her performance or not. But the headline presents, at the least, an interesting irony.

You can wear the shirt, but you can’t hide behind the shirt. You can implicitly judge others by declaring yourself innocent, but things have a way of coming to light. There’s no hiding behind the shirt. Knowing something is not the same as doing something . . . or as the case might be, not the same as NOT doing something. If this disgraced Olympian consciously presumed upon the publicity of a well-timed placement of a logo, then she was foolishly mistaken. Such is the folly of presuming.

Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that Gods kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

(Romans 2:3-4 ESV)

Paul continues to make His case for the power of God for salvation, the gospel. And the wonder of a righteousness revealed which is apart from works–a righteousness from “faith for faith” (1:17)–is truly good news when the bad news is fully understood. The bad news that by the works of law, whether the Mosaic law or the law of moral consciousness, “no human being will be justified in God’s sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (3:20). And as part of laying out the bad news, he takes on those who would pass judgment on others as a way of deflecting attention from their own disguised depravity. Those who, like our Olympian friend, had their own shirt declaring, “I Don’t!” . . . though, in reality, they did.

And though they knew better, they continued to present the facade of their own goodness. No divine doping test had busted them. No scandal had broken. What was done in secret was contained in secret. And because there had been no judgment, they fooled themselves into thinking they had escaped judgment. But in reality, they were presuming on “the riches of God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience.” They were slighting God’s “slow to anger” mercy. Failing to recognize that His kindness was meant to lead them to repentance.

Though they thought they were getting away with something as they pointed their fingers at others, all the while God was contending for their hearts. Though they boasted of great knowledge and an inner track on holiness, God waited as He sought to show them how dumb it was to trust in their own righteousness.

God’s patience was part of His pursuit. But they presumed. They thought light of it. In effect, they mocked and despised God’s kindness as they paraded around in their “I Don’t” tee’s and believed the lie of the logo on their chest instead of recognizing God’s forbearance as a call to repentance.

Oh, praise God for the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience. Exalt the King who is longsuffering with His servants. Worship the Judge who desires that all men and women be justified, not by their own works and righteousness, but through the finished work of Christ on the cross and the perfect righteousness of Christ credited to their account.

And ours is to shred the sweatshirt. To quit kidding ourselves as to our own goodness. To quit fooling ourselves that because everything is going well we must be doing well. Instead ours should be the psalmist’s plea: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me . . . ” (Ps. 139:23-24).

And having been searched, then take advantage of the riches of God’s patience and kindness to repent. To submit to a change of mind as prompted by the Spirit who convicts of sin. To change our course through the enabling of the Spirit who lives in us, leading us, and conforming us, more and more, into the likeness of the Master.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

(1John 1:9-10 ESV)

Father, keep us from the folly of presuming on the riches of Your kindness . . . but lead us to repentance.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

 

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A Righteousness Revealed

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Pete

Reading in Romans this morning and thinking about power. Not just any power, but the power of God. In particular, I’m chewing on the power of God for salvation.

Own it or not, we’re all in need of salvation. Whether it’s being saved from the penalty of our transgressions against a holy God, or being saved from the power that sin continues to have over us because of the weakness of our flesh, or being saved from the perishability of sin, death, we all need to be saved. We all need the price to be paid, the victory to be known, and eternity to be secured.

And, if we’re honest, in and of ourselves we are powerless. Powerless to atone for our rebellion against a holy God. Powerless to gut it out and live lives worthy of a holy God who longs to dwell among a people called to be His own. Powerless to clothe ourselves in garments fit for eternity in the place where a holy God is enthroned.

Powerless–that’s us.

But omnipotent–that’s our God.

And the power of God for salvation is the gospel. The good news that Jesus, God incarnate, paid the price for our sin on a Roman cross some 2,000 years ago. The good news that on the third day He rose from the grave, thus able to live in us through His Holy Spirit, providing the power to battle the flesh and it’s propensity toward sin. The good news that, even now, the risen Christ is preparing a place for us in His Father’s house.

And at the heart of that power is a righteousness–a righteousness revealed.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

(Romans 1:16-17 ESV)

The righteousness of God revealed from faith for faith. That’s why the gospel is the demonstration of an omnipotent God’s ability to rescue, redeem, and renew.

A righteousness apart from our own. Independent of anything we might try to feebly, and invariably fail, at mustering up. The righteousness of Another, the pure and perfect Son of God.

A righteousness apart from any merit. Unable to be purchased. Incapable of being earned. Neither great treasure nor a good life enough to be deserve such righteousness. Instead, the righteousness of God is revealed “from faith for faith.” Believed on in order to be received. Believed on in order to be released.

That’s the power, a righteousness revealed which is true righteousness. A holiness which is God’s holiness.

That’s the power, a righteousness received by faith alone in Christ alone.

And my failures pale in light of such power. My burdens become lighter in the context of such provision. My weariness gives way to renewal because of such belief.

Belief in the gospel. Belief in the power of God. Belief in the righteousness of Another which can be credited to my account.  Appropriated by faith for faith.  Faith that the price has been paid, the victory will be provided, and eternity with Him is promised.

Oh blessed salvation! Oh glorious righteousness revealed!

Because of God’s grace. Only for God’s glory.

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Behold and Be Still

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pete

There is a direct correlation between who God is and how His people are to respond. What we know and believe about our King should make a difference in how we respond to our circumstance.

I’m chewing on Psalm 46 this morning. The song’s theme isn’t hard to identify, it’s the line repeated twice.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.    Selah

(Psalm 47:7, 11 ESV)

God is our fortress. Though the earth gives way and mountains start tumbling into the sea, God is our fortress. Though the nations rage and the enemies of God rise with bow, spear, and chariot, God is our fortress. And if it is true that God is our fortress, our refuge, our strength and “a very present help in trouble” (v.1), then declares the psalmist . . .

. . . we will not fear . . . (Psalm 47:2a ESV)

Then how come we so often find ourselves fearful? Why can the grip of anxiety become so tight we find it hard to breath? Why does what we know to be true about our God seem to fade in the background as we’re consumed by what we don’t know about the future?

No simple answers. But maybe a couple of clues in this song. Clues found in taking note of the two commands directed to God’s people in a song which is otherwise all about our God.

Come, behold the works of the LORD . . .

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

(Psalm 46:8a, 10a ESV)

Behold and be still. See and let it sink in. Perceive and ponder. Look and listen. Reflect on the works of God and then rest in the presence of God.

I wonder if how busy and distracted we can become isn’t at the heart of how disquieted we often feel. And, while I’m not suggesting there’s a formula for eliminating the fear factor, I’m thinking there are at least a couple of solid principles here.

Behold the works of the LORD. No need to run through a long list of works, just bow before the cross, His greatest finished work. Consider the work that surpasses all other works. Greater than creation is the making of a new creation. More astounding than deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, is the deliverance from the bondage of sin. More amazing than seeing the Red Sea parted, is knowing the veil torn asunder, from top to bottom, allowing free access into the holy of holies because we’ve been robed in Christ’s righteousness.

Behold the work of the cross. Consider afresh His atoning sacrifice. Marvel anew at Calvary’s declaration as to the degree to which God so loved the world.

And then, be still. Having recalled the cross, now reflect on the cross. Knowing it again, noodle on it awhile. Sit beneath its shadow. Gaze upon its glory.

That’s what our devotional times are for. Not just to check a box, work through a reading plan, or maintain a routine. But to behold and be still.

That’s what communion is for. Not simply a sacred ordinance. Far more than a monthly end of service add-on. But a new opportunity to behold and to be still.

And then, when we do, I’m thinking we may just find the song’s lyrics on our lips, “Therefore we will not fear.”

Behold and be still . . . and then God our fortress will be known.

Because of His abiding grace. For His all-deserving glory.

Amen?

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A Heart Song

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Pete

You start in on the song and it’s not long before you sense that these verses addressed “to the king” transcend any known king at that time and are intended to point to “the King.” Any doubt of that is obliterated when you get to verses six and seven and recognize them from the New Testament where they are quoted and explicitly assigned to identifying “the Son” (Heb. 1:8-9). Psalm 45 is a Messianic psalm. And we know from it’s introduction, it is a love song.

The King is presented as the “most handsome of the sons of men.” He is said to exude grace and, as such, He is blessed of God forever.

He is a mighty warrior. Arrayed in splendor and majesty, He is the victorious champion of “truth and meekness and righteousness.” His nail scarred right hand, the hand of awesome deeds and deliverance.

He is identified by God as God. He is Elohim, Ruler over all. His throne is an eternal throne; His rule, one of righteousness. All nations one day bowing before Him and declaring His praise forever and ever.

And, He has a bride preparing herself in her chamber, ready to be led into the King’s place with “joy and gladness”.

It is a wonderful song. A song where we are given divine permission to read beyond the words and see the pictures. Our meditation giving way to imagination as we envision Jesus in the majesty of His second coming rather than the meekness of His first.

But here’s the thing that grabbed me this morning, it is a heart song.

My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
   I address my verses to the King;
   my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

(Psalm 45:1 ESV)

There is no wont for inspiration for those who long to sing of the King. Not only does the well not run dry, but the multi-faceted nature of the person and work of the King is the source for unending verses of praise.

Whether He is remembered as the Lion or the Lamb, the Sheep Gate or the Shepherd, the Bread of Life or the Giver of Living Water, the Son of Man or the Son of God, our tongue is loosed like “the pen of ready scribe” finding little restraint in filling up page after page with our own lyrics of adoration.

Beyond who He is, we then can consider all that He has done. We can look around and marvel at the finished work of creation, after which Father, Son, and Spirit rested. Or, we can sit at the table, with the bread and the cup, and remember the finished work of the cross enabling all who come to Him to rest. Both evoke free-flowing stanzas in the song.

We can recall how the grace poured upon His lips has touched myriads through the ages: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”; “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”; “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease”; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”; “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

There is more than enough to prime the pump and move the heart to overflowing “with a pleasing theme.”

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky. ~ Frederick M. Lehman

Might every child of the King long to be such a scribe. Might we seek to drain the ocean dry. Might we overflow with our own heart song.

Because of grace. For His glory.

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The God To Whom I Belong

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Pete

D, U, M, B . . . dumb!!! That’s what it was, dumb. A dumb decision to set sail. It was the majority decision, but it was the wrong decision. It was the expedient decision, the pilot preferring another port, but it was a reckless decision. And the centurion who was calling the shots went with the crowd and “decided to put out to sea . . . on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete” (Acts 27:12).

How’s that for confident decision making? . . . “on the chance they could somehow, maybe, make it.” D,U,M,B . . . dumb!!!

And though Paul perceived the danger and sought to advise the decisions makers with a voice of reason, he was just the prisoner. A passenger, along for the ride. A nobody, really. Yet, as things would play out, clearly a somebody.

They set sail, and not long after the ship is at the mercy of a “tempestuous wind” (v.14). Forced to literally go wherever the wind blows, they eventually start tossing overboard the ship’s cargo and tackle as they continue to be “violently storm-tossed” (v.18). And then, after days “when neither sun nor stars appeared,” and with no apparent relief in sight, “all hope of being saved was at last abandoned” (v.20).

Situation hopeless.

And Paul, thinking that now the majority might be open to new ideas from the minority, almost humorously says, “Men, you should have listened to me” (v.21). Ya’ think?!?

But here’s the thing that I’m chewing on. Paul’s “I told ya’ so” wasn’t because of who Paul was. After all, he was just a prisoner . . . nothing more than a passenger. No, it wasn’t because of who he was, but because of to Whom he belonged.

“Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

(Acts 27:22-25 ESV)

“The God to whom I belong.” That’s what I’m noodling on this morning.

I belong to God, says Paul. How brash! How beautiful!

Paul’s identity wasn’t founded in that he was some great preacher or proclaimer of the truth. For, evidently, powerful preachers and proclaimers can end up in the brig as powerless prisoners and passengers. Large crowds can give way to stinky sailors. Those who might have been the cream of the crop one day, can be but cargo the next.

Instead, despite the storm, in the face of “situation hopeless,” even when you’re not in the position to make the call or pull any levers, you can take heart because the God to whom I belong says, “Do not be afraid, I have plans for you. And those plans will be fulfilled. For you are Mine.”

Oh, to rest in the reality that we are His. That we are not our own, but have been bought with a price and have been made a temple of God by His Holy Spirit (1Cor. 6:19-20). That the Son of God “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession” (Tit. 2:14), that “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8).

And so, we worship the God to whom I belong. And we trust in the God to whom I belong. And we ride out the storms through the power and protection of the God to whom I belong. And we take heart, and have faith, believing it will be exactly as we’ve been told by the God to whom I belong.

Oh, the wonder of being a child of God. Oh, the identity we possess as co-heirs with Jesus. Oh, the hope that is ours because we have been bought with a price. Oh, the love that flows from redeemed hearts because of the love shown us by our Great Redeemer.

My Beloved is mine, and I am His . . .

(Song of Solomon 2:16 ESV)

I am His. Yes I am.

He is the God to whom I belong. He is the God whom I worship.

Because of His amazing grace. Forever for His indescribable glory.

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Grace by Day, Songs at Night (A Rerun)

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Pete

Meditating on Psalm 42 this morning. And, if I’m honest, I’m probably more in the “downcast soul” condition (v. 5) than I am in “lead others to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise” frame of mind (v.4). Easy to relate to the quicksand experience of the songwriter as his soul thirsts and pants for the living God (vv. 1-2) even as he’s barely able to catch his breath because of the waterfalls, breakers, and waves crashing over him (v.7).

But the impact of the song is in more than just the relatable way in which it describes the malady.  It’s the life-giving manner in which it reminds of the remedy.

Hope in God.  That’s the answer.  The songwriter penning it twice in case we miss it the first time.

Remind yourself of who God is.  Remember the deliverance He’s provided.  Recall what He has promised.  Rejoice in that He is ever faithful and unchanging.  Then declare again His praise.

Hope in God.  Not necessarily easy to do . . . but not complicated either.

I have posted repeatedly on Psalm 42 over the years. More often than not it’s been the daily reading that captured my thoughts above the other readings. And so I’ve been going back and reading those old posts and letting those thoughts be my encouragement this morning. Last year’s brought back hard memories but 2014’s musings were a source of encouragement this morning. Sharing again those thoughts from 2014 with you . . .

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I’ve got to think that most people can relate to the overall tone of Psalm 42. It’s the dirge rhythm of a downcast soul. The oppressive feeling of despair. That sinking feeling that breaks like waves over your whole being. Even when you recognize that you’re “going blue” and try to power out of it with reason and logic, the turmoil persists. And, for the believer, . . . for the one who has known relationship with the living God . . . the despair evokes a barrenness . . . the sense of communion and fellowship having dried up like a drought inflicted water bed. And out of such dryness comes a thirst . . .

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
  so pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
  for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?

(Psalm 42:1-2 ESV)

Though the emotion might cloud out its articulation, that’s what the believer’s soul longs for. Living water flowing abundantly from the living God. To enter again into the throne room and know His radiating glory. The psalmist recalls a time when he would lead the processional to the house of God to worship and praise the Rock of his salvation. How he longed for such times again. For weeping in the night to yield to joy in the morning (Ps. 30:5). For mourning to give way to dancing (Ps. 30:11). For the spirit of heaviness to be clothed with garments of praise (Isa. 61:3).

And so the songwriter encourages himself, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him.” Keep on keepin’ on.

And in the midst of this melancholy melody, I take note of a familiar dynamic . . . grace by day and songs at night.

By day the LORD commands His steadfast love,
  and at night His song is with me,
  a prayer to the God of my life.

(Psalm 42:8 ESV)

It is the dynamic of a faithful God . . . a God whose mercies are new every morning . . . and His grace sufficient for the day. That dynamic where His Spirit intercedes with my spirit reminding me that, though He may feel to be distant, my God commands His steadfast love over His children at all times . . . “For I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Though my spiritual senses may have grown dim, His abiding presence has not changed. And so by day, His steadfast love continues to flow.

And then, there’s that night when the dawn starts to break. Having made it through another day, you recognize His faithful hand through every day. And the thirsty soul starts to drink again from the eternal springs of heaven . . . and a song arises . . . and a conversation is rekindled . . . and worship ascends to “the God of my life.”

To be honest, I’m not crazy about experiencing a downcast soul. Don’t much care for it. But through it, to know afresh my God is faithful is a good thing . . . to have another verse to sing in the new song He has given me (Ps. 40:3) is a blessing.

His abiding faithfulness and His abundant grace by day . . . my songs of gratitude and praise at night.

For His glory . . .

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