Follow the Leader

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Pete

They had turned to God from idols. And it showed in how they lived. Instead of living to serve only their appetites, they became known for serving the living and true God. No longer were they simply working for stuff and status in the world, but their focus shifted to waiting for God’s Son from heaven (1Thess. 1:9-10).

So, how does that happen? Where do you start? How do you know what you’re supposed to do (and not supposed to do) when you get “delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son” (Col. 1:13)?

You follow the leader.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

(1Thessalonians 1:6-7 ESV)

They received the word in much affliction. Believing the gospel, though evidence of God’s calling and the Spirit’s working (1:2), came immediately with cultural pressure and societal tribulation. How come? Because they very quickly became counter-cultural. Soon they were no longer going with the flow but swimming against the current. And that, because they followed the leader. They became imitators.

Imitators. Mimics. Copycats. That’s how they knew what to do as believers. That’s what brought on much affliction from their family, friends, and neighbors.

They traded in their WWWD bracelets (What Would the World Do?) for a WWPD bracelet (What Would Paul Do?). And before long they were sporting a WWJD bracelet (What Would Jesus Do?). They became imitators. They followed the leader.

Seems to me that while there’s a ton to learn about the Christian way, it doesn’t take a lot to start the Christian walk. All you need to do is find another Christian a few steps ahead of you and walk like they walk. Then start reading the gospels to see how Jesus did life and talked about life and imitate that too. Not in your own power, but in the power of the Spirit. Not perfectly, but boldly and intentionally — confident that the grace able to save you is also all-sufficient to sanctify you.

No matter where we are in our pilgrimage, there’s an imitator of Jesus who’s a few steps ahead of us. Someone who’s traveled a few more miles than we have, someone who’s gone down roads we may just be entering. There’s always someone we can imitate. Someone we can follow.

And beyond that someone, there’s the Savior. One who knows firsthand our wanderings and our weaknesses, who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 2:17, 4:15). So, imitate Him. With holy determination, and with Spirit-infused preoccupation, seek to live like Jesus. Even as Jesus has said He lives in You (Gal. 2:20).

So, mimic those who led you to Christ. Imitate those who lead your church. And, do what Jesus would do, the One who led you to Himself.

Easy? Nope.

Simple? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Just follow the leader . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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A New Testament Command from an Old Testament Source

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Pete

I think if I’m honest with myself, I don’t expect a lot from reading Chronicles. Not just because of the seemingly endless, and sometimes to me pointless — though ALL Scripture is God-breathed and profitable (2Tim. 3:16) — genealogies that occupy its first chapters, but because its about stuff already covered in earlier books. So again, if I’m honest with myself, I too often have too low an anticipation of being “surprised” by anything in this ancient book. But hey, when it comes to the “living and active”, sword-swinging, soul and spirit piercing, thoughts and intentions of the heart discerning word of God (Heb. 4:12), you never know when you’re gonna take one right to the heart.

This morning, it’s an exhortation by David to Solomon which cuts deeply as a command to obey.

Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD.”

(1Chronicles 22:19 ESV)

Son, says the aging king, beyond ruling over a great people, you are called to do something only you can do for a great God. So, set your heart and mind to seek the LORD. And what will that look like? It will look like building a sanctuary. It will look like constructing a sacred place. A place that will be holy because it will be where the glory of God dwells. Divinely set apart because it will be intimately and integrally associated with the name of the LORD.

So, my son, arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God.

And there it is, my command to obey.

“So get moving — build the sacred house of worship to GOD!” (MSG)

Oh, how we have missed the boat when we think about “going” to church. When our framework for gathering with God’s people is about what we “get” from it. When our definition of faithfulness is bound up in our attendance — especially when faithful attendance in our current culture looks like once or twice a month on a Sunday morning where we are in “receive mode.”

But what if that mindset were to shift? That, instead of just attending church, we viewed ourselves as building the church? That instead of going ready to evaluate the songs we sing and the preaching we hear, we went with the idea of being the place where the glory of God dwells? What if we equated setting our mind and heart to seek the LORD with actively building a holy place for the LORD. ‘Cause, you know, that’s what we’re doing.

. . . you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

(Ephesians 2:19b-22 ESV)

We aren’t just church members, we are tabernacle materials, growing into a holy temple in the Lord and being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

“Living stones”, that’s what Peter calls those who have come to Jesus. Because that’s how God sees those who are now “in Him.”

Church isn’t programming to go watch (and then critique); it’s a God-ordained program providing substance and focus for setting our minds and hearts for seeking Him. Church isn’t just a place to go in hope of finding God, it’s a place to arise and build in order to be the house God. Church isn’t something we go and do; it’s a gathering where we become the spiritual temple where Someone dwells.

So, let’s do it. Let’s set our mind and our heart to seek the LORD. Let’s arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD. Let’s be a house built for the name of the LORD.

And that, my friend, is this morning’s “surprise” — a New Testament command from an Old Testament source.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Hidden

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Pete

Five words. I’m chewing on just five words this morning. And one word kind of captures the taste in my mouth – overwhelming!

In this day of expressive individualism, where human flourishing is equated with being seen for “who I am”, the upside-down-ness of the kingdom jumps off the page as I read five words from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In a culture where so many want to be seen, as they post their Instagram-able lives and offer their Tweet-able (X-able?) wisdom, I’m a bit consumed with some of Paul’s reasoning as to why believers should have their minds set “on things that are above, not on things that are one earth” (Col. 3:2).

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

(Colossians 3:3 ESV)

Hidden with Christ in God . . . Take a moment and noodle on that for a bit.

Who am I? A dead man. Where am I? Hidden with Christ in God!

Hidden . . . Concealed. Covered up. Covered over. Escaping notice.

Hidden . . . Perfect tense — our hidden-ness an action “having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated.” Passive voice — our concealment not something we did to ourselves but something that was done to us. The grammatical mood? Indicative — a statement of fact, not in question, not up for debate, but just the way things are. Hidden with Christ in God.

Our individualism, our authentic self, expressed, in essence, by its lack of expression because we are hidden. Unexpressed because our individualism doesn’t really exist, as we have died to the old man and put off the old self (Col. 3:9) and are now defined in the context of a union. A union with Christ in God. A communion that cannot be seen by earthly eyes but is a heavenly reality “where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1b). A hidden-ness because we too are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).

With Christ in God . . . Not just in Christ, but actually with Christ. Not just with God, but in God. A double layered wrapping with the Holy Spirit’s sealing (Eph.1:13). How’s that for a triune encasing? How’s that for being hidden?

So, how hidden are we? Pretty hidden!

So hidden that when we live out our hidden-ness the world doesn’t even know us (1John 3:1).

So hidden that nothing can break God’s grip on us (Rom. 3:29).

So hidden that when He appears we too will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4).

All because our lives are hidden with Christ in God.

Kind of overwhelming? I’m thinkin’ . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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The Shadows or The Shadow-Caster?

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Pete

Paul didn’t say they were wrong or bad. Didn’t say they had no value. But he did warn that they were not the way nor the best. Warned that they shouldn’t be embraced as the things above all things or settled for as the prize above all prizes. Rather, they were but shadows. And, says Paul to the Colossians, we have the Shadow-Caster.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

(Colossians 2:16-17 ESV)

The substance belongs to Christ . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

The wisdom of man and the works of religion — those where the sources of the philosophy, empty deceit, and human tradition which were vying to take captive the Colossians’ affections and energies (Col. 2:8). The Gnostics, who claimed they knew the right things, and the Judaizers, who said they worshiped in the right ways, were both just “puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind” (Col. 2:18), yet they were successful, in measure, in infusing their minds within those who had the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16). But these believers possessed not just the mind of Christ, they had also the fullness of Christ — and, in Him, the fullness of deity.

For in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

(Colossians 2:9-10 ESV)

So, warns Paul, don’t get hung up and tripped up on majoring in the minors. “Don’t put up with anyone pressuring you” (MSG) when it comes to demanding fidelity to world-wise dictates rather than walking in the fullness of heaven-sent deity. Let no one pass judgment on you.

Because these things are, at best, a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Even those details which might be right and good and even profitable, perhaps, are but signposts and not the substance. They are shadows but not the Shadow-Caster.

Oh, how easy it is to be fixated on shadows. How prone we are to focus on the proclaimed “whats” of wisdom and righteousness and not the Who. How quick to find our identity and our mission in things that have no real materiality and to lose sight of pursuing the One who alone really matters.

The substance belongs to Christ . . . The substance is Christ (CSB). He is they body (NKVJ) of all that bears witness to faithful living.

Why settle for shadows? Why allow ourselves to be bound by things and thinking that are, at best, samplers of something so much better and appetizers for a way of life so much fuller?

Instead, let us pursue the way and the wisdom of the Shadow-Caster, of Jesus Himself. Not in theory, but in reality. For we are in Him and have been filled in Him.

The shadows or the Shadow-Caster?

I know who I want to be taken captive by. I know who I want to pursue. I know which image I want to be bear — the image of eternal substance.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Complex Simplification

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Pete

Okay, I’ll admit it — there’s a certain danger in reductionism. A risk, when trying to simplify something that is complex, of over-simplifying so that too much is lost. That in trying to put something on the “bottom shelf” for others to grasp — taking something that is phenomenal and making it more fundamental — something high and lofty is surrendered. For example, to say that a nation is simply the sum of its citizens is to potentially lose sight of the dynamics that history, government, and culture play in the identity of a people. So yeah, to simplify something which is wonderful could very well be to understate it woefully.

But not this morning . . .

I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

(Colossians 1:25-27 ESV)

Christ in you . . .

There it is. How’s that for the gospel in just three words. Pretty simple, huh?

But still pretty profound? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Christ. Second Person of the Godhead. Image of the invisible God. Creator of all things. Sustainer of all things. In everything preeminent. And where is He? In you.

Christ. Immanuel. God with us. Come in the flesh. Come not to be served but to serve others and give His life as ransom for many. The once forever atoning sacrifice for sin. The firstborn from the dead. The living source of the riches of righteousness imputed to all who believe. The ascended High Priest and Mediator. Yet, though now at the right hand of God, He transcends time and space and is also Christ in you.

Christ, the mystery of ages past. Christ, the goal of spiritual maturation as we look forward to an endless age to come. Christ in whom all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. And, wonders beyond wonders, Christ in you.

That simple?

Really?

Yeah, really!

So go ahead, let it happen. Let your jaw drop to the floor.

And then follow it with your knees and go facedown, worshiping in the wonder of such complex simplification.

Christ in you . . .

The fullness of grace. The hope of glory.

By God’s grace. For God’s glory.

Amen?

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The Name to Never Forget

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Pete

“My people” tend to be pretty familiar with a guy named Mephibosheth (2Samuel 9). A competing heir to the throne, crippled in both feet, and shown kindness for the sake of another. A natural enemy without any strength to elevate himself raised to the level of royalty, given a seat at the king’s table and a lifetime of supply from the king’s riches. Yeah, most of my tribe knows about that guy.

But what about Jehoiachin? Jehoia- who? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Really similar story. A king also, though he reigned only 3 months. Without strength or power also, as not only was he in bondage to sin but was taken as a prisoner by the king of Babylon. An enemy, not only of Babylon but of God, as he had done “what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2Kings 24:9). But then, in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, something pretty unexpected happens.

. . . Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.

(2Kings 25:27b-30 ESV)

Okay, my Mephibosheth friends, doesn’t this sound kind of familiar?

Jehoiachin is graciously freed. To render it literally, a pagan king named Evil (who names their kid that?) “did lift up the head of Jehoiachin” (KJV). Not just pardoned, not just released, but his head lifted up. Raised. Elevated. A going nowhere life all of sudden going somewhere. A dark prison cell exchanged for the light of day.

Because he deserved it? Nope. He was graciously freed. Like I said, sound familiar?

Moreover, this worldly monarch is moved to speak kindly to this natural enemy and gives him a seat above other conquered kings — and what a seat it will be! And Jehoiachin’s newfound freedom comes with a new set of clothes — the orange jumpsuit he’s been wearing for almost four decades traded in for a three-piece suit. And every day — yes, every day — this defeated rebeller against God dines at the kings table and, for as long as he lives, his daily needs are met.

Come on! Doesn’t this 2 Kings epilogue sound a whole lot like that 2 Samuel story? I’m thinkin’ . . .

So why don’t I know that guy’s name, too? Why doesn’t Jehoiachin’s name come to mind as readily as Mephibosheth’s when, on Old Testament trivia night, the question is asked, “Who was given a seat he didn’t deserve at a king’s table?”

But hey, maybe the only name I really need to remember is my name. For those guys point to this guy.

For, whether it’s David’s kindness or Evil’s kindness (again, what were his parent’s thinking?), they but foreshadow the unfathomable kindness of a greater Lifter of Heads, the Lord Jesus. The One who is the King of Kings and yet gives Himself to graciously exchanging prison chains for prime seating (Eph. 2:6). Who alone — because of the finished work of the cross He bore on behalf of those who’ve done evil in the sight of the Lord — freely replaces rags of bondage with a robe of righteousness. And of Himself, and through Himself, He sets a table — day in and day out — and says, “Come, eat with me” (Rev. 3:20).

And who’s Jesus talking to? This guy. That’s the name I hear whispered by Him who’s name is above all names.

Yeah, that’s the name to never forget.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Learn the Secret

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Pete

A little bit of Paul and a little bit of Psalms combine this morning to awaken awe and promote peace. How come? Because through my readings, the Spirit drives home a secret.

First, Paul. He’s wrapping up his letter to the saints at Philippi, rejoicing that in a tangible way they have been able to show their concern for him as they’ve had opportunity to meet some of his need. And yet, Paul says, “I don t have a sense of needing anything” (Php. 4:11a MSG).

In fact, Paul continues to write . . .

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:11b-13 ESV)

Twice Paul declares, I have learned.

First, he had learned to be content. Life experiences had increased his knowledge of how to reduce felt needs and walk independently of changing circumstance. By use and practice, in situation after situation, through season after season, he became increasingly informed as to how to look beyond his fluctuating place in life and rest in his unchanging power for life.

Paul then goes on to speak of more learning. I have learned the secret . . .

Different word than the first. This word in the original has the idea of being initiated into a mystery. Of being fully instructed, of being intimately acquainted with a thing that not everyone is acquainted with. He had found the “recipe” (MSG) for living independent of circumstance, the secret of living in every situation (NLT).

Paul’s secret sauce? I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Cue the Psalms.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
       From where does my help come?

(Psalm 121:1 ESV)

It’s a song of ascents. A song for the upward trek of the pilgrim pressing on to know the presence of God. A journey marked by hills. Hills hard to climb. Hills inhabited with the compromise of idols, high places, and altars built to lesser gods. Hills which often present more like mountains. Mountains seeming so high that to lift up our eyes towards them seem unscalable or impassable.

So, where does my help come from? What’s the secret of living in every situation?

My help comes from the LORD,
       who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
       He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
       the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
       nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
       He will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
       your going out and your coming in
       from this time forth and forevermore.

(Psalm 121:2-8 ESV)

The mystery to be learned towards contentment is found in the Source of the strength to do all things.

The secret of living in every situation is found in the One who has created everything, the Maker of heaven and earth. The One who promises to protect His own. The One who never sleeps nor slumbers, the One who is never caught off-guard or unawares. The One who has said He would be our shade. The One who has purposed to be our Keeper, Guardian, and Protector of our going out and our coming in from this time forth and forever more — which sounds a lot like being always aware and actively engaged in every situation.

Yeah, it’s a learning a process. So, sometimes I’m gonna forget. Or sometimes the next hill is gonna be bigger than all the previous hills and I’m gonna have my doubts. But if, by His gracious Spirit at work in me, I can remember that I really can do all things through Him who strengthens me; if, by His ever-present power, I can believe even amidst my unbelief that my help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth, then I too, like Paul, can learn the secret.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Let Your Reasonableness Be Known

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Pete

Rejoice in the Lord always
And again, I say rejoice
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again, I say rejoice

Rejoice, rejoice,
And again, I say rejoice
Rejoice, rejoice,
And again, I say rejoice

Okay, not a lot to that little song. But from what I can tell, it’s endured for a generation.

Looks like the version I remember was released in 1985, 40 years ago! I remember singing it by memory in kids’ club, singing it off acetate overheads at teens’ camp, and even singing it out of our hymnal at “adult church”. Google it, and you’ll also find a number of relatively recent music videos to sing along to. Hmm . . . talk about a song for all seasons. And it is for all seasons because it commands us to rejoice in the Lord always!

Yeah, Philippians 4:4 has gotten its fair share of play time over the years. For many of us, rejoicing in every situation is pretty much embedded as not only a command we have to obey but, by the Spirit’s enabling, as a deep-felt way we want to do life.

This morning, as I read the first part of Philippians 4, I’m wondering how our generation might look different today if someone had created a winsome, catchy little song out of the next verse.

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

(Philippians 4:5 ESV)

That phrase, your reasonableness, is translated in a variety of ways. The old King James renders it your moderation. A number of other translations as your gentleness, or your gentle spirit. The CSB says your graciousness, and Young’s Literal Translation represents the original as your forbearance.

Wuest, in his literal interpretation of the New Testament, tries to capture the nuances pictured by the word with your sweet reasonableness, your forbearance, your being satisfied with less than your due. And the Amplified Bible really amplifies it; your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience. Okay, noodle on that being known of you to everyone and you get the idea of what this lesser-known command-to-obey is getting at.

And, while we are to rejoice always, we are also to show our reasonableness to everyone.

See that last word? Everyone! As in be gentle to everyone, forbear with everyone and be merciful, tolerant, and patient with . . . Who? You know. Everyone. Be gracious to everyone, even if it means having to settle with less than you think your due by everyone.

Oh, how that would change the discourse in so many of our churches. Change it by providing space to talk about things which today we opt not to talk about for fear of a lack of reasonableness — either on our part or on another’s. Change it by sharpening one another as openly and transparently, with gentleness, we graciously dialogue together about our opposing views and application of Scripture, patiently listening to one another as people who are “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

And not only might it transform our fellowships, but if we really took seriously the command to let our reasonableness be known to everyone, then how might our world, our culture, be impacted? What difference would it make if we came across less and less like we’re angry and at war with those who don’t know Jesus, but more and more as ambassadors sent into our world wanting sincerely to win our world — to win everyone — to Christ? To win those we encounter through dialogue designed to detail for them the good news of grace found in the gospel. Engaging in gracious dialogue characterized by reasonableness and gentleness, demonstrating to an ever-hardening world the soft heart of the Lord Jesus, the One who describes Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29).

So then, how about this little ditty? . . .

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone
And again, I say let it be known.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone
And again, I say let it be known.

Be gentle, be gracious,
And again, I say let it be known.
Be patient, be merciful
And again, I say let it be known.

Okay, doesn’t quite carry the same lilt as its better known, 40-year-old predecessor. Not gonna be as big a hit.

But words worth chewing on? Words worth making our own? Words worth becoming increasingly representative of who we are? Words perhaps worth singing? I’m thinkin’ . . .

By His grace. For His glory.

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Like Hitting a Bad Note

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Pete

It really is kind of a shocking end to what’s been a magnificent and glorious opus. And what an opus Psalm 119 has been.

It’s been a song to beat all other songs — not just in length, not just in the clever use of the Hebrew alphabet and as a master class in alliteration, but in illustrating an orientation towards, and a desire for the Word of God that stirs the heart with longing to make the song one’s own. The songwriter loves the Word, rests in the Word, longing even to ingest the Word. His delight is in the Word, his hope is in the Word, his deepest desire is to always obey the Word. He claims the Word as a lamp for His feet, the unfailing plumb-line able to keep him from evil, an ever-reliable GPS presenting the way of righteousness.

So, to sing the final words of the last verse, to mouth the closing lyrics of the songwriter’s Spirit-led love song for God’s revelation, feels, at first, like hitting a bad note. Like playing a wrong chord. Like singing a misplaced lyric. Or does it?

Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
       give me understanding according to Your word!
Let my plea come before You;
       deliver me according to Your word.
My lips will pour forth praise,
       for You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue will sing of Your word,
       for all Your commandments are right.
Let Your hand be ready to help me,
       for I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
       and Your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise You,
       and let Your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,
       for I do not forget Your commandments.

(Psalm 119:169-176 ESV)

Give me understanding . . . teach me Your statutes . . . for I have chosen Your precepts . . . Your rules help me . . . Your commandments are right . . . Your law is my delight . . .

Sing it, bro!

I have gone astray like a lost sheep . . .

Screech!!!! What?!?!? Who just dragged the needle across that vinyl? Where did that come from?

From being real.

While we may love the Word, long for the Word, study to show ourselves faithful workmen and workwomen of the Word, and determine to obey the Word, if we’re real with ourselves, the times are many, and the circumstances too common where we wander from the Word.

Tripped up by sin. Fallen to the flesh. Frustrated because the good I want to do I don’t and because the evil I do not want to do I keep on doing. Though I have the desire to do what is right, again and again I come up short on the ability to carry it out (Rom. 7:18b-19). And so, more often than I care to admit — and probably more often than I actually do admit — I go astray like a lost sheep.

Yeah, just keeping it real.

But you know what else is real? We have a Good Shepherd (John 10:11-16) who leaves the ninety-nine in order to go after the one that’s wandered off (Luke 15:3-7). And to Him we can sing, “Seek Your servant” . . . “Come and find me” (NLT).

And He does! No matter how far we roam, He persistently always finds the way to the door of our heart and knocks. If we’ll open the door, He comes in, ready to again commune with us (Rev. 3:20). And He leads us back, even if that means picking us up and carrying us on His shoulders.

Praise God!

While we may falter, He never fails. While we might rebel, His kindness leads us to repentance. While we might stray, He will always seek.

Okay . . . So, maybe it’s not such a bad way to end the song.

Because it sings of His amazing grace. And because it resounds for His all-deserving glory.

Amen?

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An Upward Call (2013 Remix)

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Pete

I think it’s true to say that I am always inspired and challenged by Philippians 3. Inspired by the thought of counting all things as loss against the gain of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ” (3:8). Challenged by the palatable passion of Paul as he “presses on” to “reach out” (MSG) and to “lay hold” (NKJV) of all that is promised him in Christ and to “make it His own” (3:12 ESV). So, as I noodled on Paul’s exhortation that those who “are mature” should “think this way” (3:15), I went back in my journal and read some of my thinking from years gone by. A post from 2013 particularly grabbed me, so thought I’d rework it a bit. Perhaps because — 12 years later — I’m still a fan of America’s Got Talent, The Voice, and American Idol. But more so because I’m still in awe of the privilege to pursue an upward call.

I’m a sucker for talent shows. Not the type where they mock and ridicule people who think they have talent, but the type of show where they give those with legitimate talent a shot. And there’s a continuum of competitors. On the one end of the continuum there is the guy, or gal, who think they deserve to be there and that it’s the world’s good fortune that it finally gets the chance to discover how talented they really are. Buzzer! 3 X’s! They get a “No” vote from me.

On the other end of the continuum is the performer who is truly thankful for the opportunity to compete. Often they don’t know the depths of their talent. They’re surprised by the affirmation from the audience and the commendation from the judges. And, when they move on to higher rounds, they still maintain a humility which says, “Should I go home tonight, I’m grateful for the chance I’ve had and am privileged to have shared this stage.” Not gonna lie to ya’, I like those people . . . a lot!

Paul considered himself as running a race (1Cor. 9:24, 2Tim. 4:7). This race, in a sense, the ultimate “reality show” — no, perhaps the only true and legitimate “reality show.” And, if anyone deserved not to be “voted off” the show or disqualified from the race, it was Paul. For Paul saw the race as less about competing and more as the wonder of participating. Paul never lost the sense of the privilege that was his to even be running the race because he considered it to be an upward call.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:12-14 ESV)

Sometimes I sense that some believers view the command to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1) as the price they have to pay for being saved. Sort of, if you want heaven, then you there’s just some stuff you’re gonna have to do, or not do, on earth. Paul, however, viewed the call, not as a price to pay but as a privilege to respond to.

Paul, who considered himself the foremost of sinners (1Tim. 1:15), never lost the humility born out of awe and wonder that Jesus had called him, that Jesus had met with him, that Jesus had given him not only a new name, but a new heart and a new mind as well. So, Paul pressed on not because he had to but because he got to.

Paul ran the race not because he kept looking over his shoulder to see if some angel was going to kick his behind if he slowed down, but he wholeheartedly engaged in the race because of what was ahead and the prize before him. He had been privileged to be entered in the race and so, he would run the race. He had been blessed to receive an upward call, and he would, by God’s grace, pursue an upward call.

I think it was a rush for Paul to strain forward to what lies ahead because it couldn’t be done in his own power and strength. Instead, he had to figure out how to use all the tools that had been given him along with the call, experiencing the exhilaration of actually leveraging what had been promised him as a “partaker in the divine nature” (2Peter 1:4). His mind actually being renewed by God’s word. His life actually being transformed by the indwelling Spirit. Learning to recognize more the Spirit’s leading. Being more aware that the thoughts forming in his puny human brain were actually the mind of Christ. Experiencing the reality of the dynamic of being part of the body of Christ, coming together with other believers to be a holy temple for God, a dwelling place through His Spirit. While it was hard at times — like, really hard — at times, I think it was also a thrill for Paul to run the race.

Me in Christ, Christ in me. Laying hold of Him because He has laid hold of me. That’s an upward call if I’ve ever heard one.

It’s not something I “qualified for” because of my abilities. Not something to boast in. Not a price to pay for sins forgiven. Instead, it is something I’ve been “entered into” because of who Christ is and what Christ has done. Something to be humbly counted as a blessing to be part of. Something to be earnestly responded to as a privilege to press on towards.

And, should I go home tonight, I’m just thankful for the opportunity to have shared the stage, to have run the race, and to have pursued an upward call.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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