Songs for the Sojourner

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Pete

I have a fairly good sized iTunes library of music. And in my library I have a playlist I’ve called “Top Rated.” I’ve gone through all my albums and have put the best one or two songs from each album into the playlist. When I buy a new album I will, at some point, select the song that has connected with me the most and add it also to the list. As such, it’s become my “go to” playlist. When I’m feeling kind of up . . . I’ll often listen to those familiar favorites. When I’m feeling not so up . . . I’ll go to these songs that I know have ministered to my soul in the past. When I need something playing in the background that I KNOW will be in tune with wherever I’m at . . . yup, “Top Rated.” The psalmist, it seems, had a “Top Rated” playlist too . . .

Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.   (Psalm 119:54 ESV)

Working through Psalm 119 is always one of the favorite parts of my reading plan. Twenty-two readings . . . eight verses per stanza . . . one grand theme. The living Word of God. His laws . . . His testimonies . . . His commandments . . . His precepts . . . His rules . . . His statutes . . . His promises . . . all, says the songwriter, “are my delight” (119:24). And, as discovered this morning, they were also his songs. Songs for the sojourner.

By the very nature of being a sojourner, things are transient. Pilgrims don’t expect a lot of permanency. Even the house of those sojourning is temporary . . . something that can be packed up, picked up, and ported to wherever the next stop happens to be. The way of the sojourner often leads through deserts . . . sometimes encounters enemies . . . and once in awhile, finds a nice resting place beside some oasis. But there’s always an expectation, that until they reach home, the way of the pilgrim will be one of constant change and new challenges. It is then that pulling out the “familiar tunes” can be not only a blessing, but a great stabilizing force.

Such is the Word of God.

There’s no greater lyric, than the lyric breathed out by God Himself through holy men as they were moved by the Spirit of God. No greater melody than the rhythm of heaven pulsating from the precepts and promises of God. Appropriate for under-girding the soul when it’s soaring with wings of eagles . . . so helpful for lifting the soul when it’s mired in the muck. These eternal songs by divine revelation find their way on to our “Top Rated” and we sing them in the house of our sojourning . . . as we travel the pilgrim’s path.

Those who know me well know how easy I can sometimes get thrown off kilter. Don’t think it often shows itself outwardly, but things can go so upside-down so quickly on the inside. On my heels . . . lacking the predictability and stability that I so naturally desire . . . all a reminder that I’m not home yet. And so, “wherever I lodge” (NIV), it’s good to “hit play” on the songs of salvation. To open up in the morning the songbook of revelation . . . trusting the Spirit of illumination to remind me of the “old, old story” with familiar, yet fresh, insights from God’s Word.

Then begins the song . . .the making of blessed melody in the heart. Then, there rises the soul-soothing tunes of a faithful Father who has promised to always accompany us on pilgrimage. Then, explodes the symphony of grace . . . the movements of all that God has done . . . the compositions being written daily by mercies that are new every morning . . . and the anticipation of the crescendo that will be heard when the last trumpet sounds. All found in the Word of God . . . all found in His “Top Rated.”

Your Word has been my song . . . and will continue to be my song . . . in the house of my sojourning. All by Your grace . . . all for Your glory!

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Meant To Be Shared

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Pete

Not all gifts are intended for the same purpose. If I give my girls necklaces for Christmas, my hope is that they would enjoy wearing them . . . and maybe think of dad sometimes when they put them on . . . but I have no expectation that they would share them with others. My intent is that the gift is for them and them alone. Other gifts, though, are different. I can think of things we gave our girls when they were younger that were expressly given with the intent that they should share them. We’d give them more than they could possibly use or consume with the expectation that they would share the bounty with their sisters or their friends. Grace is a gift like that . . . a gift meant to be shared.

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles–assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. . .    (Ephesians 3:1-3 ESV)

Not only had grace been poured out upon this once persecutor of Christ, but the mysterious workings of God’s unmerited favor had also been made know to him through divine revelation. And in his calling in Christ, Paul knew that the gift was also given as a stewardship. He was responsible for the administration of both what he knew about grace and of the grace he had known. Specifically, his was to “preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things” (3:8-9).

The gift of God’s grace was poured out on Paul for his life-saving benefit . . . but not for his benefit only. With the gift came a responsibility to manage the gift as God had called him to. To the Corinthians, Paul would write, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.” (1Cor.9:16-17 ESV)

Paul had been entrusted with a responsibility born out of the grace he had been shown. He was to preach the gospel. Willingly or not, he had been entrusted with such an administration and “woe to me” if he didn’t faithfully manage that which had been put in his charge. And I’m thinking there’s application to those of us who have also been showered with amazing grace. That each of us has been given a “woe to me if I don’t do it” calling. That each of us has been given a stewardship of grace.

Not many of us are called to be preachers like Paul, but I’m wondering if we, as recipients of grace, shouldn’t have a mindset that we are also stewards of grace. That, in addition to enjoying the riches of Christ in our lives, we shouldn’t also expect that God has some means for us to steward those riches for the benefit of others. That grace shouldn’t be viewed as only something we have received, but also as something that we are to intentionally distribute to others. Less a gift that we hoard away in our own personal treasure boxes, grace, instead, becomes something that we mindfully expect to pass out in abundance.

Yeah, I’m thinking grace is meant to be shared.

O that God’s people would be faithful stewards of the abundant favor they’ve known . . . for a world of people in need of some grace . . . and for the glory of the God who is the source of all grace.

Amen?

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Heart Massage

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Pete

I don’t even think about it very often . . . but if it weren’t happening, I wouldn’t be thinking about anything at all. I”m talking about my pumping heart. We tend to pay them no attention . . . until something goes wrong. But day in and day out they do what they were designed by the Creator to do . . . beat . . . contract and expand . . . rhythmically maintaining the circulation, of life sustaining blood, to all parts of our body. Pretty routine. But pretty amazing if you pause to consider it for a moment.

And when the rhythm is interrupted . . . when it gets out of sync . . . or stops all together . . . the only thing that is going to help, if help is at all possible, is some outside intervention. Can anyone say heart massage? What’s needed is the heart to resume its rhythm and, sometimes, that can be done by massaging the heart through the chest wall, or, in extreme cases, inside the chest cavity. External repeated pressure is applied in a way that it reminds the heart of the beat it was designed to keep in the hope that the heart will “pick up on it” itself and resume its life sustaining function.

And I ended up thinking about such things because of a couple of verses I encountered in my readings this morning . . .

The LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His rules, which He commanded our fathers.   (1Kings 8:57-58 ESV)

I will run in the way of Your commandments when You enlarge my heart! . . . Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!   (Psalm 119:32, 36 ESV)

I love the routine of getting up in the morning and opening God’s word. But I’m reminded that it’s only because, by His grace, He has given me . . . and continues to give me . . . heart massage.

Mine was once a heart of stone . . . but now, it’s a heart of flesh through the regenerating work of salvation. But though I now possess a heaven-certified, Spirit-filled, eternal life sustaining heart, it sometimes can fall out of rhythm. The old man . . . the old nature . . . the flesh . . . will war with the new man of the Spirit and sometimes it affects the heart. And my heart can start beating abnormally . . . its affection can get diverted . . . its determination to seek first the kingdom of God can grow weak. That’s when I need a heavenly heart massage . . . that’s when I need to cry out, like Solomon, and like the Psalmist, “Incline my heart to You, LORD!”

Incline . . . literally it means to “stretch or spread out.” I envision kneading dough in preparation for making a pie crust. Of working it so that it is supple and ready to receive and hold whatever contents are determined for it. Enlarge my heart . . . broaden it out . . . make room . . . that it might receive the grace-infused, overflowing wisdom of heaven poured out by the Spirit, through the Word, for all who have ears to hear. Ears that are ready to hear because of the steady rhythm of a well massaged heart.

No boasting in doing devo’s in the morning . . . just routine. But oh, the wonder, of considering Him who keeps my heart’s flow steady and desiring the routine . . . all by His amazing grace!

That He might continue to incline my heart . . . that He might faithfully never stop enlarging my heart . . . that I might know the rhythm of heaven through His living Word.

By His grace . . . for His glory!

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His Workmanship

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Pete

I read Mary’s song of praise in Luke 1 this morning. It reminds me of a simple principle. Worship springs from a fresh realization of what God is doing in, and through, and around you.

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, blesses Mary and voices an understanding that could only be from God . . . that Mary is to be the mother of her Lord. Not only does Elizabeth rejoice but so does the baby within her . . . the soon to be John the Baptist does cartwheels in the womb as Mary comes into their presence. And while it hasn’t been that long since Mary encountered the angel who told her of her highly favored future . . . not too long since she conceived through the Holy Spirit . . ., encountering her cousin Elizabeth’s reaction again impresses upon Mary the amazing work God is doing in her and she can’t help but respond in praise and adoration. “My soul magnifies the Lord!” she exclaims. And I’m thinking that’s how it is so often when we realize afresh the work God is doing in and around our lives . . . our spirits rejoice in the Lord . . . our voices proclaim His praise.

Cue Ephesians 2:10 . . . “For we are His workmanship . . . ”

The thought arrests me . . . stops me in my tracks . . . shouts out, “Consider it, Pete. Don’t rush by it too quickly. Think about it . . . You are workmanship . . . God’s workmanship.” Now, all too often I’m aware of what a “piece of work” I am . . . not much to look at, really . . . nothing to get too excited about . . . kind of flawed . . . often not performing the way I think I should. But this morning I’m reminded, that though that may be all too accurate a view, it is very much an “earthbound” view. The Holy Spirit through Paul’s words to the Ephesians reminds me of a reality that transcends my experience . . . I am His workmanship — though it be a work in progress — I am God’s workmanship. And as a very eloquent man once said, “God don’t make no junk!!!”

I looked up the meaning of “workmanship.” Although “work” is a very common NT word, this word for “workmanship” is found only twice in the NT . . . kind of a special word then. It literally means a product . . . and more specifically, refers to a fabric.

Ok . . . so let that spark the imagination. A finally woven fabric . . . not something that is produced in bulk . . . but hand-woven. Comprised of countless spiritual fibers . . . brought together to make a one-of-a-kind creation — a new creation actually — by the Creator of all things Himself. I think of the different threads in this fabric as being multi-colored against a predominate background of red . . . blood red . . . for we His fabric created in Christ Jesus. Woven throughout this workmanship is the material of the Savior Himself . . . the Son of God intricately loomed into my being . . . coming out more and more as the Spirit’s sanctifying work progresses. I am His fabric . . . I am His workmanship. O my soul magnifies the Lord!

I said the word “workmanship” is only found twice in the NT. Here’s the other place where it’s found . . . “For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20 ESV). God’s invisible attributes . . . His eternal power . . . His divine nature . . . are clearly seen . . . are clearly understood . . . through the things that are made . . . through His workmanship . . . through His fabric. And I am part of that fabric . . . that God testifying, intricately woven fabric . . . a workmanship intended to reveal the glory of the Workman! Amazing! Magnify the Lord, O my soul!

“I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.”   (Psalm 139:14 ESV).

Fearfully and wonderfully made . . . true of the physical creation . . . and so true of the spiritual re-creation. My soul magnifies the Lord!

Too often I can look at the “workmanship” in the mirror and focus only on the flaws and the still abiding imperfections. True enough . . . lot of work to be done with this work in progress. But, from time to time, I’d do well to think again of Who’s workmanship I am . . . of Who has promised to complete the work He begun . . . of the magnificence of the blueprint He is using for His work of grace in me, the very image and nature of His blessed Son. Then, how can my soul not respond in wonder and worship and magnify the LORD.

For His abundant favor . . . for His abiding glory . . . for all eternity. Amen?

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Desiring a Higher HQ

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Pete

It’s one of those lies the enemy sows. Something that sounds like it makes sense but can be debilitating to the believer. It goes something like this, “I’m don’t really spend much time studying the Bible because I’m not really an academic.” Sometimes “not being an academic” is gauged by how well someone responded to their years in school. True, some were more naturally “into” school than others . . . but I’m not thinking that’s what makes the difference when it comes to knowing the Scriptures. Others might use the term, “not an academic,” to refer to how smart they think they are . . . believing that it’s their IQ, their Intelligence Quotient, that determines how driven they are to spend time in the Word. But as I continue reading in Ephesians this morning, I’m reminded it’s not about my IQ, but about my HQ.

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened . . .    (Ephesians 1:16-18a ESV)

Paul writes the Ephesians so that they may grasp the fullness of who they are, and what they possess, in Christ. Ephesians is the book that eradicates a believer’s inferiority complex as they realize they have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (1:3). To that end, in my reading this morning, Paul prays that they would know three things: 1) the hope of their calling; 2) the riches of His inheritance, and; 3) the greatness of His power toward us who believe (1:18b-19). And how does Paul expect this will happen? Through parsing the Greek? By reading books? By listening to lectures? By straining their brains and leveraging to the max whatever IQ they have? Nope. Paul says it happens as “the eyes of your heart” are enlightened . . . that it occurs as a function of their HQ . . . their Heart Quotient.

To quote one of my favorite commentators, “This figurative expression teaches us that proper understanding of divine realities is not dependent on our having keen intellects but rather tender hearts” (William MacDonald).

It is the eyes of the heart that behold the wonders of God. And that, through the illuminating work of “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.”

The deep things of God are not kept just for the seminarian. Knowing God through His Word is not restricted to those who are jazzed by intellectual pursuit. But for all those who have been born anew and given hearts of flesh to replace their sin calloused hearts of stone, the knowledge of the deep things of God are available to those whose new hearts are set upon Him. Those who hunger, will be satisfied. Those who ask, seek, and knock, will be given, and will find, and will have opened to them the doors of wisdom and the revelation of the fullness of the glories of God. Not because of their brain power . . . but because of their heart preparedness.

O’ that I might have a higher HQ . . . that the Spirit’s illuminating work of revelation might have free access to the eyes of my inner being. That this sinner-saved-by-grace might, by that same grace, set his affections on things above and not on things of this world, so that he might more fully grasp the blessings that are his in heavenly places.

Mine is to not worry about the SQ, the Spirit Quotient, for it has been poured forth in abundance, taking up residence within me. I need not be overly concerned as to my IQ, pretty much hard-wired with that by the Creator. But my HQ? That, I can do something about. Guard it from distraction. Submit it to the Savior. Set it on the heavenly. Tune it to the Spirit’s frequency.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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I Am Theophilus

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Pete

Certainty concerning the things you have been taught. That’s Luke’s reason for painstakingly researching and then recording a detailed account of Jesus life. Not that this “certainty” becomes such a proof that faith is no longer necessary . . . not at all. Less about proving the faith, it is about proving that Jesus was born the way it was claimed . . . that He lived the way it had been reported . . . that He taught what others claimed He taught . . . that He did what many eyewitnesses said He did. Luke had “followed all things closely for some time” and now he determined to write “an orderly account.”

But as I read these opening verses, I’m reminded that not everyone who has read Luke’s careful account has come away knowing Jesus “beyond a shadow of a doubt” (MSG). For many, even some who had been taught the truths verified by Luke’s gospel, that “certainty” just doesn’t happen. How come? I’m wondering if it doesn’t come down to something found within the name of the one for whom Luke wrote his account. Theophilus.

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
(Luke 1:1-4 ESV)

Theos, means “God.” Philos, translates “friend.” God-friend. Luke wrote to one known as “friend of God” that He might have certainty concerning the things he had been taught and had believed.

And I pause and noodle on that for a bit . . . friend of God. What a magnificent name . . . what a marvelous reality . . . to be a friend of God. And it’s with such, that the Word of God finds it’s most fertile soil and bears its greatest harvest . . . with those who are friends of God. It’s these friends who seek the kingdom . . . who hunger and thirst after the things of righteousness . . . who desire to shed that which hinders them from pursuing the prize . . . who boast in their weakness . . . and glory alone in His power. Yeah, for those who are friends of God, there is an eager anticipation as they open up the gospel of Luke, or any other God-breathed portion of Holy Writ. For therein lies the word of life.

And as I continue to reflect . . . and count myself also a God-friend . . . the awe sets in as I recall that it is nothing of my desire or doing. For once I was an enemy of God . . . caring nothing for the things of the kingdom . . . thinking nothing of using the name of Jesus in a manner so unfitting His holy name. But God, in His sovereign purposes, and through His overflowing grace, makes God-friends out of those who were once enemies. While we were still weak . . . Christ died for the ungodly. While we were still sinners, Jesus bore the wrath our sin deserved. While we were still enemies, God determined to reconcile us to Himself through the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of His Son. And, born again through faith in Christ’s finished work, we became new creations in Christ . . . and those who were once enemies, became God-friends.

The Holy Spirit of God was poured into our very soul and spirit . . . rewiring our spiritual DNA . . . taking that which was of no interest and elevating it to our greatest priority. Removing our blindness and opening up the eyes of faith . . . allowing us to see more clearly than we’d ever seen before. Because we were made God-friends.

That’s why I hunched over 1Kings 1 this morning trying to figure out the significance of Abishag. That’s why I saw in the priest, Zechariah, a type of the Holy Spirit who would “make ready for the Lord a people prepared” as I read in Luke. That’s why, as I took in again the Ephesians 1 spiritual inventory which is mine in Christ, I was again blown away. That’s why, as I read the first eight verses of Psalm 119, I did so with great anticipation of the next 22 readings in the Psalms as I revisit, with the Spirit’s help, this great love song for the Word of God. Because, by His great grace, I am Theophilus.

For His glory . . .

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Farming the Promised Land

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Pete

The thought of “reaping eternal life” caused me to pause as I wrapped up Galatians this morning. What a thought! That what I think, that what I pursue, that what I do, can all be planting seed which produces harvests of eternal life. Some of that harvest, I think, can be reaped this side of heaven. The rest of it? I can only imagine! What I do know is that a little bit of seed sown in the Spirit will produce a bountiful return. Found these thoughts from a 2010 post on the law of the harvest. Thought I’d re-run them . . .

It’s like gravity . . . one of those laws of nature that governs how things work. I’m no scientist, but I know basically how gravity works . . . you let go of something, and it falls to the ground. Simple . . . always true . . . and once you get it, you can leverage that law and work with that law to your benefit. Such is the law of the harvest. Not too complicated really, what you sow, you reap. Plant wheat seed, and given the right conditions, eventually you’ll harvest wheat. Plant corn seed, plan on picking corn in the late summer. If you want to enjoy strawberries, you better not be planting radish seed in the spring. Simple. Sure. And, probably one of the most significant spiritual principles the believer can take hold of.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 
(Galatians 6:7-9 ESV)

It’s kind of interesting that Paul would end his letter on grace . . . his defense of “Christ plus nothing” as the means of salvation . . . with an exhortation about doing stuff. But the works he encourages here are not works to earn or merit salvation . . . they are the works of the saved. It is the labor of the redeemed, those who, by faith alone in the Person and Work of Christ alone, have been forgiven of their sin and have been given the Spirit of adoption, being made children of God because of belief in Christ. And Paul says (kinda’), “Now that you’re saved . . . quit putting your efforts into trying to merit God’s acceptance and favor — that’s done. And stop investing in the old man and the old ways — you’ve been saved from that. Instead, start farming the promised land. As you live your life, you’re going to be dropping seed along the way . . . make sure it’s seed that results in a heavenly crop.”

What a perspective that puts on life’s efforts. We can sow according to the game plan of this world . . . plant according to our old man and our old ways . . . and be assured that what we will reap, will be stuff of this world and stuff of this flesh. Stuff that ultimately will perish . . . stuff that starts rotting almost as soon as it is harvested . . . stuff that won’t last. Or, we can take everything we do . . . from the mundane to the significant . . . from the pragmatic to the visionary . . . and consecrate it . . . and dedicate it to Him who loved us unto death . . . and do it all under the banner of “for God’s glory alone.” And, in doing that, it becomes spiritual seed which will result in an everlasting harvest. The promise is ours, “Sow to the Spirit, and of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” It’s the promise that we can start to experience “here and now” and will fully enter into “there and then.” We can, each day, determine, by His grace, to plant Spirit-filled, Spirit directed seed and will, in due season, reap the stuff of heaven . . . the riches of the kingdom of God. It’s a law of the natural and, it’s a law of the supernatural, as well.

But I also notice that, while the cause and effect are sure, the timing can be a bit of a wild card. Unlike physical seed, which is pretty predictable in terms of when it will harvested (given the right conditions), the harvest of Spirit-sown seed is somewhat less predictable. Hence Paul says, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” I guess that’s the faith part . . . we sow because He has promised that we will reap even though we don’t know exactly how long the “in due season” will be. We determine to sow in accord with the Spirit’s will and leading because we are convinced that the return will be out of this world, literally. We plant not because it’s necessarily appreciated, or even noticed, but because we believe Him to be faithful who has ordained the law of the harvest.

Oh, that I might be continually seeking to be led by the Spirit. That I might lay down Spirit-filled and Spirit-willed seed. That I might see some small indication of the harvest being formed within me even now . . . the fruit of the Spirit, ” . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). That I might sow to the flesh less and less, instead planting seed that, by the promise of God, will have eternal benefit.

That I might be farming the promised land. By His grace . . . for His glory.

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The Man on the Center Cross

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Pete

Why was this one different than all the rest? He had been in this position before . . . standing before those condemned to die . . . witnessing many a man’s last breath as the weight of the cross won over their natural desire to take one more breath. So why was was this death so life-changing for him?

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed His last . . . And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”    (Mark 15:37, 39 ESV)

I’ve been taught that the Romans had crucifixion down to a science. That they had mastered the technique of taking someone’s life in such a way that, not only was it exacting judgment on the condemned party, but it also acted as a vivid warning to any who would get on the wrong side of Roman law. It was the consummate object lesson of Rome’s iron-fisted control over those who would transgress the ways of Caesar. All the power in the hands of the executioners . . . none in the feeble attempts of those condemned to hold on to life. But there was something different that day about the Man on the center cross.

First, even in His suffering there was a caring consciousness about the Man, even as He hung there amidst the callous unconcern of His executioners. The centurion standing there had overheard the conversation between the King and the thief. Even in His own anguish and what should have been hopelessness, He assured the one who truly was a criminal, that “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” How could He have been so sure? How could He be so composed as to show such concern and compassion for a sinner condemned justly to death? But that’s exactly what the Man on the center cross did.

What’s more, though His suffering was no less than others who had died a similar death, as the centurion faced Jesus of Nazareth, he sensed that something more was going on. The suffering of this Man seemed to extend beyond the physical trauma He endured, but there was a dimension to His suffering that transcended hanging on that tree. Certainly, never had the sky gone black as it had for those three hours of darkness. And just before the light returned the One called by some the King of the Jews cried with a loud voice, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” The Roman guard didn’t know what had happened during those three hours of darkness, but whatever it was, it seemed to be focused on the Man on the center cross.

And then, there was the sense of control Jesus commanded amidst the chaos His body was experiencing. Never had this soldier before seen one who seemed to permit death its victory . . . as if, He knew it would be but a temporary victory. As the centurion stood facing Him, he heard Him cry, “It is finished!” What had finished? What had just been accomplished? He didn’t doubt that something had just been concluded, but what was it? And then, the manner in which Jesus passed from life to death . . . calling out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” . . . then bowing His head . . . breathing His last as if it was He who determined it should be His last. Strictly speaking it was too early for Him to have expired . . . the process was designed to last longer . . . but it was if His spirit departed at just the time He determined it should depart. Such was the never-before-witnessed-by-the-centurion death of the Man on the center cross.

And what do you say when you’ve seen something you’ve never seen? How do you make sense of a death unlike any other death you’ve witnessed? When the centurion saw the manner in which Jesus breathed His last, he could only conclude one thing, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

The Man on the center cross . . . the Son of God . . . bearing my sin . . . taking upon Himself the wrath I deserved . . . defeating death . . . making the way of salvation.

To Him be glory now and forevermore! Amen!

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Let Me Run!

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Pete

The battle was over . . . the true king’s forces had prevailed . . . he who would be king was dead. Absalom the vengeful . . . Absalom the ambitious . . . Absalom the cold-hearted . . . Absalom the arrogant . . . Absalom, who had sought to usurp the authority of the rightful king, had been done in by the very thing he was most proud of. It says that Absalom, while fleeing the prevailing army of David, caught his head in the branches of a great oak, “and he was suspended between heaven and earth.” Many think that what got entangled in the trees was his hair . . . the crowning component of his vain glory (2Sam. 14:25-26). And there, hung by his own vanity, Joab put the enemy of the throne to death. Game, set, match! Time to let others know!

Enter Ahimaaz . . .

Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the LORD has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”    (2Samuel 18:19 ESV)

That’s what Ahimaaz did . . . he carried news. And when it was good news, he ran . . . and ran like no other. The king’s enemies had been defeated . . . and that was good news . . . and so he wanted to run.

But Joab was reluctant to send him. Though they had won the battle, Absalom was dead . . . and the king had specifically commanded that they “deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom” (18:5). Perhaps because of his own lingering guilt over his treachery with Uriah concerning Bathsheba, the king didn’t have it in him to hold this son of destruction accountable. And so, Joab feared that, though there was good news to be conveyed, the king would instead focus on the bad news of his son’s death . . . and who knew how he’d react. When David had received the news of Saul’s death, another of his enemies, he had the messenger slain (1:15-16).

But, although another, perhaps more expendable messenger, a Cushite, was sent to inform David of the victory, Ahimaaz would not be denied doing what we was called to do . . . bear good news.

Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.    (2Samuel 18:22-23 ESV)

And noodling on this, I’m kind of challenged by how much, or maybe not so much, I’m motivated to run. I know the battle’s been won and the enemy defeated. That God has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame,” by triumphing over them through the cross of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ (Col. 2:15). The Lamb of God enduring the cross, shedding His blood, taking upon Himself God’s righteous wrath. That we who were dead in our trespasses, God might make alive together with His risen Son, “having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:13-14).

Isn’t that good news? So let me run! Let me take to the plain and out pace those with lesser messages. Let me not worry about how it might be received, but be compelled by the nature of the news itself . . . that “in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2Cor. 5:19). Sin and death have been defeated! Let me run.

O’ to be more of an Ahimaaz . . . let me run with the good news . . . by God’s grace . . . for God’s glory . . .

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Until Christ Is Formed In You

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Pete

It killed Paul to see his children in the faith going south. He had presented Christ to them as the One given for their sin. He had known the joy of them presenting themselves to God . . .of them having believed the truth of the gospel and having received, by faith, the promises of God. They had drunk from the deep, deep well of grace but now were being turned aside to “another gospel” . . . a gospel burdened with the law . . . a gospel tied to man’s best efforts at obedience . . . a gospel distorted by those who would seek a following for themselves . . . a gospel which was really no gospel at all. And it tore Paul up. How come?

After all, weren’t they saved, sealed, and secure in the finished work of Christ? Yeah, I’m thinking. But there was more at stake.

The new birth they had experienced, beyond rescuing them from judgment, was to form within them a new person. And not just some new and improved form of themselves, but the fullness of the salvation found in Paul’s gospel intends for the saved to become more like the Savior . . . for the sheep to take on the character of the Shepherd . . . for the bride to look more and more like the Bridegroom. And so, Paul found himself “again in the anguish of childbirth, until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).

That’s the gospel Paul preached. Good news concerning God’s plan for dealing with sin and separation . . . AND, good news concerning God’s desired outcome for those whose sin had been forgiven, and had been brought near by the finished work of the cross and the blood of Christ. That outcome being that “Christ might be formed in you.”

And, you know, if there’s anything that might naturally cause me to embrace a system of “to dos” and “to don’ts,” it would be the pressure of having to have Christ formed in me. The thought that somehow, Christ forming was related to Pete performing. If there’s anything that would cause me to think I’d have to step up the discipline and gut out the holiness, it would be the expectation that, in some small manner, I have to be reflecting the nature of the holy Son of God.

Instead, Paul argues, because of such a lofty expectation, those who entered the family of God through amazing grace need to lean into amazing grace until Christ is formed in you. The life which was entered into by faith in the promises of God and the power of the risen Christ, would be the life fully realized through the same promises and the same power.

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?    (Galatians 3:2-3 ESV)

It’s counter-intuitive in a way. That being more like Christ isn’t dependent on our best efforts, but is wholly linked to the good news that Jesus saves those who are incapable of saving themselves . . . that He forms Himself in those incapable of fashioning themselves after their Lord. That it’s as we cling to the gospel, the power of God for salvation–past, present, and future, that the grace found in the gospel morph’s us into the very image of Him who redeemed us. That the work He began, He completes (Php. 1:6).

And so, the grace that He has overflowed into our lives fuels a fire. A burning desire, born out of gratefulness for such grace, to seek the things of God even as we continue rest in the finished work of God.

Until Christ is formed in you . . . only by His grace . . . all for His glory.

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