But, I Hate to Wait - Pt 2

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22 ESV).

One of my favorite scenes from the movie Forrest Gump is when Forrest sends his son off to school. They are sitting on a stump by the mailboxes waiting for the bus to arrive. It is a momentous occasion filled with both excitement and anxiety for both of them. But, the bus arrives and little Forrest boards the bus and all of the waiting seems worth it. It is a picture of life. When we pray, God answers. The answers are always the challenge. “No” is easy, because, well . . . it’s a no. “No” is concrete, and even though difficult, you can grieve, heal, and move on from “No.” “Yes” is great, because it’s a yes. You get the thing. But “Later” is hard. That’s the one we simply don’t understand. We don’t know if a “later” is “yes” or “no” until after the fact. It is helpful to remember that God’s most precious gifts are often established in the journey, which takes time to unfold. 1. First, “later” increases our capacity for faith. if God didn’t want a deep and affectionate relationship with you, he would give you everything you wanted immediately. He would placate you with the pleasures of this world. For those who know God, that is intuitively unlike him — not unlike him to bless, but unlike him to appease. 2. Second, God asks us to wait to build appreciation. Immediacy can depreciate the value with which the recipient receives the gift. In waiting, God is kindling the fire that allows gifts to be received with joy. God doesn’t just want a gift to be a means to an end, but for the delight in the gift itself to be a means to grow in faith and joy. Exercising patience is an investment in future enjoyment, both from God’s perspective and yours (cf. Proverbs 13:12). 3. Third, “later” embeds permanence in our lives. We must be mindful that some gifts, in order for their goodness to last, require time to implant and grow. There are those times when we really do need to experience the storm to appreciate the sunshine. I always appreciate the cool day following a brief summer storm, even though they may be momentarily severe. Sometimes we use up all of our endurance, or a “no” comes, and faith seems to stand at the end sheepishly and embarrassingly empty-handed. It is at those times that we can look at all of those who have gone before us and recognize that God has already guaranteed an eternity where we will never be empty-handed. Even though I may hate to wait, that truth makes it much easier.

But, I Hate to Wait!

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9 ESV).

Some of our good friends from Middle Tennessee are farmers. This picture was taken by Cheryl Brown overlooking one of their cornfields with a beautiful sunrise in the background. I have talked with her and her husband, Darryl, on many occasions about the complexities of farming on a commercial scale. There is always something to be done on a working farm, but there are times when you simply have to wait. You may be waiting on rain, or simply the process of growth to continue before you can harvest. I can tell you that I would have a difficult time doing that. I hate to wait. I read one author, Paul Maxwell, who expressed this common characteristic like this: Anxiety is the slave song of the human heart under the tyranny of insignificance. Impatience is an acute strand of anxiety — played in a certain key — that can mesmerize and trap a soul in an infinite loop of hypnotized idolatry. With each heartbeat, drops of innocent desire increasingly become a torrent of violent mania, accruing simple words with vast jurisdiction: “I want it” . . . “I want all” . . . “I want it all now, RIGHT NOW!” The truth is this impatience typically is masked under the calm innocence of the original desire. We have grown accustomed to waiting calmly on the outside while raging on the inside. We wait for that return text message; we wait for an answer from the outcome of clinical diagnoses from tests performed; we wait for our spouse to return home; we wait to hear news of that job we applied for and so desperately need. We wait. And, we grow weary. This impatience is the antithesis to the entire concept of “our daily bread,” in favor of a mere “give us each day”; further, it typically becomes, “Just give it.” Then we hear the misguided adage from well-meaning Christian teachers and ministers that “God gives three answers to prayer: yes, no, or later.” Well, the truth is we can barely tolerate “no” and “later” becomes the bane of our existence. Let me give you some good news. The temptation that faces every believer is to proceed as if God had given a “No” or “Yes.” To say “I’m just going to assume I’m getting this,” or “I’m just going to move on without a clear answer.” But that is not what God is doing with “later.” “Later” is not merely divine ambiguity. With “later,” God amplifies a Christian’s spiritual state. “Do you hear that? Do you hear that insecurity? Do you hear that fear? I’m teaching you how to respond to that. I’m teaching you how to process those emotions, and trust me with those thoughts.” “Later” is more than “not now.” “Later” means “I’m working. Wait a bit and the harvest will come.”

The Now and Not Yet

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:12-13 ESV).

I’ve been exploring some of the ways we can find rest the last few days. I hope you have been able to follow along. Today I want us to look at the simple truth of our experience. While we all long for rest from the fatigue of living, it is often challenging to find it. We seem to be caught in the midst of what has come to be known as “the now and not yet.” God has placed the desire for rest in our souls, and he promises to fulfill it. The prophet declares, “I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25). However, if you’re like me, I really get tired of being in between the labor of life and rest promised. Life seems to be a war with no end in sight. That’s why you are often tired. Many soldiers, who experience the fierceness of combat, want to get out of it. That’s why you’re tempted to escape. That’s why you’re tempted to give up. Let me begin with the enjoinder to not give up. Here are some encouraging Scriptures for some of those battles that seem so endlessly defeating:  Don’t give up when that familiar sin, still crouching at your door after all these years, pounces again with temptation. The apostle says, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Don’t give up when you feel that deep soul weariness from long battles with persistent weaknesses. Again Paul says, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Don’t give up when your long asked-and-sought-and-knocked-for prayers have not yet been answered. Jesus said, in the Parable of the Persistent Widow, that we can continue to pray to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1). The simple truth is that each moment, whether pressing in on us or releasing us to take another step is just a bit closer to that one glorious moment when we will receive real, eternal rest. Our call is to endurance! Let’s walk together!

Finding Rest - Pt 3

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15 ESV).

The last principle I would encourage you with is to know the depth of love God has for you. God loves us unconditionally. No matter what nothing can separate us from His love. His love does not fluctuate as it does with people. The Lord does not hang it over our heads when we mess up or sinned. He gave us Jesus to atone for this. Ask the Lord to show you His love to you, so you can enter in His rest. When we experience His love it will flow to others. On your darkest days when there is nothing to keep you going, He loves you. It is the kind of love no one can match. No husband, parent, friend, or child will love you the way He can and will love you. When we understand this we can move ahead and love ourselves, our enemies, and love God. This brings us to a position in life where we can have hope. We need to hope in order to find peace. Hope is the assurance that he cares for us, and will provide for us moving forward. This is a blind faith, and it tests our very soul at times. When you don’t feel like you can make it another day, turn to the Scriptures to feed your soul and drown out any voices that are condemning, or causing anxiety. God promised to renew our strength like the eagle, and we will run and not faint. Also, go to the Bible, a devotional, enter into prayer, or play worship music to encourage yourself and to keep your spirit energized. The ability to step away from the busy world and to enter into a divine rest is a blessing that can be yours. Stepping away from the world and trying to figure everything out never works. Try to surrender your will and dreams—allow Him to take it. Allow rest to become more of an active part of your life. If history teaches us anything about God it is that he never forgets His people and longs to bless them. Though the people had turned from the Lord, He longed to be gracious and compassionate to them for they were in a covenant relationship with Him. As a God of justice, He stands ever ready to send blessings to those who depend on Him so that they may walk in His way. The Lord longs to be faithful to His people. And when they call on Him for help instead of on someone or something else, He will answer. Though His people experience difficulties, God will ultimately amazingly bless His children. Take another step in your journey today. Trust him to show you each one. Know that he will not forsake you. He loves you.

Finding Rest - Pt 2

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (John 6:29-34 ESV).

The second principle in finding rest is in the releasing of our burdens. Our problems are not a surprise to God. When we try to make things happen and work in the flesh to vindicate ourselves or promote ourselves we will end up in trouble. We can lean on God and find the rest in Him. We can enjoy life no matter what is going on. Worrying is useless and will cause more stress in the mind and body. Don't wear yourself out by trying to control what you can't anymore. The bottom line is that you are being counterproductive when you enter into this type of negative cycle. It’s like sitting in a rocking chair, rocking all day, wearing yourself out, and getting nowhere. Trusting God means we give up worrying, reasoning, and anxiety and we enter into His rest with simple childlike faith; we live by grace through faith. Jesus knows that he only is our salvation, our fortress, our mighty rock, our refuge. He is the one answer to every question, concern, fear, and need we will ever have. And so he simply and comprehensively offers us himself. For our hope is from him. Only in him will we find rest for our souls. But if what he promises us is rest, isn’t there something we must do? Yesterday we saw Jesus say we must put on a “yoke” with him. A yoke is placed on a beast of burden in order to do some work. So what is the “doing”? Jesus answered this question in our reading today. We must believe and abide. That really is all the work God requires of us. Faith (believing and abiding) is resting on the hopeful promises of God. That is the yoke Jesus calls us to put on. What is happening here is a yoke-exchange. In the cross, Jesus takes our unbearably heavy yoke of sin’s condemnation and penalty, and offers us in exchange the easy yoke and light burden of simply trusting him. He does all the work and gives us all the rest. And his work not only fully addresses our sin problem, but also provides the supply of every other need we will ever have (cf. Philippians 4:19). All we are required to do is trust him! And if that wasn’t enough, in becoming human and dwelling among us, Jesus makes it possible for us to learn from him how to live by faith. That’s the light yoke Jesus calls us to put on. It is the only yoke in existence that gives us rest for our souls.

Finding Rest - Pt 1

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30 ESV).

At one time or another every believer will experience a deep soul weariness. It may appear in different ways and for different reasons. Sometimes we can point to a significant factor, but often we can’t. Our weariness results from the cumulative, multilayered intersections of life’s complexities, bodily frailties, emotional heartbreaks, and the consequences of our own poor choices. It often surpasses understanding. Because our burdens are not simple, they are not relieved by simplistic platitudes. What we will look at in the coming days will not be that. You will not hear me ever espouse the theory that we should merely “cheer up as things are bound to turn around.” Sometimes they don’t get better; however, we have this simple, straight-forward promise from the Lord that can relieve a complex burden. It does require that we believe that the power behind the promise is complex and strong enough to relieve our heaviness. That leads me to say the first “step” in finding rest is to “come to Him.” Sometimes we think this is sitting still, or “waiting.” We think that waiting on the Lord resting is doing nothing. However, this rest that the Bible talks about is an action to do between you and God. It is a partnership that you develop with your creator. It is entering into His rest and casting your burden on Him. Let me be very clear. The simplicity of Jesus’ promise is both striking and refreshing. Jesus doesn’t offer us a four-fold path to peace-giving enlightenment, like the Buddha did. He doesn’t give us five pillars of peace through submission as Islam does. Nor does he give us “10 Ways to Relieve Your Weariness,” which we pragmatic, self-help-oriented 21st century Americans are so drawn to. Unique to anyone else in human history, Jesus simply offers himself as the universal solution to all that burdens us. When Jesus said, “come to me,” he meant, “believe in who I claim to be and therefore what I am able to do for you.” Here is where our burdened souls are tested. We want to rest our souls on the knowledge of how and when our burdensome problems will be addressed. But Jesus does not provide those details. He simply promises us that they will be addressed. He asks that we fundamentally believe that He is enough. Do you?

Bubbly!

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:1-7 ESV).

I have just come in from sitting quietly outside to write and it struck me how blessed I am in my relationship with the Lord. I assure you I have done nothing to deserve such blessing; in fact, I know I have done everything to not deserve such grace. However, I enjoy such strength and acceptance in Christ that it often makes me just sit awestruck. That thought reminded me of a pop song I enjoy listening to from time to time, “Bubbly.” It was written by Colbie Caillat and Jason Reeves. It is a folk song released in the album “Coco.” Caillat commented on the lyrical composition of the song, saying, "I didn't write "Bubbly" for any special guy. I wrote it about the feelings you get when you have a crush on somebody, and when they give you butterflies in your stomach and they just make you smile." I find the tune and the lyrics expressive of the relationship we can have with the Lord. Our reading today reminds us of that position of rest. You can find the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWGqoCNbsvM. Some of the lyrics are: It starts in my toes, make me crinkle my nose Wherever it goes I always know That you make me smile, please, stay for a while now Just take your time wherever you go. I suppose one of the most difficult things we attempt is to find peace in the midst of our chaos. Schedules, conflicts, and onslaught of information can cause us to feel as if we must simply trudge through our lives. However, resting in the Lord means many things to different people. It may be viewed as learning to trust more, submitting to God’s will, spending additional time in prayer or meditation. There is the physical and mental realm, and all these are part of finding the rest of God. It encompasses every facet of our lives. There is worship, praise, along with coming to Him with humility. We will look specifically at some processes in the coming days; however, today, be encouraged to find some place where you can just let that warm, embracing love of God “start in your toes and crinkle your nose.” He would love nothing more than to hold you in his arms and draw you near in whatever challenge you face today!

The Gospel - Pt 6

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11 ESV).

Perhaps the most subtle of the errors in interpreting the meaning and impact of the gospel can be called the attention gospel. This is where we come to believe we are saved by remembering God more mindfully; where we are saved from ignoring that God exists; and, we are saved to live more conscious of God. Remember the three questions? The first deals with the mechanics of redemption, how we are redeemed. In this heresy the entire process begins with our approach to God. Somehow it has been turned to our move toward God in our sorrow and repentance. The truth is that we are dead in our sin. In that state of death there is no capacity to do anything, much less repent from our sin. Just as Lazarus needed the power of Jesus to come out of his grave, so we need the power of God to touch our lifeless hearts and call us out of our spiritual death. Our response can only begin with the reaching down of God to us. The second of our questions deals with what we are saved from. It is much more than the punishment of sin. It is that to be sure. However, it is the eternal separation from our created purpose. We are designed to be in a relationship with God. That cannot take place until we are reconciled. We must be restored to that position. That is accomplished only through the work of Christ. We cannot be more mindful of God until then. Our thoughts are so far removed from God when we are dead in our trespass that there is no hope. There aren’t enough inspirational books or articles in the world to accomplish that restoration. Only the blood of Jesus does that. And, further, we are only saved to magnify the great character and glory of God. We are not saved to live more conscious of the desires of God. We only become more aware of what we need to do by who we know. We are drawn into this relationship with our heavenly Father by the work of Christ and the quickening of the Holy Spirit so that we may glorify his eternal mercy. That’s the heart of our amazing grace! Now we can rejoice! That’s the gospel!

The Gospel - Pt 5

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19 ESV).

The third mistaken interpretation of the gospel is in what we have come to call a brokenness gospel. This heresy declares we are saved by releasing ourselves from the memory of old sins; we are saved from feeling bad about ourselves; and, we are saved to live whole again. The catch word is “authentic.” The reason for this development is that evangelicalism, both on the individual and institutional level, is trying hard to purge itself of a polished veneer that smacked of hypocrisy. But by focusing on brokenness as proof of our “realness” and “authenticity” these messengers have turned “being screwed up” into a badge of honor, its own sort of works righteousness. Authenticity has become a higher calling than holiness. That is not the message of the gospel. Our notion of authenticity should not primarily be about affirming each other in our struggles. Rather, authenticity comes when we collectively push each other, by grace, in the direction of Christ-likeness. Megan Hill wrote, “If we are constantly looking for someone else who is broken in all the same places, we overlook the comfort we can have in the perfect God-man.” Hill wisely notes, “Grace covers. And it covers again and again. Thanks be to God.” But if we stop there, “We are only telling half of the story. . . . Receiving grace for my failures also includes Christ's help to turn from sin and embrace new obedience.” The Scripture teaches again and again that Christians are “dead to sin” and risen to new life, no longer slave to sins but to righteousness (cf. Romans 6). That doesn't mean the battle with sin is gone. But as Paul describes the struggle, he says “it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” (cf. Romans 7:17), noticeably separating his identity from this unwanted alien thing still residing within. The struggle is neither the point nor the marker of one's identity. In Christ we are new creations (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17), called to flourish through life in the Spirit (cf. Romans 8). Sin is necessarily part of our story as redeemed people. We shouldn't ignore or make light of it. But we also shouldn't wallow in it or take it lightly, for the sake of earning authenticity points. Grace is extended because of the work of Christ on our behalf so that we might become as He is. That is our hope. That sets us free.

The Gospel - Pt 4

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV).

The second misguided, wrong-headed theology is expressed in what we have come to know as the prosperity gospel. One of the fastest growing movements in American Christianity today is the prosperity Gospel movement. Most people wouldn’t say that they out right ascribe to the prosperity Gospel, but many have been affected in some shape or form by this movement. This movement has taken root especially within urban communities, but certainly isn’t limited to these communities. Across the nation we have seen many preachers pressing to their people the idea that if they have enough faith, blessings of health and wealth are subsequent to follow and that they are somehow in control of the amount of blessings God gives. That philosophy places us in control of our lives based on the works of our faith. No one falls in and out of favor with God based off of the works of their faith. The doctrine that is being taught by prosperity preachers is extremely dangerous. While it may lead to financial wealth for some preachers, it is depriving people of their desperate need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our reading makes it abundantly clear that a love for pleasure over a love for God is sinful. This isn’t saying that if someone is pleased in different ways that they are sinful, but that God himself should bring the most pleasure and satisfaction to their lives. If the heart is not constantly seeking protection from these areas, then the person will eventually only demonstrate a form of godliness, denying that God is the ultimate authority. If someone believes the prosperity gospel, they are telling us that they believe that God is only good when we are prospering. They are teaching that we can somehow manipulate God by the amount of faith that we show. This is completely contrary to what scripture says about God and His faithfulness to his people despite their disobedience. We should understand that because we know how broken and helpless we are without God. God will be forever faithful to His people, even when we are unfaithful. So we should center our striving to grow in faith in order to please God alone: just because of who He is and what He did for us on the cross. Not so we can get something from Him because He doesn’t owe us anything. He’s already given us everything in Jesus.

The Gospel - Pt 3

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 ESV).

What we have been looking at the last few days is discernment that leads to the experience of abundant life. The skill of discernment is learning to reject what is false, but more importantly, to eagerly embrace what is precious. Gospel discernment helps us know the difference, in order to keep the truth pure so that we can earnestly embrace and celebrate it. This means we treasure the many messages that make the answers clear on the primary questions, because they are likely to be the very best way to help us make sense of all the other questions. I am also convinced that the church will be healthier and happier as she becomes more and more skilled in discernment, more tuned into the gospel, and more skilled in knowing what to cherish. Discernment is a calling for us all. Since the Morning Devotionals is intended to be both brief and instructional I will focus on four categories that represent a very common error in the interpretation and development of a pure and accurate gospel in our current culture. The first we will see often is what has come to be known as a therapeutic gospel. In his chapter entitled “The Grand Inquisitor,” Fyodor Dostoevsky imagines Jesus returning to sixteenth century Spain (The Brothers Karamazov, II:5:v). But Jesus is not welcomed by church authorities. The cardinal of Seville, head of the Inquisition, arrests and imprisons Jesus, condemning him to die. The church has shifted course. It has decided to meet instinctual human cravings, rather than calling men to repentance. It has decided to bend its message to felt needs, rather than calling forth the high, holy, and difficult freedom of faith working through love. Jesus’ biblical example and message are deemed too hard for weak souls, and the church has decided to make it easy. Sound a bit contemporary? Today, we see shelves full of self-help books with the “steps” to a full life, purpose, or success in our personal endeavors. We like those books. They are easier than the life of the gospel. We like being saved by becoming self-authenticated and affirmed; we desire to be saved from self-destructive negativity; and, we want to be saved for self-confidence. In this gospel, the great “evils” to be redressed do not call for any fundamental change of direction in the human heart. Instead, we see the problem in our sense of rejection from others; in my corrosive experience of life’s vanity; in my nervous sense of self-condemnation and diffidence; in the imminent threat of boredom if my music is turned off; in my fussy complaints when a long, hard road lies ahead. Jesus and the church exist to make one feel loved, significant, validated, and entertained. The logic of this therapeutic gospel is a Jesus-for-Me who meets individual desires and assuages psychic aches. That’s simply wrong. Properly understood, carefully interpreted, the felt needs make good gifts. But they make poor gods. Get first things first. Seek first the Father’s kingdom and his righteousness, and every other good gift will be added to you.

The Gospel - Pt 2

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:12-14 ESV).

Yesterday we looked at three questions to ask of every written or spoken message concerning the gospel to determine its truth and validity. The principle is that “grace is no longer amazing if we add anything to it.” Of course, I am not suggesting that every song, every sermon, and every book is going to answer each question in equal measure. But pay attention. As you listen and read, you will pick up what the apostle Paul called “the pattern of sound words” (v. 13). Every cohesive worldview has a pattern to it, a pattern you will see in the big picture and small details. For Christians, there’s a consistency and a pattern of sound gospel words that we should tune our ears to hear, and note when we find it absent. The true work of interpretation is allowing Scripture to answer each of these three questions over and over again until the truth of the gospel works down into our core. If we sketch out some of the contours of the biblical gospel, the answers to our questions become quite clear:  We are saved by grace through faith in the wrath-absorbing death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and justified in his resurrection as a substitute for us, the rebel law-breakers.  We are saved from a holy God, from his righteous wrath poured out eternally on every sinner who has disgraced his glory.  We are saved to have peace with God, to be holy, to be gathered among God’s people who live and love, and who magnify God by treasuring Christ and enjoying him above everything in this world and the next. The gospel is profoundly beautiful and worthy of eternal study and celebration, but it’s also not complicated. The challenge we always face is gospel drift, a gospel that imperceptibly glides into language that makes the answer to these three vital questions clouded and obscure. It requires attentiveness so that we do not float into a “hunch gospel” that uses a bunch of Christian jargon, all aiming at self-actualizing goals and satisfying felt needs, but at the same time failing to explain the core themes of God’s wrath or the essential purpose of Christ’s substitutionary blood. In other words, the natural drift of our thoughts is always being “led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3). Tomorrow we will begin to look at some of those “drifts.” Today, stay the course. It is Jesus alone, saving us from our earned death, to the glory of God.

The Gospel - Pt 1

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:1-4 ESV).

This Sunday I have been asked to preach at Gospel City Church in Arlington, Texas. The pastor, Mark Mangrem, asked me to continue in a series he began a few weeks ago to keep the continuity of message through the summer. The series is titled “Dinner with Jesus.” I must confess that I was not quite as excited at first with the prospect of this topic; however, as I studied the material and began to prepare the message, I began to realize the vital importance of this subject in the modern church. With that conviction I chose the story of the meal Jesus shared with Simon the Pharisee (cf. Luke 7:36-50). Additionally, I began to think more about the “sincere and pure devotion to Christ” that the Apostle Paul encourages the Corinthians in our reading today. So, for the next few days we are going to be looking at the simple question of “What is the Gospel?” That sounds too simple to even consider at first read; however, I can assure you that the subtle heresies of today’s church make this an essential. Today I want to merely mention the basis for gathering information and being able to then make a judgment about any message dealing with any part of the gospel. I usually seek the answer to three questions basic questions.  First, what does the message, whether written or spoken, say about how we are saved? It sounds silly to ask that question. After all, don’t we all believe that we are saved by faith through grace? No Christian denomination would argue that point, would they? Well, entire denominations and religious movements have been begun over differences in this question.  Second, I ask, what I am saved from? Sounds even simpler than the first, but as we will see it is very complex.  Third, I ask, what am I saved for? What’s the purpose of my redemption? Why did Jesus die on my behalf? The questions are short, easy to remember, and could not be bigger. These are gospel questions, not only helpful personally, but corporately as well. Bear with me “in a little foolishness” as we explore the grace of God in our Gospel in the next few days! Start using these questions for real freedom in your life.

Better at the End - Pt 3

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV).

For every “time to seek,” there is “a time to lose” (v. 6). Learning to end well, to let go well, is one of the most neglected subjects in our Western Christian discipleship. There’s little teaching and guidance for navigating these tricky waters. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Christian leaders frequently struggle to step out of leadership, and churches struggle with leadership transitions, and Christians, in general, frequently experience confusion and disorientation at the end of various seasons of life and ministry. But God will help us. One way to prepare for our “time to lose,” and help others do the same, is to intentionally pray about it. God can make our transition out of a season uniquely powerful in glorifying Jesus. My favorite model in Scripture is John the Baptist. At the end of his season of call, he said as he watched his great ministry eclipsed by the bright morning star, “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease” (cf. John 3:29-30). Those words, as much as anything John ever said, revealed the heart that made him so great. He understood what his life was about. The beginning of his ministry was about Jesus and, even more so, its end. And that is what every end of every season of our lives is all about: the increase of Jesus in our decrease. So, whether it is a season of life or the end of it as we know it, there will be a God-given time to exit every role we enter. Some endings will feel sweet and clear; some will feel bitter and confusing. Therefore, it requires a different kind of wisdom to end well than to begin well. It demands Spirit-wrought humility and Spirit-empowered faith to trust God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness in those transitions. We must prepare for these moments or, better, we must ask God to prepare us, so that as each moment ends, we will say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The ending is always better than the beginning.

Better at the End - Pt 2

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:12-16 ESV).

Yesterday we began to look at the principle of the end being better than the beginning. Today I want to continue that theme. It is this hope that provides us with the strength to go on. All of us who have reached a bit of age have discovered that the journey is filled with varying degrees of difficulty and challenge much the same as a cross-country race. The question then is raised as to why a sobering dose of realistic retrospect could be better than a hopeful high of optimistic prospect? Let me make some observations:  First, wisdom does not want to build its house on the sand of fantasy. It wants to builds on the solid rock of truth. The dreams and hopes for our future life on this earth are wonderful and good; however, we have all known some degree of disappointment in the failure to realize those dreams and hopes.  Second, at the end of a thing, more than at its beginning, we see our need for a better, more lasting hope than anything we could possibly build here. As great as this life may be, it is nothing compared to that which awaits the believer. I have a lot of different kinds of wood in my little shop for various projects. There’s red-heart cedar, yellow poplar, black walnut, red oak, and various sizes of old barn wood collected through the years. I can see the potential of each of those pieces; however, they simply look like a pile of scrap compared to a finished product. Our lives are like that.  Third, because an ending, more than a beginning, exposes our idols things or people in which we have placed false hope and from whom we have drawn a misplaced sense of identity we can experience a wonderful cleansing. Endings are better than beginnings because they more powerfully point us to God as our only hope. For the longest time sunset has always been my favorite time of the day. Maybe it’s because I have finished the day. Whatever the reason, the spiritual truth is the same. The end is better than the beginning or anything between! Do not dread the end. It will only open the full vista of God’s glory and grace!

Better at the End - Pt 1

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. (Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 ESV).

Last year my oldest granddaughter, Faith, ran cross-country track with her seventh grade team. While she had never attempted this sport, we felt she could do well. She had a natural stride and plenty of endurance. I remember her first meet well. There were the natural jitters and excitement at the beginning. We watched as she lined up on the starting line with over 100 other girls her age waiting for the gun to sound the start of the race. I have pictures of the start. It was an exciting time; however, the picture of her crossing the finish line for the first time was even more exciting. She was nearly as “put together” as she was at the beginning. Her hair was a bit frazzled and beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she pressed toward the finish line. She crossed the line and came to a stop with both hands on her knees, drooping in exhaustion after the two mile run across hills and flats. Her mom and dad congratulated and hugged her. I was very proud. She made it! I rediscovered the truth from the wisdom of Solomon found in our reading today: Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. Think of it. When a new child is born, a new crop is planted, a new project, phase, degree, career, friendship, resolve, marriage, house is pursued, we feel fresh excitement and anticipation. We enter a new season feeling hope about the future. We invest a lot of dreaming, planning, energy, and often money in our beginnings, which explains all the books and videos and coaches offering to help us begin well. But there is not nearly as much help available teaching us how to end well. Probably because the demand is much lower. We typically don’t relish thinking about or planning for endings, because endings are goodbyes. They are chapter closings that often leave us feeling regret, grief, or confusion over who we are and what our purpose is going forward. But the end of a season is often more important than its beginning. When a person dies, we can see much more clearly who they really turned out to be, which is eternally significant. When a crop is harvested, we know what the season and farming diligence actually produced. When a season of life ends, we see, at least to some degree, the true fruit of all our dreaming, planning, labor, and investment. At a beginning, when we’re looking ahead, we envision a possible future, not a real one. But looking back, we see reality with greater clarity. In other words, endings are usually more truthful than beginnings. A review of the day in the evening is more truthful than the caffeinated optimism of the morning’s good intentions. We’re going to look at ending well in the next few days. Today, be reminded that the promise of God is that the end is better than the beginning. We have much to look forward to. That hope is the foundation of our perseverance in the presence of the challenges of our run!

Who Am I? - Pt 3

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:42-49 ESV).

Today we will look at the last of the three wonderful identifying characteristics of who we are as children of God: we are transformed. I have chosen our reading today from a plethora of references to this wonderful truth. I hope you’ll take the time to read the entire chapter from the Apostle Paul. It describes the incredible new nature God has secured for us through the work of Christ. As I looked for an illustration to accompany this devotional I found the picture of a tree seemingly caught in the middle of winter dormancy and spring life. It seems to me that we often overlook the stark difference between life and death. Physical death is tragic enough; however, when you think of the eternal magnitude of death, it is easy to be overwhelmed with wonder at the accomplishment of grace.  First, we are transformed into the image of the Son of God, Jesus (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18). Paul will say later in our text that, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet sound” Jesus appears and we will be like him. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually like Jesus is a thought too large to really comprehend. Oh, we won’t “look” like him; we will be like him. All of those things that plague us each day as these bodies age and the habits and bothersome quirks and sins of our lives will be changed forever. I know I’ll be ecstatic when I no longer need to fight back my temper. Real peace will exist in my life.  Second, we will also be delivered from death through Jesus Christ, and your dwelling place will be with Him (cf. Romans 7:24-25; John 14:3). This is that place where “every tear is wiped from our eyes” and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore (cf. Revelation 21:3-4). We drink from the spring of the water of life without payment; and, we enter our rest, inherit the kingdom prepared for us, and step into fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (cf. Hebrews 4:9-11). And we see His face and all of the glory which is His. Just WOW! That’s who we are!

Who Am I? - Pt 2

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ESV).

The second identifier is found in today’s reading: We are new. We are finally free from the slavery of sin and death. There is now no condemnation for you. All our sins are forgiven. All our unrighteousness has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. We are now righteous in our sight with the very righteousness of God’s perfect Son. We are saved by grace and justified through faith. We are utterly secure in Christ; nothing will be able to separate us from our love in Christ Jesus. No one is able to snatch us out of his hand. And I will never leave you nor forsake you. We are not only new spiritually, but relationally. We have a new Father and a new family (cf. Luke 8:21). We are now part of the people of God (cf. 1 Peter 2:9). That brings us to a point of transformation in our lives. The more I talk with people about this principle, the more I am convinced that few have really experienced that in their lives. It’s the difference of riding a merry-go-round and hiking the Grand Canyon. The former takes you nowhere; and, the latter, while challenging, is full of new vistas and wonderful sights. Jesus did not die so that we would experience a life merely existing. He died that we might have real life and that “abundantly” (cf. John 10:10). The difference is always found in our focus. When I go to work, as much as I enjoy what I do, I don’t go to work because I enjoy it; I don’t do it because I really enjoy hearing all the difficult experiences and tragic stories of my clients; and, I sure don’t do it because it is my responsibility. I go to work because it is what God has asked me to do and because I love Him, I want to do it. Years ago, when I was still in high school, I skipped classes one day. I drove to where my dad was working at the time and helped him in the meat market. He asked why I wasn’t in school and I said that I had gotten out early. I think he knew that was a lie, but he was glad to see me and we spent the afternoon together working and talking. I think he knew I just needed to be with him that day. I’m not condoning skipping school! The point is I was glad to work just to be with him. Relationship leads us to transformation. That is abundant life. We have been transformed. That’s who I am!

Who Am I? - Pt 1

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:26-31 ESV). We all want to know who we are. We seek and search and try to “find ourselves.” Many of us have taken personality tests and other assessments. We learn that we are a lion, a beaver, an ENFP, an activator, a competitor, a high I, high D. But as helpful as those tests can be, the real question is “Who am I in God’s eyes?”

In one of the little towns I grew up in there is a new restaurant, Marais. It is built on the same location as a home owned by some of my relatives. You can see from the photo that the owners have dedicated a dining room to the “one t” side of the family. While the story behind the spelling of my last name is rather long, suffice it to say that it has been an interesting means to motivate me to understand my heritage. The short story is that my grandfather’s name was involuntarily changed when he immigrated to this country from Sicily. It was originally spelled “Imiti.” One brother had his name changed to “Emmitte” and the other to “Emmite”; though originally they were both Imiti. That was a part of the story that emerged when I began doing some ancestry research. That research told me who my relatives were and where I came from; however, it did not reveal what my worth was. In fact, in all my years as a Christian, I had never asked the question quite this way until I started this research. You can imagine my delight when I found that God has a lot to say about what he thinks about us — a whole Bible full. But if we could summarize it in a short space, here’s how it might sound. We’re going to be looking at some of those descriptions in the coming days. And, today I want to look at the first of those discoveries: We are valuable. Our reading for today indicates we are “more valuable than sparrows.” My reaction at first read was to think, “I hope so”! But as I understand what Jesus is saying it goes well beyond this simple declaration. The impact is that God takes such good care of the sparrows, that there is no comparison as to how much he cares for us. If God does all that he does for these little birds, how much more will he do for me. It is a declaration of our infinitely greater importance to Him! I am valued and valuable to God! That is place to begin each day as it unfolds the challenges and trials of life.

Big Bad John - Pt 3

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (Hebrews 11:32-34 ESV). When the Egyptian army showed up, God could have made Israel a nation of Samsons. The Holy Spirit could have rushed upon them all, and they could have defeated the Egyptians with a bunch of donkey jaws. Why didn’t God do that? Well, remember Samson? When God gave Samson power to overcome 1,000 Philistines on his own, what was the song Samson sung afterward? “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.” (Judges 15:6 ESV). The truth is that we typically don’t realize what it means for God to be our strength until we’re weak enough that he’s our only option.

There is no hymn to God by Samson after any of his exploits, and he didn’t survive the one that likely got him mentioned as a model of faith in our reading today. God was Samson’s strength, but Samson didn’t really recognize it. God wanted Israel to understand that he was their strength and their salvation so that he would become their song. That’s why he put them in that weak, helpless place. The same is true for us today. The Lord is our only real Strength. The exodus was the greatest Old Testament foreshadowing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God delivers us all as helpless children, caught between the forces of evil and the sea of God’s wrath. Jesus is our deliverer, and his cross and resurrection our deliverance. But the exodus, along with all the other biblical stories of redemption, is also a reminder that God purposefully designs our weak places and assigns us to them. When we feel ourselves trapped in them, we can be deeply discouraged, panicky, and even angry. God’s purposes in such experiences are typically not clear to us at first. Things just look like he’s either made a huge mistake or he’s capricious. But he’s neither. The truth is that, as sinful people, we don’t really understand what it means for God to be our strength and our salvation until we are put in a weak enough place where he is our only option. At first, this doesn’t feel like a great mercy, but later, sometimes much later, we discover it was a gift of measureless mercy. And then God really becomes our song. If you are in that place of weakness, rest assured in His strength! He will prevail!

Big Bad John - Pt 2

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:10-14 ESV).

In Exodus 12, the people of Israel had been miraculously released from slavery and led out of Egypt; and by Exodus 14, Israel was encamped by the Red Sea, in a vulnerable and probably puzzling position. God has purposefully instructed Moses to lead Israel there because he had determined to humiliate Pharaoh and the Egyptians one last dramatic time. But the Israelites didn’t understand God’s purposes. There was plenty of murmuring about what they were doing camped at what looked like a dead end. This only grew to fever pitched panic when Pharaoh’s army showed up and pinned them all against the sea. It had all the look of a worst-case scenario: death by sword or death by drowning. And like most of us would feel, the people were scared and angry. They yelled to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” They were trapped in a weak place, a place designed for them by God. They would learn what real strength was that day. Moses’ reply to the panicky people was, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” And fight for them he did. While holding off the Egyptian army with the pillar of fire, he opened for the Israelites a dry path through the Red Sea. Then he let the Egyptians loose and they chased Israel hell-bent into the sea, which swallowed them. And on the other side of it all, Moses and the people erupted in a song we still sing today: “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (cf. Exodus 15:2). God could have done it another way; however, this was his chosen means to show himself to be the strength and glory of the ages! How does God want to show himself in your weakness? Trust Him! He will not fail you!

Big Bad John - Pt 1

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11 ESV).

In 1961 Jimmy Dean first released his hit song “Big Bad John.” (To listen to it you can go to https://archive.org/details/JimmyDean-BigBadJohn.) The song tells the story of a mysterious and quiet miner who earned the nickname Big John because of his height, weight, and muscular physique ("He stood six foot six and weighed two forty-five"). One day, a support timber cracked at the mine where John worked. The situation looked hopeless until John "grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan / and like a giant oak tree just stood there alone", then "gave a mighty shove", opening a passage and allowing the 20 other miners to escape the mine. Although the miners were about to reenter the mine with the tools necessary to save him, the mine fully collapsed and John was believed to have died in the depths of the mine. The mine itself was never reopened, but a marble stand was placed in front of it, with the words "At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man – Big John". As I listened to it I was reminded that God does not want us to be strong. God wants to be our strength. Perhaps a better way to say it is this: God wants us to be really strong, which is different from the way we might typically desire to be strong. We often want to be strong in a way that reflects well on us. God wants us to be strong in a way that reflects well on him. Those two are rarely the same in our world. If we were sinless, our wants and God’s wants would be in perfect harmony. We would only want to be strong in the strength that God supplies. However, that simply is not who we are. We are sinners. As a result, we can find ourselves deeply discouraged by the very limitations and adversity that God has actually designed to cultivate in us strong, courageous, and liberating faith. In the next few devotionals we are going to explore what it means to live in the strength of the Lord. The Apostle Peter made the principle very clear in our reading today. Further, he speaks from the depth of experience. He went from the proud, arrogant failure of his denial of Jesus the night of His arrest to the Rock of Faith Jesus wanted him to become all by his surrender to the will and purpose of God. That should be our goal. Make that your prayer today!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:13-14 ESV).

While I was searching for a meme on Kyle’s birthday I came across this one with Marlon Brando’s character from The Godfather. It made me think in a little different direction for today’s devotional. In the second film he is portrayed as an old man watching his son lead the family. For the past few months, I’d been feeling pretty old. We have been working outdoors building an extension to the deck and a huge flower bed. My bones have been feeling a little “creaky.” As my oldest son’s birthday approached, I was really feeling my age. Birthdays of our adult children have a way of doing that. But when I stopped to think a bit broader, I had a realized that age really has little to do with the celebration. God has been in the business of directing my path and that of my family all along. We really shouldn’t celebrate birthdays numerically. God has already numbered all of our days. If we have been given another day, it is a day to celebrate; it is a day to persevere toward the goal of realizing how “fearfully and wonderfully” we really are. Sometimes that becomes a challenge. The limitations of aging are real. Even though there are countless examples of people who have amazed those around them with their accomplishments well beyond an age that would be thought possible. So, let me make a few observations for all of us to consider:  First, you should “number” your days. There is nothing wrong with celebrating your age. It is a wise reminder of the investment God is making in you for this very time in your life and the lives of those in your circle of influence.  Second, be intentional specific about what you can do today and the days God gives you to make a difference that have eternal value. Make a list of the wisest things you could invest your life in.  Third, take stock of the resources you have in this stage of your life that you could put to use in order to minimize your regrets and maximize your opportunities. Remember that a birthday only serves as a marker of how close we are to our eternal home. So, Happy Birthday, Kyle! I am closer home too!

A Whining Church - Pt 2

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:29-32 ESV). Our reading today describes the call of Matthew to follow Jesus. A dinner followed where his friends met with Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees murmured against the disciples of Jesus because they ate and drank with publicans and sinners. They did not care that the publicans and sinners needed Jesus. They were only concerned with their personal agenda. Sound familiar? This only leads us to the past. We will never be faithful in the present as long as we are yearning for the past. The only era we should long for is a future one, when the kingdom comes fully on earth as it is in heaven.

Furthermore, grumblers are neither persuasive nor appealing. It’s hard to joyfully and consistently proclaim the gospel when all you do is complain about your mission field. Murmuring does not further God’s mission. The root issue, of course, is a lack of faith. Whenever we look at the state of the world and wag our fingers, shake our heads, or wish that we had been born in another time or place, we question God’s sovereignty and resent the task he has given us. Grumbling over the good that we think God has withheld is, in reality, nothing short of rebellion. Faithfulness starts with gratitude. We trust in the God who knows where we are and when we are. This is our time. Holding firm to the word of life is a thrilling adventure. We’re not digging in, like cranks who resent societal shifts or cultural changes. No, we’re standing, with the smile of faith that knows God is good and sovereign and that his everlasting joy will spread to all peoples. We should be people who are joyful because we follow a King who endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him”. Whether we are given suffering, chains, imprisonment, or whether we conquer kingdoms, stop the mouths of lions, escape the sword, and put armies to flight, we must know that only joy in and gratitude to Jesus will win the war for our culture. Yes, we may face obstacles, setbacks, and tough days ahead. But in it all, and under it all, we are also joyful. And this cheerful courage comes not from ignoring darkness or looking only for the bright side, but from believing that the Light will overcome the dark. Let us do everything without grumbling.

A Whining Church - Pt 1

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:12-18 ESV).

The Church has never been exempt from the world’s attacks. We face dangers from many sources; however, the greatest danger is not from outside the church, but from within. Of course, we cannot deny the real issues of living in a pluralistic world; we know the pressure on Christians to abandon the truth that Jesus is the only way to God. Naturally, we think that to be faithful in this time means shoring up our commitments where cultural pressure is intense. But there is a bigger danger in our midst. It is not new. The Apostle Paul warns the Philippians of this in our reading today. It is the “Whining Church.” He simply says, do all things without grumbling or disputing. Why does he start this exhortation with grumbling? Well, he knew well the story of Israel. The Passover lamb was sacrificed on their behalf; they were set free from bondage to Egypt; they went out through the waters of the Red Sea into the wilderness toward the Promised Land. Having been graciously redeemed through an act of deliverance none of their generation could have imagined, and they began to grumble. This was the big sin of Israel. They chose grumbling over gratitude. Grumbling stalled their journey and led to actions that were anything but “blameless and innocent.” We can easily fast-forward to first-century Philippi. The church, like Israel, had been brought out of slavery to sin and death. Through the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, they had received atonement for their sins. They’d passed through the waters of baptism and were headed toward the Promised Land. Paul knew that grumbling and arguing would keep them from shining like stars in a dark world. And, two thousand years later, much of our world feels like a wilderness. We, too, live in a “crooked and twisted generation,” where crooks are elevated and perversion celebrated. We have as much grace as then and yet we see more whining and grumbling as ever. Jesus still speaks to his Church: Do everything without grumbling. If we desire to be blameless and pure, faultless in this generation, then we need to start here. The Christian who grumbles will neither stand out in this generation, nor hold firm to the gospel.

Dinner at Simon's House - Pt 3

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” (Luke 7:39-43 ESV).

Jesus’ answer is an incredible lesson on the effect of grace. He gives us a very clear insight into our basic nature. When we recognize how much we need the forgiveness and restoration of God we are much better equipped to express gratitude to God. When we realize the expansive nature of the grace of God we are so much better able to reach the depth of this new relationship God has initiated with us. Our problem is that we rarely consider ourselves “great sinners.” The Apostle Paul learned that principle more as he lived his new life of grace. Look at his progression: For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:9 ESV). Paul writes this declaration early in his ministry. He does admit that he is “least”; however, he qualifies that by saying he is least of the apostles who were considered the greatest of the leaders of the church. According to the thought of the religious of that day this still made him greater than most of those who believed. It was a start in his transformation, but no where near where he would end. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. (Ephesians 3:8 ESV). A few years later, Paul has had much opportunity to understand the great grace of God toward him and he now changes his estimation of his own need. He is now the “least of all saints.” That declaration certainly goes further, but it still elevates him above others. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15 ESV). Now the apostle has come to a full understanding; he is the “foremost” sinner. Don’t misunderstand. This is not saying something bad about the apostle. On the contrary, it is making an incredible declaration of grace and gratitude. It is the foundation of his being able to say later in this letter that he has received such great mercy and love that he is now “ready to be poured out” so that he can receive his “crown of righteousness” reserved by Jesus (cf. 2 Timothy 4:6-7). The woman who joined Jesus for dinner at Simon’s house knew this as well. Do you?

Dinner at Simon's House - Pt 2

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:36-40 ESV).

Today we will look at a similar passage to that of yesterday. They do not report the same event. However, the two women exhibit the same principle of love and devotion that can only result in a genuine understanding of the great gift of grace Jesus proffers through his sacrificial death and resurrection. Now we are in Simon the Pharisee’s home. It was a great honor and distinction to have Jesus for dinner. He was the Holy One of Israel (cf. Isaiah 54:5); the prophet that Moses had foretold would come (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15); and, as John would later declare, this was the Lord of glory, the Resurrection and the Life (cf. John 11:25). This great prophet, healer, and teacher was speaking with him face to face. The great climactic moment of history he claimed to be living for had arrived. It should have been a deliriously wonderful, breathtaking honor for Simon to host the Messiah. But Simon was not amazed. As he looked at Jesus, all he saw was a dusty Nazarene whose claims could be interpreted as, well, delusional. And Jesus’ feet were still dirty. Offering foot washing to guests had been a deeply ingrained custom for Near Eastern peoples for thousands of years. To not offer it was to dishonor one’s guest. It’s not likely that Simon simply forgot. But Jesus showed no sign of offense. And with the meal on the table, superficial pleasantries were exchanged. A few polite questions were asked. Suddenly all eyes facing Jesus were filled with confused concern, focused toward his feet. Jesus looked back. A woman was standing near him, clearly not part of the household. She was looking intensely at him, cradling a small jar in her hands. She began to sob and dropped to her knees. And as her tears flowed, she leaned over and let them drop on Jesus’ soiled feet and wiped them off, along with the dirt, with her hair. Then she kissed Jesus’ feet. Gasps and murmurs were heard around the table. This woman had a reputation known to all the local guests. It was improper even to speak openly about what had given her this reputation. She was simply called a “sinner.” Everyone knew what was packed into that word. Simon’s reaction was so different than this act of love and sacrifice. He was judgmental and self-righteous. The woman, on the other hand, was humble and grateful. The Apostle Paul helps us understand why: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). She didn’t do this kindness to gain anything. She simply expressed her deep gratitude for what Jesus was already doing in her life. That is genuine relationship. That brings freedom. We are that “sinner.” Jesus is that Savior! Come to him today!

Dinner at Simon's House - Pt 1

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13 ESV). First, let me say Happy July 4th to you! I hope you had an opportunity to read yesterday’s devotional. I dealt briefly with the theme of the holiday there. Today, I am going to begin to look at a particular text in preparation for a sermon I will preach at Gospel City Church of Arlington in a couple of weeks. I have been asked to continue the theme of “Dinner with Jesus.” This passage has always been a favorite of mine and I have decided to use it as the basis for that sermon. Perhaps it will also provide some inspiration and encouragement to you as well. It is typically the focus of expositors of this passage to focus on the extravagant gift of this unnamed woman who pours the alabaster jar of ointment on the head of Jesus; however, we must begin with Simon the leper to really understand the fullness of this event from the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We know little about the identity of this man except he was formerly a leper. He is mentioned in our passage today and in the Gospel of Mark (cf. Mark 14:3-9). Both passages tell the story of Jesus’ visit to his house in Bethany. This village was also the location of the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

We do know that Simon had been healed of the leprosy and it was this that had drawn him to Jesus. He desired to show his gratitude, and at Christ's last visit to Bethany he made a feast for Jesus and His disciples. This feast brought together many of the Jews. There was at this time much excitement at Jerusalem. Christ and His mission were attracting greater attention than ever before. Those who had come to the feast closely watched His movements, and some of them with unfriendly eyes. Jesus had come to Bethany only six days before the Passover, and according to His custom had sought rest at the home of Lazarus. Many flocked to Bethany, some out of sympathy with Jesus, and others from curiosity to see one who had been raised from the dead. Many expected to hear from Lazarus a wonderful account of scenes witnessed after death. They neither heard that report nor did they hear from this man who had been so miraculously healed. What they saw was the absolute devotion of an unnamed woman who would make any sacrifice for someone she recognized as the One giving the ultimate gift of life on her behalf. It is a story of relationship that cannot be broken either in this world or the next! That is the real beginning of the gospel. You are indeed safe in the arms of Jesus!

One Nation Under God

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:12-19 ESV).

Tomorrow we will celebrate our national independence. We have been incredibly blessed as citizens of this country. For 350 years in America, the call to be a Christian has not been the call to be an alien. It has not been a call to be a sojourner or an exile or to be out of step with society. Rather, far too many of us have taken it as a call to be a respected citizen in the community. That is changing in our culture today. We are rapidly becoming a different country. We are no longer “One Nation Under God.” And we get angry, really angry if anyone treats our Christianity as though it’s not the norm. We get mad because we’ve developed a Christianity with assumptions about dominance and prosperity, about being normal and fitting in. “This is our way here. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.” There is some truth in the assumed connection between being a Christian and being prosperous. If you live like a Christian, you very well may be more successful in life. Not getting drunk may help you keep your job. Not committing adultery may help you keep your marriage together. Not killing may keep you out of prison. Telling the truth may get you a good name. If you do what the Bible says, life sometimes goes better. The problem is that this is totally out of proportion. We have come to take all of those relatively minor spinoffs of devotion to Jesus and elevated them above the massive, real pleasures of knowing him, loving him, and dying and being with him forever. In particular, it’s out of step with the whole tenor of the New Testament. For example, it does not fit with the apostle’s charge in our reading today. We should think it not strange when insults, oppositions, and trials come upon us because of our faith in Jesus. Those things ought to be normative. Knowing that ought to motivate us with a longing not to be domesticated, comfort-seeking, entertainment-addicted, prosperity-loving, security-craving, approval-desiring Christians. We should not want to waste our lives just fitting in. Fit in with Jesus. That will bring real peace and joy.