Promises, Plans, Places, and Prayer

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Pete

Hovering this morning over a well known portion of Scripture in Jeremiah 29. A portion of ancient writ that I know was not written specifically TO me . . . but that the Spirit bears witness was written FOR me. The context of Jeremiah’s prophesy so very different than any context I’ve known, or could even fully imagine, yet the truths of God’s declaration having as much application to me today as it did to God’s ancient people back then. So I’m thinking about promises, plans, places, and prayer.

“For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”    (Jeremiah 29:10-14 ESV)

God had made a promise to Abraham and to his seed. A promise about a place. It was renewed with Isaac and Jacob. And, in measure, it was realized through Moses and Joshua.

God had plans for His people. As a maiden rescued from the mire they were to keep themselves for Him alone. As His flock they were to abide under His faithful care and provision. As His vineyard they were to bear fruit and show forth His glory.

But sin has a way of interfering with God’s promises and plans. The unchecked leaven of pride, arrogance, and self-determination has a way of creating a detour from the place God has made for them. It causes God’s people to turn their backs to Him, even when God’s desire is that His face shine upon them. Combine a stiff neck with a lustful heart and you’re mixing nitro with glycerine . . . it’s not about if, but about when, things are going to blow up. Can anyone say, “Babylonian exile?”

But God’s promises remain. His plans will be accomplished. The place He has prepared for peace and rest will again be inhabited. For in His grace, He moves His people to pray.

Call upon me . . . come and pray to me . . . and I will hear you. Seek me . . . with all your heart . . . and you will find me.

More promises. God’s simple plan. That we might know the resting place again.

Too often for my liking . . . though I think I should be more spiritual or more advanced in my Christian walk . . . I find myself on the outskirts of Babylon. Having let my guard down . . . having conceded the daily battle between the old man and the Spirit to the old man once again . . . having been tripped up by something I’ve been tripped up by before . . . I sense a distance from the place God intends for me. While always mine positionally, I have stepped away from my seat in the heavenlies. The abiding is not so much. The feelings of barrenness and exile roll in. The accuser piles on by telling me I should just stay there . . . that I should give up and hang out in Babylon.

But God has made a promise. And God has declared He has plans. And the place He was made for me is in His presence. And thus He beckons me to once again pray and seek His face.

And I do so, again and again, because He has made the provision.

. . . and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1John 1:7b-9 ESV)

Thank God for prayer that turns the heart back to the God of promises, plans, and places. Thank Him for the ever-flowing grace available through the cross that restores the exile . . . that we might share in His promises . . . participate in His plans . . . and know the Shalom of His place.

To Him be all glory . . .

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A God at Hand

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Pete

It’s kind of a “give your head a shake” type of word from the LORD.

After having indicted the shepherds of Israel for destroying and scattering the sheep of His pasture (Jeremiah 23:1-2), the LORD speaks additional judgment, through Jeremiah, to the prophets of Israel. Despite the coming storm of God’s wrath for generations of stiff-necked disobedience and unfaithful spiritual adultery, these self-proclaimed spokesmen for the LORD prophesy words of vain hope . . . speaking “visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD” (23:16). To those who despise the word of the LORD, these fake prophets say, “It shall be well with you.” To those who are determined to set their own course according to the stubbornness of their own hearts, these make believe fortune tellers announce, “No disaster shall come upon you” (23:17). And to them, through Jeremiah, the LORD seems to say, “Give your head a shake!”

“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name . . .”   (Jeremiah 23:23-25a ESV)

What were they thinking? Every time they declared, “Thus saith the LORD” did they not think the LORD could hear what they were thus saying? When they sat in their homes writing out their scripts, practicing their best prophet intonation, did it not once occur to them that if God was really God then He’d probably have an idea of the charade they were playing and the lies they were telling? Apparently not. So wrapped up in themselves, they had totally lost sight of the fact that our God is a God at hand.

There is no secret place from the One who fills all heaven and earth. David knew it when he penned Psalm 139. Hemmed in . . . that’s how David described it (139:5). His God a discerner of every thought and familiar with every path. There is nowhere to flee from the presence of His Spirit (139:2,3,7). David’s God was a God at hand. Such awareness, says the songwriter, is incomprehensible (139:6).

It certainly was for the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day. Incomprehensible in that they were so spiritually dead they couldn’t even put two and two together and discern the danger of speaking on behalf of a God who was truly God. Oblivious to the implications of putting words in the mouth of the Creator who gives breath to all things. Dead to any thought of the consequences of saying, “All is good, maintain the status quo” when in fact, the Righteous Judge through His faithful servant, Jeremiah, was declaring, “All is not good, repent and return.” A God at hand can be pretty scary for those who blindly think they can operate in the secret places.

But what of those who have had the darkness of their sin exposed by the light of knowing God IS at hand? Those who have had their eyes opened to the Righteous Judge only to learn that He has also determined to be the Eternal Justifier? Those whose sin stains have been taken away by the God at hand who drew ever nearer and came to earth as the Lamb of God? Those who have been brought into, and can now experience daily, an abiding fellowship with this God who is ever present? For such as those, there is cause for great praise and thanksgiving for a God at hand.

No longer relying on our best thinking, or our self-serving desires . . . no longer declaring what seems right in our own eyes . . . we declare, not as prophets but as priests, “the excellencies of Him” who has called us “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9). Not in fear of a God who has hemmed us in, but drawing near in boldness of faith to a God who has provided free access to His throne of grace. Welcoming His presence as we pursue abiding in Him.

What praise is due a God at hand? A lot!

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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If the Lord Wills

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Pete

I am, by nature and by nurture, a planner. I think it’s in my DNA. As far back as I can remember I’ve been inclined in situations to first consider and calculate before committing. For example, after an incident where our family was stranded for lack of gas in the tank, I can remember, even as a small kid, frequently checking the fuel gauge in the car before embarking on a trip to make sure that it was closer to “F” than it was to “E.” My preference would have been to always ensure the needle was on “F” before putting the car in “D.” And this natural propensity developed over the years and eventually it became a marketable skill. Much of my life in the corporate world involved planning, risk mitigation, and execution. So I think I’m kind of wired to start with the end in mind and then figure out what it takes to get there.

But though it’s how I prefer to do life, I was reminded this morning that natural propensities need to subject themselves to divine realities. That reliable methods and predictability need always to be in the context of an Almighty God and His sovereignty.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”–yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”      (James 4:13-15 ESV)

If the Lord wills.

I can plan . . . I can purpose . . . I can prepare. But at the end of the day, says James, it is the Lord’s will that prevails. And in that, there is great freedom and rest.

It’s not fatalism . . . some passive resignation that things are out my hands and so “what will be will be.” In fact, it’s not about “what will be” at all . . . but all about “Who is.” And my God has made Himself known as the great “I AM!”

James doesn’t exhort me to simply resign myself but instead to recognize my God. Aware that His hand and purposes are in the affairs of all life . . . mine included.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
(Proverbs 16:9 ESV)

There’s still a place for goals and outcomes, for assessment and risk mitigation, for planning and purposeful execution, but it is all to be placed under the acknowledgement that God provides the power. That by His grace and through His Spirit according to His determination, I can say, “Today or tomorrow I will do this or that . . . if the Lord wills.”

And it is only as it aligns with God’s purposes that we realize our plans.

Many are the plans in a mans heart, but it is the LORDs purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)

So who am I to think that God should so care about what I do? I am a trophy of His grace . . . I am a sheep of His flock . . . I am a member of His body . . . I am child adopted into His family . . . that in whatever I do, and in all that I do, I should willingly submit it to His will that it might all be done for His glory (1Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:23).

I am planner. By nature . . . by nurture . . . and in newness of life. That whatever I seek to do, it might be if the Lord wills.

Because of grace . . . for His glory.

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A Serpent Lifted Up

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Pete

There are many word pictures used to describe Jesus. A Lamb, a Shepherd, a Lion. He is the Light, the Door, and the Vine. But I was reminded of one yesterday as I was studying John with a friend. We were looking at John 3, the same passage that just happens to be on my reading plan this morning. And so I’m replaying yesterday’s conversation as I hover over today’s reading. And I’m in awe of a serpent lifted up.

No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.  ~ Jesus
( John 3:13-15 ESV)

You need to go back to Numbers 21 to get the connection. The people of the exodus from Egypt are wandering in the wilderness because of their refusal to enter the land of promise. Yet, God in His grace continues to care for them and provide for them. But they grumble. And they complain. And they “loathe” God’s gracious provision as “worthless food” (Num. 21:5). And God sends fiery serpents among them as judgment for their arrogant insolence. Those who are bitten die. So they cry out to God for deliverance and God tells Moses to make a serpent out of bronze, set it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will survive. Moses does. And they do.

So too, says Jesus to Nicodemus, will be the dynamic concerning the Son of Man. He too will be lifted up, an allusion to the cross, and whoever looks to Him will have eternal life. So, in a sense, He will be like that serpent lifted up.

And the association of Jesus with any sort of serpent is, at first, almost offensive. After all, since the beginning, hasn’t it been the serpent who has embodied evil and epitomized rebellion against God? The serpent who has been the distorter of truth and the father of lies? The serpent who was the object of God’s condemnation and cursed above all other beasts and sentenced to be a belly crawler and a dust eater? The serpent who became the self-sworn enemy of God and the object of God’s wrath when time will have run its course?

Yup, that would be him.

And when Jesus was lifted up on the cross, He, like the serpent, became a curse and the object of God’s wrath.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”    (Galatians 3:13 ESV)

For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.    (2Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

The righteous judgment due the rebellious Israelites was placed upon an image fashioned of bronze and their escape was but to look upon it believing that God’s provision would give them life.

In the same way, the judgment due my sin was placed not on an image fashioned of bronze, but upon the Son of God who took upon Himself flesh and the likeness of sinful man, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). But though He was without sin, during those hours upon the cross, He was made sin and became cursed. He submitted to the Father’s will as the representative sin-bearer and thus the object of divine judgment and wrath. And, in so doing, the Lamb of God, lifted up like the serpent, took away the sin of the world (John 1:29) that all those who would look to Him might live.

Behold our Savior!

Give Him all praise and thanksgiving!

Because of such grace . . . and for His eternal glory!

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Wisdom from Above

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Pete

Skillful living . . . that’s what Chuck Swindoll calls it. I remember reading years ago a piece by him where he defined wisdom as “skillful living.” Wisdom is about so much more than just what you know. It’s about how you live out what you know. It’s about how what you know impacts how you live. And so, I’m reading this morning in James 3 and the last six verses, verses 13 through 18, talk about two forms of wisdom, two types of “skillful living.” One is earthly . . . very natural . . . driven by the passions of fallen human nature . . . exploited by the devil himself. And the other is wisdom from above.

First, what a reminder that I operate in two spheres. There’s that which just “comes natural.” That which is encouraged by the ways of this earth . . . fed by appetite and passion . . . literally “governed by breath.” It’s the way I behave when I’m tired or stressed and get a “bit crabby.” It’s the actions I take when I’m worried about how I look or come across or will be perceived by others. It’s things I pursue when I’m envious of someone else. “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above,” says James (3:11). It is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. It leads only to “disorder and every vile practice.”

But, as a child of God, . . . as one redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, . . . as one who has been brought into marvelous light from darkness, . . . there is another realm I operate in. It is the realm of “the above.” And it is the antithesis of the earthly.

Skillful living which is naturally driven by envy and self-seeking can be replaced by the wisdom from above. This sort of wisdom manifests itself in meekness and humility (3:13) and results in “good conduct” (3:13) and a “harvest of righteousness” (3:18).

Check out James’ shortlist of “from above” attributes . . .

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.     (James 3:17 ESV)

And as I think over this list, I gotta admit that’s how I want to live. That’s the wisdom for me. That’s the skillful living I want to characterize me. Less duplicity, more purity. Less crabby, more peaceable and gentle. Less wanting to win, more willing to yield. Less judgment, more mercy. Less picking and choosing who to deem “cool,” more impartiality. Less hypocrisy, more sincerity and authenticity.

And, as I continue to chew on this wisdom that is from above, I realize that it is Christ. That the wisdom described is Him.

He is pure. He is also the Prince of Perfect Peace, gentle and “will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Isa. 42:3 NLT). He is willing to submit and yield, a patient Gentleman who doesn’t force Himself on anyone but invites all to drink of the living waters only He can offer. He is full of mercy and grace.  And He is impartial, having died for all . . . willing to save all . . . ready to move into the lives of all.

He is the Wisdom from above. He is Skillful Living defined. And, get this, He lives in me. And, get this too, the Father desires to conform me into His image (Rom. 8:29).

The wisdom from above isn’t some ethereal, unattainable goal. It’s within my grasp. It’s available to me through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Mine is to recognize its existence and then say no to that wisdom which is earth-bound and human nature driven. Mine is to desire the heavenly wisdom, the divine pattern for skillful living, the way of Christ. And mine is to then trust that the Christ in me will empower me to live out this wisdom from above.

Might I not forget that what “comes naturally” isn’t necessarily a good thing. Instead, my mind and heart need to be tuned to what comes supernaturally. May I recognize when I’m operating under earthly wisdom and repent of it. And may I pattern myself more and more after the wisdom from above . . . that I might be more like the Son.

By His grace . . . for His glory!

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The Best is Yet to Come

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Pete

Only a few knew where the good stuff had come from. His mother, some household servants, the disciples, and Jesus. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 to 180 gallons of water miraculously changed into, what sounds like, some pretty fine wine — and only a handful of people knew that this drink of the vine totally bypassed the vine part. But while only a few knew how the wine came to be, it’s the commentary of one of the consumers of the wine that’s running around in my head. And if I’m picking up on some of what’s being laid down in this story, then I’m thinking the best is yet to come.

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”    (John 2:9-10 ESV)

Perhaps this independent review of the drink created by Jesus was recorded in order to remove any doubt that water had, in fact, been turned into wine. Here’s a detached third party, knowing nothing of where this wine came from, testifying that not only is it wine, but that it is “good wine.” So good, in fact, it’s not what you expect to be served at the end of a celebration, but at the beginning, when the palettes are freshest and the appreciation is the greatest. But beyond the master of the feast’s unknowing “5 stars” witness to Jesus as Creator and Master over creation’s processes (as in the water-to-ground-to-vine-to-grape-to-wine process), I’m wondering if there isn’t a bit of a foreshadow offered to those who have accepted the invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9) . . . that the best is yet to come.

As good as it might be now, what will it be like in that day when Jesus again manifests His glory (John 2:11) and the Bridegroom receives His bride? Sure, we have tasted of the living water . . . and have begun to know something of the joy that comes from drinking deep. We’ve even started knowing something of the abundant life that comes from being attached to the Vine — not abundant in the material sense, but the fullness of life that is found in being connected to the Author of Life (Acts 3:15, John 11:25-26). But while this is good, the best is yet to come.

Faith will give way to sight and we will see, face to face, the Wine-maker. That which we experience today “in a mirror dimly,” and know only in part, will give way to being known fully (1Cor. 13:12). And like the master of the feast, we will be in awe at what the Bridegroom had in store for those who stuck with the celebration.

Sometimes we get weary. Sometimes the new wine of the gospel which we’ve been allowed to freely partake of becomes commonplace and starts tasting kind of old. But then, by God’s grace, whether through His Word, through His people, or directly through His Spirit, we get a fresh taste of what’s been served up through the cup we share in. And that taste ignites again a thirst and a longing. A taste that reminds us of how good it is now . . . and a longing for the best that is yet to come.

Drink deep in anticipation of the celebration yet to come, faithful saint. Keep on keepin’ on . . .

Because of grace . . . for His glory.

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A Time to Believe and A Time to Behave

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Pete

I was reading in Ecclesiastes 3 this morning and was reminded that there is a season for everything . . . “an appropriate occasion for every human event or activity” (ESV Study Bible). That there is a time to be born, and a time to die . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh . . . a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . . a time to keep, and a time to cast away . . . a time to love, and a time to hate . . . and the list goes on (Eccl. 3:1-8). That while it would perhaps be easier and simpler to live in an “either / or” world, most often we live in a “this AND that” world.

There seems to be at least some carry over of this principle to the things of the gospel. While Paul says there’s a time to believe . . . James says there’s also a time to behave.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”–and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
(James 2:21-24 ESV)

Justified by works. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to “gospel-centered” people. But that’s what James writes . . . that’s what God breaths out through His Spirit. Abraham was justified by works. Moreover, any person is justified by works and not faith alone. And the visceral reaction of “by grace alone through faith alone” people can be, What?!? . . . No way! But says James, “Way!”

Because there’s a time to believe and a time to behave.

Both Paul and James quote the fulfillment of the Scripture that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” But each identifies its fulfillment from different times and events in Abraham’s life. Paul, in Romans 4, talks about Abraham’s response to the promise of God . . . he believes it and righteousness was imputed. James though refers to Abraham’s response to the command of God . . . he obeys it, offering his son on the altar, and righteousness is evident.

There is a time to believe and a time to behave. Because we believe and the righteousness of Christ is credited to our account, there should be times when we are compelled to behave, the righteousness of Christ following freely from the storehouse of God’s love within us.

If, because of faith, we have been justified, then through our works we will show how justified people function. God bought, God sought, and God wrought relationship will result in God defined, God commanded, and God enabled religion.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
 (James 1:27 ESV)

Not “either / or” . . . but “this and that.” Faith and works . . . one the basis for righteousness, the other the fruit of righteousness.

There’s a time to believe . . . and a time to behave. Because of grace alone . . . by grace alone.

No merit of ourselves. No boasting in what we do. All for God’s glory.

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Am I Blushing

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Pete

Blush is only found 4 times in the ESV text. In my reading this morning in Jeremiah, I encountered it twice. And it’s got me thinking. Am I blushing?

I was also reading in James this morning where he says that reading the word of God is “like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror” (James 1:23). And he warns the believer of walking away from that mirror too quickly lest he “at once forgets what he was like” (James 1:24). And so I need to linger in front of the mirror, not be too hasty to move on to the next reading. And in looking at the face ask myself, “Do I still know how to blush?”

Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush.     (Jeremiah 6:15a ESV)

Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush.     (Jeremiah 8:12a ESV)

God’s ancient people have come to the end of God’s longsuffering rope. Jeremiah is one of the last voices before God’s judgment on a “perpetually backsliding” people (Jer. 8:5). The time for interceding for this wicked nation has passed. No more prayers on their behalf, God tells Jeremiah, “for I will not hear you” (Jer. 7:16). And as God, through Jeremiah, declares His indictment of these “uncircumcised in heart” (Jer. 9:26), these who have forsaken the law, not obeyed His voice, and have stubbornly followed their own hearts and the nations’ gods, the phrase that hits me . . . twice! . . . is that “they did not now how to blush.”

Nothing brought shame. Nothing they did brought humiliation. Nothing they said, or read, or watched, or worshiped, or played at, regardless of how dark it was, caused embarrassment. Nothing made their faces go red. They didn’t know how to blush.

And it’s got me thinking about our age and how few things make us blush anymore. I’ve been around long enough to think of things that were once considered inappropriate for polite conversation which are now the themes of entire entertainment genres. I think about not giving second thought to topics discussed on TV commercials that were once considered off base for “mixed company.” And I’m not trying to be a prude . . . not wanting to be out of touch . . . not wanting to say it was so much better way back when . . . but the fact of the matter is, I think overall we don’t blush as much as we once did. And I think there’s a warning there. A caution about being desensitized concerning that which God calls evil.

I think I should be blushing more. Not to feel shame, or to feel dirty . . . Jesus came to remove the shame, He shed His blood to cleanse us from the dirt. And I certainly don’t need to blush more so that I might judge others who aren’t blushing enough. But if I forget how to blush . . . if nothing makes me uncomfortable or seems inappropriate . . . then have I lost the blessing promised to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6)? And, if I no longer blush because I recognize that which defiles an image-bearer of God, then what motivation do I have to share the way of restoration? If, along with a world that increasingly does not know how to blush, I stop blushing, then what kind of light am I in the darkness . . . what kind of salt am I amongst the decay?

O’ that God, by His grace and through His Spirit residing in me, would prevent me from forgetting how to blush.

For His glory . . .

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The Crown of Life

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Pete

Keep your eye on the prize. I’m guessing if you’ve been in Christian circles for any length of time you’ve heard something like that before . . . maybe so often that it’s lost its punch. One of those “pat answers” that causes some people to roll their eyes. One of those encouragements that is sometimes met with, “Get real . . . it’s not that easy!” But, as I’m hovering over something I’ve read in James, the problem with that little exhortation isn’t with the exhortation . . . frankly, its with us . . . and how “sophisticated” we think we might be . . . or how different we think our trial might be. But that doesn’t deter no-nonsense James. Keep your eye on the prize, he says . . . don’t lose sight of the crown of life.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12 ESV)

In verse twelve James returns to a theme he introduced in verse two. There he says to the brothers (and me thinks to the sisters, as well) to count it all joy when they meet different kinds of trials. That joy being based on knowing that the testing of their faith has the potential to produce steadfastness. And that steadfastness advances the work of Christ in us . . . perfecting and completing us. And so, blessed is the man (and me thinks the woman) who remains steadfast under trial.

But let’s be honest . . . most of us can only handle so much perfecting and completing. At some point the testing has to give way to arriving. Exactly! That’s the promise. That’s the crown of life that awaits those who love Him

It all comes down to the promise . . . and our trust in the Promise-Giver.

The promise is that, in Christ, we have been given eternal life . . . abundant life . . . life to the full . . . life beyond any living we’ve done or can imagine. The problem, in a sense, is that some of that eternal life — a really, really tiny slice of eternal life in comparison to the whole — is being lived in this world marred by sin and death. That some of this abundant life is being lived with a battle waging inside us between the old nature of our birth and the Holy Spirit of our rebirth. The result? Trials . . . testings . . . frustration . . . depression . . . failure . . . temptations to give in and give up and go with “plan B.”

But keep your eye on the prize. There awaits the crown of life for those who love Him.

And that love is manifest in trusting Him. Trusting that, although our worlds seem out of control or enveloped in darkness, He is “the Father of Lights with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). And so, if He promises the crown of life, it’s coming. If He’s promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, He won’t. If he’s promised that His grace is sufficient, it will be. Ours is to believe Him. Ours is to love Him.

To love Him more than the escape we seek from our testing. To love Him more than the outcome we desire from our trial. To be content with Him and Him alone. For in Him is life. And through Him, soon and very soon, we will receive the crown of life. So keep your eye on the prize weary saint. It’s gonna be worth it all.

Sound like a pat answer? Maybe. Is it the word of God? I’m thnkin’! Is it worth keepin’ on keepin’ on? Absolutely!

All by His all-sufficient grace . . . All for His all-deserving glory!

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In the Bosom of the Father

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Pete

Words paint pictures in our minds. That’s what they’re intended to do. Sometimes the “painting” is very precise, the author using a lot of words to detail exactly what he wants to convey and to ensure that everybody sees the same picture — the picture he intends. Sometimes though, fewer words are used and it’s left to the reader’s imagination to paint the picture. In that case, you need to pick your words carefully. Different words can paint somewhat different pictures.

Case in point, something I read in John 1 this morning . . . the picture changing significantly, at least for me, depending on which words are used.

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Fathers side, He has made Him known.      (John 1:18 ESV)

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.     (John 1:18 NASB)

You read the opening verses to John’s gospel (1:1-18) and they are jaw-dropping. John writes his account so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). And he wastes no time in establishing the deity of Christ. In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word created all things. Who is The Word? Jesus Christ, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. He is the Light of the world and in Him is life. And for all who believe in Him, He gives the right to become children of God, born again of God. Like I said, jaw-dropping.

But what stopped me in my tracks this morning was the concluding verse of John’s prologue . . . and the difference words can make in the picture that is formed in the mind.

In verse 18, John concludes his prologue by again referring to two different persons as God. Just as in verse 1, the Word was with God and was God, so too, in verse 18, no one has seen God except for the only God who is at His side. And that’s where the imagination kicks in.

At His side . . . the only God who is at the Father’s side makes Him known. And when I think of Him being at His side I think of a dynamic duo. I think of two standing together, shoulder to shoulder, arms crossed ready to save the world . . . literally. The relationship between Father and Son is a working relationship . . . a missional relationship . . . a partnering to accomplish a purpose.

But, from I what I can explore from the original, it’s not that the Son is side by side with the Father, but that He is in the Father’s bosom. Not shoulder to shoulder, but enveloped in the front of the body between the arms. The Son drawn near to the Father’s chest, cradled within the hollow of His bosom. And the picture switches from that of a dynamic duo to that of a loving Father and His beloved Son. From that of a working relationship to that of an intimate relationship. Being not just about the mission and more about the motivation. Having experienced love, Father and Son seek to share that love.

God is love (1John 4:16). And the Father has loved the Son long before there ever was a world. Jesus lets us in on this through His prayer to the Father in John 17, “You loved me before the foundation of the world” (17:24). So we weren’t created that God would have something to love. Rather, God has always loved within the community of His triune being and desires to share the dynamic of His love. And that dynamic is shared through His Son . . . the only God who is in the bosom of the Father . . . the One who makes the Father, and His love, known.

In the bosom of the Father. O wondrous love of God . . . as shown with the Son . . . as made known through the Son.

All because of grace . . . all for His glory.

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