Part of the Song

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Pete

Psalm 22 really is an incredible journey. From “My God, my God why have You forsaken me” . . . to “I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” From “All who see me mock me” . . . they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion” . . . to “You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him.” From “I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joints . . . my strength is dried up like a potsherd . . . my tongue sticks to my jaws . . . they have pierced my hands and feet” . . . to “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”

That it is a Messianic psalm . . . a prophetic psalm concerning Jesus . . . is clear from the opening words. Jesus links Himself to the psalm’s subject fulfillment as He cries from the cross, “My God, my God why have You forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46, Mark 15:34) To read the psalm and think about Jesus is not only appropriate, it is intended. The psalm provides insight into the suffering of the Son of God . . . it is a passage into the inner thoughts of the Lamb of God on the cross . . . and, it links the pain to the purpose. It shows that by way of the cross, there would be a crown . . . that because of suffering, there would be salvation . . . that through the pouring out of wrath, there would be the pouring out of worship.

It starts in the depths of the pit of despair and winds up in heights of the congregation of heaven It begins with the lone voice of a single forsaken Man crying to an invisible God . . . and ends with a myriad of offspring of Israel lifting their voices as they praise Him and worship Him and stand in awe of Him.

What an incredible journey!

And “the bonus” for me this morning? I found myself in the psalm . . . I looked in the picture and there I was . . . “back row, third from the right.”

“Posterity shall serve Him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it.” (Ps. 22:30-31)

There I am! That “coming generation” . . . part of the “people yet unborn.”

As David concludes his song . . . as it rises in grand crescendo . . . as the Lamb of God reveals He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . I become part of the song. A member of that generation . . . one of those people yet unborn . . . hearing of His righteousness . . . a righteousness secured by the Righteous One who paid the price for the penalty of my sin on that awful cross . . . a righteousness made freely available by the grace of a loving God . . . a righteousness deposited to my account through faith in the Shepherd Son of God . . . a righteousness being practically worked out in my life through the transforming Spirit of God. Oh, how I praise Him that he penned my name into the lyrics of the song!

“He has done it!” So concludes the song. The journey . . . from once-for-all Sacrifice to victorious Savior . . . all part of God’s redemptive plan . . . and it is finished.

Mine is to not only see myself in the song, but to join in the song . . . to praise Him . . . to glorify Him . . . to stand in awe of Him . . . to join those from all families of all nations who have seen themselves too in the song and worship before Him.

Pretty cool song, huh? . . .

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Keeping An Appointment

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Pete

Ka-bam! It happened again this morning . . . a few short words . . . found in a much bigger story and context . . . which transported me into a “wonder land.” Not “I wonder what’s happening” land . . . but, an “Oh the wonder of it all!” land. Nine words which send me back in time . . . with a fresh sense of awe as I recall the events of that time in my life . . . being reminded that even though it was happening to me, I only saw such a small part of all that was in play. For me, it was the feeble first steps of faith . . . the initial act of believing. The result was that I was brought from spiritual darkness into marvelous light . . . I was born again and made a new creation in Christ . . . my spiritual DNA was re-wired so that I became alive to things that I was so long dead to. But for God . . . there was a much bigger dynamic at play . . . it was about me keeping an appointment.

In Acts 13, Barnabas and Saul are sent out by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the word of God (13:1-5). And in Antioch, on the Sabbath day, they get an opportunity to preach in the synagogue (vv. 13-15). And preach it they do. Many leave that morning asking Paul to return next Sabbath for they wanted to hear more. And the following week “almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord”. But the Jews are filled with jealousy as they see the huge interest being shown in the renegade Pharisee and so they rise up in verbal opposition to him. And, in response, Paul says, “Since you thrust it (the gospel) aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (v.44-46). Now, check this out . . .

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)

There they are . . . those last nine words . . . “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” From where they were sitting they were “receiving Jesus” . . . they were “asking Jesus into their hearts” . . . they were “coming to faith” . . . they were “accepting Christ as their Savior” . . . we have so many phrases to try and describe the point in someone’s life when they become a believer . . . but from God’s vantage point, they were keeping an appointment.

Oh, the wonder of it all! They exercised their free will to respond to the word they heard with belief. They elected to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21) . . . they chose life . . . abundant life . . . eternal life. But, reveals Scripture, again, to this they were appointed. God, in His sovereign purposes and workings, had ordered it . . . He had ordained that they should respond in faith . . . even as He chose them in His Son before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and blameless before Him . . . In love having predestined them for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:4-6).

Can I reconcile in my little mind the incongruity of my free will and His Sovereign determination? Not really. Am I convinced that Scripture teaches both to be true? Absolutely! Praise God, that the workings of God are not dependent upon my ability to fully comprehend them . . . or logically explain them . . . I’m thinking that’s part of what makes Him God . . . and me not. Instead I marvel anew, as I think back on that drive home that night so many years ago when I prayed my feeble little prayer . . . not even knowing that the “right words” would have been to ask Jesus to come into my life . . . but that night, in that car, with whatever words I came up with, I was keeping an appointment.

I didn’t know it . . . it really wasn’t mine to know . . . mine was simply to respond to what I was starting to understand with the mustard seed of faith that had been graced to me by the One who was calling Me through the One who had died for me? Mine was to believe . . . being saved by faith. His was to know that I also was keeping an appointment . . . scheduled from before the foundation of the world . . . to be revealed to me after I had entered the kingdom by faith . . . a “bonus” piece of knowledge concerning the eternal dimensions of the love of God . . . to be reminded of it again as I came across a small phrase in a story of a renegade Pharisee preaching the gospel . . . such that I might respond afresh in loving appreciation to such amazing grace. Hmmm . . . who knows . . . perhaps right now I’m keeping another appointment . . .

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The Name

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Pete

Hovering over Psalm 20 this morning . . . it’s a song for the king (v.9) . . . in the day of trouble (v.1) . . . seemingly a psalm reflecting an occasion where the people pray David out of the city on his way to confront his enemies. And at the heart of the psalm is “the Name” . . . the name of our God . . . three times reference is made to “the Name” . . . and in those mentions, there is some instruction for all of us who head out to battle . . .

“May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!” (v.1b). In the Name there is power . . . and authority . . . such that it is an active agent of protection. Literally the word is “to set on high” . . . the NKJV translates it “defend” . . . the idea of exalting someone above hostility. Though the king had readied himself and was prepared to go “head to head” in combat, ultimately, his protection would be through the defending power of the name of God. The people petition Him who dwells in the holy place of the sanctuary of Zion to provide support (v2.) . . . to sustain . . . to encourage . . . to strengthen. In the Name there is protection . . .

And in that protection . . . there is a confidence . . . a joyful expectation of deliverance . . . such that, as they head into battle, “in the name of our God [we] set up our banners!” (v.5). No sneaking behind enemy lines here . . . no going stealth . . . but with flags unfurled, they proclaim themselves the people of God . . . gathered to the name of God . . . and confidently (not arrogantly) marching into battle for God. They know that the Lord saves his own and will answer from His holy hill (v.6) . . . that “if God is for us, who can be against us” . . . that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31, 37). The banner bears the name of God! To Him they rally . . . for Him they are prepared to stand . . . under Him they go forward . . . in Him they experience “the saving might of His right hand” (v.6b).

So, while “some trust in chariots and some in horses, we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (v.7). It is His Name that we’ll call to remembrance . . . for in that Name, and in that Name alone, is where our trust is. Despite our capabilities . . . regardless of our “natural resources” . . . ultimately we recognize that only in the Name are we able to engage the enemy . . . and to endure the struggle . . . and to emerge the victor. Our “chariots and horses” are not the things we rely on . . . it’s not about how smart we are . . . or how talented we may think ourselves . . . or how clever we can be . . . or how much wealth or brute strength we think we can bring to bear to power through the trial. No, instead we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

His Name . . . the Name above all names . . . is the Name of active and present protection. That Name which stirs the heart, is the Name upon which I raise the banner of proclamation . . . acknowledging that I enter the fray “in Him.” And in that Name — the Name I love to hear, and love to speak it’s worth — is the Name of a peace-filled expectation that I can do all things through the resources of Him who strengthens me (Php. 4:13).

“They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright” (v.8) . . . in the Name . . . because of the Name . . . and for the glory of the Name.

Amen.

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The Other Petition

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Pete

I guess if you were to ask me, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how familiar would you consider yourself with Psalm 19?” . . . I’d probably answer, “7 or 8” . . . mostly because of my familiarity with verses 7 through 11 . . . David’s great song concerning the Law of the Lord. The law being perfect, sure, right, pure clean, and true. The law which revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes. The law which endures forever, is righteous altogether and is to be desired more than gold . . . and which tastes so sweet, sweeter than honey.

I’d say that I’m also familiar with David’s affirmation that the heavens declare the glory of God and that the skies above proclaim God’s handiwork (19:1). A call to look up, look way up, and behold the evidence and the magnificence of the Creator. And too, I’d say that I recall David’s petition that, before this God of glory, and through his consideration of the sweeter-than-honeycomb Word of God, that the words of the psalmist’s mouth and the meditations of his heart would be acceptable in the sight of his rock and redeemer LORD (19:14).

But if you had asked me what David’s other petition was in Psalm 19, I wouldn’t have recalled there was even a second petition . . . much less what it was. Check this out . . .

“Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!” (Ps. 19:13)

See God’s glory? . . . embrace God’s word? . . . seek to offer acceptable words and meditation? . . . then guard against sin.

It is the great detractor in the equation . . . it blinds eyes to the glory . . . it plugs ears and hardens hearts to the Word . . . it creates interference for meditation . . . deal with it.

And David speaks of “hidden faults” and “presumptuous sins”. I take it that the hidden faults aren’t so much sins which we willfully determine to commit in secret . . . aware that it’s wrong and so wanting to keep them undercover. Instead, I’m thinking the hidden faults are those things of the flesh, those things of the fallen nature, that are embedded within the heart and soul which, apart from any intention on our part, manifest themselves in outward acts displeasing to God. I think they may be the “deceitfulness of the heart” which is hard to know that Jeremiah speaks of (Jer. 17:9) . . . that stuff that David would ask God to seek out and reveal to him such that it would not be an impediment in “the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). And so David asks God to search it out and clean it up.

And then, there’s the “presumptuous sins”. The sins sourced in pride and arrogance . . . the sins birthed from self-confidence and self-reliance on my own intellect and perceived ability . . . sins which come about from a “me first” rather than a “God first” or an “others first” sort of attitude. And these sins, says David, if not checked will dominate . . . will have dominion. Oh, how scary a thought is that? . . . for sin, birthed in pride, to have dominion over me . . . ugh!

And, it occurs to me, to think that I have the resources to fend it off myself is, in it itself, a presumptuous sin. David wisely looks to the Creator . . . meditatively calls upon the Author of the perfect law of Lord . . . “Keep back your servant from such sin.” Your servant . . . a humble title for a king to take . . . a lowly posturing for one who sits on a throne . . . a good start to battling presumptuous sin . . . a solid self-assessment from which to beseech Him who made you to also restrain you from going somewhere you don’t want to go . . . from entering into transgression, the cost of which is more than you can afford to pay.

Cleanse me from the underlying stuff . . . Keep from the arrogant stuff . . . Ok, so if this sticks, maybe my familiarity with Psalm 19 goes up to a “9” . . . more importantly though, if this becomes my prayer too, then, by His grace and the through the redemptive blood of Jesus, truly the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart will be acceptable in His sight . . . and declare too the glory of God . . . amen?

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ILYL

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Pete

Flashback . . . something I read this morning caused me to recall something that kind of overwhelmed me last night at music team practice. The first few words of Psalm 18 re-released a flood of feeling just as these same words had last night as we sang them over and over again trying to get a song right. Not complex words . . . not particularly theological terms . . . but words that ignite the heart.

We were working on the song “Saviour King” by Hillsong last night. It’s been a long time since we had done the song so it took a bit to get re-familiarized with it. And, we’re no Hillsong, and so it took a few run-throughs to get it packaged appropriately for the LTCC worship team. So, we ended up singing the song a few times . . . sometimes repeating it “from the top” . . . sometimes just going over the verse, or a chorus, or a bridge. And there were a couple of points in the song, chorus 1 and chorus 3, where, no matter how often I sang it, it stirred me from the inside out . . . “We love You Lord, we worship You, You are our God, You alone are good . . . I love you Lord, I worship You, Hope which was lost, Now stands renewed.” Every time I sang “I love You, Lord”, I sang to the Lord, “I love you.”

For the believer, I don’t know how those words ever get tiresome . . . how they ever become “ho hum” . . . how they ever lose their meaning. What an awesome privilege to close our eyes . . . to tilt our heads heavenward . . . and sing . . . or whisper . . . or think . . . or shout, “I love You, Lord!”

I was once “dead in trespasses . . . following the course of this world and the ways of disobedience to God . . . living for the passions of the flesh . . . carrying out the desires of the body . . . by nature a child of wrath” (Eph. 2:1-3). There was a time when there was never a thought to acknowledge God much less think that I could, or that I would want to, tell Him that I love Him. Dead to the His love shown to me . . . dead to the life He sent His Son to secure for me . . . dead to any emotion that I might seek to return to Him. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4-5).

I love Him . . . and never tire of saying “I love You, Lord” . . . because He first loved me (1John 4:19). While I was yet without ability or desire to know Him . . . while I yet a sinner intent on occupying the throne of my life . . . while I was yet an enemy of God, lifting my ways above His . . . God showed His love in that He sent His Son to die for me (Rom. 5:1-10). God said, “I love you” first . . . He provided the means for reconciliation . . . He initiated the conversation . . . extended the invitation . . . patiently and persistently drew me to Himself . . . because, I believe, He too wanted to hear, “I love You, Lord.”

David wrote, “He brought me out into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me” (Ps. 18:19). Oh, to think that God delights in me. Not because of who I am . . . not because of what I’ve done (actually despite what I’ve done) . . . but solely because of who He is and what He has done and His immense love for a lost world . . . His eternal desire to have His creation hear, “I love you” . . . and to adopt them as His children that they might respond, “I love You too, Lord!”

Four words that I find are more felt then “tell’t” . . . more an emotion than just an articulation. Four words that never grow old . . . four words that grow with meaning the longer I know Him and the longer I try to serve Him. Four words that bring joy to my heart as I speak them, or sing them . . . four words that I think bring joy to the heart of God as well . . . to Him be glory . . .

“I love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Ps. 18:1-2) . . . . ILYL

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Say "So!"

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Pete

I tend to shy away from being a “Peter basher” . . . the apostle, not me . . . well, me too. The rap on the apostle Peter is that he was impetuous . . . that he acted before he thought . . . that he was quick to try and run before he had really figured out how to walk . . . that he sometimes thought the mind of Peter should be the mind of Christ. Often his nature manifested itself in a “Ready, Shoot, Aim” approach to spouting off at the mouth. Quick to speak . . . slow to think, sometimes. And while Peter certainly “loaded that gun” for us to “pull that trigger” . . . I relate way too much to him to be critical . . .

I’m reading Acts 10:1-23 . . . and I’m impressed again by the overhaul in thinking that Peter had to go through. Talk about your world being turned upside down — again! . . . talk about changing the rules of the game . . . talk about taking what you think you knew to be reality and finding out, “Not so much!” Peter often takes “the hit” here for speaking the three words, “Not so, Lord!” And it is well pointed out that to say “Not so” and “Lord” in the same sentence kinda doesn’t go together. If He’s Lord, then it is “So”!!! . . . and if it is “Not so” then, is He really Lord? But as I think about Peter’s “schooling” on that roof top, I think about how much of what Peter thought he knew about God and the ways of God were going to challenged and spun 180 degrees that day.

Prior to the roof top it’s not like Peter was doing his own thing . . . not like he was pursuing his own agenda . . . not like he was disobediently walking his own way. No, he was out there on the leading edge of proclaiming Christ (Acts 2) . . . and suffering for it (Acts 5:40-41). Peter was being true to the light he possessed. The thing though is that he didn’t know it all yet . . . and what he thought he knew was about to be radically enhanced. The coming together of Jew and Gentile, pictured in the sheet descending from heaven, to form a new body accepted as God’s people, was a mystery up to this point, revealed only at this time in history to and through the apostles (Eph. 3:1-7). Kind of hard to fault Peter, I think.

Ok . . . so maybe saying “Not so Lord” to a voice from heaven may have not been the best thought out response . . . but he got it . . . yeah, after three times, but I’m amazed it was ONLY three times . . . and then he acted on it. What about me? How many things do I think I know about God, and Christianity, and Church life . . . things I’ve been taught . . . things that I’ve read and studied and seen for myself . . . things that others acknowledge as true . . . and what if God said, “Do it differently . . . think about it differently”? Is it possible that I may not have some of those things quite right and God may have some more for me to learn? Or possible that, while I may not be wrong, it’s only a measure of understanding . . . a “little” to be faithful with before I’m given more . . . that as I increase in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and develop more the mind of Christ, that I too may find I need to change my thinking on certain matters?

Now, I’m not talking about the foundational things like the Person and redemptive work of Christ . . . or the basis for salvation being grace alone . . . or the inerrancy of the God-breathed Scriptures. I’m referring to those myriad of things that I think I know about the Christian experience, or am comfortable with in my Christian practice, where my understanding is partial or maybe even wrong . . . and God wants to correct my thinking . . . or to enhance my understanding . . . or even radically change my thinking.

And it’s likely not going to be a voice from heaven, but my indwelling Teacher, the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, who reveals it to me. Something in my reading . . . or during some study . . . or from the Sunday morning pulpit . . . where the Spirit through the Word of God says, “Hey, this is how it is . . . it’s not the way you have thought for so long.” What will I do in that situation? . . . will I say “Not so Lord” . . . or humbly recognize that this pilgrim is still learning on this journey and bow the knee and put away my preconceived reality and submit to the Word of God . . . and say, “So!”

Oh, that I would be as ready as Peter . . . seeking God on a roof top. That I would be as favored as Peter . . . God graciously schooling me and challenging my biases through His word. That I would learn from Peter . . . and be slow to say, “Not so” . . . and that I would be as quick to learn as Peter . . . and say, “So” . . . and then go . . . for His glory.

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In Fear and In Comfort

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Pete

You gotta know that Saul getting saved sure took a lot of pressure off of a lot of people. He had become pretty ramped up and obsessed with those who claimed to be disciples of a risen Jesus . . . breathing threats and murder against those who belonged to “the Way” (Acts 9:1-2). So, you just gotta think that when he met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and became a believer, it provided a lot of relief to those he had led the charge against.

And that’s what Luke records towards the end of Acts 9, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up” (9:31a). Dickens might have put it this way, “It was the best of times.” King David, this way, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed I have a pleasant inheritance” (Ps. 16:6). Bottom line . . . things were good . . . it was a pleasant season for the church at large . . . no persecution . . . no arrests . . . no running from crazy man Saul. Instead, peace . . . some normalcy . . . an opportunity to catch your breath . . . energy spent on growing rather than on running. It wouldn’t be that way always . . . but it was that way now . . . and they would enjoy it.

But check this out . . . during this time of peace and edification and multiplication . . . this is how the Holy Spirit describes how they did life, “In the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (9:31b).

Fear and comfort . . . the combo caught my attention . . . not two words that I would necessarily put together . . . not two “states of being” that I would consider compatible. But that’s how the church “walked” during this time of peace . . . that’s how believers did life . . . in fear . . . and in comfort.

Fear of the Lord . . . not the same type of fear they had of Saul and his murderous ways . . . but an abiding deep sense of awe concerning the holiness of their God, the wonder of their salvation, and the calling of their Savior. Every day being a day to walk in a manner worthy of being a child of God . . . a day to seek first the kingdom of God . . . a day to order one’s life as befitting a disciple and servant of Christ. Characterized by an ever-present reverence for the Lord, they continued to continue in the apostles doctrine (2:42) . . . they pursued the things of holiness and righteousness . . . they set their hearts on things above . . . more and more mindful that they weren’t living to please men here and now but were preparing to stand before the King, desiring to hear “Well done good and faithful servant”, there and then. Times were good . . . but the fear, the reverential awe of the Lord abided.

And long with it, the comfort of the Holy Spirit. As these saints sought to draw near to God, He, through His blessed Holy Spirit, drew alongside them. They pursued the holy and the Holy One pursued them. They lived for the things of God, and the living God lived through them. They practiced their “spiritual disciplines” and Spirit “practiced” an abiding presence within them. The more they lived in the fear of the Lord, the greater the comfort . . . the support . . . the encouragement . . . the pervasive presence . . . of the Holy Spirit. As they sought to follow Christ . . . as they yielded to “thy will be done” continually . . . the Spirit “stepped in front of the parade” and led and directed and strengthened.

Fear and comfort . . . I guess they do go together.

Oh that I might not snooze during peaceful times . . . that I might not grow complacent during those seasons when “the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places”. But that I might pursue the prize and drink of living water . . . that I might run the race and know the refreshing . . . that I might live in fear . . . and in comfort . . . for my benefit . . . for His glory . . . amen.

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Undercover

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Pete

Ok . . . so this year one of the TV shows that’s made it on my “to watch” list is Undercover Boss. That’s the show where some big kahuna in a company, usually the CEO, goes incognito and enters the inner-workings of his company . . . being filmed under the pretense of some other “reality TV” premise. And during the week, as he’s working different jobs in different parts of the company, he learns what life’s like on the “front lines”. He meets employees . . . hears their stories . . . does their work . . . and learns a few lessons along the way. And then, these employees are brought to headquarters where they are reunited with “the rookie” . . . this time not as a co-worker but as their bosses bosses boss. And at their meeting, these “lowly workers” are given praise . . . sometimes given correction . . . and often given rewards. So what’s got me thinking Undercover Boss? It’s another “reality show” I’m reading about in Matthew 6.

“Be real!” says the Holy Spirit through Matthew. Giving to the needy? Don’t be standing up in church or waving your gifts on the street corners trying to impress others of how great a friend to the poor you are. Do it in secret. Praying? Avoid seeking public platforms in order that others might hear your many eloquent (but empty) words, instead find a room with a door . . . and get in the room . . . and get on your knees . . . and get to talking with God. Do it in secret. Fasting? Quit letting your outer appearance try to reflect your inner striving so that others might be impressed. Have a shower, shave, put on some perfume (if you’re a lady) . . . don’t let on to anyone how starved you are. Do it in secret. (Matt 6:1-18 PLT – Pete’s Loose Translation).

Do it in secret because that’s where your Father operates. Three times that point is emphasized in this passage . . . “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (6:4, 6, 18). God operates, in a sense, undercover. It’s not that He’s trying to hide . . . or trying to fool anyone . . . it’s just that His place is the secret place . . . His realm is the hidden realm . . . His interest is in the inner person. Not that He’s gone undercover . . . not that He’s disguised Himself . . . in fact, the heavens declare the glory and presence of God (Ps. 19:1) . . . His people should be proclaiming the praises of God who has called them out of darkness into light (1Peter 2:9) . . . that the whole world might know that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). God operates in the secret, but not because He’s trying to hide . . . but because He’s interested in what’s real.

Rather, we’re the ones to go incognito, in a sense. When it comes to “practicing righteousness” (Matt 6:1) . . . when it comes to walking the talk . . . when it comes to putting flesh on Christianity . . . we are to do it but for an Audience of One. God’s people are to know that God searches the secret, and are to learn to operate in that realm. It’s not about how much people know we give . . . not about how eloquent we can be in a crowd at prayer meeting . . . not about how long we can abstain for food and how many people we can tell in that time. It’s about doing what we should be doing . . . because it’s the right thing to do.

And it’s about knowing that our Father sees in secret. That He’s present on the “shop floor” as we seek, by His grace and through His Spirit, to be about the kingdom’s business. That He knows not just what we do, but why we do it. And that ours isn’t to worry about the recognition but to check ourselves on the reality.

One day I’ll be called to HQ (Heavenly Quarters being prepared even now by the Savior), and I’ll behold Him face to face. That some of my works may not stand the scrutiny of Him who sees the heart is likely . . . that I might hear “Well done good faithful servant” for some service is my desire . . . that I might receive a crown or two to lay back at His feet in appreciation and worship is my hope. But for now, teach me Lord it operate “undercover” . . . to know the God who abides in the hidden place . . . to serve not for the eyes of men but of the eyes of Him who sees in secret.

For His glory alone . . . amen.

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WWPD?

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Pete

I know that, as a fad, it’s probably run its course. I know that during its day, it was overused . . . over marketed . . . and maybe, sometimes, a bit over the top. Think what you will of its hey-day, but you can’t argue with the sentiments behind WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? Fair question . . . not a bad reminder for people who are called to “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1). But the power of WWJD, of course, is not in the slogan or acronym . . . it’s not in the bracelets and other marketed paraphernalia . . . but its in actually doing what Jesus would do . . . in saying what Jesus would say . . . in responding in a manner in which Jesus would respond. And, I’m thinking it’s not so much what merchandise I’m wearing on the outside as it is what’s filling me on the inside that’s going to result in the degree to which I do what Jesus would do. Case in point . . . Stephen . . .

“But they (the high priest and the council) cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him (Stephen). Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him . . . And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:57-60)

Every time I read this passage I’m arrested afresh by how much Stephen, at his death, responded like the Lord Jesus at His death. The clarity with which he commended the care of his spirit into the hands of His Savior and the manner in which he prayed for his executioners . . . almost exactly like what Jesus said (Luke 23:34, 46). And I don’t think in those moments, when the stones started hitting him, he was thinking, “WWJD?” . . . no, I think he responded with what had become second nature to him . . . that second nature being the nature of Christ. It wasn’t about the slogan he memorized . . . it was about the Spirit he internalized.

You read about Stephen in Acts 6 and 7 and it isn’t hard to pick up on one of his major distinguishing characteristics: ” . . . they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (6:3) . . . And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders (6:8) . . . But they could not withstand the wisdom and Spirit with which [Stephen] was speaking (6:10) . . . But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (7:55).”

Talk about someone who was “conformed to the image of Christ” (Rom. 8:29) . . . talk about someone who reflected the heart and mind of the risen Savior . . . talk about someone who responded naturally in such a supernatural way . . . then you’re talking about Stephen. And, it wasn’t what Stephen wore on his wrist that influenced how much he acted like Jesus . . . it was about what Stephen was filled with in his heart . . . a man full of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s a guy under the influence of the Holy Spirit . . . up to the very end. The divine nature becoming second nature . . . the Holy Spirit in full control when things were spinning out of control . . . what Stephen would do being what Jesus would do. Stephen living out to the most extreme extent Paul’s declaration that “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

And it occurs to me that, while I’m no Stephen, the same Holy Spirit that filled Him is the Spirit who resides within me . . . that I too can continually “be being filled with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) . . . that I too can learn and know what it is to live in the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) . . . that I too can be so under the influence that my “natural” responses and actions start looking a lot like the responses and actions that one would expect from Jesus.

WWPD? What Would Pete do? By the grace of God . . .and through the filling and power of the Holy Spirit . . . more and more what Jesus would do . . .

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Eyelids

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Pete

Ever look at something really closely? Not just glance at it . . . not just observe it . . . but lean in and really try and make out the detail? What do your eyes do? . . . more specifically what do your eyelids do? The brow kind of furls . . . and then the eyelids kind of press closer together . . . don’t they? Whether we want to better make out something in the distance or want to examine something up close we employ our eyelids . . . we kind of squint when we want to become intimate with the details of something that’s caught our attention . . . that’s peaked our curiosity . . . that’s become an object we want to understand. God too!

“The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test, the children of man.” (Psalm 11:4)

Observation: God has eyelids. Most of the translations  I checked out, even the Message, speak of God’s eyelids. Now I know that God doesn’t actually have eyelids (I think) for God is spirit (John 4:24). But what I also know is that God is often spoken of in terms of human attributes so that we might know something of a God who is beyond human comprehension . . . that we might have a touch point anchored to how we’re wired in order to understand how God’s wired. And that God has eyes to see is not news to me this morning . . . but that He has eyelids to test . . . now that’s caused me to pause and reflect.

The word “eyelid” is only used 9 times in Scripture . . . but this is the only time it is used in reference to God. And check out the “big and small” of this statement about God. The “big” is that He dwells in His holy temple and that His throne is in heaven. High and lifted up . . . apart from men . . . so far above the earth . . . in a place with a vantage point that overlooks and sees all creation as well as the heavenly realm. Talk about your panoramic view . . . your wide angle lens . . . your big picture. God sits above it all and takes it all in . . . “His eyes see.”

But then . . . zoom in . . . switch from wide angle to telephoto . . . from viewing myriads of galaxies to focusing on one . . . from considering who knows how many solar systems to taking a closer look at but one . . . from looking past all the planets and stars to fixing His gaze on the third planet from the sun . . . from observing the ebb and flow of billions of people to singling out just one . . . from seeing not only what that individual is doing, but what what they’re thinking as well. “His eyelids test the children of men.”

My handy dandy online Hebrew dictionary indicates that, while God’s eyes see, that His eyelids “examine, try, prove, or scrutinize.” He leans in, as it were. He squints in order to see the fine detail . . . perhaps closes one eye as the other peers through the microscope trained on our thoughts, attitudes, and motives. Yeah . . . God sees everything as in the big picture . . . but I’m reminded He sees everything as in “everything” . . . even those things I perhaps prefer no one really see or notice.

And while there’s any number of applications to this observation about God having eyelids . . . right now, I’m simply in awe. And my little mind tries to take in that while God’s glory fills the holy temple of His dwelling . . . and that while He sits as majestic Sovereign on the throne which is the center piece of heaven . . . that He also, from that high and holy and lofty place where He sees it all . . . He also sees me . . . really, really sees me . . . through and through. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it” (Ps. 139:6). Said a little differently, “Wow!”

It’s a little unsettling, perhaps. But then I’m reminded that, while the Shepherd knows His sheep . . . intimately, . . . with all that He knows, He still chose to give His life for the sheep . . . and then give them eyelids too, that they might know Him (John 10:11, 14). Oh, that I would lean in . . . furl my brow . . . press together my eyelids . . . and seek, by His grace and through His Spirit, to know Him better who knows me oh so well. Amen?

Posted in Psalms | 3 Comments