Bad Eyes

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Pete

They wanted a sign. Jesus said to them “I’m it!” (Lk. 11:29-32)

The queen of the south had Solomon. The men of Nineveh had Jonah. And the generation of Jesus? Well, they had Him, the Light of the world (Jn. 8:12). But they missed it. They missed Him. No light, just darkness. How come? Bad eyes.

“Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness.”

(Luke 11:34-35 CSB)

Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. Hmm . . . sounds like a command to obey to me. But is it for me? I’m thinkin’ . . .

They looked at Jesus, but they didn’t see Jesus. Jesus diagnoses the problem; your eye is bad. Blind eyes can look directly into the light and all they pickup is darkness. And, when all you see is darkness, then you’re gonna think that darkness must be what light looks like. Bad eyes beget bad discernment. And ours is an age of bad eyes.

So, to be sure, this is a warning and a command for “an evil generation” (11:29). But what about those who are righteous in Jesus, who seek to be holy through Jesus, and who want to do good for Jesus? Do we need to take care too? Can eyes which once saw the Light with 20/20 Spirit-illuminated vision become clouded, dim, even “bad”? Maybe.

Though we have been rescued and “transferred” into the kingdom of the Son, we still live in the midst of the “domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13). Darkness is all about us. Some of it clearly dark, some of it masquerading as an “angel of light” (2Cor. 11:14). Some of it obviously evil, some of it insidiously and subtly presenting as good but rotten in its core. The ways of darkness all around us beckoning us to play by its rules, and to measure success with its scorecard. A culture with bad eyes wanting to show us the way. So, says Jesus, “Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness.”

How we need to protect our eyes, for they will deceive us if they are damaged by the ways of the world. Convincing us too, that darkness is in fact light.

So, how do we take care?

I know no better way than to stare into the light. The light of His word. Illuminated by the Spirit. Reminding us of the darkness. Presenting afresh “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2Cor. 4:4). Shining forth anew the “the radiance of God’s glory” through the One who Himself made “purification for sins” (Heb. 1:3).

The remedy which prevents bad eyes? (Cue Sunday School answer 101). Jesus! We would see Jesus!

When you see Jesus, your eye is healthy. When your eye is healthy, then you will see Jesus. And light will dispel the darkness. And the light will be light indeed.

Amen?

By His grace. For His glory.

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Dependent

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Pete

It’s not an English word you’ll find in the ESV Old Testament. But here it is repeatedly in the CSB as I read 2 Chronicles 13-16. And it stands out. Because it sounds unfamiliar to this longtime ESV reader? Perhaps. Or, maybe because the Spirit determines to massage it into the heart of this newly CSB reader? More likely, I’m thinking.

If there’s anything I think I’m to take away from the stories of these two kings of Judah, Abijah and Asa, it’s that God wants His people to be dependent.

Chapter 13, King Jeroboam of Israel comes against King Abijah of Judah who, in terms of military might, out numbers him 2 to 1 — 800,000 “fit young men” against 400,000 “fit young men.” But this king who had broken from the ways of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, worshipping gods of his own making, didn’t factor in that on the other side of the battlefield was a king who rested on the promises made to David and believed in the power of the God he had faithfully determined to worship. So even when Jeroboam surrounded Abijah with his army, Abijah’s prayer prevailed and “God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah . . . God handed them over to them.”

Judah’s secret weapon? Their super power? They were dependent.

The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

(2Chronicles 13:18 CSB)

Chapter 14, King Asa of Judah and his 580,000 men from Judah and Benjamin are challenged by Zerah the Cushite and his “army of one million men and three hundred chariots.” But Asa, who was also outnumbered almost 2:1, marches out against the Cushites and lines up in battle formation. First strategic move? Pray!

Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “LORD, there is no one besides You to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, LORD our God, for we depend on You, and in Your name we have come against this large army. LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder You.”

(2Chronicles 14:11 CSB)

The outcome? “So the LORD routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah” (14:12).

But, after a reign under which he led a revival in the things of God in the land and the land had known peace for an extended period of time, Asa doesn’t finish as well as he started. After 20 yeas of no war in Judah, King Basha of Israel decides to take a run at King Asa. And this time, instead of depending on God and praying, Asa ends up depending on himself and paying — paying a neighboring king to attack Basha and deflect him from laying siege to Judah. Mission accomplished, but Asa is rebuked.

At that time, the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on the LORD, He handed them over to you. For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to Him. You have been foolish in this matter.”

(2Chronicles 16:7-9a CSB)

Bottom line? God is looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those who are dependent. Those who are wholeheartedly devoted to Him.

He wants His people to lean on Him. He wants those with burdens beyond their bearing to rely on Him, to literally rest against Him as their support.

Oh, how counter-cultural is dependence in our hyper-individualized age? Even as we seek to walk in wholehearted obedience to our God, how quick we are to look to our own resources rather submit ourselves to Him with wholehearted dependence? How I need to be less self-reliant and more mindful that my Father wants to hear me pray, “I depend on You!”

Dependent.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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Children of the Day . . . Still (A Double Rerun)

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Pete

Hovering over 1Thessalonians 5, this morning. Looked back five years ago, only to find that not only was I chewing on it then, but had been five years before that, in 2013, as well. Ten years later, and our pervasive cultural darkness is darker than ever. The night more black than ever. But ten years later we’re still children of the day. Thought it was worth reading again, and thinking about again. Thought I’d update the ESV quotes with the CSB and post it again.

2018 Preamble

We belong to the day. That’s who we are. Reminded of that as I read the first part of 1Thessalonians 5 this morning. So much confusion around identity these days, around what defines us and gives us meaning. And confusion as to who we are, leads to confusion as to how we should live. But that shouldn’t be the case for the Christian.

Our identity is in Christ. We are the people of God. Rescued from the domain of darkness, we have been brought into the kingdom of His Son, the kingdom of light. As Paul reminds me this morning, we belong to the day.

We are of the light. That’s who we are. That’s how we should live. Here’s how I thought about it 5 years ago . . .

The specific subject is the second coming of Christ, a day that “will come like a thief in the night.” Paul says that it will come when most people are least expecting it. They’ll be saying, “There is peace and security” and then sudden destruction will come upon them. Jesus said that it will be like the days of Noah, when people were just doing life up until the flood hit (Matt. 24:38-39). He said it would be just as it was in the days of Lot, when people went about “eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building” until the day that “fire and sulfur rained down” (Luke 17:28-30).

But, says Paul, though the day will come as a thief in the night it should not surprise the believer like a thief . . . it shouldn’t overtake us . . . it shouldn’t catch us off guard. How come? Because, the apostle reminds us, we are children of the day.

About the times and the seasons: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness.

(1Thessalonians 5:1-5 CSB)

And I’m thinking of the implications of belonging to the day (5:8) . . . of having been brought out of darkness into marvelous light (1Peter 2:9) . . . of having once been blind but now I see . . . of being children of the day.

By God’s grace and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to see things they could never have otherwise seen . . . to know deep things that can never be known by natural man . . . to have a perspective on life which is simply hidden to those who are dead in trespasses and sin. At that moment, when, by faith, I acknowledged the need for a Savior . . . when, through no merit of my own, my sins were forgiven . . . when, due to no effort I could put forth, I was redeemed by the precious blood of Christ . . . at that moment, I was forgiven . . . I was cleansed . . . I was sealed . . . I was adopted . . . and, praise God, I was made a child of the day.

And, says Paul, it should make a difference.

So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled. . . . since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled . . .

(1Thessalonians 5:6-8 CSB)

Stay awake and be self-controlled. Keep awake and be sober (ESV). Be alert and self-controlled (NIV). Stay alert and clear-headed (NLT). No snoozin’ at the wheel (PJC).

What a waste to be children of the day and walk around like people of darkness. How short we fall of our potential in Christ when we take our cues from the world. How under-utilized is the mind of Christ we possess, the ability through the Spirit to know the deep things of God (1Cor. 2:14-16), when we, instead, live after the wisdom of men.

Oh, to live as children of the day. Awake to the realities of the kingdom of heaven about us . . . doing life with an engaged radar discerning the “truths” fed us by a world cloaked in darkness . . . pursuing that which is of God, letting pass that which is not.

Can’t do it on my own. But children of the day don’t have to. The God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone His light in our hearts, “giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” . . . so that “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2Cor. 4:6-7). His light . . . his power . . . my holy determination to be awake and clear-headed.

Oh that, as His people, we would continue to seek to live as children of the day in a world which is shrouded in the darkness of night.

To do so by His all sufficient and enabling grace. To do so for His eternal and praiseworthy glory.

Amen?

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Questions of the Distracted

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Pete

“Lord, don’t You care?”

What kind of question is that? Give your head a shake! Who’s gonna ask such a question of the God who has declared that His glory is seen as we know that He is in essence and being “a compassionate and gracious God . . . abounding in faithful love and truth” (Ex. 34:6)? Who’s gonna ask that kind of question? Evidently, someone distracted by their many tasks.

[Jesus] entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”

(Luke 10:38-40 CSB)

Distracted by her many tasks, Martha came up and asked, “Lord don’t You care?”

Woe is me. I’ve opened my home to Him. I’m putting out my best for Him. But I could sure use a little help. A little help would be appreciated. Doesn’t He notice that, while I’m busy serving, my sister’s intent on being still? That while I’m putting out, she’s just taking in? That while I could sure use a helping hand, she’s content to be sitting on her’s? Lord, don’t You care?

Love Martha. I probably would say more Martha’s are needed in this consumer-oriented, spectator-catering age. But the danger of being a Martha, apparently, is that you can busy yourself to the point of asking some pretty dumb questions, if you’d but pause long enough to think about it.

Seems to me Marthas can be their best when they take their cue from the Marys. When they take the time and seize the opportunities to just sit at the Lord’s feet and listen. When busyness intentionally makes space to “Be still” (Ps. 46:10). When manic execution factors in time for quiet meditation. When “to do” lists are submitted to “to be” priorities — as in, to be in the presence of Jesus. When all that we have to worry about is subjected to the one thing that is necessary — sitting at the Savior’s feet.

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

(Luke 10:41-42 CSB)

Martha wasn’t doing the wrong stuff. But Mary made the right choice. Martha was doing what needed to be done. But Mary recognized that one thing is necessary. And it would not be taken away from her.

Distracted by many tasks? Oh, to beware!

For yes, He cares!

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

(Matthew 11:28 CSB)

By His grace. For His glory.

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Appointed to This

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Pete

I’m gonna guess it’s easier to accept trials and hardships if we somehow think they are random and just part of living in a fallen world. After all, everyone goes through seasons of suffering, so why shouldn’t I? Life’s gonna do what life’s gonna do.

But does it get a bit more complicated when we see our sufferings in the context of a sovereign God? If we can’t claim to be victims of chance and circumstance because nothing happens on earth apart from heaven’s purposes and permission? And what if it’s not just permitted but in fact appointed?

A couple of readings this morning combine to give me something to chew on.

And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. In fact, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were going to experience affliction, and as you know, it happened.

(1Thessalonians 3:2-4 CSB)

Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.

(Psalms 139:16 CSB)

We are appointed to this. We are appointed to these afflictions. That’s what I’m noodling on.

In Thessalonica, Paul had been doing the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way for the Lord’s kingdom and the Lord’s glory. And yet, he was run out of town by some Jews who “became jealous” and “brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city (Acts 17:1-5). Not only were they run out of that town, but they were pursued and run out of the next town as well (Acts 17:13-14). Faithful Paul targeted by jealous leaders. Righteous Paul afflicted by wicked men. Random? Nope. Planned? Apparently. It was God’s intention. Paul and Co. were appointed to this.

But how come? That question’s been around since Job. And Job found out there is no answer apart from reframing the question from “why?” to “Who?”

God appointed Paul to experience affliction at the hands of jealous and wicked people. For His purposes, He let people do what they were intent on doing, to inflict what they were set on inflicting. God, who is over all, didn’t just stand by, instead He stood over and watched these days play out just as they were written in His book and planned before a single one of them began.

Do I get it? Kind of. Do I totally get it? Not so much. Do I need to totally get it? Not really.

Because do I know that God is good? Absolutely! And do I know that God can be trusted? Yup! (Well, maybe not always at first.)

By faith I received the good news and by faith I can endure the bad times. By faith I was brought into relationship with the God of heaven and by faith I will walk in relationship with the God of heaven. What began by faith will be completed by faith. For He is faithful.

Whatever our appointed to this might be, may we not waver in our confidence in the One who has done the appointing.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
in all your ways know Him,
and He will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5-6 CSB)

Only by His all-sufficient grace. Always for His all-deserving glory.

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The Old, Old Story (CSB Refit)

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Pete

Pulled out a past meal from 5 years ago. Refitting it with CSB language as I chew on it afresh this morning. See if you can’t guess what phrase in particular might be filling my thoughts 🙂

Hovering over Psalm 136 this morning. A song of repetition. Not hard to pick up what the songwriter’s laying down:

His faithful love endures forever.

Twenty-six verses in the psalm. Twenty-six times the heartbeat of the song is heard:

His faithful love endures forever.

And what are we to do with this rhythm of heaven echoed in this song? Give thanks to the LORD (v.1). Give thanks to the God of gods (v.2). Give thanks to the Lord of lords (v.3). Give thanks to the God of heaven (v.26). Give thanks, for He is good (v.1).

His faithful love endures forever.

So, this morning, guess what I’m doing (besides typing). Giving thanks.

And what hits me in particular are the two great themes pounded on in this song as the catalyst for thanksgiving.

It’s not the blessings of the day that primes the pump. Not the good life enjoyed. Not that the headlines in the news are encouraging. Not even the favor shown to this house. But the evidence that His faithful love endures forever is anchored in two great themes: His creation (v. 4-9); and His deliverance (v.10-24).

Creation reminding the songwriter that “He alone does great wonders” (v.4). Deliverance a reminder of the “strong hand and outstretched arm” (v.12) that rescued a chosen people and brought them into a divine inheritance (v. 21-22).

Both old, old stories.

Today’s reality, whatever it might be, framed in the context of yesterday’s legacy. God’s forever faithful love just as sure in the present, because of His mighty works in the past.

Creation’s durability a reminder His faithful love endures forever. Redemption’s reality a reminder His faithful love endures forever.

And so, there’s something about going back to old, old stories when it comes to dealing with new realities. And that takes me to the cross.

The cross where Jesus died as the Lamb of God. Immanuel, God Himself, humbled in flesh, obedient to death, even death on a cross.

His faithful love endures forever.

The cross where, with outstretched arms, the rejected Son of God interceded, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

His faithful love endures forever.

The cross where my sin, once and for all, was atoned for. The price which I could never pay, paid in full forever.

His faithful love endures forever.

The cross where the King of Heaven declared, “It is finished!”

His faithful love endures forever.

The cross where death was defeated.

His faithful love endures forever.

In this age where we are bombarded with more information than we can possible process; this age of 140 character thoughts, most with a shelf-life of just a few seconds as they are scrolled by on some feed, quickly supplanted by the latest 140 character thought; this age of the temporal, the unreliable, and the disposable; in this age obsessed with the latest thing and the newest ideas . . .

. . . there is something to be said for going back to the old, old, story–again and again–and giving thanks. How come?

His faithful love endures forever.

His forever love known by His forever grace.

His forever love declared for His forever glory.

Amen?

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Listen to Him

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Pete

They saw the glory. All lights were on Jesus . . . and in Jesus . . . and shining out from Jesus. And they saw with Him Moses and Elijah, the embodiment of the law and the prophets. And while Jesus and “his departure” were intended to be the center of attention, while preparing for a once in eternity event that would provide eternal redemption big enough for all creation for all time, Peter (as Peter was wont to do) couldn’t help but think about what he should do.

“Master, it’s good for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

(Luke 9:33 CSB)

Really? The Son of God, the Law of God, and the Prophets of God gathered to finalize details about the way of redemption of God, and Peter, the fishermen, says, “Hey, I got an idea . . . Let me and my friends do something.” Yeah, really.

Thus, the voice of God descends from heaven and . . . shushes Peter.

While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. They became afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the Chosen One; listen to Him!”

(Luke 9:34-35 CSB)

Not slamming Peter. Identifying with him. And trying to learn from him.

If you’ve been around the kingdom of heaven for any period of time, kingdom speak has a way of becoming just commonplace language. If you’ve read and heard the teachings of Jesus over and over through the years, then the teachings of Jesus might land more as life-living old news rather than life-giving good news. Even when kingdom speak is still exhilarating and Jesus’ teaching is still invigorating, there can be the inclination to first think, like Peter thought, “How’s it about me? What do I need to do?”

But perhaps we might be mindful that many times the best thing we can do with the familiar speaking and the well known teaching is just to listen.

Listen! Attend to. Consider. Perceive what’s being said. Process it like it’s the first time you’ve heard it. Ask the Spirit to show you what to pick up from what’s being laid down. Listen. Listen to Him.

Shush! Be still. Expect attentive, receptive repose to precede active, self-empowered response. Think Mary before Martha (Lk. 10:38-42).

Listen to Him. This is My Son speaking. Listen to Him.

Word of God speak.

By Your grace. For my good. For Your glory.

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A Sin to Confess

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Pete

The problem with being a “straight shooter”, I suppose, is that you’re shooting. And where shots are fired, someone could get wounded. Not that getting wounded in and of itself is necessarily a wrong thing. Proverbs tells us that “blows that wound cleanse away evil” (20:30) and when received from someone who loves you, “faithful are the wounds of a friend” (27:6). Nevertheless, I’m reminded this morning that there’s a responsibility and an accountability for those who are straight shooters to not recklessly wound.

I’ve recently listened to a book on forgiveness. Tim Keller’s Forgive has been so helpful in taking familiar scriptures and synthesizing them into practical, actionable principles. One of those principles is that biblical forgiveness must involve speaking biblical truth. Whether forgiving sin against you (Keller’s primary focus) or seeking forgiveness for a sin against someone else (a fair extension of his principle, I think), the sin being forgiven must be identified, it needs to be addressed. In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus says that if “your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him”. Rebuke comes before forgive. Identify the sin, call it for the iniquity it is, and then forgive as Christ has forgiven you. When asking forgiveness, then, it’s seems necessary that you’re first clear on what the sin is you need to confess, repent of, and seek forgiveness for.

This morning, the Spirit drew my attention to the sin a straight shooter may be prone towards. A sin to confess.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

(Colossians 4:6 CSB)

Straight shooter or not, let your speech always be gracious. ALWAYS! That’s the part of this command-to-obey which can be tricky for someone who’s prone to tell it like it is. Speak the truth? Yup, bring it. But, says the Spirit, always do so graciously. If you don’t, then it’s sin.

Let your truth ALWAYS be seasoned. Let it be prepared. Thought out in advance. It’s delivery carefully thought through before talked through. Straight shooting is more likely to hit the intended target with a “Ready, Aim, Fire” approach than with “Ready, Fire, Aim.” Targeted, intentional truth is more likely to be received as “faithful wounds of a friend” than shotgun pellets sprayed carelessly. Not seasoned? Then that’s sin too.

Let your straight shooting truth ALWAYS be seasoned with salt. While a cleansing agent, salt’s primary purpose in ancient times was as a preserving agent. Something applied with the intention of causing something to last. Speech seasoned with salt will be speech intended for building up — even when correction is required. Speech unseasoned with salt runs the risk of tearing down. And that’s not gracious. Lack of salt is sin. Sin which needs to be confessed as such and repented of as such before forgiveness can sincerely be sought.

And it’s not just a general seasoning with salt, it’s person dependent. We need to be mindful that not everyone we speak with can be spoken to in the same manner. How we need the mind of Christ to know how you should answer each person. To not be mindful of the one you’re talking to, to not speak to them according to what you know about them — their sensitivities, their wiring, that they too are also sinners saved by grace — is sin as well. Sin to be confessed. Sin to be repented of. Sin in need of forgiveness.

Honestly, I don’t much like encountering sins to confess. But know what? The Spirit is kind of a straight shooter Himself (Jn. 16:8).

Yet, the Spirit of Christ always speaks the truth of Christ so that those who want to follow Christ might become more like Christ.

And He does so beneath the shadow of the cross of Christ — and that is God’s grace.

And He does so with the intent that one day we will be presented before a heavenly throne as the bride of Christ, “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27) — and that, for God’s glory.

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Redemption in Abundance

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Pete

Three words in Psalm 130 provide my meal this morning. Chewing on the glory and the hope that is mine because the LORD doesn’t “keep an account of iniquities” (v.3), and that a holy God can, in righteousness and justice, skip the math because “with Him is redemption in abundance” (v.7).

Redemption in abundance! Ransom without measure. Rescue without limit. Deliverance without draining the ocean of God’s amazing grace. Tell me that won’t fill you up as you chew on it.

Went back in my journal. Here’s how I thought through it back in 2019.

Had a chat with someone yesterday morning about how hard it is to have potato chips or ice cream in the house. As in, if they’re in the house, they soon won’t be. As in, I can’t eat just one. No such thing as a “small scoop.” I’m not a “sampler” sort of guy. Once I’ve tasted and seen it’s good, I’m gonna keep on tastin’ until there’s no more. Poof! Bag of chips gone! Abracadabra! Container of ice cream disappeared. I’m a consumer not a conserver. Fill me up!

Thinking this morning that what’s true of potato chips and ice cream in my life should also be true of my salvation. Fill me up!

O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.

(Psalm 130:7 ESV)

Plentiful redemption. That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Generous redemption (MSG). Redemption that overflows (NLT). Redemption in abundance (CSB).

When it comes to God’s redeeming work, sourced in His steadfast love, it’s without measure. Exceedingly great. Multiplicative. Limitless.

And don’t I need redemption in abundance?

A redemption that not only has deep enough pockets that it can fully pay the price for my transgressions which I could never pay, but a redemption that is also able to ransom me fully from the bondage of sin and the fear of death. One that not only remits payment for sin but also provides rescue forever from slavery. I need redemption in abundance.

But the generosity of redemption is only known as I appropriate it. The deep store of God’s steadfast love only experienced as I keep going to it.

To view being ransomed solely as an historic act and not a daily need is to take a pass on God’s plentiful redemption. For sure, I have been redeemed on that day when, by faith, I confessed my need for a Savior. But equally for sure, how I also need to be being redeemed. That’s what sanctification, my ongoing salvation, is all about–becoming more like the One whose image I bear. And it is also needful that, one day, I will be redeemed –delivered once for all from the limitations and frustrations of the old nature; the weakness and suffering of the physical flesh; and, the woes and weariness of walking through this world. That, says the psalmist, is why we are to hope in the LORD! For with Him is redemption in abundance.

Our redemption isn’t something to be rationed for fear we may tap its supply. Our ransom not something to be conserved for fear we might reach the limits of God’s saving grace. Not something, for fear of going overboard with it, to be stored in the cupboard, pulled out on occasion, sampled, and then returned to be accessed at some later time. Rather, my redemption should be consumed like I do when I have potato chips or ice cream in my house. Accessed frequently. Taken in fully. Without fear that it will run out, or that too much will somehow be bad for me.

Mine is to hope in the LORD. Every morning. In every way. For everything. With an appetite ready to be satisfied by the goodness of God. Knowing that there is an inexhaustible supply of redeeming grace available through God the Spirit, sourced in the once forever finished work of God the Son, determined by the sovereign purposes and promises of God the Father.

Hope in the LORD.

Access His redemption in abundance.

Betcha’ can’t eat just one.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Renewed in Knowledge

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Pete

This morning, I’m hovering over Colossians 3:1-11. In particular, I’m chewing on a truth that already is and yet is still becoming. A dynamic that is present in the life of every follower of Jesus, though our participation impacts its progress. Not sure I can put into words exactly what it looks like, yet confident that we know it when we see it. As those who have died with Christ, been raised with Christ, are hidden with Christ, and who will appear with Christ, we are also those who are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of Christ.

You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

(Colossians 3:10b CSB)

In context, Paul’s getting practical with the Colossians as he enters the “to dos” and the “to don’ts” part of his letter. Seek the things above, he says. Set your minds on things above, he exhorts. Why? Because you have been raised with Christ who is above. So, live like someone from above. Don’t live like the old guy used to, instead live like the One who lives in you — “put on the new self.”

And the engine which powers living like we should? At least in part, it seems its being renewed in knowledge. So, what does that mean?

Looking at different translations, the most helpful for me was Wuest’s literal translation:

. . . constantly being renewed, with a resulting advanced and perfect experiential knowledge which is according to the image of the One who created him;

(Colossians 3:10b WNT)

The renewal is a constant renewal. An on-going growth, the realization of new strength and vigor as we are changed into a new kind of life. It’s growing up, it’s maturing, it’s being more of what we were born again to be today than we were yesterday. God began the work and God will complete the work (Php. 1:6), but for sure we are to participate in the work (Php. 2:12). And that, through a holy determination to live into who we are in Christ and not keep going back to the ways of who we were before being in Christ.

And when we do that, the result is an advanced and perfect experiential knowledge. Book knowledge, and especially “The Book” knowledge, has it’s place — after all, we are transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2). But our transformation happens not only through what we believe but also through how we behave in light of what we believe. We are being renewed according to experiential knowledge. Nothing draws us into wanting to follow Jesus like actually following Jesus. Nothing testifies that we really are Spirit-occupied and Spirit-enabled than seeing we’re actually desiring things and doing things that only the Spirit could lead us to desire and to do. The more we walk after Jesus the more we want to walk with Jesus.

And in that constant renewal, in that acquisition of experiential knowledge, we find ourselves practically becoming the image bearers of God we were created to be. Flourishing (even when it doesn’t feel like flourishing) in season and out of season as in every season we’re being renewed in knowledge.

Not yet perfect, but always in progress.

Not because of our grit, but only because of His grace.

Not to boast in our greatness, but wanting simply to live for His glory.

Amen?

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