Hope In God

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Pete

I don’t know if David had a problem with depression the way we think about it today . . . but you don’t have to read very far in the psalms before noticing that David knew what it was to battle despair. I did a “double reading” this morning . . . Psalm 42 and 43 . . . and three times in those two psalms David records this dialogue he has with himself . . .

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.
                                                                      (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 ESV)

A cast down soul . . . even if you can’t quite describe it, who can’t identify with it? The inner man is bowed down . . . not in reverence of worship but in submission to worry. There is a weight on the chest . . . a weight pressing on the outside but which is sourced in the depths of the inside. The oppressiveness of being cast down permeates all aspects of the being . . . thinking is clouded . . . breathing labored . . . sighing accelerated . . . eyes dimmed. And, most often there a longing . . . a longing for a better time . . . a longing for a different situation. The disquieted soul is bombarded with “if only’s” . . . the troubled heart with “why me’s.” And the “why’s” of a cast down soul can sometimes be so illusive . . . don’t know how come . . . just know it is.

I’m not really a “Bible formula” guy . . . but in this thrice repeated, Holy Spirit inspired, conversation between David and his soul there is, at the very least, a principle worth noting for those times when we find ourselves in the mire of despondency and despair. Simple to say . . . certainly harder to do . . . but, no doubt, effective for those who, by God’s grace and power, try. Hope in God.

Hope in God . . . believe that joy will come again and the song of praise will be restored to the lips . . . look to Him, and Him alone, as the Source of salvation . . . of MY salvation . . . know that He is MY God.

What is hope but waiting with assurance? As such, David’s soul would pant for God as a deer pants for flowing streams . . . his soul would thirst for the living God . . . his anticipation was that of being in the very presence of God (Ps. 42:1). Not so much about, “What do I do?” as about, “Where shall I go? . . . To Whom shall I turn?” Hope in God.

And faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). David believed the promises of God . . . as such, he would seek to take refuge in the God of the promise. At the end of the day (and the beginning . . . and in the middle), God was his salvation . . . the Father of Lights was his strength . . . the Creator of all things was the rock of sustaining grace. David’s part was to continue to trust . . . to determine to rest in the assurance of hope . . . and to relentlessly pursue Him who has declared to never leave, nor forsake, His own.

Send out Your light and Your truth;
      let them lead me;
  let them bring me to Your holy hill
      and to Your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
      to God my exceeding joy,
  and I will praise You with the lyre,
      O God, my God.    (Psalm 43:3-4 ESV)

The disquieted soul is served poorly by my efforts to climb out of the pit. But to take firm hold of the lifeline of light and truth . . . to look to the Scriputres as my guide . . . to hear His voice through his God-breathed Word by the intercessory work of the Spirit . . . that’s what will lead me to His holy hill . . . that’s what will usher me into His abiding presence . . . that’s what will again prime the pump of praise and worship.

Be still my soul . . . the Lord is on thy side . . .

Hope in God. Amen?

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An Open Ear

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Pete

Most often, when I think about the “surgery” God has done through the dynamics of salvation, I think about what God’s done to the heart. Through Ezekiel, we’re told that, through the regenerating work of salvation, God performs a heart transplant . . . that He replaces the old heart with a new heart . . . that He removes the heart of stone and upgrades it with a heart of flesh. The new heart is a heart that can respond to the things of God . . . a heart attuned to the sound of His voice. But reading in Psalm 40, I discover that in order for the heart to respond . . . in order for it to pick up on the Spirit’s voice . . . that there’s another “procedure” required . . .

Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but You have given me an open ear.   (Psalm 40:6 ESV)

When Jesus was preaching and teaching, often He would conclude with “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.” In Revelation 2 and 3, when the Lord of the Church, through John, writes His letters to His people, He concludes each of them with, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” So where did the ear to hear come from?

But You have given me an open ear.

Apparently, the word for “open” literally means to dig, or to bore, or to excavate. It has the idea of digging out a well. So just as we might say, “God has given me a new heart” . . . we could also say that He has dug out my ears. A divine q-tip, or maybe in my case a holy auger, as it were, has been applied to remove that which would hinder hearing His voice. Through His Spirit He has tuned us into His frequency, that we might receive His Word and that, receiving it, it might find its way to new hearts ready to respond to that Word.

What a mistake it would be for me to take any credit for hearing or listening to God. What folly to think that somehow because I was spiritually attuned that I thus became a candidate for His grace and mercy. No, He dug out my ears. He bore through my spiritual deafness. He has given me an open ear.

I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.   (Psalm 40:8 ESV)

The people of God desire to the will of God because He has placed the law of God within new hearts. And the law of God makes it’s way to the heart for God through ears opened by the grace of God.

O’, to praise God for ears to hear. Nothing of my doing . . . but You have given me an open ear.

Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.   (1Samuel 3:9 ESV)

By Your grace . . . for Your glory . . .

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The Priest

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Pete

No doubt there is a lot of detail to try and take in and work through when it comes to reading Leviticus. But in these opening chapters the “big picture ideas” are evident simply because of repetition. Yesterday, I noticed that the sacrifices, and what they foreshadowed, were “a pleasing aroma” to the Lord. In today’s reading what rises to the surface amidst all the details is the priest.

And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.   (Leviticus 6:7 ESV)

Five times in Leviticus 5 and then here, in chapter 6, the phrase is repeated, “the priest shall make atonement.” Kind of hard not to notice it. Kind of hard not to also note the pattern: Sin demands compensation . . . while the sinner can bring the offering, only the priest can offer it . . . the offering is for atonement, it’s about covering the sin with the blood of a pure and spotless sacrifice . . . and atonement is the basis upon which God can provide forgiveness. From sin to the forgiveness of sin . . . in the middle of it all is the priest.

Day in and day out they are slicing and dicing and pouring out blood on behalf of the people of God. Back breaking work . . . nostrils filled with the odor of burnt offerings . . . up to their armpits in dead animals . . . covered with blood. All in order to make atonement . . . to make way for forgiveness . . . that God might remain in their midst . . . that they might continue abide in His presence as His people.

And I’m reminded that my sin too demanded a price. That before a holy God, my unrighteousness was a barrier and needed to be atoned for. That my transgressions needed to be covered by the blood of a spotless sacrifice. And that such sacrifice needed to be presented by an anointed, set apart priest of God’s ordaining.

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession . . . we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God . . .   (Hebrews 3:1, 10:10-12 ESV)

The sacrifices I’m reading about this morning, offered by the priests I’m reading about this morning, though atoning for sin, could never take away sin. But with the presentation of the body of Christ on our behalf . . . and with the shedding of the blood of Christ for our sins . . . offered through the priesthood of Christ once for all . . . all who believe can know a forever freedom from sin.

He is the offering . . . He is the compensation for the debt we owe . . . He is the atoning covering for the sin stain we bear. And, He is the Priest . . . and His priesthood is permanent, because He continues forever . . . as such, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

Behold the Priest.

To Him be glory alone!

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Breathe Deep

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Pete

Ok . . . so this morning I enter into Leviticus again . . . and it doesn’t take long, as I read the first four chapters, for me to notice the recurring phrase, “a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” Nine times in these first four chapters is this phrase found after the instructions concerning one of the sacrifices. The word has the idea of being soothing or quieting . . . and, apparently, can indicate delight. In the NKJV it’s “a sweet aroma” . . . in the NIV it’s “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” . . . in the NASB its “a soothing aroma” . . . and in Peterson’s Message it’s “a pleasing fragrance.” And so I ask myself, “What makes the burning of some animal or the burning of a grain offering a pleasing aroma to the Lord?”

You gotta know its more than just the odor of burning flesh . . . it has to be wrapped up in the smoke ascending toward heaven being a symbol or reminder of what’s behind the offering. First, the fire’s purpose is not judgment — that’s done outside the camp. Rather, the purpose of this fire before the tent of meeting is atonement. It’s not about destroying, it’s about restoring . . . about providing a way for continuing access to the presence of God . . . for providing the means by which sin is dealt with such that presence of God might continue to dwell in their midst. And so, it seems, there’s something pleasing or soothing to God about having communion with His people restored. A Holy and Just God must separate that which is tainted by sin from His presence — but the offering covers the sin, pays the price and opens again the way for man to draw near to God. And so this odor from the fire consuming the offering is a pleasing fragrance for the Lord as it indicates atonement.

But how much of the sweetness of that smell is also wrapped up in what it foreshadows? This Levitical sacrifice system consumed a lot of animals . . . providing only temporary atonement until the next transgression. But it anticipated a once-for-all offering that would forever cover people’s transgressions, deliver them from the bondage of sin, and make open the way into the Holy of Holies. How much was the soothing nature of that smoke wrapped up in “reminding” God that a day was coming when the Lamb of God would be offered as the final sacrifice . . . that a permanent way would be made to restore communion between the Creator and His creation . . . that an eternal provision would be made allowing His people to be received into His holy presence? Now that’s sweet!

And finally the pleasing nature of that aroma was intricately wrapped up in the very nature of that once-for-all sacrifice Himself — Jesus, the Son of God. I also read in Matthew 17 this morning of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mount. And the “pleasing aroma” of Leviticus immediately came to mind as I read these words . . .

And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”   (Matthew 17:4-5 ESV)

I wonder if every time the pleasing aroma of those Old Testament sacrifices ascended to heaven, the Father wasn’t reminded of the Son, “with Whom I am well pleased.” Christ . . . the love of God personified. Jesus . . . purity and holiness in flesh. Without blemish . . . absolutely perfect . . . altogether lovely. To take in the fragrance of Jesus is to absorb more than just the eternal sacrifice for atonement, it’s more than just a way into the presence of God, but it is the aroma of the absolute beauty of the sacrifice, Himself — in who He is and in what He has accomplished on mankind’s behalf.

. . . Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.   (Ephesians 5:2 ESV)

Breathe deep! Breathe deep, o my soul, of the beauty of Jesus! He is a pleasing aroma to those of faith. Amen?

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The “G” Word

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Pete

Paul was doing pretty well until he used the “G” word. He knew that going to Jerusalem was a risky proposition. He believed that the Spirit was leading him to return to the holy mount (Acts 20:23). Those around him were just as sure the Spirit was revealing that this wasn’t going to go well for Paul (Acts 21:4, 11). But went he did . . . and trouble there was. He was accused in the temple courts by some Jews who had recognized him from one of his missionary journeys . . . they assumed that he must have defiled the holy place by bringing one of his Greek buddies with him . . . and so they shouted out the accusation . . . and Paul was mobbed . . . and the Roman guard stepped in to calm things down . . . and Paul was taken into custody (Acts 21:27-36).

But Paul asks for, and is granted, permission to address his accusers. So, standing on the steps of the barracks, Paul motions with his hand to the people that he wants to talk to them and, as he starts to speak to them in Hebrew, they fall silent and there is a great hush. He has his audience . . .

Paul’s story is compelling. He was one of them. He drops the name of Gamaliel to demonstrate the purity of education he had received concerning “the law of our fathers.” He identifies himself as a persecutor of “the Way” . . . zealous to destroy this upstart sect of followers of the Carpenter from Nazareth. And then he tells them of an encounter . . . an unplanned encounter . . . an unforeseen encounter . . . an unimaginable encounter. He’s on his way to Damascus to seize more of the Christians and return them to Jerusalem for “due process” and judgment. And, on the road, he is suddenly stopped dead in his tracks . . . by a great light from heaven . . . by a great voice out of nowhere. “Who are you, Lord?” Paul asks . . . “I am Jesus of Nazareth who you are persecuting” (Acts 22:1-8).

And Paul has the crowd in the palm of his hand (Acts 22:11-20). As he tells of being blinded and then having his sight restored . . . as he relates the prophetic word spoken over him that the God of his fathers had appointed him to know His will and to see His Son, “the Righteous One”, and to be a witness for Him to the world . . . as he tells of again seeing and hearing the risen Christ while praying in the temple . . . you sense that he has the crowd’s undivided attention as they process what all this means.

And then Paul blows it . . . he says the “G” word . . .

And He said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
                                                                         (Acts 22:21 ESV)

That was it. Up until that word they listened to him. But the “G” word sealed the deal, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live” (Acts 22:22)

How come? Because they were those of the uncircumcision . . . outsiders to the commonwealth of Israel . . . foreigners to the promises of the covenant given to the patriarchs. They were the unreligious . . . they were the uneducated . . . they were the uninformed . . . they were the unpeople of God. To even suggest that God was reaching out to these “dogs” was repugnant for these devout Jews. They would spit when they said the “G” word.

But . . . oh wondrous but . . . what they didn’t get was another “G” word . . . grace . . . and another “G” word . . . gospel.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13 ESV)

Praise God, that in His over-flowing grace, He has sent the gospel to those in desperate need of good news . . . Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . .

Brings to mind another “G” word . . . to Him be glory! Amen?

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Wonder and Worship

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Pete

So I’m thinking that familiarity is the enemy of worship . . . that you don’t extol that which is considered mundane. You might be thankful for the expected . . . you might acknowledge the blessing of the commonplace . . . but I’m thinking that voice lifting praise is born out of an appreciation for the extraordinary . . . that wonder leads to worship.

And great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at His feet, and He healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.    (Matthew 15:30-31 ESV)

Imagine the scene. Perhaps a bit chaotic? Perhaps a bit mind-bending. Mute people testifying of a miracle . . . crippled people doing push-ups . . . lame people doing cartwheels . . . blind people looking you in the eye and pointing to the Healer. In hope, and by faith, they brought the infirm to the feet of Jesus . . . and behold, they witnessed the mighty works of God in their midst. And it says “the crowd wondered” . . . and it says “they glorified the God of Israel.”

Other translations say “the crowd marveled” and “the people were amazed.” They were up close and personal with the power of heaven . . . they were having a close encounter of the spiritual kind . . . and the result was awe . . . and the response was giving of glory to God.

Now, as amazing as it is to consider blind people seeing and lame people walking, what is it to encounter dead people living? I hang out with them every Sunday. They are those who were once dead in their trespasses and sins but are now those who God made alive together with Christ. They once limped along in darkness, following the course of this world, but now they run the race of those who have been saved by grace and raised up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:1-6). And shouldn’t that fact alone rekindle a bit of wonder . . . and lead to a bit of worship.

It’s so easy to “go to church” and not be in awe of the church.

Not that we’re something . . . we’re just lame people trying to get our legs underneath us by His strength . . . deaf people still digging the wax out of our ears by His Spirit . . . blind people still focusing our eyes on our Savior by His grace. But we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10). Unreal!

Isn’t that something to marvel at? Isn’t that reason enough to be amazed? Doesn’t the loose the tongue to declare the praises of God?

Oh, that the salvation that is ours would never become commonplace. Instead, as we gather together that we would be in awe . . . that we would be captured by wonder . . . and in that wonder, be moved to worship.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.   (Jude 1:24-25 ESV)

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Please God, I Want Some More!

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Pete

This is one of my favorite conversations in all the Bible. This passage is at the top of the top 10 of my favorite scriptures. There is a sense of anticipation whenever I come to this portion of God’s word. Even though I know what’s going to happen, I can’t wait to read it again. Here’s a playback of how I process the conversation in Exodus 33:12-17 . . .

God:  Moses, I know you by name and you have found favor in my sight.

Moses:  Great! So, because I have found favor in Your sight, Lord, would You show me Your ways that I might continue to find favor in Your sight?

God:  You got it! My presence will go with you . . . by it You will know my ways . . . and in that presence you will find a quietness for your soul.

Moses:  Fantastic! Without Your presence I don’t want to take another step . . . it is Your presence which testifies that I have found favor . . . and it is Your presence that makes your people distinct from all other people.

God:  Absolutely. Like I said, you have found favor in my sight . . . and I know you by name.

Moses:  Terrific! But . . . one more thing. Though I’m in awe that You know me and have chosen to commune with me . . . and while I can’t comprehend why I should have found favor in Your sight . . . and it’s mind-boggling that I might know anything of the ways of Almighty God . . . and though I don’t deserve Your presence but so delight in it . . . please God, I want some more . . . Please, show me Your glory!

Be found in His favor . . . desire His ways. Know His presence . . . seek His glory.

Taste and see that Lord is good . . . and you’ll want more of the Lord. Hunger for the things of His righteousness . . . and He will feed you with food that satisfies and yet inflames the appetite. Drink of living water and you will thirst no more . . . but the sweetness of it will compel you to want to continually drink deep of it.

Years ago I came across a tongue-in-cheek piece by a guy named Wilbur Rees . . . “I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please — not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine.” Moses wasn’t looking for a cup of warm milk . . . his encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel served as water to prime the pump of desiring an increasing and deepening understanding and relationship with the One in whose favor He stood . . . he was up for an “exploding soul” . . . Please God, I want some more!

Me too, Lord! You know the frailty and failings of this servant . . . but I know, by Your grace alone, I have found favor in Your sight. You show me Your ways through Your word . . . Your presence goes with me by Your abiding Spirit . . . thank You! But one more thing . . . if I could ask for more . . . Please show me Your glory!

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Shouldn't We Smell?

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Pete

As they approached the tent, I’m guessing their senses were alive. Certainly the priest could see the Holy Place before him . . . that, in and of itself, might have set the adrenaline in motion in anticipation of drawing nearer to the Holy of Holies. In the background they may noticed the sound of the wood crackling and the burnt offerings sizzling. They would feel the water still on their hands after the preparatory washing be entering into sacred duty. And as they approached the tent of meeting, what did they smell?

The LORD said to Moses, “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony . . . ”   (Exodus 30:22-26 ESV)

As I’m wrapping up this portion of Exodus which deals with the instructions given to Moses for the building of the tabernacle I’m struck by the fact that, along with everything that was to be made, . . . that, in addition to all that was tangible about the tabernacle, . . . that there would also be this invisible aroma about the place where the glory of God would dwell.

Apparently a shekel was about .4 ounces. That means that about 12 pounds of liquid myrhh, which I understand carried a very strong scent, was mixed with 6.5 pounds of “sweet-smelling cinnamon” and another 6.5 pounds of “aromatic cane” . . . and it was to be mixed together with olive oil “by the perfumer” as a holy anointing oil. That’s 25 pounds of permeating odor to spread over an area about 10 strides long and 5 strides wide . . . to sprinkle on the tent and everything in it including the ark. Seems to me that’s a pretty small area to release that amount of perfume. I’m thinking the odor would be noticeable.

And I’m trying to imagine the smell . . . and the impact of this invisible reminder that this place is holy. And what it foreshadows of God’s current day temple . . . the church (Eph. 2:21-22).

The anointing we experience today is that of the Holy Spirit. The invisible means by which we have been consecrated and set apart is through the abiding presence of the Third Person of the Trinity. And so I’m thinking . . . shouldn’t we smell a bit?

Not literally, of course. But shouldn’t there be an intangible something in the air when people experience the church of God. The church as in the people . . . not the building . . . not the programming . . . but those living stones who are being built into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God. Not some airs that we put on . . . but a distinctive “aroma” that is put on us because a Most Holy God has redeemed for Himself a holy people through the blood of His holy Son. And in that redemption, there is a setting apart . . . a consecration . . . an anointing of the Holy Spirit. And with that, if the tent of meeting in Exodus is an indicator, there should be a certain something in the air that says these are God’s people . . . and here, is God’s presence.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV)

Who is sufficient for these things? Not me. Rather, the anointing Spirit is poured out on sinners-saved-by-grace that, through the fragrance upon them, the God of glory might be known.

Oh, that by the grace of God, we might smell a bit. Amen?

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Some Things Just Go Together

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Pete

Some things just go together. If you come upon one, you expect to find the other. Salt and pepper . . . a fork and a knife . . . thunder and lightning . . . macaroni and cheese . . . an iPad and fingerprints. The linkage is so tight that it seems one was created with the other in mind. Came across another example this morning as I read Psalm 33 . . .

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
   Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
   make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings!   (Psalm 33:1-2 ESV)

Ok, I’ll be honest, I have a certain bias towards Scriptures that involve music on stringed instruments . . . but beyond that, David says that “praise befits the upright.”

The upright . . . the righteous . . . the people of God. Those in right standing with God . . . not on the basis of their own righteousness, but on the righteousness of another, Jesus the Lamb of God, come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Those in relationship with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, given as a deposit guaranteeing an inheritance . . . sent as a Teacher to lead His people into all truth . . . residing within men and women as the power of God for the work of God in and through the children of God. And for those people . . . for the upright . . . praise is befitting.

The NKJV says that praise from the upright is “beautiful.” Literally the word has the idea of something being comely or suitable . . . so praise suits the upright. Where you find the upright, you expect to find praise . . . it’s befitting . . . and, as such, it is beautiful . . . ’cause some things just go together.

So I wonder occasionally about “songless saints.” Now, I get that not everyone is a singer . . . not everyone has been wired for music . . . and, in fact, I’ve seen people in worship who, though there’s nothing coming out of their mouths, their countenance and being exude praise and thanksgiving towards the God who saved them. And I’ve also seen an apparent absence of wonder and worship in those who know their way around an instrument . . . who know their scales . . . who can wail a riff on their guitar . . . who can hold their own on karaoke night.

And I’m not judging . . . I just don’t quite get it. I don’t get those of the family of God who never seem to enter into worship . . . who can stand in the congregation of the redeemed week after week and seemingly just endure the call to worship. ‘Cause I think that some things just go together.

So praise isn’t about musical ability . . . not about whether one can carry a tune or not. I’m thinking it’s more about the degree to which the human heart has been invaded by the King of Heaven.

O’ Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hands have made . . . then sings my soul, “How great Thou art!”

To be still but a minute and know that He is God is to start the praise engine. To reflect, even for a little while, on the wonder of creation is to the pump the gas of thanksgiving. To consider anew the work of the cross on behalf for those who were enemies of God is to rev the motor of adoration. To remember His faithfulness yesterday . . . to anticipate His promised presence tomorrow . . . can’t help but cause us to go from zero-to-sixty in humble and heartfelt worship . . . singing or not.

Among all the privileges associated with salvation, the righteous were redeemed to know the blessing of declaring the glory of God.

Shout for joy in the Lord, you righteous . . . given thanks to the Lord . . . praise is befitting the upright . . . ’cause some things just go together. Amen?

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Been There!

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Pete

You are cordially invited to a fellowship meal. Place to be held: Mount Sinai. Your Host: the God of Israel. This is a “by invitation only” event . . . open only to Moses, his brother Aaron, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel. Upon arrival, please remove your sandals . . . (Exodus 24:1-2 kinda’)

What was that like? Maybe for Moses there was some familiarity with interacting with the presence of God . . . and Aaron had been up close and personal with the mighty hand of God as an agent involved in God’s displays of power in Egypt. But for the other 72 guys, I’m thinking this is a bit of a first. The mountain’s aflame with the appearance of the glory of God . . . a cloud hovering about it, signifying “God is in the building” . . . and they are told, “Come up to the LORD” (24:1).

How do you even prepare for that? How do you get ready to enter onto holy ground? And, what’s the sense of anticipation like? You’ve been called to approach Him who dwells in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16) . . . you’ve been asked to dine with Him who no man can see and live (Ex. 33:20) . . . so how do you come? By His invitation . . . according to His grace . . . and by faith . . . I’m guessin’.

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under His feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And He did not lay His hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.   (Exodus 24:9-11)

Of all the happenings on Mt. Sinai, this “afternoon tea” with the Lord isn’t one that I would have readily recalled . . . or, to be honest, have remembered reading before. But God calls these 74 men into His presence . . . that they might know the intimacy of divine fellowship . . . that they might behold Him, if only His feet . . . that their senses might be lit up as their optic nerves process a sapphire blue pavement unlike anything earth has to show, but the color and clearness of heaven itself . . . and that they might eat and drink with the God of heaven, Himself! Unreal!

Who wouldn’t want to be on that exclusive invitee list? Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to pull up a chair, as it were, at a table with the Lord of heaven, Himself? Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to enjoy a meal in His presence? Not so much to engage in over the table chit chat, but to take in the wonder of His presence . . . to reflect on the magnificence of His Name . . . to be in awe at the depths of grace which provides such access . . . to process, as much as our senses permit, something of His unearthly glory . . . to be still and know that He is God Who wouldn’t RSVP with a resounding, “Count me in, Lord!”

Been there . . .

This past Sunday, as is the custom of our fellowship once a month, many of us accepted the invitation to come up and eat and drink with the Lord. Wasn’t on Mt. Rainier (though that would be pretty cool if it were to light up) . . . but in our building’s sanctuary. The invitation wasn’t limited to just “the chief men” . . . but to all who, through the blood of Jesus, had known entrance into the family of God. Wasn’t a big meal . . . just a bit of bread . . . a small sip of grape juice. The floor was carpeted, not covered with sapphire pavement. No smoke . . . no pyrotechnics.

Ah, but the presence of the Lord was there . . . dwelling in the living temple formed by His people . . . His Holy Spirit abiding in and through all those He had redeemed through the finished work of His blessed Son on the cross. And together we . . . as in we, brothers and sisters in Christ . . . and as in we, the LORD and those He calls the sheep of His flock . . . and together we ate . . . and remembered . . . and reflected . . . and rejoiced . . . and we worshiped.

Yes, you are cordially invited to a fellowship meal.

Been there! . . . Sweet!

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