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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An Open Ear

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Pete

Probably not surprising that, once again, I’m sitting here this morning trying to process the story of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 and how they crashed and burned . . . literally. Every year when I come upon this passage as part of my reading plan it kind of overshadows my other readings.

And I think it’s partly the unexpectedness of their behavior. Aaron’s boys have just been anointed, have just offered their first set of offerings. The glory of God has just come down and fire from God has just consumed the offerings on the altar. And now’s the time they decide to mess around with strange fire?

And I think it’s partly the severity of God’s judgment. They’re new to the job, just rookies. Was it really that big of deal if they decided to experiment and improvise a bit? Evidently.

But something I read in Psalm 40 this morning, something that would one day be attributed to Another engaged in priestly duties (Heb. 10:5-7), might shed a bit of light as to the driver behind God’s fiery reaction to the sons foolish fiery offering.

Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but You have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

(Psalm 40:6-8 ESV)

It jumped off the page as I read Psalm 40 . . . God has not desired sacrifice and offering, He has not required burnt offering and sin offering. Really? I’m reading Leviticus and the word from God through Moses is pretty clear and pretty specific about the sacrifices and offerings. But the songwriter’s Spirit-led commentary points to the fact that, in a sense, it’s less about the offerings and more about the offerer. Though God’s requirement is laid out in pain-staking detail, the detail means nothing if it isn’t followed, if it isn’t obeyed. And, it seems to me, the “secret sauce” to obedience is faith. Believing that what God says is true and that what God commands is good.

It’s not that Aaron’s sons were simply adventuresome, or impetuous, or even innovative. After everything God had laid out through Moses concerning the manner of worship, they tried something else because they didn’t believe what God had said. After all that God had revealed concerning the manner and means of drawing near to the holy place, they tried something else because of unbelief, because they thought they could go it alone.

Or as the psalmist put it, they didn’t have an “open ear” that allowed God’s word to find residence “within their hearts.”

That’s the issue, I’m thinking. They didn’t have ears to hear and so they waltzed into the presence of God with their strange, or unauthorized, fire.

God’s holiness demands that those who come into His presence do so in righteousness. And no amount of slicing and dicing and shedding of blood and burning of incense is going to manufacture righteousness. Righteousness before a holy God has always been a result of faith. Abraham believed the LORD and it was counted to him–credited to Abraham’s account–as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). It’s not about the sacrifices and offerings, it’s about a desire to do God’s will because you believe in God’s word.

It was less about the strange fire in their hands than it was about the unbelief in their hearts. Having received the word of God, Aaron’s boys rejected the word of God and instead believed that their own creative works should be enough to merit God’s favor. And they were wrong. Dead wrong.

What they needed was an open ear (“and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” – Eph. 2:8 NKJV). But it was rejected because of a hard heart. What they needed was the righteousness of Another that comes by faith, but it was declined as they instead relied upon their own wisdom and works. What they needed to do was obey God’s word, but they didn’t because they didn’t believe God’s word.

While theirs was certainly a fool’s errand that cost them dearly, at the heart of the matter was the heart of the matter–they didn’t believe. And without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17).

Give me an open ear, O LORD, that Your Law might find its dwelling in my heart. Then will obedience come. Then will strange fire be rejected. Then will we know what it is to boldly approach Your throne of grace and abide in Your Holy-of-holies presence.

All by Your grace. All for Your glory.

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Not Alone

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Pete

The dirge continues. Don’t know for sure if there’s a connection between yesterday’s Psalm 38 and this morning’s Psalm 39, but I’m thinking there could be. Whatever the cloud of dire circumstance and inner turmoil brought on by the songwriter’s transgression in yesterday’s reading, it seems to also be hanging over the lyrics of today’s song. Yesterday I was impressed at how David’s song conveyed a dynamic of praying our heads above water. This morning what grabbed me is that on this journey, though difficult sometimes, we’re not alone.

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with You, a guest, like all my fathers. Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!

(Psalm 39:12 ESV)

As in Psalm 38, the pressure of his enemies about him, and the weight of the knowledge of his transgression within him, has the songwriter clearly in a desperate situation. And the psalmist knows they’re connected. His failure to get an upper hand with that which battles against him is directly related to the divine hand of discipline upon him. And so he prays, “Deliver me from all my transgressions” (39:8).

What’s more, his entire circumstance reminds him of life’s fleeting nature. He’s reminded that God has made his days but “a few handbreadths.” That any wealth a man heaps up here is without any benefit to him once the “mere breath” of his life has passed. He feels the futility and shortness of life as He asks the Creator to impress upon him afresh “the measure of my days” (39:4-6).

Yet the songwriter’s feelings of futility do not result in hopelessness.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.    (Psalm 39:7 ESV)

There’s the lifeline! My hope is in You. Though under God’s hand of discipline, though knowing the reality of divine rebuke for his sin (39:10-11), he also knows that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). God’s chastening in his life is another reminder that God is present in his life. That God has accepted him as a son, a son whom He will shape into the image of His own Son and will one day receive to Himself. Even in the hard times he hears a whisper of love that he is on a journey and that he’s not traveling alone.

For I am a sojourner with You, a guest, like all my fathers.

Life might be but a breath, but it’s not a breath that’s taken alone. The paths of our feet might take turns we never saw coming, but we’re not left to ourselves to navigate them. We might just be passing through, but we’re passing through with our hand in His. We’re not alone.

And while the treasures of this world will fade and eventually be left behind, we can, while on pilgrimage, lay up for ourselves “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” And where our treasure is, “there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:20-21).

Hearts set on things above. Guests in this world below. And even the hard times a reminder that we do not sojourn alone but with the God of our deliverance.

What amazing grace, that the LORD of all creation would journey with us.

To Him be all glory.

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Praying Our Heads Above Water

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Pete

If there was ever a song written in the minor key it would have to be Psalm 38. Not much to cheer the soul here. What’s entitled as a song for “the memorial offering” recants the nearly crushed soul of someone who feels the heavy hand of discipline of their God. Between the internal burden of knowing his sin and the external persecution he is experiencing at the hands of his enemies, it’s no wonder there is a sense that the psalmist feels near to drowning in his circumstance and situation. But what’s grabbed me this morning is the manner in which he prays his head about water.

O LORD, rebuke me not in Your anger, nor discipline me in Your wrath! . . . O Lord, all my longing is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You. . . .Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

(Psalm 38:1, 9, 21-22 ESV)

Whatever the situation about him, it was bad. His enemies were ready to pounce (v.12). His foes were aggressive, they hated him, and would not have hesitated to take advantage of his weakened condition (v.19-20). But, in a sense, that is the lesser of the songwriter’s worries because it’s what’s going on inside his body and soul that poses his greatest threat. Whatever the sin committed, whatever the psalmist is thinking of as he confesses and repents of his iniquity, it is that for which he is suffering–both physically and emotionally–the most. He’s getting hammered from all sides, inside and out.

Try and sing his song and you can’t help but come way thinking this guy’s a mess. He is overwhelmed. He is sinking. And what do you do when you’re about to go under for the third time? Grab for a lifeline. Biblical translation? Pray! Cry out to the LORD!

And cry out to the Lord he does. And each time he does the burden seems to be somewhat eased and lifted. Each time he averts his eyes from the darkness within and the pressure without to the God who reigns above, rays of hope seem to break through the darkness of lament. From “not in Your anger, Lord” to “I’m laying it all before you, Lord” to “Hurry and help me, Lord”, David, despite his sorrow for his sin and his suffering of its consequences, turns his face to rescue . . . and refuge . . . and redemption . . . and reconciliation.

He starts by seeking God’s mercy, “not in Your anger.” He concludes by anticipating God’s grace, “Make haste to help me.” He prays his head above water.

Despite his transgression and failure, He never doubted His Father’s love. Even at his loneliest, He ever expected His Father’s abiding presence. Even when the words seemed to hit the ceiling, he believed that heaven heard. He wouldn’t hold back. He would lay it all on the table knowing that nothing was hidden from his God. Despite having brought at least some of his situation upon himself, he would still make his requests known to God and, it seems, that the peace of God which passes all understanding began to guard his heart and mind (Php. 4:6-7).

There might be an inclination to avoid approaching His throne of grace when we know the calamity is of our own making. We might just keep it to ourselves when we know we’ve transgressed. We could be prone to just trying to gut it out when we know we’re reaping what we’ve sowed. But if this minor key psalm hints at anything, it’s that we need to confess our sin and go to our Father. That we need to trust in the Son’s finished work on the cross. That we need to believe in the interceding help of the Spirit who lives within. And we need to pray our heads above water.

All because of unfailing grace. All for His unfading glory.

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A Good Problem To Have

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Pete

I’m going to say that, 9.5 times out of 10, when someone hears “Exodus” and “the people going to Moses” together, they’re thinking, “whining again!” That’s kind of the modus operandi we expect from this group of wilderness wanderers. Sure they’ve been delivered from Egypt, but they aren’t home yet. And the journey is proving a little harder than they like. And so, most often, when we read of a group of people from one of the twelve tribes going to Moses, it’s usually to lodge some sort of complaint. But not in this morning’s reading. In fact, what Moses had to deal with was a good problem to have.

And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing.

(Exodus 36:3-6 ESV)

“Enough already,” the craftsmen said. “No more,” they complained. “Moses, make them stop,” they begged, “the people are giving too much for the work of the LORD.”

Okay . . . who wouldn’t want to have that sort of problem to deal with?

God had given Moses instruction concerning the construction and assembly of the tabernacle. The LORD had also raised up specially gifted craftsmen and filled them with an extra measure of the Holy Spirit so that they could build the soon to be dwelling place for God’s glory. All that was needed were the building materials. Gold, silver, bronze . . . lots of it. In addition, blue, purple, and scarlet yarns. Fine twined linens. Goats hair, tanned rams skins, and goatskins. Acacia wood. Also needed, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and fragrant incense, and precious stones for the high priest’s ephod and breastpiece.

So the ask went out, “Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution” (Ex. 35:5). And the people responded, big time!!!

And I’m reading this and thinking, wouldn’t it be wonderful if more gatherings of God’s people had this kind of problem?  Where more treasure is being given to the LORD’s work than needed?  Where more talents are made available than can be deployed in service to others–whether inside or outside of the church? Where more time is being set aside for the kingdom than a local body of believers knows what to do with? Wouldn’t that would be a good problem to have?  Pretty sure!

But it’s not just about demanding more or expecting more.  Not about raising the bar and putting more pressure on the ask.

Rather, what struck me is that they gave so much because they gave as their hearts stirred them to give (35:21, 26, 29, 36:2). And, though it doesn’t say it explicitly, I’m thinking the One doing the stirring is the LORD. That even the desire to give is given. The freewill towards generosity is but a response to the free moving of the Spirit among them. The propensity to generosity, but an evidence of God’s abundant grace. Even the treasure they had to give, itself, was but divine provision from the exodus.

David, another who, centuries later, longed also for the glory of God to dwell among His people, would put it this way:

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You. . . . O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand and is all Your own.

(1Chronicles 29:14, 16 ESV)

Would that God’s people had the problem of giving so freely because the Spirit among them was working so fully.

All because of amazing grace. All for His eternal glory.

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God’s Glory Trailer

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Pete

I’m not really much of a movie buff. You won’t find me going to a theater very often. But one thing I think I have noticed is that movie trailers seem to have become bigger and bigger deals of late. That, for some at least, the debut of an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film comes with almost as much expectation as the movie itself. I think it’s because people are interested to see what can be gleaned about the movie from a two minute preview. So I’m guessing that a lot of thought goes into what’s put into a movie trailer. It’s intended to reveal enough that you can’t resist the rest.

Kind of made that connection with something I read in Exodus this morning. Let me call it God’s glory trailer.

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” 

(Exodus 33:18-19 ESV)

One of the most inspiring conversations in Scripture is found in Exodus 33:12-23.

Moses: God, show me Your ways so that I can know You and find favor in Your sight.

God: My presence will go with you.

Moses: If Your presence will not go with me, let’s not even start the journey.

God: I’m going with you, you have found favor in My sight.

Moses: Okay then, now show me Your glory!

Taste and see the LORD is good and you just want more. Sip on His promises, you want to drink at the well of His presence. Drink at the well of His presence and you want to hook up to the fire hose of His glory. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6).

And Moses’ hunger for the glory of God would be satisfied. Though he could not look upon God’s face and live (33:2), God devised a plan involving a rock that would allow Moses to know the glory of God. God would make His goodness pass before Moses. God’s glory would be found in God’s name–His nature, His essence. That’s going to happen in Exodus 34.

But God gives Moses a preview of what’s to come in Exodus 33. A hint of that which intrinsically reveals God’s glory. A pre-reveal insight as to what defines God’s magnificence. “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” The LORD’s mercy and His grace . . . that’s God’s glory trailer.

Mercy: not receiving that which I did deserve. The wages of my sin paid by Another. The wrath I deserved for my rebellion poured out upon a spotless Lamb. The death that should have been mine suffered by a once-for-all Substitute.

Grace: receiving that which I did not deserve. Once a sinner, now declared a saint. Once an enemy of God, now adopted and given full rights of inheritance as a child of God. Once stained by iniquity, now having the righteousness of God Himself credited to my account through His Son. Once deserving of death, now gifted with life and life to the full.

That’s the glory trailer, God’s mercy and grace . . . God’s grace and mercy.

Want to see God’s glory? Spend a bit of time noodling on what we have been saved from and what we have been saved for. Snuggle into the cleft of the Rock and watch as His glory is revealed.

How’s that for a much anticipated trailer!

Knowing His grace.  Beholding His glory.  Declaring His praise!

Amen?

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Tasting Salt Water

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Pete

Let’s face it, often when we think about Peter, at least pre-pentecost, we’re likely to consider his failures. We’ll sometimes refer to him as impetuous Peter. Speak first, think later Peter. Ready, fire, aim Peter. Tells Jesus there’s no way he will let Jesus go to the cross and is rebuked as Satan. Cuts off an ear when, instead, he should have submitted to God’s will being done. Denies the Lord three times when he should have stood fast for Him. And, as I read this morning, Peter sinks into the sea when he should have been walking on the water.

But here’s the thing, Peter’s failures were as epic as they were only because he was willing to be all in. The cross was so unpalatable because he had just declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. The ear fell to the ground because Peter was willing to fight to the death to protect his Master. The denial was so bitter because, though the flesh was weak, his spirit was willing and determined to stand fast as, with boldness, he declared his allegiance. And the sinking? Well you can’t sink unless you first get out of the boat.

Finishing up Matthew 14 this morning. The disciples are in a boat bailing while Jesus is on a mount praying. And somewhere between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Jesus comes to the beleaguered band of boaters “walking on the sea” (14:24). And when they see Him they are terrified. In the pre-dawn, storm-tossed, mist-filled light Jesus looks like an apparition. But Jesus speaks. And though the wind still raged, the disciples were calmed. Cue Peter.

And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

(Matthew 14:28-29 ESV)

Stop there! Sure, Peter’s going to avert His eyes from the Savior and refocus on the wind. Yeah, his ankles and then his knees are going to start getting really wet. I know, he’s gonna sink. He’s going to doubt and be rebuked for having little faith. But it only happens because what little faith he had he exercised. You can’t go down if you’ve never tried to step up. Bottom line? Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

Or, to frame it in terms of another reading of mine this morning . . . a reading in the psalms . . . a reading of one of my life verses . . . Peter tasted some salt water only because he was willing to open his mouth.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!     (Psalm 34:8a ESV)

The sea water might have been bitter as he gulped it in, but how sweet was it when Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter? While Peter might have learned something about his own doubt and lack of faith, by stepping out of the boat what did Peter also learn about the power of Jesus to rescue? The others looked at a ghost-like figure from afar, Peter grasped the hand of the Son of God and was embraced by Him. And I’m thinking, even if we come up short sometimes, we need to be willing and should be wanting, to taste and see that the Lord is good.

I’m not talking about being reckless or about carelessly putting God to the test. But I am thinking about being a little bolder, of sowing that mustard seed of faith a little quicker, and of drinking of what God offers a little deeper.

Don’t much like the taste of salt water, but sometimes if you’re willing to taste, you’ll see that the LORD is good.

All by grace . . . all for His glory.

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