I Can’t Even Walk . . .

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Pete

Coming to the end of Deuteronomy. Moses lays out the way of blessing and the warning of curses for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Blessings follow obedience . . . but if their hearts turn away and are drawn to worship and serve other gods, then they would perish in the land God is giving them. Moses sets before them life and death, blessing and curse . . . “Therefore,” Moses says, “choose life” (Deut. 30:15-20). But there’s a verse in chapter 29 that has kind of captured me this morning . . . . insight as to the nature of the heart of man and the need for a sovereign work of grace by God . . . or, as a songwriter once said, “I can’t even walk, without You holding my hand.”

And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.   (Deuteronomy 29:2-4 ESV)

They had all the facts and data . . . the “delivered-from-Egypt” experience was their experience . . . been there, done that . . . yet, apart from God giving them a heart to understand, they would remain in bondage. Though GREAT GOD + GREAT DELIVERANCE + GREAT PROMISES should have resulted in GREAT DESIRE TO FOLLOW GOD, somehow their hearts were still prone to wander. Somehow they grew to believe they deserved deliverance . . . over time the promises of a future were drowned out by the pleasures and pressures of the day . . . and God became one of many gods — others, for whatever reason, being deemed more worthy of their worship. Though they had experienced the power of God, their eyes failed to see it . . . their ears were stopped from hearing it . . . their hearts failed to process it . . .

Apart from God giving us ears to hear, we miss the obvious. Apart from God opening up our eyes, we fail to see the glorious. Apart from replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and then implanting His word within it, we come up short of desiring Him who first desired us.

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us . . .    (Deuteronomy 29:29a ESV)

It’s the things that are revealed that make the difference. Less about high halls of learning than it is about Spirit enabled illumination. Not so much what you know but HOW you know it. And for that, the child of God can take no credit.

No boasting on our part . . . nothing to claim. But our boasting is in the God who gives sight to the spiritually blind . . . who speaks words to the spiritually deaf . . . who gives new hearts to the spiritually dull.

I can’t see apart from Him providing the light . . . I can’t hear without Him unstopping my ears . . . I can’t understand unless He tunes my heart to to heaven’s frequency . . . I can’t even walk, without You holding my hand.

All by His grace alone . . . and for His glory alone . . .

Amen?

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Navigating the Grey Space

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Pete

There is a fascinating partnership between God and those in the church when it comes to the work of sanctification in a believer. Romans 14 gives us great insight to this dynamic. On the one hand, we are told to stop judging each other on “the minors” because sanctification is God’s work and He is able to finish that which He has started in our lives (14:3-4). My brothers and sisters in Christ are just that . . . in Christ . . . they are God’s servants . . . God has saved them by grace just as He has me . . . and God has started His work in their lives . . . and God will finish the work . . . He is able to make them stand . . . He doesn’t need my critique . . . I need to let God work in the lives of those around me.

But on the other hand, I do have a role . . . I’m to pursue that which builds up my brothers and sisters in Christ . . . careful not to “destroy the work of God” begun in their lives (14:19-20a). I’m to live for others . . . consider my actions in terms of whether they will help other believers or trip up other believers. You can’t get around it . . . we are not our own . . . we are not free to choose to do what we want without considering the impact to others . . .

It’s about how to walk in this community we call “the fellowship of Christians” . . . and it’s about how we think as we navigate the grey space.

At the center of it is this declaration by Paul, “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God . . . each of us will give account of himself to God.” (14: 10b, 12). Paul’s talking about “us” . . . believers . . . each of us giving account of himself or herself to God at His seat of judgment. This is not the judgment place we read of in Revelation . . . this is not about heaven or hell . . . this is about “how did we live here on earth as members of God’s kingdom?” We will certainly give account for disobedience and engaging in what God’s word declares to be sin . . . but, we will also give account for how we lived in the “grey areas of life” . . . the grey space . . . that area where Christians dispute over whether something is right or wrong for a Christian to be engaged in.

And I don’t think the question will be so much on “What did you do?” or “What didn’t you do?” because Paul says that, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing unclean in itself” (14:14). Instead, if I’m getting Romans 14, the questions will be, “Why did you do that? What were you thinking?” . . . “Who else did it impact?” . . . “What was the impact to My kingdom on earth?” (14:17) . . . “Did it make for peace and build up others or did it tear down?” (14:19) . . . “Did it strengthen your brother or sister in Christ, or did it trip them up and weaken them?” (14:21) . . . . “Did you really think it through and seek the Spirit’s mind — were you fully convinced in your own mind about this action?” (14:5) . . . “Were you just thinking about yourself or were you living for the Lord?” (14:8) . . . “Did you allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil?” (14:16).

Oh, how I need to be thoughtful about what I choose to engage in and the implications for others. It’s not about something being right or wrong . . . it’s about recognizing that I am not to live for myself . . . but for the Lord . . . and for others. God first, others second, me a distant third. That’s what I think the judgment seat of Christ is going to be probing . . . selfishness will be exposed. How thoughtful I was . . . or wasn’t . . . in pursuing a course of action will be brought to light. The degree to which I acted “by faith” in going into “disputable territory” will be revealed and “whatever is not from faith” will be declared sin. (14:23).

In this grey space some will do and some won’t . . . some will eat and drink and some won’t . . . but the acid test before the judgment seat of Christ will be whether or not we prayerfully considered the grey space before Christ and were fully convinced in our minds about our action. Did we consider its impact on brothers and sisters who we thought might would struggle in this grey space . . . did we place priority on things which made for peace and edified other believers or did we knowingly risk stumbling a fellow Christian.

Navigating the grey space . . . tough stuff . . . no easy answers . . . but, some pretty sound principles . . . because I hang in community with some pretty amazing people . . . those redeemed by some pretty amazing grace . . . all for the glory of a pretty amazing God.

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To Him Who Rides

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Pete

That God has always had His enemies is clear from the beginning. That those who oppose Him should oppose His people is attested to throughout history. But that God is also a warrior is just as clear. Though He is gracious and longsuffering toward men, when it is time to do battle He will enter the fray . . . and He will always emerge victorious. And, as the people who rest under His banner, we are to arise and exult Him who does battle on our behalf . . . we are to lift our voices to Him who leads His people in triumphant procession . . . we are to ascribe power and majesty to Him who is the victor . . . we are to sing praises to Him who rides.

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
     lift up a song to Him who rides through the deserts;
His name is the LORD;
     exult before Him!
O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
     sing praises to the Lord, Selah
   to Him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
     behold, He sends out His voice, His mighty voice.     (Psalm 68:4, 32-33 ESV)

As I read this psalm this morning what catches my attention is that my God rides. He rides through the deserts . . . He rides in the heavens. And what am I do with a God who rides? Sing to God . . . sing praises to Him . . . exult His name . . . and listen for His mighty voice.

It is the image of a victor. A conquering warrior mounted upon a mighty steed. He is the one in the front of the parade. Behind Him are those He has led into battle . . . enjoying the spoils of victory. Behind Him are a host of captives following in His train . . . those who have bowed to His might . . . those who attest to His glory. And the Victor, surrounded by a throng of His people, is to be praised.

And it’s the contrast that grabs me. He rides through the deserts . . . He rides in the heavens. That He rides in the heavens is no surprise . . . He is the King of Heaven . . . He is the One seated upon the throne . . . there, the glory is visible . . . the victory is tangible . . . the majesty is unavoidable. That He rides in the desert, though perhaps not a surprise, is certainly a reason to pause in wonder and worship.

That He who inhabits the heavens would choose to descend in order to ride through the wilderness is awe-invoking. That He, whose domain is that of the worlds from which the universe was created, would touch down on this earth is amazing . . . that He would do so in order to redeem and lead out a people for Himself is beyond amazing. My God rides through the deserts . . . drawing to Himself those who are thirsty and beat up by the elements . . . leading those who, by faith, have entrusted themselves to following the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night . . . saving those who have bowed to Him from the harsh wilderness realities . . . blessing those who, by His grace, seek to follow Him with living water . . . able to satisfy all their needs.

Blessed be the Lord,
     who daily bears us up;
     God is our salvation. Selah
Our God is a God of salvation,
     and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
                                                                          (Psalm 68:19-20 ESV)

My God rides . . . as Deliverer from the desert . . . as Victor in the heavens. And mine is to pause long enough to consider such things . . . to meditate enough so that such things might seize my heart afresh . . . and to respond to such things with songs of praise.

To Him who rides be all glory! Amen?

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The Place

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Pete

It’s the repetition that grabs my attention. As I’m working my way through Deuteronomy, a phrase I started to encounter yesterday morning continues to show up repeatedly in today’s reading. As I do some computer concordance work, turns out it’s a phrase unique to Deuteronomy. As Moses gives his final “pep talk” before the Israelites take possession of the land, he gives a summary of the instructions that he had received at Sinai . . . it’s a “law refresher course” . . . and part of it deals with worship and sacrifice . . . and what’s seems to be emphasized is the importance of “the place.”

You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name and make His habitation there. (Deuteronomy 12:4-5 ESV)

Repeatedly in chapter twelve, and then again in chapter sixteen, Moses stresses the importance of the place . . . the place that the LORD your God will choose . . . the place where He chooses to put His name . . . the place where He decides to make His habitation.

Don’t worship like the nations you are about to dispossess, says Moses . . . they worship whatever . . . however . . . wherever. Not so for the people of God . . . for them it is to be about the place.

The place is less about geographical location than it is about holy habitation. Moses doesn’t name the place . . . though, for a time, it would be Shiloh . . . and eventually Jerusalem . . . but here, the place isn’t named because the determined place is about divine presence. It’s where God’s name, His glory, resides . . . the place where He determines to dwell. And there, they are to honor God with their sacrifices . . . there, they are to offer the first fruits . . . there, the people are to worship.

For the children of Israel in the time of Moses the place was wherever the ark resided. While in the desert they would set up the tent of meeting, the ark hidden behind the curtain in the most holy of holy places, and there the cloud would descend . . . and indicator of His presence in their midst. That was the place of worship. Today, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the curtain has been torn in two, from top to bottom, opening access to the most holy place through the once for all sacrifice of Christ. And in that access, God has set up a new place where His glory might dwell . . . a new place where His habitation might lie . . . a place made out of people.

In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22 ESV)

The importance of ” knowing the place” in the Old Testament foreshadows the privilege of “being the place” in the New Testament. In commissioning his magnificent temple, Solomon asks the question, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1Kings 8:27). The answer is YES! God will indeed dwell on the earth . . . but not in a structure made of hands . . . instead in one formed out of living stones . . . built together to be a dwelling place for the living God . . . by the active agency of the living Spirit of God.

And there, my friends, is a place to worship!

That we might not lose sight of the magnificent nature of the church of God . . . not the building . . . not the address . . . but the people. A people chosen out of all tribes upon whom He determines to put His name, upon whom He delights to place His glory. A people, saved through faith alone by grace alone, where God alone has determined to make His holy habitation.

Praise God that we are, by His grace . . . and for His glory . . . , the place! Amen?

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Pay Up!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Pete

For us, it was pretty important that our kids learned good manners at an early age. Teaching our toddlers to say “Please” and “Thank you” was one of our priorities. There were just some things that were the right things to do. To not say “Please” was to presume or demand . . . to not say “Thank You” was to be ungrateful and carry a spirit of entitlement. How easy is it for those who have required good manners from others to slip into bad habits themselves . . . especially when it comes to the divine.

Praise is due to You, O God, in Zion, and to You shall vows be performed. O You who hears prayer, to You shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, You atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple!      (Psalm 65:1-4 ESV)

Praise is due . . . pay up!

The notes in my Bible say that the occasion for writing this song was a fruitful harvest as indicated by the latter part of the psalm. The fruit of the field cried out for a response. Though they had planted . . . it was Another who had watered the earth and enabled the bounty. Praise was due . . .

And I can’t help but think how easy it is for the child of God to presume on the blessings of God . . . how prone we are to expect the favor of God as if we were owed it by God . . . how callous we can become to the riches of God thinking that somehow we’ve earned them. Time for manners 101, saint . . . say “Thank You” . . . praise is due.

Consider just some of the “fruit” of our salvation. God inclines His ear to our cries . . . what’s more He invites us into the Holy of Holies, to approach His throne and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16) . . . the way having been opened up by the blood of Jesus. Oh yeah . . . the blood . . . the means by which my iniquities are atoned for . . . my trespasses — past, present, future . . . paid for through the once for all sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. And what’s more, such blessings are determined not because of who we are or what we’ve done . . . but in spite of it. Rather, He has determined to set His affection on us and draw us near to Himself that we might “settle down” in the place of His presence . . . a place where we can be filled to the full with the goodness of God . . . that we might abide in the beauty of His holiness.

Talk about a bountiful harvest of spiritual blessings . . . and this above His faithfulness in meeting our physical needs for the day. I’m thinking a simple “Thank You” is in order.

I know not everyone is wired the same way . . . I know that there are those who are less emotionally demonstrative . . . but come on . . . how does someone whose sins have been atoned for . . . who has been invited into the very Presence of God, Almighty God . . . who has known what it is to dwell in the midst of His Holiness . . . how does that person not delight in such favor and blessing . . . how does a ripple of unworthiness, followed by a wave of gratefulness, not flood their soul . . . how does a smile not come across their face . . . how can they not, at some point, burst forth in praise . . . and pay up?

Praise is due to You, O God!

O’ that praise might never be far from my tongue . . . that I might be quick to pay up! Because of His grace . . . and for His glory . . .

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You, You, You!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Pete

A ton of stuff to take in this morning. Moses presses hard on the children of Israel as they prepare to take the land which God has promised them . . . “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth'” (Deut. 8:17). Moses earnestly encourages them towards pursuing the God of the commandments and the commandments of God and to “take care lest you forget the LORD your God” (Deut. 6:12, 8:11).

And then in Romans 10 and 11, Paul talks of a people who had forgotten their God . . . who had boasted in their power and might . . . who had rested in their own righteousness such that there hearts were hardened to the gospel of grace proclaimed by their Messiah . . . He who died on the cross, was buried, and on the third day rose again . . . and, as such, “they were broken off because of their unbelief” (Rom. 11:20). But “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” . . . “at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Rom 11:2, 5).

And in the middle of these two readings was Jesus betrayal in the garden . . . the beginning of His final march toward Calvary . . . the place where, as the Lamb of God, He would give His life for man’s sin . . . and become the basis upon which men and woman could attain a righteous that is by faith . . . justified by God based on the finished work of His blessed Son.

And with all this churning in my mind and heart, I finish up this morning’s reading in the Psalms and there am captured by the songwriters desire for His God . . .

O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory.   (Psalm 63:1-2 ESV)

What grabs me is the psalmist’s preoccupation with the pursuit of God as highlighted by the repetition of the word “You”. I earnestly seek You . . . my soul thirsts for You . . . my flesh faints for You . . . I have looked upon You (vv. 1-2). And it goes on . . . “I will bless You” (v.4) . . . “I remember You . . . and meditate on You” (v.6) . . . “my soul clings to You” (v.8).

You, You, You!

Is there any greater pursuit? What tops “You” on the priority list? And while I know the answer to those questions is “No” and “Nothing!” . . . I also know how easy it for things to be otherwise. How easy it is for me to get so preoccupied with self . . . to get so distracted with circumstance . . . to get so busy with commitments . . . that while it may not be necessarily all about “me, me, me”, I know that way too often it is less than a pursuit of “You, You, You.”

I know that you have to do life . . . I know that there’s a lot on the plate and only so much that I can keep in my brain . . . but how I long to know the reality of the psalmist’s holy preoccupation. To seek God . . . to thirst for Him. To be still long enough to look upon Him afresh . . . to meditate and remember . . . and then to bless Him who is worthy of all worship. To have a soul which desires to cling to Him . . . to be anchored to Him . . . to know the sure-footing of being in Him and He in me.

A ton of stuff to take in this morning, Father. You are the God who provides righteousness through Your Son . . . You are the God who preserves Your people for Your name’s sake . . . You are the God who persistently and faithfully leads Your people based on Your promise. It is about You, You, You.

May it be more so in my life . . . by Your grace . . . for Your glory.

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Silence & Out-Pouring

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Pete

I’m not sure that Psalm 62 and Matthew 26:6-13 would normally be compared and contrasted with each other . . . but they’re both part of my reading plan this morning . . . and they both deal with silence and out-pouring.

In Matthew 26 a woman comes to Jesus as He dines at the house of Simon the leper and, without saying a word, takes “an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table” (26:7). John 12 identifies the woman as Mary, the sister of Lazarus . . . the Lazarus who had been dead, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John tells us it was a pound of very expensive spikenard perfume . . . that after pouring it on His head, she also anointed His feet . . . wiping them with her hair . . . and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil (John 12:1-3). Mary is silent . . . not a word spoken . . . just the outpouring of extravagant worship . . . and Jesus is honored.

Psalm 62 is a very different situation . . . a completely unrelated context . . . but here too you find silence . . . and you find an out-pouring.

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. . . . For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.    (Psalm 62:1, 5 ESV)

As David so often experienced, the pressure is on . . . times are tough . . . the battle is going in the wrong direction . . . his enemies are many . . . his victories, at this time, are few. What to do? What’s the strategy? What’s the “plan A” . . . and if that doesn’t work, the “plan B” . . . “plan C”??? The plan? . . . wait silently for God alone . . . still all that is within me . . . focus it solely on the God who is the immovable rock . . . quietly direct my total being on the One who has promised to be my salvation. In so doing, I will not be moved.

Really? My tendency when things are going south is to do something . . . anything . . . try a little of this . . . work a little of that. Is my stability in chaotic times really found in my soul silently waiting on my God? David thought so. And in this silent determination to look to God to be God, David stood on the Rock and with confidence declared, “I shall not be moved.” Mary sensed that Jesus’ death was imminent . . . she didn’t understand how or why Messiah could die, but she believed that Jesus’ predictions of His death were soon to be fulfilled . . . her world was about to shaken . . . her hopes to be tossed upside down . . . what to do? . . . go to the Rock . . . silently, quietly . . . come to Jesus.

Mary brought some oil to pour out . . . David brought his heart.

Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah   (Psalm 62:8 ESV)

Jesus was honored through Mary’s sacrificial out-pouring of costly perfume . . . isn’t He also honored when we pour out our hearts before Him? . . . when we break open the alabaster box of our inner desires and feelings and anxieties? . . . when we trust Him with all our troubles and trials? . . . when we anoint Him with our most intimate struggles?. . . when we run to Him as the only refuge that is sure? Tender, broken hearts freely flowing . . . their target the feet of God . . . their fragrance of faith and trust filling the portals of heaven itself . . . believing His word when invites us to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16).

When I think of extravagant worship, I think of what I can say . . . what I can give . . . what I can do . . . I think of offerings of joy. But this morning, I wonder if quiet confidence in Him, trusting all the circumstances of my life, pouring out a heart filled with uncertainly and anxiety is equally an act of extravagant worship. When I turn to Him first . . . when my soul waits silently before Him because He alone is my rock . . . when my heart is poured out to Him because my hope is in Him alone . . . does it fill the room with a sweet smelling aroma? . . . are You honored my God? . . . are You exalted Lord Jesus? . . . I’m thinking so.

May I be quick to bring such offerings . . . offerings of silence and out-pouring . . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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God’s Girls

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Pete

Numbers ends with the story of five sisters . . . always grabs my attention . . . wonder why? Though the story is really not about them, but about God’s inheritance being preserved for God’s people, I do like these girls. And, as I was reflecting on it, I remembered that I’d written on their story before . . . turns out back in 2009. I reread that entry . . . and was re-encouraged by it . . . so I’m rerunning it . . .

Ok . . . so I’ll admit I have a bias . . . but it’s hard not to take notice of a guy who has five daughters . . . Moses took notice. And, as I came across the girls’ story in Numbers 27, I couldn’t help but do a bit of concordance work and do some reading ahead to see what happened to them. So, after just a few minutes of noodling on their story, here’s what impresses me . . .

The guy’s name is Zelophehad . . . Zelo to his friends. He was of the tribe of Manasseh, so his great-great-great-grandfather was Joseph. And Zelo had five daughters and no sons (sound familiar?) . . . and their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah . . . or, translated to English they were Disease, Motion, Partridge, Queen, and Favorable . . . ok, so maybe he and his wife could have found a better “Most Popular Baby Names” book . . . but those were their names . . . whatever . . .

And the reason they find a place in the book of Numbers is because the Israelites wanderings in the desert are coming to an end after 40 years and so, Moses is to take a census in preparation for dividing the promised land after they conquer it. So, they need to know how many are in each tribe so that the proper allocation of land can be made. But guess who’s getting counted . . . the sons . . . that’s kind of the way things were done. Enter the daughters of Zelo . . .

And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”   (Numbers 27:2-4 ESV)

This, to the best of my knowledge, would appear to be the first women’s “equal rights” case. So Moses takes their case before the Lord (27:5) and the Lord says to Moses, “Zelo’s girls speak what is right. You shall give them a possession of the inheritance allotted to the tribe of Manasseh. You will ensure that the inheritance of their father passes to them.” (24:8) In short, it was precedent setting . . . establishing the inheritance laws for those who had no sons (27:8-11). And, I guess, the first thing I note is that God does not have a gender bias as so many would claim. God does not show partiality (Rom. 2:11) . . . in fact, He is the liberator of all people . . . male and female.

Secondly, I say, “Good on the girls.” You don’t sense that they were arrogant or selfish or greedy . . . they wanted to protect their father’s inheritance . . . and they wanted the right thing to be done. They showed some boldness in approaching Moses . . . they pleaded their case . . . the waited on the Lord’s decision . . . Ask and you will receive . . . His will be done.

But, I then read ahead . . . and the girls are again “in the news” in a precedent setting case in Numbers 36. The issue at hand? What if Zelo’s daughters decide to marry men outside of the tribe of Manasseh . . . then their part of the tribal inheritance would go to another tribe . . . and the Manasseh would lose some of the land God had given them. And Moses again goes to the Lord . . .

And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.'”    (Numbers 36:5-7 ESV)

And I can just hear those who would protest, “That’s not fair! Those girls should be able to marry anyone they want to!” And they could marry anyone they wanted to . . . but they could not take their tribe’s inheritance with them . . . their desire could not trump God’s purposes. God had spoken, just as He did when He gave them the inheritance. Do you only accept the word of the Lord when it “goes your way” or suits your own purposes? . . . or, is the word of the Lord the word of the Lord . . . and the wisdom of God higher than the wisdom of men? Sometimes I think we can be self-serving with God’s Word . . . emphasizing those Bible verses that best suit our agenda . . . and kind of ignoring those that we might view as being constraining.

So, what I really like about Zelo’s girls is that they were God’s girls . . .

The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses, for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers. They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s clan.    (Numbers 36:10-12 ESV)

Good on you girls!

O that I might be like Zelo’s girls . . . bold to approach God’s throne of grace with my petition . . . with a soul that trusts His judgments . . . with ears to hear His command . . . and with a yielded heart to obey and do it His way . . . by His grace . . . for His glory. Amen?

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Yes!

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Pete

I imagine Paul pausing, closing his eyes, smiling, and quietly saying to himself, “Yes!” I wonder if the Holy Spirit didn’t also take a breath before continuing to breath out God’s word into Paul’s mind and exclaim to the Father and the Son, “Yes!” I guess I’m probably just projecting my reaction . . . but I gotta tell ya’ . . . I don’t know how you come to the end of Romans 8 and not just say, “Yes!”

What a glorious portion of Scripture! Beginning with no condemnation, concluding with no separation. Revealing the dynamic and wonder of the Spirit-filled life, asserting that the sufferings of life are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed. Reminding us of our adoption as sons and daughters and our standing as heirs with Christ, encouraging us as those whom God foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Encouraging us to suffer with Him that we might be glorified with Him, promising us that for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose, all things work together for good.

Sit back . . . close eyes . . . lift head . . . say, “Yes!”

And then Paul concludes this section with four questions. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” . . . “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” . . . “Who is to condemn?” . . . “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”

I’ll take “Who Questions In the Bible” for 500, Alex? . . . What is “No one!!!!” . . . . Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes!

Reading Romans 8 is like drinking out of a fire hose . . . the truths . . . the implications . . . the promises . . . the assurance. God is for us . . . Yes!

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things. . . . It is God who justifies. . . . Christ Jesus is the One who died–more than that, who was raised–who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.    (Romans 8:32-37 ESV)

It is God who declares us holy because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and because of the righteousness of Christ credited to our account. It is the Father who will graciously provide all that is needed. It is the Son, raised from the dead, even now at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us. It is the Spirit, dwelling in us and binding us inseparably to deity, who make His love known to us. And through Him . . . through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, . . . we are more than conquerors!

What do you say to that? How about, “Yes!”

What joy it must have given Paul to write it . . . what delight it must have provided the Spirit to inspire it . . . what praise is evoked this morning in this guy who reads it.

To Him be all glory . . . Yes?

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Glorious Debt!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Pete

Very, very early in our married life, Sue and I were instructed on the merits of living debt free. Just 3 or 4 months after we were married, we were at a couples retreat and heard some very practical principles on living within your means. I don’t remember much about that retreat other than, as we drove away that day, we had a conversation about adopting a budget and avoiding debt. Good counsel . . . But this morning I’m reminded of a debt I do have . . . one which I need to service . . .

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors . . .   (Romans 8:9-12 ESV)

Yesterday, I was thinking about walking in a minefield. This morning I awake to the victor’s shout that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (8:1) . . . and I’m reminded that, while I am not free yet of the old man . . . that, while I still need to navigate the minefield of the flesh . . . that, in Christ Jesus, I have been set free from needing to navigate it on my own (8:2) . . . and that I have now been equipped to walk “according to the Spirit” (8:4). I have been re-wired internally . . . . my spiritual DNA regenerated . . . and I have been equipped thoroughly with “the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead” (8:11) . . . that I am “in the Spirit” because the Spirit of God is in me (8:9).

Resurrection power has taken up residence within me. And, beyond that, He is also the Spirit of “life and peace” (8:6) . . . He is the Spirit of adoption assuring me of the reality of my “Abba! Father!” relationship with the God of Creation (8:15) . . . He is the One who helps me in my weakness and prays on my behalf when I can’t muster the words (8:26) . . . and He intercedes for me according to the will of God (8:27).

As such, says Paul, I am a debtor . . . no longer to the old man, not to the natural man, not to the man of flesh . . . but to ways of the Spirit of God within me.

I’m in debt . . . I owe . . . I have an obligation . . . to live in the freedom I have been given through the finished work of Christ which translated me from the “the law of sin and death” and into the new realm of “the law of the Spirit of life” (8:2).

And I “service” this debt, not with some minimum weekly payment, but as I desire, by His grace, to learn to walk “according to the Spirit” (8:4) and to set my mind on “the things of the Spirit” (8:5-6). And I service this debt with no hope of ever repaying it because God has so out-graced anything I might try and come up with. And I service this debt because it is the way of life and of freedom. I seek to service the debt because, in so doing, I will know the reality of rivers of living water flowing out of my very being (John 4:38-39).

O’ glorious debt that is mine. To awake every morning and enter the day with the anticipation that I can encounter the living God . . . and the risen Christ . . . because of the indwelling presence of the Spirit who delights to lead me. I owe it to Him to let Him lead. Amen?

“O to grace how great a debtor . . . Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter . . . Bind my wandering heart to Thee.”
–– Come Though Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1735-1790

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