I’ve Got His Eyes

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Pete

It’s a pretty common past time, I think. To look at a newborn . . . or a toddler . . . a kid . . . even an adult, at times . . . and take note of how much they look like one of their parents. Same face structure . . . same chin . . . same eyes. Not surprising that a child takes on the physical attributes of a parent. And so often it goes beyond just the physical traits . . . how often do you note personality characteristics that are similar between child and parent . . . especially as the child grows older? Some of it’s “nature” . . . some of it’s “nurture” . . . but how often is it true when we say, “He’s the spitting image of his father?” . . . or, “She’s just like her mother?” Someone spoke truth when they said, “That which is born, takes on the nature of that which gave it birth.”

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8 ESV)

I don’t hear us using the term “born again” a lot these days. “I found Christ” . . . “I asked Jesus into my heart” . . . “I came to the Lord” . . . seems to be the more common terminology in describing what happened when someone became a Christian. But I’m reminded this morning, that while those things may be true, what happened at the moment that I believed and received the gospel message was that I was born again . . . I underwent a new birth . . . I was made a new creation . . . I was, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, “born of the Spirit.”

Sparks didn’t jump off my body at the moment of salvation . . . a glow didn’t appear around me . . . but on the authority of Scripture . . . and the reality of what has since transpired . . . I was changed. I was fundamentally rewired . . . brought out of darkness into marvelous light . . . an enemy of God by nature, I became a child of God with a new nature . . . a “sweet tooth” for the things of the world gave way to a craving for the things of the kingdom of God. The things of the natural started being understood in the context of the supernatural . . . life was no longer just about “here below” but started to be lived with one eye fixed on “things above”. Not because I willed these things to be so, but because I was born again . . . I was born of the Spirit . . . and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In a sense, I’ve got His eyes.

It occurs to me that, as time passes, as the work of sanctification progresses, this guy who was “born of the Spirit” should be becoming more and more of a “spiritual man.” It’s in my regenerated spiritual DNA. It’s in the nature of Him who “begat me” . . . and thus, through rebirth, is in me as well. I’ve been given the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16) . . . and so I should be thinking more and more like Him. I have been given everything I need to become a “partaker of the divine nature” (2Peter 1:4) . . . and thus, I should be “doing life” more and more like the Son of God would . . . growing in grace . . . exhibiting the love of God . . . confidently resting in the One who’s will I desire to do. Having been born of the Spirit, I have this wonderful potential to reflect the things of the Spirit.

Having been born of the Spirit . . . and being in “new nature” like the Spirit . . . shouldn’t I desire to be known practically, more and more, as one who is filled and led by the Spirit? Isn’t this what being conformed to the image of Jesus is kinda about? Taking on more and more the attributes of the Son of Man through the rebirth I’ve experienced and the reshaping He has undertaken in me? Shouldn’t I, as a child of God, expect that some of His attributes would be known in me to some degree as He takes to completion that transforming work He began in me the day was born again? Shouldn’t it be noticeable by others . . . shouldn’t someone say, “He’s got His eyes?” I’m thinkin . . .

Oh, that I would not be unaware or complacent concerning the work begun in me when I was born again. Might I desire to “live up” to my heritage . . . by His grace. Might I yearn to be more and more like Him . . . for His glory. After all . . . I’ve got His eyes . . . amen?

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A Loincloth

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Pete

It’s kind of an interesting object lesson . . . pretty sure there are depths to be plumbed here which I’m not picking up at first glance. But what I do get is that the people of God had fallen short . . . way short of the purpose for which God had formed them. Conversely, what I’m moved by is the high and holy calling God has for those who He redeems for His own.

“For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for Me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.” (Jeremiah 13:11 ESV)

Ok . . . so I’m not too familiar with the concept of a loincloth . . . not something I have ever personally used . . . neither have I worn one, nor have I ever used (or thought to use) one as an object lesson. But with some of my handy “helps” I get that it was an inner garment — it was worn up close and personal . . . a piece of clothing that wrapped around the lower waist area . . . and, it was something that God chose to use as an object lesson.

God tells Jeremiah to go buy a linen loincloth and to wear it. Then God tells Jeremiah to go to the Euphrates (i.e. Babylon) and hide the loin cloth amid some rocks. After “many days”, God has Jeremiah go and retrieve the loincloth. Jeremiah does so and finds, of course, that “the loincloth was spoiled, it was good for nothing” (13:7). Object lesson? The people of Jacob were like a loincloth . . . something that God had purchased and desired to wear close to Him . . . but because of their rebellion they would be abandoned . . . left to fair for themselves . . . apart from God . . . left among the rocks . . . becoming “good for nothing.”

Not exactly your “pick me up” sort of morning devo reading. But what grabs me, apart from the lesson learned from wayward Israel and Judah, is God’s original desire and purpose for His people. A desire and purpose I think translates to the people of His calling today.

God has redeemed a people that He longs to be close to . . . and, desires that they, in turn, would long to be close to Him. God is calling out a people who would want to cling to Him . . . a holy nation who would seek to cleave to their King . . . a band of pilgrims whose great desire is to pursue closely the things of their God.

What’s more, beyond the close relationship He desires with His own, He wants His reputation, His renown, His name to be associated with them. God, in my mind, takes a risk and looks to His people as a means of conveying His praise and His glory. If I were God I might have left it to “the heavens” to declare my glory (Ps. 19:1) . . . but God has determined to save sinners by His grace . . . and to draw them near to Himself in close relationship . . . and to allow them to be part of the visible representation of His glory.

Talk about your place of privilege . . . brought near, able to cleave to the God of Creation in intimate personal relationship! Talk about your high and holy calling . . . to be a people, a name, a praise, and a glory for Him who is enthroned in heaven . . . the Sovereign . . . the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

Oh, to be, as it were, a loincloth that is not spoiled because of complacency . . . that is not rendered “good for nothing” because of pride and the pursuit of “other gods.” Instead, to “draw near” . . . pursuing, as much as lies in me, the nearness of relationship God desires. And, to “step up” . . . by His power . . . doing all that I can to allow the Spirit of God in me to freely do all that He is able to do to shape me into a trophy of God’s grace . . . that I might be a part of the people who bear His name . . . who declare His praise . . . who live for His glory.

Hmmm . . . a loincloth. Who knew it could be such an object lesson . . .

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The Ladder

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Pete

I’m not one for ladders. Oh, I’m ok w/ 6 foot step ladders . . . but take one of those babies that you have to stretch out and climb up beyond just a few feet . . . where it starts to rattle, shake, and maybe bow a bit . . . and I just don’t “feel it.” Actually, I do . . . in my gut . . . kind of a queasy feeling. I’m pretty much a “keep your feet on the ground” sort of person. But the reality is, that for some things you just need a ladder . . . and I’m reminded this morning that encountering heaven is one of those things.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:47-51 ESV)

Heaven opened . . . angels ascending and descending . . . sound familiar? Yeah, if you go back to Genesis 28 it sounds like the vision that Jacob had at Bethel where he dreamed he saw a ladder set on earth and the top of it reached to heaven and “behold, the angels of God were ascending descending on it!” (Gen. 28:12) Almost identical . . . except, in Jesus’ version, the Son of Man is the ladder. Hmmmm . . . yeah, pretty much.

Nathanael was amazed to encounter Someone who knew him before He had met him . . . Someone who had seen him before He had encountered him . . . and Jesus says, in effect, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” There would be greater things to behold. And, at the essence of them all, was access to the very throne of God . . . heaven opened up and accessible . . . the holy interacting with men scarred by the fall . . . mere mortals engaging with the divine . . . the kingdom of God, with the chaos of men . . . people of darkness, with the unapproachable light of glory. And this access had been foreshadowed in Jacob’s dream . . . and it would leverage a ladder of sorts that breached the chasm between the wonders of heaven and the day to day realities of earth. And that ladder, Jesus said . . . was Jesus!

I wonder if I don’t take for granted these “greater things” that Jesus spoke of . . . this amazing access into the very realm and presence of God Himself. I wonder if I haven’t been “up and down the ladder” so many times that I forget the dynamics that make possible my ability to “boldly approach the throne of grace” . . .

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV)

The ladder that accesses the things of heaven is Jesus . . . by His blood . . . through His flesh. The price paid to put the ladder in place is beyond my full comprehension. The love that was willing to pay the price is also beyond fully appreciating. And the access provided? . . . the new and living way opened for us? . . . how do you fully describe that? Amazing just doesn’t seem big enough . . . but it will have to do.

I am amazed. Amazed that before I knew Him, He knew me . . . amazed that while I was yet a sinner and enemy of God, He died for me . . . amazed that though I had gone astray, as a sheep wanders from the flock, the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost . . . amazed that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to redeem the world . . . amazed that through the blood of Jesus there is unfettered access into the Holy of Holies where I might behold the glory of God . . . amazed by the Ladder. You too?

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Living Up to a New Name

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Pete

It occurs to me that it really was a prophetic act upon the Lord’s part. He spoke of things that were yet to be as though they were already a done deal. He cast a vision of the future despite knowing how unlikely that future would appear to others over the next three years. And it wasn’t a prophecy concerning some great event . . . some cataclysmic happening. No . . . He spoke of a future name change . . . that’s all . . . of going from one arrangement of 5 letters (in English) to another arrangement of 5 letters. But in that prophetic word was a “here and now” commitment. Jesus, Himself, would undertake the work . . . of enabling a man to live up to his new name.

“One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter).” (John 1:40-42 ESV)

Personally, I like the name “Peter” better than “Simon” . . . just sayin’. But this wasn’t about getting an upgrade to the tag he wore . . . not about moving up in alphabetic order. This was at the essence of the call Jesus was putting on the life Simon, the son of John. And at this most foundational level it wasn’t a prophetic voice of what Simon would do, but about what Simon would become. It foreshadowed a change that would occur within the deepest areas of Simon’s life . . . an actual restructuring of his spiritual DNA that would manifest itself in his physical interactions with the world around him.

Some would say that Simon had a bit of flakey tendency. “Ready, fire, aim,” was kind of how he interacted with circumstance sometimes . . . act first, think later. Now give the guy credit . . . he was determined to be in the game . . . even if he didn’t always know which goal post his team was driving for . . . he might not know where he was going, but at least he was making good time. You gotta like the energy . . . the passion . . . the “let’s do it” attitude that he brought to the table. What it needed was some breaking . . . for that zeal to be harnessed and directed . . . for Simon, the flake, to be transformed into Peter, the rock! What he needed was an encounter (or a few of them) with the One who created him . . . knew him inside and out . . . loved him unconditionally . . . was committed to him whole-heartedly . . . was determined to begin a work in Him and then, complete that work. What he needed was a new name . . . and the power of heaven itself to allow him to live up to his new name.

I think I have a new name too. I don’t know exactly what it is right now . . . but I will (Rev. 2:17). A new name is just fitting for a “new creation in Christ” (2Cor. 5:17). A “targeted outcome” would seem consistent with being “God’s workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). I don’t know exactly what the Potter has determined the final product to look like . . . but I have a good idea . . . sort of conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29) . . . but, I think, with an “individual nuance” reflective of the me He has wired together from my mother’s womb.

If I think about what I know of the journey Simon took to becoming “Peter”, it wasn’t always very easy. Some tough times along the way . . . some tough lessons to learn . . . some humbling before the Lord after failure . . . some tears shed . . . sometimes embarrassed by how much of “impetuous Simon” got in the way of being the rock Jesus had said he’d be. But, at it’s essence, it wasn’t Simon’s work . . . it was to be the work of the God who created him and then re-created him in Christ. God’s perfect work would be accomplished . . . as a wise man struggling with life reminded me in Ecclesiastes this morning, “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl. 3:11a).

God’s in the business of transforming His people . . . shaping us into the men and women of God He has determined for us to be . . . shaping me into the “new me” He has called me to be . . . enabling me to live up to a new name . . . a name He will present to me on that day . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory.

“To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” ~Jesus (Rev. 2:17)

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Father of Lights

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Pete

Truth be told, there are some portions of Scriptures . . . could be a chapter, could be a verse or two, could be just a phrase . . . that never fail to ignite something within me. They are like the best of friends . . . you may not have seen them for some time, but when you get together the connection is immediate . . . you pick up just where you left off . . . the flame’s still burning. I met up with such an “old friend” this morning . . .

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17 ESV)

Ba-bam! I read that and I can’t quite express what I feel. It’s one of those foundational statements . . . it’s bedrock . . . it’s an anchor . . . I sense that if I get this . . . if I really believe it . . . then it’s going to have an impact on how I think about life and how I try to do life.

At it’s core is “the Father of lights.” I love that name for God! He is the Source . . . He is the Creator . . . of ALL light. He made the sun, moon, and stars . . . He is the Father of the heavenly lights. He too is the Author of spiritual light . . . in Him is no darkness (1John 1:5) . . . and He has called me out of spiritual darkness and into “His marvelous light” (1Peter. 2:9) . . . and allows me to experience and grow in intimate fellowship with Him and with His people . . . as He teaches me and leads me to walk in light (1John 1:6-7). And I’m reminded to that He is the light of heaven itself . . . that in that glorious city there will be no need for a sun or a moon, “for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is the light” (Rev. 21:23).

O, blessed Father of lights! You who dwell in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16) . . . You are the Source of all my light!

And it is light without changing or shifting. I don’t rotate away from it, as the earth does the sun. I can’t be hidden from it, as it moves behind a barrier which casts a shadow. Sure, I can try and walk away from it . . . try and hide from it . . . turn my back on it . . . but as for the Source, as for the Light itself, there is no variation . . . no shadow due to changing. My God is immutable . . . how I love that word, too. No variableness with my God . . . He is the same yesterday, today, and forever . . . not that He might be presumed upon . . . but, oh saint, that He can be counted on. He is the Source of unchanging light!

But what is light, unless it is emitted? What is illumination if it is not imparted? But my God is an “emitter” . . . my God is an “imparter” . . . my God is the Giver of every good gift. He is the Give of that which sustains my daily needs . . . of that which is “above and beyond” my needs and is entrusted to my stewardship . . . of that which transcends the material and strengthens the inner man . . . of that which is empowered by the Spirit to be used for the edification of the body of Christ . . . of that which defines who I am as a “new creation in Christ.” Every good gift . . . every perfect present . . . all of it . . . ALL OF IT . . . graced from above . . . given by the Father of lights. Do I hear an “amen” for that?

This morning I was also reading in Ecclesiastes 2. Brother! What a contrast! Solomon’s so bummed by the futility of life. How come? At least part of it is that he was focused on what he owned . . . what he had accomplished . . . what he had built. It’s all “I did this . . . I did that . . . I earned this . . . I made that . . . I became wise . . . blah, blah, blah.” And, as he approached death, he asks, “For what? For someone else who’s not as wise as me to enjoy or claim for his own?” No context . . . no “from above” view . . . no “I’m a receiver” of gifts . . . no immutable Father of lights as the gracer of all good things. Yup . . . vanity.

But such is not the case for the child of God who looks up rather than looks around . . . who realizes there is nothing they have — from shoes on their feet to salvation for their souls — that has not been graciously gifted to them from above . . . from the unchanging God of eternity . . . from the Father of lights! Did I mention, I love that name?

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Back to the Beginning

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Pete

Sometimes it just makes sense to reset . . . to focus on the fundamentals . . . to break things down to the foundational stuff. When things get a little hairy . . . when life kinda feels a bit out of control . . . when you seem to be drowning in complexity . . . when you seem to falling because of uncertainty . . . that’s a good time to focus on getting your feet well-planted on solid ground . . . to making sure your head’s above water and breathing the pure air of heaven itself. Sometime you just need to go back to the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:1-4, 14, 16 ESV)

There is a very real sense of regaining stability when you go back to “In the beginning.” When my eyes are diverted from the chaos of circumstance . . . when my gaze shifts from the apparent unfairness of life’s random roads . . . and, instead, the focus becomes the living Word of God. When I consider afresh that He was in the beginning . . . that He was with God . . . and, that He IS God! When I’m reminded that this One who was “in the beginning” . . . that He who is the eternal Word . . . now lives in me so that the I no longer need to deal with the chaos on my own, but “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” (Gal. 2:20). Going back to the beginning reestablishes a measure of equilibrium.

He made all things . . . without Him nothing was made that has been made. He is Lord of the physical . . . the physical that works well . . . and the physical that doesn’t work so well. From cells gone rogue to weather patterns beyond withstanding . . . He is Sovereign over all . . . holding all things together . . . loosening His grip, as it pleases Him to fulfill His purposes . . . and to reveal His glory.

And we have seen His glory. Not like John did . . . not face to face (yet) . . . not transfigured and robed in unapproachable light (yet). But we have beheld the glory . . . through the inspired Word of God . . . and through the illuminating ministry of the Spirit within us and upon us. Through the eyes of faith . . . to all those who believed . . . we have encountered He who is the store of truth and grace . . . God’s fountain of living water . . . from the beginning . . . and for the present . . . and through eternal ages to come. Hallelujah!

And out of His fullness . . . from God’s eternal cistern carved out of the Rock of His Son . . . we can drink deep of “grace upon grace.” Unmerited favor beyond measure . . . heaven infused strength sufficient for the day and for the days to come. Found in Him . . . the Word . . . who was with God . . . who was God . . . in the beginning.

Oh blessed moments when the mind is distracted from the day ahead . . . when the soul can be still and know that He is God . . . when a divine “timeout” is taken . . . and things are reset . . . and foundation is reaffirmed . . . and I realize afresh that though my world can seem like shifting sand, I am, in reality, standing upon a Rock. When I find it hard to breath, I can draw deeply from the atmosphere of the heavenlies . . . when I’m feeling so out of control, I can rely and rest upon the Creator of all things who knows the way and has promised to shepherd me through the maze.

Yeah . . . sometimes, in order to step out into the the day ahead of you, it just makes sense to go back to the beginning. Amen?

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A Crick in My Neck

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Pete

So what would that have been like? Sure, seeing was believing, but I’m wondering if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They thought they had lost Him to death . . . only to again encounter Him again as the foretold resurrected Christ . . . only then to, in a sense, lose Him again in the clouds . . . though, this time their “loss” didn’t result in mourning but in worship. So what would it have been like to have been standing with the disciples at the moment when Jesus was carried up into heaven? Did they get a crick in their neck?

Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:50-53 ESV)

Those post-resurrection days were absolutely life altering for the disciples . . . and history changing for the world. So much of what they had been taught and had experienced while walking with Jesus’ through His three years of ministry must have come together in those days. That Jesus had died on that Roman cross was without dispute . . . but that He was alive and among them, was equally beyond argument.

During those days with the risen Christ, the Scriptures came together as they never had before. The risen Word of Life opened the Scriptures to them . . . and He opened their minds to the Scriptures . . . and, as a result, their hearts were never the same . . . they were set afire with the confirmation of revelation that their risen Master was indeed the One spoken of in “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (24:32, 44-45).

And, during those days with the risen Christ, they were told of “next steps”. They were to wait “in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” . . . until Jesus had sent “the promise of my Father” upon them” (24:49). And then, as His witnesses, they were to take on a responsibility “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (24:47-48).

I can’t imagine that they fully grasped what lay before them . . . what world changing impact they would have. But in that moment, it was less about the future, I think, and all about the present. And that period of post-resurrection fellowship and teaching culminated with them watching Him ascend through the clouds, knowing He was going home . . . perhaps remembering that He had promised it would be their home too. And as they looked up . . . I’m wondering . . . would they have developed a crick in their neck?

And so, they watched as He was carried up into heaven. Separated again . . . but knowing that He would always be present.

And then . . . they worshiped . . . they returned to Jerusalem with great joy . . . and were continually in the temple blessing God (24:52-53) . . . and perhaps, nursing a sore neck.

Oh, may I too develop a crick in my neck . . . as I take time to look up . . . “seeking the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” . . . looking up, waaayy up . . . my mind fixed on the Ascended One . . . knowing that “when Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:1-4). And then might I worship . . . and rejoice with great joy . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory.

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Knowing the Presence While Clinging to the Promise

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Pete

Part way through Isaiah 63 you kind of get the sense that the prophet “hits the wall.” It’s been 63 chapters detailing the sin of Israel and God’s determination to judge them via the violence and oppression of the nations surrounding them. And too, of God’s righteous judgment upon those nations who, while being His rod of judgment on wayward Israel, would not escape His wrath for their arrogance and vile behaviors. And while it’s true that Isaiah is also given a vision of the mercy of God and the restoration of Israel, that he is informed of the promise of God to send His Holy Servant to redeem His people, he doesn’t really see that happen in his lifetime. Instead, he witnesses the destruction and the judgment of God. And then in Isaiah 63, he pauses, it seems, from being the oracle of God and instead turns his face upward and cries out in need of God . . . and it seems to get very personal.

“Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are Your zeal and Your might? The stirring of Your inner parts and Your compassion are held back from me.” (Isaiah 63:15 ESV)

At some point it’s hard for it not to become about us. While we know the promises of God . . . while we seek to rest in Him and trust Him and wait for Him, let’s not be surprised if there comes a time when we also find ourselves crying out, “Where are You? I know You’re up there . . . in Your holy and glorious dwelling place . . . but I need You to look down . . . or at least let me know You’re looking down.” We can know the promises of God, but sometimes we need to experience the presence of God. Isaiah knew that the Redeemer of Israel would eventually act on their behalf, He just wanted it now!!! And maybe not so much about acting on Israel’s behalf, but how about just a reminder that God cared for Isaiah?

Isaiah stood in the fiery ruins of what was once their holy and beautiful temple. He could look around and see that Zion was a wilderness and Jerusalem a desolation. All the physical glory of Israel was laid waste. (Isa. 64:10-11) He knew the promises of God . . . that one day He would restore all things . . . but, for right now, He just needed a bit of a reminder . . . he needed a bit of the presence of God.

Isn’t that what I need sometimes . . . a bit of presence while I wait for the promise? A reminder of God’s zeal and heart for me? Some touch from heaven that assures me of His promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me . . . so that I might confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear.” (Heb. 13:5b-6). And so, like Isaiah, I can find myself also crying out . . .

“Oh that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence . . . ” (Isaiah 64:1 ESV)

Isaiah is so ready for the Mighty Redeemer of Israel to step on to the scene, intervene, and make things right. He has seen Him in His glory and might . . . now it’s time to “do it” . . . “Let’s get ready to rumble!!!” Isaiah is looking for the Glorious Appearing of Christ to once for all do battle with His enemies and set up His kingdom of righteousness here on earth.

And I’m reminded that God has come down . . . that the heavens have been breached in Jesus’ first coming . . . and through His death and resurrection the curtain to the Holy of Holies was rend from top to bottom . . . and the need for a “bit of presence” is entirely within my reach. Jesus . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8)

Sin has been judged . . . the sinner declared righteous by faith . . . heaven opened up . . . the Holy Spirit descended . . . and I can look up . . . and ask Him to look down and remind me of His thoughts to me . . . and through His Spirit inside me, know a bit of the presence. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (Rom. 8:16)

Oh, that I would have ears to hear the Spirit within me . . . that I would keep the way open for His still small voice to speak . . . that I would know a bit of the presence . . . while I cling to the promise . . .

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Let Us

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Pete

Although Hebrews might be considered very doctrinal in nature . . . a lot of teaching . . . a lot of Old Testament context explained in the “better realities” of Christ . . . there’s a fair amount of “let us” as well. In light of such great truths, the writer repeatedly calls upon his readers to respond. “Let us strive to enter the rest” (4:11) . . .”let us draw near” (10:22) . . . “let us run with endurance” (12:1) . . . are just a a few of about a dozen calls to respond to great truth with fitting actions. Came across a couple more this morning in my reading . . .

“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, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)

I’m reminded that I am receiving a kingdom. Not quite there yet, but I’m in line. By the blood of Jesus my “ticket” has been bought . . . my name is written on the RSVP’d list. With the eye of faith, and by the Spirit of God, I can see Mount Zion . . . the city of the living God . . . the heavenly Jerusalem, before me. I can envision an innumerable host of angels gathered in festal chorus . . . I know that there is an assembly of those who have already gone before me, who have already arrived and are registered . . . I see them as they bow before the throne . . . and, though I need to avert my gaze because of the unimaginable glory that shines forth, I catch a glimpse of God, the judge of all . . . and, in the midst, there is Jesus, the mediator of this blessed new covenant (12:22-24).

And the response? . . . the “let us”? I should be grateful that I’m receiving an unshakeable kingdom . . . I should, with reverence and awe, offer God acceptable worship.

Pretty easy to lose sight of the eternal. A lot going on down here . . . enough distraction for the day and then some . . . too many things vying for the hearts attention . . . sometimes a constant roller-coaster ride that ends up throwing you off balance and making you a bit sick to your stomach. Probably not a better time than, when the rides paused for a bit . . . and you’re staggering a bit trying to regain equilibrium, . . . to be reminded of the kingdom through His Word . . . to have your gaze directed again to the King. And then . . . be grateful . . . and then . . . worship.

Context . . . right? We deal with the stuff of the “here and now” in the light of the realities of the “there and then.” While our feet are on this earth, we’re reminded that we’ve also been seated together with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6) . . . and so we look to things above. While what’s in front of our noses is the agenda for the day, we are reminded that faith is substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1 NKJV). And so . . . we gaze upon the city of God we’ll soon inhabit . . . and to it’s King . . . our mediator . . . our Shepherd . . . my Jesus . . . “and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

And then dear saint, let us be grateful . . . and let us worship . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory!

Let us! Amen?

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Through the Tears

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Pete

Tears have a way of clouding the vision. Often they make you want to close your eyes. They can become your sole focus as you concentrate on them flowing down your cheeks. But the word of God tells me this morning to look through the tears. Not to be ashamed of them . . . not suppress them . . . not ignore them . . . not pretend they never happened . . . but to look through them.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV)

Perhaps I’m taking it a bit out of context . . . but not too much, I think. For the previous 40 verses in chapter 11 I’ve been reminded of a host of saints who walked their walks by faith. Who stepped out in faith . . . who suffered in faith . . . who showed up everyday in faith. And, in light of such a “great cloud of witnesses”, I’m encouraged to “run with endurance” the race before me. Not a sprint, as I’ve been so frequently reminded . . . but a marathon. Though sometimes it’s run on nicely groomed, even tracks . . . other times it’s more like a mountainous cross-country trail with very limited ability to see what’s around the bend. Sometimes, it’s just plain hard. So hard, it brings you to tears. That’s when I need to look through the tears . . .

Looking to Jesus . . . turning my eyes away from other things and fixing them on Him alone.

He is the Founder and Perfect of my faith . . . the Lamb who purchased this lost soul with His own blood . . . the Shepherd who sought and found this lost sheep . . . the Risen Christ who, even now, is at the right hand of the God making intercession for me and those I feebly attempt to bring before the throne of grace. Look to Jesus . . . turn your eyes on Him . . . through the tears.

Consider Him . . . think Him over . . . ponder Him . . . focus on Him.

Consider His race . . . humbly coming to His own, yet rejected . . . a perfect man, yet condemned as a criminal . . . without sin, yet made sin for me. And so, He endured the cross . . . made nothing of the shame . . . all because of the joy that was set before Him. He too looked through His tears to the Father, saying, “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done.” Consider Him . . . through the tears.

Look to Jesus . . . consider Him . . . so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Tears have a way of draining you. Looking through them . . . and seeing Jesus . . . has a way of reviving you. Maybe it doesn’t seem enough of a boost for the entire marathon, but it’s enough for the next leg . . . the day before you.

Father, I would see Jesus . . . through the tears . . . by Your grace . . . and for Your glory . . . amen.

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