Who’s In the Boat

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Pete

They weren’t rookies when it came to navigating the lake. They knew how bad it could get when the weather turned and the winds came rolling in. They had been there, done that. They had navigated storms before. So when I read that they were in danger because of the windstorm that enveloped them, they were in danger. They weren’t overreacting. They hadn’t misunderstood the severity of the storm. They hadn’t miscalculated the amount of water they had taken on. The storm was real, the waves were real, the water in the boat was real, the danger was real. But what they had yet to fully appreciate and thus factor into their assessment was who was in the boat with them.

And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey Him?”

(Luke 8:23b-25 ESV)

It wasn’t just that He commanded the wind and waves, but that they listened. Anyone could have shouted desperately into the air, “Stop it!” But what kind of man commands the elements and the elements respond?

Not to minimize the reality of the harrowing situation they were in, but with Jesus in the boat, what was happening around the boat was really of secondary importance. Greater was He that was with them than that which was happening around them.

Thus Jesus’ question, “Where is your faith?”

Having seen all that they had seen as they had walked with Him . . . having heard all that they had heard as He had taught them . . . why, asks the Master, did you not believe that when I said, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake” that we would, in fact, go to the other side of the lake? Why, as I abide next to you, are you so gripped with panic? Why wake Me with fears of perishing when I told you that I have come to give you life?

To be clear, I’m not slamming the disciples, I’m identifying.

Too often I lose sight of who’s in the boat. Not that I don’t believe He’s there, but that I kind of forget who He is. That He’s the Master of wind, the Maker of the rain (oh, that could be a song . . . it is, click here). That Jesus is the Lord of the storm.

How I need to remember that it’s not just the word He speaks but the power He commands. That it’s not about some random unexpected situation, but that it’s about His sovereign purposes and plans.

I need to remember who’s in the boat.

And then drink deep of His grace . . . even as I ride along for His glory.

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Beloved Sleep

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Pete

There’s a reason it’s called “the grind.” For many they understand all too well why it so often feels like a “rat race.” Everyday the same old, same old. Breaking your back but never seeming to get ahead. Or, if you are getting ahead, never seeming to have enough–never knowing a peaceful, contented satisfaction. Lots of work, little rest. Lots of worry, never enough reward. This morning the songwriter reminds me that for too many it’s about “eating the bread of anxious toil.” But I’m also reminded this morning of the promise of beloved sleep.

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.

(Psalm 127:1-2 ESV)

A pretty familiar psalm. And it occurs to me as I hover over these opening verses that most often I’ve connected more with “the what” of these verses than I have with “the how.”

It’s a shaky foundation that is laid without consideration of God’s purposes. It’s a weak defense if all we rely on are our senses for protection. Want to build a solid house?  Engage the One who created all things. Want a safe abode?  Call upon Him who sees and knows all things. Structures built with God’s hand upon them are structures that stand. Security that is founded upon God’s presence is a sure security. These are “the whats.” The results.

But beyond the benefit of a good outcome, inviting the LORD to be part of your building program, or seeking the LORD to draw alongside you as you stand guard, impacts more than just “the what.” It also makes a huge difference on “the how.” It’s the difference between “the bread of anxious toil” and “beloved sleep.”

It’s vain, says the songwriter, it’s empty and desolate to rise up early and go to bed late in an attempt to get ‘er done by going it alone. Without a sense of God’s purpose and God’s presence, our work, no matter how hard we work, is like eating the bread of anxious toil. It’s consuming the food of sorrow and hardship. While the paychecks (paycheques for those in the homeland) are nice to receive, without the peace of knowing they are God’s provision, they can leave a bitter taste.

But for those who do what they do with an abiding sense that it’s what God has called them to do, for His beloved there is sleep. And for His, there is beloved sleep.

. . . for He gives to His beloved sleep.

I have read this promise of God over and over this morning. Tasting the word of the LORD and seeing that is good. Chewing on and savoring this food from heaven. Noodling on the fact that I can read this promise in two ways. One where beloved is a noun and so, to His beloved He gives sleep. The other where beloved is an adjective, thus, to His He gives a beloved, or lovely, sleep.

Child of God. You are beloved. More loved than can be fully comprehended. Loved with “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:19). And for His beloved there is available rest rather than anxious toil. Sure, early mornings and late nights might be part of the deal, but when that “deal” is God’s deal, when that job is undertaken with God’s power, when our labors are for God’s glory, then He gives sleep.

And it is a beloved, or lovely, sleep. It is the rest of the faithful servant who, in good conscience, toiled for the Master that day and hears heaven whisper in his ear, “Well done!” It is the rest that knows the results are ultimately in the Master’s hand. It is the rest that rejuvenates knowing the Master will provide sufficient resource and grace to get up and do it again the next morning.

A lovely sleep for a beloved people. Who labor not in vain, because they build with a sense of God’s purpose. Who watch without fear of missing something, because they abide in the reality of God’s presence. Who refuse the bread of anxious toil and receive the promise of a blessed sleep for those He loves.

Praise God for beloved sleep.

Available by grace. Appropriated for His glory.

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The Cry from the Battlefield

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Pete

True or false . . . Working through the opening chapters of 1Chronicles can be kind of tough going? True. Really true! True or false again . . . the opening chapters of 1Chronicles are God-breathed, “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work?” True again! And because of this latter truth, we persevere in our reading despite the former truth.

Genealogies are not the most riveting reading. The names of who fathered who all blur together after a while. While some names are familiar, most are not. But as I slog through these first chapters of 1Chronicles what I’m particularly on the look out for are the periodic inserted editorials concerning some of these unknowns. Those breaks from the list of names meant to provide some divinely inserted “color commentary” on these mostly unknown people. While I’m sure there is a ton to be learned from researching the names themselves, I’m thinking that when the Spirit pauses to provide some additional information it’s probably prudent to pay particular attention.

They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and He granted their urgent plea because they trusted in Him.

(1Chronicles 5:19-20 ESV)

“They” are the valiant men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh who carried the shield and the sword. “Them” are some obscure, haven’t-a-clue-who-they-are enemies of “they.” And they prevailed over them. How come? Because they cried out to God in the battle. And so, it’s got me thinking about the cry from the battlefield.

The battlefield. The point past the point of no return. You’re in the fray. The enemy has been engaged, the ebb and flow of hand to hand combat has begun. You keep raising and positioning your shield to stave off life-compromising blows. You keep swinging your sword with all your might and strength desperate to gain some advantage in the conflict.

There’s a lot going on. Strategies to be formed, tactics to be executed, prisoners to be taken, casualties to be ministered to. Not the sort of situation where your first thought is to take a timeout and head into your prayer closet. But the sort of situation that compels us to cry out to God in the battlefield.

When you’re up to your eyeballs in alligators, that’s a good time for a cry from the battlefield. Urgent pleas ascending while you stave off the enemy. Desperate petition and supplication brought before the throne even as you find it hard to see past the circumstance. Though you’ve put on the full armor of God and have fully engaged the battle you still need to be”praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Eph. 6:18).

And those who cry from the battlefield are those who trust in the LORD. They look up in the midst of the fray because they believe God looks down from His throne. They pause to petition for air cover because they believe there is refuge in the shadow of the Almighty’s wings. They call out even as they press in because they believe that greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world.

They cry from the battlefield because, though the battle may be fierce, they know their God is faithful.

And the victory will be won.

Because of His all sufficient grace. And for His everlasting glory.

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On Our Side

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Pete

It’s written in such a way as to grab your attention. It’s broken up so that you’re not too quick to just slide on by it. The songwriter is masterful. The sentiment is powerful. And who, having known the Lord, couldn’t relate.

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side–let Israel now say–if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters. Blessed be the LORD . . .

(Psalm 123:1-6a ESV)

If it had not been the LORD on our side . . . let the people of God say it again! . . . if it had not been the LORD on our side, where would I be? Where would I be?

Before I realized this soul searching question came from an ancient song of David, I heard it on a Gaither video (almost as ancient . . . check it out here if you have a few extra minutes).

Hard to imagine life without knowing the LORD. Can’t imagine where I would be if I had refused the Spirit’s wooing some 38 years ago. No idea what would have filled that hole in my heart reserved for the things of eternity (Eccl. 3:11). And, to use the songwriters imagery, not sure from where I would have drawn strength to deal with torrents, raging waters, and flood waters capable of sweeping me away.

And as I hover over this song of ascent I am a bit overwhelmed by the thought that the LORD is “on our side.”

Really? The One who made heaven and earth is on my side? (Ps. 124:8) Sounds kind of presumptuous, doesn’t it?

Truly? The Almighty God enthroned in the heavens has eyes on me? (Ps 123:1-2) He actually knows about me? And He purposefully acts to draw alongside me?

I know it’s not about me . . . but had not been the LORD who was on my side . . .

Sometimes it’s easy to forget, even believing He lives in us by His Spirit, that God is really on our side. The waves of circumstance keep us from taking a breath of His life giving Word. The enemy gets in our head and tell us we’re really alone and that we gotta figure it out ourselves. The world sucks us into grasping after self-help solutions when what we really need is a bit of divine intervention. Let God’s people say it again, if it had not been the LORD who was on our side . . .

He is on our side.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

(Romans 8:31-32 ESV)

Sometimes it’s good to ponder the “what if” questions so that we might rejoice in the “what is” reality.

On our side. Because of grace . . . for His glory.

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Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Pete

Done! Time to finish the job. It had already been over tens years since the city was captured and the people carted off into captivity (2Kings 24:10-17). Over ten years since all the treasures and all the vessels of gold in the house of the LORD had been removed and taken to Babylon. But now the vassal king of Judah, Zedekiah, flexed what little muscle he thought he still possessed against Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and rebelled. Enough’s enough! Time to clean house. Literally.

And so they laid siege to Jerusalem. Eventually they breached the city. They wiped out the resistance (25:1-7). And then they finished the job they had started (25:8-21).

They razed the king’s house and every other house of prominence within Jerusalem’s walls. Then they went after Jerusalem itself breaking down its walls, emasculating the city of David as they removed its defenses. What’s more, they set fire to the house of the LORD. And they broke down the great pillars Solomon had built for the place where the glory of God should dwell. And they tore apart, cut up, and hauled off everything that had been built to facilitate worship to the God of Jacob. And they murdered the high priest and his successor, putting an end to any thought of God’s people ever again standing on holy ground in God’s presence.

And what’s so remarkable is that “surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD” (24:3).

Then, after reading this, I moved on in my reading plan and read in Psalms:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” 
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

(Psalm 122:6-9 ESV)

Jerusalem. To be standing within it’s gates would be to stand on the threshold of the house of the LORD. The tribes would set their faces and their feet to go up to Jerusalem that they might give thanks to the name of the LORD. It’s where the cloud of God’s glory descended. It’s where the smoke of atoning sacrifices ascended. The place where the people of God could enter into the presence of God. And so, says the songwriter, pray for it. Seek its peace. Seek its good. For the sake of each other. For the sake of our God.

How tragic then to read of Jerusalem’s dismantling this morning. The hope of security apparently lost. How awful to imagine the house of the LORD leveled–the glory having departed, the offerings long since ceased. The destruction of sin having apparently won. How depressing to consider the people of God absorbed by the nations around them. The benefits of sanctification apparently forfeited because of unfaithfulness.

Heavy sigh as I come to the end of 2Kings. A warning about spiritual infidelity. A yellow flag about turning one’s heart from God in pursuit of the world. A reminder that while God is patient and slow to anger, He will not be mocked, “for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

And yet, I know the story is not over. That even in the exile God has determined a way of redemption, reconciliation, and return. That even the destruction of Jerusalem and the decimation of the temple will work together for good as He again calls a people to Himself from a foreign land to pursue again their heavenly home. The temple will be rebuilt. The walls will be reestablished. And Jerusalem will stand again, if only to offer it’s greatest sacrifice for man’s transgression, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

The leveled mount a reminder that God is not done. That His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is being fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled. That His word is sure and that He is faithful and that Jerusalem, and it’s people, will again be His glory.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

(Revelation 21:2-3 ESV)

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Prayer, Praise, Practice, and Peace

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Pete

Continuing to hover over Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians in the first part of chapter four.

He’s writing to faithful believers who have faithfully supported him. He’s writing to fearful believers who are worried about Paul and the implications of his Roman imprisonment. He’s writing to faulty believers who need to deal with some internal family strife lest a spirit of division be allowed to take root within their fellowship. So, as he wraps up his short letter to them, he gives some very practical instruction on how to pursue the peace of God and how to invite among themselves the God of peace.

First, pray!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)

If it’s causing tension, pray about these things.

Whether they were troubled about the interpersonal issues within their fellowship, or whether it was worry and anxiety that was stressing the relationship between two of their members, Paul says pray. Bring it before the Lord. Bring everything before the Lord. And a state of tranquility from out of this world (literally) will calm the raging storm. Heart and minds will be shielded from fear and frustration. Pray about everything and know the peace of God.

Next, praise!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

(Philippians 4:8 ESV)

If it’s praiseworthy, think about these things.

If it’s deserving of high esteem, meditate on it. Divine truth? Noodle on it. Compute and re-compute, again and again, all that you know about a redemption which comes by faith through a gospel which is the power of God for such salvation. Spend time considering the multi-faceted beauty of a Savior come from heaven and returned to heaven–who even now intercedes at the Father’s right hand on our behalf. Worthy of praise? Chew on it!

Finally, practice!

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

(Philippians 4:9 ESV)

If it’s worth imitating then practice these things.

Heard it taught? Seen it lived out? Know deep down it’s the way of the Christ-follower, then do it! And keep doing it. Exercise those behaviors which are consistent with our calling as Christians until they become holy habits. Work it in by working it out.

While in the flesh, practice may not make perfect but the Spirit says it will invite divine presence. Pray and you’ll experience the peace of God in you. Practice these things and you’ll know the God of peace with you.

Divine presence. Deep peace.

Available, I’m thinking, for those who pray, praise, and practice.

Only by His of grace. Only for His glory.

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The Command in the Shadow

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Pete

Three commands in rapid succession. That’s what I notice as I’m reading the first part of Philippians 4 this morning. And though they should carry equal weight, I’m thinking the reality is that the command in the middle is overshadowed by those on either side of it. That it’s like a lesser noticed sapling in the shade of two great elms. On the one side stands “Rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4). On the other, “be anxious for nothing, pray about everything” (4:6). I’m guessing that for most of us who read our bibles, if we haven’t memorized these verses, they are at least very familiar to us.

But what about Paul’s exhortation sandwiched in between these two pillars? What about the command in the shadow?

While the commands that bookend it tell me what to do, the middle command may have an equally far-reaching impact as it tells me how to go about doing it.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.

(Philippians 4:5 ESV)

Your reasonableness. The word is translated “gentleness” in other translations. The NLT renders it, “see that you are considerate in all you do.”

It has the idea of that which is appropriate, of what is suitable for the occasion or circumstance. The word speaks of moderation and a lack of excess–of what is mild or gentle. Think of what is equitable or fair. Or think propriety, and you’re starting to pick up what the apostle is laying down. Think of being even keeled, governed in action by the mind of Christ, and you start sensing how someone conducts themselves when they are rejoicing in the Lord, anxious for nothing, and praying about everything.

And this inner equilibrium is to be “known by everyone.” It is to be part of our persona as followers of Christ. An evidence of the peace of God which passes understanding, a witness to the heart and mind which are guarded in Christ Jesus. It’s that “something you’ve got” that others say they want. Not a fake cool-ness. Not a put on confidence. Not a well calculated act to try and show others we’ve got everything together. Rather, it’s the result of having sought the mind of Christ and of having submitted ourselves to the leading of the Spirit.

As such, we seek to avoid all manner of excess. By the Spirit’s enabling we desire to bring every thought into subjection under the truth of the gospel. In all circumstance we purpose, as much as lies in us, to be imitators of Christ. So that our reasonableness, our gentleness, might be known to everyone.

Why? The Lord is at hand. The Master is coming and will return at an hour we know not. Until then we are His ambassadors and are to be occupied with doing His bidding in His name. Engaged in His work and showing how one labors according to His way. Reflecting something of the light of His character though we are but jars of clay.

And so this command in the shadow emerges as a witness to those we encounter. Not just in what we do, but in how we go about doing it.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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He Trusted

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Pete

His name literally means “Jehovah is my strength.” It’s one thing to be named something like that, it’s quite another to actually believe it. But as I’m reading in 2Kings 18 and 19 this morning that’s exactly what Hezekiah did, he lived up to his name. In fact, he’s the only king of Judah or Israel of whom it was written, “He trusted.”

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, . . . And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. . . . He trusted in the LORD the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.

(2Kings 18:1-5 ESV)

Hit me like a ton of bricks as I was reading this morning. Don’t think I’ve ever had the Spirit bring this to my attention before. But as I read the word “trusted” in verse five it felt like I hadn’t seen that attribute mentioned much in the annals of the kings. And as I’m reading chapters 18 and 19, the word comes up again and again–8 more times–all in the context of Judah’s enemy, the king of Assyria, telling the people of Judah not to listen to their king should he tell them to trust in the LORD for deliverance from Assyria.

“Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

(2Kings 18:30 ESV)

And it’s not just that I hadn’t read “trusted” much in 1 and 2 Kings, it’s that, until this point, I hadn’t read it all.

I checked. You will not find the word trust (at least in the ESV) anywhere in 1Kings or 2Kings other than in the passage I read today which introduces a king who trusted in God like no other king before or after him. The word is not to be found anywhere else other than here where the enemy mocks those who would trust in their God when no other god has been able to withstand the conquering hoard of the Assyrians.

And, honestly, I’m blown away! Not just because I’ve discovered the trust passage in 1 and 2 Kings but because the Spirit allowed me to see it! As much as I am inspired by King Hezekiah’s faithfulness and leadership, I’m in awe again at the ability for the Spirit of God to be my teacher . . . to illuminate the Word of God . . . to reveal the mind of the Almighty . . . to lead me into all truth. Just as Jesus promised (John 16:13). Just as Paul said would happen (1Corinthians 2:9-16).

And so, a fresh longing is ignited this morning to trust as Hezekiah trusted. Not only because of his example but also because of the still small voice that whispers, “Take note, Pete. Without faith it is impossible to please Me. I am Jehovah your strength. Will you trust me?”

Yes Lord!

He trusted.  I would too!

By Your grace . . . for Your glory!

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Give Me Life!

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Pete

Their number was many. The songwriter’s “persecutors and adversaries” lined up to take a swing at him. And knowing he could not withstand the barrage on his own, the songwriter cries out to his God. Look on my affliction, he says, and deliver me. Plead my cause and be my advocate against my accusers. I am Your heritage, thus step up and step in as my kinsman and redeem me from the faithless who oppress me.

And as I hover over Resh, the twentieth stanza of the songwriter’s love song to the Word of God, and consider the psalmist’s plea before “the Existing One,” Jehovah, I’m drawn to the request that is repeated three times in these eight verses. Give me life!

Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to Your promise! . . . Great is Your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to Your rules. . . . Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to Your steadfast love.

(Psalm 119:154, 156, 159 ESV)

Give me life. Revive me (NKJV, NASB). Both translations better, I think, than the NIV’s “preserve my life.”

While there is certainly a sense in which the psalmist seeks to survive his present circumstance, more than that there is an air of him wanting to thrive through the struggle. More than just rescue him, he wants the LORD to renew and reinvigorate him. If he has to go through the testing then he longs to be transformed by it. Through the battle he longs for the LORD to make him better.

“It is a desire which cannot be too often felt and expressed. As the soul is the center of everything, so to be quickened [made alive] is the central blessing. It means more love, more grace, more faith, more courage, more strength, and if we get these we can hold up our heads before our adversaries.” ~ Spurgeon

And where does a revived soul come from? The songwriter identifies a threefold source . . . the Promises of God . . . the Precepts of God . . . and the Propensity of God.

Though the thief might come to “to steal and kill and destroy”, the Lord has come that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). If that’s His intent, then should we not appeal to Him that we would know in practice what He has promised? Abundant life, life to the full, is not just mountain top enthusiasm, but is every day, in every way, power for seeking first the kingdom of heaven while I deal with the realities of earth. Lord, give me life according to Your promise!

And we’re not left to our own wisdom or devices to deal with that which stands against us. Rather we take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” against all circumstance and against every enemy (Eph. 6:17). We rely not on bread alone, but on “every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Lord, give me life according to Your rules!

What’s more, we stand fast in the confidence of the cross. God so loved us, that He gave His One and only Son to redeem us. So, “if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? . . . Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . . in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31-37). Lord, give me life according to Your steadfast love!

Sometimes all we want to do is get through it. O may the cry of our hearts be that we might be revived through it. Lord, give me life!

Through Your all sufficient grace. For Your all surpassing glory.

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Proven

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Pete

“I’ll take lesser-appreciated New Testament people for 800, Alex.”

“Ok. And the answer to the question is: Paul said of him,

‘For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know [his] proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.'”

(Philippians 3:20-22 ESV)

“Who is Timothy?”

“Correct!”

Timothy. No one like him. Like spiritual father, like spiritual son. Genuine. The real meal deal. Proven!

The few verses I read in Philippians this morning aren’t the most theological verses in the New Testament. Not much here in the way of a promise to claim, or a command to obey, or an attribute of God to evoke worship. Instead, in Philippians 2:19-30 Paul talks about two guys who are not that well known by most. Kind of un-sung heroes. But concerning them, Paul says, “Honor such men” (2:29).

Timothy is probably the better known of the two. At least we know that there are a couple of letters in the New Testament written to him. Paul loved this guy. Paul saw nothing but potential in this guy. Paul was encouraged by this guy. Encouraged not because of what Timothy did for Paul, but because of what Timothy did for others — because of what Timothy did for Christ.

Paul says that there was no one like him. No one who was as “like-minded” (NKJV), no one as “equal in soul”, as Timothy when it came to loving and caring for the saints. Paul said that he knew of no other who, like Timothy, so possessed the mind of Christ (Php. 2:4-5) that he was fueled by looking out for the interests of the Great Shepherd and the welfare of His flock. Timothy had an ingrained passion for caring and feeding the bride of Christ. That’s why Paul asked him to visit the Philippians and encourage them.

And two words that grab me in this mini-bio of Timothy’s are “proven worth.” Paul says of his son in the faith, “You know his proven worth.” The NKJV translates the Greek word “proven character.”

A little poking into the Greek word and it has the idea of a coin that was approved and verified as being of full weight–unlike some of the shaved coins of the day put into circulation by those who hoped to make a few dollars by turning the shavings into another coin. Timothy was no counterfeit, he was proven.

His character was weighed on the scales of his actions and found to be the real thing. He didn’t just read about having the mind of Christ and esteeming others better than himself. He didn’t just talk of serving others. Timothy actually did it! He sought to model His Savior, the One who came not to be served but to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He had the mind of Christ. He had the compassion of Christ. He lived as a servant of Christ. Genuine. Authentic. Proven.

And as I think about Timothy this morning my mind goes to a conference center in Oregon where a bunch of men and their wives are gathered together for some respite, reflection, and renewal. It’s one of a number of such gatherings that will be held throughout the U.S. and Canada over the next few weeks. And you might say that all of these couples are “lesser known New Testament people.” For the most part, they serve small congregations in out of the way places. These couples will probably never receive much notoriety here on earth. But they are those marked by genuine concern for others, faithfulness to Christ, and a commitment to the gospel. They are the men and women of Village Missions. Those of whom Christ might echo Paul’s words, “I have no one like them. Honor such people. They are proven.”

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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