Under the Influence

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Pete

There’s a foreboding about the summary of the reign of the kid king in 2Chronicles 24. You read the words and though they sound very familiar they don’t sound quite right. Common for the writers of Kings and Chronicles to summarize the reign of a king as one who either “did evil in the sight of the LORD” or one who “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.” But when it comes to Joash, there’s an interesting qualifier that grabs my attention.

Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

(2Chronicles 24:1-2 ESV)

It’s been a downward slope since the reign of King Jehoshaphat back in chapters 17 through 20. And though Jehoshaphat walked in the ways of David (17:3) he made a marriage alliance with Ahab (18:1) that would prove to be a leaven that would severely spoil the reigns of his successors to the throne. He married his son, Jehoram, to Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. Jehoram’s reign is marked by doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD as “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife” (21:6).

What’s more, the evil influence of Athaliah continued after the death of her husband and infected her son’s rule as well.. Ahaziah, son of Jehoram, “also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly” (22:3). And when, after only a year on the throne Azariah is killed, his mother takes the throne for herself executing all other heirs except for her baby grandson, Joash, who is taken away and hidden by Jehoiada the priest and his wife.

And when, after 6 years in hiding, Joash is placed on the throne as the kid king and Athaliah is executed, Joash, it says, did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. But again, what grabs me is that he did what was right not “all his days” but “all the days of Jehoiada the priest.”

While Jehoiada lived and provided counsel to his young disciple, the house of the LORD was restored from years of neglect due to Baal worship. Money was collected per the instruction of Moses, and craftsmen were employed to restore the place where God’s glory should dwell. And “they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD regularly all the days of Jehoiada” (24:14) — there it is again, “all the days of Jehoiada.”

But then the priest dies. And the princes of Judah, those who had a greater concern for politics than piety, start sucking up to Joash. And, so says the record, “the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols” (24:17-18).

And as I chew on this king who ruled well as long as he had the right voices in his ear, a couple of thoughts come to mind.

First, that it is impossible for righteousness to take hold solely by adherence to the law. Rather, righteousness comes only from an act of God upon the heart. Joash went through the motions for years, all the days of Jehoiada, but there appears to have been no meaning. He performed but seems to have had no pursuit for the things of God. While Jehoiada may have had the king’s ear, what the king needed was for God to give him a new heart. What Joash needed was the gospel, the power of salvation for those who believe, “for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith” (Rom 1:16-17).

Second, and more directly, I notice the power of the voices in our lives. Take Jehoiada’s counsel, mix it with a regenerated life, and you have revival. But take an Athaliah, or the princes of Judah, and you have inevitable reversal.

How I need to be careful, even as a new creation in Christ with a heart attuned to things above, of the voices that speak into my life. That, by God’s grace, His word would be regularly opened before me–regularly as in daily by me and not just weekly by a preacher. That, by God’s Spirit, I might know an abiding communion where I discern that still small voice seeking to lead me in the walk that is worthy of my calling. That I might surround myself with godly men and women who love to talk about the things of the kingdom and encourage me to keep on keepin’ on.

How I need to be under the influence. Under the influence of that which fuels the new life rather than that which seeks to mute it.

A warning received. A warning heeded.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Tithing from the Inside Out

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Pete

He couldn’t believe that Jesus had accepted his invitation. And when Jesus did arrive, His Pharisee host “was astonished.” He marveled. He was seized with wonder. But not because he finally was up close and personal with the Man who had performed so many mighty works. Not because he was one-on-one with Him who taught not as others, but as one with authority. No, instead “the Pharisee was astonished to see that He did not first wash before dinner” (Luke 11:38).

Is it any wonder that Jesus got so choked with the religious elite? Theirs was a perverse piety. A false faith. A reprobate religion. Lots of good works but not much in the way of an authentic walk. And so Jesus calls the Pharisee on his misdirected amazement.

And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.”

(Luke 11:37-41 ESV)

There was protocol to be followed, didn’t Jesus know that? Did He not understand the difference between clean and unclean? Had He not grasped the importance of doing what needed to be done in order to satisfy the Levitical and Rabbinical law? What was wrong with Him?!?

But Jesus knew that this man was driven more by mechanics than meaning. That his self-cleansing was more a mindless routine than it was a catalyst for reflection. All he was concerned with was “the outside of the cup.” No regard for the filth on the inside. And so Jesus tells him, tithe from the inside out.

Giving alms was another act of piety which the religious elite took pride in. They made sure that anything they dropped in the plate was noticed by others. That any gesture of kindness shown toward “the less fortunate” was recorded for posterity. But Jesus didn’t seem to care very much what came out of their purse, if it wasn’t first matched by what came out of their person.

Give as alms those things that are within . . .

To be honest, I naturally find myself judging and distancing myself from the “religious right” of Jesus day. They are “them” and they is not me. But, to be honest, after identifying with the sinner-saved-by-grace in the Scriptures, the religious are the next group I should be most aware of. Though they are not what I once was, they can be those who I’ve now become. And so I need to take note when Jesus speaks to those who consider themselves righteous because of the right they are doing. I need to slow down and consider what Jesus says to those who have disciplined themselves to develop holy habits but have neglected the greater matter of cultivating a consecrated heart.

And so Jesus says, tithe from the inside out. Give first of your heart. Offer first of your soul. Render first fully of yourself before you tender a portion of your cash.

How easy it is to become smug with what we’ve determined to do for the LORD and ignore what He’s asked for from us. He seeks our heart before He’s impressed with our hard work. He desires the top place in our priorities list before He’s delighted with the good we claim to do in His name. He wants heaven-directed motives much more than are hard-earned money.

If my offering is limited to what I routinely put in the plate on Sunday morning, then I’ve missed His ask for my whole heart during the week. If I’m feeling good about myself because of what I do and not because of Who I desire, then my faith has faltered. If by my calculated actions alone I seek to honor the One who died for me, then I have forgotten what heaven pleasing worship really looks like.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

(Romans 12:1 ESV)

Oh to tithe from the inside out. To again offer first myself before offering next my money. To freely obey not because my works will maintain my righteousness, but because my heart seeks nothing more than to respond to Him for His righteousness credited to my account.

Tithing from the inside out . . .  only by His grace . . . only for His glory!

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A Funny Thing (a 2013 rerun)

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Pete

Reading in 2Chronicles again this morning.  Hovering over the account of King Asa’s reign and thinking again of how easy it seems to be for those who start well to not finish so well.  That seeking the LORD now doesn’t guarantee, in and of itself, that one will always seek the LORD.  Another reading this morning seems to capture the warning pretty well:

So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 

(1Thessalonians 5:6  ESV)

Rerunning some thoughts from 2013 that captured for me the warning communicated by the reign of King Asa.

Pride is a funny thing . . . funny weird . . . not funny ha-ha. And, if there was ever a people who should have the pride thing in hand, it’s us believers. We who have already acknowledged our bankruptcy, who have recognized that in us, and of ourselves, no good thing exists, who have seen that our best is as filthy rags before a holy God. But there are enough warnings in Scripture that indicate the reality that those who once humbled themselves in the sight of the LORD can somehow rationalize lifting themselves back up again. Point in case this morning? King Asa of Judah (2Chronicles 14-16).

Here’s the essence of King Asa’s story . . .

Asa is identified as one of the kings who “did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God” (14:2).  He encouraged Judah (the southern kingdom of the divided Israel) to seek the LORD. And, he put his money where his mouth was by tearing down the high places of idol worship. For a decade, there was peace and prosperity in Judah during which time he also built up an army of 580,000 fighting men (14:8). Then, 10 years into his reign, Zerah the Ethiopian comes out against Judah with a military force of one million men (sub-lesson: there’s always someone bigger and better than you). Out numbered almost two-to-one, Asa cries out to the LORD, believing that God is bigger yet than the Ethiopian army (again, note sub-lesson),

“O LORD, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you . . .”

(2Chronicles 14:11 ESV)

And the LORD strikes the Ethiopians and Judah is victorious. King Asa then, was a man who pursued God, a man who trusted in God, and a man who knew practically the reality of the power and faithfulness of God.

And it gets better (before it gets worse).

The Spirit of God comes upon a guy named Azariah who prophesies to Asa and his people,

“The LORD is with you while you are with Him.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

(2Chronicles 15:2 ESV)

And it sparks national revival in Judah. The people enter “into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul” (15:12) and “all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around” (15:15). So King Asa was a godly man who led others in a passionate pursuit of devotion to the LORD.

So far, so good. Even though King Asa was a powerful man, he had been a humbled man. As such, he had learned to cast himself upon His God. And in that state, though he was “top of the food chain” in Judah, he acknowledged Him who is above the kings of all the earth and sought Him with all his being.

But fast forward 25 years and, like I said, pride is a funny thing. King Asa is again attacked by a powerful army, the army of Israel. But this time he relies on his own wisdom and devices. He looks to his own means. So he purchases military power from Syria.

What he doesn’t do is seek the LORD. And God calls him on it through another prophet (16:7-8). And, rather than humble himself at the rebuke of God, Asa throws the prophet into prison. Weird. And this hard-hearted self-sufficiency continues even when Asa, three years later, becomes severely sick, “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (16:12). Weird, again.

I wonder if, during those years of peace and rest, Asa, in his own mind, doesn’t rewrite history a bit. I wonder if he starts remembering how he defeated the Ethiopians. If he gets into the habit of patting himself on the back on how well he has brought peace and prosperity to the land. It seems that over the years seeking after God has waned . . . that self-sufficiency has increased . . . and that pride, that funny weird not funny ha-ha thing, has turned His heart away from God.

It’s another one of those warnings to those of us who have been running the race for a few years now. To not to presume that we’ll finish well . . . to not coast on what we think are our accomplishments. It’s a flashing yellow light cautioning me to not think more highly of myself than I ought, but to continually acknowledge God’s grace and God’s power in all the victories I’ve known. It’s a reminder that pride will cloud the thinking and create a sense of self-sufficiency that will turn my heart away from the God I so desire to give my heart to.

Father, by Your grace, and for Your glory, keep me from funny weird . .

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Unholy Alliances

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Pete

He might have loved her, but he couldn’t live with her. He married her, but he wouldn’t move in with her. He gave her his heart, but she couldn’t share his home. Because, though she was his honey, she wasn’t holy. Though she was his sweetheart, she wasn’t set apart. Such is the cloud over the portion of 2Chronicles I read this morning.

Solomon brought Pharaohs daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy.”

(2Chroncles 8:11 ESV)

In my bible 2Chronicles 8 is subtitled, Solomon’s Accomplishments. Between this chapter and the next there is an amazing summary of Solomon’s over-the-top wisdom, words, and wealth. A really impressive bio. The fame and reputation that preceded him paling in comparison to actually meeting him. With glory given to the God “who has delighted in you and set you on His throne as king for the LORD your God” (9:8).

And tucked away in this report detailing his greatness is the identification of his Achilles heel. It’s the hole in his dam. The chink in his armor. His wife couldn’t live where he lived, couldn’t reside where he resided, because it was too near the holy place–and she wasn’t. And so he builds her another place to live and she moves off the holy hill, eventually taking Solomon’s heart with her.

That Solomon took her as his wife was more strategic than romantic. 1Kings tells us that “Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt” (1Ki 3:1). He took a bride from the land of his people’s deliverance in order to leverage the best of what that world had to offer.

Little did he know, I’m thinking, that it would mark the start of a slippery slope as he would love “many foreign women . . . from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, ‘You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods'” (1Ki. 11:1-2). And though he tried to keep separate the sacred from the secular, not letting them reside on the holy hill where God’s glory would reside, “when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1Ki. 11:4).

The record would indicate that Solomon did not submit his love life to the lordship of Jehovah. And I’m thinking that alarms should have gone off in his head and yellow flags raised in his conscience when he recognized that his first wife was incompatible with his first love. Though he sought the Lord and sacrificed to the Lord, he had to do it alone. He should have known something wasn’t right when he came to the conclusion that if the glory was to abide then his gal would need to reside somewhere else.

A warning, it seems to me. A warning about somehow thinking we can separate our worlds. That somehow we can organize the sacred apart from the secular and enjoy the fruits of each. That somehow we can work a “win-win” alliance with the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light without the kingdom of darkness eventually taking over. That somehow, if we just set up the right boundaries, we can share our heart between the Way and the world without the world consuming us.

How I need to beware of unholy alliances. How I need to be cautious of anything I cling to which I wouldn’t carry in with me to the holy of holies.

Instead, might everything be sacred. Everything sanctified as it is brought under submission to the will and word of God. That the loves of my life might be consecrated by the Lover of My Soul.

All by His sanctifying grace. All for His shining glory.

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What Shall I Do?

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Pete

It was an encounter of the divine kind. A lawyer of Israel stood before the Judge of all mankind and sought to put Him to the test. The topic? How to inherit eternal life. The question? What shall I do? The answer? You tell me.

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

(Luke 10:25-29 ESV)

Jesus engages with the man, though the lawyer’s motives were less than sincere. He wanted to know what to do. Jesus told him he already knew what to do, so do it.

At first, it might sound like Jesus is preaching a salvation by works. But had that been the case, there would have been no need for the lawyer’s second question. No need for him to try to justify himself. He understood that if meriting heaven required obeying the law then it would be impossible without some qualifiers.

I imagine the sweat forming on his brow as Jesus turns the tables on his smug answer. I’m thinking the lawyer rattled the two greatest commands off pretty quickly. Jesus’ question was from home-schooling 101. He had memorized them as a child. Been quizzed on them repeatedly in synagogue. He knew the answer. But there was something in how Jesus told him to “just do it” that cut deep. Something that pricked his conscience.

A light went on revealing that what had been pretty easy to recite his whole life was, in fact, pretty impossible to actually do. Perhaps for the first time he paused to consider the implications of trying to practically obey the command. In the presence of the Truth, as he had never before, he was honest about how well he had been keeping the Law. And so he tries to maintain some sense of self-righteousness by seeking to reduce the field of “neighbors” he has to love as himself. (Funny that he didn’t try and probe what it really meant to love God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your strength and with ALL your mind.)

And I’m noodling on this not to judge the lawyer. But to marvel afresh that the answer doesn’t lie in, “What shall I do?” but in what God has already done. The law, whether the one given to Moses on Sinai or the one written on my heart and conscience, can only serve to condemn. It can only set a standard which, in and of myself, I am unable to meet. It’s design is to do what it did to the lawyer, to reveal my great need for a salvation which isn’t dependent on my performance.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, . . . the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.

(Romans 3:21-25 ESV)

A righteousness apart from law. Transgression and rebellion dealt with by grace. Declared not guilty before God as a gift. All because of Christ’s blood shed to pay the price for my sin. The price paid in full. Redemption secured.

What shall I do? Receive it by faith. That’s what Jesus knew the lawyer needed, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

O, what a Savior!

To Him be all glory!

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So God, What Are You Thinking?

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Pete

Hovering over Psalm 139 this morning. Perhaps one of the most introspective songs of David, yet one of the most outwardly focused.

There’s a sense of hush and awe as David considers the all-knowing, ever-present nature of Jehovah. A sense of wonder that such a big God is aware of such small people. Not just aware as in a faint knowledge or passing interest. But intimately aware. Aware, as in every day that David lived had been scripted by the hand of God before they came to be (v.16). Aware, as in created by God. His entire being intricately designed and knit together. His physical, emotional, and spiritual essence all formed by the hand of God (vv. 13-15). Aware, as in aware in the moment. God present at all times, in all places, through all circumstances (vv. 1-12).

And most often when I read Psalm 139, I find myself camping on the end of the song. Chewing on David’s desire to be known. Asking God to search him, know his heart, and to be acquainted with his thoughts.

But this morning it’s another set of thoughts that has grabbed my attention.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
   I awake, and I am still with You. (Psalm 139:17-18 ESV)

So God, what are You thinking?

I read this Psalm and it’s clear that God has thought about me. A lot! But how often do I quiet myself and consider deeply that the Almighty, even now, is thinking about me. As vast as the sum of all the Divine consideration that has gone into me living this life at this time in this place, what of the continuing flowing sand that constitutes God’s considerations of me as “I awake, and I am still with You”?

So God, what are You thinking?

Are You frustrated as last night’s confession of failure (once again!) echoes in Your ear? Are You sitting back with Your arms crossed, Your chin dipped, and Your brow furled waiting to see how I navigate this day and deal with the trouble that is “sufficient” for it (Matt. 6:34b)? Or, are You simply too busy to pay much attention to me at all as You deal with other matters concerning this seemingly out-of-control world, not to mention doing what needs to be done to hold the universe together?

Or Father, are You, by Your Spirit, settling in for another day where You will draw alongside, fulfilling Your promise never to leave me nor forsake me?  Thinking again that if You are for me, who can be against me (Rom. 8:31)?

Are You again looking upon me and considering Your Son? Loving me with the same love You had for Him since “before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24)? Taking delight still that I have been clothed in the righteousness of Your Anointed and that, because of Christ’s finished work on the cross, far from being on some sort of “wait and see” probation, I am seen afresh as a child of God and a joint heir with Christ.  And as such, as I awake and know again Your presence, You too are filled with thoughts concerning me. Plans for wholeness and not for evil. Thoughts intended to bring peace and hope, not worry and despair (Jer. 29:11).

So God, what are You thinking?

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

(Psalm 139:6 ESV)

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!

All because of grace. All for Your glory.

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Paul’s Win

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Pete

He couldn’t take it anymore! Twice Paul says that he “could bear it no longer.” What was it that caused such anxiety for the beloved apostle? What was so taxing that this man who had been beaten with rods, stoned at the hands of his enemies, and had suffered shipwreck multiple times, was almost at a breaking point.? What was it that was beyond enduring for this one who lived in constant danger on multiple fronts and was accustomed to sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, and cold and exposure? It was not knowing how his children in the faith were fairing.

For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

(1Thessalonians 3:5 ESV)

Paul had only been permitted three Sabbaths to proclaim the gospel in Thessalonica before he was run out of town (Acts. 17:1-10). While he had spent months, even years, in other places, in this place he was able to only to plant the seed, and to see only the early evidence of life before he was forced to leave the tending of this fertile ground to others and to the Spirit of God.

What I find so interesting is that Paul’s view of what it meant to win appears to have nothing to do with numbers or markers. There was obviously something beyond “professions made” or “souls saved” that drove Paul’s view of “winning.” Setting a record for the church most quickly established in the shortest amount of time amidst the most hostile of climates wasn’t the sort of statistic that Paul used to measure “success.”

Instead, what Paul needed to know–what he could not bear not knowing–was whether or not their confession of Christ bore the fruit of consecration to Christ. Having received Jesus as Savior seemed to mean little to the apostle if it were not also evident that they had given themselves to Jesus as Lord. He knew, given the hostility toward the gospel in Thessalonica, that if the believers there were not feeling the heat of opposition they probably were not living out the light of the kingdom.

He feared that the tempter would get the best of them, convince them that the cost they would need to pay was not worth the prize promised them. And so, unable to deal with not knowing any longer, he sent Timothy to learn about their faith and to “establish and exhort” them in their faith (3:2).

What grabs me this morning is that Paul seems to view a salvation which does not bear the fruit of salvation as no salvation at all. Had he not heard that their faith had resulted in them turning “to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1:9), he would have considered his time there in vain. Had the report not come back indicating that now these brothers and sisters directed their lives in anticipation of the Son’s imminent return (1:10), Paul would have considered his work there useless. Given the hatred and opposition toward the gospel in that place, if Paul had heard that his children in Christ were not feeling the heat of opposition and suffering for the sake of the kingdom (3:3-4), he would wonder if they had, in fact, really entered God’s kingdom.

Paul’s end game was not about the number who came forward for the altar call. The win wasn’t in simply planting a church. Rather, it was about disciples who lived out the faith. Followers who followed. New creations in Christ who lived as if Christ lived in them.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. . . . And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

(1Thessalonians 1:4-7 ESV)

Imitators of Christ.  Examples to other believers. That was Paul’s hope and joy. That was Paul’s “crown of boasting” (2:19). That was Paul’s win.

The fruit of grace. For the glory of God

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Arise and Build

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Pete

“Arise and work! The LORD be with you!” The words jumped off the page this morning as I was reading 1Chronicles 22. Here’s some thoughts on the passage I put down back in 2011 . . . .

It came into play again this morning. That wonderful dynamic between that which has been recorded in the Old Testament and that which is taught in the New Testament. The old adage, “the New Testament is in the Old concealed and the Old Testament is in the New revealed” kicked in as I read David’s words to some of his leaders. Because of what has been revealed through the God-breathed writings of the apostle Paul, this conversation between a king and his cabinet some 1,000+ years earlier takes on a meaning that they could not have imagined. Check out this part of “the chat” I eavesdropped on this a.m. . . .

“David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ‘Is not the LORD your God with you? And has He not given you peace on every side? For He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and His people. Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD.’ ”

(1Chronicles 22:17-19 ESV)

What was spoken by David to his leaders about the physical construction of a dwelling place for the ark of God hit me between the eyes this morning. It was like it was spoken directly to me. How come? Because I too am part of a building program for a holy habitation for the LORD.

The Old Testament concept of a physical temple built to house the glory of God is expanded in the New Testament. This Old Testament structure is a picture of a greater building in which God desires to dwell. A place that God would raise up. Not made with brick and mortar, but with living stones. A temple comprised of a people. A redeemed people. His people. So Pete, set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God . . . Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD.

Revealed in the New is the amazing reality that I, as a believer, a blood-bought trophy of God’s grace, that I am part of the household of God. That I have been joined together with other believers to form a living building. One that is growing into a holy temple in the Lord as it is built together for a dwelling place of God through His Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22).

And just as the temple of ancient days was a place where offerings to God were brought, so too, as living stones being pulled together to form a spiritual house, this temple revealed in the New is to “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Peter 2:5).

So, get up and get at ‘er. Set your heart on seeking the Lord. Stand up and get in the game. And work. Building, by the grace of God and through the power of His indwelling Spirit, this holy habitation for the God of your salvation!

Let each one take care how he builds upon it. . . . Do you not know that you are Gods temple and that Gods Spirit dwells in you?

(1Corinthians 3:10b, 16 ESV)

Arise and build! Do it carefully. Do it purposefully. Do it wisely. And do it wholeheartedly.

Take care not to add to the foundation that which has no substance and will not last. Beware of trying to build with “wood, hay, and straw.” Watch out for cheap or imitation materials.

Instead, seek the Lord and build with gold, silver, and precious stones. Hold nothing back so that this new, holy habitation for God might be a place where He is pleased to dwell. Leverage the best materials from the spiritual treasures made available to you so that this flesh and blood temple might rise up to be a magnificent place of worship. So that the sacrifices of praise, and the living sacrifices of wholly consecrated bodies, would rise up as a sweet smelling aroma to Him who is worthy of our best.

Yeah . . . David thought he was talking to his leaders. In fact, the Lord is talking to me. You got to love the word of God! Amen?

Arise and build! By His grace. For His glory!

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Blessed, and Blessed Forever!

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Pete

Recorded both in 2Samuel 7 and in today’s reading in 1Chronicles 17, it is, for me, one of the most moving accounts in all of Scripture.

David desires to build a permanent dwelling where God’s glory might reside. No more tents. No more nomadic structures. Time to get rid of the animal skins and replace them with the finest of building materials. Time to trade in pragmatic functionality for majestic testimony. Rather than the LORD continually “packing up” and going with the people in the desert, now that they were in the land, it was time for their God to “settle down” and for the people to come to Him and the place where His glory would dwell. David’s desire was ignited, his heart aflame . . . time to break ground!

Not so fast, says the LORD through Nathan the prophet. I know you want to build Me a house, but David, “I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house” (17:10b).

And so God turns the tables. Though David’s heart was set on doing something great for God, he is reminded of the great things God has already done for him. Called from pastures where he followed bleating sheep to be a prince where he would rule over God’s chosen people. Determined to be a mighty man of war as the God of hosts purposed to go with him into battle and to cut off his enemies. His name made great. His throne established in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All under the gracious sovereign hand of Almighty God. And what’s more, says the LORD, I will build you a house.

And David responds.

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of Your servants house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O LORD God!

(1Chronicles 17:16-17 ESV)

“Who am I?” says the would be sub-contractor. What is my family? What possible merit do I possess that You would have brought me to this place and given me such a promise?

“Who am I?”  It is the question of the ages for every child of God.

Who am I that God the Father would send His Son to ransom me from my sin and rebellion? Who am I that the Christ would die on a cross and shed His blood so that a way might be opened for me to be cleansed and boldly enter the holy of holies? Who am I that, though I once set my back toward God, the Spirit of God descended to pursue me, to woo me, and to turn my face toward Himself?

Who am I to have ears to hear? Who am I to have had an encounter of the divine kind, having been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light through faith in the finished work of the cross? Who am I to have undergone a supernatural rewiring of my spiritual DNA? To have undergone radical internal surgery having my heart of stone replaced with a heart of flesh? Who am I?

And that’s just the beginning. For all that I have been saved from, what is it that I am being saved to? What will it be when the groaning of creation is done and the children of God are revealed (Rom. 8:18-19)? What will it be when the Bride is presented to her beloved Bridegroom, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing–holy and without blemish, and the greatest rescue mission of all ages is consummated (Eph. 5:27, Rev. 19:7)? What will it be to have faith give way to sight as we gather before the throne and worship with the heavenly host and with all those purchased by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:9-12)?

To coin another’s phrase, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

And so I sit with David this morning as he considers where he’s been and what God has said is yet to come. And I whisper along with this man after God’s own heart, “Who am I?”

And I am moved as I hover over the closing thoughts of his response to his God.

“Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You, for it is You, O LORD, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

(1Chronicles 17:27 ESV)

Blessed. And blessed forever.

All because of grace. All for His matchless glory!

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A Whole Heart and A Single Mind

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Pete

They were his men. Many of them joined with him at the lowest of times and they stayed with him through the toughest of times. Others came to him as they discerned the working of God concerning the throne of Israel. Yet all were mighty and experienced warriors who gave allegiance to David. And though their backgrounds differed, though they came from different tribes and possessed different strengths, they were all marked by the same thing. A whole heart and a single mind.

All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.

(1Chronicles 12:38 ESV)

These mighty of men of war owned David as king with a whole heart. And, like the people who bowed to David’s throne, they did so with a single mind.

All in, nothing held back. In complete agreement, no wavering. Upon such consecration David rose to power. Because of such dedication his throne was established.

A whole heart and a single mind–they are the attributes of which strong kingdoms are built. And as my eyes locked on those two attributes, I couldn’t help but think of the greater King, Jesus, and of his greater dominion, the kingdom of heaven, and of how His people also need to be all in with a laser focus.

Half-heartedness is the enemy of the kingdom. Competing priorities compromise His rule. That’s why Paul exhorts the Colossians:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

(Colossians 3:1-2, 17 ESV)

We are never called to “do church” 24/7 . . . but we are called to be the church 24/7. Our hearts given fully to the risen, ascended, and interceding King of kings. Our focus locked in on things above. Bringing, then, everything we do here on earth under the great calling of serving the One who reigns in heaven.

And so we rise as unto the Lord. We go to work as unto the Lord. We engage our world as unto the Lord. We gather together as unto the Lord.

O’ to bring everything I do under the banner of the kingdom of heaven. To be unwavering in why I do what I do. To be undistracted as to where my ultimate allegiance should lie.

And it’s not that I’m some mighty warrior. It’s not that Jesus’ power and authority are somehow dependent upon my allegiance. Instead, I know that I am just a sinner saved by grace–mighty only in and through Him. And I’m aware that, far from rallying to Him, He drew me to Himself with a love I can’t fully comprehend through a grace that is really beyond my understanding. And this, so that with a bit of holy determination, and a whole lot of Spirit within me, I might seek to be of a whole heart and a single mind.

Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.   ~ Isaac Watts

Because of grace. For His glory.

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