Rejoicing from the Throne

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Pete

Honestly, it’s been a game changer. One word, rendered differently in the ESV than the other translations, has opened my understanding to a passage which for years I thought I had understood. One word has shifted my focus . . . one word has opened up my imagination . . . one word has swung the awe-o-meter hard right.

How many times have I said something like, “The angels rejoice over a sinner who is saved?” More than a few. And my biblical basis for such a statement was found in part of a passage I read this morning.

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  ~ Jesus     (Luke 15:8-10 ESV)

Now in all the other major translations that last sentence is translated along the lines of, “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” That, at least for me for years, had me thinking that among the angels themselves there was great rejoicing over one soul saved. Might be true . . . don’t know that it wouldn’t be.

But what difference does it make when the original word is translated “before” rather than “in the presence?” A lot! Now the focus isn’t so much on what’s happening among the angels but on what’s happening before the angels. Or, more importantly, who is showing great joy before the angels.

Couple that with the rejoicing in heaven being “just so” or in “the same manner” as the woman in the parable calling her friends and asking them to rejoice with her because she has found her lost coin. It’s the woman who has been searching . . . who has been patiently doing everything she can to return the coin to its right place . . . who overflows with joy when the coin is found and thus invites her friends to join her. Before her friends, the woman is rejoicing. Likewise, in heaven it is the Finder who rejoices BEFORE the angels. The angels are the “friends” in the story. But it is the Finder . . . aka the Father, who is over the top because a lost one has been found.

So it’s not just rejoicing AMONG the angels but it is the angels beholding the joy exuding from the One BEFORE them.

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God . . .     (Revelation 7:11 ESV)

If the angels are BEFORE the throne in heaven, then the throne of God is BEFORE the angels. And if there is great rejoicing before the angels over someone born of the Spirit, then that great gladness is coming from the throne of Almighty God. The rejoicing before the angels is rejoicing from the throne.

What a difference a word can make . . . at least for me. My focus shifts from the angels in heaven to the One before the angels. Whatever amazement I have at the thought of angels experiencing joy is multiplied as I wonder at a God who so rejoices over a lost coin who is found . . . over a lost sheep who is returned to the fold . . . over a prodigal son who seeks again his father’s face and favor.

How my God delights in children being added to His forever family. And that my God would so rejoice . . . such that the angels are invited to sing with Him . . . evokes awe, wonder, and worship.

O what a Savior!

To Him be all glory . . . now and evermore . . . amen!

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The Life to Come

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Pete

I’m pretty bad at remembering the specifics of books I read a number of years ago. To be honest, I’m not that great at remembering the details of what was said in a book I read last month . . . but that’s another post. Anyway, while I’m not that good with the details, I seem to be able to grasp “big ideas” and a number of books I’ve read over the years have left lasting impressions which have shaped my thinking and have impacted how I live my life. One of those came to mind this morning, The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker.

As I recall it, Dekker’s big idea was that so many of us believers are snoozing at the wheel when it comes to pursuing the kingdom of heaven and living life to the full here on the earth because we have so distanced ourselves from the hope that is ours on that day when we’ll see Jesus. We have come to believe that heaven is so unimaginable and that our hope is so far away that there is no link between this life and the next. Instead, Dekker suggests, there is much that we experience here on earth that is but a foretaste of what it will be like in the day of the new earth. That pleasures we know here are but the tip of the iceberg of the joy that will be there. That with our eyes wide open, much of everyday life can be a realtime reminder of the inheritance that awaits us. And when we have that awareness, then we stop snoozin’ and start cruisin’ . . . and really begin living.

Paul would also seem to suggest that having our eyes open to the life that is to come will influence how we live the life that is now.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.   (1Timothy 4:7-10 ESV)

It’s those four words in the middle of that passage, “the life to come,” that grabbed my attention this morning. Those four words that got the wheels spinning. Those four words that seem to say, “Shame on you for not living everyday with eternity in view.”

How I need to remember that there is the life to come. How I need to plan for this day in light of the life to come. How I need to experience this day by being alive to everything in it that can speak to me of the life to come. How I need to guard against so distancing this day from the day of Christ that I fail to invest in my future by training myself for godliness . . . something that holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.

Jesus said that He came that those who hear the Shepherd’s voice and, by faith, enter the gate He has provided, might have life . . . “and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10). Abundantly . . . as in “to the full” (NIV) . . . as in “rich and satisfying” (NLT) . . . as in “better than they every dreamed of” (MSG) . . . as in exceedingly, supremely, extraordinarily. And that’s not just life that’s pie in the sky in the sweet by and by. That is eternal life that begins at the moment we are saved . . . at the instant we are regenerated, . . . when our sins are forgiven and washed away . . . and the Spirit is given as a seal to guarantee our inheritance . . . and we are robed in Christ’s righteousness . . and we become new creations in Him.  That’s abundant life that we are to be living now because we do is in light of then.

And so we do life not only in the context of the here and now but also with an eye on the there and then. Every sanctified pleasure we experience is not only the fruit of the present life, but is also a foretaste of the joy that is to be ours in the life after life. Every evidence of God’s hand operating in and around us today ignites our passion to prepare for that tomorrow when faith gives way to sight.

That by God’s grace His people might live, more and more, for the life to come. That for God’s glory, we might not be snoozin’ but be cruisin’ because of the hope set before us.

Amen?

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Pondering the Path – Part II

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Pete

Yesterday, after reading in Proverbs 4, I wrote a bit on how important it is to keep our eyes focused on where our feet are stepping and where we want them to go. Even if we are to heed wisdom’s call to pursue her, there will be ample opportunity to get distracted and detoured by the alluring call of sin. Thus, says Solomon, we need to “ponder the path” of our feet (4:25). This morning, in Proverbs 5, I read of Someone else who ponders the same thing.

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? For a mans ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths.    (Proverbs 5:20-21 ESV)

The story goes that when the Alaska Canada highway was built back in the 1960s, before it was fully paved as it is now, at a junction on the highway there was a sign which read “Choose your rut carefully, you will be in it for the next 200 miles.” If I’m understanding my Bible helps correctly, that’s kind of the idea of the “paths” that are being talked about in Proverbs. The word literally means, “entrenchment.” The idea is that of track that you get locked into.

Thus, says Proverbs, we need to be careful about being drawn into paths, or entrenchments, of wickedness. In Proverbs 5, the “follow me” sign into the ruts of evil are pictured as “the lips of a forbidden woman” dripping with honey and her sultry speech, “smoother than oil” (5:3). “Keep away from her,” says Wisdom, “do not go near the door of her house” (5:8). Choose your rut carefully, you’ll be in it for a long time.

And so, in yesterday’s reading, the exhortation was to “ponder the path of your feet.” This morning I’m reminded that I’m not the only one watching my feet . . . that I’m not the only one who is focused on the ruts I choose.

For a mans ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths. (Proverbs 5:21 ESV)

God ponders my paths too. The roads I choose are laid bare before the God of heaven. He’s aware of every step I take. The ruts I’m in are not hidden from the eyes of the LORD. In fact, writes David, the LORD searches out my path . . . knows when I sit down and when I rise up . . . discerns my thoughts from afar . . . is acquainted with all my ways (Ps. 139:2-3). And if this true, and I believe it is, the fact that God ponders all my paths is motivation for me to ponder them too.

Motivation 1 . . . the fear of the LORD. It’s the fear that darkness has of light. The fear that comes from being exposed and naked. The fear that causes us to hide and to seek to find some way to cover ourselves because the rut of our sinfulness cannot bear the scrutiny of His holy presence.

But perhaps greater than Motivation 1, is Motivation 2 . . . not wanting to be found entrenched in a path which shames the Name of the One who saved me. Having been redeemed with the precious blood of the Son of God, not wanting to pursue any road which communicates a lack of gratitude for my redemption. Having been rescued from slavery to sin, not wanting the tracks I settle in to indicate that I am anyone, or anything else’s servant, other than the servant of the Lord Jesus.

Knowing that He ponders my path spurs me on, by the goodness of His abundant grace and the power of His Holy Spirit, to want to walk in a manner worthy of my calling.

That by God’s grace I might pick the ruts of righteousness . . . that I might choose the tracks that lead to heavenly treasure . . . that I might be entrenched in the eternal pursuit of the kingdom.

He ponders my paths. To Him be all glory.

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Ponder the Path of Your Feet

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Pete

A couple of weeks ago, Sue and I and three other couples hung out together. Kind of literally. We were grouped together, told to climb a cargo net to a platform 40 feet off the ground, double lobster clamp ourselves to a safety wire, and to work our way across thin wires using only each other. Sometimes just men and wives relying on each other. Other times working our way across as a group of 8. While the different challenges required different reliance techniques, there was one thing that all had in common . . . keep your eyes on the wire . . . stay focused on where you needed to place your feet. Or, as my reading in Proverbs reminded me this morning, “ponder the path of your feet.”

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.    (Proverbs 4:25-26 ESV)

“Let your heart hold fast my words . . . get wisdom . . . get insight . . . do not forsake her . . . love her . . . prize her highly . . . embrace her” (4:4-8). That’s how the father impresses upon his son the importance and value of seeking wisdom. The charge is clear . . . be in determined pursuit of wisdom. The promises of such pursuit are also clear, “She will keep you . . . she will guard you . . . she will exalt you . . . she will honor you . . . she will place on your head a graceful garland, she will bestow on you a beautiful crown” (4:4-8).

But what is also evident from this fervent exhortation is that, with the pursuit of wisdom and despite know the blessing of wisdom, there will come opportunity and temptation to “enter the path of the wicked” and to “walk in the way of the evil” (4:14). To start on the path of pursuing wisdom doesn’t guarantee staying on the path. And so, says Solomon, “ponder the path of your feet.”

How easy it is take our eyes off the finish line. To take for granted that because we once were pointed in the right direction we can coast our way to the prize. To not read our Bibles as much because we know them pretty well. To stop thinking critically because we assume we have a heavenly mindset. To get drawn into the word’s riptide current which, at first, gently carries us along until we realize we are enveloped in a way of thinking or a way of life that, without escape, will eventually drown us. How we need to ponder the path of our feet.

Using King James language, Paul says we are to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15). To walk like a cat on a fence top, carefully placing each paw in front of the other, giving great attention to each step so as not to fall off the fence. Or, like people on a high ropes course who, while having a lot of decisions to make and needing to test out different techniques for advancing, need to never take their eyes off where their feet are at or the steps they need to take to reach the next platform.

When I read Proverbs, I often find myself interchanging the personification of wisdom with Jesus. So, I need to “get Jesus” . . . to love Jesus . . . to prize Jesus highly . . . to embrace Jesus. And I do so believing that there is a promise realized with the pursuit. That Jesus will keep me . . . that Jesus will guard me . . . that Jesus will, one day, exalt me and honor me for His glory . . . and that on that day, when by grace I hear, “Well done good and faithful servant,” Jesus will place upon my head a graceful garland and a beautiful crown — the likes of which I will lay back down at His feet as the only One worthy of all such crowns.

And if Jesus is wisdom . . . and wisdom is Jesus . . . and I can be prone to wander . . . then I would do well, by His grace, to ponder the path of my feet . . . every day . . . and in every decision. I would do well to cry out to the Spirit who lives in me to help me keep my eyes looking directly forward, and my gaze focused straight before me . . . all in the anticipation of one day seeing my Savior face to face.

Pursing Wisdom . . . walking circumspectly . . . all because of grace . . . and all for God’s glory.

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First Things First

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Pete

Had a great conversation yesterday morning. Talked about Jesus’ exclusive claim that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). That, throughout God’s word, the way into the presence of God has always been an exclusive way. And that, far from being a different way than revealed to Moses and the prophets, Jesus is the embodiment of that exclusive, narrow path foretold and foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,” says the Word who became flesh, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). Everything revealed concerning how sinful men and women might come into communion with a holy God finds it’s ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Thus Paul could write, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him” (2Cor. 1:20).

That conversation floating around in my head provided fertile soil for the seed that was planted this morning as I was reading in Ezra 3. Background: Cyrus king of Persia, his heart stirred by the Spirit of God, issues an edict. The proclamation is to those of the house of Israel who have been in captivity for the past 70 years since Judah was conquered, and Jerusalem was razed, by the Babylonians. Cyrus proclaims that for “everyone whose spirit God had stirred,” they were to be granted permission to return to Jerusalem, with the blessing and resources of the king of Persia, in order to rebuild the temple of God . . . in order to reestablish the house of the Lord (Ezra 1).

And as I’m reading this morning, the observation that captures my attention is what the people build first as they begin their restoration project.

When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.    (Ezra 3:1-2 ESV)

What’s the first thing they rebuild as they start to rebuild the place where the glory of God is to reside? The altar . . . the place of sacrifice. Why? Because the first thing they needed to do was to offer burnt offerings. They needed blood shed to atone for their sin. They needed to offer a substitute as payment for the wages they owed a holy God because of their transgressions. For these freed captives, the way into the presence of God . . . the means for inviting the presence of God among them . . . was first through an offering for sin. So, they built the altar. First things first.

And it hits me anew. That’s why Jesus’ claim is so exclusive. That’s why He is the only way. It’s not just because of His ideology (though He is the truth), but because He is the life. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus through His death on the cross paid the price in full. He was the once for all offering upon the altar that made open the way into the holy of holies and into the very presence of God.

Who else or what else has claimed to be the final offering to satisfy the wrath of a just and holy God? Who else has claimed their blood shed as the final atonement for our iniquity? Who else has shown themselves to be the eternal Son of God come as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world? Who else has been raised from the dead indicating God’s concurrence that truly He is the life and that surely “It is finished?”

Jesus is the fulfillment of first things first. The altar has always come before the access. The need for sacrifice always required before entrance into the sanctuary. The blood shed has always been required as the prerequisite for God’s blessing shown.

Jesus IS the way. To Him be all praise and adoration!

All because of God’s grace . . . all for God’s glory.

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A Little More Secure

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Pete

There’s much concern these days in the Country for our security. Terms like “domestic terrorism” and “radicalized” have become all too common. Despite our best efforts to be on guard, all too often, we’re hearing of incidents that remind us of how hard it is to protect ourselves from those determined to randomly harm us. Dwell on it too much and it can be kind of scary. Become overly focused on it and paranoia becomes just smart thinking. After all, who doesn’t want to be secure?

This morning I’m starting in on the book of Proverbs. Always a heightened anticipation when I start reading here. The book “sells itself” as a means to “know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity,” and “to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth” (1:2-4). I’m in! Always a little extra prayer when I’m reading Solomon’s book, “God, let this stuff stick as I read it and understand it.”

After all, who doesn’t want to be a little more knowledgeable . . . to be a little wiser . . . to have a greater understanding of how life works? I do! But as I’m reading the opening chapter this morning, what stands out is that by investing in this book . . . and allowing this book to infiltrate me . . . I’ll also be a little more secure.

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “. . . behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you . . . whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”   (Proverbs 1:20-21, 23, 33 ESV)

Listen to me, says Wisdom, and you will dwell secure . . . you will live in safety (NIV) . . . you shall live securely (NASB) . . . you will live in peace (NLT) . . . you will dwell confidently (YLT) . . . you’re in good hands (MSG). It’s either an outlandish and reckless claim or, it is heaven sent truth.

The security alert level is orange for those who refuse Wisdom’s voice. The greatest degrees of risk are assumed by the simple you love being simple . . . and the scoffer who delights in scoffing . . . and the fool who hates divine knowledge (1:22). For those whose own might is right . . . and who think that their own thoughts are above that of the Creators . . . and who lean unto their own understanding and see no need to acknowledge Him in all their ways . . . for those, the warning lights are flashing and calamity is not a matter of “if” but of “when” (1:24-32).

But for those who heed the Voice, “they will dwell secure and will be at peace.” And while that Voice is that of personified Wisdom in Solomon’s book, on a grander scale it foreshadows the One whom God has made our wisdom, Jesus the Christ.

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.     (1Corinthians 1:30 ESV)

Jesus, in a very real and present day sense, is the One crying aloud in the street . . . the One raising His voice in the markets. “Come to Me,” He cries, “all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Heed my voice, says Jesus, and I will pour out My Spirit upon you and make My words known to you. And in that divine knowledge, in those eternal truths, you will dwell secure and be at ease, without dread of disaster.

He cries out to the sinner and to the saint alike. The sinner because they are in need of a Savior. The saint because they are in need of a Shepherd . . . and they need to know His voice . . .and, despite all the craziness in the world around them, they need to lie down in the green pastures prepared for them. And as they rest beside the still waters of His ever-present, unfailing love and care, they can know what it is to be truly safe and secure.

Oh how I look forward to hearing Wisdom’s voice over the next two months of mornings as I hover over the book of Proverbs. Might it repeatedly direct my heart to the One God has made our wisdom, that I might hear His voice as well . . . and know afresh that, because of Him and in Him–even though this world seems out of control at times–I can be a little more secure.

Secure in Him by God’s grace . . . Secure because of Him for God’s glory.

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No Remedy

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Pete

You’ve gotta think they just might be two of the most chilling words that could be spoken to someone or about someone . . . “No remedy.” No more healing . . . Incurable . . . Game, set, match!

I came across this simple two-word phrase as I wrapped up my readings in 2Chronicles. They are the final word as God closes the chapter on Judah and its kings. The nation is decimated by the Chaldeans. The murderous horde from Babylon descend upon Jerusalem without compassion for anyone. Young or old, male or female, they put the city to the sword and then desecrate and burn the temple. To add insult to injury they tear down the mighty walls of Jerusalem. The glory of God had departed . . . the enemy had advanced and conquered . . . the nation, as pictured by Zion, lay in ruin. And all because, writes the chronicler, there was no remedy.

[King Zedekiah] stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that He had made holy in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy.
 (2Chronicles 36:13b-16 ESV)

The hand of the LORD is not too short that it cannot save (Isa. 59:1). In fact, our God is mighty to save (Isa. 63:1). So it’s not like God was not able to fashion the right cure for His people. He had sent prophets to warn the people and to call them to repentance. Beyond that, less than 20 years earlier, he had raised up one last kid king, Josiah, to show the priests and people what revival could look like (2Chron. 34 & 35). Josiah again cleaned house in Judah of idolatry. He rediscovered and read aloud for all to hear the Word of God given through Moses. He modeled humility, contrition, and repentance. And, he lead the nation in observing again the Passover — a remembrance of God’s ability to deliver and the power of substitutionary blood to save — such that “no Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet” (2Chron. 35:18).

Healing had been offered. Health had been modeled. But for those who scoffed . . . for those who refused the message . . . for those who stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts . . . no remedy.

There’s coming a day when again there will be no remedy. When everyone who will respond has responded to God’s grace-infused offer of salvation through the perfect person of His Son and the finished work of the cross. When all that is left are those who mock the gospel message and blaspheme the holy God. And in that day, there too will be no remedy.

But today is not that day. For our God is exceedingly patient, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2Peter 3:9). Now is not the time to give up, retreat to a mountaintop and await the Lord’s return. But today, for many, is the day of salvation. That remnant still being gathered who, like Josiah, through the Spirit’s mysterious working, are drawn to seek the Lord . . . whose hearts, by grace, are made tender through faith . . . who, because of God’s word, humble themselves before heaven . . . who, by His power, seek to walk in obedience.

Today is not the day of no remedy. It is the day to lift high the name of Jesus and His power to save.

All because of God’s exceeding grace . . . all for God’s eternal glory.

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If Only On the Inside

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Pete

This morning I’m re-working some thoughts from 2012 after reading Psalm 149 . . .

I was saved into a pretty conservative, pretty low key, church system. While the praise was very heartfelt, it was also very bodily still. Voices were raised with gusto, but hands stayed by the side. And dancing? Well, dancing wasn’t even in the vocabulary.

I remember, years ago, one of my young daughters asking if we’d sign her up for dance lessons. My answer to her was something like, “Why? You can’t use that for the Lord.” Then we enrolled our girls in a Christian school . . . a school led by those of a different ecclesiastical practice than we were used to. The first school assembly of the year began with worship (that’s what we wanted from the Christian school) . . . and as part of that worship there were some “interpretive dancers” (that’s what we didn’t expect from the Christian school) . . . and my daughter returned home that day from school and said, “Dad . . . remember you said you couldn’t use dancing for the Lord? Wrong!!!” (that’s what I love about my girls).

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!   (Psalm 149:1-3 ESV)

Praise the LORD? I’m in! Sing out the new song He’s given me? Absolutely! Assemble with His saints . . . be glad in the Maker . . . rejoice in the King . . . make melody to Him with instruments of praise? You bet! . . . I’m there! Praise His name with dancing . . . uh, can I just tap my toe?

Praise His name with dancing. That’s what the inspired word of God says. It will say it again in Psalm 150.

Miriam did it in response to their deliverance from Egypt (Ex. 15:2). Jephthah’s daughter did it as thanksgiving for the victory her father had known in battle (Judges 11:34). David did it when the ark of God was brought home to Jerusalem (2Sam. 6:16). Jeremiah prophesied that when the LORD restored Israel He would also restore their joy and there would be dancing (Jer. 31:13). When the prodigal returned, the father threw a great feast and there was dancing (Luke 15:25). There is something about knowing the great salvation of God that should ignite great joy. And there’s something about great joy which, it would seem, should lead to dancing . . . if only on the inside.

Now dancing for me is still largely connected to the “old man” and the way I lived before knowing Christ. It wasn’t dancing for the LORD . . . it was dancing for other reasons . . . often dark reasons. So while I don’t think I’m being called this morning to embrace a ministry of dancing, there is something in hovering over this verse that speaks of times when the wonder of God should propel the people of God to be all in when it comes to offering up praise to God. That there are times when the soul’s desire to worship will result in the body’s need to move.

I get that there are times when worship is manifest in the “be still and know that I am God” mode. That sometimes, facedown praise evokes a holy hush before the God who is worthy of all manner of praise. But I also fear that sometimes our “be still” praise is more like a “play possum” praise. Lifeless. Unresponsive. I’m not saying that real praise is always dancing praise . . . but that in this possum approach to praise there’s nothing . . . no connection with the God of heaven . . . no response to our God in the midst . . . little rejoicing in the wonder of the fullness of our salvation.

Shouldn’t there be times when some manner of emotional expression is evident when “the godly exult in glory” (149:5) . . . and when the “high praises of God be in their throats” (149:6)? I’m thinkin’ . . .

I get that we’re not all going to be comfortable moving our feet or raising our hands, but shouldn’t we at least be dancing on the inside? And if we’re dancing on the inside won’t it manifest itself in some way on the outside? Faces turned heavenward . . . eyes smiling with love infused joy . . . countenances that shine for having been in the presence of God? Yes, and maybe even a bit of toe-tapping . . . leg shaking . . . wanna be dancing. How do we sing to the Lord a new song . . . how do we praise Him in the assembly of the godly . . . without some expression of joy?

When we come before the God who takes pleasure in His people . . . when we gather to sing together to Him adorns us with salvation . . . how can we not, at least sometimes, end up dancing . . . at least on the inside?

God is worthy of our praise. He delights in our exultation. He inhabits our worship. And He who adorns us with salvation takes pleasure in the sacrifice of the fruit of our lips. So how can we not sing? How can we not be glad and rejoice? And how can we not praise His name with dancing . . . if only on the inside.

All because of joy-filled grace . . . all for His ever deserving glory.

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A King on His Face

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Pete

There’s no substitute for leadership. And I’m not talking about the “do as I say” type of leadership but the “do as I do” type. You can teach . . . you can preach . . . you can provide the checklist to be followed, but if a leader doesn’t lead by following his own teaching . . . and heeding his own preaching . . . and getting the list done before asking others to, I’m thinking it’s kind of empty. And Hezekiah’s the kind of leader I’m talking about.

If 2Chronicles 29 doesn’t constitute bona fide revival I’m not sure what does. Hezekiah takes the throne when he is 25 years old. And in the first year of his reign he opens the doors to the house of the LORD. Under the reign of his predecessor, Ahaz, the LORD had been forsaken for the pursuit of the “abominations of the nations” (2Chron. 28:1-3). But Hezekiah was determined to direct his people back to the place where God had said he would dwell among those who sought Him. So Hezekiah opens the doors and cleans house . . . literally.

Hezekiah sends in the Levites to cart out the filth deposited in the Holy Place through neglect. He charges them to relight the lamps . . . to burn again the incense . . . to sacrifice again the offerings . . . so that a people who had “turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD” might again give God their faces and no longer their backs (29:1-11).

And if I’m reading it right, the Levites go to town and in only sixteen days have the temple ready for worship (29:17). And that was only the beginning. Sixteen days of holy momentum leading to all out revival. Ready . . . aim . . . seek the LORD!

But here’s what grabbed me this morning. After rising early, I think on the next day, king Hezekiah gathers the officials of the city and leads them to the house of the LORD. There the offerings for atonement are made ready. And the Levite musicians are stationed in place. And then Hezekiah commands that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the offering begins, the Levites start playing, and the singers start singing, and the whole assembly starts worshiping. And I mean the WHOLE assembly . . . the king included.

Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. (2Chronicles 29:27-29 ESV)

A king on his face. A king on his face before his people. A king on his knees in the presence of his subjects. A king who says not only, “Worship God,” but says through his actions, “Imitate me as I worship God.”

There’s no replacement for real leadership . . . leadership in the trenches . . . leadership in action . . . leadership which leads by example. True in general, true, I believe, in the church. And true in the home. How we need men and women of God who lead by example. Catalysts for revival among their people because God has first worked revival in their own hearts. Sign posts — because of how they live their lives — for their families, their small groups, and their churches . . . directing others to pursue the kingdom and to worship the King.

O that God would continue to raise up such leaders among His people. That God would form within each follower of Christ a heart for such leadership in their realm of influence.

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

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Clouding the Spiritual Mind

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Pete

Another kid king. Takes the throne at 16 years of age . . . rules until he’s 68. But another king who starts well and ends not so well. Another king tripped up by his success. Another king bounced because of blessing. Another king to serve as a warning to me.

I read about King Uzziah this morning and I’m thinking of the Avenger character, Tony Stark. Not Tony Stark the Iron Man, but Tony Stark before Iron Man, Tony Stark the military weapons inventor. King Uzziah heads up an army of over 307,000 mighty men. And for every one of them he makes “shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging” (2Chron. 26:14). He fashions a fighting machine. Unstoppable. City walls can’t withstand them . . . enemy armies stand in awe of them.

Not only does he create a mighty offensive force, but he also innovates to ensure that Jerusalem’s defenses are unmatched. “In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones” (26:15a). Sounds like this guy gathered the best minds and financed some serious research & development to ensure that Jerusalem’s ability to ward off enemy attack was unmatched. Uzziah became strong and the chronicler records, a couple of times, “his fame spread far” (26:8, 15).

But something else that’s recorded, subtly seeded for the careful eye to observe, is that this wasn’t solely because of who Uzziah was, but because of the God Uzziah served. “God made him prosper” (26:5) . . . “God helped him” (26:7) . . . “for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong” (26:15). Easy to miss this fact if you get too caught up in the innovation and domination under Uzziah’s reign. Easy for the reader to miss and, apparently, easy for Uzziah to miss, as well.

But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.   (2Chronicles 26:16 ESV)

What was he thinking? “If I’m a big enough man to enter through enemy walls uninvited, then I’m a big enough man to enter the holy place though prohibited?” “If I’ve amassed the power and track record to parade myself before the nations around me, then I’ve got what it takes to elevate myself before the God who prospered me?”

Pride does funny things to the mind. Losing touch with the Source of all blessings puts you at risk of opposing the Sovereign over all creation. Forgetting that we have nothing that we did not receive primes the pump of boastful arrogance so that we take credit for that which is but God’s favor (1Cor. 4:7). And when we start taking the credit . . . and believing our own press clippings . . . then we run the risk of doing something really stupid like egotistically waltzing into the presence of God and rewriting His book on how things should be done. We start improvising with the incense . . . because we start thinking it’s about us and what we have accomplished in our own strength.

Pride clouds the spiritual mind. Pride reinvigorates the old man against the Spirit. And pride, says the ancient teacher of wisdom, “goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). When the seeds of pride are watered then comes disgrace (Prov. 11:2). The mighty King Uzziah finished his days quarantined in a stand alone house because of pride. The uncleanliness of his arrogant heart manifest physically as the LORD struck him with the physical uncleanliness of leprosy.

Another king . . . another warning.

O’ that I might not presume on the grace of God. That I might not claim His work as mine. That I might not own His blessing as my success. That I might not have my mind clouded with reality distorting pride.

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

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