Transparency

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Pete

It was the last thing in the world she expected. That He had talked to her at all was amazing . . . that He offered her a type of water which would never leave her thirsty again was intriguing . . . and, after she asked for this water which wells up to eternal, that He would respond with such a request was shocking! . . . Go get your husband . . .

He freely offered her living water . . . but it would cost her . . .

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”  (John 4:16-18 ESV)

Transparency . . . that’s what she was required to ante up. A recognition of her thirst . . . an acknowledgement of her need. That was the price to be paid . . . truth before the Giver of Living Water.

Transparency can be kind of uncomfortable . . . so she tries to steer the conversation to more esoteric matters . . . to matters of a difference of opinion . . . to the dividing debate between Samaritan and Jew, where to worship. But Jesus loves her too much to let her off the hook. Worship isn’t about heritage . . . it’s not about the mountain or Jerusalem . . . it’s not about an on-going debate . . . it’s about God . . . the God who requires transparency and truth . . .

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” — Jesus (John 4:23-24 ESV)

Do I want to take in living water? . . . Do I want to put out authentic worship? . . . then I’m thinking I need to, though it might be uncomfortable, walk onto the ground of transparency and truth with the Giver of Living Water . . . with the Seeker of Real Worshipers.

Honesty before the throne. That’s what my God desires. When I’m spiritually parched I need to be willing to be shown how I’ve contributed to the dryness . . . to own up to perhaps some waywardness . . . or some prideful self-sufficiency which has interrupted the flow of living water. I need not fear transparency . . . in fact, being reminded again of Jesus unconditional love for me despite my performance deficiencies is life giving water in and of itself. To be made aware again that the God who formed me . . . and redeemed me . . . and has begun a work in me . . . knows me inside and out . . . and still is committed to the finishing His work, is rejuvenating. To humble myself and confess my sin, knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9) . . . that alone will refuel the passion to praise . . . the want to worship.

Transparency . . . truth . . . that’s how I am to open my mouth to receive heaven’s thirst-quenching water . . . that’s how I am to approach the God of matchless grace who seeks worshipers . . .

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
   Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)

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Anticipating the Harvest

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Pete

If I’m honest with myself, I’m not really a patient person. I don’t think my natural wiring lends itself to “chilling out” and buckling down for the long haul. Certainly this digital age of 140 character sentences, four minute videos, and six paragraph blogs hasn’t helped my tendency to be a bit of a pinball. But this morning James tells me to be patient . . . to establish my heart . . . to stand firm . . . to place my feet firmly on the Rock that is my compassionate and merciful God (James 5:7-12).

As an example, James says, look to the prophets and their patient endurance of suffering as they spoke the word of the Lord (v. 10). Not hard to do as I’ve just finished reading four chapters in Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one patient dude. Talk about your “fruitless ministry” . . . no one’s listening . . . other self-proclaimed prophets are popping up and counter-prophesying, saying that it won’t be as bad as Jeremiah has declared . . . the religious leaders want to kill him. I think I’d be looking for a new calling if I were Jeremiah.

So what keeps someone keep going when there are so little visible results? James provides this perspective . . . anticipate the harvest.

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand . . . behold, the Judge is standing at the door.  
                                                                                    (James 5:7-8, 9b ESV)

The principle of the farmer is simple, do the work you can and plant seed (that’s his responsibility) . . . then wait for the rains (something he doesn’t control) . . . and wait for time to pass (something he can’t rush) . . . and then harvest the crop.

Living for Christ is like that. I need to do my part . . but then I need to wait on God to do His part . . . and to do it in His time . . . knowing that He gives the growth (1Cor. 3:6) . . . reminded that He is the Lord of the harvest.

And three times James reminds me of the surety of the harvest . . . the ultimate bringing in of the sheaves . . . that Jesus is coming soon.

He’s at the door . . . that glorious event is just around the corner. And as I anticipate it . . . as I set my heart on it so much that I can taste it . . . then a steadfastness can be known as I determine to “keep on keepin’ on” as I wait for it.

That’s what keeps the farmer tending his field . . . the expectation that the seeds will grow into a bounty . . . and the anticipation of the jubilation of harvest . That’s how I’m to be . . . it’s all about planting seeds now . . . it’s all about being faithful . . . regardless of the circumstance . . . because I know He is coming.

Until then, I am to be patient . . . to stand fast . . . to believe . . . to look up . . . to discern the signs of the time . . . and, from time to time, turn my face heavenward, close my eyes, and smile . . . smile a deep smile of assurance . . . anticipating the harvest . . .

. . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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The Friend of the Bridegroom

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Pete

Finishing up John 3 this morning (vv. 22-36) . . . and as I reflect on today’s reading and the readings of the past couple of mornings I’m struck by a contrast. You probably couldn’t have encountered two more opposite dudes than Nicodemus and John the Baptizer. One a Pharisee . . . among the elite . . . dressing each morning in finery . . . accustomed to the place of honor and privilege . . . a somebody by anybodies account. The other a . . . ah . . . ah . . . a wild man . . . some (like Erwin McManus) would call him a barbarian . . . anything but civilized . . . dressing in animal skins . . . a stranger to deodorant I imagine . . . accustomed to eating whatever the wilderness would provide . . . a nobody who was all about Somebody else. The one came to Jesus at night . . . the other proclaimed the Lamb of God day after day. And here’s the contrast that really grabs me this morning . . . the one was a man schooled in the law . . . learned . . . a teacher of Israel . . . yet clueless as to the dynamics of the kingdom of God. The other . . . oh, the other! What he knew . . . what he discerned . . . what he understood! What privilege is given to those who are the friend of the Bridegroom.

John’s disciples come to John a bit bent out of shape that John’s ministry is starting to lose steam as the crowds are instead flocking to Jesus. John’s response? “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John had known his was about pointing to another . . . he had been very clear that he was not the “main event” but the preparer of the way. John understood that he was of the earth, but Jesus was from heaven . . . Jesus had come from above . . . and as such Jesus was above all. John understood that Jesus was the Son of God . . . that the Father loves the Son and had given all things into the Son’s hand . . . that Jesus uttered the very words of God . . . that Jesus would give the Spirit without measure . . . and that whoever believed in the Son would have eternal life.

How did John know all this? Did he and cousin Jesus hang out while they were growing up planning the day when the “Jesus Tour” would kick off with the “Wilderness Warning” as the opening act? No record of it. My sense is that John was the recipient of some heavenly sourced illumination . . . the benefit of being the friend of the Bridegroom.

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” — John the Baptizer (John 3:27-29 ESV)

There’s nothing John knew, regardless of whatever earthy mechanics may have been used, that wasn’t given him from heaven. He was a friend of the Bridegroom who had set his heart to stand with Him and to listen to Him. He had heard the Bridegroom’s voice . . . for years by faith and through the Spirit and now in real time as Jesus revealed the ways of the kingdom. And in hearing that voice, now as always, he rejoiced . . . his joy was complete.

And while I’m no John the Baptizer . . . by the grace of God and through the work of the cross I am a friend of the Bridegroom. He has made a way for me to stand in His presence . . . He has given me His word that I might know His ways . . . He has indwelt me with His Spirit that I might hear His voice . . . the same dynamic of illumination that allowed John to behold the Lamb of God works in me today. It’s the privilege of being a friend of the Bridegroom.

Nicodemus would eventually be brought into the same privilege. The equalizer between a Pharisee and a barbarian being their relationship with the living Christ.

That I would rejoice in such favor . . . that my joy might be made complete . . . not by my smarts but by His grace . . . not for my glory but for His glory alone!

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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?

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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 . . . “

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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!

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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?

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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 . . .

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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?

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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.

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