Complete Joy

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Pete

Who doesn’t want joy? Who doesn’t covet some gladness of heart? I think people like to smile . . . they like cheerfulness . . . they like to know a spirit that is lifted up. In our world we have entire industries devoted to trying to bring people joy . . . charities whose purpose is to bring joy . . . really, no end to the avenues designed to cheer people up. But as I start in on 1John this morning, I’m reminded of the source of true joy . . . authentic joy . . . full joy . . . complete joy.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life–the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us–that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.    1John 1:1-4 (ESV)

Two words, each repeated twice, jumped out at me as I read this passage this morning. I’m suggesting that they are part of the dynamics which result in complete joy . . . manifestation and fellowship.

The life, says John, was made manifest. John and his contemporaries had the privilege of directly encountering the Word of life . . . of rubbing shoulders with God incarnate . . . of breaking bread with the Light of the World. The Creator came to His own and revealed Himself to those with hears to hear and eyes to see. He who was the Source of eternal life and was with the Father made Himself known . . . allowed Himself to be “handled” . . . openly conveyed the heart of God and mind of God and the way of God to as many as would receive it. And in that manifestation, in that revelation, they experienced joy.

And so, says John, we testify to it and we proclaim it that others might know also the dynamic and the joy.

Jesus still manifests Himself today. He is revealed through the “behind the scenes” work of the Holy Spirit who convicts men of sin and leads them to a righteousness by faith alone in Christ alone. The Word of Life is also made known through the written Word. Whether it be the shadows of one who would do battle with the enemy in Genesis 3 . . . or the prophesied Lamb of God in Isaiah 53 . . . or the record of those who lived when He lived . . . or the teaching of him who encountered the resurrected, ascended Christ on the road to Damascus, . . . from cover to cover the Bible makes known the Son . . . the Holy Spirit illuminating the text and making manifest the Christ. And, Jesus is made manifest in and through His people . . . something about encountering authentic followers of Christ that points to Someone beyond themselves . . . to the One who lives inside of them. Complete joy comes when Christ is manifested.

And too, there is fellowship. John wrote so that others might join them in entering into an intimate communion with the Father and with the Son. By faith and, again, through the enabling agency of the Holy Spirit, there is a very real community to be known with the Divine. Perhaps one of those things that is better felt than tell’t . . . but real nevertheless. A real communion known when we “go into our closets” and seek our Father who sees in secret . . . a vital fellowship when we gather with other believers as the temple of God within which His glory resides. A fellowship known in good times . . . a fellowship so precious in difficult times. And in that fellowship, in that communion, there is joy . . . complete joy.

Manifestation and fellowship . . . complete joy!

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

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Stone Throwers

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Pete

The rocks were burning a hole in their pockets. At first, they wanted to direct their deadly projectiles towards an adulterous woman ambushed in her sin . . . but by the time they were done debating Jesus, they were ready to cast their stones upon the perfect, spotless Son of God. You sense they were angry . . . that they were frustrated . . . that they were feeling cornered. Darkness exposed by the Light . . . no place to hide . . . no argument that would stand. All the evidence pointed to the truth of His Word . . . and they were having none it. What was left to do? Throw stones.

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.    (John 8:56-59 ESV)

Before Abraham was . . . I AM!!! Strike up the band! Cue the chorus of angels! Set off the fireworks! Jesus claim is unmistakable . . . He is God . . . eternal God. Existing before Abraham . . . manifesting Himself in the burning bush to Moses . . . the One through whom, and by whom, and for whom all things are created. Hear the declaration . . . take in the proclamation . . . and go facedown! Or, pick up stones to throw at Him.

Oh, the hardness of the unregenerate heart . . . the deadness of the spirit encased in self exaltation . . . the darkness of those in willful subjection to their own deceitful pride. To be before the Light of the world, and seek to extinguish Him . . . to be offered the truth that emancipates and sets free, and reject it choosing instead to follow the father of lies, the one in whom is no truth. To stand face to face with God incarnate, to hear Him claim the great “I AM” as His own, and to say, “No, you’re not!” To be offered eternal life, and to respond by throwing stones. That, but for the grace of God, was me.

There’s no neutral ground when it comes to the Savior. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me” (Matt. 12:30). Those who reject the truth will at some point pick up the rocks . . . those who refuse His grace will eventually start throwing stones.

But God is patient. Jesus walked away from His would be executioners that day though He could have retaliated and wiped them out with a simple command to the host He rules over. He could have opened up the ground beneath them as they cocked back their arms ready to pelt Him. But God is patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2Peter 3:9). And so He would continue to speak truth to them . . . He would continue to call them . . . He would continue to show Himself as “I AM” to them.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . The true Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.    (John 1:4-5, 9:13 ESV)

Jesus came to save stone throwers . . .

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Stir It Up

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Pete

I think it’s one of the reasons that people can read their Bible’s cover-to-cover, again and again, year after year, and it doesn’t get old. It’s part of what fuels a desire to know the Book deeply . . . to interact with the Book continually . . . and to never get tired of consuming the Book regularly. It is the need to stir it up.

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am, stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles . . .    (2Peter 3:1-2 ESV)

This is Peter’s second letter to persecuted Christians in exile. This is the second time in this second letter that Peter states his purpose in writing to them . . . “I am stirring up your sincere minds by way of reminder.” Back in chapter 1, Peter says that, though he believes his death is near, while he is “in this body” it is the right thing from him to stir these believers up “by way of reminder . . . so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” (1:12-15). It was going to be vital for them, that as followers of Christ, they were in constant reminder of the predictions of the prophets and the commandments of the Savior. And so Peter determined to stir it up.

The word “stir” has the idea of awakening . . . of arousing from sleep . . . of rendering active. Peter would remind them of the dynamics of their faith (chapter 1) and the dangers of false teachers (chapters 2) and the faithful determination of God to fulfill His promises (chapter 3), so that God’s people might be awakened, aroused, and rendered fully active. And, though we may not be in the same circumstance as Peter’s first century audience, I’m thinking the principle still applies . . . God’s people need constant reminding of God’s plan and God’s promises. And thus, they need to be in God’s Book . . . stirring it up.

The hymn-writer confessed . . . “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it . . . Prone to leave the God I love . . . ” I get it. Life’s day-to-day encounters and struggles can, at the least, leave us somewhat distracted . . . if not, sometimes, a bit disillusioned . . . and perhaps even a bit depressed. Easy to start fixating on what’s going on around us . . . and then start looking for answers within us. It’s because of that reality (in my life, at least) that I need to stir it up.

Morning devo’s are not just some “good luck charm” which, if I do them, my day goes well and, if I miss them, my day’s crummy. They are about stirring it up. A quiet time with my Bible open, and my heart open, is about being brought into remembrance concerning His promises . . . His precepts . . . and His power. They are about setting my mind on things above in order to put my little bit of chaos below into some context. They are about being reminded of the reason I determine, by God’s grace, to keep on keepin’ on. They are about communion . . . and connecting . . . and continuing in relationship with the One who has said He would never leave me or forsake me.

Stir it up. That’s why I keep opening the Book . . . that’s why it doesn’t grow old. I need to stir it up.

By God’s grace . . . for God’s glory . . .

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Connector-of-the-Dots

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Pete

To read the drama as it played out, you’d think, at first, that there are but three parties involved. There is the Teacher . . . there are the debaters . . . and there are the listeners. The Teacher is claiming to be the Light of the world . . . His opposition, shrouded in darkness, are trying to trap Him and trip Him up concerning His claims . . . and the crowd try and keep up with this ping-pong match, wondering who will win. Yeah, at first, it seems that there are just three players in this unfolding drama. But then I come to the end of the debate and there’s a hint that throughout this “forum” there has been another Person present . . . another active Agent at work . . . One who is the “Connector-of-the-Dots.”

As far as gospel presentations goes, it’s not the clearest. Though it is the stuff that systematic theology is built on, it’s not like it’s being presented precept upon precept.

“I am the Light of the World” . . . My testimony is valid because “I know where I came from and where I am going” . . . “If you knew Me you would know My Father also” . . . “I am going way, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin” . . . “I am from above’ . . . “I am not of this world” . . . “He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him” (John 8:12-27).

Not exactly your four simple steps to salvation. In fact, John records that Jesus’ opponents “did not understand” what Jesus was getting at (8:27a). And if these learned men of the Scriptures were in the dark concerning the Light of the World . . . then how could the “common folks” in the crowd possibly track with the discussion? Well, some of them did . . . and a number of them got it . . .

So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own authority, but speak just as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.   (John 8:28-30 ESV)

Many believed. Really? After listening to what seems to have been a pretty convoluted discussion . . . after experiencing the opposition of the religious elite to the One who claimed to be the Son of Man . . . after trying to track with where He came from and where He was going and Who He was talking about . . . many believed? Yeah, really. How’s that possible? Someone else was present . . . giving enough understanding for some to respond . . . connecting the dots . . . so that many would believe.

To be sure, as I read on in John 8, some of these believers were not believers at all for they continued to debate with Jesus. But of the “many” who believed, I sense that there were more than a few who entered the kingdom of God at that point in the debate. And it wasn’t because of a well designed three-point sermon. It was because they had encountered the Son of God and had been made alive to Him by the Spirit of God, the Connector-of the-Dots.

That’s what the Holy Spirit does . . . He connects the dots. He leads people into truth . . . the truth concerning themselves, as He convicts them of sin . . . the truth concerning the Son, as He reveals Jesus as the remedy for their sin. He takes blind people, blind to the things God has prepared for those who love Him, and gives them sight, drawing them by faith to the Savior. Things that make no sense to the unregenerate man, He makes sense of to those with ears to hear . . . connecting the dots enough so that they might respond in belief.

Jesus said that the Spirit is like the wind (John 3:8) . . . invisibly blowing where it wishes . . . often unrecognized as present or at work. But then, people believe, and He is revealed . . . that active Agency which works behind the scenes . . . and in the realm of the hearts of men . . . bringing sons and daughters out of darkness and in to marvelous light.

Praise God for the Connector-of-the-Dots.

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They Feast With You

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Pete

A long time work associate has periodically reminded me that “paranoia is just smart thinkin’ when everybody’s against you.” Now, I’m not advocating a “holy paranoia” . . . not saying that suspicion should be a Christian attribute . . . but, after reading in Ezekiel and Peter this morning, we do need to know that they may be among us. The “they” I’m referring to are the false prophets I read of in Ezekiel this morning . . . “they” are the false teachers that Peter warns his readers about. And, so says Peter, they feast with you.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. . . . They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.    (2Peter 2:1, 13b ESV)

The voice of those claiming to be called of God and seeking the kingdom is many voices. The stage is large of players who have found a platform to speak on behalf of the truth. It’s the television preacher . . . it’s the well known author . . . it’s the web blogger . . it’s the tweeter . . . the instagrammer . . . it’s the local pastor . . . it’s the guy, or gal, at home bible study. Our media driven world gives voice to many who claim some insight and understanding of the workings of God. And, praise God, many of the those voices are those raised up of God . . . called of God . . . gifted of God . . . and used of God to build His church and rally His people to faithful service. But, if I’m understanding something of my readings this morning, not all the voices are of God.

The LORD says, through Ezekiel, that some of these voices “prophesy from their own hearts” and “follow their own spirit” and, in fact, have “seen nothing.” Some have “seen false visions and lying divinations” and say “‘Declares the LORD,’ although I have not spoken” . . . and they are “like jackals among ruins,” says the LORD (Ezek 13:1-7). They mislead the people . . . they whitewash the feeble efforts of man . . . they speak of peace when there is no peace (Ezek. 13:10). And, in so doing, they divert people from the heart of God to their own lying hearts . . . they deceive the people into fashioning a God after their own image . . . they dilute the truth of God so that it serves the purposes of men. And what gives them such voice? They feast with you.

True in Ezekiel’s day . . . true in Peter’s day. Fueled by sensuality . . . motivated by their greed . . . “they will exploit you with false words” (2Peter 2:3). Their “thus says the LORD” is born out of their natural instincts . . . not afraid to raise their voices in the marketplace of thoughts and ideas . . . reveling in their deceptions . . . and, unfortunately, leading some astray . . . because they use our lingo . . . and mimic our practices . . . as they feast with you.

Like I said, I’m not trying to see a false teacher behind every pulpit or podcast. I don’t believe paranoia is just smart thinkin’. But the fact is, they do exist . . . and they are in our midst . . . if not our local congregations, then on the broader stage of the Christian voice.

So what’s the defense? At least in part, it is for the the sheep to know the Shepherd’s voice so intimately that the voices of the jackals are evident. It is pursuing such an abiding fellowship with the Light of the World that the darkness is readily exposed. It is cultivating the mind of Christ by personally feeding on the Word concerning Christ. It is crying out to the Spirit to lead us into all truth . . . to open our minds to the Scriptures . . . to help us navigate the many voices with discernment . . . to calibrate us to the ways of God as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. How God’s people need to be people of the Word . . . moving beyond the milk of newborns . . . instead feeding on the solid food of the deep things of God as illuminated by the Spirit of God. For, in so doing, we will be those who “have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).

They feast with you . . . needful to be aware of. Greater is He that is in You (1John 4:4) . . . needful to be in pursuit of!  And THAT, is just smart thinkin’.

Amen?

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The Promise Remains

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Pete

Even as the glory departs . . . the promise remains. For 10+ chapters, though the imagery may be hard to grasp, the message of the prophet Ezekiel has been clear . . . God has hit the wall! The rebellious, adulterous people of His calling will be judged . . . the fury and wrath of God, which they invited through their stiff-necked rejection of Him, will come . . . and the glory of God, which had dwelt in their midst on His holy hill, will leave. Those who loved darkness over light would be consumed by darkness . . . those who desired to be like the nations around them, more than they desired to pursue the kingdom of God offered them, would be scattered among the nations as chattel . . . those who said, “No” to God would, through the judgment poured upon them, come to know that He is the LORD through His divine discipline. And amidst the declaration of wrath to come . . . even as the glory of God withdraws from sin ravaged Jerusalem . . . the promise remains.

Therefore say, “Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.    (Ezekiel 11:17-20 ESV)

There it is . . . land, seed, and blessing . . . the essence of the promise made to Abraham, the father of Isaac, the father of Israel. Though they would be scattered, though their inheritance would lie in devastated ruin, God would again assemble them to the land of promise. Though, as a nation they rejected the faith of their fathers, becoming prodigal children, at best, and enemies at worst . . . yet, in His sovereign determination, God would restore them, establishing Abraham’s seed, making them again a people, a people whose one and only god is the LORD God. And, this would be through the way of blessing. Not external blessings . . . but a total reworking of the internals . . . a new heart . . . a new spirit . . . a new walk.

The other thing I note is the “I will’s.” I will gather you . . . I will give you the land . . . I will give them one heart . . I will put a new spirit within them . . . I will remove the heart of stone . . . I will give the heart of flesh . . . I will be their God. Not about what they had to do . . . but about what God promises to do.

A bankrupt people . . . a God of eternal riches. A wayward people . . . a God, who sets a GPS programmed for eternity within them. With a debt too great to pay . . . paid in full by the One who, though He was rich, became poor for their sakes . . . emptying out His riches upon the cross . . . cancelling all debt–past, present, and future. Dead in spirit . . . made alive by the Spirit. A people devoid of any ability to power their way into righteous living . . . infused with resurrection power, able to live in newness of life because of over-flowing grace. Not because they deserved it . . . not because they earned it . . . but because the promise remains.

O’ praise God that the promise remains!

He who has begun a good work in the children of faith, has promised to complete that work (Php. 1:6) . . . despite us, sometimes. The blood shed is able to atone for all sin . . . the Spirit given is more than enough to lead us in victory over each battle with the flesh . . . and His grace is sufficient for us to live in the promise while we await the final fulfillment of the promise.

The promise remains . . . it is our confidence . . . it is our hope . . it is our sustaining power. To Him be all glory . . .

Amen?

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Not Letting Go

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Pete

He’s one of my heroes. One of a couple of guys in the Scripture that, for some reason, there has been a lifelong connection with (my Christian “lifelong”, that is). Though I am inspired by Paul’s persistent pursuit of the prize . . . though I identify way too much with Peter’s “ready-fire-aim” approach . . . it’s a couple of Old Testament guys who continually draw me in with a desire to model them. One of those guys is Daniel. Lived in a foreign land . . . purposed not to defile himself with the king’s meats . . . entrusted himself to God in all things . . . God’s hand upon him as he was promoted within the courts of various kings . . . made a difference in his world. The other guy . . . the hero I’m thinking about this morning . . . is Job. By God’s own repeated testimony, he was a man who was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (1:1, 1:8, 2:3). And, he was a man who was not letting go.

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without reason.”   (Job 2:3 ESV)

It was a battle of cosmic and epic proportions. Holy God vs. fallen angel of light . . . the adversary . . . the accuser. The battlefield? A faithful family man . . . a hard-working and successful businessman . . . a guy on earth who becomes the focal of heaven. Take away what he has, says the accuser to God, take away the wealth, . . . take away the toys, . . . take away his family, . . . take away the hedge, . . .and he will curse You to Your face. You’re on, says God, do it and see what happens.

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”    (Job 1:20-21 ESV)

Chapter 2 . . . Round 2 . . . Skin for skin, says the destroyer, let me touch his body, then see him curse You to Your face. Go for it, says the Father. And I’m thinking that Job, if he had known what was going on, might have said, respectfully, Could you two please talk about someone else!

Can’t relate to the pain Job felt . . . can’t imagine what he looked like that his friends didn’t recognize him at first and could only tear their clothes and weep. For his wife, it was the straw (a really big, awful, and heavy straw) that broke the camel’s back, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But Job held fast . . . he was a man who was not letting go.

Integrity . . . that which drives what we do when no one else is looking. Literally, a man or woman’s “completeness” . . . who they are at their core. In the original language, apparently, it also has the idea of simplicity. You don’t sense Job being a theologian . . . or a man of complex nuances . . . or a believer who had to define himself with a multiplicity of adjectives describing what type of follower of God he was. Nope . . . just a simple guy . . . who believed God was God. That, as God, He could give . . . as God, He could take away. And, as God, He was to be worshiped . . . as God, His name was to be blessed . . . as God, He could be trusted in all things.

” . . . Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.    (Job 2:10 ESV)

Not saying I want Job’s circumstance . . . but so want to model his faith . . . to also be a man who holds fast his integrity . . . a man who, by God’s grace, and for God’s glory, is not letting go.

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Making An Entrance

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Pete

While many might be invited . . . not all will be admitted. And though there will be many who are admitted . . . not everyone will enter the same way. I think that’s a true statement concerning the kingdom of heaven.

“For God so loved the world” (John 3:16) . . . giving His Son as the atoning sacrifice for all mankind (John 1:29) . . . inviting all to believe and receive the gift of eternal life and to occupy a place He is preparing from them in His very presence (John 14:1-3). But though provision has been made for all . . . only some will be admitted . . . for others will refuse the invitation.

For those who are admitted, not all will make the same entrance. Paul says that each “admitted one” is building on a sure foundation, but that not all will build diligently. Some will build with gold, silver, and precious stones . . . others with wood, hay, and straw. And on the Day we “admitted ones” stand before the Master Builder, that which we’ve built will be tested by fire. “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” So, Paul says, “Let each one take care how he builds upon it.” (1Cor.3:10-14). Peter echoes that sentiment this morning as he encourages his readers to be focused on making an entrance.

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.    (2Peter 1:10-11 ESV)

In Peter’s second letter he is quick to remind his readers that God has given to His own–to those who have believed the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of salvation for all who believe (Rom. 1:16)–that He has given to His own “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” that we “may become partakers of the divine nature” (1:3-4). All believers have all the tools necessary to become increasingly practically what He has declared us to be eternally positionally . . . righteous. Believers are declared to be righteous in Christ . . . and through the sanctifying dynamic of the Spirit indwelling us, He has begun a work in us to conform us to the image and nature of His Son that we might exhibit His righteousness in and through us. Ours is to invite this work in our lives . . . to submit to this work . . . to engage in this work . . . and in doing this, Peter says, we are preparing to make an entrance.

While the work of salvation is finished on the cross, the reality of salvation is born out when we are “diligent to make your calling and election sure.” Peter says to make every effort to supplement your faith (1:5) . . . and when we do, it will keep us from falling . . . it will enable us to participate in that divine nature He has equipped us with . . . our imputed righteousness will be shown in a measure of practical godliness . . . and eventually “there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom.”

Who doesn’t want to make an entrance when they are ushered into the presence of the King? Who doesn’t want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Who wouldn’t want to receive a “crown of righteousness” (2Tim. 4:8) . . . or a “crown of life” (James 1:12) . . . in order that they might lay such rewards at the feet of Him who alone is worthy of all honor and praise? Though it’s not about us, shouldn’t we want to make an entrance for His glory? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Might God’s people not be content with simply being admitted into His eternal kingdom . . . but might we make every effort towards ensuring that one day we will be making an entrance.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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Lion’s Food

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Pete

Met with a buddy for lunch yesterday. Main topic of discussion? Being lion’s food. Well, not quite phrased that way . . . but reading 1Peter this morning, I’m kind of thinking that’s what we were talking about.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, . . .
(1Peter 5:6-9a ESV)

At lunch we traded stories of times we sensed we were under spiritual attack. Not the suffering and overt persecution that the brothers and sisters Peter wrote to were enduring . . . but the in your head . . . when you’re all alone . . . beating up you can take. Those times when you’re dressed down by some drill sergeant in your imagination . . . your failures highlighted . . . your performance evaluated and deemed as coming up short. And, you feel like a loser . . . a joke . . . wondering that, if you really believed what you said you believed, you’d do better . . . know more power . . . hear His voice more audibly. But the question has to be, where’s that voice coming from?

Is it the voice of conviction . . . dealing with true sin . . . leading to godly sorrow . . . heartfelt repentance . . . and blood-bought restoration? Or is it the voice of accusation . . . dealing with apparent levels of performance . . . comparing ourselves to others who seem to have it all together . . . leading to depression . . . hopeless brokenness . . . and a sense of separation? I’m thinking, if it’s the latter, then we’re being lion’s food.

Our adversary, the devil, is on the prowl . . . stealthily moving about . . . looking for believers to swallow. In the case of Peter’s audience, it was through overt attack and physical oppression. Sometimes, he’s more subtle . . . it being the battleground of the mind and thoughts where he seeks to take down his prey. The battle can take the form of drawing the mind into a world the Christian mind has no place being and, choking out the life of the Spirit through temptation to sensuality (anything which appeals to any one of our senses) and a spurring on towards the pursuit of pleasure. Or, the skirmish can be taking the mind to a place of self doubt . . . not purifying self reflection, led by the inner probing of the Spirit . . . but a doubt concerning your ability to perform as you should as a Christian. This is the voice of the accuser (Rev. 12:10) . . . this is being gnawed on, if not devoured by, the lion . . . lion’s food.

By abiding in Christ . . . that is: faithfully feeding on His Word; continually communing with Him in prayer; frequently participating in His Body through fellowship with other believers . . . by abiding in Christ, through the inner presence of the Spirit, and by the grace of God, we can recognize the source of the voice . . . discern between conviction of the Spirit and accusation by the enemy . . . knowing when we’re being lion’s food . . . and then, resist him by standing firm in our faith.

While there certainly should be fruit evidencing the reality of God’s sanctifying work in our lives, we don’t stand on the basis of our fruit, but we stand by faith in the power of His finished work and eternal call on our lives. We stand firm in our faith, believing that He who began a good work in us will complete it (Php. 1:6) . . . knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5) . . . confessing our sin, knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God (1John 1:9) . . . and, by His Spirit in us, we take our heads out of the lion’s mouth . . . knowing that greater is He who lives in us than he who stalks us in world (1John 1:4).

It was a good lunch . . . a bit of iron sharpening iron (Prov. 27:17) . . . and we weren’t the food.

By God’s grace . . . for God’s glory . . .

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The Lord Is My Portion

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Pete

Quite literally it’s a bit of color amidst prevailing black and white . . . and grey . . . so very much grey. I’m in Lamentations . . . not a particularly inviting title . . . not a particularly invigorating subject matter . . . this it not a “pick me up” sort of book. The writer, probably Jeremiah, is overwhelmed as he replays the destruction of Jerusalem . . . the utter decimation of God’s beloved Zion. “The LORD has done what He purposed; He has carried out His word” (Lam. 2:17) . . . judging the adulteress daughter of His calling . . . raising up Jacob’s enemies to extract the price for Jacob’s unfaithfulness. And, as the dust settles . . . and the ravages of judgment replay, again and again, in his mind, . . . the prophet is overcome with grief . . . “my eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people” (2:11).

Then, in chapter 3, it gets personal. Not only is his beloved homeland in ruins . . . but he too is beat up and so very alone. He had been the voice of God declaring the judgment of God to come. And, as such, he had become the enemy of the people. Though faithful to the call of God, his personal suffering was multiplied upon that which his people experienced. And so, he weeps too for himself . . . he laments his own wasting away . . . his soul crushed by his own suffering.

So, as one who colors his Bible, for the better part of two and a half chapters, I haven’t had much to highlight . . . pretty grey . . . pretty barren. But then some color comes onto the pages of my Bible . . . the color of God’s love and faithfulness . . . the color of God’s promises . . . color which infuses inner strength into those who know lament . . .

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”    (Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV)

By the gracious moving hand of the Spirit of God, the prophet averts his eyes off himself and onto the LORD. The dark clouds of his circumstance clear and he calls to mind that which again gives him hope. Fact . . . the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases. Fact . . . His mercies never come to an end. Fact . . . our God is a faithful God. Reality . . . the LORD is my portion. Result . . . therefore I will hope in Him.

The LORD is my portion. He is the inheritance . . . He is the reward . . . He is the end game.

Despite all the loss in the prophets life . . . despite the destruction he had witnessed . . . the pain he had bore . . . hope is revived when He is able to see in the LORD His portion . . . His purpose . . . His prize.  Or, as another has penned . . . Turn your eyes upon Jesus . . . look full in His wonderful face . . . and the things of earth will grow strangely dim . . . in the light of His glory and grace (Helen H. Lemmel, 1922).

Sometimes, when you’re at the bottom, it’s good to consider the bottom line. And for the believer that bottom line is that the Lord is our portion.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ . . .   
(Philippians 3:8 ESV)

That’s the color on the page . . . that’s the color, ultimately, in our lives . . . that we may gain Christ . . . that we may know afresh Him as our portion. Then hope is renewed . . . the song is revived . . . the glory is God’s.

Amen?

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