The Feet

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Pete

You read the story (Luke 7:36-50) and, at first, it’s seems the main event is about a classic confrontation between a righteous, hypocritical Pharisee and the young Rabbi who has been stirring up things with His radical teaching and accompanying signs and wonders. There the two of them recline together . . . at the Pharisee’s house . . . around the dining table . . . host and guest. While there are servants and others in attendance, it is evident that the spotlight is one these two. Even when “she” arrives . . . it still seems to be very much about the two of them.

She had no right to be there . . . certainly not invited by the Pharisee, Simon . . . certainly not of the “class” of the other guests in attendance. But in she enters. And you sense that she enters with purpose as arrives with an alabaster flask of fragrant oil. There she stands at his feet . . . then she begins to weep . . . she then kneels, directing her tears such they fall on His feet . . . and then, she hunches over those feet, takes her hair and wipes away the tears and dirt from His feet . . . and she continues as she bows over those feet even further and gently presses her lips against those precious feet . . . finally, she opens up her offering of perfumed oil and pours it over those washed, wiped, and worshiped, feet.

But, because of the scene she causes, the attention turns back to the two men supping together. The young Rabbi knows the thoughts of religious veteran . . . not only is he judging the woman at Jesus’ feet . . . but he concludes that Jesus, Himself, isn’t much of a holy man, for, if He were, He “would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” Then Jesus poses to the proud and self-righteous Simon a riddle of sorts. It’s a simple parable of a creditor who forgives one man a relatively small debt and forgives another a much bigger, pretty much unpayable, debt. “Tell Me, therefore,” Jesus asks Simon, “which of them will love the debt-forgiver more?” The answer’s obvious.

And, as Jesus reveals His take on the woman’s actions, you realize that the “main event” really hasn’t been about the confrontation between the two men. Sure, the parable . . . the answer . . . the teaching that Jesus forgives sins . . . it’s all very, very important stuff to be sure. But, as I hover over this passage, it seems to me it’s all about the feet.

A proper host would have given water for the guest’s feet . . . and welcomed the guest with a kiss on the cheek . . . and would have sought to refresh the guest by pouring some oil on his head. A welcome guest would have been welcomed from the feet up to the head. But for this woman, Jesus was more than a welcomed Visitor . . . He was a worshiped Savior. For her, this sinner woman, she desired Him more than just as a guest for lunch . . . she owned Him as the Lord of Lords. And so, for her, it never got beyond the feet. She washed His feet . . . she kissed His feet . . . she anointed His feet. If He would receive her, she would take the place of a disciple . . . at the feet of the Master.

And as I noodle on this, I can’t help but think how easy it is be like Simon. To sit, as it were, face to face with Jesus and debate Him . . . perhaps even disagree . . . or worse yet, judge Him . . . not directly with words . . . but indirectly with disobedience. Perhaps it’s easier to be like Simon than I’d care to admit. But shouldn’t I be more like the woman . . . isn’t that where it’s really happening . . . at the feet? To bring my tears . . . to His feet? To humble myself . . . at His feet? To offer up the sweet smelling savor of heart-felt adoration and worship . . . at His feet? I’m thinking so . . .

It occurs to me that if my focus is solely on the confrontation between the Pharisee and the Savior — as good as stuff as that is — I’m missing something. If I miss what’s happening at the Feet of the Savior, then I miss something of the heart of a sinner saved by grace . . . I miss something of the posture of a redeemed disciple of Christ . . . I miss something of the heart of worship. I don’t want to miss it. Father, lead me to the Feet . . . for His glory . . . amen.

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The Coming One

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Pete

Ok . . . so here’s a question that transcends time. A question that carries just as much punch today as it did 2,000 years ago. A question, the answer to which, has as broad a range of implications today as it did when John the Baptist asked it. A question which, depending on the answer, has a way of forming how you desire and determine to order your life. Here’s the question . . .

“And John [the Baptist], calling two of his disciples to him [in prison], sent them to Jesus, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'” — Luke 7:19

So, in a nutshell, here’s John’s situation. Since birth he’s been filled with the Holy Spirit, knowing he had been set apart “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:15-17). He was so “set apart”, in fact, that he grew up in the desert (1:80) . . . not easy “formative years.” He had witnessed the evidence of Jesus being the Son of God when he baptized Jesus in the Jordan . . . the Holy Spirit descending on Him . . . the Father audibly declaring His love for His Son (Luke 3:21-22). He recognized Jesus as the “Lamb of God come to take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John, however, ends up in prison as He “crosses a line” with Herod in condemning Herod’s adulterous sin with his brother’s wife. And while in prison, perhaps sensing he’d never get out alive, continuing to hear of the miraculous signs and wonders being done by Jesus, John has a question, “Are You the Coming One?”

I don’t know what John expected from life . . . I don’t think this desert-dweller ever thought about “freedom 55” or living on “Easy Street.” But, as one dedicated to preparing the way for God’s anointed . . . given that his life’s work had been about making ready a way for Messiah . . . I guess you can’t blame him . . . as he sits in prison . . . for asking himself, “Is Jesus the One we were waiting for?” Expectations concerning Messiah and the reality he was now living were, perhaps, a bit at odds for him. So he asks, “Are You the Coming One?”

Good question then . . . still a good question now. The prophets spoke of a Coming One. They looked for Him in John’s day . . . and He came. We look for Him today . . . and He’s coming . . . count on it!

What wasn’t clear from the prophets was that He would come twice. First, as a humble servant in the likeness of man . . . God in flesh . . . on a rescue mission . . . come, not to be served, but to serve others and give His live as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Come to testify of the kingdom . . . and to die in order to open the gates to “whosoever will”. Conquering not the Roman oppression . . . eliminating not the religious hypocrisy . . . but instead conquering sin and death . . . and removing the wall of separation between God and man. Yes John, He was the One to come . . .

And, He is the One to come . . . “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3)

As believers, we don’t all find ourselves in situations like John’s (though many do), but we can find ourselves, from time to time, in a place that doesn’t line up for us with the “abundant life” we’ve imagined we should have as believers . . . a place where thoughts of, “Is it really real?” find a way to the surface . . . circumstances where we ask, “Are You the Coming One?” And the answer is still, “Yes!” The promise is still true. The reality will one day be experienced. So, by faith, we order our lives in light of that day . . . by faith, we look up, for our redemption draws near . . . by faith, we keep on keeping on . . . knowing, through the inner testimony of the abiding Holy Spirit, that He is the Coming One . . . by faith, knowing that, one day, faith will give way to sight.

” ‘Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me . . . ‘ He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:12a, 20)

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Taking Inventory

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Pete

Sometimes it’s good to take inventory. To pause for a moment and take stock of what is your reality. Even, if just briefly, to consider again where you’ve been and where you are now. Making a list isn’t necessarily a bad idea. Finding a list in God’s precious word will do too. Such a list presented itself to me this morning . . .

” . . . giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” — Colossians 1:12-14

So, if I’m taking inventory, here’s what I’m seeing . . .

First, God has qualified me . . . He has rendered me fit to lay hold of a portion of the inheritance that awaits those He has called into light. There’s no questioning my credentials when it comes to why heaven’s riches should be available to me. I’m up to the task . . . my sufficiency secured . . . equipped with adequate power to participate in the things of heaven itself.

Next, this “right” to the kingdom of heaven has been secured because the Father has also delivered me from the power of darkness. Rescued me from bondage of the one who would seek to destroy me through sin. The grip of temptation leading to sin has been broken . . . the cords of a worldly system which seek to bind me to a way of destruction have been snapped. Deliverance secured through the power of the One who has conquered sin and death on my behalf.

And finally, I’ve been conveyed . . . translated . . . transferred . . . into the kingdom of His beloved Son. This isn’t some future “pie in the sky, by and by” sentiment . . . this is a here and now, day in, day out, reality. I am a subject of the king, today! . . . I operate within the sphere of His rule and authority, today! . . . I interface with the spiritual reality of the Risen King through the King’s indwelling Spirit, today! I have been transported from darkness to light.

So how’s that for a list? Qualified . . . delivered . . . conveyed. That’s the work of redemption . . . add that to the list, too!

I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, through His blood. The price has been tendered in full to liberate me from the marketplace of sin. The ransom for my soul was paid on the cross some 2,000 years ago . . . so that today I sit here, confident (in Him, not myself) that I truly have been delivered from sin’s power . . . that I really have been transported into an “all things new” spiritual realm . . . and that I am fully qualified, through the blood of Christ, to partake in the inheritance that awaits me.

Sometimes it’s good to take inventory . . . for our assurance . . . for our blessing . . . for our encouragement . . . for His glory . . . amen!

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The Peace in Pieces

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Pete

Struck this morning by a stark contrast between two of my readings Both readings dealt with Jerusalem . . . the City on the Hill . . . the home of the temple . . . the geographical spot where God determined His glory would dwell . . . the central gathering point for all things pertaining to atonement and worship. Jerusalem . . . “jeru”, which is literally “teaching or foundation” . . . “salem”, or “shalom”, relating to perfect peace . . . “teaching of peace” . . . “foundation of peace” . . . Jerusalem. And, as I read about Jerusalem in the latter chapters of 2Kings and then encountered her again in Psalm 122, it’s got me thinking about what can take that peace and break it into pieces.

The latter part of 2Kings can be quite depressing, actually. Despite the revival under King Josiah (2Kings 22, 23), God’s determination to judge the southern kingdom of Judah is fulfilled. Actually, I suspect that the revival was actually more external than internal for the people of Judah. While Josiah had “cleaned house” throughout Judah in tearing down and destroying almost all vestiges of idolatry and pagan worship, you kind of sense that the wayward nation, as a whole, still bowed down to the idols they had erected within their hearts — still desiring the things of the world over the things of their God . . . “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me . . . ” (Matt. 15:8-9a).

And so 2Kings ends with the absolute destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple at the hands of the Babylonians. They razed the place. The walls of the city taken down to the ground . . . the magnificent temple built by Solomon as a place for God’s glory to dwell, dismantled, looted . . . the structure destroyed . . . the holy of holies splayed open . . . revealing that the glory had departed.

And then I turn over to Psalm 122 . . . a song of ascents . . . one of the songs written by David to be sung as people traveled up to Jerusalem to worship. A song written, I think, about 400 years before the events of 2Kings 25, also dealing with “the foundation of peace” . . . oh, but what a different picture . . .

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! . . . where the tribes go up . . . to give thanks to the name of the Lord . . . Pray for the peace of Jerusalem . . . peace be within your walls . . . prosperity within your palaces . . . Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.”

This is what Jerusalem was designed to be . . . the city whose foundation and teaching were peace . . . peace with God. God’s glory would reside at this place that brought priests and people together . . . this place where atonement could be made for sin . . . this place where worship and thanksgiving could be offered to the God of deliverance. But the world around the people of God drew their hearts away from the God of Jerusalem . . . the wiles of the wicked one defiled the holy hill as he implanted his demonic statues within its walls and moved the people to set up God-supplanting deities within their hearts. Jerusalem lost it’s foundation of peace . . . and God, in His redemptive justice, allowed it to be destroyed . . . reflecting physically a spiritual malaise which had already beset her for generations.

And as I view “the peace in pieces” I can’t help but see it as a warning. God’s has redeemed a new people through the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of His Son . . . not calling them to gather at a place where He would be present, but to be His holy temple . . . a place where His glory would dwell through His Spirit (Eph. 2:21-22). This new “temple” is built with “living stones”(1Peter 2:5) . . . a living, breathing, vibrant body where He is to be found . . . a “foundation of peace” built within His people. The warning then is to learn from Jerusalem. To know that a neglected place of worship ends up in shambles . . . to be reminded that our God will not share His glory with another . . . and so, if we clutter this living holy of holies with the gods and idols of this world, the glory will be muted . . . the peace will end up in pieces.

Oh, that God’s people would be faithful to Him alone . . . that we would pray for and pursue the peace of Jerusalem . . .

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Add It To the List

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Pete

The attributes of God . . . talk about your high and lofty subject matter. Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, . . . Eternal, Immutable, Impartial . . . Holy, Righteous, Faithful . . . God is Sovereign, God is Just, God is Love. And the list goes on. This morning, as I read Psalm 121, another lesser noted or discussed attribute popped off the page . . . He doesn’t snooze!

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills–From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:1-3)

Talk about your “picker-upper!” Psalm 121, it occurs to me, is 8 verses of solid “Promises of God to Claim” . . . pull out the orange colored pencil and start shading. Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord, promise. He will not allow your foot to be moved, promise. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade, promise. The Lord shall preserve you . . . preserve your soul . . . preserve your going out and your coming in . . . promise. Whose my Helper? God’s my Helper. Who keeps me and preserves me? God keeps me and preserves me. What comfort . . . what encouragement . . . what fuel for the inner man . . . this is why we can “keep on keepin’ on!”

And, as great as this Psalm of promise is, the blessing for me this morning . . . the insight that warms me from the inside out . . . the observation that starts the wheel of meditation, is the fact that one of God’s attributes is that He does not slumber.

God does not grow weary . . . He doesn’t become drowsy . . . He doesn’t lose attention. He has promised His protective presence and that presence is active and attentive 24/7. No snoozin’ at the wheel with God . . . no “oops, missed that” moments. I am assured that the God who knows my frame and directs my paths is always engaged in this walk He has called me to. I might lose sight of this truth from time to time, but it doesn’t change the truth. There are times when God seems distant, but it isn’t because He’s forgotten about me or lost interest in me . . . in fact, it’s undoubtedly a case of me having become distracted . . . of me not drawing close to the Lord through His Word, His people, and His Spirit within me . . . of me not availing myself of the presence of God . . . of me snoozin’ at the wheel. But God? . . . He doesn’t slumber. That’s one of His attributes, I think, slumber-less.

As one songwriter has penned, “And He knows where I am every hour of every day. He knows each thought I think, He knows each word that I might say.
And although there’ve been times I’ve been out of His will, I’ve never been out of His care.”

Oh, the reminder that I am under the care of an all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing God. To reflect that He who is Eternal, Unchanging, and without partiality has, in His infinite grace, drawn me into relationship with Himself. To consider that He who is Holy, Righteous, and Faithful has promised never to leave me nor forsake me. To worship at the feet of the One who is Sovereign, Who is Just, and Who is, in Himself, love. To remember, He doesn’t snooze!

I’m gonna add that one to the list. Amen?

(Enjoy “I’ve Never Been Out of His Care” by Dallas Holm by clicking here).

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A Simple Principle

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Pete

I don’t think I’m really one for “formula-matic” Christianity. Our God is somewhat unpredictable. Not that He is unfaithful . . . nor is He contradictory . . . nor is He constantly changing . . . just that when you deal with a God whose ways are higher than your ways, you can’t presume to have Him all figured out and slot Him into a certain course of action based on your understanding. So, I’m not much of one for “If you do this, then God will do that” . . or, “Follow these 3 simple steps and this will be the outcome.” Having said that, there’s no doubt that Scripture often presents “cause and effect” sorts of connections . . . fundamental principles which are true. One jumped off the page at me this morning as I read in 2Kings.

I was reading about King Hezekiah this morning. King of Judah at 25 years old . . . one of the few kings who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2Kings 18:3). A testimony of God’s grace right there because his dad, King Ahaz, was a bad, bad, king (check out 2Kings 16). But despite his upbringing . . . even though he hadn’t seen “pursuing God” modeled well in his home . . . Hezekiah determined to live for the Lord. He removed the places of pagan worship his father had established . . . and he cut down wooden images that had been erected as objects of worship . . . he even “broke in pieces the bronze serpent Moses had made” as it had become an idol before which the people burned incense (18:4).

But here are the “dots” that connected for me this morning . . . the “cause and effect” which rang true . . . the simple principle that challenged me through the life of this king . . .

“[Hezekiah] trusted in the LORD God of Israel (18:5) . . . For he held fast to the LORD (18:6) . . . The LORD was with him (18:7) . . . ”

Pretty simple, huh? But pretty true. This dynamic marked Hezekiah’s reign. Not that he didn’t have his moments of failure . . . but at it’s foundation, Hezekiah’s life was marked by trusting in the Lord, holding fast to the Lord, and the Lord making known His presence throughout the king’s life.

Because Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and clung to the Lord, he went against popular opinion and practice and tore down the places of idol worship that had been become such a normal part of the kingdom. When the Assyrians called upon him to surrender or face their unstoppable, conquering army, Hezekiah turned to the Lord . . . and cried out to the Lord . . . trusting in his God for deliverance . . . holding fast to His God in the face of a certain “no win” situation . . . and then seeing the hand of God acting on his behalf as the great Assyrian army descending upon Judah woke up one morning to find 185,000 dead in their midst (19:35).

For those who trust and hold fast, God’s presence will be known. Not that, because I trust and I hold fast, everything always turns out how I think it should . . . not that I “always win” . . . not that I necessarily find myself on “easy street” . . . that’s the unpredictable part. But to know the Lord is with those who by faith cling to Him . . . with those who desire to pursue Him . . . with those who determine, as much as lies in them, to be faithful to Him and to His word. To know that, at your core, that He who is with us and in us is greater than he who is in the world (1John 4:4) . . . convinced that we are more than conquerors through Him who has loved us (Rom. 8:37) . . . and has promised to never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). . . committed to finishing the work He has begun in us (Php. 1:6).

Simple principle . . . profound reality. Trust and obey . . . for there’s no other way . . .

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Hugging Back

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Pete

Ever been involved in a “one way hug”? . . . either as the hugger or the huggee? You know . . . when you’re so glad to see someone that you rush up to them and wrap your arms around them and they just stand there with their arms at their side . . . not returning even a little squeeze. Or, on the other end, someone’s wrapped their arms around you . . . giving you a bear hug that squeezes the air out of you . . . burying their head in your shoulder . . . and you just stand there like a mannequin . . . and kind of turn your head away . . . asking yourself, “Who is this person? And, why are they doing this to me?” . . . not an ounce of compulsion in you to hug back. Well, that’s what came to mind this morning as I continue to read of, and meditate on, Paul’s determination to pursue Christ . . .

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” — Philippians 3:12

Paul was determined and driven to hug back. Christ had laid hold of him . . . reached out and grabbed him . . . determined to make Paul His own. Literally, the Risen Savior apprehended Paul . . . he took possession of this Hebrew of the Hebrews . . . but him in a death grip (death to the old man) . . . and squeezed the breath of heaven into him. While Paul was yet without strength to save himself . . . still in his sin . . . still an enemy . . . Christ died for the zealous Pharisee. And not only did He die for this misguided sinner, He then sought him . . . and met him on the road . . . and revealed Himself to him . . . and gave him a new heart . . . and claimed him for His own. Christ laid hold of Paul . . . apprehended him . . . gave him a big, heavenly bear hug. The question remaining then, would Paul hug back?

You can’t help but be inspired as you read this section of Holy Scripture. Paul’s heart comes gushing forth as he determines to have no confidence in his own abilities or accomplishments (3:3b) . . . as he counts all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ and seeks to “gain Christ” (3:8) . . . and be found in Christ (3:9) . . . and know Him who had become Paul’s righteousness (3:10) . . . to press on, and lay hold, of that for which Christ had laid hold of him . . . to hug back! Christ gave His all for Paul? Paul wanted to give His all for Christ. Christ had blessed Paul with every spiritual blessings in the heavenlies? Paul wanted to know, experientially, each and every one of them. Christ had called Paul to lay up treasure in heaven? Paul was determined to deposit the max amount in his eternal bank account. You get the idea . . . you can go on and on . . . Paul did.

How awkward is to think of Christ loving me . . . laying hold of me . . . apprehending me . . . wrapping His arms around me . . . and I just stand there . . . limp . . . my arms at my side . . . not returning the embrace in the slightest or, just half-heartedly. Christ pulls me to Himself, longing to get deep and personal, to gaze deeply into my eyes, and soul, and heart . . . and I just kind of look away . . . distracted by the world . . . or worse yet, longing instead to return the world’s embrace.

Rather, I should hug back . . . I should lay hold of . . . I should apprehend . . . I should wrap my arms around that which is mine in Christ. I should be giving, as it were, the Great Shepherd a great bear hug . . . drawing near to Him, knowing that He will draw near in return. “Word of God speak,” should be my cry. “Spirit of God lead and sanctify,” should be my plea. “Son of God, I press on to lay hold of You and all that You have called me to,” should be my bottom-line driving desire.

Oh, by God’s grace, I don’t want to be a limp, passive, laid hold of soul of Christ who doesn’t lay hold in return. I want to hug back . . . that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and yes, (takes a deep breath) . . . even the fellowship of His suffering, if it is required to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (3:10,11,14). For His glory . . . amen.

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Writing It Off

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Pete

My first car was a ’55 Chevy. Beauty. My parents gave it to me. For free! They said it was mine . . . and that I could drive it as soon as I could pay for putting a new engine in it. That was the first investment in what soon became my “pride and joy.” There would be a few more investments in it over the next couple of years. Nothing too extravagant . . . but where it needed it . . . and I could afford it . . . I’d put a few dollars into “my pride and joy.” At one point, after someone had rear-ended me, the insurance company deemed it a “write-off”. I took the money . . . kept the car . . . and got ‘er fixed up. Within the next year or so, though, I would write-off the car again . . . I was driving it at the time . . . but I wasn’t awake . . . no fixing ‘er up this time. The car was gone . . . my “pride and joy” had become pummeled and junk . . . time to move on . . . in more ways than one.

Write-offs tend to be difficult. When you write something off you essentially walk away from something you invested in or valued. For whatever reason that something becomes nothing . . . the value’s no longer there . . . the investment no longer makes sense. This morning I’m thinking on the write-off that Paul took.

His folks and he had invested a lot into his pedigree. Circumcised, just as a good Jewish boy should be, on the eighth day . . . a proud, nationalistic Israelite, able to trace his heritage back to the tribe of Benjamin. Reared in the things of being Hebrew and soon determining for himself to pursue being as Hebrew as he could be . . . sticking with, and excelling in the rabbinical school system, he climbed the ladder of religious accomplishment . . . eventually his investment paying off — declared a Pharisee. But not just any Pharisee, he was a Pharisee’s Pharisee . . . not content with the title and position . . . driven by a sincere (though misguided) zealousness, he pursued righteousness according to the law to the nth degree . . . to such an extent that he persecuted any Jew who said that there was another way to favor with God. A life long investment . . . a focused pursuit . . . his pride and joy . . .

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” — Paul (Philippians 3:7-8)

A life’s work . . . written off. A significant investment . . . scrapped. A “pride and joy” . . . counted loss for Christ. Paul came to a point (aided by a little visit from the Lord Himself on the road to Damascus) where he realized that it was time to write it off and move on. The things he valued, didn’t line up with the value system of heaven. The things he pursued, he realized would eventually only lead to a dead-end road. The things that he felt defined his worth, he realized had displaced the One who was worthy. Sometimes, you gotta’ write it off . . . and that’s when it starts to get pretty exciting!

It wasn’t that Paul stopped investing . . . stopped pursuing . . . stopped being driven . . . but now it was directed toward “gaining Christ.” The goal became to know and be known by the Risen Lord of Heaven. The prize shifted from terrestrial achievement and recognition to celestial glory and riches. He exchanged the pursuit of a religion of works for a righteousness by faith. He moved from making a name for himself, to making known the Name above all names! He dumped it all in the trash, that he might embrace Christ (MSG).

It probably makes sense, from time to time, for me to look at what I’m investing in . . . and for what reasons. Might be time to write some things off and renew my focus toward seeking first the kingdom of God. Oh, that the pursuit of Christ . . . the desire to gain Him . . . might not fade or be choked out by other “investments”. That I might know, more and more, the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . . for my eternal blessings . . . for His eternal glory . . . amen.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot

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Such Men

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Pete

There is something about considering unsung heroes that’s kind of refreshing. Time spent noodling on those lesser known, hardly mentioned, every day Christians who are called out by the Spirit of God in the word of God for a bit of recognition. They aren’t the Elishas or the Pauls or the Peters . . . they’re not the preachers or the miracle workers . . . they don’t stand before kings and rulers . . . they are pretty much the nobodies . . . who faithfully and sacrificially serve Christ . . . and Paul says, “Hold such men in esteem” (Philippians 2:29b).

The unsung hero I’m reflecting upon this morning is Epaphroditus. Pretty Greek sounding name . . . a believer from Philippi . . . and, says Paul, “my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier.” To those at Philippi, he was their “messenger” the one they had sent to Rome to deliver a “care package” to Paul and to minister to the imprisoned apostle. (Php. 2:25, 4:18)

That he was loved by Paul and by those in his home church is evident. It seems that at some point after delivering the gift, while he was remaining in Rome to serve Paul, that he became “sick almost unto death” (2:27). The illness being serious enough and lasting long enough that news of it made its way back to the believers at his home church. But by God’s mercy he recovered . . . and longed for his church family, distressed because of the worry he had caused those back home. And so, Paul sent him back to Philippi . . . that they might “see him again and rejoice.” (2:28)

And Paul says of this everyday guy, who determined to serve Christ in a kind of low-key, practical way, “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking (i.e. doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away) in your service toward me.” (2:29-30)

Such men . . . they are to be esteemed . . . honored . . . held in high regard. Such men . . . are those who see a need and sense a call and step up to meet it. Such men . . . are servants who become brothers . . . fellow workers . . . fellow soldiers. They are loved by their brothers and sisters in Christ, they are valued by those “on the front lines.” Such men . . . seek to do the “work of Christ” . . . sometimes at great personal material and physical expense. Such men . . . are to be received . . . welcomed as models for what nobodies can do, when Somebody calls them to a work — even a low-profile, backstage, out of the limelight, type of work.

Epaphroditus didn’t wake up one morning and determine to be “such men” . . . wasn’t looking for honor or esteem. Instead, each day he woke up, I imagine, determined to faithfully serve God . . . whether that be another day of “normal routine” Christ’s ambassador at large or meeting a particular need to get a gift from the body of believers to one in chains for Christ at Rome.

Praise God for such men . . .

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Hold Fast . . . Hold Forth . . .

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Pete

Before this morning, I don’t think it’s ever occurred to me that I have literally grown up with the opening phrase of Philippians 2:16. Grown up, not in the physical sense . . . but in the spiritual sense . . . this phrase being an integral part of my Christian experience pretty much from the earliest days of my Christian walk . . . from the start of that time when God graciously infused me with a desire to live for Christ. Not that I memorized it . . . or that it was constantly preached at me . . . actually, it hung on a wall . . . in a humble little chapel . . . at a well-used Bible Camp.

” . . . holding fast the word of life . . . ” (Philippians 2:16)

As I read those words this morning, I see the text hanging on the wall in the chapel at Morning Star Bible Camp. That camp, that little chapel, and that faded text, have been anchors for my Christian walk for over 30 years. From the first time I walked into that camp to work as a “junior counselor” at a teens camp (had no idea what that was) . . . through experiencing some of the sweetest weeks of fellowship I’ve ever known as we “escaped from the world” for the week to serve and to sing and to soar in the glories of His love . . . to seeing each of my girls, from the time they were infants, grow up with an annual trek to Morning Star as part of normal life . . . that camp . . . that little chapel . . . and that magnificent text, it occurs to me, have been foundational.

And as I read it in different translations, I see it’s translated in two slightly different ways. Most translations says “holding fast” the word of life while the Authorized Version and the NIV exhort believers with “holding forth” the word of life. Both are true . . .

It starts with the word of life . . . the gospel of new things . . . the good news of rebirth leading to life abundant. It is the word of God . . . living, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. It is the word of power . . . power to redeem . . . power to restore . . . power to renew. God breathed . . . Spirit taught . . . life transforming through the renewing of our minds. It is the word of life . . . and it is our responsibility to hold fast the word of life . . . and our responsibility to hold forth the word of life. And, if I’m read Paul correctly, we do the latter when we do the former.

I am to hold fast to the word of life . . . clinging to the truths graciously revealed through the Scriptures . . . determining, as much as lies in me, and by the power of the Spirit, to walk in accord with God’s revealed way . . . trusting, as I continually feed on the word, that the work of being transformed and conformed to the image of Christ is being accomplished . . . desiring never to stray from the way God has called me to. That’s holding fast . . . that’s working out my salvation . . . that’s responding to God’s work in me “both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (2:12-13).

And when I hold fast, then I hold forth. Through pursuing the things of God, almost by default, we become “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among who you shine as lights in the world” (2:15). And I don’t have to manufacture my light . . . as I pursue the Light of the World who saved me for His glory, I’ll start to glow like Him . . . as I seek first the kingdom of God, I’ll become an ambassador in a foreign land . . . as I strengthen my grip on the truth revealed, I’ll become a beacon shining forth the grace revealed.

Huh . . . and to think . . . God’s been reminding me of that consistently for years and years . . . through a well-used Bible camp . . . a worn down little chapel . . . a faded text on the wall . . . and a foundational truth that continues to change my life. Oh, that I might continue to hold fast by His grace . . . and hold forth for His glory . . . amen.

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