Of the Truth

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Pete

The celebration nears. The remembrance of a birth is less than two weeks away. For many it’s about family and traditions, with little significance beyond that. For others, it includes the heart-warming folklore of the “No Room Here Inn,” a nostalgic reflection more than an awe-invoking remembrance. But still for others, we who believe, we try to battle the din of the season and try to prepare our hearts to, at least at some point, recapture something of the hush of that holy night. Something I read in John’s gospel this morning helped with some of that preparation.

Then Pilate said to him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”

(John 18:37 ESV)

Why was Jesus born? Why did Deity take on flesh? Why did the King of Heaven enter the world of men? Why did the Almighty condescend to be birthed as a baby? To bear witness to the truth. To testify concerning reality.

If there’s anything we need in this world today it is a dose of reality. Jesus, said, “That’s why I came.”

To bear witness to the reality of God. A God who has no delight in vain, empty-hearted religious practice. But a God who so loves the world that He sent His Son to redeem vain worship. That’s the truth.

To tell it like it is concerning sin. That those who commit sin are slaves to sin–and that everyone commits sin. But to also tell it like it can be. That He came to be the once-for-all sacrificial Lamb of God to deal with our sin–to pay sin’s wages and to break sin’s bondage. That’s the truth, too.

To authenticate that, having been created by God in His image, we were made for eternal life. And that eternal life is found in knowing the Creator. And that to know Jesus is to know the Creator. And that, even now, He prepares a place for those who know Him, so that, one day, where He is they might be also. More truth.

And to proclaim that all that needs to be done for people to know their God, and to be true worshipers, and to be freed from sin’s chains, and to participate in eternal life, has been done. Jesus bearing witness with His last breath on the cross, “It is finished.” Also the truth.

Jesus came into the world to speak of truth . . . to demonstrate truth . . . to define truth.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”    ~ Jesus

(John 14:6a ESV)

But not everyone listens to His voice. Not everyone sees the light. Not everyone receives and experiences the taste of reality. Only those who are “of the truth” listen to His voice.

And a hush falls over me as I hover over this truth. That if I’m hearing His voice . . . if I’m picking up something of what He’s laying down . . . if I’m nodding my head in assent and, by His power, releasing my heart to His rule . . . then I am of the truth.

Not a cause for boasting. No basis for me to take credit. No merit for me to claim. For I was lost and not even looking. I was in darkness unaware of light. I was dead in trespass and sin, but then, made alive . . . and that by faith alone. And this crippled, wayward sheep began to hear the Shepherd’s voice. Because, through the finished work of the cross and by the grace of God, I was delivered from darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s Son, joining those of the truth.

That’s why He came into to the world. That men and women could be of the truth. That’s why He took on flesh, walked as a man, died as a sacrifice, rose again victorious–to redeem for Himself a people who hear His voice.

Listen!  Can you hear it?

O come let us adore Him!

What amazing grace! To God be all the glory!

Posted in John | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

They Bound Him

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Pete

The humiliation would only intensify. The Prince of Life would stand before whitewashed tombs full of dead people’s bones and be questioned about His teaching. The King of all Nations would be dragged before a mealy-mouthed Roman governor and challenged about His kingdom. Then, the Prince of Peace would be verbally abused. And it would escalate, Jehovah-Rapha, the God Who Heals, would be beaten–His flesh torn, His wounds openly displayed for the curious to behold. And finally, the LORD of LORDS would so humble Himself that He would submit to death, even death on a cross.

But what grabs me this morning, is how the humiliation of Jesus began–they bound Him.

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.

(John 18:12 ESV)

It hit me like a ton of bricks this morning, they bound Him. They tied up God. They fastened chains about the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

And I think it so caught my attention because of what else I had read before opening John 18.

In Job was I reminded that God has charge over all the earth. So much so that, if He chose to, He could “gather to Himself his Spirit and His breath” and “all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust” (Job 34:14-15). Jesus could have held His breath, and the posse in front of Him would have dropped to the ground lifeless. He had already caused them to eat dust when He identified Himself to them as the I am (18:6), but had He wanted, He could have returned them to dust. But He didn’t. Instead He continued to sustain their very breath. And with that breath, they bound Him.

In Jonah I again took note of the God Jonah feared (kinda’), “the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9). The God who could hurl a great wind upon the sea to slow down His fleeing, disobedient spokesman (1:4). The God who would appoint a great fish to swallow up and save His prodigal prophet (1:17). The God who had power to appoint a specific plant to grow in a specific place in order to provide a sulking saint with a bit of shade (4:6). The God who would also call deploy a worm with a huge appetite to eat the plant, and then turn up the sun’s thermostat in order to instruct His reluctant evangelist (4:7-8). And this is the God who, before mere mortals, held out His wrists. And they bound Him.

How come?

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

(John 3:16-17 ESV)

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

(John 1:29 ESV)

Just as Abraham had to bind Isaac before laying Him on the altar, so God the Father ordained that God the Son should be bound in order to be offered as the once-for-all saving sacrifice for all men and women. The Son, submitting to the Father’s perfect will, surrendered to being tied up those He had made so that He might redeem and re-make them. Deity, born as a babe and willing to be bound in flesh, would further humble Himself, allowing Himself be bound by chains. And this, so that He could make provision to break the chains of those bound by sin.

They bound Him.

O what a Savior!

What amazing grace! To Him be all the glory!

Posted in John | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Shelter and a Shepherd

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Pete

While there may be debate as to who exactly they are, it seems pretty clear to me where they are. Those “coming out of the great tribulation” might specifically refer to believers martyred after the opening of the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9) or, generally speak of all believers who have suffered through trial while on earth. Either way, I think I’m on solid ground when I think that their experience recorded in Revelation 7 is but a glorious “spoiler alert” of heaven for all who, one day, will be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

(Revelation 7:15-17 ESV)

Here’s how William MacDonald summarizes the blessings which are theirs:

Perfect nearness: They are before the throne of God.
Perfect service: They serve Him day and night in His temple.
Perfect fellowship: He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
Perfect satisfaction: They shall hunger nor thirst anymore.
Perfect security: They will never again be struck by searing sun nor scorching heat.
Perfect guidance: They will be led to springs of living water by the Lamb Himself
Perfect joy: God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

And what grabbed me this morning, as I hovered over this insight as to the current experience of those who have “gone before”, was the Shelter and the Shepherd.

He who sits on the throne will dwell among them, He will shelter them with His presence. Literally, He will tabernacle among them. He will pitch His tent over them. And that tent will be the awe-invoking, face-to-the-ground-compelling, worship-illiciting glory of His presence.

However strong the sense of His presence here on earth has been, when faith gives way to sight, that presence will be tangible . . . unavoidable . . . and altogether delightful. We will bask in the radiance of His emanating glory. Though He never leaves the throne, He will ever cover us. The resplendent rainbow that surrounds the throne (4:3) will be light upon our face. The flashes of lighting, and the rumblings and peals of thunder, that come from the throne (4:5) will be music to our ears–an irresistible invitation to join all those under the shelter to declare the holiness and worthiness of our God.

And if heaven were only about such shelter, that would be more than enough.

But there is also the Shepherd–the Lion of the tribe of Judah who we will behold as a Lamb, “as though it had been slain” (5:6). Our Redeemer in the midst of the throne–the One worthy to “receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (5:12). And He will be our Guide. Not only welcoming us into Divine presence, but leading us to springs of living water. The Source of eternal life will be the Shepherd for eternal life.

He will tend His flock. Furnish them with pasture. Supply every need of their eternal souls. Fulfilling His promise that He would give them life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).

Shelter and a Shepherd. The experience of those who have “fallen asleep” in Christ.

Shelter and a Shepherd. The hope of those who remain, known even now, though dimly, by faith through the Spirit who indwells us.

Shelter and a Shepherd. The promise of eternity.

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Revelation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cause or Effect? Yes!

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Pete

The love of God . . . that’s what I’m noodling on this morning.

Continuing my reading in John 16 as Jesus prepares His disciples for the worst night of their lives and the best day to follow. And in that preparation He continues to reveal to them the mystery of the relationship and the dynamic between God the Father and God the Son–a dynamic they will be able to participate in when they are indwelt by God the Spirit.

And in His final words Jesus talks of the love of God in a manner which grabs my attention, prompting me to chew on the question, “Is the love of God a cause or an effect?” To which I find myself answering, “Yes!”

” . . . for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.” ~ Jesus

(John 16:27 ESV)

Was the disciples’ love for Christ the cause of the Father’s love for them? Or, was it the effect, their love for Christ being the evidence of God’s Father’s love for them? Did the Father love them dearly because they loved His Son? Or, because they loved His Son, is that how they knew the extent of God’s love for them?

Yes.

There could be no loving Christ apart from God first loving the world and sending His Son. No way that those dead in trespass and sin could, on their own, muster up an ounce of life or light to embrace the One sent to rescue them for the darkness and bondage of sin. No way that those who by nature were enemies of God would even consider His gracious provision apart from His loving prompting. But God, because of His great love toward us, made us alive together with Christ even when we had no thought, much less any merit or desire, to reach out to Him.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

(1John 4:9-10 ESV)

As my old King James reminded me often, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1John 4:19). Our love for the Son is the effect of the Father’s love for us.

But does the Father not also love those who, having been redeemed by the precious blood of the Son, desire to, on an on-going basis, love the Son? Is not our love for Jesus also the cause of God’s abiding love for us? I’m thinkin’ . . .

The Father delights in those who delight in His Son. He is pleased with those who heed His words, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Lk. 9:35). Our love for the Son, in a sense, compels the Father to increasingly pour out His love of us.

“And He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and manifest myself to Him. ~ Jesus

(John 14:21b ESV)

Being loved by the Father allows us to love the Son. Loving the Son returns the love of the Father. And that love comes in knowing Father and Son in increasing measure through the Spirit.

Cause . . . and effect.

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in John | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

No Silence in Heaven

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Pete

Sometimes it’s something I never really noticed or seen before that grabs my attention during my morning readings. But often my morning meal is like sitting down again with an old friend. What captures my imagination has done so in the past. What sets the awe-o-meter off has set it off, again and again, before. Such is the case this morning as I enter heaven through Revelation 4. And again I notice that while what is seen is almost inexpressible, what is heard is inescapable.

I know you shouldn’t read Revelation literally, but what if Revelation 4:8 is literal? (Isaiah 6 makes me think it could be.)

If it is, then there is no silence in heaven.

Instead, in glory there is a never-ending, audible rhythm. One which I take note of at least once a year when I “come up” with John and behold again “what must take place.” I’ve noted it before. By faith, I’ve heard it before. And, as my mind tries to process it, I’ve written on it before.

Sharing some thoughts from 2011 . . .

———————–

We’ve all heard them. You hear them coming . . . you literally feel them if they are idling next to you . . . and you hear them going. I’m talking about those vehicles that have some humungous sound system in them which pumps out a drum-thumpin’, bass-driven beat. You can’t exactly make out any words . . . you’re not really sure that there’s any music attached to it . . . but the rhythm . . . oh, you are so aware of the rhythm. Boom, boom, boom . . . endlessly . . . boom, boom, boom . . . often annoyingly . . . boom, boom, boom. But guess what, I’m wondering if from now on, it might be, for me, boom, boom, boom . . . prophetically. You see, they came to mind as I read this morning about the rhythm of heaven.

“At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne . . . And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'”

(Revelation 4:2-3a, 6b-8 ESV)

Oh, how I love getting to the point in Revelation where I vicariously, through John, see the door open to heaven and the Spirit inviting me to “Come up here” (4:1). When I get to the point where, by God’s word, through the Spirit’s illumination, with some sanctified imagination, I tip toe around paradise “taking in the sights.” Talk about, “Behold, your God!”

And this morning, I’m reminded that it’s not just what I will see . . . but what I will hear. That there is a rhythm of heaven . . . a back beat that will throb through that place where God’s throne is set up . . . a reverberating echo that will provide a backdrop for all that goes on for all eternity. And it won’t be some muffled “boom, boom, boom” . . . no . . . it will peal with the clarity of the grandest bells, “Holy, holy, holy!”

I may not understand a lot about these four living creatures . . . but that they are created angels is apparent . . . and that they’ve been doing their a cappella thing for quite awhile, I get (cp. Isa. 6:1-3). And, what I also understand about them is that they have been given a “repeating tag line” to declare before the throne for eternity. I imagine it as a song . . . a song that they sing day and night . . . a truth that captures the essence of Him who sits on the throne . . . a declaration that they never cease saying. It is the rhythm of heaven . . . “Holy! Holy! Holy!”

Think about it . . . it never stops. The nearer you get to the throne, the louder it gets. And unlike my friends with their boom-boxes-on-wheels, this soul-stirring beat will never get annoying . . . this throbbing sentiment will never get old . . . these pulsating words will always be fresh . . . “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

This morning, I hear the rhythm of heaven by faith. Through the Christ-conforming work of the Spirit in me, my ears are becoming more attuned to the heartbeat that emanates from before the throne of God. The old, old, song continues to beat with a new, new freshness as I grow in appreciation of the nature of God–thrice holy . . . residing in unapproachable love . . . yet accessible by His grace and through the cross of His Son. He who was . . . and is . . . and is to come . . .

Oh yes! He is to come! The distant booming of the angel’s 24/7 back beat gets louder as the day approaches. The theme becomes grander the longer we serve Him in anticipation of that day when we too hear the Spirit say, “Come on up!”

“Holy, holy, holy” . . . can you hear the rhythm of heaven?

———————–

No silence in heaven. Always a rhythm.

Heard by His grace. Declared for His glory.

Posted in Revelation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When God Watched Over Me

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Pete

You wonder if Job’s just getting tired. Apart from the chronic pain sapping his strength, there’s the incessant drip of his miserable comforters telling him to ‘fess up and admit that what he’s going through must be because of the wrong he has done. The protracted debate wearing him out as they say, “God is just, therefore the degree of your suffering must be an indicator of the degree of your sin,” to which Job repeatedly defends himself contending, “No, I am righteous, surely God’s made a mistake somehow. If only I could talk with Him then I’d straighten things out.” Back and forth they go.

And at some point, I imagine, Job lets out a deep sigh and with a loud cry laments, I just want to go back to the good old days–the days when God watched over me.

And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when His lamp shone upon my head, and by His light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent.”

(Job 29:1-4 ESV)

In chapter 29, Job lists what marked those days of the past “when God watched over me.” The days when God’s protective hand was active. The days when His leading was clear. The days when Job was in his prime, knowing blessing upon blessing–physically, emotionally, and spiritually–from the seeds he had sown. The days when God’s friendship was felt in his home. Those days . . . oh, how he longed for those days.

And it’s so easy to relate. I’m guessing we all have had seasons where we longed to be in a previous season, an easier season. Bad days that make us long for the good ol’ days. Days of barrenness and loneliness when we long for the days when we were full and surrounded–not just with other people, but with God Himself. Times when we wonder, is God still watching? When we being to question whether God is still leading as we stumble through the desert. When we’re tired, our eyes are dim, and we wonder where the light has gone.

But as I hover over Job’s lament, I find myself thinking, “God’s still watching over Job.”

Job was God’s boast before the enemy: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” “He’ll curse You,” taunts Satan, “if you let me at him and remove the blessing he’s known.” Go for it, says God, “Only against him do not stretch our your hand” (1:8-12). God is still watching over Job though the enemy is permitted some latitude in Job’s life.

And after Job loses everything and yet continues to bless the name of the Lord, God’s lamp shines on Job’s head again as He displays Job before Satan as a trophy of righteousness through faith. But again Satan says, so what? “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse You to Your face.” God, still watching over Job, replies, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life” (2:3-6).

Job went through nothing that God did not permit. Nothing touched Job that hadn’t already gone through God’s fingers. And while Job suffered, it was not evidence of a God who had stopped watching, or caring, or protecting. Not because the friendship of God had left the tent. These were still the days “when God watched over me.”

Job didn’t know the back story to his story. Wasn’t privy to the drama behind the scenes. Couldn’t have imagined the spiritual battle which enveloped his circumstance. But these things were “written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

The days when God watched over me . . . those are these days.

Days of all sufficient grace. Days for His everlasting glory.

Posted in Job | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abide in My Love

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Pete

Said to them, but written for us. They were the actual recipients of Jesus’ words, but what was true concerning the disciples is also true of us. And it’s the stuff that makes for a full meal. And yet, it’s the stuff I can so easily blow by and barely nibble on much less pause to feast deeply upon.

It’s the last night with His disciples. The last chance to secure them in His teaching before He is given over to treachery. What needs to be said, needs to be said now. What needs to be emphasized, must be pressed home now. Every word divinely chosen, and yet, so many words that some can fall into the shadows. Like the shadow of His illustration of the Vine and the branches in John 15.

Jesus identifies Himself as the true Vine, His followers as the branches, and the Father as the Vinedresser. The desired outcome of the Vine is that the branches would bear fruit . . . and would bear more fruit (15:2) . . . and would even bear much fruit (15:5). The goal of fruit-bearing is to glorify the Vinedresser (15:8). The secret to fruit-bearing is abiding in the Vine–“for apart from Me you can do nothing” (15:5).

Got it! Abide. Bear fruit. Evidence that we are His disciples. Be prepared for some pruning along the way. Glorify God.

A lot to take on there, but “I can do all things through Christ.” Right?

And if we leave those first eight verses of John 15 chewing on our need to abide, then we run the risk of missing the meal in verse nine. If we’re too occupied with what we need to do, then we can miss what He has already done.

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” ~ Jesus

(John 15:9 ESV)

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Said to them, but written for us. True of the twelve, true of those who would believe after them. So try and digest that.

As the Father has loved me . . .

How do wrap your head around that? God is love. What does that love look like, how is it expressed, in the perfect, holy, unhindered dynamic of the Three-In-One?

We know it is an eternal love, because the Father loved the Son “before the foundation of the world” (Jn. 17:5). We know it’s a love heaven can’t contain, cracking heaven’s sound-barrier and proclaiming on earth, “You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased” (Mt. 1:11). And we know it’s a love which delights the soul of the Creator, Almighty God (Is. 42:1). God’s holy Servant filling the heart of God’s immeasurable heart to overflowing. This all, but an inkling of the degree to which the Father loves the Son. And so, says the Son to His disciples, this is how I love you.

What is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ with which we are loved? It is the immeasurable, unfathomable, dimensions of the Father’s love for the Son. Feast on that!

And then says the Master, “Abide in my love.” Remain there. Bask in it. Don’t leave it, but be present in it. When you sojourn, take it with you. When you rest, fuel up on it.

. . . that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

(Ephesians 3:16-17a, 19 ESV)

Abide in My love. Yes, Lord.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song

–  Frederick M. Lehman, 1917 –

 

Posted in John | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Christ Himself

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Pete

Probably not technically the right way to read this part of Revelation . . . and maybe it’s because I’m being overly influenced by Black Friday, or Cyber Monday, or Giving Tuesday, or this consumer-day-is-every-day time of year . . . but I find myself this morning taking note of the gifts that await me.

Well, not me by name, but me to the degree that I’m allowed to identify with the conquerors of Revelation chapters two and three–the ESV calling them those who conquer, while other translations refer to them as those who are victorious, or those who overcome.

The victorious, in essence, are those who are faithful until the end. Those who remain true to the Word, refuse to be drawn into the world, and resolve, by God’s grace and enabling power, to walk in the Way. These are the overcomers. And to them, the One who knows their works, Christ the Head of the Church, promises great reward for overcoming.

As I read this morning in Revelation 2, the rewards for faithful conquerors include: access to the tree of life in the paradise of God (2:7); a crown of life exempting its bearer from the second death (2:10b-11); hidden manna and a white stone personalized with a new name written on it (2:17); and, authority to rule alongside the King of heaven when He establishes His reign over the nations (2:26). Pretty great rewards I’m thinking!

But there’s one prize at the end of this chapter which, in a sense, makes the others pale in comparison. One promised reward that I think is at the heart of all other benefits for seeking to remain faithful. One outcome that is at the center of all other outcomes. And that is Christ Himself.

” . . . and I will give him the morning star.” ~ Jesus to the Church at Thyratira

(Revelation 2:28 ESV)

And what is this morning star promised to those who overcome? Flip to the end of the book and it, rather He, is identified.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the Root and the Descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star.”

(Revelation 22:16 ESV)

To the one who conquers, says Jesus, to him I will give Myself. What more could we want?

That is the great blessing of the gospel–Christ Himself!

Forgiveness of sins, adoption as sons and daughters, eternal life, an incorruptible inheritance–all promised as outcomes of our redemption. But all God’s promises find their Yes in Christ (2Cor. 1:20). And so, to have Him, to be given the Morning Star, is the great prize of the good news.

That God would dwell in the midst, that He would provide His presence, that is the prize above all other prizes. That He would not only own us as His special people, would not only welcome us as sons and daughters in His family, but would desire to come in and dine with us one-on-one, giving us Himself . . . oh what wonder! Oh what grace! Oh, give me Jesus.

I know it’s not about me and what I get. It’s not about me because I don’t deserve it–in fact, what I deserve, Christ bore on the cross. And, it’s not about me, because the Giver of every good gift is the one to receive all the glory. Yet, as the One who walks among the churches exhorts His own to keep on keepin’ on, He does so reminding us of the reward that awaits the faithful, drawing our attention to what awaits us after we have “fought the good fight, have finished the race, and have kept the faith” (2Tim. 4:7). We are to be motivated by the victor’s crown. And that, ultimately, is Christ Himself.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

(Revelation 2:29 ESV)

O’ the unfathomable wonder of the gifts of grace. To God be glory alone.

Posted in Revelation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Job and Jesus

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Pete

Back in routine (sort of) after spending the latter part of last week back in B.C. with my grandkids (their parents were there too . . . I think). And, this morning, I’m partaking of Job and Jesus.

I’m keenly aware that there’s a different dynamic when reading Job while you’re feeling you are in a “valley” season. Not that you’d ever equate your circumstance with Job’s, but you do find yourself relating to so much of his “out loud” mental processing. And something Job says in one of his responses to Eliphaz particularly resonates. But then, later in my morning reading, something Jesus says graciously recalibrates.

“Behold, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive Him; on the left hand when He is working, I do not behold Him; He turns to the right hand, but I do not see Him. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”   ~ Job

(Job 23:8-10 ESV)

Throughout this drama, Job’s wanting an audience with the Almighty. But he cant’ track Him down.

If He could just have a one-on-one with the Creator, Job would tell Him what is and what should be. But Job can’t seem to get both he and Him around the same table.

In fact, God’s not there when Job tries to go forward. And when Job looks back He’s not sensing God’s been there, either. Job looks to the left, and then to the right, and nothing–no presence. Though he knows God is active in the world, Job just doesn’t see Him active in his world. He cries out to heaven, but heaven’s silent.

Job’s feeling alone, terribly alone. The comforters in front of him are not really of much comfort. And the God above Him is so High He is beyond connecting with.

Sure, there’s the promise (at least I take it as a promise, though I suspect Job states it in a spirit of self-vindication). The promise that God is aware of the ways we take, even the valley paths. And that He uses such portions of the pilgrimage to continue His refining work in us so that, ultimately, for those who, through faith and by grace, keep on keepin’ on, gold will emerge. Precious promise. But still, no presence.

I get Job, at least to some degree. When you’re feeling the valley it’s easy to relate.

And then, I read in John 14. And Jesus’ words stir the soul and help it to recalibrate.

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. . . . And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and manifest myself to Him. . . . If anyone loves me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”   ~ Jesus

(John 14:16-18, 21b, 23 ESV)

Go forward, and know that God, through His indwelling Spirit, is there. Look back, and you see His presence in every time He has evidenced His unfailing commitment to never leave us nor forsake us. Look to the right, and to the left, and know the promise that, through the Third Person of our Triune God, that both Father and Son desire with great desire to come and make Their home with those who love Him. So affirms the Spirit of truth. And so is reality.

He is here, hallelujah! He is here, amen!

While we might relate to Job’s feeling of isolation, we’re revived when we acknowledge, believing wholeheartedly, that He is here. His Spirit having taken up permanent residence within us. A Helper in time of need . . . with us forever. A Deposit guaranteeing the outcome . . . the inheritance that awaits. An Intercessor on duty 24/7 . . . praying when we don’t know how to pray. A Comforter . . . ready to draw alongside and strengthen the weary pilgrim and to renew the inner man from the inside out.

Job and Jesus.

Feasting on manna from above.

By His grace. For His glory.

Have a few extra minutes?  Click here and check out GVB singing “He is Here!”

Posted in Job, John | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Man Greatly Loved

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Pete

Reading in Daniel this morning. And, to be honest, not sure I’m that focused on picking up the pieces of prophecy being laid down. Instead, I’m a bit distracted by who’s delivering the vision and how he refers to Daniel.

I think Daniel has an encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ in Daniel 10. He’s already connected with Gabriel, a mighty and awesome angel, but here I’m thinking Daniel is visited by the Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity (10:5-6). The description of Daniel’s “visitor” is remarkably similar to the description of John’s visitor on the Isle of Patmos (Rev1:12-16)–both, it would seem, having an encounter of the divine kind with the glorious Son of Man. Both doing what you do when you encounter the King of Kings, both going facedown (Dan. 10:9, Rev. 1:17).

And what’s grabbed me, and what’s distracted me, is how the awesome Christ of heaven addresses this man of dust of the earth.

And He said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when He had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. . . . And He said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage. And as He spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, Let my lord speak, for You have strengthened me.

(Daniel 10:11, 19 ESV)

Man greatly love. Twice the One who rolls back heaven’s veil and reveals His awe-invoking majesty to this mere mortal, calls His faithful servant, “Man greatly loved.”

Literally, “a man of desires.” The object of God’s delight. One precious in His sight; pleasant to know; pleasing to commune with. Just as John, the apocalyptic prophet of the New Testament, was the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” so Daniel, the apocalyptic prophet of the Old Testament, was the “man greatly loved” of the pre-incarnate Christ.

And I’m in awe that the mighty Creator would look upon anyone or anything in His fallen creation with such affection and desire. That any man or woman might be tenderly called man greatly love, or woman greatly loved, by the Almighty Ruler of the universe.

And not gonna lie, it gets personal. As I read the the words to Daniel, I hear a still, small voice whisper to me, “O man greatly loved.”

Who am I to think I might be addressed in such a way by the LORD of heaven?

And I’m reminded it’s not in any way about who I am, but solely about what He has accomplished through the cross. His desire and delight in me is in spite of what I have done, but His love is poured out because of who He is. God is love.

And I hear His voice, “O man greatly loved” and I too feel the need to go facedown. To thank Him for His amazing grace. To worship Him as He reveals His awe-invoking glory.

And then another thought comes to mind . . . Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. His face shining like the sun. His clothes as white as light. A bright cloud descending over Him and voice from the cloud thunders:

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

(Matthew 17:5 ESV)

The Christ, the apple of the Creator’s eye. The Savior, the delight of the Sovereign. Jesus, O Man greatly loved by the Father.

Greatly loved, He as the Source of abundant grace, we as recipients of grace. Greatly loved, He as the Beloved Son, we, somehow, for His glory.

O come let us adore Him!

And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces . . .

(Matthew 17:6 ESV)

Posted in Daniel | Tagged , | Leave a comment