Who’s Telling the Truth?

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Pete

I don’t know how you would know who’s telling the truth. It’s kind of fascinating how politics is done . . . especially leading up to an election. Feels like it’s a 30-60-10 split. 30% talking about the issues . . . 60% bad mouthing the other guy (or other gal) . . . 10% doing damage control for something dumb said by the candidate. Of that 30%, it feels like half of it is spent on calling one’s opponent a liar . . . that the truth they’re selling is really a deception. Then throw in the media and the political commentators and I honestly don’t know how you’d sort through it all. How do you find the truth in it?

But this morning, as I read in John 8, I’m reminded of where real truth is found . . . of the dynamic for discovering it . . . and of the blessed reality that it brings.

“If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. . . . So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”   – Jesus     (John 8:31-32, 36 ESV)

The truth is found in His word. The dynamic is that of abiding in His word. The result is FREE INDEED!

So many voices contending for the seat of truth in our lives. Not just the truth about politics . . . but about what our real priorities should be . . . about what our defining pursuits should be . . . about what constitutes a valued legacy. The list goes on and on . . . all that drives us, all that we do, is driven by some fundamental view of what we consider to be truth . . . even if that truth is that it’s all relative and there is no truth.

But Jesus says His word is the “gold standard” . . . the measure against which all other “truths” are to be measured. Kind of makes sense that the One who created all things and holds all things together (Col. 1:16-17) should be the One who sets in play the dynamics of reality. Kind of goes hand in hand that the Creator of all things is also the Designer of the operating principles by which all things are able to run at their peak potential.

So mine is to abide in His word. To hold it near. To feed on it frequently. To own it as my filter through which I process all other voices of truth. To ask the Spirit of revelation and illumination to take the words off the page and infuse them in my thinking and in my feelings.

And in that dynamic, there is freedom. Freedom from darkness . . . freedom for the bondage of sin . . . freedom from accusation. FREE INDEED!

I know who’s telling the truth . . . Word of God speak . . .

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A Surprise Ending

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Pete

It’s a love story gone bad. It’s a rags to riches . . . to rags story. Humble beginnings to exalted glory to treacherous betrayal. This parable found in the middle of Ezekiel’s prophetic writings really is quite moving . . . a bit disturbing . . . very depressing . . . and then . . . there’s a surprise ending.

The LORD is a storyteller in Ezekiel 16. In His tale we meet Jerusalem . . . conceived of a mixed marriage . . . an unwanted child . . . unloved from the day of birth . . . as a newborn, left in the blood of birth and cast out into a field . . .naked . . . loathed from the day she was born.

The LORD is part of the story. He sees Jerusalem wallowing in her blood and in His sovereign determination declares to her, “Live!” He makes her to thrive. So Jerusalem survives her birth and she grows up. Grows up into a real beauty. Matures into a woman ready to be loved. And the LORD comes upon her again, notices she is still naked and so, in the King’s grace, determines to spread His garment over her, to cover her nakedness, and to take her to be His own. He makes a promise to her . . . enters into covenant relationship . . . and she becomes His.

And this young beauty, living under the King’s care, grows up to become a real knock out! He bathes her . . . anoints her with oil . . . clothes her in embroidered cloth . . . adorns her with fine jewelry . . . and places a crown on her head. This blood smeared cast off in the field is now in the King’s court, adorned with gold and silver, wearing clothing of fine linen and silk. She is exceedingly beautiful . . . she is recognized royalty . . . her glory is recognized and known among the nations. All because of “the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.”

But . . . oh, what a terrible word, “but” . . . but she trusted in her beauty . . . and turned away from her Beautifier . . . and played the whore . . . becoming unfaithful because of her renown . . . lavishing her unfaithfulness on anyone who would have her . . . giving away her beauty to strangers. And, for the next page and a half, the Storyteller, the spurned lover, marvels at the extent of her harlotry . . . to the point where she’s not selling herself for money, as would be the common practice of a harlot, but instead bribes her lovers with her wealth and gifts . . . “How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD.”

The Storyteller . . . the spurned benefactor . . . the rejected King . . . then becomes the righteous Judge. And the wrath of a jealous God is poured out on His unfaithful bride. From beauty to barely recognizable . . . from the apple of the King’s eye to an object of reproach.

And then . . . the surprise ending . . .

. . . yet I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. . . . I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD.  
                                                                              (Ezekiel 16:60, 62-63 ESV)

When I atone for all that you have done! Really? After such rejection . . . after such arrogant unfaithfulness . . . would God really determine to atone for His wayward bride’s treacherous sin? And if so, what price would need to be paid for such atonement . . . to wipe clean such a dark slate . . . to zero out such a debt-ridden account?

. . . while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly . . . God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us . . . while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son . . .   
                                                                            (Romans 5:6, 8, 10 ESV)

Praise God for surprise endings . . . for a rejected Storyteller who, in His abundant grace, determines to become a redeeming Savior.

O’ what a Savior!

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A Steady Soul

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Pete

It seems they have always lurked among the people of God . . .they showed up in all four of my readings this morning. In Job, they are “a friend” . . . a comforter . . . a counselor . . . one who speaks a word that, on the surface, sounds wise but, in reality, is sourced in a secret place of darkness and spoken by a spirit which makes the “hair of my flesh stand up” (Job 4:12-14) . . . you can almost hear the hiss in his voice. In Ezekiel they are called out for what they are . . . false apostles. Those who prophecy from their own hearts (Ezek. 13:2). Like Job’s friend, they speak out of “false visions and lying divinations” in order to mislead the people of God (Ezek. 13:9-10). And in John, they come dressed up in regal robes which scream of religious piety. They are those who oppose “the Light of the world” accusing Him of bearing witness of Himself by Himself . . . declaring for all who would hear that the testimony of the Author of Truth is itself not true (John 8:12-13). And then . . . I get to 2Peter 2 . . .

On the surface, it seems almost disproportionate . . . the amount of time Peter spends in this short letter on the reality of false prophets and false teachers. The entire second chapter . . . one third of the letter . . . 22 of 61 verses . . . dedicated to those who “will secretly bring in destructive heresies” (2:1). Bold and willful, driven by their desire to feed their defiling passion, they are blasphemers of that which they know nothing about . . . driven, like animals, by raw instinct . . . having eyes full of adultery . . . insatiable for sin . . . trained in greed. And what’s really scary, is the thought that they can be dining at the table of the saints . . . like Job’s friend, or the false prophets of Ezekiel, or the religious fakes of Jesus’ time, these who revel in their deceptions can be found feasting at our tables (2:10-16).

I guess that’s why Peter spends so much time warning of their existence.

So . . . if they “walk among us” . . . and look like us . . . and talk like us . . . what steps can we take to protect ourselves from these masters of deception? There’s a clue in verse 14 . . .

They entice unsteady souls.    (2Peter 2:14b ESV)

The unsteady and unstable . . . that’s who these “blots and blemishes” prey upon. They seek those who haven’t got their feet set on solid rock . . . those who are wavering in their belief . . . those who have ears to hear the latest and greatest cut on what God really means. Those who are not grounded in the word and submitted to the Spirit . . . those who elevate their own thoughts above God’s.

Thus, it seems the best defense against those who come secretly to deceive is, as much as lies within us . . . and by the enabling power of the Spirit who resides in us . . . to stabilize our souls . . . to steady the seat of our feelings, desires, and affections. And I don’t how that’s done apart from a continual ingesting of the word of God. His Word . . . illuminated through His Spirit . . . bringing up His desire for His people. A steady soul!

God’s people becoming so familiar with God’s truth that, when the deceiver whispers in our ear, we recognize the hissing voice . . . we discern the half-truths and distortions . . . and give no ground to destructive heresies.

Daily bible reading isn’t just so we can “start our day right” . . . though it does. Devo’s on a regular basis aren’t just about spiritual discipline . . . though it is. Sunday morning sermons aren’t just about being encouraged in our faith . . . through they do. But it’s also about stabilizing our souls . . . about setting our feet on solid rock . . . about calibrating our GPS on the ways of home . . . about being so grounded that we avoid becoming prey to the roaring lion who seeks to devour us (1Peter 5:8).

O, Word of God speak! For a steady soul . . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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Going . . . Going . . . Gone!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Pete

On Wednesday night, at our men’s bible study, we considered Solomon’s dedication of the magnificent temple which God had given him the privilege to build. We spent a bit of time talking about what it would have been like to behold the Father’s visible “Yes!” to Solomon’s question, “Will God indeed dwell with man on earth?” (2Chron. 6:18). That heavenly “Yes and Amen” being manifest when the fire comes down from heaven consuming the burnt offerings and sacrifices as God “moves in” . . . His glory filling the temple . . . His glory filling what would be known as “the LORD’s house” . . . the glory that prevented even the priests from entering . . . the glory that drove the people of God facedown in worship and thanksgiving . . . “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” (2Chron. 7:1-3)

Fast forward some 400 years or so . . . and the glory of God which inhabited the house of God is going . . . going . . . gone!

I’m reading again in Ezekiel this morning. And, as I read through chapters 9 to 12, what catches my eye is that the glory that filled the temple is now at the threshold (9:3) . . . and then at the east gate (10:18-19) . . . and then departs from the city altogether and rests “on the mountain that is on the east side of the city” (11:23).

Ichabod (1Sam. 4:12) . . .the glory has departed . . . the glory has left the building . . . how sad.

What a contrast from Wednesday to Friday . . . from Solomon to Ezekiel . . . from descending fire to departing glory.

And the glory “stands” on the mount across from the city . . . just as Jesus would centuries later and lament over the city and it’s again certain destruction . . .

It is the plight of man apart from the grace of God. Left to ourselves we are simply unable to accommodate the glory. No matter how hard we work . . . no matter how religious we get . . . all our righteousness deeds are as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6) . . . our speech and our deeds are against the LORD, “defying His glorious presence” (Isa. 3:8).

But praise be to God who is rebuilding His temple . . . out of living stones . . . workmanship crafted by God Himself through the finished work of Christ on the cross and by the sanctifying work of the Spirit . . . that the glory should dwell again on the earth. God ensuring that His glory “will stick” as he reconstitutes hearts and rewires spiritual DNA . . .

And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My rules and obey them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.   (Ezekiel 11:19-20 ESV)

O that God’s glory would be known among and through His people . . . not on the mount beside us . . . not at the eastern gate . . . not even just at the threshold . . . but that it might fully rest on the household of God . . .

. . . until that day when faith gives way to sight . . . and we’ll be going . . . going . . . gone!

Amen?

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Crushing God

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Pete

 I often will go back and read stuff that I wrote from previous years. This morning, after my readings, I was going back over previous entries and was arrested a bit by the following devo from 2008. It concerns an observation that I totally missed this morning . . . but one that caused me to pause and reflect when “I brought it to my attention.”

Thought it worth recycling . . . by the way . . . the ESV translates it “I have been broken” . . .

 

It’s a phrase in Ezekiel 6 that’s caught my eye . . . and my attention . . . and my thinking this morning.

As I read in the mornings, one of the things I’m on the lookout for are attributes or characteristics of God. And not just the “big attributes” . . . the “omni” attributes . . . or the “God is love, God is grace” attributes. While I do mark those in my Bible, I’ve also try and have my eyes open for other Scriptures that describe what God is like . . . how He feels . . . how He sees things . . . how He interacts with this world.

This morning in Ezekiel 6 I came across a verse that says that God can be “crushed.” Now, being crushed is not something I would normally think of as God being susceptible to . . . but check this out . . .

“Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.”   (Ezekiel 6:9 NKJV)

Now other translations portray it a little differently . . . “I have been grieved” (NIV) . . . “how I have been hurt” (NASB) . . . “how hurt I am” (NLT).

If I use my handy dandy “what does the original language convey” tool, here’s what it says, “to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked, be crushed.”

And I never think of God being “busted up” . . . broken in pieces . . . hurt . . . shattered. You kind of think that a Sovereign, Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipotent (all-powerful), God is beyond such descriptors as “crushed.” Apparently not . . .

And what is that mighty force that can so deeply hurt Almighty God? An adulterous heart . . . unfaithfulness . . . eyes that seek after another. God’s heart is wounded by the unfaithfulness of His people. The rebellion of Israel . . . the harlotry of Judah . . . crushed the heart of God. It broke God up to be rejected by His chosen people. Human hearts which waned in devotion to their God impacted the Divine Heart.

And as I think about this, my sense is that “grieved” doesn’t begin to describe the impact of rebellion and unfaithfulness upon the heart of my God. The One who is tender in mercy . . . the One who is abundant in grace . . . what is the impact on His heart of being rejected by His own? When I think of the Son of God, He who will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle (Isa. 42:3), how is His heart affected when the sheep He has purchased with His own blood determine to seek another?

Yes, our God is a mighty God . . . a fearsome and awesome God . . . a powerful God . . . but isn’t He also a tender-hearted God? And when His people play the harlot . . . when they seek another . . . when they embrace other gods . . . what does that do to a tender-hearted God? It crushes Him. Man! What a thought!

Oh, that I would not grieve the heart of God . . . that, by His grace, and, as much as lies within me, I would remain faithful. That my eyes would not seek another . . . that my heart would not turn away from the One who has loved me with an everlasting love and redeemed me through the blood of His precious Son. That, when I do begin stray, I would be sensitive to the voice of the indwelling Spirit calling me back to worship God and Him alone — with all my heart, strength, soul, and mind.

He is worthy of my wholehearted devotion . . . enable me Lord to walk in faithfulness . . . for Your glory . . . Amen.

——————

We bow our hearts, we bend our knees
Oh Spirit, come make us humble
We turn our eyes from evil things
Oh Lord, we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands, and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another

O God, let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks your face O God of Jacob          –   “Give Us Clean Hands”,  Charlie Hall

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The Glory, The Ground, and The Spirit

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Pete

Started in on Ezekiel this morning. I find the imagery kind of challenging . . . maybe because I don’t have a very good imagination . . . not able to translate the words into a good picture in my mind. But this I kind of get out of these first three chapters . . . before the word of the LORD is given to Ezekiel the glory of the LORD is revealed to him. It seems there’s something about getting a glimpse of God’s glory that readies the heart for His word. The other thing that kind of caught my attention was the relationship between the glory, the ground, and the Spirit.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet . . .   (Ezekiel 1:28b-22a ESV)

So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet . . .   (Ezekiel 3:23-24a ESV)

Twice in these opening chapters, Ezekiel is given eyes to see the glory of God. God who is seated above the throne . . . a throne which is above the earth . . . a throne which is accompanied by four magnificent living creatures. And while the form Ezekiel saw had the likeness of human appearance, it was enveloped in a brightness that Ezekiel could only describe as some kaleidoscope combination of gleaming metal, burning fire and a shining rainbow (1:26-28a).

And both times that Ezekiel is permitted this glimpse at the glory, the response is the same. BAM!!! Facedown!!! Behold the glory . . . welcome the ground. It seems that when the radiating holy character of God is encountered, the only appropriate physical response is to fall at His feet. It’s facedown in humility at the realization that God is God and nothing less . . . and that man is man and nothing more. It’s facedown in awe as the senses are overwhelmed amidst the exuding presence of the Eternal Sovereign. It’s facedown in wonder as the creation tries to fathom the manner of grace shown by the Creator in that He would desire to dwell among His creation . . . to rub shoulders, as it were, with them. And it’s facedown in worship . . . such an encounter with such a God must result in worship. Yup . . . encounter the glory . . . visit the ground.

And here’s the other thing I noticed. In both instances the Spirit enters Ezekiel and sets him back on his feet. Hmmm . . . the same Spirit who indwells me. And I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t some “Ezekiel transcending” principle here.

While being facedown is so appropriate for humbling oneself . . . for expressing awe . . . for offering worship . . . it’s really not the best posture for relationship . . . for fellowship . . . for one-on-one communication. And so, in order for God to commune with Ezekiel in a manner which conveys the mind of God to the mouth of the prophet, He has the Spirit set Ezekiel on His feet. And I’m thinking it’s kind of like that with us as believers as well.

Jesus said that He would ask the Father to give His disciples “another Helper” . . . the Spirit of truth (John 14:17) . . . He who would teach them all things (John 14:26) . . . He who would bear witness of Christ (15:26) . . . He who would guide them into all truth (John 16:13) . . . He who would declare the very words of God into their souls (John 16:14-15). The Spirit would stand them up . . . and enable them to receive the very words of God.

O’ that I might slow down enough to encounter the glory . . . that I might be open enough to find the ground in worship-filled response . . . and that I might be set on my feet by His Spirit and willingly receive the word of God.

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

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The Best Is Yet to Come!

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Pete

Peter could preach it . . . because he had tasted it. He could proclaim it . . . because he had brushed up against it. He could cry out, “Keep on keepin’ on” . . . because he had sampled that which convinced him it would be worth it all. Peter says he had been “a partaker.” It seems he was referring to his experience on the mount when he beheld the Master in His heavenly state . . . when Jesus was “transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matt. 17:2). There he saw “the trailer” for home . . . a glimpse of the reality of that day when faith would give way to sight . . . when the temporal would transition to the eternal. And with that memory etched in his mind he could say with conviction, “The best is yet to come!”

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you . . .   (1Peter 5:1-2a ESV)

It’s that phrase, “the glory that is going to be revealed”, that’s got me thinking this morning.

Peter starts to conclude his letter by addressing the shepherds and overseers of God’s people. Times were tough and they were going to get tougher. The sparks of persecution were fanning into flame . . . soon, many would experience that flame . . . literally! The sheep needed tending. They needed to be led . . . they needed to be fed . . . they needed, in some cases, to be carried. And to the shepherds Peter says, Don’t abandon your flock . . . keep on keepin’ on . . . because the best is yet to come!

Peter had beheld the risen Christ . . . he had looked to the clouds and waved goodbye to the ascended Christ . . . and ever sense then, he anticipated knowing the fullness of the reality he had just caught a glimpse of on the mount. Peter had beheld Christ’s glory . . . and he knew he would behold it again. He had tasted and seen the Lord is good . . . and one day he would feast at the table of the marriage supper of the Lamb. He had taken of the water Jesus offered . . . living water . . . and while quenching the thirst brought on by a dry land, it increased his craving for drinking fully of the rivers of heaven. There’s something about being a partaker of the glory by faith which fuels a desire for the real thing. Because you know the best is yet to come!

And so, in the midst of suffering, in the throws of struggle, when I’m up to my eyeballs in trials and confusion, that’s a pretty good time to consider my “here and now” in the context of my “there and then”. To pause and imagine being in the presence of the One who gave Himself for me. To recall His promise that, even now, He has gone “to prepare a place for you . . . And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). To close my eyes, and lift my head heavenward, and anticipate the glory that is going to be revealed.

The best is yet to come! No doubt!

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that you have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”  – Jesus    (John 17:24 ESV)

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A Faithful Creator

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Pete

Last weekend the speaker at our church was a former pastor of a congregation in Turkmenistan who, along with his family, had been persecuted, harassed and physically harmed by those who opposed the light he sought to bring to his “helpless and harassed” culture. He was imprisoned for his faith, eventually released because of international protests and petitions, and is now living in the Pacific Northwest ministering into his homeland through the Internet. This weekend I was reading an article about the persecuted church in a number of different places. And so it kind of sets me up for Peter’s exhortation this morning . . .

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.   (1Peter 4:19 ESV)

Reading that article this weekend provides, perhaps, some insight as to what these first century believers were experiencing. And to them Peter says, “Don’t be surprised by the fiery trial” (4:12) . . . “rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s suffering” (4:13) . . . “if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name” (4:16). Much easier to read than to imagine doing. Nevertheless, right perspectives, by the grace and power of God, result in right responses. Foundational beliefs impact day-to-day behaviors. And so, to these beat up believers, Peter says, We have “a faithful Creator”.

In the “small world” of their suffering for the name of Christ, Peter reminds them that their God is Creator. He is the maker of that small world and He is the Sovereign over the world in opposition to it. And, while it may not be intuitive as to the natural connection between their oppression and God’s glory, Peter encourages them to entrust their souls to the Founder of all things . . . for He is faithful.

In his letter Peter doesn’t deal with the “why” question of their suffering. And he doesn’t attempt to provide a plan of escape. Instead, holding up Christ as the example, he repeatedly strives to provide context . . . and, within that context, encourages a conduct befitting those who own Christ as Savior. And it comes down to what they believe about their God . . . and how that belief fuels the committing of their very beings to a faithful Creator.

And while no one’s going to include me, or the land where I live, in an article about the persecuted church, there is something in this letter which connects our trials and suffering with that of these “elect exiles of the Dispersion” (1:1).

And in that connection, I too am encouraged to entrust my soul to a faithful Creator. At the end of the day, regardless of the trial . . . apart from the circumstance of the struggle . . . my God is the faithful Creator. And in that, I can trust Him with the circumstance . . . I can draw strength from His abiding Spirit in the moment . . . I can rest in that fact that there will be a day of rejoicing “when His glory is revealed” (4:13).

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.   (Psalm 121:1-3 ESV)

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Stewards of Varied Grace

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Pete

The Scriptures are pretty clear that, as children of God, we have all received a measure of gifting from Christ deployed through the Spirit. But I also think that it’s pretty clear that it is way too easy to start thinking of those abilities as are OUR abilities . . . to view these talents as OUR possession . . . under OUR control . . . used as best suits OUR desires, determinations, and daytimers. But, this morning, Peter sheds a different perspective on the subject of our gifting . . .

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace . . .   (1Peter 4:10 ESV)

What if my talents aren’t really MY talents but they are, in fact and in reality, a gift or charisma from God? What if these abilities I have that the church seems to find a place for aren’t MY abilities but, in fact and in reality, an “un-merited favor” of God? What if they aren’t mine to schedule in as I see fit . . . and aren’t mine to enact only if I feel like it . . . and aren’t mine to deploy only when I think they are being adequately recognized by others . . . but, instead, these capabilities are, in fact and in reality, something God expects me to steward.

Steward is not a word we use a lot today. But it has the idea of a house manager . . . someone who has been given the responsibility by the owner of the house to manage the affairs of the house. It’s not their house . . . but they have run of it . . . and have been called to superintend it . . . in a manner consistent with how the owner would run his house. So Peter’s reminding these believers that they have received a gift . . . an enabling . . . a talent . . . a capability. It’s not theirs . . . it’s the Master’s . . . and He has given them control over that gifting . . . asking that it be managed, or stewarded, in a manner consistent with how He would administer the gifting.

We are to be good stewards of the varied grace . . . of the manifold charis . . . of the mosaic of diversely colored enablings . . . which are determined and empowered by God . . . and apportioned by the Spirit . . . and are given for the common good (1Cor. 12:4-11). I know it almost goes without saying, but we are reminded that we don’t all have the same gifting or enabling. But what we do have in common is that we are all to be good stewards of the piece of varied grace that God has entrusted to us. And, I’m thinking that we are all going to give an account of what we did with that which we received (Matthew 25:14-30).

Ok . . . so maybe the question arises, “Well how do I know what enabling of this varied grace I’ve been given to steward?” Big question . . . not adequately dealt with by a short answer. But let me run this by you . . .

If faithfully managing the gift I’ve been given is manifested by “serving one another”, then maybe I start there . . . by asking the question, “What can I do to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ?” If the ability to preach or teach isn’t yours . . . then probably not your gifting . . . if you can’t play guitar or sing, then maybe that’s not what you are to steward . . . but if you come up with something that you can do to “serve one another”, then go with it . . . consider that your trust to faithfully administer . . . count that as something that’s not YOURS but HIS . . . which He has graced you with the ability to enact . . . and which you can view as a holy stewardship.

I guess for me the question is less about WHAT IS IT? . . . and more about HOW DO I VIEW IT?

That which I can do . . . is it my ability or is it His varied grace? And if it really is His varied grace, then is the deciding factor in deployment how it fits into my schedule or how He wants me to steward it? Is it mine do with as I wish or His to steward . . .

. . .by the strength that God supplies–in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
          To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.   
                                                                                         (1Peter 4:11b ESV)

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Come Down from Heaven

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Pete

Heaven was referred to a lot of times in my reading in John this morning. So I did a quick word count on my computer’s Bible program. In the ESV translation of John’s gospel it looks “heaven” is found 17 times. In the passage I read this morning, the latter part of John 6, the word occurs 10 of those times. The topic? Bread from heaven. More specifically bread come down from heaven. Really specifically . . . Jesus!

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. . . . As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.   (John 6:47-51, 57-58 ESV)

Come down from heaven. Descended from glory. Took the “down elevator” from the realm of the eternal . . . and the perfect . . . the realm where God dwells in majesty and holiness.

Come down from heaven. Entered the realm of His fallen creation. Not as heaven’s Sovereign but as an infant . . . not surrounded by angels but encompassed by a few animals and some rag tag shepherds . . . not in the glory due His name but in humility growing up to be a poor carpenter from an obscure town . This was Jesus, the son of Joseph . . . his parents known by the ones He was now speaking to . . . the ones who asked, “How does He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (6:42)

But Jesus did come down from heaven! Oh, just noodle on it a bit . . . and the awe-o-meter goes nuts!

Not as a Commander to inspect the troops . . . not as a King to check out His subjects . . . not as a Millionaire wanting to see how the other half lives . . . but, though in heaven He bore the very form and nature of God, He didn’t cling to it . . . He didn’t consider equality with a God a thing to be grasped when He came down. Instead the Maker of Men “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” . . . “being found in human form” (Php.2:5-8).

Why come down? For what?

That He might be bread. That He might satisfy the hunger of a lost world. God’s eternal provision . . . the bread of life . . . the living bread . . . the bread, that if anyone eats, he or she will live forever. The bread given for the life of the world. The bread which addresses the malnutrition caused by sin’s destructive power . . . the bread which quiets the growling stomach of our enemy’s accusations . . . the bread which, more than just fending off starvation, beings salvation and regeneration . . . the bread being more than just a temporary fix which puts at bay the hunger pangs, but bread that brings eternal life . . . sweet to the taste . . . satisfying to the spirit . . . filling up to overflowing the soul

He came down from heaven that those who participate in His body given, and in His blood shed, might be lifted up.

To Him be all praise . . . to Him be all glory . . . amen?

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