Weak Like Paul

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Pete

Paul was in a battle. Not so much a battle for himself, but a battle for the hearts of those who were being drawn away from the things of Christ. The enemy forces were a group of fake apostles, those who came claiming to be messengers of God, but who corrupted the message as they preached “another Jesus” (2Cor. 11:4). The enemy’s battlefield? The minds of the Corinthian believers. The enemy’s goal? Secure these believers’ hearts and their following. The enemy’s tactic? Discredit Paul by exposing his weakness.

All this sets up 2Corinthians to be less theological and more emotional. Less about teaching the word and more about opening up his heart. As Paul contends for their faithfulness to Christ, he is forced to talk about himself, laying open his heart, his motivations, and his compassion for these precious believers as he pleads for faithfulness to the gospel.

And so, his enemies identify some of Paul’s apparent weaknesses. And vulnerability number one was the fact that, while Paul could put on a pretty tough front in the letters he wrote to the church when he was absent, he seemed kind of wimpy when he was in their midst. The ESV says they accused him of being “humble when face to face”, the NKJV renders it “lowly among you.” Literally, the original word could be rendered “cast down” or “not rising far from the ground.”

The fake apostles on the other hand, were bold and confident and boastful. They were charismatic, their very presence commanded a respect, their arrogant speech demanded others follow them. In some ways, they were the Goliaths stomping around Corinth and Paul was David. In fact, Paul sounds somewhat like David when he declares, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (10:4).

But what grabs me is the fact that Paul’s lowliness wasn’t some character fault. It wasn’t some natural trait that he had to combat to overcome. Not some genetic thing that he needed to compensate for by attending assertiveness training.

In fact, if you think about it, Paul was naturally wired to “dust it up” and kick some keester. In his previous life he was Saul, the Pharisee of the Pharisees. The one who aggressively defended Judaism and it’s religious tenets and practices to the point of hunting down those of “the Way” and throwing them in prison and consenting to their execution.

No, I think Paul’s lowliness was less about his natural disposition and more a result of his divine sanctification. His humble and timid presence wasn’t some weakness to be overcome, instead it was the fruit of being conformed to the image of Christ. It was the servant reflecting the Master, the disciple taking on the character of the Teacher.

Paul makes the connection himself . . .

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ . . .

(2Corinthians 10:1 ESV)

That was Paul “weakness”, the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Isaiah describes it this way:

Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice.”

(Isaiah 42:1-3 ESV).

Behold our Savior! Meek and gentle. Tearing down strongholds, not with legions of angels, but through His death on the cross. Proclaiming victory, not with a thundering voice from heaven, but with a last breath cry upon a tree, “It is finished!” Knees bowing to Him in worship and service, not because He commands it by force, but because He has gently wooed souls to Himself, and in His great love has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places” with Him (Eph. 2:6), and thus, it is the only response befitting a sinner saved by grace.

And all this He accomplished as the lowly King (Matt. 21:5).

Oh, that we might be “weak” like Paul. Characterized by divine meekness and gentleness. Not rising far from the ground. Patient and soft-spoken with God’s word. Careful when handling a bruised reed or in the presence of a faintly burning wick. Portraying the heart of Christ as we have the mind of Christ who “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant” (Php. 2:7).

To be weak like Paul, that the power of God might be known.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Generous in Every Way

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Pete

Don’t know exactly why the Spirit has determined to put this on my radar this morning, but evidently He does.

As I think about it, I’m probably still getting comfortable with 2Corinthians 8 and 9. I’ve never been a big fan of fund-raising–especially fund-raising in the church. I’m sure it stems from stuff in my past. Certainly from my days outside the church where I developed a cynic’s attitude about Christians and money from the tele-evangelists I saw on TV. And probably from being saved into a fellowship of believers who, for the most part, did not discuss money. They took great care to ensure the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing within the church family (Matt. 6:3) and, wouldn’t be caught dead asking outsiders for money as they held to the conviction that the Lord’s work would be supplied by the Lord’s people as the Lord led. Or, maybe I’ve become jaded a bit by the number of times I’ve heard this part of 2Corinthians used to apply what I thought was over-the-top pressure towards some financial goal under the guise of “teaching on stewardship.”

Whatever the discomfort, I need to get over it. The fund-raising Paul was doing for the saints in Jerusalem was God ordained. That the record of it is in my Bible is God-breathed. And, like I said, that it captures my attention this morning is most certainly God directed.

So here’s what I’m chewing on this morning . . . that generosity should mark the people of God.

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

(2Corinthians 9:10-12 ESV)

Enriched in every way to be generous in every way. That’s what caught my attention.

The redeemed should be among the most generous of people. With all that we have been blessed with, not just materially but spiritually as well, we should be the first to want others to benefit from our blessing.

We know we didn’t earn our salvation, for God “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Tit. 3:5-6). Enriched in every way through the outpouring of the Spirit.

And, really, our pay checks are only in part about our labor. Mostly they’re just another evidence of God’s faithful provision. And, for many of us in this land of relative abundance, they’re often the substance of God’s overflowing goodness and grace toward us.

So, having been enriched in every way, we are to be generous in every way.

Whether we’re talking about what we possess spiritually or materially, evidence of our new heart in Christ should manifest itself through generosity. If all that we have, be it money in the bank or treasure stored up in heaven, has been graciously supplied by a gifting God, then shouldn’t we in turn be ready and willing to let others share in the abundance we know? If, as Jesus said in Matthew 10, we have freely received, shouldn’t we freely give? I’m thinkin’ . . .

And here’s the other thing that’s grabbed me this morning: we have been enriched in every way to be generous in every way so that God might receive the glory in every way. Twice Paul speaks of their financial gift as not only benefiting the believers in Jerusalem, but also producing thanksgiving to God. That in supplying the need of the saints, their generoistiy more importantly overflows in many thanksgivings to God.

When we purpose to be a cheerful giver, when we act not out of compulsion nor reluctantly to sow bountifully, when we seek to grace as we have been graced, then God gets the glory. What greater motive to do anything than that the LORD would be praised?

Enriched in every way . . . to be generous in every way . . that God receives the glory in every way.

I can get comfortable with that!

By His grace. For His glory.

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A Garment of Praise

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Pete

Jesus claimed the prophet’s words as His own. On that Sabbath day in the synagogue, the carpenter from Nazareth read the words from Isaiah 61 and declared that in Him they were fulfilled (Luke 4:18-19). As He sat down, many still saw Him just as Mary’s boy. But by His declaration that morning, He was standing up and claiming to be the LORD’s anointed, the Messiah.

As such, He had come to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives (Isa. 61:1). What’s more, beyond the proclamation business, He would be in the comfort business (Isa. 61:2-3). For those who mourned, He promised He would exchange their covering of ashes with a crown of beauty. He would ease the pain of their mourning by applying the oil of gladness. And He would cover their fainting spirit of heaviness with a garment of praise.

Psalm 103 is such a garment.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
   and all that is within me,
   bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
   and forget not all His benefits.

(Psalm 103:1-2 ESV)

How good is our God to provide such garments of praise? A covering of remembrance that causes us to rejoice? How we need to put these clothes on from time to time, especially when those times occur in deep, deep valleys.

It has become so evident to me how easy we can miss out on the blessings of the day because we are consumed with the uncertainties of tomorrow. How easy it is to allow the sadness of what might have been to rob us of the joy of what has been. To let the disappointment of expectations not met to silence the thanksgiving for all the blessings known which we could never have imagined.

And so, to hover over a song like Psalm 103 is like putting on a garment of praise.

To be reminded of iniquities forgiven, diseases healed, and a life redeemed from the pit. To rejoice afresh in the reality that He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor has He repaid us according to our iniquities–instead, He  has loved us with a steadfast love as high as the heavens are above the earth.

To read again that, as a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those He has called to be His own. That with tender affection He knows their dust-formed frame and understands the frailty of their lives. And that, though our days on earth may be as the grass, His unfailing love will be ours to experience and enjoy from everlasting to everlasting.

How can we not turn our eyes upon Jesus as we clothe yourselves with such truth? As we taste and see again for the first time that the Lord is good? Such a garment compels us to look unto the Author of our faith and respond afresh with “Thank you.”

Beyond the joy of having been saved from the penalty of sin in the past and rescued from the power of sin in the present, praise can’t help but flow from our lips as our redemption draws near and we anticipate deliverance from the very presence of sin in the future. And such anticipation of being in His holy presence, and knowing fully what it is to have life everlasting, can only bring about adoration.

The living water of the word has a way of priming the pump of worship.

And worship has a way of renewing the weary. Anticipation, a way of easing the burden. Adoration, a way of displacing the clouds. The garment of praise, a way of lifting the spirit of heaviness.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
   and all that is within me,
   bless His holy name!

Because of His amazing grace. All for His everlasting glory.

Amen?

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He Looks Down

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Pete

I read something this morning that was written specifically for me. Penned centuries and centuries before, the author, as well as the Divine Author, had me in mind. And so, as I chew on it this morning, I’m savoring the implication of a God who looks down.

Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that He looked down from His holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth.

(Psalm 102:18-19 ESV)

It was recorded for a generation to come, a people yet to be created. Referring, no doubt, to subsequent generations of those whose lineage is found in the tribes of Israel. But I can’t help but think that “a people yet to be created” foreshadows a new tribe. Not a bloodline people, but a blood-bought people. Not based on their birth certificate but on their rebirth certificate.

Redeemed through the finished work of the cross, they are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession” (1Pet. 2:9). They are new creations in Christ, sins forgiven, hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh, robed in the righteousness of the Son, sealed by the Spirit, the life they now live they live by faith in the Son of God who loved them and gave Himself for them (Gal. 2:20).

And they are my people. Not because of who we are, but because of what Jesus has done. Not because of what we’ve done, but because of who He is. And to this generation, to this people yet to be created, the ancient writer wants it known, He looks down.

From the holy heights of heaven our God graciously peers over the balcony. His ear attentive to the prayers of His people. His attention captured by their cries. His compassion ignited by their groanings. He looks down.

And ours is to look up. To believe what the inspired author says is true is, in fact, true. To pray even when our prayers seem to go no higher than the ceiling, because we know the LORD knows. He has eyes on what is happening down here from up there. And He will act as He sovereignly determines . . . according to His promise, fulfilling His purpose, so that His name will be praised.

Comfort and awe. Those are the “flavors” I’m tasting as I chew on the truth of a God who looks down.

Comfort, because the Almighty knows our estate. Familiar with our weakness. Aware of our struggle. Supplying living water without end “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Awe, because He cares. He who is in need of nothing, cares enough to look down upon our need. So loves His people that He listens to our voice. So anticipates the day when we will be in His presence that He patiently works with us, through all our circumstance–both mountaintops and valleys–to form in us the image of His Son through the sanctifying work of His Spirit.

He looks down . . .

. . . that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD . . .

For His grace. For His glory.

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And He Played the Harp Too

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Pete

To quote Admiral Boom from Mary Poppins, “A word of advice, young man. Storm signals are up at number 17. Bit of heavy weather brewing there.” Number 17, in my reading this morning, was anywhere Saul was. The ego-driven king had spared the sheep, disobeyed the command, and rejected His God. Thus God had rejected Him from being king, determined the throne would be removed, and the Spirit had departed. Storm signals were up. And a “harmful spirit” came upon on the king-to-no-longer-be and tormented him. Dark clouds hung over the rebellious king.

But music has a way of soothing the troubled soul and so Saul’s servants encouraged him to bring in a capable musician so that when the clouds of depression descended, the music of the heart might lift the heaviness. Saul agrees and a musician is identified.

One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the LORD is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.”

(1Samuel 16:18-19 ESV)

David’s resume caught my eye as I read it this morning. Not only did he meet the minimum qualifications of being skillful with an instrument, but he was also known to be a man of courage and a brave warrior, as well. What’s more, he was articulate and well-spoken. And even his looks were fit for the courts of a king. But beyond his capability, his character, and his comeliness, David had something else that set him apart–Jehovah.

The LORD, the self-existing One, was with David. The presence of the Creator was especially found on His chosen creation. The Spirit of heaven’s glory had come upon the soon to be sovereign of Israel’s throne.

And as I chew on it, that’s what really mattered. The LORD was with him.

No matter how much talent someone has, there’ll always be someone a bit more skillful. No matter how brave, someone else braver. No matter how well-spoken, someone else more eloquent. And looks? Well they’re pretty fleeting. Today’s beauty becoming tomorrow’s wrinkles. The 6-pack abs we work so hard for now, looking more like a keg before we know it. But a man or woman whose constant companion is the LORD? That’s eternal.

Sure David’s playing would sooth Saul’s troubled soul. And the fact that he could handle a sword and debate a Rhodes scholar couldn’t hurt. But what the son of Jesse really brought to the house of Saul was the presence of the LORD.

And isn’t that the x-factor any believer should bring into the house of their employer? Beyond their skill, they’re also accompanied by the Spirit. The job get’s done and something of Jehovah is made manifest. While they may be employed by their boss, they ultimately work for their Master.

. . . but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me . . . For in these things I delight, declares the LORD. 

(Jeremiah 9:24 ESV)

David was a man known for the LORD’s presence with him . . . and he played the harp too.

All because of grace. All for God’s glory.

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Swallowed Up by Life

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Pete

Said it before, will say it again. Sometimes the best way to deal with the here and now is to pause and refocus on the there and then. Paul did. Reading in 2Corinthians 4 this morning and Paul’s “afflicted in every way”, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and constantly brushing up against death. Yet, he writes, “We are not crushed, nor driven to despair. We don’t feel forsaken, nor are we dismayed.” How come?

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence.

(2Corinthians 4:13-14 ESV)

Paul could go through all he went through and still not lose heart because, by faith, he knew that just as God had raised Jesus from the dead, so too, Paul would overcome death and one day be in His presence. Though his outer man wasted away with the eroding burdens of doing life, yet his inner man was being renewed daily as He anticipated being “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (4:16, 5:8). And when home, he anticipated “an eternal weight of glory” that made what was going on down here but a “light momentary affliction” in comparison (4:17).

He could deal with all the trial, tribulation, and all the suffering; he could put up with the spectre of death that hung over his mortality, because he knew that one day it would be swallowed up by life.

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened–not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage.

(2Corinthians 5:4-6a ESV)

Swallowed up by life. That’s the phrase that I’m chewing on this morning. Doesn’t matter what translation you read, it reads the same. Literally, our mortality is drunk down, and so, it is swallowed up. Devoured, destroyed, absolutely and fully consumed. And by what? Life. According to my Greek lexicon, the state of one who is possessed by vitality. The real thing, genuine and full. Life active and vigorous.

All the burden is lifted. The clouds are forever removed. The weight on your chest, never to be experienced again. All because it will be swallowed by life. The handicap of aging and illness, consumed forever by vitality and vigor.

No wonder Paul saw the valleys of the here and now as light momentary afflictions. Because, by faith, and through the inner witness of the active, life-guaranteeing Spirit of God, he could anticipate something of what life would be like in the presence of the glory of the Author of Life. He could sense something of the joy to be known in a place where every tear is wiped away and there shall be no more “mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

All because it will be swallowed up by life.

And so, we don’t lose heart. Our inner man, our inner woman, is being renewed day by day. We groan, not so much because we again need to carry the burden of the day, but because we can’t wait to put on the weight of glory that will be ours in a soon to come tomorrow. And so, by faith, we keep on keepin’ on.

By His grace. For His glory.

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How Do I Smell?

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Pete

If I’m correctly applying what I’m reading this morning, then I have an odor. If, what Paul says concerning himself is also true of me, than I emit a particular scent. Not a literal aroma (though some of us do), but a spiritual emanation. Not one picked up by one of our five senses. But one that registers before the throne of God. So, I guess the question I could be asking this morning is, “How do I smell?”

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

(2Corinthians 2:14-15 ESV)

In describing his ministry, “to preach the gospel of Christ” (2:12), Paul likened it to God diffusing, or manifesting, “the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.” The knowledge of God has a certain “air” about it. It possesses a distinctive savor, a particular aroma.

For some, those who have eyes to see and hears to hear (and, I guess, noses to smell), the fragrance is very attractive. It draws them to the Source. Creates a desire to fill themselves with the enticing aroma of the love and grace of God as shown in and through His Son. For others, though, it is a distasteful smell. It repels them. It is the smell of death (2:16). A foul odor that causes them to hold their noses and seek escape. But, regardless how it was received, Paul saw himself as a vehicle through which God emitted the fragrance of the knowledge of Himself.

But not only did Paul see himself as having a fragrance to those around him, but, led by the divine authorship of the Spirit, Paul writes that He also had a certain bouquet before God. That to God he possessed the aroma of Christ. Different Greek word used here. While a general term for savor or odor is used in verse 14–we emit a certain odor which is the knowledge of God–in verse 15 the word is literally “a sweet smell” or a “sweet savor.” It’s the same descriptor attached to the Old Testament sacrifices, a thing well-pleasing to God.

So Paul saw himself emanating a particular scent both to those around him and to heaven itself. For those encountering it on earth, it was either a life-giving aroma or, it had the stench of judgment and death upon it. But to those who picked it up in the heavenlies, it was a sweet smelling savor. The God who saved Paul and called him to represent the kingdom of heaven could breathe deep and take in the wonderful aroma of a life given to sacrificial service for the One who saved him. God detecting that Paul had put on the aromatic nuance of His Son, the One who “loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:2).

So I gotta ask myself, “How do I smell?”

What kind of scent am I emitting to those around me? What are they picking up in the air when I’m around. Is it fresh and alive, and gospel-scented? Or, is it kind of stale, more like moldy religion?

And how about the God who so loves me? What’s He picking up? Is He breathing deep of that sweet smelling savor of sacrifice? The sacrifice of a life surrendered on the altar? (Rom. 12:1) The sacrifice of praise, the fruit of my lips offered in constant thanksgiving and praise? (Heb. 13:15)

Sounds a bit intimidating to be asking such questions, doesn’t it? Yeah! To Paul too!

Who is sufficient for these things?    (2Corinthians 2:16b ESV)

Not us. At least not on our own.

While we can seek to cultivate the right mix of ingredients which might result in a pleasant and enticing perfume, God is the Perfumer. He takes the unique composition of “ingredients” we willing give to Him, and He works it to create a spiritual, one of a kind, “Designer” fragrance for us to wear. The ingredients we bring to the table are mixed with His grace and enhanced by His Spirit and are turned into an aroma worn for His glory.

Might we beware of the fragrance we emit. Might we desire to be a sweet smelling savor! That those we come in contact with would pick up on a certain scent coming off us. Something not quite of this world. Something that hints of the God who so loved the world. And, might we continually be an aromatic offering ascending to the throne. That God would detect the fragrance of His Son on us.

An aroma infused by grace. An aroma worn for His glory.

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Smart Thinking

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Pete

Paranoia is just smart thinking when everybody’s against you. Heard that years ago from a colleague. Made me laugh then. Still causes me to chuckle now. And I kind of think that, overall, our culture is full of “smart thinkers.” If not full-blown classic paranoiacs, then those who exercise a “healthy level” of distrust. Ours is something of a society of cynics as we assume that everyone is working an angle. While there’s truth that we need to be discerning on the one hand, and willing to earn other’s trust on the other, I fear that all too often we start at a deficit position because our culture assumes everyone is working some sort of personal agenda, be it political, ideological, theological, ecological, physiological, or, from our point of view, simply illogical. And maybe that’s just smart thinking when you’re living in this world. But what if your peer group is of another world?

For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

(2Corinthians 1:12 ESV)

Paul did what he did with simplicity and godly sincerity. Whether it was suffering for the faith or apparently meddling in the affairs of one of the churches he had planted, his motives were born of a “mental honesty” and free from pretense and hypocrisy. His actions were spurred not from a preconceived agenda he put together but from a divine stewardship he had been given. His motives were pure. His actions were consistent. And his barometer for knowing this to be true? His conscience.

And while I get that when going out into the world we need to be “wise as serpents” (Matt 10:16), I’m also thinking that when hanging out with the family of God we should know such security that, when it comes to our brother and sisters, we receive them being as “innocent as doves.” Without malice of intent, on the up and up, seeking to live by the grace of God in simplicity and sincerity for the glory of God.

But I fear that too often we embrace the world’s “smart thinking.” We convey that even believers have to be received with a measure of “godly suspicion.” That while they are new creations in Christ we don’t really think they’re all that new. That we need to assume they too have an agenda and already know the answers they want, even if they say they are simply asking questions.

Sure, there’s a level of risk in starting from a point of trust with another believer. But isn’t it a risk worthy taking? If when, by determining to behave ourselves in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, and believing that others seeking the kingdom are doing likewise, we portray something in our community which refutes “earthly wisdom” and instead puts on display the grace of God.

Simplicity and godly sincerity, that’s how Paul determined he would govern all his actions. But especially, supremely, those directed toward the people of God.

Sure there may be a place for “smart thinking” as we sojourn, but there’s even more a need for sanctified thinking.

May God’s people be marked by simplicity and sincerity of purpose and may we be known for how we love, and trust, one another.

Because of grace and by His grace. That it might be for His glory.

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Being a Comforter

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Pete

Kind of a crazy week. A dear sister and her husband eerily walking a similar path to what we walked over five years ago. Word that an associate of mine from the past recently lost a daughter who was just starting to live her life. And a friend whose friends suddenly find themselves dealing with the loss of an active 16 year old son to a hidden medical condition. Like I said, crazy. And all this layered onto the stuff we’re working through in our own little piece of this mosaic called life. And don’t even get me going on all that’s going on in the news.

Sometimes, trying to deal with all the suffering, ours and others, can feel somewhat overwhelming. Honestly, I think I can kind of get those who decide to tap out. I understand, at least to some degree, why someone might choose to retreat. To put themselves in a self-directed, indefinite time out. To try out hermit-hood for awhile.

But, while we don’t always have a lot answers for the trials we go through or for the suffering around us, as I start in on 2Corinthians this morning, I’m reminded of at least one answer for our many “Why?”s.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

(2Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV)

Affliction. Also translated tribulation, troubles, hard times. Literally, pressure, a pressing together. A weight on your chest. A burden bowing your back.

And our God, the Father of mercies, is the God who comforts us in those afflictions. The One who alleviates some of the pressure. The One who draws alongside and helps carry the burden. Who quietly speaks words of comfort and hope so as to restore some level of equilibrium. Who tilts the chin upward so that we refocus on things above and not obsess only what’s below. Who provides a sustaining grace and a supernatural power to help us keep on keepin’ on.

So, at least part of knowing hard times is that we would also know divine comfort. And having experienced that, then be available to comfort others who are dealing with the weight of their own sufferings.

Maybe that’s why, when it’s still so fresh and you’d rather just hang out by yourself in a cave, the Lord makes you aware of opportunity to pass it on. To draw alongside others and empathize. To listen with a bit more understanding of what others may be experiencing. To maybe say a word in season that might be used as a bit of balm in the hands of the God of all comfort.

I don’t really know. And, after all, it’s not about me.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort . . .

But there is something about having been comforted that qualifies you, at least in some measure, to being a comforter.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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The Redeemer Who Redeems

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Pete

When’s a redeemer not a redeemer? When he is unable, or unwilling, to redeem.

In ancient Israel it wasn’t enough just to have the right to redeem another’s land, but the next redeemer in line also needed to have the means. He needed to be able to pay the price. But as I read the last chapter of Ruth this morning, I’m also reminded that even having the right and the means to redeem doesn’t necessarily make you a redeemer if you’re not willing to pay the price . . . if you’re not really willing to redeem.

While Boaz was a relative of Naomi’s late husband, Elimilech, and therefore had the right to redemption, there was a closer relative who legally had the first right of refusal on acquiring Elimilech’s estate. And it’s evident that this closer relative would have no problem coming up with the cash. So, when Boaz pulls him aside at the gate in front of many witnesses to offer him first dibs on the estate, potential redeemer No. 1 is all in. He’ll take the land Naomi has put up for sale.

But then Boaz points out that what’s to be redeemed is a package deal. That the field was to be accompanied by a female. That keeping the land in the family was only part of the deal. But that the greater priority was keeping the family on the land. And so, according to Mosaic precedent (Deut. 25:5-6), and the condition of sale insisted upon by Naomi, to buy the land also meant taking a wife–Naomi’s interest being not only for her own welfare, but for Ruth, her widowed daughter-in-law, as well.

At that the point, the redeemer isn’t. While he has the cash, it’s too high a price to pay. Taking on another parcel of land is one thing, but taking on another person? That’s a totally different matter. Though the transaction might increase his assets, it would dilute their value and impact his plans for his own inheritance. And so he passes.

Did he have the right to redeem? Yes. Able to redeem? You bet. Willing to redeem? No way! And so, the redeemer is really no redeemer at all.

Enter the true redeemer . . . the redeemer who redeems.

Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”

(Ruth 4:9-10 ESV)

Boaz was ready to redeem. He was able to redeem. And he was willing to redeem. Willing to pay the price for the real estate. Willing to invest his life in the relationship. A redeemer who redeemed.

And as I chew on Boaz’s act of redemption, I get a fresh taste of the redemption secured by another redeemer, Jesus, the Greater Boaz.

He had the right to redeem, as all things were made by Him and for Him. He possessed the means to redeem, by virtue of the fact that His blood shed as the Lamb of God was sufficient to pay the wages owed for the sin of the world. But, here’s the thing that moves me this morning. His willingness to not only pay the price, but to take on the relationship, too.

The spotless, pure, and holy Son of God willing to be yoked with a sinner, though a redeemed sinner, such as I. Not just to tolerate me abiding in His presence, but desiring, even more, to come in and sup with me in all my work-in-progress imperfections. Not only willing to be the Shepherd of often fickle sheep, but to have paid the price so that He might call us His brothers and sisters. Looking way beyond us as just those redeemed to be part of His inheritance, but willing, even desirous, that as His precious possession, we might one day share with Him in the glorious inheritance that will be His from the Father.

Jesus the Christ . . . the Redeemer who redeems.

Ready, able, and willing to save to the uttermost.

Shedding His blood that I might have life, even life to the full.

O what a Savior!

Such amazing grace. To Him be all the glory!

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