Lord Willing

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Pete

Two words. Two words that can be the difference between presumption and proper perspective . . . two words that can ground our earthly lives in the context of heavenly realities . . . two words that can serve to remind us that we are not captains of our own ships but are, in fact, sojourners whose steps are directed by a Sovereign. Two words . . . Lord willing.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”–yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”   (James 4:13-15 ESV)

I should be mindful to finish more sentences with the two words, Lord willing. Not to exhibit some mindless piety . . . but to remind myself that I have been created by a God who has already recorded all the days He formed for me (Psalm 139:16) . . . to ground myself in the reality that, though I may plan my way, it is the LORD who directs my steps (Prov. 16:9) . . . to sincerely acknowledge that I have been bought with a price and that I am not my own (1Cor. 6:19-20). If spoken mindfully, there’s a lot of foundation setting with “Lord willing.”

Life’s unpredictable . . . amen? Who doesn’t know that? You can go to bed one night and before morning your life is turned upside down . . . the absolutely unimaginable is now your reality . . . the unplanned is now what you have to plan around. So what folly is it to think we are masters of our own destiny? What arrogance to think we can power our way to where we want to go?

Not to say that we don’t set goals . . . or make plans . . . or embark on paths . . . but, as James reminds me this morning, we do so in the context of a sincere, humble “Lord willing.”

For those of us who, by God’s grace, have received the gift of eternal life by faith . . . who have recognized the depth of our need because of sin’s bondage and have seen the redemption and reconciliation offered through Jesus who, on Calvary’s cruel cross, paid the full price for our transgressions . . . for us, we own Jesus not just as Savior . . . not just as Shepherd . . . but as Lord and Master. And while a master might give his bondservant a range of responsibilities and the freedom to steward those responsibilities, at the end of the day we trust that we do so with the mind of Christ and in the will of the Lord.

Our freedom is not license to go rogue. Our freedom is not to fuel presumption. God forbid that our freedom would allow seeds of pride to germinate which cause us to think that it’s about “our will be done.”

And so, “Lord willing” just becomes smart thinking. “Lord willing” becomes a real-time temperature check on our priorities and planning. “Lord willing” has a way of keeping our eye to the sky as we are reminded that things could change in the twinkling of an eye.

Ok . . . done. Time to walk . . . time to get ready . . . time to go to work . . . Lord willing.

Amen?

Posted in James | Leave a comment

He Came

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Pete

He was a man of religious standing . . . a ruler among Jews. He was devout concerning the things of God and regarded highly as an expert in the ways of God. The prestige he enjoyed amongst men he somehow felt he deserved amongst angels. He kept the rules . . . he did what he was supposed to do . . . he rejected that which he was not to do. But, in all his years as a pillar of piety in the community, he had never encountered anyone like Jesus. And while many of his peers summarily rejected the young Rabbi’s teachings despite the signs that accompanied them, Nicodemus couldn’t shake whatever was tugging at his heart concerning the freshness and vitality of this unpretentious Teacher and the electrifying nature of His message. And so, he came . . .

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night . . .   (John 3:1-2a ESV)

Now I suppose there’s a couple of ways to read this depending on where you put the emphasis. You might read that Nicodemus was a bit of a religious wimp because he “came to Jesus BY NIGHT.” Skulking in the shadows, for fear of what others might think, he secretly made His way to the Man from Nazareth. Big man . . . no spine. Praying on the street corners during the day so that all might see his piety . . . tracking down Jesus in the alley on a moonless night so that no one would see his timidity. You could go there . . . that’s where you could place the emphasis . . . but what if the important thing is really that “this man CAME TO JESUS by night?”

He came to Jesus.

Jesus was shaking his world . . . might have been simpler and easier just to retreat into that world . . . to harden his heart to the attraction it was feeling towards this Teacher who seemed to have the light of life about Him . . . to stiffen his neck and keep his eyes focused on the way in which he had been reared and trained . . . to grab more tightly onto the reins of the way he had known his whole life and not let anything upset his apple cart. But Nicodemus didn’t . . . he came.

Though he didn’t recognize the Voice, he was responding to the wooing of the Spirit of God. He didn’t come because he was something special, but he came because God was drawing him (John 6:44) . . . he came because, by the grace of God, he was sincerely seeking the way of God.

And while the things that Nicodemus needed to hear where the things of “The Kingdom 101” . . . the need to be born again . . . the possibility of being re-birthed by the Spirit of God . . . the invitation to believe and receive eternal life . . . I can’t help but wonder what I need to hear.

It’s kind of easy after doing the pilgrim thing for a few decades to get comfortable with a certain way . . . to believe that the path you’ve been on is the only path to go on . . . to perhaps lose perspective that the familiar road might actually be a limiting rut . . . to no longer be stirred by the Word of God because you think you’ve got the Way of God all figured out.

But is it possible that there’s still stuff to learn . . . that there’s still the ways of the Kingdom to be responded to that may upset our stable religious ways? If so, even if it needs to be at night because I’m a bit afraid of going counter-my-culture, shouldn’t I come? Shouldn’t I trust the One I’ve owned as Lord enough to be willing to receive His Word and, by His grace and power, by faith respond to His Word?

Coming isn’t just for those who need to meet Jesus . . . I’m thinking it’s also for those who have known Him.

Come you who are weary (Matt. 11:28) . . . Come you who thirst (John 7:37) . . . Come that you may have life (John 5:40) . . . Come by day . . . Come by night . . . Come just as you are . . .

“O Lamb of God, I come . . . I come . . . “

Posted in John | Leave a comment

Eat Up!

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Pete

Hard to imagine what life was like for the prophet Jeremiah. Talk about “going against the flow.” His was not an encouraging message . . . his was not a popular message . . . his was not a message that got him many invitations for lunch after the sermon. No, his was a message that invited reproach and persecution. If his audience had given their backs to God, and they had, then they certainly weren’t beyond giving a beating to God’s messenger. You got to think it was kind of hard to get up to go to work in the morning . . . not a lot about the job that was engaging and invigorating . . . hard stuff. So how did he keep going? Maybe I found at least part of the answer in my reading this morning . . .

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD, God of hosts.   (Jeremiah 15:16 ESV)

Though they weren’t popular words . . . though they weren’t easy words to take in and then proclaim . . . they were God’s words.

Jeremiah says God’s words were “found” . . . that they were encountered. In fact, they were delivered. Six times so far in Jeremiah (and another 5 times to follow) Jeremiah records that “the word of the LORD came to me.” Hand delivered to the prophet . . . real time messaging without the need for a texting device . . . the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah . . . and Jeremiah recognized them. God laid them down . . . Jeremiah picked them up. God delivered His word . . . Jeremiah received His word.

And Jeremiah says, “I ate them.” Like food for a hungry man, Jeremiah consumed the words of the LORD. Not because they were pleasant, feel good words . . . but because they were God’s word . . . because Jeremiah was being fed bread from heaven itself . . . because in a land characterized by ears deaf to heaven, God, in His grace, had given Jeremiah ears to hear . . . and so Jeremiah received the words and ingested them. God’s word became Jeremiah’s word . . . the mind of God became more and more the thinking of Jeremiah.

And so God’s word became a joy and the delight of his heart because, in receiving those words, he was reminded that God had called him . . . that God had entered into a holy union with him . . . that God was with him . . . and would not leave him or forsake him.

And I’m thinking why wouldn’t I get just as jazzed or be just as encouraged when I’m doing morning devo’s?

God’s word comes to me . . . and to all who will open His Book. And as I start to interact with these God-breathed words . . . as I start to “find” them . . . a hunger develops. The taste invites me to chew on the words a bit . . . the chewing leads to savoring the flavor . . . the flavor becomes more and more discernible as the indwelling Spirit of God provides illumination. And I find myself ingesting the word. And while sometimes they are words of encouragement . . . and sometimes words of correction . . . the words become a joy and a delight because I realize afresh that they are God’s word . . . that He, in His grace, has desired to engage me in the things of His kingdom . . . that He has called my name!

Every time I open the word there’s an opportunity to be reminded that I have been brought into a relationship with the living God!

And I’m thinking that helps when you’re going against the flow . . . that it provides some encouragement though you’re not invited for lunch . . . that it provides perspective when people “utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account” (Matt. 5:11).

O, taste and see that the Lord is good. Eat up!

Posted in Jeremiah | Leave a comment

I Will Boast

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Pete

So . . . I’m wondering about whether or not a person can truly be “nondescript.” Nondescript . . . i.e. “Lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics.” By the very nature that “nondescript” is an adjective, isn’t it itself describing a feature or characteristic? But beyond that, I can’t think of anyone I ever come to know who I’d call “nondescript.” Sure, I’ve known “plain Janes” and guys who kind of fade into the background, but as I’ve come to know them I’m able to describe what sets them apart . . . what’s unique about them . . . what they might say their claim to fame is . . . even if it’s they don’t have a claim to fame. And I’m thinking that what I know about my circle of friends and acquaintances is also true about what God knows of everyone . . . that everyone has a claim to fame . . . that everyone has something to boast about. Check this out . . .

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”   (Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV)

Is it safe to say that by our very nature we all gravitate to some form of “bragging rights?” Could be our job . . . or the school we graduated from . . . or the sports team we cheer for. Maybe it’s about how much we know about a certain topic . . . or how engaged we are in a certain hobby. Might be our athletic capabilities . . . our buff bodies . . . our discipline in working out every day. Perhaps it’s our kids . . . our grandkids . . . or our spouse. Could even be the church we attend . . . the ministry we are involved in . . . Whatever it is, I think people are wired to attach themselves to some set of bragging rights.

And the Lord says, let not your claim to fame be your intellect . . . let it not be in your strength . . . let it not be attached to your accomplishments . . . rather, let this be your bragging rights, that you know Me.

As I think about it . . . if my self worth is attached to my wisdom, I’ll always meet someone “worth more” who is wiser . . . if my value is in my strength, I’ll surely meet someone more valuable because they’re stronger . . . if the prize is based on what I accomplish or the riches I attain, I’ll never come in first for there will always be someone who’s richer and done more. But if who I am is founded in the God I know . . . well there’s no one greater than Him.

He is wisdom . . . He is unmatchable power . . . He is eternal riches . . . and, by His grace, my God desires to be known. And the promise is that for those who seek Him, He will be found. For those who desire to know Him, He will reveal Himself. For those who long to enter into communion with Him, He will come and sup with them. And in that . . . though it be imperfect knowledge . . . though it be a work in progress . . . in that, there is reason to boast. Not in who we are . . . not in what we’ve done . . . but in who He is and what He has done.

What other descriptor do I need than “He knows the Lord?” What other claim to fame than “He is a child of God?” What other bragging rights than “By His grace and through His indwelling Spirit, He is renewing my mind that I might understand the things of the King and His kingdom?” Answer: No other!

I will boast in the Lord . . . and in Him alone.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . . amen?

Posted in Jeremiah | Leave a comment

Under the Son

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Pete

The book of Ecclesiastes lacks color . . . literally. I have my colored pencils (aka “pencil crayons” for those of us north of the border) at the ready looking for the grand themes of Scripture to highlight . . . and am finding none so far in these first chapters of Solomon’s end of life autobiography. But maybe that’s because for Solomon life had become colorless. The ways of God had been traded for the weights of this world . . . the race had become boring as he thought he had already won the prize . . . the fight was futile as he thought he already possessed the spoils of victory.

And spoils he had. This guy had it all . . . and what he didn’t have, he had the wealth to go get . . .

I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. . . . And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure . . .   (Ecclesiastes 2:4-8, 10a ESV)

In addition to all this, Solomon says that the wisdom he had become famous for did not leave him, God continuing to give him insight beyond what others understood. And that insight leads Solomon to a bottom-line realization that time is the equalizer of all men. Eventually the wise and the fool have the same outcome . . . eventually the rich and the poor end up with the same amount of possessions — nothing . . . eventually the great and the unknown become, at best, faint memories, if remembered at all. And Solomon, rather than being fulfilled through his wisdom and wealth, is frustrated . . . “So I hated life” (2:17). He was plagued by the thought that everything he worked for might end up in the hands of a another — so what’s the point? “For all is vanity,” he writes, “and a striving after wind” (2:17).

And as I read Solomon’s musings in chapter 2 I’m struck again by how much eternal perspective contributes to current contentment. If my toil “under the sun” is only to get as much as I can “under the sun” then, when I’m no longer “under the sun” it really has been a waste . . . or, as Solomon says, “Vanity of vanities” (1:1). But if my labor is “under the Son” . . . if I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me . . . if the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20) . . . then there is great joy and contentment and fulfillment in my labors here and now . . . for I know that they will but give away to a glorious reality there and then.

As Solomon grew older it seems he didn’t experience much joy and contentment. But his insight allowed him to see what a prize and gift it could be.

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.   
                                                                         (Ecclesiastes 2:24).

Enjoyment in our toil . . . at peace with our present . . . contentment in whatever state (Php. 4:11) . . . this is the fruit of living life in a framework that transcends this horizontal earthly plane and connects vertically with the God of eternity. This is the abiding joy that comes from a divine context revealed in the Word of God . . . illuminated by the Spirit of God . . . founded on the person and work of the Son of God . . . focused on one primary thing. the glory of God.

That’s life “under the Son” . . . that’s the abundant life that Jesus promised. Life not about my treasures nor my accomplishments . . . but life by His grace . . . and life for His glory . . .

Posted in Ecclesiastes | Leave a comment

Unworthy To Be A Sandal Untier

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Pete

I wonder if sometimes we can become a little bit proud of our humility. We know Jesus is the Shepherd, so we are sheep. We know He is Creator and so, appropriately, we bow as the creation. We recognize Him as King, and gladly we take our place in the kingdom as subjects. We own Him as Master, and so we willingly assume the lowly position of servant. Sheep . . . creation . . . subjects . . . slaves . . . all pretty humbling . . . pretty good on us, huh? See what I mean? But this morning I was struck by John the Baptizer’s response to those who asked him, “Who are you?”

They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”   (John 1:25-27 ESV)

There are servants and then there are servants. There are those who serve in the master’s dining room, privileged to approach the table where the master sits and present him with his food. There are those who serve within the household . . . permitted access to all that the master has. There are those who serve in the field . . . given responsibility to labor in a way that provides great increase for the owner of the field. And then there’s the guy, or the gal, who gets to tie up and untie the master’s shoes.

Really? That was a job? Apparently so.

Can you imagine the qualifications and education you needed to be a sandal untier? Pretty much nothing. What about the standing such an occupation has in the community? Less a standing . . . not even a sitting . . . how about a low kneeling? What’s the reaction your child gets when he or she goes to school and tells the other kids what their daddy does for a living . . . “He unties the masters sandals . . . and most times even ties them back up!” Woo-hoo!!!

And John says, I am unworthy of such service considering the nature of the One I serve.

Oh to beware of a pride fueled by humility. To be on guard against feeling like I’m something in the world because I assume the place of being nothing in the presence of Christ. To fight the temptation to lift myself up among others because I bow down to the King of Kings.

My Savior is of such infinite, matchless holiness and purity that even to tend to His shoes is way above what I deserve or am qualified to do. To think that I can draw near to the feet of Him who dwells in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16) is privilege beyond measure. To be but a doorkeeper in the house of my God, if but even for a day, is better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps. 84:10).

My high and holy calling to the low and humble place is not something to boast in . . . it is something to marvel at.

That I might, like John the Baptizer, consider myself unworthy to be sandal untier.

That I might, like John the Baptizer, consider it privilege beyond privilege to serve the Master.

By His grace alone . . . for His glory alone . . . amen?

Posted in John | Leave a comment

My Face

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Pete

I’m reminded this morning that it’s not like the prophets were sent to a people who had never heard of God . . . theirs wasn’t a door-to-door, cold call ministry introducing people to the one true God. Nope . . . they were sent to warn a people that God had already claimed as His own . . . they were sent to a people who had grown up on stories of deliverance . . . they were crying out to a people who had been taught concerning God’s power and miraculous intervention . . . they were those called to be holy just as they had been taught that their God is holy. But they chose another way . . . a dead end way.

It’s summarized in one word . . . a word I came across this morning while reading the opening chapters of the prophet Jeremiah. That word? Apostasy. In some Bible translations it’s rendered “backsliding.” Apparently the Hebrew word has the idea of “turning away.” The prophets were sent to a people called of God who turned away from God . . . who chose a course of backsliding . . . who were overcome by apostasy.

If you think about it, only the people of God can turn away from God. Those outside the family can reject Him . . . can choose to refuse Him . . . can defy Him . . . but only those who have known Him can choose to turn away. Only those who have been brought to the dwelling pace of God can backslide . . . only those who have brought into covenant relationship can forsake the God of promise . . . or, as the Lord through Jeremiah puts it, only those who have faced their God can give Him their back.

For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face.   (Jeremiah 2:27b ESV)

It sends a chill down my spine . . . the thought of giving God my back and not my face . . . probably for a couple of reasons. First, how it must grieve God to have His people give Him their backs. How it must sadden Him to call us to “Come!” and we respond, “No thanks, I’ll go and find my satisfaction in something else.” Does the heart of God ache when He sees those who have tasted of eternal, thirst-quenching water, choose instead to forsake Him and the fountain of living waters He provides and put their efforts into hewing out their own cisterns, “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (2:13)? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Secondly, I’m just shaken by the thought of becoming so turned around that I might give my back to the One “who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Cor. 4:6). The face of Jesus Christ turned toward me by infinite grace . . . and that I might somehow think there’s something more worth pursuing and turn away, giving Him my back, as I seek the vanities of this world. O’ Father, by Your grace may it never be.

O’ that my face might ever be turned toward Him. That I would, by faith, look longingly into the eyes of Him who has been pleased to “lift up His countenance” upon me. That I might relentlessly be like those who desired to worship and, coming to Philip, said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:20-21). That, by the Spirit of God living in me, my GPS might consistently be set to ” looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

My face . . . not my back, Lord . . . by Your grace . . . for Your glory.

Posted in Jeremiah | Leave a comment

Swimming Upstream

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Pete

Left to myself . . . going with just my natural inclination, I’m not really a “swim upstream” sort of person. I don’t like to make waves . . . pretty content to go with the flow. Despite what sometimes appears otherwise, I’m actually pretty content to just blend in and go unnoticed. But I’m reminded this morning that following Christ is not really a “go with the flow” type of calling.

I’m reminded this morning in Hebrews 13 that in order to make the way for my salvation . . . that in order to “sanctify” me or “set me apart” for Himself . . . that Jesus, like the sacrifices of old, had to suffer “outside the gate.” Just as the bodies of Old Testament sacrifices were burned outside the camp (13:11), so too, Jesus was taken outside of the religious camp of the day to die. He was crucified outside of Jerusalem’s gates . . . He was outside the accepted religious practice of the day . . . He went against the flow . . . willingly He suffered the reproach, the reviling, and the rejection of swimming upstream.

And that’s the place He calls me to . . . outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.  
                                                                              (Hebrews 13:14 ESV)

Not a very comfortable place . . . outside the camp. But where else would I go? Who else has the words of eternal life? He is the Way, the Truth, the Life and no one comes to the Father but through Him. If He is outside the camp, then that’s where I need to be too. Willing to put it out there . . . willing to be misunderstood, or misrepresented, or maligned.

And one of the reasons this isn’t such a “bad move” on my part is that here I have “no lasting city.” Instead, I’m already seeking the city that is to come. Swimming upstream maybe becomes a bit easier when I realize that going with the flow only leads to a cesspool compared to what I have waiting for me “upstream.” Feeling like I’m standing alone outside the camp becomes easier to do when I realize that everything “in the camp” is perishing and will one day pass way. But the enduring, continuing, lasting, city in heaven is coming . . . and soon!!! That’s why saints who get this sing, “This world’s not my home, I’m just a passin’ through!!!”

I can be the round peg in the square hole because I’m searching after the city to come . . . I wish for it . . . I crave it . . . sometimes I can taste and touch it!!!

And so, as I fix my eyes on what is to come, being outside the camp doesn’t really become the focus . . . rather I end up outside the camp because my eyes are turned to the One who is the Light and Glory of Heaven itself, my loving Father!!

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.   (Hebrews 13:15 ESV)

Outside the camp, standing with Jesus, with Him as my enabler, I’m exhorted to continually, without ceasing, offer the sacrifice of praise to God . . . the fruit or offering of my lips . . . acknowledging or confessing His Wonderful Name.

It’s not just swimming upstream for the sake of swimming upstream . . . it’s coming to the blessed Savior . . . it’s being ushered by Him into the very presence of Almighty God . . . whatever sacrifice it might mean for me, it pales against the privilege and joy of offering the sacrifice of praise to the Father.

Let’s go . . . swimming upstream . . . boldly acknowledging His name . . . joyfully offering abundant praise . . . by His grace . . . for His glory!

Posted in Hebrews | Leave a comment

Heart Burn (2010 Replay)

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Pete

Some mornings I have to kind of “fast path” my devo time and skip the reflection time when I try to put a few thoughts “to paper.”  I’ve got to get to work early this morning, so my “chewing” time this morning was to go back over some posts from previous years.  A post from 2010 resonated with me . . . I liked the diagnosis of this re-occuring condition . . .  so I’m re-sharing it . . .

I started feeling it almost immediately this morning . . . came on kind of suddenly . . . but it didn’t take long to diagnose what was happening. It came on as a result of recognizing Him in Isaiah . . . I started feeling it as I heard His voice in this ancient prophet . . . my heart started to burn within me as I read the words which my Savior took for His own when He identified Himself 2,000 years ago to a congregation in a synagogue in Nazareth . . .

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD . . . ”
                                                              (Isaiah 61:1-2a, Luke 4:18-19 NKJV).

Jesus told those in the synagogue that Sabbath morning, after He had read this portion of Isaiah, that these words were fulfilled in Him. That’s why, when I started reading in Isaiah 61 this morning, my soul was stirred. And I continued to read of Him and me. I read that He promised “to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” (61:3) . . . and my “condition” got worse . . . or better . . . maybe more acute is a better description. My stirred soul becoming a spirit in awe . . . and filled with gratitude . . . and welling up in praise . . . as I recognized myself as that “planting of the LORD” for His glory. What I was feeling was then expressed later in this passage . . . “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” (61:10).

I read Isaiah 61 this morning . . . and my “condition” came on suddenly. How come? . . . heart burn.

My “condition” was diagnosed when I read also in Luke 24 this morning. The risen Lord Jesus is walking with a couple of disciples on the road to Emmaus . . . He has veiled Himself such that, though they are interacting with Him face to face, they don’t recognize Him. They tell Him about how their worlds have been rocked by Jesus’ crucifixion because they though that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel . . . they also tell Him that some women found His tomb empty and saw a vision declaring He was alive. They don’t what to think . . . not sure what to believe. And so Jesus, beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, explains to them what the Scriptures teach concerning Himself (I bet you He covered Isaiah 61). (Luke 24:13-27)

Jesus eventually reveals Himself to them as they eat together and He breaks bread for them. He then vanishes. They then verbalize what I am experiencing this morning . . . “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)

They too experienced heart burn. It was a result of being with Jesus . . . it was brought on by Him opening the Scriptures to them. Could that be what’s happening to me this morning through Isaiah 61? . . . I’m thinkin’!

He who lives within me through His Holy Spirit showed Himself to me through Isaiah 61. I recognized Him almost immediately. As I read these ancient words, I knew that they spoke of Him. I was stirred by seeing Jesus in God’s inspired revelation . . . I was drawn in as I saw Him afresh in the prophet’s words . . . my heart burned within me as He opened the Scriptures . . . I had been with Jesus.

How often do I not recognize these divine encounters? . . . how often do I think it’s me “feelin’ it” rather than Him “revealing it?” This is the dynamic God promises . . . the living and powerful word of God . . . bringing illumination through the ever present Spirit of God . . . that I might encounter the glorious and risen Son of God. And when that happens . . . heart burn! Amen?

Posted in Isaiah, Luke | Leave a comment

There’s More!

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Pete

Hebrews is the book that just “keeps on giving.” Just when you think you’ve reached the apex . . . there’s more mountain to behold . . . just when you think you’re stuffed from all the food you’ve taken in . . . out comes the dessert . . . just when you’re heart is flying high, the afterburners kick in and it soars. And then . . . there’s more!

The writer to the Hebrews has taken me on an incredible journey, presenting the excellencies of Christ and how much better He is than any of the Old Testament prophets or practices which pointed to Him. This culminates in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” which showcases that the substance of the hope presented in Christ is faith . . . that faith is the evidence of the things not seen . . . that faith is what pleases God.

And then the “so what?” starts in Hebrews 12 — so what does all this mean for me the believer today? And the focus is turned to how believers should live . . . that we should look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, and run with endurance the race set before us (12:1-2). The writer says, Get a grip . . . strengthen those legs . . . get on track . . . pursue peace with all people . . . pursue holiness . . . be careful to not fall short of the grace of God . . . don’t let anything grow up inside you which will spoil God’s work in you and defile you (12:12-15).

And as if what has come before isn’t motivation enough for determining to “step up” to this salvation we’ve been given, the writer builds further perspective in 12:18-24. He places the struggles of their “here and now” in the context of the glories of their “there and then.” He reminds these Jewish believers that this isn’t about coming to Mt. Sinai anymore . . . its not about cowering in fear before an unapproachable God . . . its not about the law . . . but that it is about something, not to over use the word, so much better . . .

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.   (Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV)

Behold your salvation, Pete!!!

By the grace of God and through the blood of Jesus I have been made alive to the spiritual and entered the eternal . . . coming to a heavenly city inhabited by an innumerable company of angels. I’ve been registered in heaven as part of “the church of the firstborn.” The way has been opened and I have been ushered before God, the judge of all . . . escorted in by Jesus the Mediator, and the Assurance, of this new and living way . . . all through the blood of a once for all sacrifice offered by the Lamb of God, come to take away the sins of the world.

So get your eyes off the ground!! There’s more!

Look heavenward and behold your salvation! Strengthen your hands . . . make straight your paths . . . be healed as you march under Zion’s banner.

And then, worship saint, worship!

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe . . .   (Hebrews 12:28 ESV)

For His glory!

Posted in Hebrews | Leave a comment