Embracing Righteous Living

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Pete

Things don’t always go according to plan, but that doesn’t invalidate the plan. Stuff may not work as it should, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know how it’s supposed to work. And, while things may not be going according to plan now, while stuff may feel out of whack presently, we need to remember the story’s not done.

So, sticking to the plan, and knowing how things are intended to work, is the way of smart living. Believing that the plan will be accomplished some day, that all things will one day work according to their design, is the way of faith living. And that’s why it’s the way of wisdom to embrace righteous living.

As I hover over Proverbs 11 I’m struck by all the “promises” made to the righteous, all the benefits associated with walking in the way of righteousness. And, honestly, many of them I just don’t see always playing out in the here and now.

The righteous is delivered from trouble . . .

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices . . .

. . . one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

The desire of the righteous ends only in good . . .

. . . the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

(Proverbs 11:8, 10, 18, 23, 28 ESV)

I take particular note of stuff like this because I am among the righteous (though not the perfect . . . oh, so not the perfect).

I am righteous in Christ (Rom. 3:21-21, 2Cor. 5:21) with a righteousness that comes through faith alone by God’s grace alone (Rom. 1:16-17, Rom. 8:3-4). What’s more, as I seek to walk by the Spirit I seek to walk in the practical, functioning reality of righteousness — not just resting on the laurels of what’s been credited to my account but desiring to actual live out what’s been supernaturally rewired into my new nature.

So, shouldn’t the Proverbs “promises” concerning the righteous be playing out? I’m thinking. Do they always? Nope. So what’s the deal?

The deal is they will work out. God wired this world to function based on righteousness. Flourishing is dependent on a dynamic of veracity, integrity, authenticity, and purity. Right hearts doing the right things for the right reasons — aka righteousness. But this world is not going according to plan. Stuff’s not working as it was intended. Thus, the current, on-going work of redemption. But eventually, redemption’s work will be consummated with a world which functions as planned and works as was originally wired.

We were born for that world. By God’s grace we were re-born for that world. And that’s why, even now in this broken world, we pursue the way of the world to come and embrace righteous living. We walk according to the promises of righteousness even while not yet realizing the full reality of those promises. But the reality is coming. That’s why we walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor. 5:7).

We are the righteous, the righteous in Christ. Thus, the promises are ours. We will be delivered from trouble, we will receive a sure reward, we will flourish, all things will end in good, and the city — the city of God — will one day rejoice when it goes well for us.

Thus, we stand firm in our righteous standing. We live embracing righteous living. We seek to do what’s right in the power of the One who lives in us and through us by His Spirit. We confess and repent when we don’t do what’s right, confident in the on-going redeeming, cleansing power of the cross.

And we do so by the grace of God. And we do so for the glory of God.

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Wisdom — Found, Fulfilling, Fruitful

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Pete

Hovering over three verses in Proverbs 10 this morning.

On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

(Proverbs 10:13, 23, 31 ESV)

The trigger word for all three verses? Wisdom.

Wisdom is found on the lips. Wisdom is fulfilling to the soul. Wisdom is fruitful as it’s imparted to others.

More and more as I read Proverbs I find myself translating wisdom as Jesus. So, Jesus is found on the lips of those with understanding. Jesus is the desired pursuit of those who have been gifted with insight from above. Jesus then is the fruit of the righteous.

He’s our number one topic of conversation because He’s the number one pursuit of our lives, the number one expression of who we are.

He’s not part of the pie, He defines the pie. He holds the pie together. He is what gives an unearthly flavor to the pie.

He came that we should experience life abundantly (Jn. 10:10). That life is fully realized as we are immersed in Jesus. Preoccupied with Him in all facets of life — from the mundane to the most vital aspects of life. Wisdom from above is required for flourishing below.

If wisdom is, as some suggest, what’s needed for skillful living, then we need to know the Author of Life (Acts 3:15) in order to gain those skills.

And when we know Him, even as we delight in Him, we will then, almost by default, bear the fruit of making Him known.

Oh, that His people would grow in Wisdom. That He might increase even as we decrease.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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It’s Who You Know

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Pete

She builds her house. She prepares the food and sets the table. And then she sends out messengers and calls out to all with ears to hear:

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

(Proverbs 9:4-6 ESV)

I don’t think the simple here are simpletons. That those who lack sense are seen as dolts. Wisdom isn’t calling out in judgment with rebuke in her words. Rather, she is revealing a condition.

The simple are the naïve. Those who have a limited appreciation of life’s greater context and thus, walk in a simple, or naïve manner. Those who lack sense are those with deficient understanding of life’s transcendent dynamics. With little awareness of things above their primary GPS is driven by the material world below. They walk according to sensual cues rather than an awareness of divine guidance. And so, Wisdom sets the table and extends the invitation.

And it’s clear that leaving your simple ways, walking in the way of insight, and living life as life was meant to be lived is less about what you do and, apparently, all about who you know.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

(Proverbs 9:10 ESV)

While the fear of the LORD — an overshadowing sense of self-debasing awe and reverence for the Creator — is the beginning of wisdom, it’s the knowledge of Him that brings insight and discernment. To know God is to navigate life as life was meant to be navigated. To grow in our understanding of the Divine is to flourish in the realm of the commonplace. It’s not what you do, it’s who you know.

Could it be that simple? I’m thinking. Is it easy. Hmm . . . nope!

Naturally we are most connected to the material. Instinctively we cede control to our senses. Simply we respond to the appetites of our flesh. Sinfully we default to worshiping ourselves. But remarkably, Wisdom seeks to intervene by setting a table at which we can grow in our knowledge of the Almighty.

Somehow, many have developed a disdain for pursing the knowledge of God. That’s a quest for the academic, some say. Knowledge puffs up, others warn. But what does Wisdom say?

Hear her call. Avail yourself of a seat at her table. There grow in the knowledge of the Holy One. And then go do life to the full.

It all begins with who we know and how well we know Him.

Really? That simple? Yeah, by faith I believe it is. Thus, I am going to trust it is and act as if it is.

Set me a seat at the table.

Only by Wisdom’s grace. Always for God’s glory.

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Don’t Let Go

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Pete

Proverbs 8 is what always seals it for me — the person of Wisdom in Proverbs is the Person of Christ. When wisdom calls, it’s Christ calling. What wisdom offers, Christ offers. To seek wisdom is to seek Christ. For, in Proverbs 8, wisdom, or should I spell it Wisdom, was there in the beginning.

When God established the earth she was there (8:27). When God architected land, sea, and sky, when the LORD marked out all the foundations of the earth, Wisdom “was beside Him, like a master workman” (8:30). Tell me that isn’t Jesus (John 1:1-3). Wisdom, the Creator’s daily delight — doesn’t that also sound familiar (Mt. 3:17)?

So, when Wisdom offers herself for all who would seek her, it is Jesus offering Himself. When Wisdom speaks, I hear Jesus speaking. And this morning, I’m hearing Him say, “Don’t let go.”

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD . . .”

(Proverbs 8:32-35 ESV)

Wisdom (Jesus) is the way. Offering counsel, insight, and strength, she calls and raises her voice beckoning all who will to come and listen, heed, and put into practice. She promises that those who diligently seek her will find her (8:17b). Promises that she will give an abundant inheritance to those who love her (8:21). Thus, she urges all who would hear her voice to listen to her voice. To hear her instruction. To watch daily at her gates. To wait expectantly at her doors. For whoever finds her, says Wisdom (says Jesus), finds life.

And for those who find her, for those who have posted up at her gate and pitched their tent at her door, she also says, “Do not neglect it.”

Don’t neglect the way of Wisdom. Don’t ignore it (CSB). Don’t disdain it (NKJV). Literally, don’t loosen your grip on it. Don’t let go.

Familiarity may not always breed contempt, but how often does it breed complacency? How prone are we to take for granted that which has become constant and common? How likely are we to loosen our grip on that which has become ordinary? Let me suggest pretty often, very prone, and really likely.

Only as our hearts are constantly set to seek Wisdom, and only by Wisdom’s enabling grace, does that which once was new remain new. Does that which seemed so vital for life remain vital for life. Only as we hold on tight will we know the continual in-pouring of living water, satisfying every thirst even as it generates a thirst for more.

Every morning Wisdom wants to find us watching at her gates. Every day she anticipates her encounter with us as we wait at her doors. Those who have sought her and found her need to keep seeking her. Believing that she is always the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only means of knowing favor from the Father (John 14:6).

Don’t neglect me, says Wisdom. Don’t let go.

Only by Wisdom’s grace. Only for God’s glory.

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Excuses

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Pete

In Luke 14, Jesus didn’t need to manufacture an object lesson, He reclined at one. Dining at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees created a ready-made on-ramp for talking about wedding feasts, dinners, and banquets and how common hospitality dynamics could point to divine kingdom principles.

One of the guests was picking up what Jesus was laying down, liking what Jesus was alluding to:

When one of those who reclined at table with [Jesus] heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

(Mark 14:15 ESV)

Yup, sounded pretty good. A place where people humbling themselves is valued (14:10-11). A space where all are welcome — not just friends, relatives, and the rich, but also the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind (14:13). Marked by grace, freely sharing the table in anticipation of a table that will be freely shared with them “at the resurrection of the just” (14:14). For sure, “Hashtag Blessed” to get an invitation to that gig.

But Jesus has one more story to tell and it begins with “but.” Knowing the hearts of men and women, Jesus warned that, unless what sounded pretty good was deemed to be counted as the absolute best, it could easily be displaced by other “Hashtag blessed” opportunities.

In the story a man is giving a great banquet. An over-the-top feast. A you-don’t-want-to-miss-it, once in a lifetime event. Says something about the event, says something about the man. Rich, powerful, generous — for he invited many.

Save the date cards were sent out. Ample time provided for arranging one’s schedule around the feast to come. But most of those who RSVP’d that they’d be there because it sounded like a good thing, ended up bailing because they were preoccupied with what they considered to be better things.

“And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ ”

(Mark 14:17-20 ESV)

Nothing wrong with investing in assets. Nothing wrong with tending to your business. Nothing wrong with wanting to be with the missus. All good things. But, Jesus would seem to be saying, not the best things when they compete with the kingdom thing of being invited to a great banquet.

The gospel call is an invitation to a feast. What’s more, the message of the finished work of the cross offering a seat at a table in heaven is not just a good thing, it is the best thing. The thing that all other things should be ordered around. Sadly, many weigh it as lesser thing or, a nothing.

The principle continues to apply, I think, even to those who have responded to the invitation and have come to the table. Having come to the table, they grow weary of the table, or take for granted the table, and thus are distracted by good things and walk away from the table. But we need to always value the table even as we keep pursuing our place at the table. Isn’t that why Jesus calls the believers in Ephesus back to the table (Rev. 3:20)?

Excuses. So many excuses. Excuses not to show in the first place. Or leave early in the second place. Or just play around at the table in the third place. Rather than giving the table the preeminent place.

How I need to beware of excuses. Of placing good things above the best thing.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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To Serve is to Gain

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Pete

Okay, giving myself a bit of freedom this morning to springboard from the primary context to make a wider application. Taking a specific observation and suggesting a broader principle. That serving others, while benefiting others, benefits the server as well.

For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

(1Timothy 3:13 ESV)

The context is qualifications for those who would hold the office of deacon within the church. Qualifications very similar to the qualifications listed for those being drawn to oversee, or pastor, the church.

The specific observation that arrests me this morning is that those who serve well as deacons “gain a good standing” and “great confidence” through serving. Faithful servants of the church are noted, respected, and esteemed. Faithful service for the church begets greater confidence within a deacon concerning what they believe because, I’m thinking, they experience the reality of the enabling power through Whom they believe. Thus deacons who serve well grow well. We shouldn’t be surprised when those who are faithful with little are entrusted with much and are emboldened to take on more (Matt. 25:21).

True of deacons, says Paul. True, I want to suggest, of all who serve.

There’s no special word for the office of deacon, it’s defined solely by context. The word for deacon is the same word used for servant and serving. Thus, a literal translation of this verse could be, “Those who serve well serving gain . . . ” So, to serve is to gain.

A faithful sister, willing to serve as able every Sunday morning — whether during the service she attends or the one she doesn’t — once put it this way, “Serving isn’t about providing an experience, it is the experience.” It’s not just about doing your part for others, it’s about availing yourself of God doing His work in you. Beyond just completing a task it’s walking in the way of the kingdom. Less about doing a job, more about imitating Jesus.

“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” ~ Jesus

(Mark 10:43b-45 ESV)

Those who serve well as servants grow well. Those who find joy in doing for others, flourish. Those who think no task too small in order to benefit the body, thrive.

Not that we would do just to get. But that we would recognize that one avenue of sanctifying grace is through faithful service. That transformation comes from taking on tasks. That as we model Christ, Christ in us molds us to be more like Himself. And so, serving others well isn’t just about providing an experience for them, it is experiencing a kingdom dynamic within us.

To serve is to gain.

Because of grace. For His glory.

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In His Confidence, In Context

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Pete

I look back in my journal and note that it’s the same verse in this day’s reading plan that’s arrested my attention for the past three years. I go back and read my entries from 2018, 2019, and 2020 — encouraged and blessed by what encouraged and blessed me then. But as I continue to hover over those three words penetrating my heart, I realize there’s a context I’ve failed to consider. A definition I’ve failed to discern. An in-truth reality that needs to accompany my imputed righteousness.

. . . but the upright are in His confidence.

(Proverbs 3:32b ESV)

In His confidence. Those are the three words that have been sticking every year for the past few years. Less about what is known by being in the confidence of the Creator, intended more to emphasize the understood relationship of those who enjoy the insider’s seat. That’s why other translations render it: He is a friend to the upright (CSB); But He is intimate with the upright (NASB); He offers his friendship to the godly (NLT). To have access to the “His secret counsel” (NKJV) implies a depth of relationship marked by intimacy available only to those welcomed into the inner circle.

Noodle on that. As the upright, robed in the imputed righteousness of Christ through the finished work of the cross, we are “in” with the God of heaven and earth. And we know it not only in theory, but we experience it every time He illuminates His word as we read it and grasp something of the secret counsel of the Almighty. That should be mind-blowing! Awe-evoking! Praise-producing!

But wait! There’s a context here. And it relates not to an imputed righteousness but to a practiced righteousness.

Proverbs 3:32 is preceded by six “do not” commands. Do not withhold good when it’s in your power to do good. Do not brush off a neighbor in need when you can meet that need. Do not plan evil against your neighbor. Do not contend with someone for no reason. Do not envy the ways of violent men nor be drawn into those ways when it seems expedient to do so. Don’t, don’t, don’t . . .

Then comes the verse.

. . . for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD, but the upright are in His confidence.

(Proverbs 3:32 ESV)

The upright are the opposite of the devious, those who walk a crooked or deviated path. To be in His confidence, to know Him as friend, is the opposite of being an abomination. And while our eternal standing as the upright is secure because we are in Christ, our current experience as the upright is very much a factor of our obedience.

While we will sit with Him in close communion around His banquet table on that day, if today we want to know the intimate connection of abiding fellowship, then by His enabling power we purpose to do the to do’s and to don’t the do not’s. Not that our salvation depends on our obedience, but that practically knowing daily intimacy with the God who takes us into His confidence is connected to our obedience. Experiencing friendship with God is frustrated when we walk in disobedience to God.

That’s why we aspire to walk a worthy walk. That’s why we’re quick to confess our sin when our walk goes unworthy, or our heart goes AWOL and we’re faking the walk. Why we make a beeline to the cross, once again welcoming that well worn path. Not because we presume on grace so that we can keep on keep sinning, but that we know He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin when we do falter, fail, and find ourselves distanced from friendship and sincerely want to abide in His confidence.

In His confidence. What a blessing to be welcomed into the secret things of heaven by the God of heaven.

In His confidence in context. O, that we might practically know that insider’s place through a holy determination to walk in faithful obedience.

Only by His enabling grace. Always for His everlasting glory.

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The Pursuit and The Promise

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Pete

Hovering over Proverbs 2 this morning. Almost overwhelmed with the sense that we need to desperately pursue the word of God if we are going to have any chance of walking in this world with our witness in tact. What’s more, we need to be people abiding in the Living Word if we are going to thrive as children of God and not be compromised by the corrosiveness of our culture. And this, even as I’m aware that many, even in the church, don’t really see a direct correlation between knowing the written word of God, nor abiding in the living Word of God, and navigating the complexities of life.

But if I’m picking up what the Spirit’s laying down, there is a promise for the pursuit.

First, the pursuit.

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures . . .

(Proverbs 2:1-4 ESV)

There’s a lot of action words in those opening verses. A lot of to do’s. Receive, treasure up, make attentive, incline your heart, call out and raise up your voice. But not dispassionate action. Not check-it-off-the-list to dos’. Seek it like you would seek what you most value. Search for it like it was the mother lode for making much of life. It starts with God’s word. The treasures are His commandments. Go after them hard. As Jesus would exhort His disciples centuries later,

“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. . . Pay attention to what you hear . . . For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

(Mark 4:23-25 ESV)

Then, the promise.

. . . then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. . . . Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you . . .

(Proverbs 2:5, 9-11 ESV)

Ours is a culture caught up in matters of righteousness and justice and equity. You could argue that, in the public square, never has there been a greater emphasis placed on what is deemed to be the moral high ground nor a greater intolerance for that which is inherently unjust.

But it is a righteousness increasingly divorced from any absolute mooring of rightness outside ourselves. A justice, which often identified correctly, is increasingly left to vigilante approaches to administer as there is no view of an arbiter above us. An equity founded on shifting sand rather than the transcendent truth that all are equal because all are created in the image of God. A righteousness and justice and equity which comes out from the heart of man rather than from a wisdom which is implanted within the heart of man. And that from the word. The written word of God. The living Word of God’s Son.

If we pursue the way of God then we will now the wisdom of God. If we seek to know the Creator as He has made Himself known, then we will have knowledge to satisfy the soul, discretion to direct our ways, and understanding which will protect us from the false narratives of the world around us.

Pursue God’s truth, then God’s wisdom will enter your heart. Is it really that simple? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Sure, it’s a big step of faith to act on the belief that God’s word is what we really need to direct our ways, but hey, we’re to walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor. 5:7). And, might I suggest, the proof is in the pudding. For those immersed in the written word, for those abiding in the Living Word, there is a clarity (though, not a perfection . . . thank you, Jesus, for the cross) in navigating this fallen world.

By His grace. For His glory.

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According to His Excellent Greatness

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Pete

I wonder if worship wanes when learning is lean. If what primes the pump of praise grows thin because we are not actively pursuing growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Something in my lasting reading for the year in the psalms has me chewing on that thought this morning.

Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

(Psalm 150:1-2 ESV)

There’s the high-level menu of catalysts for priming the pump of praise. We praise Him for His mighty deeds. We praise Him according to His excellent greatness. And would it be a stretch to suggest that, in a sense, it’s easier to praise Him for His mighty deeds than it is according to His excellent greatness?

I think we connect more readily with His mighty deeds. We experience creation. We’ve been made new through the finished work of the cross. We sense within us the active agency of the Spirit. We process the outer evidence as we count our blessings. We’ve known sustaining grace and power in our burdens. Mighty deeds? Every believer has an experiential connection with what God has done in their lives and around their lives.

But God’s excellent greatness? Harder to connect with because harder to comprehend.

Even the phrasing of the attribute is somewhat mind-stretching. The CSB seems to translate it most literally, “Praise Him for His abundant greatness.” That God is great seems somewhat intuitive. That the magnitude and magnificence of the Creator would be atop the creation’s list of superlatives kind of makes sense. But that He possesses abundant greatness, a multitude of magnificence, or immeasurable, multi-faceted magnitudes is a little harder to get your arms around. But isn’t trying to get your arms around it also the thing that can keep praise ever new and always fresh? I’m thinkin . . .

God doesn’t change, but plumbing the depths of God’s excellent greatness will feel forever new as we explore and discover more of the multitudes of His magnificence.

For example, recently started reading a book on the attributes of God. The author is a seminary professor and, while he’s trying to make deep theology accessible to the average person, he’s using terms and expressions I’m not all that familiar with. Here’s one that captured my imagination and provided new fuel from which to light a fire of praise:

God may be incomprehensible, but he is not unknowable. Any doubt is removed the moment God opens his mouth.

Barrett, Matthew. None Greater (p. 25). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Okay, God’s incomprehensibility is mind-stretching but, given we’re talking about God, not necessarily surprising. But that God would “open His mouth” through the prophetic word, His written word, and then through the Living Word, His Son, and make Himself known, if only in a mirror dimly, is jaw-dropping. Not necessarily new information, but packaged in a somewhat deeper way it becomes a new spark and new fuel from which to light a new fire of awe, wonder, and worship.

To ever be a learner. To always seek to know more and at a deeper level. I think this is some of what’s behind being able to praise God afresh according to His excellent greatness.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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So Glad To See You

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Pete

Not that I’d verbalize it this way, but I wonder if sometimes, deep down, I think that what Christ’s done for us is done. That the Son of Man who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” has done that and so the work is finished. That what’s left to be done is what I can do in response for Him.

Maybe, sometimes, I remember that He’s not really done doing for us. That even now He is at the right of God interceding for us (Rom. 8:34), making intercession so that He might “save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him” (Heb. 7:25). Risen in glory, but still serving His own.

Buy hey, when He returns, then He will be done doing for us. Then this blood-bought, redeemed servant of Christ will bow, will sing, will gaze into His glory, face to face, and give Him the honor and glory and blessing due His name (Rev. 5:12b). Then it’ll be on us.

Not so fast . . .

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. . . . You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” ~ Jesus

(Luke 12:35-37, 40 ESV)

The main point of Jesus’ parable is that the followers of Jesus are to be ready for the return of Jesus. Dressed for action, lamps burning, wide awake, ready whenever the Master comes to kick off the call to the wedding feast.

But what’s dropped my jaw a bit this morning is whatever Jesus is implying by the master in the story dressing himself for service, seating his servants at his table, and coming and serving them. What?!? The master who came the first time not to be served but to serve will also come and serve the second time? Hmm . . .

Okay, so it’s a parable with a clear main point, i.e. “You must be ready.” Thus, I need to be careful about reading too much into the other details included in the story. But wouldn’t it be safe to say that the actions of the master turning the tables (kind of literally) on his servants and serving them at his own wedding feast indicates, at the very least, his joy at again being with them? That while he’s happy to see they’re dressed for action and their lamps are burning at his return, that he’s also delighted at being reunited with them after physically being away for so long? That, if nothing else, these God-breathed, add-on details in the story indicate that Jesus is really looking forward to being with His own even as we long to be with Him? That, as much as we hope to hear, “Well done” when He returns, we could also hear, “So glad to see you!” I’m thinkin’ . . .

Sure, the Master will receive His servants. The King will welcome in His subjects. But would we dare to think that the One who said, “No longer do I call you servants . . . but I have called you friends” (Jn. 15:15), is also looking forward to being with His friends? I think we dare.

Don’t know for sure. Not wanting to read more into this story then is intended. But sure something to chew on.

I can only imagine . . . (thanx again MercyMe).

Because of grace. For His glory.

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