Who You Dancing With?

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Pete

The theme of bad partnerships continues as I move through 2Chronicles again this morning. I’m guessing that for those familiar with King Joash of Judah, the first thing they might recall about him was that he was one of those “kid kings”. His crazy grandma had killed all his siblings as a way of securing the throne for herself but he was hidden away as an infant . . . and then at the age of seven, was given the throne of the kingdom through the courageous actions of some devoted, godly priests. But as I read of this kid king this morning, there’s a warning to be heeded. This is how I processed it back in 2011 . . .

The warning lights went off as soon as I read it this morning. While the phrase was familiar . . . it had a twist to it that was a bit foreboding. Although things were going well, you just knew that a train wreck was coming. Note to self . . . lesson to be learned . . . it matters who you dance with.

Joash was the “boy king” . . . just seven years old when they put the crown on his head (2Chronicles 24:1). He had been hidden for 6 years in the temple . . . protected from Athaliah, the crazy old mama of the previous king . . . that would make her Joash’s grandma. After her son died, Athaliah assassinated everyone else in line for the throne (2Chron. 22:10) . . . everyone except the baby Joash who was stolen away and hidden by his aunt who was also the wife of the high priest, Jehoiada (22:11-12). And so, as a kid, Joash was brought up, literally, in the house of God . . . and in the ways of God . . . by faithful servants of God.

So it’s not surprising, perhaps, to read that, when Joash was put on the throne, that he ruled in a manner that pleased God. But, you read the whole verse, and the warning lights go off. Check it out . . .

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.    (2Chronicles 24:2 ESV)

Catch that qualifier? He did what was right . . . he lived in a manner worthy . . . he pleased God . . . but it was only for “the days of Jehoiada the priest.” Uh, oh! You sense this is going to be another example of starting strong and finishing poorly. And it all came down to who Joash decided to dance with.

While Jehoiada, . . . aged, faithful, servant-of-God, Jehoiada . . . while Jehoiada lived, he had the king’s ear. During that time Joash restored the house of the Lord which had been trashed by Athaliah’s kids (24:4,7). Under Jehoiada’s counsel, Joash faithfully pursued restoring the worship of God as a focal point for life in Judah. As long as Joash partnered with Jehoiada, he seemed to pursue the things of God. But then Jehoiada dies . . . and is buried . . . and there enters into Joash’s life a new set of voices . . .

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols.    (2Chronicles 24:17-18a ESV)

How sad. These princes of Judah whispered flattering words in the king’s ear . . . they fawned before him . . . they seduced him . . . you can almost hear the hiss of the serpent as they called into question this “exclusive worship” initiative he had been fixating on. “Come on!” they may have said, “There’s room for other gods . . . there’s a place for tolerance . . . you were sheltered by that old priest, try some of the ‘new gods’ . . . you’ll like it.” Whatever they said, he listened to them . . . and,he forsook the house of God . . . and, ended up forsaking the God of the house. Heavy sigh!

And the apostle Paul’s words ring in my ears . . . Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’   (1Corinthians 15:33 ESV)

It matters who I “dance” with. My life will be impacted by those I hang with. It makes a difference who has my ear . . . who I go to for counsel and advice. I’m not saying we retreat from all the “bad voices” . . . we’ve been sent with good news to the “bad voices.” But I do need to be careful about who my closest associates are . . . I need to recognize that my best buds will have an influence on my actions . . . that those I look to for input and feedback will impact how I think and, eventually, how I live.

Oh, thank God for the Jehoiada’s in my life . . . for the fellowship of believers who spur me on to walk in the ways of the Lord.

I want to “dance” well . . . that I might finish well . . . by His grace . . . for His glory.

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Unholy Alliances

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Pete

Wrapping up Jehoshaphat’s story in 2Chronicles this morning. Interesting guy, this king of Judah. You know this guy loved the LORD . . . the chronicler says of him that he “sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments” . . . that “his heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD” (2Chron. 17:4, 6). His pursuit of the things of God overflowed into his rule and Judah, as a nation, was better for it. He was a man of faith . . . a man of prayer . . . a man who seemed to never lose perspective on the fact that the battle was the LORD’s. But there’s something that’s also a bit troubling about Jehoshaphat . . . he seemed to be man who was undiscerning of unholy alliances.

Back in chapter 18, we read that Jehoshaphat “made a marriage alliance with Ahab” (18:). Now Ahab, king of Israel, was just a really, really bad dude. Influenced heavily by his wife, Jezebel, he promoted rampant idolatry and paganism within the northern kingdom of God’s people. And Jehoshaphat orchestrates a marriage between one of his sons and one of Ahab’s daughters as a way of ensuring peace between the two kingdoms. But the immediate consequences are almost disastrous. Ahab uses this alliance to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against the enemies of Israel. Even though Jehoshaphat demands that they inquire of the LORD . . . and even though the prophetic forecast for the battle is not good . . . and even though Ahab sets up Jehoshaphat as a decoy (as in, you dress like a king and I’ll disguise myself (18:29-30)) . . . Jehoshaphat, for the sake of the alliance, enters the battle. Only by the protective grace of God does he escape . . . Ahab, on the other hand, does not.

You think that might be the warning enough to Jehoshaphat . . . but, as I read this morning, he enters into another unholy alliance with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah who assumed his father’s throne. The son’s no better than the dad. But Jehoshaphat joins in a commercial venture which shipwrecks . . . literally (20:35-37). Don’t get how a man so tuned to seeking the LORD makes such bad decisions on what he’s willing to align himself to . . . or maybe I do get it, and that’s what so unsettling.

But what really disturbed me this morning was the impact of Jehoshaphat’s lack of discernment on his son. Jehoshaphat’s oldest son, Jehoram, takes the throne after his dad dies. And after two generations of kings who, for the most part, sought the Lord . . . after almost 65 years of rule where the LORD was honored in Judah . . . Jehoram “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (21:6b). He began his reign by killing all six of his brothers (21:4) . . . “moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray” (21:11). Bad king . . . bad rule. So how come? Why didn’t Jehoram follow in the footsteps of his father?

Remember that “marriage alliance” of chapter 18 . . .

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.   (2Chronicles 21:5-6a ESV)

Not placing the blame on Jehoram’s wife . . . not saying, “The woman made him do it” . . . but the Spirit inspires the chronicler to make the connection. The unholy alliance, entered into by his father, bears some really bad fruit. While Jehoshaphat may have modeled a lot of right stuff before his son, he kind of also set him up for failure . . . putting into play other influences which would drag his son down . . . putting upon him an unequal yoke which he was unable to compensate for. Again, not taking away any accountability at all for the freewill decisions made by Jehoram . . . just saying because of some poor discernment on Jehoshaphat’s part . . . because of his proneness to unholy alliances . . . his son ended up with a father-in-law who did a better job of dragging his son-in-law down than Jehoshaphat did in lifting his son up.

A warning to me about the potential long term implications of playing loose with the things of devotion to God . . . with compromising the pursuit of holiness . . .

Oh, to beware of unholy alliances . . .

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A Funny Thing

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Pete

Pride is a funny thing . . . funny weird . . . not funny ha-ha. And, if there was ever a people who should have the pride thing in hand, it’s us believers. We who have already acknowledged our bankruptcy . . . who have recognized that in us, and of ourselves, no good thing exists . . . who have seen that our best is as filthy rags before a holy God. But there are enough warnings in Scripture that indicate the reality that those who once humbled themselves in the sight of the LORD can somehow rationalize lifting themselves back up again. Point in case this morning? . . . King Asa of Judah (2Chronicles 14-16).

Here’s the essence of King Asa’s story . . .

Asa is identified as one of the kings who “did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” (14:2) He encouraged Judah (the southern kingdom of the divided Israel) to seek the LORD . . . and, he put his money where his mouth was by tearing down the high places of idol worship. For a decade, there was peace and prosperity in Judah during which time he also built up an army of 580,000 fighting men (14:8). Then, 10 years into his reign, Zerah the Ethiopian comes out against Judah with a military force of one million men (sub-lesson 1 . . . there’s always someone bigger and better than you). Out numbered almost two-to-one, Asa cries out to the LORD, believing that God is bigger yet than the Ethiopian army (note sub-lesson 1 again), “O LORD, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you . . . ” (14:11) And the LORD strikes the Ethiopians . . . Judah is victorious. King Asa then, was a man who pursued God, a man who trusted in God, and a man who knew practically the reality of the power and faithfulness of God.

And it gets better (before it gets worse). The Spirit of God comes upon a guy named Azariah who prophesies to Asa and his people, “The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (15:2). And it sparks national revival in Judah. The people enter “into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul” (15:12) and “all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around” (15:15). So King Asa was a godly man who led others in a passionate pursuit of devotion to the LORD.

So far . . . so good. Even though King Asa was a powerful man . . . he had been a humbled man . . . and, as such, cast himself upon His God. And in that state, though he was “top of the food chain” in Judah, he acknowledged Him who is above the kings of all the earth and sought Him with all his being.

But fast forward 25 years and, like I said, pride is a funny thing. King Asa is again attacked by a powerful army, the army of Israel. But this time he relies on his own wisdom and devices . . . he looks to his own means . . . and he purchases military power from Syria. What he doesn’t do is seek the LORD . . . and God calls him on it through a prophet (16:7-8). And, rather than humble himself at the rebuke of God, Asa throws the prophet into prison. Weird. And this hard-hearted self-sufficiency continues even when Asa, three years later, becomes severely sick . . . “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (16:12). Weird, again.

I wonder if, during those years of peace and rest, Asa, in his own mind, doesn’t rewrite history a bit. I wonder if he starts remembering how he defeated the Ethiopians . . . and if he gets into the habit of patting himself on the back on how well he has brought peace and prosperity to the land. It seems that over the years the seeking after God has waned . . . that self-sufficiency has increased . . . and that pride, . . . that funny weird, not funny ha-ha thing . . . has turned His heart away from God.

It’s another one of those warnings to those of us who have been running the race for a few years now, not to presume that we’ll finish well . . . not to coast on what we think are our accomplishments. It’s a flashing yellow light cautioning me to not think more highly of myself than I ought . . . but to continue to acknowledge God’s grace and God’s power in all the victories I’ve known . . . a reminder that pride will cloud the thinking and create a sense of self-sufficiency that will turn my heart away from the God I so desire to give my heart to.

Father, by Your grace, and for Your glory, keep me from funny weird . .

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Children of the Day

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Pete

The specific subject is the second coming of Christ . . . a day that “will come like a thief in the night.” Paul says that it will come when most people are least expecting it . . . they’ll be saying, “There is peace and security” and then sudden destruction will come upon them. Jesus said that it will be like the days of Noah, when people were just doing life up until the flood hit (Matt. 24:38-39) . . . He said it would be just as it was in the days of Lot, when people went about “eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building” until the day that “fire and sulfur rained down” (Luke 17:28-30). But, says Paul, though the day will come as a thief in the night it should not surprise the believer like a thief . . . it shouldn’t overtake us . . . it shouldn’t catch us off guard. How come? Because, the apostle reminds us, we are children of the day.

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.  
.                                                                 (1Thessalonians 5:1-5 ESV)

And I’m thinking of the implications of belonging to the day (5:8) . . . of having been brought out of darkness into marvelous light (1Peter 2:9) . . . of having once been blind but now I see . . . of being a child of the day.

By God’s grace and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to see things they could never have otherwise seen . . . to know deep things that can never be known by natural man . . . to have a perspective on life which is simply hidden to those who are dead in trespasses and sin. At that moment, when, by faith, I acknowledged the need for a Savior . . . when, through no merit of my own, my sins were forgiven . . . when, due to no effort I could put forth, I was redeemed by the precious blood of Christ . . . at that moment, I was forgiven . . . I was cleansed . . . I was sealed . . . I was adopted . . . and, praise God, I was made a child of the day.

And, says Paul, it should make a difference.

So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. . . . since we belong to the day, let us be sober . . .    (1Thessalonians 5:6-8 ESV)

Keep awake and sober . . . be alert and self-controlled (NIV) . . . stay alert and clear-headed (NLT) . . . no snoozin’ at the wheel (PJC).

What a waste to be children of the day and walk around like people of darkness . . . how short we come of our potential in Christ when we take our cues from the world . . . how under utilized is the mind of Christ we possess, the ability through the Spirit to know the deep things of God (1Cor. 2:14-16), when we, instead, live after the wisdom of men.

O’ to live as children of the day. Awake to the realities of the kingdom of heaven about us . . . doing life with an engaged radar discerning the “truths” fed us by a world cloaked in darkness . . . pursuing that which is of God, letting pass that which is not.

Can’t do it on my own . . . but children of the day don’t have to. The God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone His light in our hearts, “giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ . . . but we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2Cor. 4:6-7). His light . . . his power . . . my holy determination to be awake and clear-headed.

O’ that, as His people, we would continue to seek to live as children of the day in a world which is shrouded in the darkness of night. To do so by His all sufficient and enabling grace . . . to do so for His eternal and praiseworthy glory.

Amen?

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One Thing Necessary

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Pete

I get that she was a bit choked at her sister. Though He was somewhat controversial, He was also somewhat of a celebrity . . . kind of a big deal . . . and He had chosen her offer of hospitality . . . He had come into her house . . . propriety demanded a certain response . . . the Guest commanded a certain level of attention . . . supper wasn’t going to cook itself for Him and those who had come in with Him. And there was her sister . . . on her rear . . . just sitting there at His feet. I’d get choked too. But then again, I would have also missed out on the one thing necessary.

But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”    (Luke 10:40-42 ESV)

“Run, saint, run!” . . . it’s a phrase I came across years ago . . . I think it was a Chuck Swindoll piece I read . . . but it captures how I imagine Martha flitting about that day. So much to do . . . so many to do it for . . . so little time to do it in . . . and so no help from her sister. And it was good stuff that Martha was doing. We need more hospitality . . . commendable that she would “entertain strangers” . . . no doubt appreciated by the LORD and those who accompanied Him. And I don’t think she begrudgingly opened her home. No, it was a privilege to host Jesus . . . it was an honor that He would knock at her door and desire to sup at her place. But come on, sis! Help me out a bit here! Come on, Lord . . . tell her to get with it!

But Mary, at that moment, opted out of what was good . . . that is, serving before the LORD, . . . and, instead, chose what was best . . . that is, sitting before the LORD . . . at His feet . . . taking in His words. And Jesus said that she had chosen “the good portion.” Sure, there was food to be put on the table, but Jesus was breaking the bread of life . . . the food could wait. Sure, there was a table to set . . . but Martha had failed to notice that the Son of Man had also put out some placesettings at His feet . . . and had invited those with ears to hear to feed deeply. Sure, supper should be ready at 6:00 p.m. and people were probably getting hungry . . . but one thing was necessary . . . and that thing was to sit before the Master and consume His teaching.

Oh, I can be such a Martha. But how I need to be more of a Mary . . . and remember the one thing necessary.

Sitting at His feet . . . taking in His word . . . isn’t an option, it is the one thing necessary. When listing the necessities of life, drawing near to Him with a heart that says, “Speak Lord, for Your servant listens” is the number one necessity. When putting together my hierarchy of needs . . . my greatest need is to ensure I take time to abide with Him . . . to respond to the knock at the door of my heart . . . to welcome Him in . . . to dine with Him and He with me . . . letting Him set the table and dish out the food. When determining that which is my greatest duty . . . that which is my most important business . . . Jesus feet time has to be at the top of the list.

Lots to do . . . lots of good stuff and necessary stuff to do. But I need to remember the one thing necessary . . . the only thing essential (MSG).

Dinner can wait . . . the responsibilities can wait . . . the ministry can wait . . . there’ll be lots of time to “run, saint, run!” But I need to set aside time to invite Him in . . . and then chill as He invites me to sit at His feet and listen . . . to be at His footstool and be fed . . . to feast on His word and then worship.

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

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The Glory Came Down

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Pete

It’s epic. After years of planning, preparing and building, Solomon’s temple is complete. Over 150,000 workers have labored to take the almost immeasurable quantities of stock-piled gold, silver, bronze, and wood to build for the LORD a place for His presence to dwell. The magnificent structure built to hold the ark of the covenant is complete . . . the ark has been moved in . . . the temple furniture in place . . . the altar of sacrifice is ready to go. The people gather . . . the Levitical musicians play . . . the priestly singers sing . . . Solomon gets on his knees, lifts his hands toward heaven, and cries out to God asking that when His people pray to this place, He would hear from heaven. And then . . . then, the glory came down . . .

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
.                                                                     (2Chronicles 7:1-3 ESV)

O’ to have beheld the glory of God visibly descend upon the place. The fire from heaven consuming the offerings . . . the cloud from heaven, a visible manifestation of the presence of God, descending upon the house of the LORD . . . filling the temple . . . such that all who were there knew He was in their midst. The glory in their midst . . . but a glory that stood apart . . . for even the priests could not enter the house of the LORD for the glory that filled it.

Though they could not approach the glory . . . the could respond to the glory. Bowing their faces to the ground . . . lifting their voices to the skies . . . the people worshiped . . . God’s chosen gave thanks . . . and they declared the goodness of His being . . . and the faithfulness of His steadfast love.

O’ to have been there.

But in a sense I have been . . . in a sense I continue to be.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.    (John 1:14 ESV)

I have beheld His glory through the eyes of faith. That glory manifest in the eternal Word . . . the second person of the Triune God . . . the Son of God . . . and from His fullness . . . the fullness of grace and truth . . . the fullness of deity itself (Col. 2:9) . . . I have experienced the glory come down.

The temple of Solomon replaced with temples of flesh (2Cor. 6:16) . . . the cloud having given way to the Spirit which takes up residence in the body of the believer . . . filling us with His glory. What’s more, far from the glory being unapproachable, He now desires to sup with us . . . to share in intimate communion . . . to know . . . and to be known.

But the response of those who have known the glory come down is the same . . . face to the ground . . . hearts lifted toward heaven . . . voices raised in worshipful adoration, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!”

Praise God . . . for the glory came down!

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Hemmed In

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Pete

Feeling a bit claustrophobic this morning . . . but in a good way. Chewing on Psalm 139. Considering the reality that I am hemmed in.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:1-6 ESV)

There it is . . . in verse five . . . “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me” . . . blessed claustrophobia!

The word translated “hem in” is the word “to besiege” or “to lay siege”. The picture is that of an army that surrounds the city of its enemy on all sides . . . making no way of escape . . . pressing in . . . that eventually there would be surrender . . . if not surrender, pressing in that the walls might eventually be breached and the enemies taken captive. Not exactly the position you want to be found in when it’s your enemies who have you surrounded . . . but what if it’s your God?

David, in this song, is led by the Spirit to consider the omniscience and the omnipresence of his God . . . to meditate on the implications of his Sovereign who is all-knowing and all-present . . . to noodle on the implications of his LORD who discerns every thought, is acquainted with every way, and knows every word before it is spoken . . . and who is present when every step is taken. Bottom line . . . hemmed in.

And while, in general, there is something uncomfortable about being besieged–something that can make it hard to breathe as you consider that you are pressed in on every side– . . . when the One doing the besieging . . . the One doing the pressing . . . the One doing the hemming in . . . when that One is the God who formed you (vv. 13-15) . . . when that One is He who has ordained every one of your days and designed them for His glory (v. 16) . . . when that One is the heavenly Father who gave of His only Son to redeem you (Gal. 4:4-6) . . . and when that One is He who knows “the plans I have for you . . . plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11) . . . then the siege is welcome . . . the response is “bring it on!”

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
.                                                                         (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)

David knew he was hemmed in . . . that God’s hand had been laid upon him . . . the hand that would lead him, that hand that would hold him (v. 10) . . . and so David welcomed the closed in quarters . . . confident to invite God to know his heart . . . to search his motives . . . to try his thoughts . . . and to expose any ways that would grieve a holy God . . . so that he might walk in the way everlasting.

Hemmed in . . . captive . . . no where to go . . . no place I’d rather be.

Amen?

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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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