Do the Math!

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Pete

I read Psalm 90 and it caused me to do some math. The psalm is a prayer of Moses. An “oldie but goodie” that’s been preserved and included in this book of songs. It’s the only psalm that’s attributed to Moses. And the math I was compelled to noodle on? How many graves a day were showing up as the people wandered through the wilderness.

The prevailing theme of the prayer has to do with man returning to dust (v.3) . . . of them being swept away as with a flood (v.5) . . . like grass that fades and withers (v.6). But these generations of Jacob are not “passing on” after a life under the sunshine of God’s countenance upon them. Rather, they are brought to an end by His anger, they die dismayed by His wrath (v.7). Their iniquities laid out before His eyes, their “secret sins” splayed in the light of His presence (v.8). Moses is lamenting over the people who are dying daily around him because they rebelled against God and refused to trust Him (Numbers 14:1-32).

And so I’m doing the math. About 600,000 men over the age of twenty, not including Levites, are counted as they leave Egypt (Num. 2:32). If two-thirds of them have a spouse, then we’re talking close to a million people over the age of twenty. And, says the LORD, “your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun” (Num. 14:29-30).

So a million people die over the span of 40 years, or about 14,400 days. That’s an average of 70 fresh graves a day for 40 years. Every time they “break camp” and move on they leave a cemetery behind them. Every day as they travel in circles they leave mounds of dirt in their wake as evidence of the judgment their sin deserved.

Heavy sigh! Not exactly a “picker-upper.”

No wonder Moses pens,

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

(Psalm 90:12 ESV)

But what if instead of wandering in the desert until you die, you are marching to the promised land in anticipation of life to the full? What if instead of waking up every morning under the cloud of God’s anger and wrath you arise to a fresh outpouring of His mercy and grace? What if your sins have been atoned for, once and for all? What if, day in and day out, you are dressed in the clothes of righteousness of the One in whom the Father delights?

What if, rather than a dirge, your song is song of victory?

Wouldn’t you pray the same prayer?

Teach us to number our days! Not just because they are short, but because they are a countdown. Cause us to reflect upon the graves of those who have gone before. Not because they have succumbed to Your wrath, O God, but because they have entered into Your presence. Give us a heart of wisdom. Not just to navigate this desert, but to invest to the max in the inheritance that awaits.

We are not desert dwellers. We are not under the wrath our sin deserved. No, we are on our way home knowing there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). Far from backs bowed under life’s heavy loads, our faces are turned heavenward in the expectation of glory and joy everlasting. We are being escorted to the Father by the Son through the Spirit.

So Lord, help us to do the math. Teach us to number our days.

Because of grace. For Your glory.

Posted in Psalms, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Pete

I’m reading 1Corinthians 12 and realize it’s an object lesson. Paul is taking something that everyone is familiar with and trying to make a point about something they still have much to learn about.

At issue is their ignorance around the nature and purpose of spiritual gifts. That there are a variety of gifts but only a single Source, the Spirit of God (12:4). That there are various manifestations of the Spirit’s enabling but that all are to be for the common good (12:7). That while these gifts are attached to individuals they are apportioned and empowered by “one and the same Spirit” (12:11).

And so, to convey this idea of many different parts but one divine purpose, Paul holds up the human body as an example. Look in the mirror, he says, and know that the church is like you . . . fearfully and wonderfully made.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. . . . Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

(1Corinthians 12:12-14, 27 ESV)

I’m reading through the detail Paul provides of his object lesson and for a moment I get lost in the object he is describing and lose sight momentarily of the point he is trying to make. Paul talks about the body. Many members. Each with a role to play. Each different, yet a vital part of the whole. Its beauty found in its diversity, without which it becomes grotesque–what would a body look like if all its members were an eye? Its purpose realized not as each part does the same thing, but as each part does that which God has ordained. Parts that seem weaker but are actually indispensable. Parts thought of as less honorable are held in high honor as they fulfill their role in the body. Parts, like the intestine, that you really wouldn’t show off, as you would your beautiful hair, but without which you’d die.

I’m reading Paul’s description of the human body and my mind flashes to Psalm 139 . . .

For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mothers womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

(Psalm 139:13-14 ESV)

And it hits me, when was the last time I looked upon the spiritual body of Christ with the same awe and wonder I experience when I pause and reflect on the human body of men. Sure, the church isn’t perfect . . . but, hey Pete, have a look in the mirror . . . there’s a bit of work to be done there too.

But the church, like our bodies, is God’s creation. As we consider the meticulous and miraculous way our bodies have been put together, we should also see the purposefulness and power with which Christ’s body is being formed. As we consider all that our bodily members do and how they work in concert, it should renew our appreciation of the diversity of enabling within an assembly of believers and compel to us to work together, in His power, to accomplish His purpose.

What if, when we walked into our various gatherings this Sunday, we paused, looked out at our brothers and sisters in Christ and were blown away by these Spirit empowered members of Christ? What if we took just a moment, considered the church, despite all her imperfections and opportunities, and whispered, “Fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Would it not remind us of His abundant grace? Would it not, in some measure, bring Him much deserved glory?

I’m thinkin . . .

Posted in 1Corinthians, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

For the Common Good

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Pete

Yesterday morning, when I was reading in the latter part of 1Corinthians 11, the words that jumped off the page were “when you come together.” Not because I had some profound insight concerning them but because they are repeated again and again. Five times in eighteen verses Paul uses the phrase. If you learn anything from the passage it’s that “coming together” was just what a local body of believers did. If you said you were part of the church at Corinth then people knew that, whatever else you did as a body, you at the very least were coming together. However, Paul says of these believers, “When you come together it is not for the better but for the worse” (12:17). And he proceeds to instruct them on how to come together in a way that is honoring to the LORD and beneficial for the body.

This morning, reading the first part of 1Corinthians 12, I’m reminded of how the body can come together for the common good.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

(1Corinthians 12:4-7 ESV)

No one should be busier at a Sunday morning gathering of saints than the Holy Spirit. When we gather to exalt the Son to the glory of the Father it is the Spirit who should be, in a manner of speaking, breaking a sweat as He enables the deployment of all the spiritual gifts. And after we’re done meeting and head home to every day living, when the body serves the body outside the building, then too the Spirit should be active as He powers these “varieties of gift.” No Sabbath rest for the Spirit it seems to me. Instead, active empowerment of what Jesus has graced to every believer (Note: EVERY BELIEVER). And all for the common good.

How we deprive the body of common good when we don’t show up. How we stifle the family’s growth when we are not contributing. How we miss out on knowing an encounter of the divine kind when we are not in a place or position to be the conduit of the Spirit’s power through the gifting given us. How we fail to know the touch of God when we cancel on the opportunity for Spirit gifted brothers and sisters to minister to us.

Hard for these gifts of the Spirit, given for the common good, to have an effect for the common good if we don’t come together.

I wonder if it would be different if we really believed what we say we believe . . . that a divine gracing has been “given to each one of us according to the measure of Christs gift” (Eph. 4:7). And that “all these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills” (1Cor. 12:11). Beyond just the responsibility of the stewardship implied from having received a gift from Christ, what of the anticipation of seeing that gift energized by the Holy Spirit and the satisfaction of knowing God Himself has determined it for the common good.

I’m thinking the people of God need to be coming together more. I’m thinking that, as individuals, we miss out when we remove the opportunity for our Spirit powered gifts to flow through us and to others. I’m thinking the Bride of Christ misses out when members of the bridal party have gone AWOL and are MWA (missing without action).

For the common good. It’s our common calling. Enabled by anything but a common dynamic.

All because of grace. All for His glory.

Posted in 1Corinthians, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Heavenly Birth Certificate

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Pete

It’s kind of a cryptic song. For me it’s a little hard to completely piece together. But I do know it’s a song about Zion. The city on the holy mount founded by God Himself to be the place where His glory is known and where the throne of His rule is established. And what is obvious is that the LORD loves the place . . . “more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.” What’s more, through His prophets glorious things have been spoken about the city of God and about its future role upon the earth.

But what grabs me this morning in this song about this city, though I know I’m not fully picking up everything that is being laid down, is the emphasis placed on keeping birth certificates.

And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High Himself will establish her. The LORD records as He registers the peoples, “This one was born there.”   Selah

(Psalm 87:5-6 ESV)

The LORD Himself will keep a special record of those who are born in Zion. The Most High Himself who establishes the city will take note of those who found life in the city. And while I’ve got a lot more studying to do on Psalm 87 before I can really speak with conviction, it seems the birth being referred to here isn’t just an initial physical birth. It appears that peoples from other nations will also be born there. Those who know the LORD from Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon, from Philistia, Tyre, and Cush,–of them it will be said, “This one was born there” (v.4). There is a sense, it seems, in which it will be a spiritual birthplace for many among the nations. And of those, there will be kept in heaven records of this second birth.

When Messiah returns, when His throne is established on the earth, Zion will be the home of His glory, the seat of His power, and the place where people come and find a new birth (Isa. 2:2-3). And it will be recorded in heaven, “This one was born there!”

And as I think about that future day when Messiah is lifted up in glory and power, though my thoughts are clouded due to how little I understand of all that it will entail, I also reflect on a day past when on another hill the glory of the Messiah was manifest as He was lifted up in shame and apparent defeat. On that hill, far from inhabiting a throne, He was nailed to a cross. The power of the King of Heaven masked as He was mocked and derided as the wannabe king of the Jews. But to that hill, just as to Zion one day, many have come from the nations. And there “one was born.”

They have come believing that before Messiah comes as the conquering King of Heaven he first had to come as the sacrificial Lamb of God. That before He could own a people as His subjects, He first must make eternal atonement for their sins. Before He could stand upon Zion’s hill, He needed to die for His creation’s rebellion, be buried, and then rise on the third day according to the Scriptures. And for those who come to that holy hill in faith, it is recorded in heaven, “This one was born there. This one was born again there!” For all those who own Jesus as Savior and Lord, there will be, in a sense, a heavenly birth certificate.

But Gods firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His.”

(2Timothy 2:19a ESV)

God loves the hills He establishes. He loves the hill of Calvary, though upon it He endured the pain of inflicting His Son for our iniquity. And He loves Mount Zion, for there He will see His Son reign in all His majesty and power. And God knows those who find new life at those hills. Their rebirth is marked, a record is kept. Praise God for a heavenly birth certificate.

All because of His grace. All for His glory.

Posted in Psalms, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Flee!

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Pete

Gideon is a kind of an enigma for me. Seems to have, for the most part, run the race well but then gets tripped up at the finish line. He has an encounter of the divine kind with the angel of the LORD and obediently risks his own life to tear down an altar of Baal owned by his father and worshiped by his town. Having proven faithful in this “small thing” God entrusts to him a “bigger thing.” Bigger, as in deliver your people from the Midianites. Bigger as in take an army out numbered 450-to-1 and see what the LORD can do with those who are faithful and available. And Gideon nails it!

Gideon takes his micro-army of 300 men and attacks the Midian camp at night and eventually routes the entire Midian fighting force of 135,000 solders. “Exhausted yet pursuing” (Judges 8:4), Gideon and his men relentlessly press the battle as the LORD fights for His people and delivers them from Midian oppression.

Good on Gideon! All praise be to God!

And it gets better. After the victory the men of Israel say to Gideon, “Rule over us . . . for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” Gideon refuses. He knows who did the saving and so responds, “I will not rule over you, . . . the LORD will rule over you.” Yeah! Good on Gideon again. He would not be king, there is but one King.

But then, the wheels come off (Judges 8:24-28). While refusing a throne for his part in the victory, he does ask for treasure. While refusing to be king, he’s willing to play with being priest. He is given 1,700 shekels in golden earrings and makes them into an ephod, the apron like vest that was to be worn by the sons of Aaron when they came before the LORD. Though the house of God was at Shiloh, Gideon set up the ephod in his own city.

And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

(Judges 8:27 ESV)

Like father, like son. The pagan idol of Baal torn down, the religious idol of the ephod set up. And a man who had run so well gets tripped up at the finish line.

And so, having just read of Gideon, I was kind of primed for my reading in 1Corinthians this morning . . .

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.      (1Corinthians 10:14 ESV)

The Corinthians wanted to “partake of the table of the LORD and the table of demons.” To have the bread and cup that reminded them of Christ’s sacrifice and also the meat that they enjoyed though it was sacrificed to pagan gods. One hand raised to the King of kings and the other reaching out to the things of this world. And Paul says, “Flee!”

Take flight, protect your heart from divided allegiances! Shun the temptation to share the glory of God with another. Beware lest you provoke the Lord to jealousy (10:22).

Gideon serves as great example of bold faith in a great God. But he also serves as a dire warning for those who would divide that faith and place it in other gods of their choosing.

That God would show us our divided allegiances. That in His kindness He would lead us to repentance. That the all sufficient blood of Christ would cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And that we would have no king but Jesus.

By His grace. For His glory

Posted in 1Corinthians, Judges, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Highways of the Heart

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Pete

The songwriter regards the place as lovely. For him it is a destination of delight, a magnet for his heart’s affection. Just thinking of the place creates such a hunger and thirst within him that it almost saps his strength with longing. It is a place of singing and of great joy. It is a place of refuge and rejoicing. To be there but a day outshines a thousand anywhere else. It is the place where God’s glory dwells. The courts inhabited by the living God. The altars of the LORD of hosts. And blessed are those who have set towards that place highways in their heart.

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

(Psalm 84:5-7 ESV)

Even a casual reading of Psalm 84 exudes the passion the psalmist has for the presence of God. Where God is, the songwriter wants to be. Who God is, the songwriter desires to know. For what God has done, the songwriter seeks to declare by breaking forth in song at the top of his lungs.

And the songwriter knows that to get to where he so longs to be, it’s going to be a journey. And so, he writes, blessed are those in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Blessed are those whose internal GPS has been programmed for the dwelling place of the LORD of hosts! Blessed are those whose inner being is locked and loaded on the courts of the Most High God.

And there is no delusion that the road traveled, in order to be where the glory dwells, will be an easy road. In fact, the pilgrim to Zion should expect to go through the Valley of Baca. Baca is a Hebrew word for “weeping.” Those who set their hearts toward knowing God’s glory will encounter the Valley of Tears on their way. Times will be tough. Seasons will seem dark. Weeping may last for a night. But joy comes in the morning! (Ps. 30:5)

Not only do they survive the Baca valleys, there is a sense in which they thrive. Rather than Baca sucking the energy out of them, “they make it a place of springs.” The valley doesn’t define them but they bring life to the valley. In the land of tears the grace of God brings life-giving, life-sustaining rain so that, far from just getting by day-by-day, they in fact grow in vigor as “they go from strength to strength” in anticipation of the surety that “each one appears before God in Zion.”

Though no one wants to travel Baca’s valley, it is not to be dreaded but anticipated. For there too God’s presence is known. There too God’s glory is manifest. There too can be known the joy of resting in His promises.

O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You!      (Psalm 84:12 ESV)

Might the highways of my heart always be set towards the courts of the LORD. If but only to be there as a doorkeeper, would I so long for doorkeeping that everything else falls in line behind the desire. Even knowing that the Valley of Weeping is inevitable, might I be so sure of the promise of dwelling in His house that, even now, songs of praise cannot be restrained.

All because of grace. All by His grace.

All in anticipation of the glory. All for His glory.

Posted in Psalms, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Triumph of Faith

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Pete

At first glance it seems he failed to fully step up. First impression is that he was willing to play second fiddle when, in fact, he could have conducted the entire symphony. And, to a degree, that’s true. Barak from Kadesh-naphtali had been commissioned by Deborah, judge of Israel, to deliver Israel from Canaanite oppression. What’s more, Barak the son of Abinoam had been called by Deborah, prophetess of God, to lead an army into battle. But Barak with feet of clay said, “Only if you go with me.”

[Deborah] sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabins army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

(Judges 4:6-8 ESV)

But here’s the bottom line. Barak did lead 10,000 men into battle in the name of the LORD God of Israel.

Sure, he needed a bit of encouragement at his side. True enough that he passed on the glory that could have been his from taking out the commander of the enemy’s army (4:9). But once Deborah said she was all in, he was all in. And as I noodle on that this morning, seems to me that’s the triumph of faith.

It doesn’t lie in the man, but in the God the man is willing to follow, even if reluctantly at first. Victory not sourced in natural bravado, but in supernatural belief.

Though Barak wavered at first, when all was said and done he wholeheartedly led an army of foot soldiers against the commander of a formidable force of 900 chariots of iron that had cruelly subdued an entire nation for 20 years (4:3). Not because he had a superior strategy that would offset the imbalance, but because he heeded the word of a sovereign God who said, “I will give him into your hand.” That’s the triumph of faith.

Barak of Kadesh in Naphtali would lead an army of 10,000 into battle, but it would be the God heaven who would cause the rains to fall (5:4), and the chariots to be mired down. Though Barak would be at the front of the pack as they chased down the fleeing Canaanites, it would be the God Most High who would cause the Kishon river to rise and sweep away the fleeing enemy (5:20-21).

The triumph of faith is not found in the man but in the man’s obedience. The triumph of faith is not about how quick the man is to believe, but in who the man is willing to believe in. It might not come with the most glory, but it always results in the glory that is due. It might come at potential great cost, but it eventually results in great reward.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. . . . of whom the world was not worthy . . .

(Faith’s Hall of Fame – Hebrews 11:32-34, 38a ESV)

Oh to know the triumph the faith . . . even if it’s playing second fiddle.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

Posted in Judges, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Consequence of Compromise

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Pete

It starts out as a trickle but quickly grows to a tsunami. At first it seems a minor exception due to some “chariots of iron” but it soon becomes a major defeat as a result of a lack of conviction. Through Moses, the LORD had told the tribes of Israel that, when it came time to possess the promised land, they were to drive out the inhabitants completely. “They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you” (Ex. 23:33).

But warnings of defeat have a way of getting lost when you’re on a roll and racking up victories. And the first couple of chapters of Judges document what at first was a slippery slope turning far too quickly into a full-scale landslide.

Initially Judah COULD NOT drive out some Canaanites “because they had chariots of iron.” But quickly it snowballs as other tribes DID NOT drive out the peoples of the land for no stated reason other than it was probably pretty hard and they were met with some ardent opposition.

At first the results of not fully cleaning house are pockets of Canaanites living among the tribes of Israel (Judges 1:21-31). But it doesn’t take very long before Israel’s compromise results in Israel living among the Canaanites (1:31-33). And eventually, as in the case of Dan, they are repelled completely and have to settle for the hills rather than the flat lands (1:34).

And we’re are not left to guess to the consequence of compromise:

Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

(Judges 2:1-3 ESV)

Thorns in your side that will fester and become infected. A snare laid out for you that will eventually, but surely, trip you up. That’s the minefield these people of God laid for themselves by allowing the old inhabitants and their gods to hang around. And so the stage is set for the book of Judges.

Despite the book giving us some of our favorite Sunday School characters, they only shine bright because of the dark, dark background of this period in Israel’s history. Though many of these judges are severely flawed themselves, they come off as heroes because of the depths of depravity the nation falls into. And all the consequence of compromise.

The next days of reading in Judges are going to be a rocky road. The warning will reverberate in the background, “They are thorns in your sides that will cause rot. Their gods are a snare that will cause your fall.” And I need to heed the warning, “Deal with sin! Nothing good can come from making peace with disobedience. Avoid the consequence of compromise!”

But along this rocky road I will also be reminded of amazing grace as, time and time again, God raises up a deliverer. As, over and over, He hears His peoples’ cry and provides for them rest and restoration. As I’m reminded that the consequence for compromise has been born in full by the Greater Judge and the once-for-all Deliverer. That my “former inhabitant” can be defeated because of His finished work and through His indwelling Power.

My holy determination to drive out the former inhabitant.  My obedience.

All by His grace and for His glory.

Posted in Judges, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Open Wide . . . Again!

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Pete

It’s happened before on this day in my reading plan. As I’m working my way through my reading plan, before getting to the Psalms, I’m thinking that I might “pen” some words around Joshua’s “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). I read on and then think maybe I’ll talk about the fundamental nature of the parable of the sower–if we don’t get the importance of the seed falling on good soil, we’re kind of done (Mark 4:13). Or, as I read further, I think I might put together some thoughts on Paul’s warning to not allow our liberty in Christ to become a stumbling block to a brother or sister in Christ (1Cor. 8:9,13). But then I came to Psalm 81. And a promise of God jumps off the page that captures my imagination and ignites my soul.

I went back in my journal and read my reaction back in 2009 to this verse in the Psalm 81.  Was good for my soul so decided to “re-run” it.

====================================

Ok, so they’re probably not images that we think of a whole lot or maybe even really took note of when we saw it. But I think we all have seen them, and understand them. Let me try and explain a couple of them.

First, it’s the baby or toddler in a high chair at feeding time. You dip the spoon in the food and then you hold it up in front of the little one and BOING! . . . their mouth flies open in anticipation. You move the spoon around and the open mouth follows it as if to say, “Here! Put ‘er here! It’s open. It’s as wide as I can get it. Deliver that sumptuous pabulum right here!”

Or imagine eating snowflakes? Ever been there? Ever seen that? Ever done that? The first major snowfall of the year . . . big, wet, individually crafted snowflakes floating down. And with faces turned heavenward, and with mouths opened as wide as you can stretch them you pursue those luscious flakes of water. Taking in as many as you can until you’re almost too dizzy to keep standing. Get the pictures? Now read this . . .

I am the LORD your God,
   who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
   Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.             (Psalm 81:10 ESV)

When I’m reading in the morning, amongst other things I’m on the lookout for “commands to obey” and “promises to claim.” So how’s that for a command to obey . . . “Open your mouth wide”? How’s that for a promise to claim . . . “I will fill it”?

Amen and amen!

So often I walk with my eyes fixed ahead and my mouth closed. Not really zombie like, ’cause I know that this is the day the Lord has made and I seek to rejoice and be glad in it. But, if I’m honest, I’m thinking more about how to get through than I am about how to fill up. Not much sense of anticipation. Not much “wonder factor” happening. Not really full to the brim, but not really looking to get full either.

But what if I approached each day not wide-eyed but wide-mouthed? What if, after feeding on the word in the morning, I got up from my desk, got ready for work, and opened my mouth wide and said, “More, Lord, more!”

What if I sought to master the art of thirsting after the things of God (John 7:37) . . . of delighting myself in the Lord’s goodness (Ps. 37:4) . . . of wanting to know more of the love of Christ which passes knowledge (Eph. 3:19)?

What if on Sunday mornings when I gathered together with God’s people we came together with heads and hearts turned toward heaven? What if we were wide-mouthed expecting to receive the things God has for us . . . whether through our fellowship . . . our musical worship . . . or the preaching of the word?

“You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2).  How often is Sunday morning meeting just ho-hum because my head is down and my mouth is closed?  Because I’m not really seeking to be filled?

But the God of deliverance says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

Do I believe the promise? He says that He will fill . . . satisfy . . . fulfill . . . complete . . . accomplish. God sees the mouth opened wide . . . He knows the thirsting after heaven . . . He’s aware of the hungering after righteousness. And He fills it . . . He hits the mark . . . He tops it up . . . “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Ps. 34:8)

He is the Filler . . . I am to be the mouth-opener.

Father, thank You for this bit of encouragement this morning. I confess that so often the “stuff” of day-to-day life has me distracted from living in anticipation of the day You have before me. My desire is to be more wide-mouthed . . . to seek more the filling You have for me . . . to thirst after You and to be satisfied by You alone!

By His grace . . . for His glory.

p.s. if you have 5 more minutes check out this video.  It came to mind as I was writing.  You gotta watch to the end and check out the scruffy guy and what he’s doing.

Posted in Psalms, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

An Angry Look

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Pete

It didn’t take long before the religious leaders sought to make every encounter with the upstart Teacher from Nazareth a showdown. Kind of goofy, really. While they struggled with some of His teaching, particularly with His teaching concerning Himself, what really got their shorts in a knot, it seems, was the power that supported His teaching–His miracles. Case in point, Mark 3 . . .

Again He entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

(Mark 3:1-2 ESV)

Really?!? It wasn’t that they didn’t think Jesus could heal a man with a deformed hand. They knew He could do it . . . as well as cast out evil spirits, and heal people laid out with illness and fever, and command paralyzed people to walk. That Jesus COULD heal this man wasn’t a question for them. But WOULD He on the Sabbath? ‘Cause that would prove He wasn’t of God . . . doing work like that on a day of rest. Like I said, Really?!?

And Jesus kind of says the same thing too. Not verbally, but, I imagine, with His countenance.

And He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

(Mark 3:3-5 ESV)

Deeply saddened by the callousness of their souls, Jesus looked at the Pharisees in anger. Imagine that!

In the beginning was the Word . . . the Word was with God . . . the Word WAS God . . . all things were made by Him . . . in Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the Word looked upon these men with anger. The Creator incarnate fixed His gaze upon His creation with indignation. The Life and Light of men stared at these men with justifiable abhorrence. Chew on that for a bit and tell me it doesn’t send a chill down your spine.

What does it say about the power of a stubborn, calloused, unresponsive heart, that it could so move the Alpha and Omega to a state of pre-wrath?

At first, I want to judge the Pharisees. How crazy that they would stand in a synagogue on the Sabbath amidst the scrolls containing God’s holy word and dare Jesus, the holy Word incarnate, to do a miracle so that they might accuse Him of being a demon. But then I look in the mirror of my past. When, before being a given a new heart by faith, I know that, but for the grace of God, I was them.

And I humble myself and look at the mirror of my present and know times when that the disease of callousness towards the things of God has crept in as the old man does battle with my new nature. And I shudder at the thought of looking into a mirror of my future and imagining doing anything that might have my Savior cast a disapproving eye towards one who has been purchased for His own by His blood.

To grieve the King and be looked at by the Savior in anger. May it not be so. Might my heart be covered against the disease of hardness.

But also to know the grace that deals with the disease. To know the countenance of a Good Shepherd who binds up stumbling sheep.

. . . the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

(Numbers 6:24-25 ESV)

Because of grace . . . for His glory.

Posted in Mark, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment