How To Swallow a Camel

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Pete

His hour is drawing nearer. The cross is approaching. Jesus is in Jerusalem. He has entered the temple. A last cleansing and a last confrontation.

In this corner, Jesus the Messiah. Standing opposed to Him, the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, and the Pharisees. And this morning in Matthew 23 I’ve read the first four of seven woes Jesus declares upon these blind guides and hypocrites (23:13-24).

If not for their blindness and the hardness of their hearts, how chilling would it have been to have heard the Creator of all things look upon you and declare publicly, “Woe to you! You are guilty! Punishment will come unto you!” There is no other court of appeal. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed (John 8:36), but what if the Son says, “Woe to you?” Then you are done indeed.

And Jesus calls them out for shutting the door to the kingdom of heaven in the faces of those they entice to follow them (v. 13-14). He condemns them for replicating themselves in those they convert to their dead ways, making them “twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (v.15). He denounces them as blind guides leading others with blind understanding as to what adds weight to oaths made before God — focusing on how to make oaths rather than to Whom the oath is made (v.16-22). But it’s Jesus fourth condemnation that grabbed my attention this morning.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”   ~ Jesus

(Matthew 23:23-24 ESV)

They majored on minors. They paid attention to the finest detail, yet ignored the weightier matters. That which they could do in their own power they elevated, while that which would require humility, wisdom, and enablement from above, they relegated to the back burner.

According to the law they would give the tenth of all their crops, even their herb gardens. But they ignored the intent of the law, the matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Because they excelled in the one, they deceived themselves and believed they could ignore the other. They ought to have done both.

And then Jesus speaks an interesting proverb. They strained out the gnat all the while swallowing a camel.

A gnat and a camel. One, the smallest of creatures, the other among the largest. But both declared unclean under Levitical law (Lev. 11:4, 20). And as a show of their piety these religious leaders would have their wine strained through a fine sieve so that there would be no chance of a small, imperceptible bug passing through their lips. But while they strained at the gnat, Jesus said they were content to swallow a camel.

They majored on the letter of the law, they ignored the spirit of the law. The checked off all the to do’s, and few more they had manufactured for good measure, but had lost sight of the why and the Who. They were to be holy, as God is holy. And God was a God of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. But they focused on gnats. And so, they ate the camel.

So how do you swallow a camel? One bite at a time without even recognizing you’re chewing on it. By being religious without wanting a relationship. By doing just enough for God to satisfy the conscience while ignoring His call to pursue Him and the way of His kingdom. By measuring spirituality on a sliding scale based on good works and relative merit rather than conceding a bankrupt nature apart from divine regeneration.

There’s a warning here. A warning against living by the letter of the law and forgetting the spirit of the law. A warning about picking, choosing, and self-manufacturing what commands to obey while ignoring the greater call to “be holy, for I am holy” (1Pet. 1:15-16). Not that we can do it on our own– but that’s the point. In Christ, and by the power of His Spirit, we can aspire to live more and more in accord with the righteousness credited to our account through a spotless Savior.

Seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33). Determine to abide in the True Vine (John 15:1-5). And the gnats and camels look after themselves.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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Rejoice!

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Pete

The “problem” with a favorite passage of Scripture might be the tendency to read again what you already know is in the passage rather than take of note of that which is perhaps over-shadowed by the familiar. Case in point, my reading in Romans 5:1-11 this morning (almost afternoon . . . have I mentioned before how much I enjoy Mondays).

I am always brought to amazement and wonder-filled appreciation as I read these verses. ” . . . while we were still weak . . . while we were still sinners . . . while we were enemies . . . Christ died for the ungodly . . . Christ died for us . . . we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (5:5-10). Doesn’t get much better than that! No merit I bring . . . solely to the cross I cling!

But interestingly enough something else jumped off the page this morning. A thrice repeated word. And as I noodled on it, a thrice enforced encouragement.

Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. . . . More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, . . . More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

(Romans 5:2, 3a, 11 ESV)

Rejoice! That’s God’s word for me this morning. Rejoice!

We rejoice in hope of the glory, that’s our future. Because of that we can rejoice in our sufferings, all too often a part of our present. And we do so because we rejoice of what has occurred in our past–we have received reconciliation in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s all covered. Our past, our present, and our future. And in whatever “season” we can rejoice . . . rejoice . . . and rejoice even more. So why don’t we?

Rejoice. To be joyful in our eternal lot. To be boastful in the work accomplished on our behalf. To be triumphant in that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. To glory in the grace we have known, that “I am His and He is mine.”

Spend just a bit of time counting your blessings and it’s enough to make you giddy . . . regardless of what’s going on in your life. For even in the storm He can be known as our Anchor . . . in the clouds He shines forth as the Light . . . and, despite being pressed hard from every side, He abides within filling us to life-sustaining endurance.

So why don’t we rejoice more? What’s the thorn in the side of the joyless saint that keeps them from tilting a smiling face toward heaven once in a while? What’s missing, that at some point, even amidst suffering, there isn’t some trickle of gladness that pours forth from knowing that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18)?

I’m not minimizing anyone’s pain. Not, in any way, saying we need to just “suck it up.” Not at all. But, for those who know Christ, how can we not rejoice? How can we not know an authentic inner joy that transcends all else?

Too easy to take our salvation for granted. Too commonplace for us to just go through the motions when it comes to our worship and walk. Too understandable that we might turn our eyes on our struggles on earth, or the treasures and pleasure of this earth, and the things of heaven grow strangely dim. I get it. But I don’t think we should settle for it.

While we were still weak, Jesus died for the ungodly. Rejoice! While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rejoice! While we were still enemies we were reconciled to the Father by the death of His Son. Rejoice!

Because of grace . . . by grace . . . and for His all deserving glory . . . Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice!

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Nothing But Manna?

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Pete

It’s pretty incredible but way too relatable. It caught my attention, caused me to give my head a shake, but then realize that I’m looking into a mirror.

They are the people of God, delivered from Egypt. And there’s no mystery as to how their deliverance came about. No secrecy as to what mighty force prevailed over the powerful Pharaoh of Egypt. They were there. They saw it. They experienced the miracles of the mighty hand of the Creator. They knew what it was to have applied the blood and had the death angel pass over them. It wasn’t just some talk of freedom, they did the walk . . . straight out of Egypt . . . with the treasures of Egypt in hand.

And that wasn’t the last they’d see of their God. It was only the beginning. They were at the base of the burning mount as Moses went up and met with the God of their victory. They received His word. They had actively contributed and had built a place for the Almighty to tabernacle among them. And they had seen that too.

By day the cloud covered the tabernacle. At night it appeared as a fire. And when the cloud lifted from the tent they set out following it. When it settled down, they did as well. Unreal. Talk about walking with God!

And under-lying it all was their daily bread. Even those under the cloud need to eat. But these where sojourners in the wilderness. Where would their food come from? Short answer: Heaven! Every day, six days a week, with enough on the sixth day for two days, they received food from heaven. What is it? Yes. That’s what they called it, “What is it.” AKA Manna.

Delivered by God. Visited by God. Led by God. Fed by God. That’s what makes the first part of Numbers 11 so incredible.

Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

(Numbers 11:4-6 ESV)

Really?!? Nothing but manna? That’s the complaint? Nothing but faithfully delivered heaven-sent provision from the God who dwells in your midst? That’s your gripe with the God of heaven? Give your head a shake! Incredible! But, I confess, all too understandable. And even too relatable.

What is it about my nature that can take the divine and reduce it to the commonplace? What is it about me that, even while receiving blessings from heaven, causes me to over fixate on the happenings of earth? How can I live under the cloud, and eat the bread from heaven, and still grumble, “I need something more?” How can I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good and still want to sample other stuff?

I’m not home yet. The battle still rages between the old man and the new nature (Gal. 5:17). I know there’s the propensity to become familiar with that which should be jaw-dropping. To take for granted the price paid for my redemption . . . to walk into the holy of holies, opened for me by the blood of Jesus, and not take off my shoes . . . to receive, day in an day out, the measure of grace needed, and more, and not so much as acknowledge it much less fall on my face in wonder at it.

Nothing but manna? O that such words would not be found on my lips. That such disregard for the divine would be shunned from my heart. That by God’s grace, and through the Spirit in me, I would know and acknowledge that His mercies are new every morning . . . Great is Your faithfulness! (Lam. 3:22-23)

God’s people are a privileged people. And a privileged people should be a praising people. Let’s praise God for manna!

By His grace . . . for His glory!

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Divine Forbearance

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Pete

That David even had opportunity to write the song is, in itself, amazing. Think about it, this is a man who has been shown divine favor but responded with detestable failure. A man of extreme privilege who foolishly exercised such privilege to take that which was not his. A man of great power who wielded his scepter as a sword against an innocent man and took a life to cover up his own lust.

He had known the call of God upon his life, having received heaven sent promises. He had known the hand of God upon his life, having experienced heaven sent protection. And he had known the abundant blessing of God upon his life, having received a heaven sent place of prominence. But despite the promises, forgetting the protection, and taking advantage of his prominence, he fell. He transgressed. He sinned . . . big time!

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight”

(Psalm 51:3-4a ESV)

A night with Bathsheba. A suicide mission for her husband, Uriah. If you think about it, with everything that God had revealed to David, with everything God had given David, with all that God desired of David, wouldn’t God have been justified in responding with an immediate judgment of David? Take way the throne. Pour wrath out on the man. With how much David had been given, shouldn’t much have been expected? Would it not have been reasonable to expect that David should be done with?

Evidently not.

So what compels a holy, righteous, and just God to withhold immediate recompense for such treachery and transgression? What drives the Divine to even allow a sinner to have breath enough after his sin to write a song? I came across it in my other reading in Romans this morning.

. . . 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. This was to show Gods righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.

(Romans 3:23-25 ESV)

Divine forbearance. God determined patience. Grace enabled longsuffering. That’s why God did not come forth in judgment the morning David got out of bed after a night with a woman who was another man’s wife. That’s why God did not pour out wrath the moment after Uriah was struck down by the sword which, for all intents and purposes, David had thrust in him. That’s why God allowed the king to be confronted with his sin and be broken in spirit and pen a song of confession and repentance. That’s why David could appeal to God’s steadfast love and His abundant mercy and ask to be washed from his iniquity and cleansed from his sin (Ps. 51:1-2).

Divine forbearance.

Possible because of the redemption that would be found through divine sacrifice. God’s own Son having been offered for the atonement of David’s sin. The wrath of God merited for the violation of Bathsheba and the violence against Uriah poured out on the Son of God so that sinners might write their songs. So that sinners might confess their transgression and by faith receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ which cleanses from all sin.

How I thank God for divine forbearance. In my past, in my present, and though I would not presume on it, I know in my future.

All because of the finished work of the cross of Christ. All through His overflowing grace. All for His eternal glory.

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Heart Matters

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Pete

God is judge. He is the Mighty One, God the LORD, the final arbiter. He carries pure and just scales and will measure according to perfect holiness. And in Psalm 50, He comes calling (50:1-6).

The songwriter envisions God speaking and summoning the earth (v.1). The perfection of His beauty shines forth from Zion as He comes in a mighty tempest, calling to the heavens above and the earth below to “gather to Me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Gather them, says the Almighty, that I might judge My people.

And twice in this song of Asaph God reveals the measure with which He is glorified by His faithful ones. And, it would seem, heart matters.

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. . . . The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

(Psalm 50:14-15, 23 ESV)

While God acknowledges their consistency in offering bulls and goats as burnt offerings, He says, in a sense, “What are they, in and of themselves, to Me? Every beast of the forest is already Mine. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Me before you ever culled one out to bring as a sacrifice. The birds along with everything that moves in the field are mine. In fact, the entire world and its fullness are mine. So, it’s not just about offering an animal and giving to Me what I already own. It’s what’s behind it. Heart matters.”

And so sings the songwriter on behalf of the Almighty, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving!”

Going through the motions is meaningless apart from the motivation. Let the offering be accompanied with confession concerning the greatness of God. Let the smoke that rises from the sacrifice be infused with songs of praise declaring His mighty works on behalf of His people. Let the blood that is shed be fully acknowledged for the atonement it brings and let the worshiper respond by offering Himself as a living sacrifice, desiring to follow and obey–to perform their vows and order their way rightly–not as an act to gain favor, but as a loving response to the favor already received.

What’s behind the sacrifice is important to our God. What drives the worshiper is what makes the worship pleasing before the Almighty. Heart matters.

For with such hearts, turned by grace and tuned with thanksgiving, God is glorified. The blood makes way for the Holy One to dwell among His people, and for His people to draw near in assurance of faith, but it is the heart of thanksgiving and praise that honors Him in their midst. He is lifted up when His people gather and bring their offerings from souls that joyfully delight in His presence. He is exalted when faithful ones give freely and willingly to Him because they recognize how graciously and abundantly He has provided for them. A sacrifice of thanksgiving. Offerings born out of praise. Lives lived for Him compelled by hearts of overflowing gratitude. That’s what glorifies our God.

And the song finishes with a wonderful promise.

“I will show the salvation of God!”

The fullness of salvation stretches beyond the forgiveness of sins because of substitutionary atonement–though, if it didn’t, that would more than enough to fuel our praise for eternity. But the Mighty One of Zion sent His Son that we might have life and “have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). And it is to the one who offers with thanksgiving, to the one who order his way with praise, to the one whose heart is tuned toward glorifying His God, to such a one will abundant life be made known. For such a one will all that is encompassed in our wondrous salvation be revealed and experienced.

Come thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy praise!

We hear Your call O God. We delight in the grace which beckons us to Yourself as Your faithful ones. Be glorified in our offerings sourced in deep and sincere appreciation.

Heart matters.

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A Slippery Slope

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Pete

Continuing in Romans 1 this morning. Yesterday I was reminded of the good news–the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The good news which reveals the righteousness which is of God, a righteousness that comes by faith, a righteousness that bears the fruit of obedience. This morning I’m reminded of why we need such good news . . . ’cause there’s such bad news:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

(Romans 1:18 ESV)

The wrath of God is revealed. Not “is going to be revealed.” Not future tense. But “is revealed”, as in present tense. And you read the latter part of Romans 1 and you see that God’s wrath is revealed as He “gives them up.” Those who refuse to acknowledge and honor Him, those who determinedly choose the creation over the Creator, God gives them up to their own wisdom, to their own lusts, to their own impure hearts. He hands them over to their own “dishonorable passions.” His wrath is revealed as He allows men and women to do whatever men and women want to do as they choose a path apart from God.

And at the core of their waywardness, while it may not be the unforgivable sin, is something which, if left too long, could very well become the irreversible sin, suppressing the truth.

It would seem that suppressing the truth . . . putting a shroud over it (MSG) . . . holding it down . . . refusing it’s knock at the door of your heart and conscience . . . that suppressing the truth has the very real potential of putting someone on a slippery slope which, apart from divine intervention, can’t easily be gotten off of. If what is known by creation of the Creator is denied . . . if what is revealed through the Scriptures about salvation is refused . . . if what is evident of the kingdom through the church is mocked . . . if the truth is suppressed then all that’s left is people being left to their own wisdom to find their own way. And that way is the way to destruction.

And though I am benefactor of the gospel this morning, . . .though I have known the power of God for salvation, . . . though I rest in a righteousness not my own but of Another who loved me and gave Himself for me . . . there’s a warning here for me about suppressing the truth and venturing onto that slippery slope.

If, after having been brought into light, I refuse to seek the light, . . . if after having been purchased by the blood of Living Word, I’m careless about spending time in His written word, then am I not in danger of at least passively suppressing the truth? Or, having read God’s word, if I cover up what it reveals of His desire for my life but exchange it for my own plan for my life, is their not a risk that while being a child of God I end up looking more like a product of this world? If I persistently and consistently hold down God’s revealed will, what happens to my heart?

And it’s not a warning that causes me to fear for the security of my redemption, but rather a warning about the state of my resemblance. If I am seeking the truth, receiving the truth, and by grace obeying the truth, then I will be conformed by that truth into the image of God’s blessed Son. But if I suppress the truth, what do I look like then? And how does that reflect on the God who saved me for His glory.

At the Son’s request, the Father has given us the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17). We have, in a sense, an inside track to truth. Might God’s people be marked as seekers of truth, receivers of truth, and responders to truth.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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The Fruit of Faith

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Pete

Obedience. I’m thinking that, in general, it doesn’t rank in the list of the world’s top ten words to embrace. That, for many, the word comes with at least some baggage. Perhaps some having experienced, grudgingly, a forced obedience to a parent or some other ruling authority. Obedience having been associated with oppression, unreasonable demands, and/or unenjoyable consequences. For some, obedience having been established as the basis for worth, adherence as the price needed to be tendered for acceptance and love. I might be wrong, but I think that for at least some, and perhaps for many, saying the word “obedience” is like running your fingernails down a chalkboard.

True in the world and, I’m thinking, true in the church. That, for some at least, obedience has been taught to be the measure of one’s righteousness–don’t perform and you don’t measure up. That, in some church cultures, obedience is the price you pay if you want to be on good terms with the Creator. Want favor? Obey. Want divine acceptance? Obey. Want to be assured of a good outcome after your final breath? Obey! Kind of a lot of pressure. Often the basis for a lot of bad experiences. Obedience . . . hear the fingernails on the chalkboard again?

But what if, rather than being some onerous (and often thought, unattainable) prerequisite for salvation, obedience is, in fact, a glorious outcome of salvation? What if rather than obedience defining my faith, it is, in reality, the fruit of my faith?

Something I read in Romans this morning has me noodling on this idea of obedience as the fruit of faith.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations

(Romans 1:1-5 ESV)

The gospel, or good news, of God. Promised beforehand. About His Son. Him who has come in flesh after the kingly line of David, but shown to be the Son of God through His resurrection from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ our Lord, the One who commissioned His messengers through grace “to bring about the obedience of faith.”

The obedience of faith. That’s what’s tumbling around in my head this morning. Not an obedience which permits faith. Not an adherence to a creed or a code of conduct that merits acceptance. But an obedience which flows from faith. An obedience made possible because of what we believe. An obedience which is the fruit of having placed our trust in the good news that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh to pay the price for our sin.

As such, infused by faith with desire to live in a way consistent with being a child of God. What’s more, empowered, through faith, to walk in manner worthy of our calling. The gospel being the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (1:16) . . . the good news revealing the righteousness that comes from faith for faith (1:17) . . . a righteousness which bears fruit, the fruit of obedience.

Paul was sent to preach the gospel to bring about the obedience of faith. Before teaching on what to do, he preached on what to believe. And through believing, new creations in Christ are able to live in Spirit-empowered obedience to Christ. Not because they have to in order to be loved, but because they get to as a response to the great love already shown them through the cross.

If faith is the substance of things hoped for (Heb. 11:1 NKJV), then obedience is the substance of things believed in.

O glorious assurance of faith . . . wondrous evidence of faith . . . blessed fruit of faith, obedience.

All by His grace . . . all for His glory.

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Belong, Bow Down, & Believe

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Pete

“Told you so!” That’s not quite what Paul said, but kinda. “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss” (Acts 27:21).

But they wanted to get to Italy. And so they sailed when they shouldn’t have. And the gentle breeze from the south soon becomes a “tempestuous wind” from who knows what direction. A typhoon swirling about them, seemingly coming at them from all sides. And the ship is suddenly in a storm through which it cannot navigate. In fact, it can barely hold itself together (27:13-19). As the hurricane force winds rage about them, and the sea bucks uncontrollably below them, “all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned” (27:20).

Maybe not the best time to say, “I told you so.”

Unless, of course, it wasn’t to rub more salt in already saltwater infested wounds, but to establish credibility for something else Paul was about to say.

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

(Acts 27:22-25 ESV)

Take heart, Paul said, we’re gonna get through this. And it’s because my God has said so. The One to whom I belong. The One to whom I bow down. The One in whom I believe.

The Lord had revealed to Paul that Paul would testify of the gospel in Rome (Acts 23:11). God’s purpose had been established. And no bonehead decision, even the decision to take a chance and sail when safe sailing season had passed, would derail the purposes of God. And, in the storm, Paul was visited on the ship by an angel of the Lord and reminded of his calling. And Paul would confidently stand before men fearing for their lives and encourage them to take heart. Because Paul belonged, bowed down, and believed.

And this morning I find in Paul’s confidence my confidence.

I belong to the God who is equally sovereign over calm seas as well as hurricane force winds. I am His. Purchased with the blood of His Son. Sealed as a child of God, a joint heir with Christ, by His Spirit. And nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

I bow down to the God who is worthy of honor and glory in all circumstance. Worshiped not only in the good times, but also in the not so good times as He his promises are sure, founded on His holy and unchanging nature. Worshiped for who He is, Jehovah. Worshiped for what He has done, having given His Son that I might be delivered from bondage. Having given His Son that I might be dressed in the Son’s righteousness. Having given His Son that a place might be prepared for me in His presence. He told Paul, “You’re going to Rome.” He’s told me, “One day, you’re coming home!”

And I believe in the God who has given the promise. What He has said, He will do (1Thess. 5:24). The work that He has begun, He will finish (Php. 1:6).

“For I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”

Sometimes it takes a storm to hear again His voice. Sometimes it takes an out of control world–one that seemingly is bent on overwhelming us, one in which we find ourselves bailing for all we’re worth–to know afresh that we are forever His. Sometimes, its what’s going on around us that drives us to our knees in humble worship. It’s then that we often cry, “I believe, help my unbelief!”

And we hear His voice, “I told you so. Fear not!”

By His grace . . . for His glory.

Note:  I likely won’t be posting over the next couple of days as we’ll be on a bit of road trip.

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Throw Me the Lifeline!

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Pete

David knew about cause and effect. He connected the dots between external circumstance and internal response. Know the ever present reality of oppression and distress without? Be consumed by darkness and mourning within. Experience unrelenting obstacles day after day? Be prone to feelings of divine abandonment night after night. The cause and effect were undeniable. The connection between “quality of life” and “quality of worship” was understandable. But this morning as I’m hovering over the forty-third psalm, beyond the rawness of the songwriter’s feelings of having been rejected by the God in whom he has taken refuge, I notice his plea. I’m struck by what someone whose soul is cast down asks of the God he trusts. Throw me the lifeline!

Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!  Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.

(Psalm 43:3-4 ESV)

The songwriter asks God to intervene as judge. To defend his cause. To deliver him from the ungodly and unjust. And he does so, at least in part, because of the effect it is having on him. “I go about mourning” (v.2). His soul is cast down, forced to its knees by waves of despair. Turmoil, an inner turbulent commotion, is his “new norm (v.5). The inner storm draining energy from what his soul truly desires. To abide where God dwells. To bring offerings with great joy. To worship.

And so he prays, “Throw me the lifeline.”

Send out Your light. Let loose Your truth. Let them guide me. Guide me to where You tabernacle.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12). He proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). “Father,” we might rewrite the song, “show me afresh the Son! Calm the inner storm that I might see again the cross and know again that if You are with me, who can be against me. That if You did not spare You own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will You not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32)

The Spirit given to those who believe is “the Spirit of truth” (Jn 15:26). And He has been sent to illuminate, to bring light, to “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said you” (Jn. 14:26). “So Father,” we might pen the lyrics, “help me to hear again the whisper of the Spirit’s voice. To be still and believe that I have not been left to my own devices to wage the battle or find the way, but that the Helper has sealed me and has promised to lead me.”

And, beyond the “intangibles” of the Savior in whom I abide and His Spirit who abides in me, there is the Word–the inspired Word of God. And it is light . . . “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). And it is truth . . . “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever” (Ps. 119:160). And so again we might take license with the songwriter’s words, “Let Your Word be the light and truth that leads me again to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!”

Throw me the lifeline? Our faithful Father has. It is found in every remembrance of His Son. It is grasped every time we acknowledge the Spirit’s indwelling presence and promise of help. It draws us into His holy presence every time we open the Word, and chew on the Word, and “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.

Praise God for the lifeline of light and truth. Manifest in His Son. Revealed by His Spirit. Found in His Word.

All through wondrous grace. All for His eternal glory.

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My Place in the Son

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Pete

Reading in Acts 26 this morning ( . . . almost afternoon . . . I so enjoy Mondays!). Paul is speaking before King Agrippa, telling his story in defense of the accusations laid against him by the Jews. And as I read again of his story, I find a reminder of my own story. Paul’s commission having become my experience. And it reminds me of my place in the Son.

“And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, . . . I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'”

(Acts 26:15-18 ESV)

There I am! That’s my place! A place among those who are sanctified by faith in the Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. A place in the Son.

Once an enemy of Christ, once in opposition to the claims of the cross, Paul encounters the risen Son of God. He is miraculously saved from zealous blindness and wonderfully redeemed with a life-changing purpose. And the Lord of light graciously appears to Paul and gives him a message. A message of good news. What we call the gospel. The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). And for those who receive and believe the gospel there is a place.

A place revealed as, by God’s grace and the Spirit’s life-giving power, eyes are opened and people once of the night are given sight as to the things of the day. Self-centered understanding being replaced with heavenly focused revelation. Eyes opened such that people are delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of the beloved Son (Col. 1:13).

What’s more, the chains of the power of Satan are broken. Bondage to sin and rebellion left behind as Jesus, by His abiding presence, leads us in exodus toward freedom and obedience through “His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2Pet. 1:4).

In all this He forgives my sin, justly and eternally. The price for my transgression paid in full by Another. The wages of my sin completely and forever tendered by the Son who came as the Lamb (John 1:29).

As such, there is a place for me among those who are sanctified by faith.

Sanctified. Set apart. Made holy.

True of my past, as the Father, in sovereign grace, has set me apart that He might give me to His beloved Son. True of my present, as that same Father has determined to form within me the image and nature of that same Son by the indwelling, ever present, Spirit (Rom. 8:29). And set apart for the future through promise. When one day the sons and daughters of God will be revealed, having been gloried and physically brought into His glorious presence (Rom. 8:18-23).

That’s the message Paul was given for those with ears to hear. That’s my story because God, by His grace, gave me such ears almost 40 years ago.

And since that day, not only have I been given a place in the Son, but He continues to remind me of that place and to lead me to consider afresh the breadth and length and height and depth “of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” so that I might be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). To noodle on all that’s encompassed by having a place among those who are sanctified.

My place by faith. My place in the Son.

Solely because of mind-bobbling grace. Only for His ever-to-be-declared glory.

Amen?

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