Boo!

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (Ephesians 6:16-18 ESV).

Halloween is not a threat. It’s an opportunity. Because we are armed with the name of Jesus, and the power of his Spirit, there is no reason to be spooked by this night or any other. We can join our King as he haunts the devil and all his minions. We betray the fullness of Christ’s power when we cower before the demonic façade of Halloween. Instead, take Halloween captive. Here are five ways to prepare your heart and home for advancing the gospel. 1. First, remember to use the authority of Jesus. All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to him (cf. Matthew 28:18). Not half. Not most. All. Not only is he worshiped and admired by the happy citizens of his kingdom, but he “commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (Mark 1:27). There is no give-and-take with Satan. One little word shall fell him. Not only does Jesus rule them as Creator, but also by conquest at his cross, where he “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15). 2. Second, remember His power at work in you. Not only is the sovereign Christ stationed invincibly on the throne of the universe, but he also dwells within you by his Spirit. We are no longer left unprotected under the tyrant of this world, but Jesus “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son”. And he will not suffer the loss of any of his own (John 6:39). “Halloween is not a threat for the Christian. It’s an opportunity.” 3. Third, recognize who the enemy is. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Your enemy is not the neighbors with the creepy skeletons in the yard. Or the silly teenage trick-or-treaters dressed up as zombies. The adversary is not fellow humans, gruesome or God-belittling as they can be, but the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 4. Fourth, reach out with kindness because of the authority of Jesus, and his power within us — and remembering that Satan is our enemy, not our neighbors; this allows us to lean into Halloween, not away. We turn the porch lights on to chase away the darkness. We have the best candy on the street and give with generosity, not the cheapest fair with a miser’s hand. We open the door wide and linger in conversation. We plan ahead about how to make the most of this unique opportunity, when a society of people who increasingly keep to themselves in the neighborhood turn on lights and knock on doors. 5. Fifth, we must recall the promises of Christ. “Jesus will build his church, and the ghosts of Halloween will not prevail against it.” And as we answer the doorbell, or walk the block with kids in tow, we feed our souls with the unbending promises of Christ. He will build his church, and the ghosts of Halloween will not prevail against it (cf. Matthew 16:18).

The Tears of Jesus - Pt 3

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. (Luke 18:31–34 ESV).

We go a bit further back in the chronology of this event with our reading today. The betrayal, the mockery, the shame, the spit, the flogging, the murder—and so much more—was planned. In other words, the resistance, the rejection, the unbelief and hostility were not a surprise to Jesus. They were, in fact, all just a part of the plan (v. 42). Remember what Jesus said about his parables in Luke 8:10: “To you [disciples] it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” God was handing them over to hardness. It was judgment. The mercy of God is a sovereign mercy. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15). But here is the point we see: This sovereign Christ weeps over the hard-hearted, perishing people of Jerusalem as they fulfilled his plan. It is unbiblical and wrong to make the tears of mercy a contradiction to the serenity of sovereignty. Jesus was serene in sorrow, and sorrowful in sovereignty. Jesus’ tears are the tears of sovereign mercy. And therefore his sovereign power is the more admirable and the more beautiful. It’s the harmony of things that seem in tension that makes him glorious—“merciful and mighty,” as we sing. We admire power more when it is merciful power. And we admire mercy more when it is mighty mercy. Oh that we would see and savor the beauty of Christ and his tears of sovereign joy and the self-sacrificing love and obedience that took him every step of the way during this incredible week of atonement. And, that we would be changed by what we see and become more tenderly-moved, self-denying, need-meeting people. This is the message for us today. As we each walk those parts of our journey that are unbearably painful and incredibly impossible to fathom, we must remember the tears of Jesus. Even when he knew how little we would understand he still carries us through every experience with sovereign mercy. And when we reach the other side of these experiences, we must also become people of mercy and compassion. Even when it is “their fault” be a person of kindness and grace; extend mercy, not wrath. Accept this grace today!

The Tears of Jesus - Pt 2

And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:36-40 ESV).

Our reading today takes us just moments before Jesus weeps. It is an incredible scene. First, the crowds praised God for Jesus’ mighty works (Luke 19:37). He had healed leprosy with a touch; he had made the blind see and the deaf hear and the lame walk; he had commanded the unclean spirits and they obeyed him; he had stilled storms and walked on water and turned five loaves and two fish into a meal for thousands. So as he entered Jerusalem, they knew nothing could stop him. Surely He could just speak and Pilate would perish; the Romans would be scattered. He was sovereign. They so missed His real message. Then, secondly, the crowds cried out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38). Jesus was a King, and not just any king, but the one sent and appointed by the Lord God. They knew how Isaiah had described him—as sovereign over an invincible, never-ending kingdom. It was described as a universal, never-ending kingdom backed by the zeal of almighty God. Here was the King of the universe, who today rules over the nations and the galaxies, and for whom every political state are merely a grain of sand and a vapor. Third, when the Pharisees tell him to make the people stop blessing him as a king, he answers, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40). They did not understand that the design of the universe is that Christ be praised. And therefore, if people won’t do it, he will see to it that rocks do it. In other words, he is sovereign. He will get what he means to get. If we refuse to praise, the rocks will get the joy. It is remarkable, therefore, that the tears of Jesus in this passage are so often used to deny his sovereignty. Some argue that he weeps because of his failure to bring this kingdom to earth at this time. But there is something not quite right about this objection to Jesus’ sovereignty. He can make praise come from rocks. And so he could do the same from rock-hard hearts in Jerusalem. What’s more, all this rejection and persecution and killing of Jesus are not the failure of Jesus’ plan, but the fulfillment of it. All this was the completion of the sacrifice assuring this great kingdom. We only wait for the time to be right! That’s our great hope!

The Tears of Jesus - Pt 1

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44 ESV).

Perhaps the most well-known passage when we see Jesus weep is found at the tomb of his dear friend, Lazarus (cf. John 11:35). While we cannot know why Jesus wept at this moment, we certainly know the root of his grief and the subsequent tears we find in our reading today. This event took place on what we call “Palm Sunday” today. This is the day in the church year when traditionally we mark the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem for the last week of his life. As he rode into town on the humble beast, Jesus was not oblivious to what was about to happen to him. His enemies were going to get the upper hand, and he would be rejected and crucified. And within a generation the city would be obliterated. God was visiting them in Jesus, his Son (cf. John 1:11). But they did not know the time of their visitation. So they stumbled over the stumbling stone. The builders rejected the stone and threw it away. Jesus saw this coming. Looking at the magnificent temple, the thousands of people dutifully marking Passover with their pilgrimage to the Holy City, Jesus wept over their blindness and the impending misery of Jerusalem. He was overcome with grief. He wept. I would call these tears those of sovereign mercy. The effect they should have on us is to make us stand in awe before Him and treasure him above all others and worship him as our merciful Sovereign. And when we have seen the beauty of his mercy, we become merciful with him and like him and for his glory. So, today let’s worship Christ, admiring His tender sovereignty. What makes Christ so admirable and so different than all other persons is that he unites in himself so many qualities that in other people are contrary to each other. We can imagine supreme sovereignty, and we can imagine tenderhearted mercy. But to whom do we look to combine, in perfect proportion, merciful sovereignty and sovereign mercy? We look to Jesus. No other religious or political contender even comes close. This is our starting point for the next few days.

A Picture of Freedom

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36 ESV)

I love the image of freedom from seeing the flight of a falcon. My good friend, Danny Pickens, is a falconer. He has trained many birds of prey. Presently he flies a Peregrine Falcon. He has invited me on several occasions to go with him to watch his birds hunt. While I have not done so yet, I am told they dive on their prey at speeds of 200 mph from a height of nearly a mile. They are incredible birds. Thinking about witnessing such takes me to the issue I raised yesterday. Our spiritual freedom can only be accomplished by Jesus. However, what is this freedom really? Let’s take skydiving, for example. What you want is to experience the fullest possible exhilaration of freedom in skydiving. Let’s suppose then that you are on your way to the airport to go up for your first real jump, but your car hits a pothole on the highway. You have a blowout, and run into a telephone pole. You are no longer free to jump, whether you have the ability or not, because the opportunity passes while you wait for the tow truck. You lack the freedom of opportunity. Or suppose you do make it to the airport, but it turns out that you skipped all the classes and don’t know the first thing about skydiving. You lack the most basic abilities. The opportunity is there, but you don’t have the freedom of ability. They’re not going to let you jump. But suppose that you make it to the airport, you went to all the classes, and have all the abilities needed. You take off in the little plane, but as soon they open the door and you look down, all your desire vanishes and in its place comes a paralyzing fear. The opportunity is there, the ability is there, but you don’t have the freedom of desire. But there is one last requirement for full freedom. Suppose you get to the airport with no obstacle (you have the freedom of opportunity); you have all the know-how necessary (you have the freedom of ability); you look out the door at the tiny clusters of silos and barns and farmhouses a few miles down, and just can’t wait to jump (you have the freedom of desire). So you jump. And as you free fall, enjoying every second of it, unknown to you, your parachute is defective and is not going to open no matter what you do. Are you free, fully free, free indeed? Of course not! In order to be fully free — free indeed — the Son of God must set you free. Trust in Him… then you will be free!

Set Free!

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV). Today is a day to be “set free” for me. At least in some small way I will get some freedom that I haven’t had since my fight with my table saw. I am scheduled to have the stitches removed and be able to resume regular activity. I am looking forward to losing the bandages changed at least twice daily. More than that I am looking forward to being able to use my thumb as I did prior to the injury; the little things like buttons and zippers, typing shoelaces are impossible to do without pain and difficulty. I will welcome that freedom greatly!

The prospect of having that returned took me to a consideration of what has come to be called “Fake News.” This phenomenon has taken our world by storm. With social media and news outlets propagating their own political agendas, it’s getting more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Fake news websites deliberately publish hoaxes, propaganda, and disinformation purporting to be real news often using social media to drive web traffic and amplify their effect. Unlike satire, which seeks to entertain, fake news aims to mislead readers for financial or political gain. A similar battle for truth takes place every day in our spiritual lives. Fake news is something the enemy has been using a long time to wage war on God’s people. It’s been around ever since the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were convinced into believing that God was holding out on them, that they didn’t need Him or His governing rule in their lives. Their willful disobedience led to shame, humiliation, and disgrace. With the bribery of the guards at Jesus’ tomb, Christ’s enemies even used fake news to try and cover up His resurrection (cf. Matthew 28:11-15). Fake news doesn’t always come from external sources; it can often wrap itself in those inner thoughts that we struggle with from day to day. The enemy wants us stuck in the mire of shame. He wants our faith paralyzed by these internal lies. We need to trade in the fake news for the “Good News.” The only way to rightly deal with the enemy’s accusations is to continually point to the cross where Jesus took our guilt upon himself. It exposes his lies and cunning deceit. It reminds him that the sacrifice Jesus made for us was more than enough to bring us into a right relationship with God. This is the truth that really sets you free!

The Answer to Anxiety - Pt 4

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30 ESV).

We come back to the first reading in this series today. My response to the person who has to deal with feelings of anxiety every day is to say: That’s more or less normal. The issue is how you deal with them. And you deal with anxieties by battling unbelief. And you battle unbelief by meditating on God’s word and asking for the help of his Spirit. The windshield wipers are the promises of God that clear away the mud of unbelief. And the windshield washer fluid is the help of the Holy Spirit. Without the softening work of the Holy Spirit the wipers of the Word just scrape over the blinding clumps of unbelief. Both are necessary: the Spirit and the word. We read the promises of God and we pray for the help of his Spirit. Here in our original reading we have the illustration of anxiety over food and clothing. Even in our country with its extensive welfare system, anxiety over finances and housing can be very intense. But Jesus says that this is owing to unbelief: “O you of little faith.” And so this paragraph has at least half a dozen promises in it to battle that unbelief. Believe the promises of Jesus, and anxiety will evaporate in the warmth of God’s care. At the end of verse 32 he says, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” That is a spectacular promise. In everything you do at home and at work, put God’s purposes first, and he will provide all you need to live for his glory. And so we follow today the pattern of Jesus and Paul. We battle the unbelief of anxiety with the promises of God. So I urge you in your warfare, take up the book of God, ask the Holy Spirit for help, lay the promises up in your heart, and battle on. And remember the promise of Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” BELIEVE IT!

The Answer to Anxiety - Pt 3

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? (Psalm 56:1-4 ESV).

Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just do longer devotionals rather than divide the study into the brief format of one page. However, here we are. As the fabled Master Jedi Yoda might have said, “Worry you should not; learn you shall.” Yesterday we saw one response to the truth that our fear is rooted in unfaithfulness. Today we see there is another possible response to the truth that our anxiety is rooted in our unbelief in God’s promises. It goes like this: I have to deal with feelings of anxiety almost every day; and so I feel like my belief in God must be totally inadequate. So I wonder if I can have any assurance of being saved at all. We must understand that being faithless is vastly different than having our faith attacked. Suppose you are in a car race and your enemy who doesn’t want you to finish the race throws mud on your windshield. The fact that you temporarily lose sight of your goal and start to swerve does not mean that you are going to quit the race. And it certainly doesn’t mean that you are on the wrong racetrack. Otherwise the enemy wouldn’t bother you at all. What it means is that you should turn on your windshield wipers and use your windshield washer. When anxiety strikes and blurs our vision of God’s glory and the greatness of the future that he plans for us, this does not mean that we are faithless, or that we will not make it to heaven. It means our faith is being attacked. At first blow our belief in God’s promises may sputter and swerve. But whether we stay on track and make it to the finish line depends on whether we set in motion a process of resistance, whether we fight back against anxiety. Will we turn on the windshield wipers and will we use our windshield washer or quit in resignation to the enormity of our circumstance? Our reading today says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee.” Notice it does not say, “I never struggle with fear.” The sequence is sure: Fear strikes and the battle begins. So the Bible does not assume that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike. The apostle says, “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 3:5). It does not say, you will never feel any anxieties to cast onto God. Some of us just need to turn the windshield wipers on!

The Answer to Anxiety - Pt 2

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:12-15 ESV).

Yesterday we saw that the root of our fear is unfaithfulness. Now I can think of two kinds of responses to this truth. Let me tell you what they are and then give a biblical response before we go on to the battle against the unbelief of anxiety. One response would go like this: This is not good news! In fact, it is very discouraging to learn that what I thought was a mere struggle with an anxious disposition is in fact a far deeper struggle with whether I believe God or not. Now my response to this is to agree but then to disagree. Suppose you had been having pain in your stomach and had been struggling with medicines and diets of all kinds to no avail. And then suppose that your doctor tells you after a routine visit that you have cancer in your small intestine. Would that be good news? You say, emphatically not! And I agree. But let me ask the question another way: Are you glad that the doctor discovered the cancer while it is still treatable, and that indeed it can be very successfully treated? You say, Yes, I am very glad that the doctor found the real problem. Again I agree. So the news that you have cancer is not good news because having cancer is good. It is good news because knowing what is really wrong is good news, especially when it can be treated successfully. That’s what it’s like to learn that the real problem behind anxiety is unbelief in the promises of God. It’s not good news because the cancer of unbelief is good. It’s good because knowing what is really wrong is good, especially because unbelief can be treated so successfully by our great physician. So I want to stress that finding out the connection between our anxiety and our unbelief is in fact very good news, because it is the only way to begin the battle with the real cause of our sin and get the victory that God can give us by the therapy of his word and his Spirit. Just one of the ways to apply the “therapy” of your faith is through consistent prayer and bible reading. This deepens your understanding of the relationship you have with God. He is your Father; nothing is too great for him to handle and his commitment to your good is absolute.

The Answer to Anxiety - Pt 1

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30 ESV).

John Piper has said, “Unbelief is the root of evil and the essence of evil.” Indeed, our reading today is clear at this point. All our sinful behavior grows out of this faithless attitude that somehow God does not care for his children. It is rooted in attitude that God does not directly act in the lives of his children. This is the reason for our anxiety. There is a slight disclaimer I must raise at this point in our study over the next few days: I am not talking about personality disorders. There is a very real physical reason for anxiety disorders that cannot be denied. I would also say that even these can be eased with an appropriate understanding of faith in the provenance of God at work in our lives. Think about it for a moment. How many different sinful actions and attitudes come from anxiety? Anxiety about finances can give rise to coveting and greed and hoarding and stealing. Anxiety about succeeding at some task can make you irritable and abrupt and surly. Anxiety about relationships can make you withdrawn and indifferent and uncaring about other people. Anxiety about how someone will respond to you can make you cover over the truth and lie about things. So if anxiety could be conquered, a lot of sins could also be overcome. So, let’s look at our reading more closely. Four times in this text Jesus says that we should not be anxious (v. 25, v. 27, v. 31, and v. 34). The verse that makes the root of anxiety explicit is: “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothes you, O men of little faith?” (v. 30). In other words, Jesus says that the root of anxiety is lack of faith in our heavenly Father. As unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, one of the results is anxiety. So when Hebrews says, “Take heed lest there be in you an evil heart of unbelief,” it includes this meaning: “Take heed lest there be in you an anxious heart of unbelief.” Anxiety is one of the evil conditions of the heart that comes from unbelief. Much anxiety, Jesus says, comes from little faith. This is the kind of connection we are going to see again and again in the weeks to come. The root of a sinful condition of the heart is unbelief in the living God. The answer to our fear of the future is a faith in the One who secures our future. Today, secure your faith in Him. Take a moment and reflect on his faithfulness in your life. He does not abandon his children to an insecure future!

Celebrate!

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3 ESV).

Yesterday I talked a bit about celebration. Did you know there is a song of celebration in your heart? This song celebrates what you consider worthy of celebration. That thing is that in which your soul delights; it is that which your soul is satisfied. So many people celebrate things that aren’t worthy of celebration. Sadly, billions praise those things that starve their souls and drive them to the brink of eternal death. Some are still singing as they fall off the cliff into outer darkness. That would be us, too, if God had not given us another song to sing. This is a “new” song put in our heart by God’s grace. It is one that celebrates him, not our worth or the quality of our praise. The song has been “put” there by God. It has not been “earned” by the feeble works of our life. The psalmist doesn’t say, “I learned a new song! I earned a new song! A song of praise by, and for, my efforts, my wisdom, my riches, my greatness!” This “new” song is a celebration in the mouth of the psalmist, but he is not arrogantly praising himself. This new song celebrates God. It rejoices in God. It sings about God. This song celebrates God for who he is and for what he has done. This is the “new song.” The heart that has been changed by the gospel sings the praise of the Savior. For only in Jesus, we have been redeemed. We have been saved from our sins that have separated us from our God. We have been raised from our spiritual death to walk in the newness of eternal life. We have received and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of our redemption. We have been called out of darkness and into his marvelous light to proclaim his praises. When we gather for corporate worship, it is to share in this gift of “new heart-song” praise to our God together, both as individuals and as those who can truly call this God “ours.” The heart of the psalmist should also be “our” heart as he proclaims, “Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” As we celebrate the salvation of God through Jesus Christ and in the power of his Holy Spirit, our song will show others the soul satisfaction we have experienced. This should be our desire as we come together to praise God publicly and joyfully. Even through sorrowful waiting and painful trusting, our song of praise, though at times with a lamenting melody, will yet praise him, for our circumstances are not our song. He is our song! And he is worthy of celebration! Come on let’s have a party!

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8-10 ESV).

Cannoli (Italian pronunciation: kan’no:li; or the more familiar Sicilian: cannula, are Italian pastries of the Sicilian region. The singular is cannolo, means "little tube", with the etymology stems from the Greek kanna, which means “reed”. Cannoli originated in Sicily and are a staple of the local cuisine. They are also popular among those of us who are Italian-American. In Italy, they are commonly known as "cannoli siciliani", Sicilian cannoli. They are a tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. They range in size from "cannulicchi", no bigger than a finger, to the fist-sized proportions typically found south of Palermo, Sicily. While I haven’t been there, our family’s origin is in Cefula, Sicily. Our cousins, the Termini’s, who also come from that region have several bakeries in Philadelphia. They are nationally known and recognized for their cannoli. When we were there, they became the staple for our breakfast! “Absolutely wonderful” is not an adequate description! So, what does that have to do with either today’s devotional or my son’s birthday? Well, let’s start with the reading for today. The psalmist says “taste and see.” Isn’t that really the standard examination for anything that we might eat? Taste it! You may really like it. I always wonder about people who tell me they don’t like a particular food and they’ve never tried it. So it is with the Lord. Experience Him and you will be delighted!

And, then we come to the celebration of Aaron’s birthday. As I recall these 34 years with him, I am reminded of nothing but delight at the thought of Him in my life. He reminds me at every thought of him of the goodness and blessing of God. From the wonder of the miracle of his birth to each step in his growth and development I have been able to see the hand of God working in my life. So, I would like to wish Aaron a wonderful day! The Godfather said it best: “Leave the gun, take the cannoli!” That’s my way of saying to both him and all who read this short devotional, “Have the best day of your life!” Taste and see. Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Buon aaron di compleanno!

Second Chances

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:17-24 ESV).

Before your read today’s devotional, please take a few minutes and listen to the song by Hillsong, “What a Beautiful Name.” You can find it at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWFzMvCfLE. I have often seen people who have come to believe that it is too late for them. Whatever they had done or failed to do, they had reached a point where they believed God could not give them another chance at life. I want to take you to one of my favorite parables in the Scripture. Most would call it the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”; however, I prefer to call it the “Parable of the Loving Father.” This parable is one of the best-known stories in the pages of Scripture. It clearly shows us that God gives second chances. It's a story that illustrates God's attitude toward us, even when we have miserably failed Him. It reveals what God is like. The Bible says God is love. It doesn't merely say that God is loving. Rather, it says that He is love. The apostle John wrote, "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). God is love personified. He is love incarnate. Now that doesn't mean He is not righteous, because Scripture certainly teaches that He is. But He loves us. This parable also teaches us two things: the sinfulness of man and the love of God. It tells us that we have all run away from God, just as the son took his inheritance and left his father's house. When he realized his mistake, "He arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him" (v. 20). This tells us that God loves us and is willing to go to any lengths to get us back again. This story demonstrates God's great love toward us, even when we have miserably failed, and His willingness to forgive us because He loves us. Whatever you have done, remember the beautiful name of Jesus. He has provided the work of grace for God’s second chances.

Carelessness - Pt 3

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:13-16 ESV).

Remember where we started a few days ago? My table saw won the brief battle with my hand when I was careless and lost focus for a moment. After the injury all three of my sons asked me if I was using the push-gripper they had given me for my birthday. As you can see from the picture, had I been doing so, there would not have been any injury. I sheepishly answered all of them, “No.” David simply responded, “Course not.” Well, he was right. I had all the tools and provisions at my fingertips. I knew better. I simple presumed that I was better than needing the gripper. Believe me, that didn’t work out well for me. All the way to the ER, in between asking Mary to please hurry, I was whispering to myself how stupid and careless I had been! Well, the same happens often in our spiritual journey. We often become content with whispering our sin to God, confessing how careless we had become. That is good. James offers us something more in our reading today. He says: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (v. 16). There is a release and healing that flows from confessing not only to God in the secret place of your heart, but also to a trusted friend, or to the person you have offended. The tender words, “I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” are one of the surest paths to overcome our carelessness. So, my call to you is that, even while we go on wrestling with baffling corruption, pray. Therefore the focus here is on praying for power: “Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” I believe we can experience complete triumph over presumptuous sin, and that presumptuous sinning must cease to be the characteristic of our lives. God calls us to this. He gives us the power for it through the Holy Spirit. Find that trusted friend who will help you with your challenging habit. With God’s grace, we can make it our aim to live blameless and innocent of great transgressions. You can avoid those injuries resulting from simple carelessness.

Carelessness - Pt 2

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:13-15 ESV).

So is a born again Christian susceptible to presumptuous sins that knowingly contradict God’s will? The simple answer is yes. You must not miss the apostle’s emphasis in our reading. No one can argue the belief and faith of Paul, yet he declares he was not only susceptible to willful sins, he was susceptible to bondage to them. We are no different. Christians are especially prone here, writes Charles Simeon, because these are “any sins whatever that are committed against light and knowledge, or on a presumption that God will not punish them in the eternal world.” Carelessness that leads us to presumptuous sin is a misuse of revelation and the gospel and they assume a religious commitment of some level. No less than John Calvin agrees. The believer, who at one moment groans under the burden of remaining sin and who is aware of the seriousness of sin, is still capable of falling into willful sin, a sin that contradicts what he knows to be true. Calvin senses in the psalmist’s prayer in our reading yesterday (cf. Psalm 19) that “unless God restrain us, our hearts will violently boil with a proud and insolent contempt of God.” God help us. We must also recognize that there is nothing safe about living in a sin you know to be wrong. Presumptuous sins are self-destructive and should be avoided at all costs. John Piper says that David sees a difference between, on the one hand, sins that we commit because they baffle us and sneak up on us ("hidden faults" of verse 12), and on the other hand, sins that we commit because we presume to know better than God or presume that sin is no big deal ("presumptuous sins" of verse 13). The point is not that there is a special category of extra-bad sins, like murder, rape, or treason. The point is that there is a special category of sinning; namely, sinning in arrogant defiance of a known law. It’s not so much what you do that puts sinning in this category as whether you do it with forethought and defiance and rebellion. This is what David calls presumptuous sins. They are fully intentional, with our eyes open, and with a heart that says, 'I know God says this is wrong and harmful, but I just don’t care what God thinks; I’m going to do it anyway.' It is being careless. It always leads to destructive behavior. Commit yourself to a constant vigilance against what you know.

Carelessness - Pt 1

Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14 ESV).

This picture is similar to my saw. It looks pretty innocent, doesn’t it? Well, last week I was working on a project in the shop that involved a long run of repetitive cuts on my table saw. I remember thinking as I was making the cuts that I needed to be very focused and not “fall asleep” from the repetition. The table saw is one of the most dangerous power tools in my shop. In fact, the statistics say that of all the accidental lacerations seen in the ER involving construction, 55% happen with the use of a stationary saw (actually it rises to 73% when you get more specific and use “table saw” as the reference point). Further, most of the accidents are with people who are 65 or older and have had extensive experience with the tool. Well, I could go on; however, let’s just say I checked off every box. I simply lost my focus for a micro second on the last cut at the end of the rip. The injury was severe. I was very careless. Our reading today deals with carelessness and sin. Sin is a mystery, and it’s a mystery David wrestles with. First he looks up to the heavens to delight in the Creator’s handiwork (vv. 1–6). Then he looks down to delight in God’s words (vv. 7–11). And the next moment he is on his face pleading with God for power for victory over sin (vv. 12–13). The psalmist shows us sin in at least two different forms: "hidden faults" and "presumptuous sins." One is like a trapdoor that swings out from underfoot, and the other is like a double-door seen from a distance and approached. These are the careless sins. I’ll be looking at those sins in the next few days. A number of commentators believe the "great transgression" at the end of the passage refers to physical adultery or spiritual adultery. No doubt these serious sins are included, but willful sins come in various shapes and sizes. We must go deeper than merely cataloging “bad” sins. More generally, it appears that presumptuous sins arise from carelessness with God and his word, and carelessness with the needs of others. We can also be lured into these sins by the willful disobedience of others. Whatever the origin, we can see that our carelessness leads to callousness and calloused hearts lead to arrogance or insolence towards God and others. This is where we find ourselves in the “ER” hoping not to lose a finger, or worse. We must remain vigilant and humble in our understanding that we are not immune to these mistakes. Make that your commitment today. We’ll see more tomorrow.

Self Love - 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).

Today we conclude our little series in the Scriptural development of self-love, or self-image. The Bible teaches that we have the opportunity to recast love of self through Christ. In our reading today, we read that “in the last days people will be lovers of self . . . rather than lovers of God.” So, there is a way in which love of self can usurp the rightful place of God in our hearts. Even though we may recoil at this point, it is an accurate description of our sinful nature. Perhaps you’ve struggled with crushing guilt you just can’t seem to shake. Actively striving for self-love and self-acceptance may seem like the only possible way to shed the feelings of guilt or inadequacy you feel. It is at that time we must remember that the temporary relief we might feel by self-love cannot compare to the overwhelming relief of true love and acceptance by God. The “self-acceptance” of the children of God is not an active striving to love ourselves more. Rather, it is coming more and more to see ourselves as God sees us: sinful, guilty, inadequate humans who have been washed clean and declared righteous by faith in Christ (cf. Romans 3:24). True self-love is acceptance of ourselves as redeemed people. Yes, we are loved and accepted, but it is precisely not because we are worthy in ourselves, but because Christ is worthy. Only when we accept the reality of redemption can we find freedom to look outwards. When our gaze is bent inward on ourselves, we fail to love God and cannot hope to love others. Then we may love ourselves enough to stop denying that our sins, our faults, our inadequacies are as real as our virtues. Then we may love ourselves enough to stop scraping together self-worth from broken, sinful pieces of self, and instead to embrace the free gift of the Father’s love for Christ’s sake. If the world really cared about helping us love ourselves, it would simply preach the gospel. Only the good news of Christ offers true hope. The message of the gospel is a message of freedom from efforts to love our broken selves by providing a worth that comes from outside of our brokenness, a worth that comes from Christ. Accept that love today. That will transform you. You are wonderfully made! Turn to your Maker!

Self Love - Pt 3

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV).

The Apostle Paul is always direct in his letters when speaking about the gospel and the human condition. There really is no way to soft-sell our sin. We are not OK without the redemptive work of Christ. This brings us to the second of our principles in the appropriate development of self-love. In order to have positive self-love, we cannot accept your sins. In 1967, in the midst of tremendous national upheaval and change, Thomas Harris wrote and published an immediate best seller, I’m OK, You’re OK. It is a practical guide to transactional analysis as a method for solving problems in life. In transactional analysis, the individual is trained to alter the ego state as a way to solve emotional problems. The thought was that you could simply think your way to a better life. If you’re sad, merely think happy thoughts and you would become happy. Loving yourself and high self-esteem became the solution to all of our individual problems. Unfortunately this view is not found in Scripture. Further, this unbiblical view of self-love not only leaves you unsatisfied; it can leave you unsanctified. If we dismiss the convictions of conscience as simply lack of self-acceptance, we risk misidentifying gracious warnings from God as attacks from Satan. When we do this, we forget the crucial difference between Christ’s invitation to come as you are and the unbiblical invitation to stay as you are. When Christ calls us, he genuinely loves and embraces us having fulfilled all conditions himself for our full acceptance. But in the same act, he calls us to hate our old nature and lay it aside, to strive for renewal (cf. Romans 12:2), and to deny ourselves (cf. Matthew 16:24). God does not want us to simply achieve a heightened acceptance of self; he desires our sanctification (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:3). Though we may not realize it, the call to “just love yourself more,” when it is offered in answer to feelings of guilt, can undermine this key truth. Neglect of biblical truth leaves the truly regenerate heart even more dissatisfied and confused. You can be OK; however, that state can only be found in Christ. Trust HIM! Only He is reliable.

Self Love - Pt 2

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:9-18 ESV).

The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that we are all sinners. In fact, in our text today he goes to great length in describing what that means in describing our real self. There is nothing lovely about an unredeemed sinner. That’s the first problem with striving for self love without an understanding of the gospel. When sinners look inward with clear eyes, we shouldn’t like what we see. We can see sin in all aspects of our lives. We see that we are deeply flawed. Self-love philosophy promises that if you look inward and can find a way to love what you see, you will find peace. But due to our massive shortcomings, we cannot find satisfaction in ourselves. The current philosophy of self-love is based on the idea that humans are fundamentally good and lovable. When self-love doesn’t work and we are dissatisfied, we might attribute this to our own blindness. “We just can’t see how beautiful we really are!” But Scripture and personal experience both show that without looking beyond ourselves to Christ, there is very little to love. We do not live the life of the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast.” We really are true beasts without the redemptive work of Christ. Therefore, active striving for the love of self leaves us dissatisfied and usually fails. In my experience, there is even a correlation between depression and reliance on self-love. Self-love is one of our highest forms of self-deception: we gorge ourselves on the biblical truth of our human worth of being created in God’s image (cf. Genesis 1:26), but refuse to accept the balancing truth that our own sin has robbed us of loveliness. Self-love is fundamentally unsatisfactory and lacking, because we are somehow expected to ignore half of who we are as sinful humans. That is not necessary, however. We can have both an understanding of who we are fundamentally and who we are destined to be in the grace of God. Our eternal destiny is not the ugly end of death; our eternal destiny is the glorious final perfection of life in Christ. The promise we have is that of complete transformation. That’s who we are becoming. And, miraculously we can see glimpses of that in our earthly lives! That brings true worth.

Self Love -Pt 1

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40 ESV). Our reading today does give us a very clear principle about how we are to value ourselves. However, the message of our culture has distorted the Scriptural principle by omitting any reference to the gospel when talking about “self-love.” I believe the popular teaching of self-love currently falls short in some fundamental ways. The promise, put simply, is that the more you look inwardly and love yourself, the more you can love others and be at peace and content. One self-love article put it like this: “We treat others in the same way we treat ourselves. And if I am uncertain about my worth, I will be uncertain about the worth of others.” A lack of self-love is seen as the root of all sorts of issues ranging from depression to bullying to obesity. But as appealing as the idea of self-love may sound, I believe there are key ways in which this teaching falls short of the biblical alternative. So, today we will begin to look at a Biblically sound understanding of our worth.

First, let’s begin with definitions. This is especially vital when dealing with extremely ambiguous concepts such as self-love, which everyone tends to define individually. The “self-love” I am writing about is that which I have most frequently encountered in our culture. The media and even in the church both define self love based on comparison of others. This is not only a denial of Scripture, but very destructive. Rather, we should understand that self-love is an introspective prioritization of self, aiming at a deeper love and acceptance of self. It is a meditative focus on one’s own positive traits. Self-love seeks freedom from negative thoughts about oneself, whether guilt or insecurity or even awkwardness. It is seen as the key to the love of others and the love of God, because as long as there is any discontent with self, we are unable to devote ourselves to these. However, we must come at this definition from the perspective of the gospel. The gospel reminds us we are all failures, sinners. To believe anything else is to deny the validity of the Bible. We are utterly failures. However, the gospel declares that we have the means to be transformed to complete successes in the grace of God extended because of the work of Christ. That is the basis of our hope and success. We are worthy in Him! When we start there everything else is possible for us.

The Healing of Our Heart - Pt 6

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:9-11 ESV).

God will not only take away your suffering, he will also heal every wound and restore your good eternally. We have a worship song that has become a favorite in our church. It is by John Mark and Sarah McMillan. The message is such an important part of healing our hurts. Spend a few moments listening to the video at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7USOalbEdLo). Suffering will not be the last note of your life. God’s plan for your life is exaltation and redemption. Listen to the Apostle Peter again: “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (cf. 1 Peter 5:10). Yes, we do suffer in this world; we are challenged along the path we have been given to walk in this world. However, all of these things will pale in comparison to the glorious vindication and glory we are given in eternity. I know that suffering can often feel like an eternity, however, it is only for a moment when compared with the everlasting. Our unshakeable hope is in the restoration from all our brokenness. It is confirmed against all our uncertainty, strengthened from all our weakness, and established in all our glory by our God. In the place of our broken and painful existence on earth will be a never-ending experience of the greatest joy we’ve ever known or tasted. The psalmist knew this to be true. Our reading today declares: You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). I have discovered more of the balance necessary to overcome the hurts of this world as I have aged. I suppose it is because I know with each passing day I get closer to the coming of the Lord or my going home to Him. That thought seems maudlin to many, but it is this truth that allows perspective. As I get older I can see the finish line so much clearer. That is the goal of the believer. Look up to the end of the race. It is closer than you may think. You can finish the race set before you. You can receive the victor’s crown. You can receive the applause of heaven and all those who look on. It is guaranteed by the work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Even when we come face-to-face with the “roaring lion” we can know that no harm can touch us. This life is temporary. Eternity is coming!

The Healing of Our Hurts - Pt 5

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:1-3 ESV).

The fourth principle we may use in order to heal our hurts is to recognize that no matter how lonely your suffering feels, you are not alone. You are at war, but you are not alone. God is with you, and he cares for you (cf. 1 Peter 5:7); further the apostle says, “Resist [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (cf. 1 Peter 5:9). Fight Satan’s onslaught of lies knowing that you are shoulder to shoulder with an army of other believers. You may not know someone suffering the same thing as you in your immediate context, but you are not alone among Christians in the world and in history. God has cared for them, and he wants you to know he will care for you, too. And while the needs around you may not be identical, they are real, and often intense and overwhelming. Our reading today tells us that the military strategy for a needy, hurting, and embattled Christian community reads, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (v. 2). God’s infinite wealth and power will meet and provide for God’s weak and suffering people with God’s relentless compassion and care when they are gathered together around and clinging to God’s word, especially his promises. I am always encouraged with the knowledge that there are others who also suffer. Of course, I do not wish suffering for anyone, but knowing others have persevered through various challenges and trials gives me the strength that I can as well. For many years this concept has been used under the banner of “support groups.” I remember when I got my first invitation to attend a cancer survivor’s group. My first reaction was one of denial. I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I had cancer, much less that I had somehow managed to walk through the experience whole and restored. A very wise person reminded me that wherever I might be in my journey, there would others who could benefit from hearing my walk, just as I could benefit from hearing theirs. This brings us to two brief suggestions. First, be an encouragement to others. Help bear their burdens with your presence and prayers. Second, recognize that sharing with others your needs is not a weakness; it is a strength God has given to us for the path we have to walk.

The Healing of Our Hurts - Pt 4

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:9-12 ESV).

Remember, the third principle in the healing of our hurts is to recognize that our suffering in this life reminds us we’re at war. Remember what Peter said: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). All the things that might tempt us to doubt God and his goodness are meant to lead us to him, and to prove that he’s engaged in a massive spiritual battle for our lives. A powerful, compelling, and creative enemy wants to kill you. Our reading today comes from this weathered veteran of the war of life. When we are disappointed or afflicted, God is shaking us out of our complacency and entitlement to awaken us to the realities of life deeper and more important than our circumstances. Peter reminds us of several things that ought to be foremost in our minds when we seek the comfort we need in the hurts of this life.  We are a chosen race. God did not leave our eternal destiny in the hands of chance. It is not by some serendipity that we have received the grace of God. He chose us.  We are a royal priesthood. It is one thing to be called upon to minister to others; it is quite another to be members of the kings priesthood who minister to his family. We are royalty just as he is, and as such, we have a relationship that goes far beyond a mere task.  We are a holy nation. Somehow this is lost on most Christians today. It is not the flag of our nation that we stand for; it is the emblem of our God and Savior that we stand under. That is our real banner calling us to war.  We are a people for His possession. We belong to God. As his people, now and forever, we cannot be a part of any other. This separation makes our decisions so much easier. We are at war. We should not forget that truth; however, we have the strongest leader possible. He cannot be defeated. In fact, the victory is already won. We go to battle knowing the final outcome. That gives us real hope and healing in our hurts! Our wounds are not eternal. They are merely temporary. Treat them like that.

The Healing of Our Hurts - Pt 3

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:25-26 ESV).

One of my favorite movies from Disney is “Mary Poppins.” The remake starring Emily Blunt as the remarkable nanny will be released next year. I’m sure it will be on my list of must-sees. Just one of the scenes that I enjoy is the beggar woman who sits on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral, selling bags of breadcrumbs to passers-by for a tuppence a bag so they can feed the many pigeons which surround her. This song is reported as having been Walt Disney’s favorite song. It reminds me of how God cares for the birds of the air, even when they haven’t planted anything. Sometimes it is through the “old beggar lady” sitting on the steps while at other times it is entirely different. It speaks of our second principle in healing our hurts: we must remember that God is not only able to guard you, but he also cares for you. Believing that truth leads us to real humility. That kind of humility causes a different behavior to bubble up from our hearts. Instead of defiantly hurling our affliction back at God, humility hands every anxiety back to him with affection and confidence. Humility refuses to treat God like an incompetent or unsympathetic boss, but comes to him, even in suffering, as a compassionate and invested Father. This is the meaning of Jesus’ teaching in our reading today. If your hope is in Jesus, all of your suffering will end one day. He says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (v. 26). If we truly believed that the God who created all things, having absolutely everything at his disposal, cared for us like a Father, then we would not resist him and his will, even when life gets hard. I have often been seen as simple. Perhaps I am. I like being simple actually. Don’t misunderstand, simple does not mean easy. Hardships and tragedies strike with pain and difficulty that are real. However, the promise of God is the answer. My journey is simple. Go where He directs me to go, trust He is providing and protecting me from anything that seeks to destroy my life. Believing this keeps me from asking “why?” That question is so unprofitable. The question God wants me to come back to in every circumstance of life is “who?” And the answer is always Jesus! My “food” cost so much more than a tuppence; it cost Jesus his life on the cross. But having been purchased, I now have all I need!

The Healing of Our Hurts - Pt 2

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. (1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV).

Peter had learned that Satan loved to hunt among the hurting, but he also learned that God arms us to fight well, even in pain and weakness. God plants invincible truths in our vulnerable hearts, and then guards our faith with his infinite power. Our reading today lists the first of five of these principles. He simply declares that all of our suffering will end one day. Remember, the apostle is writing as one who has suffered, to brothers and sisters who will suffer for their faith in Jesus. This is not an academic exercise in theology. He writes having been there to those who are going there! The painful moments in life, however those pains come, are the ones in which we’re most likely to question God and go our own way. Satan tries to convince us that God doesn’t care about the pain we’re going through. He tells us that God isn’t able to do anything about it, even if he did care. The consistent message is that the distress, the misery, the adversity will never end. That’s simply not true. Peter goes on in his letter and says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (cf. 1 Peter 5:6). Our present suffering will only be for a little while, even if it’s for the rest of our earthly life. And soon, God will lift (“exalt”) us out of these difficult circumstances and into his safe and satisfying presence forever, away from everything we feared and suffered in this age. He will heal every wound, make up for every loss, and wipe away every tear (cf. Revelation 21:4). Instead of responding to our suffering with proud indignation, we can shock the world with patient, even joyful, humility. We follow Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (cf. Hebrews 12:2) — “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (cf. Philippians 2:8). He suffered everything knowing the happiness of being held by and for heaven. I know when it seems as if all is lost this is very difficult. I, too, speak from a perspective of having lost. Perhaps my loss is not as great as yours, but the pain is real. I have also found that when I focus my sight on what God has reserved for me through his sacrifice I can truly take another step. When it feels as if your world has come to an end, please remember that our end will not be painful. If you are hurting now, it only means you are getting closer to the time when all of that is swept away in his glorious presence. Take another step. You just get closer to heaven! Jesus DOES care!

The Healing of Our Hurts - Pt 1

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV).

We are mere days beyond the incredibly tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have listened to many news reports and read numerous others stories in the aftermath of this senseless act of violence. Some have used it to make a point of gun control; others have sought to emphasize the need for further research and treatment of mental illness; and some have even called for an increase in our expression of love and caring to others in such a time as this. All of these points have validity. However, my thoughts went to the sequence of tragedies our population has suffered recently and how we may bring healing to those who hurt so deeply. I was drawn to our reading today. Peter says that “…the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (v. 8). It reminded me of our native mountain lions. Better known as a Cougar, they detect vulnerabilities in their prey and attack the weakest, the young, the sick, or the injured. Studies have confirmed this instinctive cruelty. It’s how the mountain lion lives, following the scent of suffering and feasting on whatever they find. Really they are no different than other predators. And, they are an image of the enemy of our hope and happiness. He hunts with that same instinct, with a cold-hearted and ruthless hunger for the weak or hurting. Satan prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour; and, because he’s clever, he spends a lot of his time among the suffering. He lies in wait with lies, wanting to consume the fragile and vulnerable. Peter knew what it felt like for Satan to pounce on him in difficult circumstances, to find himself suddenly gasping and drowning in temptation, to lack the strength to fight and to be overcome. He abandoned and denied Jesus on the night he died (cf. Luke 22:60). Like a wounded or sick infant deer pitifully trying to escape a mountain lion, the once confident and strong Peter became the defenseless prey. But before Jesus hung on the cross, he had prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail, and that his ministry would rise again from the ashes of fear and defeat (cf. Luke 22:31-32). And the same Peter that cowered in fear before the little servant girl, wrote a letter to suffering Christians everywhere and for all of time, even today. His message is that when suffering comes, God is awakening us to realities deeper and more important than our circumstances. We’ll see some specific principles in the days ahead, but today, turn your attention to the One who has already prayed for you. His prayer is sufficient for the day!

October, 1517 - Pt

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:23-31 ESV).

We come to the last of the Solas today: Sola Deo Gloria. It is actually the least touted of the five; however, it explains our present life more than anything. Simply explained the Reformers declared that Glory belongs to God alone. Watch how this applies in our world. First we can say that God’s glory is the central motivation for salvation, not improving the lives of people. Of course the improvement of the quality of our lives is a wonderful by-product; however, God is not a means to an end, he is the means and the end. This truth keeps us from being deceived by the assertions of the Prosperity Gospel and the Word of Faith movements. God is not required by his character to show us mercy or love. We do not control the work of God by our good intentions or good works. Second, we can say with absolute accuracy that the goal of all of life is to give glory to God alone. Our reading today is so clear at this point today: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (v. 31). As The Westminster Catechism says, the chief purpose of human life is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” So many questions are answered with this tenet concerning the seeming inconsistencies of our journey. We are now allowed to focus on who is in control rather than why things happen. Some might suggest that this principle points us to a selfish God who only cares for Himself. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because God is who he is, we know that magnifying Him in glory only brings about our good. That is his promise to us. Even when my life looks alarmingly like Job’s life, I can know that God will bring my good from every experience. That comforts me. That encourages me to persevere.

October, 1517 - Pt 4

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:22-25 ESV).

Today we come to the fourth principle of the Reformation: Sola Christus. Unlike those principles we looked at yesterday, this tenet is one of the easiest to accept on its surface. The Christian community at large believes God has given the ultimate revelation of himself to us by sending Jesus Christ (cf. Colossians 1:15). No one denies that it is through God’s gracious self-revelation in Jesus that we come to a saving and transforming knowledge of God. The problem the Reformers faced in the sixteenth century is the same as we face today. There are many who would accept the Person and work of Christ but then add the works of men. The church in the day of the Reformers called those works “indulgences.” In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, an indulgence is “a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins”. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Wycliffe, and Hus may have debated other points, but at this point they all agreed. The work of Christ was once for all. No other work needed to be done for the atoning of our sins. The Scripture is extremely clear at this point. Neither religious rituals nor good works mediate between us and God. Only the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is necessary for a man to be saved. It is the name of Jesus and his sacrificial death alone that can atone for sin (Hebrews 7:23). It may be difficult for you to imagine anyone denying that truth today, especially in the evangelical community of faith; however, the denial is very subtle. Because of that subtlety there is an even greater danger to our faith. The truth is altered when we add anything to the work of Christ for our atonement. In addition to the misunderstanding that grows from the addition of a man’s action to the work of being born again, we also see an erosion in the assurance of our salvation. We are easily led into heresies that take us further and further away from our devotion and commitment to the Lordship of Christ in the sanctification of our lives. Ultimately the denial of the complete efficacy of the work of Christ robs us of our hope. All of us are acutely aware of our inability to live perfect lives. We all fail. That leads to the belief that we can lose our salvation and we no longer have hope. Take heart, the Scripture is very clear. Jesus has accomplished all that is necessary. We can know our eternal life is secure in Him – Sola Christus!

October, 1517 - Pt 3

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV).

As we continue to look at the five basic principles of the Reformation, we come to the next two of the Solas: Sola Fide and Sola Gratia. We are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit alone. We are not saved by our merits or declared righteous by our good works. God grants salvation not because of the good things we do, and despite our sin. As humans, we inherited from our ancient ancestor Adam a nature that is enslaved to sin. Because of our nature, we are naturally enemies of God and lovers of evil. We need to be made alive, theologically called “regenerated,” so that we can even have faith in Christ. God graciously chooses to give us new hearts so that we trust in Christ and are saved through faith alone. This is perhaps the most difficult tenet to accept for most of the Christian world today. However, it is essential. We are dead in our sin and only the work of God can bring life. We don’t start the process with even the feeblest of efforts. It is all a work of the Holy Spirit as he quickens the heart of an unregenerate human and infuses His life into that heart. It is then, and only then that a man may respond to God’s grace. God also graciously preserves us and keeps us. When we are faithless toward him, he is still faithful. We can only stand before God by his grace as he mercifully attributes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ and attributes to him the consequences of our sins. Jesus’ life of perfect righteousness is counted as ours, and our records of sin and failure were counted to Jesus when he died on the cross. Sola fide and sola gratia express the teaching of our reading today. The wonderful news about this truth is how it gives us assurance and comfort in the midst of our lives. Because it is a work of God from start to finish, we never need to fear our future. He has begun a good work in us; and, he will finish that work with us.