A "One-Two" Punch

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Pete

It was a “one-two” punch that got me this morning. Set up by “the jab” in Mark’s gospel . . . and then the “knock out” blow delivered in the Psalms. You gotta love the word of God! Amen?

The latter part of Mark deals with a couple of miracles. First, a Syro-Phoenician woman’s young daughter is delivered from a demon that had come upon her. Imagine that . . . a little girl tormented by the forces of hell . . . released by the command of Jesus, the true Ruler of all principalities. Then, Mark writes of a deaf man who could hardly talk who is brought to Jesus. And touches the man . . . physically and spiritually . . . “At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly” (Mark 7:35). And here’s the “setup jab” . . . “They were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well . . . ‘ ” (7:37).

Astonished beyond measure (NKJV) . . . overwhelmed with amazement (NIV) . . . beside themselves with excitement (MSG) . . . blown out of their minds (Hippie-speak, 1960’s) . . . Jesus does all things well! Ya’ think? But how often do I take time and pause, reflect, and just say, “Wow!!!” I read this and my spirit joins with His Spirit and whispers into heaven, “Yes Lord, You do all things well. I am overwhelmed with amazement!” So much to distract us . . . so prone to becoming complacent . . . so easy to take Him and His works for granted . . . but then, you read the Word . . . and a phrase like this leaps off the page and into your heart . . . and afresh you see Jesus . . . and in awe and wonder, beyond measure, you say, “Yes!!! He really does all things well!”

And that’s what set me up for my reading in Psalm 89. Just the first 18 verses this morning . . . but in those verses, two words are repeated 4 times, and they delivered the “knock out blow” . . .

“With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations (89:2) . . . Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens (89:2) . . . And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints (89:5) . . . O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You (89:8).”

He does all things well . . . that includes His faithfulness . . . His steadfastness . . . His stability . . . His firmness . . . His fidelity. God is true . . . our Father is faithful. Yes! Amen! Wow!!!

When things are failing . . . or flailing . . . when stuff starts going south . . . when the seas get choppy . . . when my faithfulness is far from unwavering . . . yet, He remains faithful. His faithfulness is established in heaven . . . it surrounds Him. “What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar.” (Rom. 3:3-4). Our God can be can be counted on . . . when He says that He will never leave us or forsake us, we can rest in it. His promises are true . . . established on the foundation of His faithfulness.

And so, not only will the heavens praise Your wonders, O Lord, but too, the “assembly of the saints” will praise Your faithfulness . . . and with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness. You do all things well . . . Your faithfulness endures forever!

One-two . . . overwhelmed with amazement . . . His faithfulness, the praise of my lips . . . knock out! . . . wow!!!

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Mysterious Ways

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Pete

“The Lord works in mysterious ways.” Ok, so maybe it’s an overused phrase . . . maybe it’s one of those “pat answers” used to say something when we don’t know what to say . . . one of those explanations we have for what is, quite frankly, unexplainable . . . one of those “go to” phrases, when things don’t line up within the confines of our thinking. Call it what you will . . . but it’s true . . . and, as I’m reading the first part of the story of Samson this morning, I don’t know how you can reach any other conclusion. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

That Samson was “a chosen one” is beyond dispute. God Himself visits his barren parents through the Angel of the Lord and informs them of the special calling He will have on the son to be born to them. Their soon-to-be-conceived son is to be set apart from birth. He is to be raised according to the Nazirite vow, as a someone consecrated to and for the Lord . . . God having chosen him to “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:5).

Ok, if I were take just that and write the rest of the story, it would look so different from how it actually played out. My Samson would grow up to look like a well-chiseled movie star, and to act like Moses at the height of his ministry. My Samson is carrying around rolls of Scripture (maybe even the actual tablets from the Mount themselves) . . . quoting them left, right, and center. My Samson is full of “God-speak” . . . my Samson is “the believer’s believer” . . . he’s praying 25 hours a day . . . he’s helping poor ladies across the street. Whatever “almost perfect” looks like, that’s the guy I’d write in to the story . . . because He was raised in a God-fearing home . . . and because he was set apart from birth by God Himself . . . and because He was called to serve God’s mighty purposes . . . and because the Holy Spirit regularly came upon him.

That last one, especially, is what makes Samson such an enigma for me. In my reading in Judges 13 through 15, four times the Spirit of God is mentioned in regards to Samson. As he grew as a child, “the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him” (13:24-25). Later, as a young man, he is attacked by a lion, “and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him” and he tears the lion apart (14:6). Again, in Judges 14:19 and 15:14, I read that “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him” . . . and I guess that’s why I think this guy should have been such an example of “a man of God” . . . ’cause I guess I have this thought that the Spirit only comes upon “godly people” . . . like they deserve it, or something. But, as I read it, Samson played fast and loose with his Nazirite vow. First, he lusts after Philistine women . . . doesn’t align with God’s instructions not to get tangled up with the people of the land. Then, he’s eating honey out of the dead lion’s carcass . . . in direct violation of his Nazirite calling (Num. 6:6-7) . . . then he starts gambling with the friends of his Philistine bride-to-be . . . which just leads to things unraveling in a big way.

So what’s up? He’s not fitting my image of what guys act like who regularly have the Spirit come mightily upon them. Answer: God works in mysterious ways. This isn’t about Samson really . . . it’s about God’s determination to loosen the strangle hold the Philistines had over Israel for the past 40 years (13:5). And God had determined he would accomplish His purposes through Samson . . . even using Samson’s wandering eyes for the foreign women. When his parents tried talking Samson out of pursuing this Philistine beauty from Timnah, it says, “But his father and mother did not know it was of the Lord — that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines” (14:4). If God was ready to move against the Philistines, why do it this way? Why use a guy with clay feet? Why use a guy with a high calling and such a high opinion of himself that he re-writes the rules as he goes? I don’t know . . . God works in mysterious ways.

But work He does! And in His Sovereign determination, He chooses to come upon this less than holy Nazirite with His Holy Spirit. He uses “playing loose with the rules” to play out His purposes. It’s not really about the Samson upon whom the Spirit comes . . . but all about the Spirit who uses the imperfections of God’s chosen to work God’s power and plans. Oh, what an awesome God is our God . . . mysterious? . . . yes . . . mighty? . . . you bet . . . worthy of all glory and praise? . . . amen!

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The Shepherd’s Heart

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Pete

Jesus couldn’t get away from the crowds. It’s a recurring theme in Mark’s gospel . . . no matter where Jesus went, people followed. No matter how much He tried to “get away” He couldn’t get far. Where Jesus was, people gathered . . . where Jesus went, people followed. And you could think that after a while it might get a bit tiresome . . . not having “your own space”. But not for the Lord . . . how come?

Reading in Mark 6 this morning, I find Jesus wanting to get away with His disciples. He had sent them out, two by two, on a ministry trip . . . giving them power over unclean spirits, power to heal, and power to preach the need for repentance (6:7-13). They had gone out and now they were gathering to Jesus to report out what they had done and what they had taught (6:30). They were exhausted . . . they were hungry . . . it had been intense . . . and Jesus knew they need a little down-time . . . some R&R . . . time to debrief . . . time to decompress . . . “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while,” He said to them (6:31) . . . and so, they departed to a deserted place in a boat by themselves (6:32).

A deserted place . . . by themselves . . . sounded pretty good. “But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him” (6:33). What they had anticipated as being a “deserted place” now teemed with people . . . what was to be a bit of one-on-twelve intimate fellowship was now a tent meeting. And Mark writes that, when Jesus came upon this “great multitude”, He “was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd” (6:34).

Far from “hitting the wall” with the constant throng of people around Him, Jesus was moved within the depths of His being with a heart of sympathy and yearning for these people. He knew their shallowness . . . most were there for what they could get from Him . . . very few had any real understanding of who He was, or of the true depths of spiritual healing He could provide them. But they had come . . . and He was moved as He looked out over them. They were like sheep . . . sheep without a shepherd . . . sheep without someone to lead them to pastures where they could feed. And so, He began to teach them many things . . . His words being their guide . . . His words offered up as their food.

He is the Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20) . . . the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1Peter 2:25) . . . the One who will shepherd His people and lead them to living fountains of waters where God will wipe away ever tear (Rev. 7:17).

And one of the driving forces of our Shepherd is a compassion that moves Him when He looks out at the sheep. There are those outside the fold that He longs to bring in . . . there are those who are part of the flock but have wandered off . . . and then, there are those who seek to follow the Shepherd despite their “dumb sheep” inclinations. And He looks at the crowd . . . and He’s moved with compassion. That’s the heart of my Shepherd.

While sometimes I might think that He’s frustrated with me as I seem to keep tripping over my sheep feet, I’m reminded this morning of His Shepherd’s heart . . . and His desire for the sheep of His flock . . . His patience toward those He knows by name . . . toward those who know and seek His voice. He doesn’t grow weary of the crowd’s pursuit . . . He doesn’t lose sight of the individual’s need . . . but as a Shepherd, He longs to care for them.

Moved with compassion . . . that’s my Shepherd . . . thank You, Father!

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A Simple Sentence

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Pete

Seven words, in my NKJV. Seven words built out of just 20 letters . . . only 11 of those letters are unique . . . six of the seven words are comprised of only of two or three letters . . . one word is five letters long . . . none of these words is going to get you very far in a game of Scrabble . . . even on a triple-word score. I’m thinking that an English teacher would refer to these seven words as a “simple sentence” . . . then why am I struggling with it so much this morning?

I’m reading the latter part of 1Corinthians 10 and Paul seems to be wrapping up a thought he begun back in chapter 8 . . . a warning to not use our freedom in Christ to engage in some activity that might cause another brother or sister in Christ to stumble. Paul reminds these believers that while “all things are lawful, not all things are helpful . . . not all things edify” (10:23). Praise God for freedom in Christ . . . released from the “to do” and the “to don’t” list of religion, nothing is unclean if it is received with thanksgiving (1Tim. 4:3-5) . . . all things are lawful. But the mind of Christ requires that we apply a couple of other filters beyond the “can I do it?” filter . . . we need to ask “is it helpful?” . . . and we need to siphon it through the “will it build up?” filter as well. We are free to act . . . but not so free to act without being thoughtful. And that brings me to another “filter” . . . to my “simple sentence” . . .

Do all to the glory of God.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1Cor. 10:31)

Seven words . . . made up of just 11 different letters . . . but seven words that are “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and are a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

A “simple sentence” that makes me squirm . . . that shines a light on my activities . . . ALL my activities. I think that’s what gets me the most . . . it’s the “whatever you do” and the “do all” parts of this verse that end up setting this bar so high for me. I might think that I do some stuff for the glory of God . . . I might even think that I do a lot of what I do, to the glory of God . . . but to say that I consciously seek to “do all to the glory of God”? . . . don’t know that can I honestly go there . . . yet.

It’s these sorts of “commands to obey” that remind me how much I am still a work in progress and how much I need to yield to the Spirit’s program of conforming me to the image of Christ. Oh, that the mind of Christ might form in me more fully, so that I would not be consumed with seeking my own good, but the good of others (1Cor 10:24) . . . that I would not seek that which is to my profit, but to “the profit of many, that they may be saved” (10:33). That, out of a desire to do all for the glory of God, I would put up no stumbling block or offense, “either to the Jews, or to the Greeks, or to the church of God” (kinda’ covers everyone, doesn’t it?).

Praise God, that it’s not an “all or nothing” thing . . . that God’s ok with us being a “work in progress” . . . that God’s spurring us on to “run the race” . . . that, by His grace, He’s enabling us to think and act more like His Son. But while it may not be an “all or nothing” thing, I can’t “dumb it down” and make it less than an “all” thing . . . I can’t ignore those twenty letters. Though they’re not going to get me a win in Scrabble, these seven words . . . this simple sentence . . . defines a “win” in God’s sight . . . oh, that I might, more and more, do all to the glory of God . . . amen.

Posted in 1Corinthians | Leave a comment

You’re All I Want!

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Pete

Ok . . . so I’ll confess . . . when I “step into my closet” in the morning for my “quiet time” . . . I don’t go alone . . . and it’s not really “quiet” . . . I bring along iTunes. For some reason, pretty much as far back as I can remember, “background music” has always been a part of reading or studying for me. Some people do really well in silence . . . me? . . . I kind of like a little bit of sound in the background. So, my routine is to put on a mellow, worshipful playlist as I open the Word in the morning. So why mention that? This morning it was a song playing in the background which helped break a tie.

This morning I was reflecting on two of my readings . . . deciding which one I’d write about. 1Corinthians 10:1-13 was one of those readings . . . the idea of Christ being the spiritual Rock that accompanied the children of Israel and sustained them with spiritual drink (10:4) captured my imagination . . . the other passage that resonated deeply with me was Psalm 84. And as I’m thinking over these two passages, I hear these words . . . “You’re all I want . . . You’re all I ever needed . . . You’re all I want . . . Help me know You are near. Draw me close to You . . . Never let me go . . . I lay it all down again, to hear you say that I’m your friend . . . You are my desire . . . No one else will do . . . Cause nothing else could take your place . . . To feel the warmth of your embrace . . . Help me find the way . . . Bring me back to you . . . You’re all I want . . . ” Thank you, Kelly Carpenter, for that song . . . Psalm 84 it is!

Oh, you don’t have to enter into this Psalm very far before the things of this world and the worries of the day start to fade. The words of the Psalmist ignite impassioned desire, “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God . . . For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps. 84:1-2,10). I read these words and the Spirit creates a hunger and thirst for the presence of God that has me crying out in response, “Me too! Me too! I cry out for the living God, as well.”

There’s something about having experienced just a bit of His presence that creates that desire for more. It affects the priority system . . . it redefines what real pleasure is . . . it resets the scale by which true fulfillment is measured. It is about “setting the heart on pilgrimage” (84:5b). Just as the Psalmist determined to be a traveler on the road to Zion that he might meet with God in the tabernacle, so too, I desire to be a sojourner . . . just passing through this world . . . seeking that heavenly city whose architect and builder is God Himself (Heb. 11:10, 16).

And, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s very much driven by the desire to be blessed of God . . . “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house (84:4) . . . Blessed is the man whose strength is in You (84:5) . . . Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (84:12)” Noodle on that for a bit . . . I passionately pursue God, and I get blessed . . . I draw near to Him and He graciously draws near to me (James 4:8) . . . I humble myself in passionate pursuit of His glory and He exalts me in due time (1Peter 5:6). It’s not pursuit for pursuit’s sake . . . it’s pursuit with the promise of a prize . . . “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (84:11). Oh, I know that “good thing” might seem so distant at times . . . like the journey is endless and not getting us anywhere, much less to realizing the “good thing”. But God is faithful (1Cor. 10:13) . . . leading and sustaining us through the rough spots on the journey . . . eventually bringing us into the fullness of His courts and the glory of His presence.

So, today I begin by asking, “Draw me close to You, O Lord. My heart and flesh cry out for You, O Living God. Revive my heart for pilgrimage. I’m happy to simply be a doorkeeper for You if it means knowing Your presence with me. Let me taste of Your grace and glory. You’re all I want!” Amen.

(If you have a couple more minutes . . . might want to sit back and enjoy the song . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB1yDv9_N1k)

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A Sacred Trust

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Pete

Perspective . . . it makes all the difference, doesn’t it? It’s the difference between the cup being half-full or half-empty . . . the difference between discouraged by how far we have to go and being jazzed by how far we’ve come . . . and, as I’m reminded by Paul this morning, the difference between grudgingly going through the motions of the Christian-walk and getting up in the morning ready, willing, and by His grace, able to discharge the privileged calling of being a child of the King.

In 1Corinthians 9 Paul, using his own calling as an apostle as an example, illustrates his teaching in the previous chapter concerning not using our liberty in Christ to engage in activities that might stumble others (8:9). As an apostle, Paul had a lot of “rights” . . . the right to eat and drink . . . the right to have a believing wife . . . the right to quit his “day job” and to rely on the financial support of others in order to preach the gospel (9:3-11). So, from one perspective, Paul had some “rights” . . . biblically he had these “rights” . . . practically he had these rights as other apostles were married and supported by the church. But from another perspective, Paul would choose not to exercise these rights . . . that being the perspective of a sacred trust.

Paul didn’t view himself as doing God some favor by taking the gospel to far away lands and into hostile territory and therefore deserving the rights of an apostle. Rather, he viewed his role in the body of Christ as a privilege and a calling . . . it wasn’t about what he was doing for God, but about what God had done for him. It wasn’t IF he obeyed God in the calling . . . it was about HOW. Preaching the gospel wasn’t some magnanimous gesture on Paul’s part for which he deserved to exercise the rights associated with it, instead Paul saw it as a sacred trust to be discharged faithfully.

“Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News! If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.” — 1Cor. 9:16-17 NLT

Now that’s perspective! Compelled to preach, because God has asked him to preach. Not owed any payment, because it wasn’t his call to be a messenger to the Gentiles, but it was God’s call and He had given Paul a sacred trust . . . “I have been entrusted with a stewardship” (NKJV). Thus, from his perspective, Paul was simply fulfilling that trust by seeking to be a faithful steward.

And I can’t help but make application to how I walk my Christian walk. I don’t think it matters whether I’m called to be in full-time, supported ministry or just trying to get through the day in a way that’s consistent with my profession of faith . . . I have been given a sacred trust and, really, there’s nothing to boast about in seeking to be obedient to that trust. But I can discharge that trust in one of two ways . . . either in a “grudgingly” manner or in a “God glorifying” manner. One is going through the motions . . . the other is administering a stewardship as unto Him. That stewardship could be a ministry or some form of service we’ve been called to, but it could also be simply dealing with the circumstances of life God has allowed to fall on our plates. What a difference it would make if I were to view “living a life worthy of calling with which you were called” (Eph. 4:1) not just as a command to obey, but a sacred trust to discharge.

Perspective . . . it can make all the difference . . .

Posted in 1Corinthians | Leave a comment

Open Wide!

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Pete

I was surprised this morning . . . surprised by the word of God . . . surprised by a promise of God . . . not the first time that has happened. As I worked my way through my readings, before getting to the Psalms, I was pretty sure that I’d “pen” some words around Joshua’s “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15) or put together some thoughts on Paul’s warning to not allow our liberty in Christ to become a stumbling block to a brother or sister in Christ (1Cor. 8:9,13). But then I came to Psalm 81 . . . and a promise of God jumped off the page . . . and an image (from God?) popped into my head.

The picture that formed was that of a parent trying to feed a little kid in a high chair who refused the food. Been there . . . done that. Didn’t matter if it was icky-looking green stuff on a spoon or the most inviting jiggly red Jell-O . . . there were those times when you just couldn’t get the food on that spoon past those pierced lips. No matter how much you pleaded . . . no matter how “fun” you tried to make it . . . even if the food was delivered as a plane coming in for a landing . . . the mouth was fixed shut . . . the head would turn to the side . . . they were having none of it. And then, there were the times when feeding them was impossible not because they had their mouth shut, but because they had it stuffed with other things . . . their hand . . their foot . . . a toy . . . the cat (okay, never saw one of my kids stuff the cat in their mouth . . . just kidding).

Anyway, you get the idea . . . that’s the image that formed in my mind as I read the Lord’s promise to His people in Psalm 81:

“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” – Psalm 81:10b

God promised that He would have fed His people “with the finest of wheat” . . . that He would have satisfied them with the purest and sweetest of “honey from the rock” (81:16) . . . but first, they needed to desire it . . . they needed to receive it . . . they needed to “open wide”. “But,” says the Lord, “My people would not heed my voice, and Israel would have none of me” (81:11). They refused . . . pierced their lips . . . turned away their heads . . . filled their mouths with other gods . . . stuffed themselves with the “foods” that looked good to them but had absolutely no nutritional value.

I don’t want to be caught making the same mistake. Oh, that I might heed His word . . . that I would lay hold of the promise presented to me this morning . . . that I would open wide, that He might fill me.

David says I should “feed on His faithfulness” (Ps. 37:3) . . . that I should “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). I am to desire the “pure milk of the word” (1Peter 2:2) . . . “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103). Oh, the banquet table is full of good stuff from the Lord . . . through His word . . . by His Spirit . . . 24/7 . . . what I need to do is open wide! I need to thirst for the things of God . . . I need to hunger for the things of the kingdom. I need to cut down on the junk food and free up some space for some “prime rib and gravy.” I need to let go of the spoon . . . and let the Father fill me as He has promised.

Pretty basic promise . . . pretty simple dynamic. If I but open wide, without reserve, clearing the way of all distraction and ungodliness, then He will fill me . . . with His word . . . with His Spirit . . . with hope . . . with peace . . . with strength. He will quench the thirst . . . He will satisfy the hunger . . . and He will get all the glory . . . amen!

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Cause Your Face to Shine

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Pete

They were God’s vineyard. As a vine brought out of Egypt, they had cast out the nations, been planted, and had taken deep root in the land prepared for them. And for a time they flourished. They had grown to such stature that the hills were covered with their shadow, and the mighty cedars were dwarfed by their boughs. The extent of their branches reached from the Sea to the River (Ps. 80:8-11) But that was then. Now, the hedges of the vineyard had been broken down. All who passed by took of the fruit as they pleased. Without protection, wild animals came and uprooted the vine and devoured it (80:12-13). The vineyard was being judged . . . it had run wild . . . turned it’s back on the One who had planted it, determined to follow it’s own course . . . and now the Vinedresser was undertaking some serious restorative pruning.

And what captures me this morning is the degree of desperation expressed by the Psalmist as he intercedes for the vineyard, for Israel. They had turned their back on their God and now, as they looked heavenward, all they saw was God’s back turned toward them. And so the Psalmist cries out for God’s face. Three times in this plea for restoration, the Psalmist writes on behalf of the vineyard,

“Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine and we shall be saved!” (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19)

Sin had severed fellowship to such an extent that, in His restorative purposes, God had determined it necessary to give Israel over to her enemies in order to turn back her heart. And that heart was now crying out to the “Shepherd of Israel” and to the One who dwells “between the cherubim” (80:1). And the plea of that heart? “Shine forth . . . cause Your face to shine!”

Their heart’s desire was that God would restore them . . . would turn them back to Himself . . . and would rescue them and save them from their enemies. And the means to accomplishing this restoration was for God to graciously cause His face to shine. To illumine their hearts with His presence. To dispel the darkness of self-will with the light of His being. What they wanted was to turn back and renew their relationship with their God . . . what they needed was His presence.

And while I’m not sitting here this morning as a vineyard stripped of it’s protection, there is something about the Psalmist’s plea that resonates within me . . . a certain connection with the desperate desire to have the face of God shine . . . that His face might ward off darkness . . . and dispel any complacency . . . and fan the flame . . . and reclaim a sometimes distracted heart solely for Himself. There’s value, I think, to periodic sanctified “panic attacks” that drive you back to the throne of grace wanting to know afresh His presence . . . seeking to be renewed and revived in the inner man . . . wanting our internal GPS recalibrated . . . . ensuring we don’t stray from the One who has called us to Himself.

Yeah, I’m thinking that to cry out to Him daily in desperate desire for His face to shine . . . for His Spirit to revive and restore . . . will have benefit in keeping this heart from wandering too far off. “Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name” (80:17-18).

“You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!” (80:1b) . . . cause Your face to shine . . . that I might be revived . . . that I might remain faithful . . . that You might receive all the glory . . . amen!

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Rendering Affection

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Pete

So . . . with some verses, it really makes a difference as to which version you’re reading. I don’t know that the verse which caught my attention this morning would have done so if I had read it first in another version . . . but in the NKJV it grabbed me . . . reminding me, that for married Christians, how much of the reality of our faith is first evidenced in the privacy of our marriage relationships. If it ain’t happening there, you gotta wonder how “real” it is in the public arena. So here’s the verse as I read it in my Bible this morning . . .

“Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.” (1Corinthians 7:3)

Ok, so I know enough from the contest that the “affection” spoken of is an euphemism for marital relations . . . the first part of 1Corinthians 7 deals with marriage as the alternative to “burning with passion” (7:9). But as I read “affection” it inspires a “warm and fuzzy” for me . . . consistent with an agape, self-sacrificing, sort of love . . . supporting the teaching of Ephesians 5 where men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25) . . . and that, as men, we are to live with our wives considerately and with understanding, giving them honor, gently caring for them (1Peter 4:7). So using the term “rendering affection”, for me, works really well.

When I read other translations it’s a bit more blunt . . . speaking of fulfilling one’s “marital duty” or “conjugal duty”. And, while accurate in the intent, I don’t think it is an accurate literal translation . . . in that the original didn’t use “the blunt word” . . . but the less direct word . . . and I think not just out a sense of propriety, but also because marriage is more than just fulfilled duty.

The original word for “affection” is only used a couple of times in the New Testament . . . a more literal translation might be “let the husband render the due benevolence” or the “due goodwill”. The idea being that marriage is not about what I’m to get and what I’m owed . . .but about what my spouse is due . . . what’s best for them . . . what benefits them. If there was ever a place where we should “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” where we let “nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind esteem others better than ourselves” . . . where we are to look beyond just our own interests but also consider “the interests of others” (Php. 2:2-5) . . . shouldn’t it be in our marriages?

Isn’t a marriage relationship where we should really learn to give sacrificially of ourselves . . . loving our spouse as Christ loved us . . . everything focused on their benefit and their blessing? Even when things get testy isn’t that where we learn to forgive as God has forgiven us? When the relationship is strained doesn’t the principle of confessing and repenting of wrong in order to restore relationship also come into play?

Go ahead, run any number of scenario’s involving our relationship with the Lord and with others and tell me if it shouldn’t play out in some way within the marriage relationship. Oh, to see men loving their wives as Christ loved the church . . . rendering to her the goodwill she is due . . and to see women responding to their husbands with a spirit of trust and submission to his leadership, confident in his love for them . . . rendering to him the goodwill he is due . . . oh, what a witness to a world that is so whacked out when it comes to understanding “healthy relationships”.

I’m probably stretching the application of this particular verse given its specific context, but I don’t think I’m stretching it that far. Christ has declared Himself the Bridegroom and us His Bride . . . and our marriages are wonderful arenas in which to manifest some the implications of what that means.

Husbands, that we would, in the broadest sense, render to our wives the affection she is due . . . wives, that you would, in the broadest sense, render to your husband the affection he is due . . . as a testimony to the reality and authenticity of Christ in our lives . . . as a witness to a lost world . . . all to the glory of God . . . amen?

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Connecting the Dots

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Pete

Implications . . . taking one “dot” and connecting it to another . . . taking some data and coming up with some information . . . applying logic to some facts and deriving a conclusion. Implications are, to my mind, the difference between brainless living and living with purpose. It’s the difference between going through the motions and grabbing hold of the meaning . . . the difference between “checking the box” and pursuing the prize. And this morning, as I read 1Corinthians 6, Paul connects two REALLY BIG DOTS . . . and the implication Paul states makes all the difference between “believing in Jesus” and “living for Jesus.” Check this out . . .

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” — 1Cor. 6:19-20

Tomorrow’s Good Friday. We’re going to focus on the death of Christ. We’ll “replay the facts” . . . the walk up Golgotha’s hill by a Man beaten beyond recognition . . . a Man who was so abused that He didn’t have the strength to carry the cross He would die on. We’ll “line up the dots” . . . nailed to the cross by His hands and feet . . . a spectacle for all who passed by or lingered to observer His suffering . . . an object of scorn for those who hated and rejected Him because the kingdom of God which He led was counter to their self interests . . . hanging between two thieves — one who would join Him in paradise, one who would refuse to the end . . . speaking 7 times from His throne of torture . . . “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) . . . “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43) . . .”Woman, behold your son . . . behold your mother” (John 19:26-27) . . . “Eli Eli lama sabachthani? . . . “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34) . . . “I thirst” (John 19:28) . . . “It is finished!” (John 19:30) . . . Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46) . . . and then, the spear to the side . . . pierced . . . “immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34).

Those are the facts . . . the blood shed . . . the price for redemption paid. But what’s the implication? What happens when I connect the dots? “You are not your own . . . for you were bought at a price.”

Oh, how can I accept the salvation of Christ without also acknowledging the ownership of Christ? How can I embrace being alive with Him and not equally determine to be dead to self? How can I place my hope in heaven without purposing in my heart to live for the kingdom? How can I accept the price being paid for my sin without realizing that I’ve been bought with that price and can no longer claim self-ownership? Isn’t that the implication of being saved?

“Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? (1Cor. 6:15) . . . he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (6:17) . . . your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God (6:19) . . . you are not your own . . . you were bought at a price . . . THEREFORE . . . in light of the facts . . . connecting the dots . . . glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (6:20).”

It’s not about giving myself to Him . . . He’s already bought me . . . I’m not my own. No, it’s about living out the implication . . . about acknowledging the logical conclusion . . . asking the Spirit to give me the mind of Christ concerning my lack of self-ownership . . . and seeking to live for His glory.

Oh, if as I focus on the cross tomorrow, I were to really get this, and renew my desire to be solely His then wouldn’t it truly be a “Good Friday”?

Father, impress upon me the implications of the price paid from my redemption . . . help me connect the dots . . . for Your pleasure and glory . . . amen!

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