An Add to My Wish List

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Pete

I’m guessing we all have a wish list. Not saying that we’re covetous necessarily, but that if we were asked, “If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?” . . . most of us would have an answer . . . one or two (or three) things that we intensely desire. And it might not be material stuff . . . it might be a desire for a cure or restored health. And it might not even be for ourselves . . . it might something on our wish list that is for someone else. But, I’m guessing, if asked, we’d all come up with something.

In my reading in Psalm 119 this morning I was struck by something on the psalmist’s wish list. Actually on his “beg list” . . . on his “I-want-it-so-bad-I’m-at-the-point-of-being-sick-with-desire list”. And as I noodle on it, I can’t help but wonder why it wouldn’t be at the top of my list.

I entreat Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. (Psalm 119:58 ESV)

The psalmist, from the depths of his inner man, begs God for His face. Literally he is sick and weak with a consuming longing for the presence of God. His whole being cries out to know the countenance of God. It is the cry of Moses, “Please, show me Your glory” (Ex. 33:18).

The song writer sings from the depths of his heart of the desire to know afresh the favor of the LORD. Make Your goodness pass before me . . . proclaim Your name afresh such that I might know You more. You, O God, are gracious . . . show me Your grace . . . You, O God, abound in steadfast love and faithfulness . . . I want to know the depths of Your love . . . I want to comprehend the measure of Your beyond measure faithfulness.

Turn Your face toward me, O God! According to Your promise, let me comprehend and receive anew Your unmerited favor.

Spurgeon writes that “the presence of God is the highest form of His favor” and thus should be “the most urgent desire of gracious souls.”

And I wonder why it isn’t at the top of my wish list.

Maybe because I just assume His presence by default . . . after all He has taken up residence within me through the blessed Holy Spirit. Maybe because I’m content with yesterday’s encounter. Maybe because I’m must too busy or too distracted with more tangible desires and goals.

Whatever the reason, having known the favor of God should fuel a desire to know more the favor God. Having experienced God’s smile in the past should create a hunger and thirst for continual and increasing intimacy with His shining countenance. Having been awakened to the presence of God I should beseech the Lord with all my heart to know it in its fullness. Having known Him as my portion should fuel an intense passion to behold His fullness.

“If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?” It would be something out of this world . . .

I would beg to see Your face, Father . . . with all my heart, to know afresh Your presence . . .

Add that to the wish list.

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On Being Stuffed

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Pete

It’s kind of a funny thing to say, if you think about it. You know, you have eaten way more than you should have . . . you passed the daily recommended portion about two portions ago . . . and then you sit back, undo the button on your pants, and exclaim with a sigh, “I’m stuffed!” You know the feeling . . . you’ve packed it in . . . no more room left . . . one more bite and you’re going to burst. This morning, something I read in Ephesians, has me thinking not of eating but of being maxed out . . . topped up . . . at capacity . . . or, as Paul says, “filled with all the fullness.”

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.    (Ephesians 3:14-17 ESV)

Paul’s prayer for the saints was that they would be “filled with all the fullness of God.” Hmmm. Really? What does that even mean? Big, big, big God poured into puny people. Feeble, weak, “like the grass” creation jam packed with the abundance of the Creator of immeasurable power (Eph. 1:19) and who dwells in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16). Kind of hurts the brain a bit to think of what it means “in real life” to be filled with fullness of God. But if it weren’t possible . . . the God-breathed word of God wouldn’t say it was.

Whatever it is it is “according to the riches of His grace” . . . that’s a lot! It happens as we are strengthened by the Spirit of God and as the Son of God dwells in our hearts. The pump of this overflowing fullness is primed by being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ . . . and in pursuing the comprehension of the dimensions of this love which “surpasses knowledge.” And as we seek to know . . . as we hunger and thirst to understand . . . as we cry out for the Spirit to reveal and illuminate . . . as we invite Jesus to abide with us, Him in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9) . . . the word says we’ll get stuffed! . . . filled with the fullness of God.

I think it’s akin to what Peter refers to as partaking in the divine nature (2Pet. 1:4). Barnes says it means, “that you may have the richest measures of Divine consolation and of the Divine Presence; that you may partake of the entire enjoyment of God in the most ample measure in which he bestows his favors on his people.”

And if the child of God can really be filled with the fullness of God, then you got to think “there’s no room left for dessert.” As I’m filled with the fullness of God won’t self be displaced . . . as I overflow with the love of God, doesn’t that mean there’s no room left for hatred or bitterness . . . as the righteousness of Christ permeates every corner of my being, won’t that mean that the old nature has less and less to feed on . . . as He increases, don’t I decrease?

Filled with the fullness of God . . . a phrase so easy to read . . . so easy to just skim over . . . but just pause a moment and noodle on it . . . it overflows my cognitive capability . . . it wells up within my heart a worship response . . .

One of my favorite phrases from a Josh Wilson song is “it’s like trying to put the ocean in a cup.” That’s what I imagine being filled with the fullness of God to be like . . . great, big ocean poured into a teensy-weensy cup. But to quote another song writer, “Fill my cup, Lord!”

That I would be stuffed . . . that I would be filled with the fullness of God . . . for His glory . . . amen.

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A Glimmer of Glory

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Pete

There’s something about the glory of God that when you get a glimpse of it . . . when you sense something of the essence of His name . . . not only are you struck with awe . . . but you are also made keenly aware that “there’s more where that came from” . . . that what “meets the eye” is only a foretaste of something greater . . . that whatever you think you understand about the glory of God only serves to make it clear that you understand so little of the glory of God.

Reading in 1Kings 8 this morning . . . the temple is finished . . . the priests have brought in the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle which served them in the wilderness . . . and then they bring in the ark of the covenant of the LORD into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. And then it happens . . .

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.    (1Kings 8:10-11 ESV)

The glory of God, seen in the cloud, fills the magnificent temple built by Solomon. What a sight!!!

All Israel stood around the temple in absolute amazement and awe!! I can’t imagine the stirring of their heart to be “that close” to God . . . to behold His glory. And Solomon gets on his knees, spreads out his hands toward heaven, and prays . . . and isn’t far into his prayer before he asks . . .

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built!    (1Kings 8:27 ESV)

Solomon gets it. This display of the glory of God on earth is just an indicator of that glory which cannot be contained. When I start thinking that I “get” the glory of God . . then I’ve lost sight of it.

The glory of God evokes wonder, awe, humility. The glory of God drives people to their knees. The glory of God causes people to understand that there is so much more . . . and stirs within people the intense desire to see more . . . to know more . . . to experience more . . .

“Will God indeed dwell on the earth?” Yes!!!! And again, Yes!!! But not in temples of stone . . . instead in hearts of flesh . . in and through the church . . . a building being fitted together . . . a holy temple in the Lord . . . a dwelling place of God in the Spirit . . . to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places!! (Eph. 2:21-22, 3:10) But this too is a but a shadow of the glory that is His who is enthroned in heavenly majesty.

Oh that something of the glory of God would be known in and through His people . . . not that we, as the but the vessel, might be noticed . . . but that the world might see Him and something of His glory and desire more.

The earth can’t contain Him . . . the temple couldn’t contain Him . . . the church can’t contain Him . . .but we can reveal Him . . . just a glimmer of glory.

Show us Your glory O God!!! Reveal Your glory in and through us, Lord!!! . . . “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other” (8:60). Amen.

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At the Opposite End of the Spectrum!

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Pete

It’s the contrast that grabs me . . . the difference between the “before” and “after” pictures. As I started in on my reading in Ephesians 2 this morning I’m told to remember the “before”. Words I highlighted are “separated” . . . “alienated” . . . “no hope” . . . “without God” (v.12). By the end of the passage the descriptors have changed . . . “fellow citizens” . . . “saints” . . . “members of the household of God” . . . “a holy temple in the Lord” . . . “a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (v.19-22). Talk about your opposite ends of the spectrum . . . from being estranged to being part of the family . . . from being without God to being a dwelling place for God. And what’s made difference?

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

But now . . . you gotta love those two words, “But now!” They shout the love of God. Earlier in the chapter Paul reminds his readers that at one time they were the living dead . . . followers of the prince of the power of the air . . . passion driven . . . self-gratifying . . . “by nature children of wrath”. And then he writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (2:4-5). Moving to the opposite end of the spectrum starts with “but now”. It’s while I was still due south that God made the way for me to find true north . . . while I was still doing my own thing that He started to reveal to me His ways . . . while I still far off that He completed the work for me to be brought near.

And it’s “in Christ Jesus” where “spectrum travel” is possible. Never could I have earned the right to be a child of God . . . never could I have picked myself up and powered my way from being a son of disobedience to a being a member of God’s family. Just wasn’t going to happen. Apart from my identification with the risen Son of God there’s no getting from hopeless “point A” to His glorious “point B”. Apart from donning His righteousness and clothing myself with His holiness there’s nothing I bring that takes my sad “before” picture and turns it into an “after” picture worthy of being displayed as a trophy of God’s grace.

It’s the blood of Christ which provides the power for movement from one end of the spectrum to the other . . . the work of Christ on the cross which takes the stranger and adopts him as a son . . . the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God for my sin which allows an enemy to be called a brother and received as a joint heir . . . the grace of God which invites those who were once far off to be brought near . . . which calls to the dead to be alive.

There’s a blessing to be experienced by taking a few moments to remember that I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum. There’s a stirring of praise as I consider afresh that though once I was blind, now I see. There’s a sense of awe and desire to worship as I look back at what was . . . and consider what is . . . and imagine what will be.

This morning I thank God I am at the opposite end of the spectrum . . . all because I am “in Christ” . . . made possible only by the blood of Christ . . . and all for the glory of God. Amen?

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A Reliable Source

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Pete

I hate getting lost. For me, few things are worse, than needing to be somewhere and finding that I don’t know where there is. My frustration level increases when the directions I’ve been given are bad . . . especially when they are from a “reliable source.” In the past few weeks I have been failed by “Google Maps” . . . not once, but twice! If you can’t trust Google Maps, who can you trust?

This morning I’m reading in Psalm 119 . . . one of my favorite parts of my reading plan . . . one of my favorite portions of Scripture . . . a love letter consumed with the word of God . . . all 22 stanzas . . . all 176 verses. And this morning I’m reminded that the Scriptures are really my “reliable source” . . .

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me!
(Psalm 119:18-19 ESV)

I am a sojourner on the earth . . . or, as Peterson puts it, “I am a stranger in these parts” (MSG). This world is foreign territory . . . I’m just a temporary inhabitant trying to make my way from here to there. There are so many roads available to go down . . . so many destinations advertising for me to visit . . . so many “attractions” willing to take my treasure . . . so many potholes to try and avoid . . . so many ditches to stay out of. There’s also so much to be enjoyed . . . so much to encounter as it bears the mark of the Creator — though tarnished by a world in rebellion . . . so many opportunities to “talk to the locals” about my homeland . . . to invite them to become sojourners as well and to set their face toward eternity.

But I need good directions . . . a trustworthy guide . . . a GPS I can have confidence in . . . a reliable source that will help me navigate. LORD, says the psalmist, hide not Your commandments from me! Open my eyes, LORD, that I might see wondrous things from Your law. That, my friends, is my reliable source.

Oh, that I would be gripped with the reality that this world is not my home . . . that this is not the final destination . . . but that I would be “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” . . . that my desire would be for a “better country, that is, a heavenly one” for God has prepared such a place for me (Heb. 11:10, 16). And, in so recognizing that I’m on a journey in hostile territory, cry out to God for direction . . . seeking His mind and wisdom in navigating this place. To look for a travel guide that allows me to journey in such a way as to reflect my true heritage . . . to walk in this world without losing the distinctiveness of the one for which I am destined.

That my morning by morning plea would be, “Open my eyes . . . show me wondrous things in Your word.” That I would consciously invite the illuminating work of the Spirit within me . . . that I would be expecting fresh instruction for the day . . . that I would have eyes to see and hears to ear concerning the path that is mine as an ambassador for Christ . . . that I would sojourn in the day with confidence, knowing my way has been “mapped out” by a reliable source.

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.   (Psalm 119:24 ESV)

Who needs Google Maps?

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Taking Inventory

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Pete

Sometimes you need to take inventory. It’s needed in the business world . . . I have a big project to do, do I have the resources? It’s needed in battle . . . what military assets are at my disposal? It’s needed in long distance running . . . have I taken in enough calories and water to make the distance? It’s needed in long distance driving . . . how much gas do I have in the tank? And, for me at least, it’s needed in trying to do life in a way that’s consistent with my profession as a follower of Christ and in a way that’s pleasing to my Lord.

Frankly, there are times when I worry that I’m running on empty . . . times when I wonder if I can sustain it. Ephesians 1, in my mind, is the perfect inventory for such times. Every time I read Ephesians, it’s a like reunion which ends in revival . . . like coffee with a good friend, always ending in encouragement and renewal. It’s a reminder of the heavenly account that’s been set up in my name . . . a reminder of the vast implications of being “in Him” . . . a reminder of the “glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved” and the “riches of His grace which He lavished upon us” (v.6, 8).

And the extent of such grace is captured in one glorious promise . . . one beyond-comprehension truth . . . one out-of-this-world inventory . . .

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places . . .    
(Ephesians 1:3 ESV)

Break it down. What am I to do? Bless God. How come? Because He has blessed me in Christ. With what? Every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.

Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him . . . predestined for adoption as sons through Christ . . . having been redeemed through His blood and knowing the forgiveness of our trespasses . . . part of a plan for the fullness of times when all things will be united in Him . . . having obtained an inheritance . . . predestined according to the Sovereign purposes of the God who works all things according to the counsel of His will . . . sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, the guarantee of the inheritance which one day we will possess (1:1-14).

That, my friends, is just a sampling of the spiritual bounty that is the child of God’s . . . just a high level cut at our inventory . . . a quick reminder of what it is we have to draw on . . . an insight as to what is in the storehouse for the child of God, the possessor of every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Not just some . . . not just a few . . . not just most of them . . . but EVERY spiritual blessing. Blessings not sourced in positive thinking . . . or disciplined living . . . but flowing from heaven itself . . . streamed from the living water before the throne of God . . . poured out on those He as brought into relationship with Himself.

Sometimes I need to take inventory. And it’s not the stuff that’s earth-resident that’s going to make the difference. And it’s not about what I bring to the game . . . not about my capabilities . . . not about my smarts . . . not about my power. But it’s about who I am in Christ . . . and what I possess in Him. That’s the inventory that makes the difference . . . that’s the storehouse to draw upon. The riches of His glorious grace . . . lavished on us . . . sourced in heavenly places . . . to be drawn on for earthly purposes.

And all for the praise of His glory . . .

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On My Side

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Pete

“Whose side are you on?” How many times have I asked that question or been asked that question in my lifetime? Sometimes in the context of a debate . . . which position are you taking? Sometimes in the context of a sports match up . . . as in, which team are you cheering for? Sometimes in the context of a conflict . . . where declaring a side meant taking on an opposition.

And it seems to me that there are a couple of ways that someone can be on a side. One is as a passive observer . . . the other, as an active participant. In the one case, I take a position . . . in the other, I take action. I can be on someone’s side believing what they believe and standing for what they stand for but letting them do the footwork. Or, I can be on their side as in linking arms with them . . . as in exerting effort with them . . . as in doing battle with them.

This morning, as I read Psalm 118, I hear the LORD being asked, “Whose side are You on?”

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 
(Psalm 118:6-7 ESV)

If I’m okay appropriating the psalmists words, then the LORD is on my side . . . He is with me (NIV) . . . He is for me (NLT). And not as in “He’s rooting for me” . . . but as in “He is my helper.” God is engaged . . . present in my struggles . . . active in my battles. God is not just watching from the stands . . . He is not on my side as One who cheers me on hoping I can prevail in my own strength. Rather, He is on my side as One who has drawn alongside . . . as One whose power has been made available to me . . . as One who is involved in the fight through the active agency of His Holy Spirit within me.

He is on my side as a Father actively supports His child . . . He is on my side as a Potter whose hands intimately and intricately interact with the clay . . . He is on my side as an already victorious Conqueror who “has my back” in the conflicts of life.

To think that God is on my side is amazing . . . to know that God is on my side as my helper . . . beyond words!

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.   (Psalm 118:8-9 ESV)

Sometimes, when taking it in the teeth, it’s easy to feel like you’re going it alone . . . to wonder if anybody’s on your side. In the midst of the fight there are times when you feel like you’re losing the battle . . . victory seems impossible . . . your determination is about done . . . your strength is about gone . . . apart from some help, you just don’t know how long you can stay in the game. In those times how we need to hear the LORD say through the Spirit, “Who’s on your side? I’m on your side? Who’s your support? I’m your support! Where does your help come from? It comes from Me!”

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.   (Psalm 118:13-14 ESV)

On my side . . . thank You, LORD!

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My, My, My

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Pete

As I read 2Samuel 22 I can’t help but think, at first, that David seems pretty self-centered. If I’m counting right, in my ESV bible, the word “my” or “me” is used upwards of 75 times in these 51 verses. But even though David’s “song” is centered around himself, it’s really not about him . . . even though he’s in the middle of it all, the glory goes to Another. If I were to summarize this chapter, I’d take a verse from another Psalm — “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” or, as the NLT puts it, “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me” (Ps. 103:2). Even though it centers on “me” it’s all about giving praise to “He.” In particular what stood out as I read this song of David was his “my, my, my” focus . . .

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior; . . . . But the LORD was my support. . . . For You are my lamp, O LORD . . . This God is my strong refuge . . . The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock, and exalted by my God, the Rock of my salvation!

                                                                       (2Samuel 22:2-3, 19, 29, 33, 47 ESV)

Check out that list again! My, My, My! We taught our kids when they were small not to say “mine” all the time . . . chuck that out the window . . . when it comes to the God who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us . . . when it concerns the God who has promised to give us strength to do all things . . . this One who is mighty to save . . . and mighty to sustain . . . and mighty to deliver . . . and mighty to do all that He has promised . . when it comes to Him, bless the Lord for My, My, My!

For David, he had known the “best of times and the worst of times.” Anointed king . . . yet, exiled to caves as others sought his life . . . slayer of the giant, victor over his “tens of thousands” . . . yet, victim to lust and defeated by one beautiful woman on a balcony. Righteous at times . . . yet, wretched at others . . . composing songs of victory and praise . . . yet, writing dirges from a spirit crushed by the wages of sin. He had been there, done that . . . . . . knowing the heights of victory and the agony of defeat. Yet in it all . . . one great constant . . . my God . . . my Rock . . . my Deliverer . . . my Shield . . . my Refuge . . . my Support . . . my Lamp . . . my Savior! . . . my Rock! . . . my Salvation! Oh, blessed be my God!

I’m no David . . . my story is no David story . . . but David’s God is my God . . . His Savior is My Savior . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever. And it seems to me, that I’d do well from time to time to reflect on His works on my behalf . . . and to own Him afresh as My, My, My. Not that I’d be consumed with how blessed I’ve been, but how great my God is. Not that I’d think that I’m something deserving of such favor, but that I’d be reminded of His grace and faithfulness and might. Not that I’d become self-righteous, but that He would become all-in-all receiving blessing, honor, glory, and praise.

How amazing is it that the God of Creation would be “my” anything? Answer: Pretty!!!!

He is My, My, My . . . oh, the wonder of my Salvation . . . oh, the blessing of knowing my Rock . . . oh, the comfort of leaning on my Support . . . oh, the confidence in following the way shown by my Lamp.

Let the recollection of God’s mighty works on my behalf produce a fresh sense of awe and of appreciation . . . and then will I cry out, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

. . . amen!

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Lift the Cup!

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Pete

It’s a good question . . . one that perhaps isn’t asked often because of grace . . . yet probably should be asked more . . . because of grace. The very concept of grace reminds me that there’s nothing I bring to the work of salvation . . . no merit . . . no righteous acts . . . nothing I can do. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins . . . the rescuing from darkness . . . the securing of the soul for eternity . . . every aspect and every iota of salvation relies upon the finished work of Christ upon the cross on my behalf. Mine is to confess the need for such a work . . . mine is to believe that such a work is sufficient to cleanse me from all sin . . . mine is to humbly bow before the One who is my Savior and own Him as Lord. Mine is to receive the gift by faith . . . apart from anything that I might think myself capable of doing. So maybe that’s why the question isn’t asked as often as it should be . . .

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?   (Psalm 116:12 ESV)

But the question isn’t what shall I render to merit His benefits for me. Rather it’s a question that asks how can I respond to the benefits of God’s grace? . . . what can I return? . . . as the recipient, what can I give back to the Giver? Again, not that the rendering of anything I have somehow pays off the debt . . . or that by giving something back to God He somehow becomes more justified in forgiving me in the first place. Instead, the rendering is a recognition of the mercy of God in not giving me what I deserve . . . an acknowledgment of the grace of God in imparting to me that which I didn’t deserve . . . an appreciation of the righteousness of God freely given to me in and through His blessed Son. What shall I render to the LORD?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.   (Psalm 116:13 ESV)

This is the only place in Scripture where this exact phrase, the cup of salvation, is used. And the Psalmist says, “I will lift it up and call on Your Name.”

Brings to mind a lifting of a glass as part of a toast . . . as part of honoring an esteemed guest . . . as part of recognizing a noteworthy accomplishment. It also brings to mind the lifting of the cup of the drink offering . . . poured out over the sacrifice . . . turned to steam as it hits the flame . . . ascending heavenward as a sweet smelling offering. And certainly brings to mind the taking of the cup around the Lord’s table . . . a bittersweet remembrance of the sufferings of the Lamb of God . . . of the poverty He endured . . . that I might know the riches of heaven.

It’s a cup of remembrance . . . a cup of honor . . . a cup of thanksgiving.

And the contents of the cup? . . . the substance of the offering? . . . the nature of the fine liquid lifted toward heaven? . . . it is my salvation.

So much to get caught up with in “doing life” in general . . . so much trying just to do the Christian life . . . that sometimes our salvation becomes “old news.” Meetings to attend . . . songs to sing . . . messages to hear . . . duties to fulfill . . . prayers to pray . . . fellowship to enjoy . . . as someone has once said, “Run, saint, run!” Sometimes, I just need to be still . . . take a breath . . . come back to the basics . . . Jesus loves me this I know . . . For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Oh that I wouldn’t wait for the first Sunday of the month to take the cup of remembrance and reflect on the price paid for my salvation. That I might take up the cup of salvation on a regular basis and pour it upon the altar of sacrifice expressing heartfelt thanksgiving for the His wondrous work of grace in my life. That I might take the cup of salvation . . . hoist it heavenward . . . and declare, “Great are You, LORD!”

Lift the cup . . .

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A Child of Promise

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Pete

They wanted to be under the law. They had been hooked by the lie that what had begun in the Spirit now needed to be perfected in the flesh. They had bought into the “old math” that Jesus’ work on the cross plus our efforts in the flesh equals salvation. The law had been intended as a “guardian until Christ came” . . . a restraining force until the way of faith and freedom was revealed. Never capable of justifying people before God, the law, instead, was to point the way to need for a justification accomplished by Another and appropriated by faith alone. But they wanted to be under the law . . . relying on their best efforts, they worked so that they might live like sons of slavery . . . rather than rest in being children of promise.

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. . . . Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.   (Galatians 4:21-23, 28 ESV)

Like Isaac, I am a child of promise. Born against all the odds . . . humanly speaking, without a chance of being brought into the family . . . unable to work my way “to the top” . . . with no heavenly capital of my own to buy my way in. The only entrance . . . the only means of becoming a member of the family . . . was through the determined purposes of God . . . through His Sovereign intention to call to Himself a people . . . to make them a holy people suited for His holy presence . . . to fit them for His family through the righteousness of His Son . . . and thus, to adopt them as sons and daughters . . . making them heirs according to promise.

Sometimes I just need to sit back and take in that I am a child of promise . . . born again not for slavery and obligation but made a new creation in Christ Jesus for freedom and gratitude-fueled obedience. Mine is not to be a law-driven labor to validate or secure the place prepared for me in heaven, instead mine is to be a rest in the finished work of the cross of Christ. My sacrifices and efforts come not from a desperate need to do the right thing so that God might be justified in showing me favor . . . instead, by His grace, I place myself on the altar as a living sacrifice as a response to His abundant grace and the justification that comes by faith through His Son.

I don’t think it’s natural to live as a children of promise. The flesh, the ego, the sense that you pay-your-own-way, all conspire to want some sort of law that I can check off to satisfy a need to earn my way. “Uh, uh,” says Paul, “That’s what children of flesh do . . . that’s how kids of the slave woman are driven. But you have been born through promise . . . born according to the Spirit . . . not children of the slave but of the free woman . . . like Isaac, children of promise.”

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.   (Galatians 2:19-21 ESV)

A child of promise . . . by the grace of God alone . . . for the glory of God alone . . .

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