Who Am I to Offer Willingly?

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Pete

It really is David at his best. Not a perfect man . . . but a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). And, as I sit back and reflect on 1Chronicles 29, I don’t think the heart of David shines any brighter than it does right here. He knows he’s going home soon . . . the God in whom he has delighted for a lifetime will soon be the God in whose presence he will bow. And as he wraps up it here on earth, one more thing to make sure of . . . that preparation, as much as he can prepare, has been made for his son, Solomon, to build the temple . . . a “temple not for man, but for the LORD God” (29:1 NIV). And so the aging king rallies together his subjects . . . calls on them to support his inexperienced son when he assumes the throne . . . and asks them to practically contribute to the building of the temple just as David has done (29:2-5).

“Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?”
.                                                                        (1Chronicles 29:5b ESV)

It was more than just an activity of throwing a few bucks in the offering. David saw in the giving of their material goods a visible reflection of hearts that wanted to consecrate themselves to the LORD . . . less about the amount then the attitude of setting apart oneself wholly to God . . . less concerned about the tax receipt than about total submission to their Sovereign as evidenced by their willing offering to His work.

And the people gave . . . and David blessed the LORD. He didn’t commend the people . . . he didn’t flash the total on a big reader board and say “Well done, everyone” . . . but he blessed the Giver of all good things . . . for it was He who allowed them to give of what they had received at His good hand.

Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are You, O LORD, the God of Israel our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank You, our God, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You.     (1Chronicles 29:10-14 ESV)

Who am I to offer willingly?

O’ majestic God . . . God who allows us to address You as Father . . . You have taken my heart of stone, made it a heart of flesh, and infused it with a passion to know You. You are rewiring my egocentric soul, creating within me a desire to have You, and You alone, reign on the throne of my life . . . creating within me a contentment to just rest at Your footstool. Any longing I have to serve You . . . is from You . . . any opportunity to be found aligned to the will of God doing the work of God is from You . . . anything I have to give . . . whether time or resources . . . is a gift from You. Who am I to offer willingly?

What privilege to give of what the LORD has given us for His work.

O’ that my heart would be behind my actions. By His grace . . . for His glory.

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Plating the Gospel

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Pete

My son-in-law knows his way around the kitchen. Was reminded of that last week as we spent a couple of days with him and my daughter on their turf. Most often, around our place, Sue cooks it up . . . puts it out . . . and we say, “Come and get it!” . . . buffet style. When my son-in-law is making dinner, after cooking it up, he “plates it” and serves it. If it weren’t for the anticipation of what the food is going to taste like, you might not disturb how it’s been arranged on the plate . . . topped with sauce, presented with a well thought out garnish . . . it looks pretty amazing . . . almost a shame to mess it up by cutting into it. The care with which my son-in-law presents his food came to mind as I was reading the manner in which Paul “plated the gospel.”

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.    (1Thessalonians 2:7-8 ESV)

Paul came to Thessalonica ready to serve up “the gospel of God.” Meat indeed . . . life giving nourishment for the soul. Paul considered himself “entrusted with the gospel” (2:4b). He was a steward of the good news declaring Him who was “the Bread of heaven” . . . “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Paul says that he had “boldness in God” (2:2) . . . that he had been “approved by God” (2:4a) . . . and that he desired nothing but “to please God” (2:4c) . . . in bringing “the gospel of God” (2:2, 2:8, 2:9) to a people in desperate need of life-giving food.

Given how much they needed it . . . and the authority Paul had to dish it . . . you’d think that a “Come and get it!” approach would have sufficed. Evidently not.

While God had provided “the food,” Paul prepared “the food” and served “the food” taking the utmost care to make it as attractive as possible. Not by compromising the message of the depths of their need . . . not by wavering on there being only one way to the Father . . . but by serving up the gospel garnished in the love and compassion of Christ as displayed through the messengers of Christ. In a sense, it seems Paul was mindful of “plating the gospel.”

The good news was presented in the context of gentleness . . . like a nursing mother caring for her children. It was plated amidst a legitimate desire for their souls . . . accentuated as the sharing of the message was accompanied by the sharing of the messengers’ lives. Paul discharged not just a duty to preach the Word . . . but was driven by the care and concern for individual souls . . . “affectionately desirous” of them . . . and, as such, he willingly invested his time and himself in order that God might use Paul’s life to enhance His message.

And I think that maybe sometimes we can become so locked on the need to share the good news that we fail to invest in the people who need the good news. That we think if we just give ’em the gospel then we’re done . . . rather than having a compassion and desire for those in need of the gospel . . . rather than giving not just our words, but our lives as well, in order to draw people to the message they need to receive . . . rather than plating the gospel with a sincere care for the souls of men and women.

It’s still about the power of God to save . . . about the substance of the food being presented. But I do think Paul was mindful of how it was presented . . . of the garnish surrounding it . . . that as much as lied within him, Paul would not be a stumbling block but an attractor, to the gospel of God.

May I be mindful of plating the gospel as well. By His grace . . . for His glory.

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Listen to the Music!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Pete

Among the different topics I keep an eye open for as I’m reading, verses or passages about “worship” or “praise” are underlined with a brown colored pencil. Now, you might expect to use the brown colored pencil a fair amount in the Psalms, and might not expect to use it too much in 1Chronicles . . . but, you’d only be half right. In 1Chronicles you find praise and worship and music as the ark is brought up to Jerusalem . . . and it culminates in a wonderful psalm where a number of verses get underlined in brown. And then you get to where I am this morning and hit 1Chronicles 25 and the whole chapter is devoted to “The Musicians.”

In chapter 23, as David draws near to the end of his life he does a couple of things:
1) he makes his son Solomon king over Israel; 2) he sets in order the priests and Levites for ministry in the house of the Lord . . .

The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the LORD, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the LORD with the instruments that I have made for praise.”    (1Chronicles 23:3-5).

Get that? . . . of the 38,000 Levites eligible for serving the Lord in the temple, 4,000 were musicians . . . more than one in ten . . . and their service was to be making music . . . and their audience was to be the Lord . . . talk about your music team! So do you think music and song were an important part of worship and temple activity? I’m thinking so.

Then I get to 1Chronicles 25. And it seems that within that broader company of musicians there was a select group. This select group . . . 288 musicians (25:7) . . . 24 “worship teams” of 12 “band members” per team (25:9-31) . . . who were all about “music in the house of the Lord” (25:6). They were trained by their fathers for “the service of the house of the God” and were under the authority of the king himself. So this was important stuff . . . an integral part of the temple activity.

And here’s what grabbed me again this morning. It wasn’t just about making music . . . it wasn’t about providing a bit of entertainment or warming up the crowd . . . it wasn’t just about some preliminary activity to set the mood before the offerings. Rather, this select group was “set apart for the service” as those “who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals” (25:1). They prophesied . . . they were to write and sing songs that declared the truths of God. And it’s not like the thought is some “one hit wonder” . . . but it’s repeated again . . . there’s a group of musical brothers mentioned, the sons of Jeduthun, who, under their father’s direction . . .

. . . prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD.
.                                                                            (1Chronicles 25:3 ESV)

The music wasn’t intended to just stir the soul with melody but to offer thanksgiving to the LORD. The songs were meant to be more than just some background music . . . more than just clever instrumentation . . . they were to bring praise before Him who is worthy of all praise. There was to be a message in the music.

Want to know what’s behind the temple? Want to understand why the sacrifices? Want to appreciate Who it’s all about? Listen to the music!

As these skillful musicians played their stringed instruments and their harps and their cymbals, the words of the song would convey the works and wonders of the God of this place. The lyrics would tell of His great being . . . revealing something of the character of God . . . His sovereignty . . . His holiness . . . His loving kindness and mercy. The songs would tell of His works . . . His choosing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob . . . His deliverance from Egypt . . . His protective hand in the wilderness . . . His delivery of the promised land to His promised people. Whether there was three chords used in the song . . . or whether it was arranged for a symphony . . . its purpose was to proclaim a message . . . the message of an awesome God . . . worthy of sacrifice . . . worthy of praise . . . worthy of worship.

Not going to lie to you . . . I’m a bit partial to the “worship” part of our Sunday morning services. What a great opportunity for the congregation to “preach” before the pastor does. Let’s not lose focus on the message in the music . . . may the instruments not drown out the intent . . . may the singers fade into the background as the One being sung to and sung about takes “center stage.”

Listen to the music . . . sing the song . . . for the glory of God . . . amen!

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Watching with My Eyes Closed

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Pete

A friend sent me an e-mail asking me to pray for him and his wife as they prepare to work at a youth camp in a couple of weeks. I hesitated before responding. Not because I don’t think they need prayer . . . but because I do . . . and I didn’t want to commit to something that I wasn’t sure I could fulfill. Way to easy for me to say, “I’ll pray” . . . and then don’t. Not that I’m not being sincere with my desire to lift up someone’s request before the throne, but that I can so easily forget . . . it’s one of those “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” things. Way too easy to add an item to the end of my list and rattle off a few words before saying, “In Jesus Name, amen” rather than actually mediating for someone . . . rather than asking the Spirit to provide the intercession that I seem so feeble at (Rom. 8:26-27) . . . rather than believing that “going into my closet” and petitioning the God who “sees in secret” will make a difference (Matt. 6:6) . . . rather than, as Paul reminds me this morning, watching with my eyes closed.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  
.                                                                          (Colossians 4:2 ESV)

Paul wraps up his letter to the believers at Colosse with three pointed exhortations . . . continue in prayer . . . walk in wisdom . . . be gracious in speech. It’s the first one that really grabbed me this morning. Maybe because, while I may not always be too wise, I can walk pretty good . . . and, although sometimes it lacks some “grace seasoning,” I can talk pretty good . . . but pray, that can be a struggle for me.

I know some say that, for the Christian, praying should be like breathing . . . if that’s true then sometimes I feel like I have asthma . . . I’m so often short of breath . . . struggling to maintain a regular breathing pattern. But this morning I’m reminded to “continue steadfastly” . . . to “devote” myself (NIV) . . . to “continue earnestly” (NKJV) . . . to “pray diligently” (MSG). And so, even though sometimes I think I need a spiritual ventilator (is that the Holy Spirit?), I try to keep on keepin’ on in prayer.

But beyond persevering in prayer, I’m also told to be “watchful in it.” The NKJV says I’m to be “vigilant” . . . the NASB says I’m to be “alert.”

As I pray for my friend, far from it being an auto-pilot activity, my head should be in the game. When talking with the God of heaven I should be aware that . . . well, that I’m talking with the God heaven. As I bring my petitions on behalf of others before His throne I need to be give attention to what I’m asking for and why . . . I need to be mindful that the battle isn’t with flesh and blood . . . I need to be awake to the reality of what’s at stake. As I close my eyes to pray . . . I need to be watchful in it.

Paul also reminds me that I need to guard against just “placing an order” and asking God to fill it. Instead I need to always be mindful of the privilege of boldly approaching the throne of grace to find help in time of need (Heb. 4:16) and, as such, be thankful. To be able to bow before His footstool and bring before Him needs, petitions, and intercessions is grace overflowing in and of itself . . . and I need to be full of gratitude for such access.

I replied to my friend that I would pray him as he gets ready for camp and would continue through the week he and his wife are at camp. Not that I’m a “prayer warrior” or anything . . . not that I hold any great influence in heaven . . . but that I pray to a great God . . . that I petition a Mighty Sovereign . . . that I close my eyes and bow my head before a Gracious King.

O’, that by His grace I would be vigilant . . . that through His Spirit I’d be engaged and alert . . . that for His glory I would be watching with my eyes closed.

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All The People Said, “Amen!”

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Pete

They finally got ‘er done. The first attempt at transporting the ark to a home in Jerusalem had gone very badly . . . one dead . . . many distraught . . . the king disillusioned (2Samuel 6:1-11). But David figured it out. They had been careless . . . they hadn’t ensured that the right people transported the ark in the right way . . . they had been careless with God’s ways and God’s word. But not this time (1Chronicles 15). This time they nailed it! Hundreds of consecrated Levites present to accompany the place where the glory dwells in a manner befitting the glory of God. Nothing common place about this moving plan. And surrounding the “carrying Levites,” King David assigned the singing and instrument-playing Levites. The entry of the ark into Jerusalem was to be a joyous occasion . . . there would be dancing and celebrating as the horns blared, the cymbals clanged, the lyres were strummed, and the Levites sang. And all the people would say, “Amen!”

1Chronicles 16 is the “hidden psalm.” Every time I stumble upon it in my reading plan I’m pleasantly surprised . . . and, as I recall from past encounters, wonderfully blessed. This is David at his best . . . David the undisputed king of all Israel . . . a man after God’s own heart . . . a worshipper in truth and spirit. So, after ensuring the ark is settled on God’s holy mount . . . after offering to God the offerings befitting His holy Name . . . after blessing the people who had been present for the ark’s return . . . David the worshipper then appoints “some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel” (1Chron. 16:1-4).

And then he writes them a song to sing (16:8-36a) . . . my “hidden psalm” . . . a song of thanksgiving. It’s a call to the people of God to glory in His name . . . for those who hearts seek Him, to rejoice. “Seek His presence continually” the lyrics exhort . . . remember His promises . . . recall His faithful protection. Sing to the LORD . . . tell of His salvation every day . . . declare His marvelous works among the people . . . for “great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised!” Ascribe to LORD glory and strength . . . give Him the glory due His Name . . . worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.

And the song goes on . . . and the spirit rises . . . and the soul soars . . .

Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD.
.                                                                (1Chronicles 16:36b ESV)

Amen . . . what an overused yet under-utilized word. We use it like punctuation to end a prayer. We’ll attach such ascent to almost anything. But this morning, as I accompanied the ark into Jerusalem with the rest of God’s people . . . as I took in the cacophony of praise and worship . . . as I digested the words of the song David wrote for the occasion . . . I was ready to participate . . . ready to join in . . . ready to add my voice to the sounds of praise . . . then all the people said, “Amen!”

Me too!

God is good . . . amen! His works are wondrous . . . truly! His promises are sure . . . verily! He is to be worshipped in splendor and holiness . . . so be it. There is no God like our God . . . that’s the truth!

A simple, two-syllable word . . . but a word, I imagine, which brings my God pleasure when it is spoken thoughtfully . . . when it is uttered heartily . . . when it is offered in the context of extolling the greatness of our God . . . when it is sounded forth as part of the giving of thanks and praise.

O’ that all God’s people would say, “Amen!” . . . by His all enabling grace . . . for His all surpassing glory!

Amen?

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Debt Free!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Pete

It’s the sort of stuff you wouldn’t want to have posted on your Facebook page. It’s the list that you’d just as soon had never been written . . . but you know it has. It’s fuel for the fire the “accuser of the brethren” wants to fan into flame. It’s the stuff you’d rather not think about . . . the stuff you’d just as soon forget. It’s the ways of the flesh . . . the deeds of shame . . . the acts of rebellion. It demands a reckoning . . . it requires a price to be paid . . . it results in a debt we owe. And this morning, I am moved as I am reminded that the debt has been paid in full . . . that I am debt free.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, 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.    (Colossians 2:13-14 ESV)

I accumulated debt for 19 years. Though I “believed” there was probably a God, in my arrogance I reasoned that if I left Him alone, He’d leave me alone . . . and that we’d “work it out” when the time came. By the world’s standard, I was considered a “good kid.” But by the holy standard of the One who created me for for His glory, my “goodness” was like “a polluted garment” (Isa. 64:6) . . . my self-righteousness was worthless . . . and my arrogant bargaining with God was like “an open grave” (Rom. 3:13).

I didn’t know I was accumulating debt . . . dead men walking aren’t able to reason such things . . . but I was.

But then, by His grace alone, God made me alive together in His Son. Through the active agency of His Holy Spirit, God began the process of raising me from the dead . . . first catching my attention with a reminder of my mortality . . . then opening my eyes to see a God with whom I was in no position to barter and debate . . . gently softening my heart to the reality of my transgressions against the God of the universe . . . patiently imparting an understanding of the magnitude of my debt . . . and then revealing the reality of that debt having been paid in full by His Son.

He canceled the record of debt that stood against me . . . He set it aside . . . He nailed it to the cross.

When He who knew no sin was made sin for us (2Cor. 5:21) that list of stuff I’d just as soon never existed was nailed to the cross with Him. He bore the reproach . . . He suffered the consequences . . . He paid the price in full . . . so that “in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Cor. 5:21). The debt has been canceled.

And now, in a sense, I’m on the “pre-paid plan.” Not that I presume upon the blood of Christ or the grace of God . . . not that I purpose to continue to transgress the God who so wondrously saved me, knowing that He “has it covered.” But the reality is that I still do stuff . . . think stuff . . . respond to stuff . . . in a way that I wouldn’t want written “on my wall” . . . stuff I regret . . . stuff the accuser will still try and use. But that stuff too was nailed to the cross . . . and I know that if I confess my sin He is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9) . . . the cleansing blood of Christ having been applied to all my sin — past, present, and future . . . the price paid in full such that I am no longer accumulating debt.

O’ what a wondrous salvation . . . what a wonderful Savior!

Debt free . . . by His grace alone . . . for His glory alone!

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Love Much?

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Pete

There was nothing conventional about it. If there was a rule book, she ignored it . . . if there was protocol, she rewrote it. If she was trying to make up for the host’s lack of etiquette in welcoming his Guest for dinner, she got it all wrong.

The host should have washed the young Rabbi’s feet with water . . . he should have welcomed the One he had asked to eat with him with a kiss on the cheek . . . he should have offered to refresh his dining Companion by anointing His head with oil . . . but he did none of those things. Instead, this woman who crashed the party, took it upon herself to honor the Guest. But, if she had meant to make up for the hosts lack of good graces, she got it all wrong . . . she never got beyond the Visitor’s feet. She began to weep at His feet . . . taking those tears and wetting His feet . . . taking her glory, her hair, and using it to wipe and clean the dust from His feet . . . and then she kissed His feet and anointed them with ointment. She never got beyond the feet. Her presence there was unprecedented . . . her worship there was unconventional. How come? Because she loved much.

Then turning toward the woman [Jesus] said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven–for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”   (Luke 7:44-47 ESV)

She didn’t mean to be “over the top” . . . had no intention to create a scene . . . but she was . . . and she did. And you sense it was because she was compelled to respond . . . that she was driven to worship. The desire to exalt the Savior by humbling herself was so primal that nothing could hold her back . . . not the fact that she was a sinner unwelcomed in a Pharisee’s house . . . not the fact that she would make a spectacle of herself as she humbled herself at the Teacher’s feet . . . not the fact that she would fill that place with an aroma that overshadowed the smell of the meal on the table and draw all attention to her place at the Master’s feet. I don’t think she had any intention of drawing attention to herself . . . but that her desire was only for the Forgiver of Her Sins. But attention she did draw . . . the attention of the Son of God . . . He saw to that . . . because she loved much.

And I can’t help but reflect on the fact that how I worship is a mirror reflecting how much I know I’m forgiven. The more righteous I think I am . . . the less right my worship is. The less I think the cross was fully for me . . . the more I’ll be complacent towards bowing before Him. To the degree to which I think I’m pretty good . . . will be the degree to which I consider paying homage to Him pretty optional.

But to be a sinner . . . is to pursue a Savior. To acknowledge the depths of darkness that once enveloped me . . . is to adore the One who gave Himself that I might be translated into marvelous light. To weigh afresh the debt I once owed before a holy God and the bankrupt account I had upon which to draw . . . is to worship anew at the feet of Him who paid the price in full. To be forgiven much . . . is to love much. To love little . . . well, that’s simply misguided and out of touch with reality.

Forgiven much? Love much?

She was . . . and she did . . . might I be more like her. By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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Christ In You!

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Pete

You just don’t put big, big things in small, small packages. Big things kind of demand big packaging . . . or so you’d think. But this morning, I’m noodling over a mystery . . . a mystery once concealed but now revealed . . . a mystery, which at its essence, is about something really, really big . . . and awesome . . . and magnificent . . . residing in something that’s really, really small . . . and pretty ordinary . . . and ain’t much to look at. I’m trying to get my head around “Christ in you.”

The latter half of the first chapter of Colossians has got to be one of the preeminent passages concerning the Preeminent One. Preeminent . . . love that word . . . to be first . . . to hold first place . . . to be at the top of the list . . . to be above everything else . . . such is the beloved Son of God . . .

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell . . .    (Colossians 1:15-19 ESV)

Is that big, or what? Check out the term “all things” . . . by Him all things were created . . . He is before all things . . . in Him all things hold together. Every time you look at new pictures of deep space . . . every time you are reminded of the marvels of the workings of an atom . . . every time you are captured with the beauty of the creation about us . . . every time you pause to think of how all things work together . . . it’s reminder of Him who created all things . . . of Him who holds together all things . . . of Him who is above all things. How big is that? Pretty!

And, beyond His relationship to all things created . . . in Him all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. Really? Yup! Think the grandest thoughts concerning God your puny mind and drum up . . . and that’s Christ. Let go and imagine the most majestic images of His glory you can . . . and that’s the Son. Go as lofty and as high as you’re able to you . . . and that’s Jesus. . . . and so much more! Big? I’m thinkin’ . . .

And then, consider the mystery now revealed through the gospel . . .

. . . the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
(Colossians 1:26-27 ESV)

I don’t know about you . . . but if I consider the “you” that is me . . . then the reaction to the reality of “Christ in you” is almost inexpressible. Big, big magnificent being . . . in a small, small, way less than magnificent package.

But that is the reality that is ours. For those who have been brought to recognize their need as a result of sin . . . for those who have believed that, through Christ, God has been pleased “to reconcile to Himself all things” and make “peace by the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20) . . . for those who have confessed their need and received the gift of salvation . . . the wonder of the mystery is “Christ in you.”

Fully understand it? No. Fully believe it? Absolutely. Fully aware of it? More and more so . . . by His grace.

So maybe you do put big, big things in small, small packages. To Him be all glory in all things! Amen?

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Fully Pleasing to Him

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Pete

Is Paul just praying big? Does he really, really think it can happen? Is it one of those shoot-for-the-moon-and-maybe-you-might-get-off-the-ground sort of requests?

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.    (Colossians 1:9-10 ESV)

It’s that phrase “fully pleasing to Him” which seems a bit ambitious . . . a little over the top. Really?

Paul prays that these believers would walk in a manner worthy . . . bear fruit in every good work . . . increase in the knowledge of God . . . and be fully pleasing to Him. I get setting my feet on the pilgrim pathway and seeking to keep in step with the Spirit . . . I get fruit-bearing as the Spirit works through us . . . I get the “work in progress” of coming to a greater experiential knowledge of God . . . but to be fully pleasing? . . . pleasing in everything? . . . pleasing in all aspects? Not sure I can do that. Exactly!!!

In fact Paul goes on to say that He’s done it all already . . .

. . . giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.    (Colossians 1:12-14 ESV)

Qualified . . . Delivered . . . Transferred. We have been made sufficient and rendered fit for the inheritance reserved for God’s people . . . we have been rescued from the power of darkness . . . and we have been “translated” (KJV) into a new world . . . the world of the light of the kingdom of God’s Son. By His work alone . . . by His grace alone . . . we were qualified for, delivered from, and transferred into the kingdom. Nothing more we can do to attain any higher standing.

So I don’t think that being fully pleasing is about fully performing. But I think it is linked to fully pursuing . . .

How is “Home” programmed on my internal GPS . . what is my heart set on? Where are my eyes focused . . . on things above or things on earth? Is my greatest desire to see my will be done or to be filled with the knowledge of His will? Am I in the drivers seat, leaning to my own understanding and relying on my own smarts and wisdom . . . or am I trusting in the Lord and seeking the mind of Christ as made accessible by the Spirit of God?

I think of King of David . . . not a perfect man, but one who was pleasing to the Lord, the one who God calls “a man after My heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22). Not that everything David did was God’s will . . . had more than one “swing-and-a-miss” during the course of his life . . . can anyone say, “Bathsheba?” But one thing David did do was purpose to follow the Lord, if not flawlessly, than, as much as lied within him, faithfully.

The Father has done the work . . . ours is to determine to do the walk. He has secured our redemption . . . ours is to share with Him our failings and know that the blood of Christ is all sufficient to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). He has transferred into the kingdom of light . . . ours is to take Him at His word believing that the work He has begun in us He will complete in us (Php. 1:6).

Fully pleasing to Him . . . O’ that I might pray big too . . . by His grace alone . . . for His glory alone . . .

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Jehovah’s Place

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Pete

You sense an anticipation . . . an excitement. It was an invitation that evoked a joyful response. Of all the things he could be asked to do, you kind of think this was one of his favorites. It was less about beholding the place than it was about encountering the Person . . . not so much about what they might get as about the thought of having the privilege to again give . . . less about who they might encounter on the way but all about Who they would worship when they got there. They were going to Jehovah’s place.

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
                                                                                           (Psalm 122:1 ESV)

The psalmist was glad when he was asked to go to the place where the tabernacle resided . . . as his feet stood within the gates of Jerusalem (v.2), his heart might have raced at the thought of drawing near to the place which housed the holy of holies. Though he could not encounter it by sight, I wonder if he imagined the cherubim overshadowing the ark upon which the presence of God fell. As he drew near, bringing his offering, I imagine he might have rejoiced at once again having the opportunity to worship the God who is worthy of all worship. The psalmist was going to Jehovah’s place . . . and he was pumped!

The house of the Lord . . . don’t hear the term used a lot in my circles . . . not sure of the last time I heard someone say something like, “Last Sunday, I went to the house of the Lord.” Most often we say church . . . whaddya’ doing on Sunday? . . . going to church . . . what time is the first service at church? . . . 8:30 a.m. Not that it’s a really big deal . . . but I think we might do ourselves a bit of disservice by assigning the designation for the people of God, the church, to a building . . . and not talking about the building as a place where we expect to encounter the glory of God.

But what if we were more conscious of that building where we gather on Sunday mornings as being the house of the Lord? Not because the four walls contain a big room where we meet and a pulpit . . . not because there’s a big cross hanging on the outside of the building . . . but because, when the people of God come together, the church, the presence of God is expected.

The body of Christ coming together in that building is what makes it the house of the Lord. Blood bought and redeemed, each member is joined together such that when they come together they comprise a “holy temple in the Lord” . . . “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-21). It’s not the building, it’s the Body . . . it’s not the place, it’s the people . . . it’s not the service, it’s encountering the Savior . . . it’s not just a program, it’s Jehovah’s place!

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”

I have often thought, when gathered together with the church . . . when meeting with brothers and sisters in Christ . . . that there is a dynamic available to us, at that time and in that place, that is only available when we come together. We become the place where His glory dwells . . . as He inhabits the praise of His people . . . as His Spirit is unleashed on hearts and souls set on inviting Him to meet with them . . . as minds are transformed by His God-breathed Word . . . as body members are building up one another, and being built up by each other, as we encourage one another in the Lord.

“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”

Does it bring some excitement to your soul . . . a smile to your face . . . gladness to your spirit? I’m thinkin’ it should . . .

Because of His grace . . . to encounter His glory . . .

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