There Must Be 50 Ways . . .

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Pete

“You just slip out the back, Jack . . . Make a new plan, Stan . . . You don’t need to be coy, Roy . . . Just get yourself free . . . Hop on the bus, Gus . . . You don’t need to discuss much . . . Just drop off the key, Lee . . . And get yourself free . . . There must be fifty ways to leave your lover”   (Paul Simon, 1975)

This song from my high school days came to mind as I was reading Revelation 2 . . . can you guess why?

The church of Ephesus was a happenin’ place. They worked and labored hard for the Lord . . . had lots of Bible studies and knew their Word . . . had no tolerance of false teaching and called fake messengers of God out for what they were — liars. They faithfully and patiently kept on keepin’ on, not growing weary, as they served Jesus.

Things were looking good . . . but He who walks in the midst of the churches (Rev. 1:20, 2:1), had something against them . . . something they had to deal with . . . “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4 ESV). And as I think about it, there really must be 50 ways to leave your lover.

They were doing the works . . . they were standing for the faith . . . and, I think, it was more than just going through the motions . . . I think they were sincere and serious about their faith. But, apparently you can do all the right stuff and not do it from the right place. You can do it as part of routine . . . you can do it because you think it earns heavenly brownie points . . . you can do it ’cause your friends are doing it. But Jesus, it seems, wants us doing it out of “love you had at first”.

All the right stuff we do, we should be doing because we are crazy in love with Jesus. It shouldn’t be just a “good habit” . . . it shouldn’t be just a “spiritual discipline” . . . it shouldn’t be just a “good testimony” . . . it shouldn’t be just about “doing the right thing ’cause it’s right thing to do” . . . it should be an offering poured out from a heart that loves Him because He first loved us.

And I don’t know how you read this and not think that passion is part of the deal. Though it may be orthodox . . . or biblical . . . passionate-less Christianity falls short of what I think the Savior wants from His people. And I don’t think we need to manufacture the passion or put it on . . . I think it resides within us. The issue is that we’ve found ways to leave our lover . . . or, to use a more biblical phrase, quench the Holy Spirit (1Thess. 5:19) . . . to put out His fire.

We can do Christian good works but not pursue feeding the fire of an intimate relationship with Jesus through the indwelling Spirit. We can spend time at church . . . spend time at seminars . . . spend time reading books . . . spend time serving at this ministry or that ministry . . . but not be spending time with the One to whom we are betrothed. When we’re away from the church activities or ministries we’re opting for the TV . . . or the computer game . . . or the hobby . . . over time with Him. Faithful in Christian works . . . but flakey in Christ-focused pursuit.

He wants us to serve Him out of a vital and passionate and crazy in love relationship with Himself. I don’t know how you do that without alone time with Him and His word. Oh, that I would, above all, desire Him . . . and seek to pursue deepening relationship with Him. That I would hear the voice of my Beloved calling me to deeper, intimate fellowship with Himself . . . that I would beware of, and say no to, all the ways to leave your lover.  By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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The Outskirts of His Ways

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Pete

Three months (and about 20 minutes) ago they had just made the call . . . they needed to get her into surgery . . . NOW! I still often recall the surreal nightmare that led up to the neurosurgeon making that call . . . going to bed in anticipation of a wedding . . . waking up an hour later not knowing what was going on . . . paramedics . . . the initial diagnosis at the ER — bleeding in the brain . . . being prepared for the worse. Three months later . . . two more surgeries . . . 6 weeks of chemo and radiation therapy . . . here I sit . . . doing my second Thanksgiving holiday of the year (oh, I do like being a transplanted Canadian) with SO MUCH to be thankful for. And as I read in Job this morning, I’m reminded that what I have seen of God’s hand over these past 3 months is just “the outskirts of His ways.”

“He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it His cloud. He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness . . . Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26 7-10, 14 ESV)

So, I haven’t focused a lot in recent weeks on the wonder of the creation around me. I pretty much take for granted that the earth hangs out in empty space . . . living in Seattle, I’m not as convinced about waters being stored up in clouds that don’t split (kidding . . .). I haven’t recently looked out over an ocean horizon and noticed the boundary between light and darkness. Instead, I’ve been pretty focused on what’s been happening in my house. Thankful that, though so much has taken place, so little has really changed.

I recall the second surgeon saying how amazing the first surgery had gone and how “lucky” that first surgeon was given that he didn’t have time to take an MRI and was therefore essentially operating blind. I remember that, after the second surgery, she was the “one-in-a-thousand” with bleeding which would require a third operation to do “clean up” . . . and then realizing it was the piece of tumor they couldn’t reach that had “self-destructed” and bled out. I hear again the radiation oncologist’s words, “Remarkable . . . Incredible . . . Amazing” as he describes to another doctor the lack of side effects she had experienced during the weeks of post-operative treatment. And I thank God, that the woman I went to sleep with last night, is much the same as she was as when we went to bed 3 months ago. Can’t explain it any other way . . . then having seen the hand of God . . . and that, is just the outskirts of His ways.

And, isn’t’ that the way it is for any of us who have been drawn into relationship with the God of the universe through the Savior of the world? We have known the reality of sins forgiven . . . we have seen the glimpses of the new heart implanted within us as, over time, we act less like ourselves and more like Him . . . we have known sustaining grace through times of trial and trouble . . . we have been privileged, from time to time, to see Him intervene. And all of it, says Job, is just a small whisper revealing just an inkling of who He is and how much He love us.

So, I rejoice that I am on the outskirts this morning. Having seen something of His glory and grace . . . not just in the events of the last 3 months . . . but throughout the almost 34 years of this pilgrim walk. I’m thankful for every whisper He has allowed me to hear. And I wait in anticipation of the thunder that will be known in that day when faith gives way to sight . . . when the tears of earth are absorbed within the living river of heaven . . . when the God who lives inside me through His blessed Spirit is before me in all His majesty and glory . . . and maybe, even then, that will still be just the mere edge — perhaps it will take eternity to fully appreciate all that my God is . . . but hey, I’ll have the time!

For now . . . thank You, Lord . . . for Your presence, Your favor, Your grace. Would You continue to let me hear the whispers . . . and to take notice of the outskirts of Your ways? . . . for Your glory . . . amen!

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Not Home Alone

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Pete

So, on that day, did the old man recall what he had written years before? Did he connect the dots between that day’s reality and the promise he had recorded before he was cast into exile? As he worshiped that Lord’s day, all by himself in whatever housing they had left for him on that island, was he knowing anew the reality that he was not home alone?

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:15-18 ESV)

This morning, I’m captured afresh by God’s provision for His children in and through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit . . . Third Person of the Trinity . . . God, fully God . . . given to all who believe as a seal guaranteeing the fulfillment of their salvation (Eph. 1:13, 2Cor. 1:22). But more than just some “stamp” or “heavenly postage” ensuring “we make it”, He dwells with us . . . even more, He dwells in us . . . and by Him, Jesus says He comes to His own . . . by Him, we see Jesus.

That’s what happened to John on that day on Patmos. In the Spirit on the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10), he heard a voice. And as he turned to see the voice, he saw Jesus . . . the risen Christ . . . in all His majestic heavenly glory . . . the Son of Man robed in white, His face so radiant that it was like the sun shining in full strength. Seeing Him, John fell at His feet as though dead. And there, facedown before the King of Kings, John felt the touch of Jesus as Jesus laid His right hand on John. And then, facedown, sensing the hand of Jesus upon him, John heard the words, “Fear not.” (Rev. 1:12-17) And he knew again . . . and he knew for certain . . . that he was not alone.

Sometimes we think that it might be “easier” to walk this pilgrim walk if we had some “face time” with God . . . if we had lived in the time of the patriarch’s where God seemed to be breaking in on the scene on a regular fashion, engaging people in one-on-one conversation. Or, perhaps we say it would have been easier if we could have been alive during the time Christ walked on the earth . . . experiencing Him first hand . . . that would then increase our faith . . . that would solidify our walk. But, if you think about it . . . those OT characters really were “characters” and seemed just as prone to wayward thinking and disobedience then as we are today . . . even though they heard directly from God. And, how about those disciples? It really wasn’t until Jesus left that things kicked into gear for them . . . when Jesus left, and sent them “another Helper” . . . an Advocate just like Jesus in every way . . . yet without skin . . . but able to “move in” . . . isn’t that when the disciples really started walking in a “manner worthy of their calling.”

So sure, the OT folks may have interacted with the First Person of the Trinity . . . the disciples may have broke bread with the Second Person of the Trinity . . . but hey, we have not been left orphans . . . we have been brought into relationship, “up close and personal”, with God, with Jesus Himself, through the Third Person of the Trinity, the blessed Holy Spirit. He is with me . . . He indwells me . . . 24/7 . . . how amazing is that? Pretty!!!

Oh, to praise God anew for His wonderful provision through the Spirit. To be more like John and be found “in the Spirit.” To draw near to Jesus, who ensured we wouldn’t be left orphans in this world that’s not our home . . . to encounter the Savior who said He would come to us . . . to welcome the Gracious Guest who knocks at the door of our heart wanting to come in and, through the Spirit, settle down and engage us in a communion that is literally out of this world. Even so, Lord Jesus, through the Spirit come!

We’re not home yet . . . but neither are we home alone. Amen?

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The Way of A Man with A Maid — Amazing!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Pete

Solomon said that, as he considered them, there were some things that just kind of astounded him (Prov. 30:18-19). The way that an eagle interacts with air currents and majestically soars above the earth. The way a serpent can find its way upon a smooth rock . . . with no feet . . . leaving no trace . . . drawing warmth from the rock as its own. The way a heavy ship floats in a great sea . . . quietly making headway . . . cutting through waves . . . the water closing in behind it eventually leaving no trace of it’s passing. And finally, Solomon says, he is blown away by “the way of man with a maid” (NASB). That there was something about young love . . . the manner in which a guy woos and courts a girl, seeking to turn her towards himself. “Amazing,” he says.

I’m not even reading in Proverbs this morning, but this is what came to mind as I read again the unbelievable “love story” recorded in Hosea. Asked of God to become part of a living object lesson of the depths of Israel’s depravity and rejection, Hosea is told, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD” (Hosea 1:2).

And Hosea does . . . he takes such a wife. I don’t know if it took much to persuade her . . . “You can continue to live on streets, selling yourself for your next meal or, you can come live in my house and I will provide for you.” Sounds like a no brainer for her . . . sounds to me like Hosea’s getting stuck with “damaged goods.” And, if I’m reading it right, she bears him children, though, it sounds like he may not have been the father of any of them as she continues to ply her trade in the red light district. Eventually he’ll have to go and buy her the street again (Hosea 3:1-2). This, says God, is the way of Israel towards Him . . . kind of makes you a little sick to your stomach.

So, why does Proverbs come to mind this morning . . . get this . . .

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ . . . ” (Hosea 2:14-16a ESV)

“Behold I will allure her” . . . “I will court her” (MSG) . . . “I will win her back” (NLT) . . . “I will entice her” (Young’s Literal) . . . “I will woo her” (Pete’s impression). Really? This woman of the streets? You’ve given her a chance already . . . cleaned her up once . . . shared yourself with her despite her past . . . and she’s betrayed you, the reminders of her on-going betrayal thrown in your face every morning at the breakfast table as you feed someone else’s kids their breakfast. So, really? . . .you are going to continue to court her? To what depths will you go to rescue this woman of darkness who seems intent on not being rescued? To what extent will you pursue her? How intent are you to woo her to yourself? Answer: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

“And I will betroth you to Me forever. I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.” (Hosea 3:19-20 ESV)

Oh, the way of a man with a maid . . . the way of the King of grace with the bride He desires . . . Amazing!

Though she disgusts me, I can’t help but see myself in Hosea’s wife. Once in love with the world . . . caring not for the God who created me . . . intent on pursuing the pleasures offered on the streets over the treasures offered in heaven. Though “good” by the world’s standards, my best was but filthy rags . . . my heart just as wayward . . . my internal GPS set on returning to the muck and mire. But in His grace . . . in His love beyond love . . . He patiently wooed me to Himself. He called my name repeatedly . . . I see now, how He protected me constantly . . . He give Himself for me unconditionally . . . and, to no credit of my own, He drew me to Himself. He brought me into relationship by His own blood . . . He has given me all blessings in the heavenlies as a co-heir . . . He has begun a work of purification and sanctification through His abiding Spirit. Oh! How I love Jesus . . . because He first loved me.

The way of THE MAN with this “maid” . . . Amazing.

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A Divine Partnership

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Pete

As I read the short epistle of Jude this morning I’m reminded that God has determined that the way of the believer from salvation to glorification is a divine partnership.

The bulk of the letter is a warning to believers concerning those who would infiltrate their ranks. They are “people have crept in unnoticed” . . . who would seek to “pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v.4). They “blaspheme what they do not understand” (v.10) and are those who have “walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion” (v.11). In short . . . bad news!

That their destructive potential resides in the midst of believers is evident for Jude says “they are reefs (or blemishes) at your love feasts” (v.12) . . . they are literally “at the table.” They are “grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage” (v.16). They are “worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” (v.19). Their cancerous apostasy and error pops up in the midst of companies of believers. What they say might sound good . . . maybe even be a “breath of fresh air” seemingly revitalizing the old, out-of-date, Christianity we’ve become critical of. But, at it’s core, is error . . . and heresy . . . and even blasphemy. It doesn’t line up with Scripture . . . seeks to redefine purity and holiness . . . and questions Jesus’ deity. And in the midst of these dangers, Jude presents a two-fold game plan to recognize and reject these false voices in our midst — this divine partnership I’m noticing.

First, he exhorts us “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (v.3). The root word for contend is “agonize” and here the word is “super-sized” so that it has the idea of “really agonizing!” A term used of those contending in gymnastic games . . . striving to prevail . . . fighting against adversaries. So, in part, it’s up to us to pursue and hold on to the faith. It is my responsibility to know the word of God such that the heresy of these charlatans is recognized. I need to be a pursuer of truth and not settle for what my itching ears want to hear. I need to stand firm in what God has revealed and not be drawn away through some critical spirit which promotes division and opens me up to someone’s “new message.”

And I fear that we might view this as some theoretical “pie in the sky” type of exhortation and not recognize it as a vital posture we need to take now. These false teachers are in our Christian bookstores. They are setting up “evangelical” churches. They are being read on the internet. They are being funded by born again believers. Oh, how we need a spirit of discernment as we shop in the vast market place of literature and podcasts and eloquent preachers . . . those who claim to have a new, fresh spin on the “old, old, story.” We need to be like the Bereans who, after hearing Paul preach, “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11)

But it is not left solely to us . . . praise God! . . . there’s a partnership at play. Amidst the backdrop of this war for truth . . . in the context of us contending for the faith . . . Jude begins and ends his letter with a reminder that God is contending for us as well. Jude says that we are those who are called and are “sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ” (v.1 NKJV). And he closes his letter with the promise that God “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy” (v.24).

IT is God’s battle too! And, if God is for us, who can be against us? But, because God is engaged in our preservation and sanctification, doesn’t mean that we have license to coast in our faith . . . to be complacent concerning the truth. Instead it should be our motivation to do battle for the truth knowing that the God of truth has promised to bring the victory.

We contend . . . He preserves. We fight for the truth . . . He keeps us from stumbling. We seek Him above all . . . He presents us faultless before the presence of His glory. My heart’s desire . . . His eternal promise that the work He has begun in me, He will complete (Php. 1:6). My holy determination . . . His divine preservation. My grace-infused grappling . . . His glory. What a divine partnership.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24,25 ESV)

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Jesus Is LORD!

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Pete

It’s not an image I’ve ever noodled on before . . . not something that I’ve considered. When I think of the “parade” that walked out of Egypt, I don’t immediately think of Him being part of it. While I’ve “seen” God the Father presiding over the exodus . . . and have imagined Moses out front leading the way . . . that Jesus, God the Son, was an active participant, I don’t think has ever really struck me. Until this morning . . . thanks to the ESV . . .

“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5 ESV)

In the NIV, the NASB, and the NKJV, the translators all render it that “the Lord” saved the people out of Egypt and later judged those who did not believe. Only the ESV (and the NLT interestingly enough) choose to go with some of the older manuscripts (apparently) that specifically use the word for Jesus. That’s been one of the benefits of reading out of the ESV this year . . . on a number of occasions, passages, which I might have otherwise just glossed over, jump off the page because the wording is unfamiliar and/or the thought conveyed differently focused than what I’m used to. Such is the case this morning with Jude 5 . . .

So, rather than debate the accuracy of translation or which manuscripts to use, I instead ask myself, “Is it true?” . . . was Jesus the one who led the march out of Egypt . . . and later buried the bodies in the wilderness of those who refused to enter the land of promise? Uh . . . yeah! . . . if for no other reason, than it is the mind-bending implication of the mystery of a Triune God.

Now, you don’t find the name Jesus in the OT . . . that name uniquely associated with the incarnation . . . with God become flesh. But to be reminded that “the Son of God, in His eternal divine nature, was active in the world from the beginning of creation, long before his incarnation” (ESV Study Bible note), is to again be awestruck by all that Jesus is. That not only was He present and active in the deliverance of seed of Abraham from Egypt . . . but that He was also present when God said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen. 1:26) . . . that, in fact, He was the very agent of Creation Himself (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17).

And it becomes all the more incredible when I contrast that idea of Jesus in the cloud by day and the fire by night (Exodus 13:21) with the image presented of Him in my reading in John this morning . . .

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13:3-5 ESV)

Really? Is this the same Jesus? Is the man stooped before the dirty feet of flakey disciples really the same Deliver of a nation from the bondage of Egypt? Is this man bent down in meek humility the same one who crushed Pharaoh with compelling displays of His might and power through the plagues? Is the one who got eye to eye with the sheep He called into His fold the same Sovereign who drove Moses to his face on the Mount as spoke with such holy authority that it resonated as thunder? Yes . . . yes . . . yes . . . and again, I’m thinkin’!

Oh, that I might continually be reminded through “little surprises” like this ESV translation of the awesome nature and character of the One who died for me . . . who delivered me . . . who desires to commune with me . . . who is building a place for me, that I might forever be with Him.

Jesus is LORD! O’ that I might comprehend more fully what that means . . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . . Amen?

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A Showdown

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Pete

I really don’t remember the last time I watched one of those classic westerns where the guy in the white hat takes on the guy in the black hat. Where, on some dusty, deserted main street the two stand mere paces from each other in a final showdown. They look each other in the eye . . . the “bad guy” confident he can draw his six shooter faster than the one before him . . . the “good guy” KNOWING he can.

John 13 marks the beginning of the end. Jesus knows that “His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father” (13:1). And what kind of grabbed me this morning is the manner in which the Spirit through John clearly identifies the “behind the scenes” spiritual dynamics . . . the fact that there was about to be a once-for-all-eternity cosmic showdown . . .

At one end of the street is the devil — diablos, the enemy of God, the prince of darkness, the ruler of this world. And his “behind the scenes” work is that he has already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus (13:2). The MSG says, “The devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.” Lucifer, fallen angel of God, could see his plan coming together. The Pharisees’ were already determined to put Jesus to death (John 11:53) and with Judas’ indignation at Mary’s costly act of worship and Jesus’ rebuke (John 12:3-8), Satan had the opening to “enter his heart” . . . to load the final bullet in the chamber. It was really all that the devil had hoped for, his plan was falling into place, the Son of God would soon be his. Satan had the power of death at his disposal and soon he would draw his weapon and take out the Holy One. Or so he thought.

Facing His enemy, eye to eye, Jesus of Nazareth. God manifest in flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, soon to be taken up in glory (1Tim. 3:16). Jesus, “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” (1Tim. 6:15-16). Jesus, the meek and lowly, in the upper room with “His own” . . . loving them to the end (13:1) . . . garment laid aside, his robe girded about Him, towel in His hand, kneeling before mere mortals, washing their feet.

Oh, Satan gleefully anticipated Jesus’ end . . . certain that he had Him right where he wanted Him . . . “Oh,” Satan thinks, “If He only knew what’s coming . . . ” But John tells us that Jesus did know. Jesus knew His hour had come (13:1). He knew that just has He had come from the Father He would soon be returning (13:3). He knew that, though the cross awaited Him, so did victory . . . that He would triumph in this cosmic showdown.

Jesus knew that just as “the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). He knew that soon He would disarm the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:15) . . . that He would die, be entombed, and three days later rise from the dead as the absolute, undisputed Champion of God — returning to the Father having completed the work He was sent to do. Game . . . set . . . match!

Jesus knew it then . . . and I know it now. Oh, the victory I share in today because the One robed in white defeated the one who commanded death. The devil is defeated . . . death is defeated . . . sin no longer has dominion.

Jesus knew the hour had come . . . that it was “high noon” . . . that this world wasn’t big enough for the two of them . . . and, obedient to the Father’s will, He gave of Himself, as the ultimate sacrifice . . . as the death-defeating “shot” heard throughout eternity.

Praise You, O’ Savior!! “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:57). Amen?

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A Collision

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Pete

Sometimes, as I make my way through my reading plan in the morning, two of the passages on my list may seem to compliment each other . . . and sometimes they just seem to “collide.” This morning, I encountered a collision . . .

I’m continuing to work my way through Job’s great debate. Job, a righteous man like no other of his time . . . a man who, by God’s own testimony within His heavenly “inner circle”, is declared to be “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8, 2:3). And Job’s debate is waged on two fronts. On the one front, Job goes back and forth with a trio of less-than-comforting comforters who insist that Job must deserve the devastation he has encountered. On the other front, and much more frustrating for Job, is the debate he wages with a God who remains silent. Job desires, and often demands, an audience with the One who has “closed His net about me . . . has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass . . . has set darkness upon my paths . . . has stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head . . . has kindled His wrath against me and counts me as His adversary” (Job 19:6-11). But for all of Job’s “why’s?” and “how come’s?”, heaven remains silent . . . nothing . . . zilch . . . nada . . . “Behold I cry out . . . but I am not answered” (19:7).

So, here’s a blameless righteous man bearing unimaginable affliction with absolutely no clue as to why . . . with no communication (yet) from the One who knows why . . . dealing with the valley’s of life as a mystery . . . not knowing why or for what purpose. Next reading . . . bring on “the collision” . . .

The book of Daniel presents another guy . . . not so righteous . . . in fact a barbaric, violent, ruthless, self-absorbed, megalomaniac king who is his own god. And for this guy, there seems to be a direct hotline set up from heaven itself. The “guy” is King Nebuchadnezzar . . . the “hotline” is Daniel . . . and the reasons for his “ups and downs” are clear “that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32). Like Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar goes through the ringer, too. Driven from among men . . . reduced to life as a beast . . . eating grass like an ox . . . his body wet with dew . . . his hair growing as long as eagle’s feathers . . his nails as long as bird’s claws . . . off his throne . . . and off his rocker! (4:33). But he was given advance notice as to the reasons why.

You read Daniel and you see God’s determination to reveal Himself to this pagan king. God shows Himself as the God who “reveals mysteries” (2:29, 47) when Daniel accurately relays to the king the details of the kings first dream and its meaning. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow to the king’s idol, God “visibly” shows up as the fourth man in the fire, making known that He is the God who delivers, . . . the king correctly concluding, “there is other god who is able to rescue in this way” (3:29). And this morning, in Daniel 4, the king is informed beforehand of what will befall him and for what purpose . . . that he would know that ‘the Most High rules.”

And I sit back and ask, “How come?” How come Job, the righteous man, is put through the ringer and doesn’t hear a peep from heaven (yet)? How come Nebuchadnezzar, the creep, who deserves everything coming to him, is given a personal tutor to spell it all out for him and lead him, almost hand-in-hand, to the very footstool of the throne of the Most High God?

And in this “collision” between the stories of these two men, there is one Sovereign God who works His purposes in His way. The degree and the timing as to when and how He reveals the mysteries of life are at His discretion. Ultimately, however, it all serves to make Him known . . . to reveal His glory . . . and to declare His amazing grace.

And I shouldn’t be “more amazed” at the grace shown to “the creep” than I am to the “blameless and upright” man. Both are sons of Adam . . . both in need of God getting their attention . . . both needing to come to a place where, before the throne of Mighty God, they bow their knees and adoringly submit themselves to the God Most High. Hmmm . . . maybe not such a collision after all . . .

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A Revealer of Mysteries

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Pete

The story is classic . . . King eats too much before bedtime . . . king goes to sleep . . . supper starts fighting back . . . king has weird dream . . . king calls his magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers . . . king tells them the weird, digestive induced visions he had during the night . . . the court jesters get all creative and come up with a good tale on what the king’s dream means . . . king feels important that even his cramped colon can produce such great truths . . . king’s counselors feel important that they could be so wise as to interpret gastric goings on . . . game, set, match . . . we’ll play again another day. But in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (Daniel 2:1), the rules of the game were to take a sudden change . . . and the stage was set to introduce to a pagan king a Revealer of Mysteries

On that night, the dreams was different. They were vivid and they were troubling to the core. Not just about some tossing and turning, but shake-you-to-your-core frightening, so that there was no sleep to be had. And the king wanted answers . . . no game playing . . . he wanted the truth . . . he wanted to understand what it was all about and so, he called his “wise men” to him and required that before interpreting the dream that they demonstrate they were really in the know by first recounting the dream to him. Nope . . . uh, uh . . ain’t going to happen . . . “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh” (Daniel 2:10-11).

Well, they got it part right . . . no man was going to meet the king’s test. But, there is a God who dares to dwell among flesh . . . the God who seeks to redeem those He created in His own image . . . the God who desires to tabernacle with His people . . . the God of heaven . . . the God who is a Revealer of Mysteries.

If you go just on repetition alone, the core message of Daniel 2 has got to be that the God of heaven (2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44) is a Revealer of Mysteries (2:19, 28, 29, 47). Sure, we can get caught up with Daniel’s prophetic interpretation of the the king’s dream, but if we step back just a bit, how amazing is it that the God heaven has determined to reveal the secrets of heaven to mere mortals? I’m thinkin’ pretty amazing!

I can be so comfortable with the concepts of the faith . . . that Christ is God come in the flesh . . . that Jesus died and rose again the third day as an atoning sacrifice for all my sin — past, present, and future . . . that righteousness is credited to all who believe Jesus is the Lamb of God and own Him as Lord of All . . . that Jesus is even now preparing a place for us and that our mortal bodies will give way to immortality . . . and the list goes on.

But this morning “comfort” gives way to awe. That the God of heaven . . . He whose ways are higher than my ways . . . He whose thought are so beyond anything I could conceive . . . that He would reveal, by His grace, the secrets of the kingdom to a person of darkened understanding . . . that He would illuminate our minds to grasp in some measure such out-of-this-world revelation.

It occurs to me, that by God’s grace, I’m kind of like Daniel in that the God of heaven has revealed to me deep and profound mysteries . . . that, by His grace, He has given me the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16) . . . that, through His abiding Spirit, He leads me into truth.

Oh, that I might respond like Daniel and bless the God of heaven . . . the Revealer of Mysteries!

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
    to whom belong wisdom and might.
 He changes times and seasons;
    He removes kings and sets up kings;
 He gives wisdom to the wise
   and knowledge to those who have understanding;
He reveals deep and hidden things;
   He knows what is in the darkness,
   and the light dwells with Him.
 To You, O God of my fathers,
    I give thanks and praise . . . ”     (Daniel 2:20-22 ESV)

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Love One Another

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Pete

There’s no escaping it . . . no “wiggle room,” really. It’s a command to be obeyed . . . but, more than that, it is a command to be embraced . . . because, for those who do, it has a way of maintaining a fresh and vital relationship with the God who, Himself, models the command.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. . . . Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. . . . And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1John 4:7, 11, 21 ESV)

So . . . do you get the sense that perhaps believers should be lovers of other believers? It seems that one of the most compelling evidences of someone truly being born of God is that they have an authentic love for the people of God . . . that one of the most vivid indicators that Christ is being formed in a person is the degree to which they love the sheep just as the Good Shepherd does . . . that one of the most powerful witnesses that someone is truly in relationship with God is found in the relationships they pursue with other believers.

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1John 4:12, 16 ESV)

It seems to me that John’s saying there is a vital link between our relationship with God and our relationships with the church . . . not the building . . . not some “place of worship” . . . but with the church, the body of Christ, those brought out of darkness into marvelous light that they might be to God a “special people.” And if that’s true . . . if there is this correlation between loving one another and abiding with God . . . maybe that’s why the enemy has perpetuated the lie that “going to church” is more a matter of convenience than it is a matter of maintaining an authentic relationship with the Savior of our souls. Maybe that’s why, for so many, Sunday mornings are more a matter of “clocking in and clocking out” than they are about touching base again with a community from which they draw energy and encouragement as they are ministered to . . . and, as they minister to others.

As I hover over this passage this morning, I wonder how people can be growing . . . or even maintaining . . . an abiding relationship with God without pursuing loving relationships with other believers. Maybe it’s the old stagnant pond analogy . . . if water just flows in but never flows out, that fresh water eventually loses it’s sparkle. Instead, if we obey His command and love one another, “out”, just as we have known His love, “in”, the “flow” of God’s love through us keeps us in vital communion with the Source of Love . . . for “God is love.”

Oh, what a tragedy for believers not to connect with a fellowship in which, more than just being fed, they can also pour out their lives into others.

Certainly, the Word of God is important if we are to grow in Christ-likeness. And prayer is vital if we are to engage God in real relationship. But, if we sell short the importance of fellowship — not just because of what we can get, but because of the avenue to love on one another — then, I fear, we’re sitting on a three-legged stool with only two legs.

It’s a command . . . it’s an imperative for abiding . . . it’s a privilege. Beloved, let us love one another . . amen?

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