The Elect Lady

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Pete

We don’t know much about her. John addresses her as “the elect lady” . . . or, in the Greek, elektos Kuria . . . some think that Kuria was her given name. That the lady was named Lady . . . that Lady was truly a lady in the fullest sense of the word. Regardless, she was elect . . . chosen by God . . . before the foundation of the earth determined to be brought into relationship with the Living Sovereign through the agency of the Holy Spirit based on the perfect Person and finished work of Jesus Christ.

And from John’s short letter you know that she had a heritage for her sister was also elect (v.13) . . . and that she had a legacy as her children walked in the truth (v.4). You sense that she had a reputation for hospitality . . . that she was quick to open her house to those of the family of God. And you also know that she held a special place in the heart of the elder John who wanted to connect with, to see her face to face, that their joy would be made complete (v.12).

So why am I a bit fixated on Kuria, the elect lady, this morning?

Almost twenty-four hours ago another elect lady was greeted . . . she was welcomed home. She was received by the One who had called her . . . redeemed her . . . infused her with His Spirit . . . and was glorified through her. She had lived for Him . . . served Him . . . taught others about Him . . . and, by His grace, with her husband raised a family of children who also are “walking in the truth” in Him . . . and now she is with Him.

While death is all around us, there is something that hits close to home when it involves the promotion of a saint into glory with whom you have known fellowship . . . one that taught in the Sunday School classroom across from you . . . one that you were privileged to talk to from time to time after class and know the passion and joy she had for teaching young children the old, old story. To think of the smile that so graced our church family now bringing the Savior pleasure is the stuff that makes our faith real . . . our hope so alive.

And while we grieve the separation . . . while the adjustment to her absence will be difficult . . . His grace will be sufficient.

So this morning I think of the elect Kuria. She whom the Savior loved in truth . . . loved to the uttermost . . . loved to the giving of His own life for hers.

I rejoice that the elect Lady has been translated from walking by faith to worshiping by sight . . . that the Master no longer is revealing Himself to her through the Spirit’s illumination of His Word through paper and ink, but that Kuria now beholds Him face to face . . .

. . . so that our joy may be complete. (2John 12b)

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The Revealer

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Pete

Never fails to happen . . . there is always a joy and excitement about hitting the book of Daniel . . . like when the kids come home from Christmas . . . it’s familiar territory to them . . . they like finding things decorated and in place as they’ve always been . . . but there’s a freshness, a wide-eyed re-encounter that puts a bit of electricity in the house. The themes in these opening chapters of Daniel are familiar, touchstones that have been used to ground my life for years . . . like purposing in my heart to not defile myself with the kings food (1:8) . . . like being reminded that Daniel’s favor with men and his meteoric rise to the top of the class was less about him and all about God’s divine hand upon His life (1:9, 17) . . . like being repeatedly told that God is the God of heaven (2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44) . . . and finally, of being reminded that my God is the Revealer of Mysteries (2:28, 47).

A Revealer of Mysteries. The One who can make known the unknown. He who can take the hidden thing and bring it to light. That’s our God.

Usually what captures me about this thought is that, by His grace, I have been the recipient of such revelation of mystery. Through the Word of God . . . by the illumination of the Spirit of God . . . I have been allowed some level of understanding into the mysteries of God. True enough . . . but funny how I tend to think about me. This morning my thoughts tend to be more about Him, the Revealer.

What has my awe-o-meter kicking over to the right hand side is that He is the God who knows the mysteries. He is the Revealer because, in many cases He is the Author. He is the Revealer because, in all cases, He is the One who knows everything . . . my God is omniscient . . . the God of heaven is all-knowing. And there’s something about that alone which inspires worship . . . and brings about peace.

Sure, I like to know “what’s behind the curtain.” I want to be brought into the inner circle. I, as much as the next guy, like to have things figured out. But, as I sit hovering over this story of a king with a bad dream, a bad attitude, and a sad bunch of magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers, I’m grabbed less by the revelation then I am by the Revealer. That He knows . . . that His realm of understanding and insight so dwarfs that of kings and prophets and this guy sitting in this chair . . . that He is the Possessor of all truth and Knower of all secrets. He is . . . the Revealer!

Amazing God!

So this morning, though there are many mysteries I might like to have made known to me, I rest in that I know the Revealer of Mysteries. Whether He chooses to allow me to “interpret the dream” or not, it’s enough to know that He knows . . . and to trust in Him even when I don’t know . . . and to rest in Him who will reveal mysteries according to His will . . . and in line with His perfect timing . . . and all for His glory. Amen?

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
      to Whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
      He removes kings and sets up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
      and knowledge to those who have understanding;
He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
      and the light dwells with Him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
      I give thanks and praise . . . (Daniel 2:20-23a ESV)

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Christ in Me

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Pete

I’m not really that familiar with it (like not at all), but I know that there’s a whole genre of video game, I’m guessing a multi-million dollar industry, obsessed with winning the battle. That there are a lot people . . . I’m guessing mostly boys and men — don’t know personally of any women . . . who will spend hours and hours, and dollars and dollars in equipment and game accessories, in order to simulate doing battle and coming out victorious. But this morning I’m reminded of the reality that I don’t need a video game to enter a battle . . . I don’t need some fake simulation to enter the fray . . . I don’t need shoot-em-up special effects to take down strongholds . . . I’m pretty much promised to enter enemy territory, in real life, every day. And my weapon of choice? The ultimate assurance of victory? Christ in me.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?    (1John 5:4-5 ESV)

Repetition attracts attention. Three times in these two verse I encounter the word “overcome.” The word in the original is built off a root word for “victory.” To overcome is to “get the victory” . . . to conquer . . . to prevail . . . to subdue. It implies conflict . . . it reminds of only two outcomes to a battle — win or lose . . . it presupposes an enemy. My enemy, also mentioned three times in these two verses, is “the world.”

There is a system out there that is counter-Kingdom. A way of thinking . . . an approach to doing life . . . a set of societal and moral norms . . . which are in opposition to the those who are born of God. Last night in our men’s study, as we talked about the book of Proverbs, we were reminded that the world takes on the nature of a seductress . . . enticing words . . . big promises . . . a deadly trap. Mine is to come out swinging . . . to engage in hand-to-hand battle . . . to recognize the conflict and stand fast against the world’s allure.

My weapon? Not my ninja skills . . . not some immense fire power I can put together . . . not my military intelligence. Nope . . . what I bring to the battle is Christ living through me.

By faith I overcome the world. Not that the power is in MY faith . . . but in the object of that faith. Galatians 2:20 reminds me that it’s not me who enters the battle . . . for “I have been crucified with Christ” . . . dead to any thought that I’ve got what it takes to subdue such a formidable enemy. “It is no longer I who live by Christ who lives in me” . . . I can overcome because He overcame . . . I can stand fast because He is the Rock of my salvation . . . I can conquer because He is the King leading the charge. “And the life I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” . . . I’m going to finish up here . . . shower . . . head out of this house . . . and spend my day in “enemy territory” . . .and I will do so by faith in the Son of God . . . that He who loved me will live through me by His blessed Holy Spirit.

That’s my not so secret weapon . . . Christ in me.

Christ Jesus is the One who died–more than that, Who was raised–Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us . . . in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.    (Romans 8:34, 37 ESV)

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Filled with the Fragrance

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Pete
Sometimes I go back in my e-journal and wonder what I wrote concerning a passage in a previous year’s devo. This morning I went back looking for this one . . . John 12:1-12 is one of my favorite passages . . . and this is one of my favorite posts. I re-read it this morning for my pleasure and to spur my meditation . . . recycling it hopefully for your encouragement . . . might we both be “filled with the fragrance” . . .

It never ceases to amaze me . . . never fails to cause me to pause and reflect . . . never loses its “awe-factor” as I try and picture in my mind’s eye (and nose) what it must have been like to have been there . . . and seen it happen . . . and smell it happen. I’m referring to those encounters with Jesus, recorded in the gospels, where He was anointed with costly aromatic oils by women who longed to touch Him and to shower upon Him extravagant worship. And, as I hover over the account in John 12 this morning, there is a desire to be filled with the fragrance.

Jesus is once again in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus . . . Lazarus the alive guy. And Jesus is around the supper table with His disciples and Lazarus . . . enjoying, no doubt, some sweet fellowship . . . when in walks Mary. And Mary finds her way to the feet of Jesus . . . that seems to be the setting on her “Jesus GPS” . . . “home”, for Mary, is at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:39, John 11:32).

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair.  The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.   (John 12:3)

The house was filled with the fragrance. Ya’ think? Who hasn’t experienced coming across some lady who’s overdone it a bit with the perfume? Just a little dab too much and you can kind of smell her coming a mile way . . . and for mile after she’s left. So what’s the aroma like in the house after Mary has dumped a pound of perfume over Jesus. It’s everywhere! This simple, yet “no-holds-barred”, act of worship impacts everyone . . . not just those around the table . . . or in the room . . . but throughout the house. Everyone is made a participant in the adoration shown to Jesus . . . everyone is connected to this costly act of reverence and exaltation. To be in the house that day, was to have the smell of the anointed feet of Jesus burned almost permanently into your nostrils. Did Mary love Jesus? So much so you could smell the love.

And what about Jesus? If this is the same encounter as in Matthew 26, then not only did the pound of perfume find it’s way to His feet, but also over His head and entire body. Talk about your close encounters of the pungent kind. I have often thought that Jesus carried this anointing, done in preparation for His death, through the entire passion week . . . that all those who encountered Him that week . . . from those who arrested Him in the garden, to those who tried Him in the High Priests house, to those who beat Him, to those who nailed Him to the cross . . . that they all picked up on the aroma of costly perfume poured out on Him. His life literally a living sacrifice . . . His acceptable act of worship before the Father . . . as, in obedience, He completed the work He was sent to do. On Jesus too, you could smell the love.

But thanks to William MacDonald and his “Believer’s Bible Commentary” a new consideration was brought to my attention. What about Mary? She took that very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. Now 1Corinthians 11 says that a woman’s long hair is her glory (1Cor. 11:15) . . . and Mary took her glory and used it to wipe aromatic oils upon Jesus feet. So what did her hair smell like afterwards? And for how long? Her hair was filled with the fragrance of her worship. Her act of sacrificial love shown to the Savior would linger with her for days . . . maybe weeks. Her long tresses hanging over her shoulder would constantly emit wisps of her desire for Jesus. At night when she tied back her hair before going to sleep she would again be reminded of the precious privilege that was hers to touch His feet and declare her allegiance to His holy name. As she got back into the swing of life and the daily routine, would she still, every now and then, catch a whiff of the aroma of the extravagant worship she had directed to the One who alone is worthy of worship? How long, after worshiping Jesus, would she smell the love?

Oh, to know intimate communion at the table with Jesus . . . to take up my place at the feet of Jesus . . . to hold nothing back in declaring my love to Him . . . to reach out with hands of faith and touch Him in worshipful adoration . . . to pour out upon Him the oils of praise . . . do you think it could result in a bit of an “after aroma”. I’m thinking so! Oh, to be filled with the fragrance . . . for His glory . . . and my abiding joy . . . amen.

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The Glory Has Entered the Building!

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Pete

At men’s Bible study last week I was trying to be a bit facetious in order to make a point. In our “fly over” of the Old Testament we were “touching down” in Psalms. And so, to make the point that the book of Psalms is probably among the better known of the OT books, I asked, “Who has a favorite chapter in Leviticus? Who has a favorite chapter in Ezekiel? Now, who has a favorite chapter in Psalms?” Ain’t I witty! But what got me was a brother came up to me after the study and said, “You know, I do have a favorite chapter in Ezekiel . . . Ezekiel 43!” This morning it was clear to me why . . . the glory has entered the building!

In the eleventh chapter of Ezekiel’s prophecy, the prophet witnesses the glory departing from the temple. Of all the awful judgments leveled against hard-hearted, idol-worshiping, adulterous Israel, perhaps the worst was God’s personal evacuation of the temple. The glory in their midst was withdrawn . . . the presence of God was removed . . . the seat of His Holy Name was emptied. Oh, of all the consequences of their sin, I’ve got to think this was the worst.

But in chapter thirty-six, there’s a shift in the prophetic vision given to this “son of man.” It is a vision of restoration . . . of wholesale renovation . . . of sprinkling of clean water to rid Israel of their filth . . . of hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh . . . of a new spirit infused within their spirits . . . of dry, dead bones being brought to life . . . and of the assurance that a King would again rule (ch. 36-37). The vision continues with predictions of a returning conqueror . . . and the promise that God will again set His glory among the nations (ch. 38-39). And then, the prophecy slows to snails pace as Ezekiel is given a vision of a new temple . . . a detailed, you can draw blueprints from it, type of vision (ch. 41-42). So consistent with God’s past revelations concerning the place where He would determine to dwell.

And then, chapter forty-three . . . my friends favorite Ezekiel chapter . . . the glory re-enters the building!

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory. . . . And I fell on my face. As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. . . . I heard One speaking to me out of the temple, and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever . . . “   (Ezekiel 43:2-7a ESV)

The glory will again fill the temple. And this time it won’t be in the form of a pillar of fire. It won’t be an enveloping cloud falling upon the ark in some inner sanctuary which drives people from the inner courts so that the glory can only be beheld from afar. But the glory of the Lord will enter as a person. A person who’s presence will cause the earth to shine . . . a person who will claim the holy of holies as the place for His throne . . . a person who will speak make Himself known from the temple . . . a person who will dwell in the midst of His people. Behold, the glory of the LORD!

Can there be any doubt this is Jesus of Nazareth . . . the babe in the manger . . . the carpenter’s son . . . the radical rabbi . . . the Lamb of God . . . the Resurrection and the Life! The glory will return . . . bodily . . . boldly . . . and brightly. The glory will emanate from this Son of David and shine forth in majestic light. And you got to think that the response of those who behold the glory will be that of the prophet . . . “And I fell on my face.” What a day that will be!

But, as I pause, I’m reminded that the glory has already entered this temple. That God, by His Spirit, has taken up residence within this sinner-saved-by-grace . . . that He has “shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” . . . that the glory is dwelling within this jar of clay (2Cor. 4:6-7). And so this morning, I too would fall on my face . . .

Praise God that the Glory has entered the building! Amen?

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Double Speak

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Pete

No lack of material in John 11 to evoke wonder. Other than the cross itself, this, it seems to me, is the pinnacle of Jesus public ministry. A dead friend . . . grieving sisters . . . a tomb that’s been sealed for 4 days. It all comes together that Jesus might declare that He is “the resurrection and the life” . . . it all comes together that Jesus might ask, “Do you believe this?” A Shepherd weeping at death’s destruction . . . a Sovereign commanding that the stone before the tomb be taken away . . . a Savior crying out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And out walks a dead man alive . . . and many dead souls are also made alive as many believe in Him who is the resurrection. Amazing! Awesome! But there’s something else in this chapter which amazed me this morning . . . the double speak of Caiaphas, the high priest.

I always find it strange that it is this incident, Jesus raising a dead man to life, which in effect seals His fate. This is the final straw for the hard-heart, stiff-necked band of Jews who have responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the people. He’s raised someone from the dead, they acknowledge . . . if we let Him keep going like this, soon everyone’s going to believe in Him . . . and what will that mean for us? . . . and what will the Romans do if we lose our seat of power? (John 11:47-48) We’ve got to kill this Giver of life, they say . . . and while we are at it, we need to take out this Lazarus guy, as well (John 12:9-11) . . . we need to kill the dead guy who was made alive and make him dead again so that we get rid of the evidence of the power of the One who made Him alive. Crazy, huh?

Specifically, it’s Caiaphas, the high priest, who puts “the hit” out on Jesus. While the others fret over the loss of their prestige if more and more people start believing in Jesus, it’s Caiaphas who declares what must be done . . . but it’s also God who is speaking through him . . . it’s double speak . . .

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.    (John 11:49-52 ESV)

And I wonder at the Sovereignty of God that His ways are declared even through the mouth of a twisted, darkness-infested, sham of a religious leader. That while these puppet rulers of Israel think it’s their idea to put to death the Son of God for the sake of the nation, it has, in fact, always been the eternal purpose of The Ruler of Creation to offer His Son as a once-for-all sacrifice for the sin of His people and for all those who become children of God by faith. I’m amazed afresh at the reminder that God directs the events of earth in order to accomplish the purposes of heaven.

What man intended for evil, God, from before the foundations of the earth, had architected for good. Though they thought they were taking matters into their own hands, they were in fact exercising their warped will within the determined will of the Redeemer of men. The words Caiaphas thought he was speaking to protect his own self interest, was, in reality, the declaration of a God who so loved the world that He would give His only Son to reclaim His creation.

O’ what a Sovereign . . . O’ what a Savior!

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Show Me Your Face

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Pete

“Show me your face!” That’s the cry of wanting someone to make themselves known. You might be aware of their presence in a room . . . you might see their form in the shadows . . . even if they are standing right in front of you but with a shrouded head . . . until they show you their face, you can’t really know who they are. I’m reading in Ezekiel again this morning and God “fast forwards” the prophet. He tells Ezekiel to speak concerning the “latter days” when God will allow Gog, the king of the land Magog and all the peoples of the north, to come against Israel “like a cloud covering the land” . . . those days when God will bring them against the land of His people, “that the nations may know Me, when through you, O Gog, I will vindicate My holiness before their eyes” (Eze. 38:14-16).

It will be the battle to end all battles when God makes known His glory know among the nations and the house of Israel will “know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward” (Eze. 39:21-22). And how will they know? What will be different this time than in times past?

And I will not hide My face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.   (Ezekiel 39:29 ESV)

God’s face is no longer hidden when His Spirit is poured out. He is no longer just the presence in the room . . . not just a form in the shadows . . . not there but shrouded in a cloak of unknowableness (probably not a word). When He pours out His Spirit on those He has called for Himself, He shows His face . . . makes Himself known . . . is able to be beheld, if though only as a through a mirror dimly at first.

I read this prophecy from an ancient day concerning a future day and am in awe that, by the grace of God, I am actively engaged in a foreshadowing of its fulfillment in this present day. As believers we have had the Spirit poured out into our lives. For those who have “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him” we have been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).

And the seal of God leads to the reveal of God . . . “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God . . . we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor. 2:10, 12, 16b).

And the guarantee of inheritance is the manner of His inhabitance . . . “And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1John 3:24).

God’s Spirit dwelling in God’s people making known God’s face. O’ to the think of the intimate fellowship afforded to the child of God through the indwelling Spirit of God. Isn’t it a cause for awe and wonder? Isn’t it a catalyst for praise? Doesn’t the fact that God has made His face available compel us to cry out with Moses, “Please, show me Your glory!” (Ex. 33:18)

I’m thinkin’ . . .

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It Ain’t About Me!

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Pete

We . . . I . . . do have a way of making it all about us . . . me. And I get why. The gospel is such good news and has had such a huge impact on the life of the believer that it’s hard not to sit back in awe of the blessings we have been graced to receive. I was going there this morning as I spent some extended time in Ezekiel this morning amazed at God’s pursuit of Israel and, by application, His pursuit of me.

God calls out the unfaithful shepherds of Israel and then says, “I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out . . . I will rescue them . . . I myself will be their shepherd . . . I will seek the lost” (34:15-16). When He has gathered the sheep, the Lord GOD then determines to reconstitute the sheep . . . after cleansing them with clean water, He determines to give them a new heart and a new spirit . . . to remove their hearts of stone and replace them with a heart of flesh . . . to put His Spirit within them . . . so that “you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (36:22-28). He also declares that He will take those who once were like dry bones and remake them . . . breathing life into them . . . placing His Spirit within born again dead people (37:1-14). He then covenants to save them from their backsliding and to set a king over them who will shepherd them . . . through whom He says He will establish an everlasting promise of peace (37:23b-26).

How blessed is Israel to be? How blessed am I? But wait . . . it ain’t about me!!!

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy name . . . (Ezekiel 36:22 ESV)

To be sure, I am a recipient of grace . . . I am a benefactor of His unmerited favor . . . but let me not think that it’s about me. God has determined to act for the sake of His holy name. God has sought and saved so that He might be known. The wonder of the gift should not supplant the wonder due the Giver. Amazing grace should lead to awe-inspired worship.

Seems to me that if we . . . I . . . get too fixed on the blessings, then I run the danger of starting to think that somehow I deserved them . . . that I did something right. If I become locked on the benefits I enjoy as a child of God, I might start to measure God’s goodness by how good things are for me right now. Instead, I need to be reminded that I God has acted for the sake of His Name . . . that it might be exalted . . . that it might lifted up . . . and that the redemption I’ve known . . . and the restoration I’m experiencing . . . and the resurrection I’m anticipating . . . are all about glorifying that altogether wonderful Name.

Mine is to live for the glory of that Name. Mine is to praise Him for His benefits not because of what they do for me but because of what they say about Him. That He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Ps. 103:8).

To be sure, I . . . we, as believers . . . have been blessed . . . blessed “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). We have been chosen by a Shepherd seeking lost sheep . . . we have been spiritually reconstituted “that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4) . . . we have been made His people by “adoption as sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:5). But it’s not about us . . . me. It is all “to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6).

It is ALL to the praise of His glorious grace.

O’ may the redeemed lift up the Name of the Redeemer . . . may the blessed bless the Blessor . . .

Bless the LORD, O you His angels,
   you mighty ones who do His word,
   obeying the voice of His word!
Bless the LORD, all His hosts,
   His ministers, who do His will!
Bless the LORD, all His works,
   in all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!     (Psalm 103:20-22 ESV)

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Our Anointing

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Pete

I’m hovering over a thought in 1John this morning. The thought that I have been anointed . . . the thought that this anointing doesn’t just rest on me, but abides in me. Often we identify “the anointing” with those who seem to have a special calling or a unique gifting . . . “They are anointed,” we say. But John is writing to his “little children” (2:1) . . . encouraging them to “walk in the light” (1:7) . . . admonishing them not to “love the world or the things in the world” (2:15) . . . and warning them of the antichrists, those who deny the Father and the Son, who twist the truth and speak lies and would seek to deceive the people of God (2:18-22, 26). And what is it that the allows the “little children” of God to walk in the light . . . and say no to the world . . . and to stand fast in the truth? Our anointing.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge . . . But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything–and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you–abide in Him.   (1John 2:20, 27 ESV)

I have been smeared . . . that’s the literal idea behind the word “anoint.” Probably the picture that comes to mind is that of the priests of old who had a mixture of oil and aromatic herbs sprinkled on them as preparation for serving in the sanctuary . . . or perhaps, the woman who poured out perfume of worship upon the head and feet of Jesus is what we envision. You think anointing and you think of being covered . . . and the covering isn’t visible, but it’s presence is known through the aroma of the oil or perfume emanating from the anointed.

And if I can identify with the “little children” whom John is writing too (and I think I can), then I have been anointed by the Holy One. An anointing given the moment I believed (2Cor. 1:21). An anointing that rests upon me . . . an anointing which abides in me. The oil of God given to permeate every aspect of my being . . . my heart, my soul, my mind.

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is our anointing. He is the oil . . . He is the perfume. And it’s not that “special believers” have an anointing . . . it’s that all believers have a “special anointing.” We’ve all been smeared. The Holy Spirit has been poured out into our lives. His mission is to make Christ known to us . . . to enable us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior . . . and, by that knowledge transform us, conforming us to the image of Christ . . . making us like Him . . . in thought . . . in action.

It’s so easy to think of this anointing as some “force” within us . . . and all too often we settle for a “dormant force.” But that is so far from how I think the Holy Spirit wants to operate. First, He’s not an “it” . . . He’s a “He”. Second, He is God. And third, He desires to abide with us . . . to engage in continual fellowship . . . to engage in our lives 24/7. He is the “personal” as in “personal relationship” with God. He’s the “in you” as in “Christ in you.” He is what makes it happen.

Praise God for our anointing! O, that we might become more adept at hearing His voice and recognizing His leading. That we might truly be permeated by His presence. That the aroma of God Himself would emanate from our beings through this blessed anointing of His Holy Spirit.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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Living at Dawn

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Pete

I remember as a kid it being a pretty big deal to see the sun come up. Based on how I remember it, I think I must have been a pretty good sleeper . . . it was a special happening, like getting an early start on family vacation, when mom or dad would get us kids up so early that we’d be conscious for sunrise. Now, most of my days start in the dark and I just take seeing the dawn for granted. But something I read in 1John this morning may change that . . .

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.    (1John 2:7-8 ESV)

John’s purpose in writing this letter is “so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1:3). The reality of communion with one another is founded on the reality of our communion with the Father and His Son. The Father having made full provision for such intimate fellowship between the Creator and His creation as “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin” (1:7) . . . and “He is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins” (2:2) . . . Jesus Christ the righteous not only making the way but bringing us into the way as the “Advocate with the Father” (2:1).

And the evidence of such relationship? “And this is how we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments” (2:3). Obedience is the not the basis for fellowship, it is the evidence. It’s not that I try to serve Jesus hoping it will put me in good stead with the Father . . . rather, because I am in good stead with the Father through the finished work of His Son, I love Jesus and desire to serve Him. And so the old commandments are given new power . . . the right stuff is still the right stuff but now I have the right enabling to do the right stuff . . . because I’m living at dawn.

The darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining . . .

In a very real sense I’m living at dawn . . . seeing, by the grace of God, the darkness of the old man giving way more and more to the light that has been placed within my heart, “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Cor. 4:6). I’m not there yet . . . oh, so not there yet! But the darkness is passing away . . . and I’m living more and more in the reality of the marvelous light I have been called into (1Peter 2:9). I’m not there yet . . . but I’m also not where I once was . . . praise be to God alone!

I’m living at dawn . . . the light before me becoming more and more attractive than the darkness around me. The shadows dissipating as the glory on the horizon captures more and more of my attention and my interest. It’s the work that God has begun in me, the work He has promised to complete at the day Jesus returns (Php. 1:6) . . . to bring me more and more in line with the reality of my deliverance from the domain of darkness and my transfer to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col. 1:13) . . . my walk being more in the light and less in the dark.

I don’t know how long this thought might stay with me, but I’m thinking it has the possibility of changing how I view sunrise . . . that each dawn becomes a reminder that just as the night gives way to the day, so too for the believer . . . for this believer . . . the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

O’ shine true Light . . . remove the shadows . . . fill the house . . . that the fellowship might be sweet . . . that our joy might be made complete (1John 1:4).

By Your grace . . . for Your glory!

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