My Favorite Word?

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Pete

There are books in the Bible which I’ll say are my favorite. Not that I don’t love His whole word, but some books, like Galatians or Ephesians, have just found a special place with me. And then there are some chapters in the Bible which are my favorite. Who doesn’t get jazzed by 1Corinthians 13 or Hebrews 11? And certainly I have favorite verses in the Bible . . . verses which have become my “life verses” establishing a framework and filter for doing the pilgrim walk, and those that are “go to verses” which are brought to remembrance during certain situations, providing strength or encouragement. But I don’t know that I’ve really thought about favorite words in the Bible. This morning though, I came across one that would vie for a spot among my top ten . . . irrevocable!

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.   (Romans 11:29 ESV)

Now here’s a promise in Scripture that you can hang your hat on. The context is Paul’s explanation of God’s dealing with Israel and the promise of a future work of revival in that nation where they come to know Jesus as Messiah and ” . . . will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again” (11:23). And the promise in verse 29 is true for all those whom God has called . . . even to us — the church . . . “even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will . . .” (Eph. 1:4-5).

I have been called of God . . . and that calling is irrevocable. Don’t you like . . . no, don’t you love that word . . . IRREVOCABLE! It’s the only time you’ll find that English word in the whole Bible . . . literally it means “without repentance . . . not to be repented of . . . without regret.” That is the nature of the calling of God on His people . . . true of Israel . . . true of the church. When God puts His call on something it is irrevocable. Wow!!!! No wonder Paul would break out in awe-inspired praise . . . “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (11:33).

Irrevocable . . . it’s unsearchable . . . it’s inscrutable . . . it’s almost unbelievable . . . it’s definitely incredible . . . amen?

And then, I turned to Psalm 65 and, as if orchestrated to compliment this wondrous thought in Romans, I read this . . .

Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of your temple!
(Psalm 65:4 ESV)

Blessed is the person that God chooses . . . that God causes to approach Him. Why? I’m thinking, at least in part, because that choosing and that place of privilege are irrevocable.

God calls me to draw near . . . God woos me into the beauty of His holiness . . . God promises me that, in that place, I will be satisfied with the goodness of His house. How can this irrevocable and high and holy calling not compel me to “take off my sandals” and stand on holy ground . . . to cleanse myself, through the forgiveness made available by the cross, from the dirt I’ve accumulated along the way and enter into the holy of holies by the blood of Jesus . . . to set my heart, mind, and soul on that which I know pleases Him . . . and to determine, as much as lies within me, to do it God’s way? Irrevocable . . . it’s got to be one of my favorite words.

Here’s a couple of others. Immeasurable . . . as in the “the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7) . . . and . . . Acceptable . . . as in “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe . . . “

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Lest I Forget

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Pete

It seems to be happening more frequently as time goes on. I know that the information is stored somewhere in my brain . . . just can’t seem to find the drawer I filed it in. Things that I sense I should be able to retrieve which, for some reason, seem to be hiding in a fog somewhere. And it’s not just the old stuff . . . there’s new stuff that I tuck away which, 45 minutes later, seems to have disappeared . . . like a coin in the hand of magician. Forgetfulness . . . reminded of it daily. But this morning, as I continue reading in Deuteronomy, I am again reminded to diligently combat forgetfulness . . .

Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His rules and His statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery . . . Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God . . .   
(Deuteronomy 8:11-18 ESV)

The people of Israel are poised on the doorstep of the promised land. It’s right over there . . . soon they will move in and start taking possession of it. Moving into cities they did not build . . . decorating houses they didn’t have to buy . . . sowing and reaping in vineyards they didn’t have to establish . . . taking possession of material wealth they were not in line to inherit. These were a people of promise . . . just on the other side of that river was the promise. And, as part of doing final prep, Moses warns them, “Take care lest you forget.”

They are a people delivered from Egypt . . . a people redeemed with a mighty hand from the house of slavery . . . “a people holy to the LORD your God” . . . a people chosen “for His treasured possession” . . . not because of their greatness . . . but because of the great love of their God who, in His sovereign grace, has determined to enter into covenant relationship with them (Deut. 7:6-8). Sound familiar? It’s enough of a hook to draw me in and receive the words of Deuteronomy like they were meant for me. And so I hear the warning, “Take care lest you forget.”

This is the fourth time in these first 8 chapters of Deuteronomy that Moses has heralded the warning (4:9, 4:23, 6:12, 8:11). And I’m thinking I would do well to have ears to hear.

Too easy, as time passes, to forget. The distance from my “deliverance from Egypt” increases . . . and so does the joy of my salvation . . . and the wonder of why He would rescue me. I’m getting familiar with the ways of this new world I’m living in . . . such that, that which I once pursued passionately has become that which I do out of routine . . . able to go through the motions on autopilot. As I enjoy the blessings of this place of promise, I start thinking that somehow I earned it . . . it’s mine to do with as I please because I worked hard for it. And so, I forget.

So easy to forget the God who rescued me from darkness and from the bondage of sin. To forget the price paid for my redemption . . . the shed blood of God’s beloved Son. To forget the wonder and awe of the increasing realization and reality of being in relationship with the God of all creation. To become so familiar with the ways of the people of God that, what was once a pursuit, has now become something that I try to fit into my busy schedule. To become so familiar with the Word of God that instead of hungering and thirsting after it, as I did once, it becomes a “rabbit’s foot to be rubbed” with a quick devo reading in the morning. To start believing my own “press clippings” on what a good job I’ve done of shaping a moral, upright character . . . forgetting the work of the abiding Spirit who has undertaken to shape this lump of clay into a vessel of honor. Oh, how easy to forget . . .

You shall remember the LORD your God! Yes Lord! That’s my desire . . . by Your grace . . . for Your glory . . . lest I forget.

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Give and Take

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Pete

Our God is a God of promise. If anything has become clear during these past few months of walking through the Old Testament in our mid-week men’s studies, it is that God has chosen to interact with His creation on the basis of promise. And it’s not just an OT thing . . . Paul writes to the Galatians, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise . . . Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise” (Gal. 3:29, 4:28). But as I’ve started into Deuteronomy in my reading plan, I’ve also noticed that there is a role for the child of God to play in appropriating the promise. What God gives, I need to take . . .

And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.   (Deuteronomy 4:1 ESV)

“Go in and take possession of the land that LORD is giving you” . . . that’s the phrase that caught my attention again this morning. It caught my attention yesterday morning as well (Deut. 1:8). And in these first five chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses has reminded the people numerous times that they are on the doorstep of the land God had promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to their offspring after them . . . and Moses has also commanded them numerous times to “take possession” of that land . . . or as the NKJV says “to go in and possess” . . . to enter and inherit.

God had determined to give them the land . . . theirs was to enter into it. God had promised them “great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant” (Deut. 6:10-11). But the refuge . . . and the refreshment . . . and the reward . . . they’d never know any of it unless they went into possess what God had promised. God had made a covenant to give . . . the people needed to make a concerted effort to take.

The promise of forgiveness of sins is of no value unless it is received by faith. God has said that, in Christ, we are new creations — the old having passed away, the new having come (2Cor. 5:17) . . . but in order to know that new-ness, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, feed on the word of Christ, and be “transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).

God’s covenant to conform His children into the image of His Blessed Son (Rom. 8:28) becomes a reality only as we determine, as much as lies within our feeble beings, to “walk by the Spirit . . . be led by the Spirit . . . live by the Spirit” so that we might bear “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16-25). God desires to give us a peace that passes understanding . . . our is to make known to the Lord every need with “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” (Php. 4:6-7). And the list goes on . . .

Go in . . . take possession of the land that the LORD is giving you . . .

Ours, in a sense, is a give and take relationship with the LORD. He promises to give . . . the child of God determines, by His grace, to take . . . to appropriate . . . to possess.

And then, mine is to give as well. To give Him all praise . . . to give Him all honor . . . to give Him all glory . . . amen?

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Silence and an Out-Pouring

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Pete

I’m not sure that Psalm 62 and Matthew 26:6-13 would normally be compared and contrasted with each other . . . but they’re both part of my reading plan this morning . . . and they both deal with silence and an out-pouring.

In Matthew 26 a woman comes to Jesus as He dines at the house of Simon the leper and, without saying a word, takes “an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table” (26:7). John 12 identifies the woman as Mary, the sister of Lazarus . . . the Lazarus who had been dead, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John tells us it was a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, an extremely aromatic plant. That, after pouring it on His head, she also anointed His feet . . . wiping them with her hair. That the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:1-3). Mary is silent . . . not a word spoken . . . just the outpouring of extravagant worship . . . and Jesus is honored.

Psalm 62 is a very different situation . . . a completely unrelated context . . . but here too you find silence . . . and you find an out-pouring.

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. . . . For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him . . . Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah    (Psalm 62:1, 5, 8 ESV)

As David so often experienced, the pressure is on . . . times are tough . . . the battle is going in the wrong direction . . . his enemies are many . . . his victories, at this time, are few. What to do? What’s the strategy? What’s the “plan A” . . . and if that doesn’t work, the “plan B” . . . “plan C”??? The plan? . . . wait silently for God alone . . . still all that is within me . . . focus it solely on the God who is the immovable rock . . . quietly direct my total being toward the One who has promised to be my salvation. In so doing, I will not be moved.

Really? That’s it? My tendency when things are going south is to do something . . . anything . . . try a little of this . . . work a little of that. Is my stability in chaotic times really to be found in my soul silently waiting on my God? David thought so. And in this silent determination to look to God to be God, David stood on the Rock and with confidence declared, “I shall not be moved.” Mary knew that Jesus’ death was imminent . . . she didn’t understand how or why Messiah could die, but she believed that Jesus’ predictions of His death were soon to be fulfilled . . . her world was about to shaken . . . her hopes to be tossed upside down . . . what to do? Go to the Rock . . . silently, quietly . . . come to Jesus.

Mary brought some oil to pour out . . . David, his heart . . .

Jesus was honored through Mary’s sacrificial out-pouring of costly perfume . . . isn’t He also honored when we pour out our hearts before Him . . . when we break open the alabaster box of our inner desires and feelings and anxieties . . . when we trust Him with all our troubles and trials . . . when we anoint Him with our most intimate struggles . . . when we run to Him as the only refuge that is sure. Tender, broken hearts freely flowing . . . their target, the feet of God . . . their fragrance of faith and trust filling the portals of heaven itself . . . believing His word as He invites us to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16).

Lord Jesus, when I think of extravagant worship, I think of what I can say . . . what I can sing . . . what I can verbally express out of the joy of my salvation. But this morning, I wonder if a quiet confidence in You . . . my soul waiting in silence . . . trusting You with all the circumstances of my life . . . pouring out my heart, even if it’s filled with uncertainty and anxiety . . . if this isn’t equally an act of extravagant worship. When I turn to You first . . . when my soul waits silently before You because You are my rock . . . when my heart is poured out to You because my hope is in You alone . . . does it fill the room with a sweet smelling aroma? . . . are You honored my God? . . . are You exalted Lord Jesus? . . . I’m thinking so. May I be quick to bring such offerings . . . for Your glory . . . amen!

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The Glory That Is To Be Revealed

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Pete

As we went through my mom’s things we found the NIV Bible we had given her. Many, I know, have had a tougher go than my mom did . . . but her’s wasn’t an easy road, either. In her 48 short years on this sphere she had known her fair share of struggle and pain. Multiple back surgeries . . . a weakness with alcohol that, when “under the influence”, led her to say and do things she never would have wanted to say and do . . . contributing, eventually, to divorce and living alone . . . and a battle with cancer . . . which the cancer won. But amidst it all she had a passion for people and to serve others. Eventually she knew victory over her “demon.” And, through her battle, she came to know “the higher power that gives strength” . . . she met Jesus, Her rescuer. And through it all, as I learned when I looked through that Bible and saw this verse highlighted, she came to know a truth that grips my heart this morning as I read in Romans 8 . . .

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 ESV)

I read this verse this morning and had a flashback to encountering it, highlighted in yellow, in her Bible some 27 years ago. It brought back memories . . . a ton of very good memories growing up in her loving care . . . some not so good memories, as well. And I remember coming across this highlighted portion of Scripture and thanking God that He had graciously brought her to a place where she could live through the “here and now” in the context of the “there and then”.

We all know suffering from time to time. To be sure, the degree of that suffering varies wildly. I can’t imagine the depths of pain known by those in the midst of oppressive regimes . . . or living in underdeveloped countries . . . or living in underdeveloped countries under oppressive regimes. But even in our “land of plenty” and “freedom” there is enough suffering to go around. Whether it be relationships . . . children gone side ways . . . economy gone south . . . health gone AWOL . . . or just our own personal “thorns in the flesh” that everyone, at some level, is acquainted with, we all have experienced . . . or are experiencing . . . “the sufferings of this present time.”

But for those who have tasted and experienced the grace and goodness of God and taken refuge in Him (Ps. 34:8) . . . for those who have experienced a peace that passes understanding (Php. 4:6-7) . . . for those have lifted up their eyes to the hill and known the help the comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth (Ps. 121:1-2) . . . for those look for a city not built with hands in a better country not of this world (Heb. 11:10, 16) . . . for those who possess the hope of sharing in the glory of the risen King of Kings . . . the sufferings of this present time pale in comparison.

There is something about spending even just a few minutes considering the glory that is to be revealed that eases the pain and produces a bit of a smile within the inner man. Something about imagining what it will be like to look upon the blessed and beautiful face of the One who gave Himself for me that says, “It’s going to all work for my good.” Something about the anticipation of going facedown before His thrown and lifting our voices in wonder and worship before His glorious presence that says, “It’s going to be worth it all.”

Oh, to anticipate the glory that is to be revealed . . .

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I Got the Law and The Law Won!

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Pete

Rock bed . . . firm foundation . . . bottom line truth that you can hang your hat on . . . or stake your salvation on. That’s Romans 8. Gotta love it. Gotta be encouraged by it. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .” (8:1). True statement. Glorious reality. And what jumped out this morning is a phrase that I think is only found here, in these opening verses of Romans 8 . . . a concept that is at the core of the “no condemnation” and the “in Christ Jesus” that I enjoy this morning as a blood-bought believer . . . a reality that governs my today and secures my tomorrow.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2 ESV)

At its simplest, a law refers to anything by which we are governed or ruled. There are laws of nature . . . step off a cliff and you’re going down. There are laws of society . . . step on the gas too hard and you’re going to have a chat with a man or woman in a uniform. And, there are laws that trump other laws . . . step off a cliff with the right apparatus on your back and you’ll soar like an eagle, the law of aerodynamics superseding the law of gravity.

And, in the things of the eternal, there are also laws. There is the law of sin and death. Live under the law of sin and it will lead to death. Be governed by the desires of the flesh . . . be ruled by the lust of the eyes . . . be controlled by a desire to boast in what one does or has . . . and you’re going down . . . the end of those things is death (Rom. 6:20b, 23a).

But in the things of the eternal, there is another law . . . the law that governs those who are “in Christ Jesus” . . . the law of the Spirit of life. There is another set of operating influences and governing realities for those, who by faith, have believed the testimony concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. This law, unlike the law of sin and death, does not encase in bondage but, instead, sets free . . . does not result in “going down” but serves to “lift up” . . . does not result in death, but promises life . . . life to the full . . . eternal life. It is the law of the Spirit of life.

It is a law which is not enacted in the halls of some governmental building far away, but is instead written on the hearts of believers through the dynamic of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit sets us free . . . the Spirit will shift our focus from the things of time to the things of eternity . . . the Spirit elevates our awareness beyond the things of earth and sets our minds on things of heaven . . . things which lead to life and peace (8:5-6). The law of the Spirit provides a “governance model” defined by principles of adoption . . . “for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” . . . “by Whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” . . . “and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (8:14-17).

And under this law . . . this law of life . . . this law written on the heart . . . this law weaved within our born again spiritual DNA . . . there is no condemnation . . . none . . . zilch.

By the grace of God . . . through the work on the cross . . . by the power of a risen life . . . I got the law, and the law won! Amen?

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Are You OK?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Pete

Thinking about staying awake . . . not because I’m having trouble doing it right now . . . but because my reading this morning in Matthew 24 commands it. And it brings to mind an event that occurred 35 years ago this summer . . . an event where I didn’t stay awake. It was around midnight and I was driving back to the rail cars where I slept. I was a young, in shape (. . . I’m in shape now, as well . . . but it’s pear shape . . . ), laborer on a Canadian Pacific Railroad extra gang in the Rogers Pass of the Rocky Mountains. That summer I had learned how to work hard during the day . . . and also learned how to blow off steam at night. It was after one of those nights, when driving back to camp, that I learned the importance of staying awake. One moment I’m cruising down an empty mountain highway . . . listening to some rockin’ tunes on my cassette player (like I said, 35 years ago) . . . and the next morning there’s some dude calling to me through my front windshield asking, “Are you OK?” . . . I wasn’t.

Long story short, I had fallen asleep while driving my car. While I snoozed, I went off the road . . . down an embankment . . . and into a large, large chunk of mountain. Never knew what hit me . . . more accurately, never knew what I hit. Not until I came to, with the car engine in the front seat with me and hearing that voice calling to me, did I realize what had happened . . . and the damage that had been done to my body. Had it not been for the Father’s determined will to give me into the hands of His Son . . . and, for a guardian angel or two which I’m sure were dispatched to the scene . . . I shudder to think of what the outcome could have been. So, as one who has fallen asleep at the wheel . . . the Lord Jesus’ words resonate deeply this morning . . .

. . . Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. . . . Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:42, 44 ESV)

Jesus is coming again.

He has come once already . . . visiting via a virgin birth . . . living incognito for most of the 33 years He was here as an unassuming carpenter . . . but then “going public”, as the Lamb of God come to take away the sin of world (John 1:29) . . . embarking on a three year whirlwind ministry tour . . . calling people to repentance . . . inviting them to come to Him as Savior . . . dying on a cross for their sins in accordance with the Scriptures . . . buried in a rich man’s tomb . . . and rising on the third day, also in accordance with the Scriptures . . . eventually ascending into heaven . . . angels declaring, with promise, His intent to return (Acts 1:9-11).

Jesus is coming again . . . but this time it will be a “coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory” (Matt. 24:30). With a loud trumpet call He will send out His angels to gather His elect (v.31). Concerning the day and hour, no one knows (v.36) . . . in fact, it will be at an hour we do not expect (v. 44) . . . therefore, stay awake . . . therefore, be ready.

Oh, to be caught snoozin’ at the wheel when the King returns . . . as a servant of the Master, to be found goofing off when He returns . . . to all of sudden come to, and to be surprised as I behold the Son’s glory and hear the Savior’s voice saying, “Are you OK?” . . . I dread the thought!

Instead, that I might be ever mindful of His return . . . be ever determined, as much as lies in me, to be about the business the Master has asked me to conduct . . . that I might be found awake . . . that I might be found ready . . .

That I might be OK . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory . . .

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A Prophetic Word

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Pete

Not quite sure how Balak knew about him. Perhaps he was listed under “Prophets for Hire” in the “Beyond the Jordan Yellow Pages.” Maybe he had a billboard or two set up along the road . . . “Blessings for Bucks, Curses for Cash” . . . “You Pay, I Pray” . . . “You Hire, I’ll Call Down Fire” . . . whatever. Bottom line is Balak, king of Moab, was shaking in his boots . . . he had seen what Israel had done to the Amorites . . . he knew he was in their path . . . if he couldn’t prevail by military might, maybe he could with some magical mischief. Cue Balaam, prophet for hire (Numbers 22).

So Balak has his prophet . . . but God, it turns out, has the prophet’s mouth (Numbers 23, 24). Even though Balak tries three times to get Balaam to “curse my enemies”, each time Balaam blesses “the dust of Jacob” as he’s compelled to “speak what the LORD puts in my mouth” (23:11-12). And what grabs me as I read these oracles of Balaam are the words that the LORD puts in this sleazy prophet’s mouth concerning Israel.

You know, Israel . . . the people you even now have been marching around the wilderness for decades because they had refused to believe and obey the LORD at Kadesh Barnea. You know, Israel . . . whiners extraordinaire . . . “Moses, we’re thirsty!” . . . “Moses, we’re hungry!” . . . “Moses, why did you bring us here!?!” . . . “Moses, we wanna go back to Egypt!” . . . “Moses, we’re getting sick of this manna stuff!” . . . blah, blah, blah. Yeah, Israel . . . who had, more than once, risen in rebellion against Moses . . . who had, more than once, been on the verge of God’s calling it “a wrap” on the Jacob initiative, being ready to start over again with another people . . . who had more than once, been the object of ardent intercession as Moses, on his face, pleaded for God’s mercy for the sake of God’s glory. Yeah, this Israel. But check out some of what the LORD says concerning them through this pseudo prophet . . .

“. . . [God] has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has He seen trouble in Israel. . . . The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt, and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. . . . How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. . . . God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox . . . “   (Numbers 23:21-22; 24:5-6, 8 ESV)

Really? God has “no bone to pick with Israel, He sees nothing wrong with Israel” (MSG)? Their tents are lovely? . . . prospering like gardens beside a river? . . . like cedars beside the waters? What Israel is Balaam hovering over? What Israel is God talking about? Oh, praise God, it is the people of His calling . . . the people in whom He has begun a good work . . . the people through whom He will be known and glorified . . . they are God’s people of promise . . . and God keeps His promise!

“God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change his mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”   (Numbers 23:19 ESV)

The prophet’s words weren’t deserved by Israel’s performance, but delivered because of their God declared position. They weren’t reflective of this band of nomads’ practice, but proclaimed solely on the basis of their God ordained potential. It wasn’t about how perfect they had been, but about how powerful the God was, the God who declares Himself “for them”. It was about His promise to redeem them, and then remold them, as His people.

And I hear a similar “prophetic word” spoken over me this morning . . . not by not some prophet for hire, but through the abiding Spirit of God. Words not uttered because of who I am, but because of what He’s done . . . spoken not because of what I’ve done, but because of who He is. God has begun a work . . . a work based on a promise . . . a work focused on potential . . . a work that will be completed because of His power (Php. 1:6) . . . a work that He has determined to bless, and not curse . . . for His purposes . . . for His glory!

Posted in Numbers | 1 Comment

Keeping Count

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Pete

It’s kind of interesting to think about the things God counts . . . and the things God doesn’t count. I work in a world where, if we care about it, we measure it . . . track it . . . report it on a dashboard. Now, I don’t think God has a “dashboard” He updates with His latest numbers . . . but I have read about a book or two where He keeps track of stuff. And not the stuff I might track if I were the eternal Sovereign. In fact, there’s stuff I might keep track of which He blots out and forgets (Isa. 43:25) . . . removing it far from us . . . as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). No, instead, that which God counts . . . that which He keeps track of . . . is intended as a reminder of His constant care for us . . . and becomes the basis for our determination to trust Him in all circumstance.

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?   (Psalm 56:8 ESV)

Psalm 56 is another one of those Psalms, where David’s taking it in the teeth . . . “man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me” (v.1) . . . “all day long they injure my cause” (v.5) . . . “they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life” (v.6). Relentless! It just doesn’t stop! The attacks keep coming . . . the oppression keeps squeezing the breath out of him . . . desperation sets in. And where does David turn when there’s nowhere else to turn? “Be gracious to me, O God . . . When I am afraid, I put my trust in You . . . in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? . . . What can man do to me?” (v.3, 4, 11). And David turns to the Lord with unwavering faith, because David knows that God counts stuff . . . that God is intimately aware of the situation . . . that He tracks with every detail.

David felt like a ball in a pinball machine . . . getting bounced here and there . . . tossed to and for . . . feeling kind of out of control . . . wandering, it seemed, aimlessly, as he endured the gauntlet. But David knew that God knew. That his Deliverer was keeping track of each step . . . that his Refuge was intimately familiar with each staggering path he was taking . . . that his Fortress was aware of every unsure step and would keep his feet from falling (v.13b).

I don’t think of David as a crier . . . but he must have shed a tear or two (or three) along the way . . . for he believed that the God of Creation collected his tears and put them in a bottle. That the drops that fell from his eyes, and ran down his cheeks, were collected, counted, recorded in a book (along with the associated reason for their being shed, I’m thinkin’) and stored by a God who is big enough to notice and track the smallest details of our lives. And, as the Spirit interceded with David’s spirit . . . assuring Him of God’s divine collection and counting ministry . . . in the midst of the tempest, David could pen with confidence, “This I know, that God is for me” (v. 9b).

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  (Romans 8:31, 37 ESV)

Oh, to be reminded that God is intimately aware of the details of our lives . . . even to the shedding of our tears.

” . . . in God I trust, I shall not be afraid . . .”

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The Free Gift

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Pete

Not all gifts are free. Some you might buy for yourself. Some might come with no cost up front but have an “easy payment plan” attached to them. Some might be given to you, free of any initial cost, but the expense and effort to maintain them makes you wonder if they are your possession or, if in fact, they possess you. And some might come with strings attached . . . free as long as you meet a condition or two . . . but gone if you mess up. This morning, as I savor the last part of Romans 5, I’m repeatedly reminded of a gift which is truly a free gift.

. . . For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many . . . For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification . . . much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.   (Romans 5:15-17 ESV)

The free gift brings justification . . . declaring the recipients “justified” . . . “just-as-if-I’d” . . . “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. The case heard in the highest courts of heaven . . . the evidence presented . . . the verdict declared, “Guilty” . . . but the payment rendered . . . the blood of Jesus shed for the sins of many . . . atonement for sin made, once for all, for “whosoever believes” . . . the sentence commuted . . . no, more than that, the sinner declared just . . . the transgressor set apart and made holy . . . those once far off, brought near.

The free gift brings righteousness. A righteousness not of our own making . . . a righteousness not as a result of our own goodness and discipline . . . but a righteousness bound up in the Person of His spotless Son . . . a righteousness gifted freely to all who come to the cross and, by faith, receive the the abundance of His grace.

This gift is sourced in the grace of God . . . it is through the grace of His blessed Son, the man Jesus Christ . . . and it abounds for many . . . it overflows those who willing place themselves in its path . . . washing away all sin — past, present, future . . . exceeding what we could think or imagine as it raises us to sit with the King of Kings in heavenly places . . . conferring on us the rights of adopted children . . . heirs and joint heirs with Christ.

And that might be the most amazing aspect of it all . . . that, for those who receive the free gift, they will “reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” What an interesting phrase, “reign in life”. It’s the terminology of royalty. We recipients of the free gift gain far more than escaping judgment . . . we are elevated far beyond just “getting by” . . . but are, in glorious reality, declared to be royals. Members of the King’s court beyond just the spans of this life, but carrying forward into the next . . . the gift exceeding the things of this earth, but extending to the new earth, as well. Think of it . . . we will reign with Him!

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
(Revelation 5:9-10 ESV)

A free gift that not only rescues . . . that not only renews . . . that not only reforms . . . but that repositions us to reign in life — now and forevermore.

Can I really grasp that? Do I really appreciate the full extent of the free gift?

O’ Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! Amen?

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