It's kind of nostalgic for me, being here, this morning. It's been awhile. About 5 years. It's been longer than that since I moved my blog to a new website.
When I began this blog, in 2011, I wanted to share from a book I wrote some 20 years earlier, but never got published. That first month or so, really I was posting almost every day, and sharing modified excerpts from my book manuscript. I just wanted to share what God had taught me. It was a 2 Timothy 2:2 thing - "The things you have heard from me ... entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
Now, a blog is kind of a shot-gun blast way of doing this. Bang! and BBs fly everywhere and hopefully hit something - a faithful someone - who will "get it" and pass it on to others. But, hey, it's better than not getting it out there at all, right? I certainly hope so.
At any rate, if you've stumbled onto this blog, perhaps because of the hashtag #HeIsARewarder, let me encourage you to go to my newer blog and website at therickcarr.com. My book is soon to be published. At this writing in May 2020, we are looking at a summer release, perhaps early August. The title is Extreme Gratitude.
How I got from He Is a Rewarder to Extreme Gratitude is explained somewhat on the new site and in the book. But in a nutshell, the facts that God exists, and He rewards those who seek Him with the greatest possible reward - Himself, are foundational facts to the message of the book. The actual message is the process of learning to give thanks, to outwardly, joyously express gratitude at a level that doesn't even make sense, but is quite Biblical - Always. For All Things.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Be All That You Can Be
I saw a post on Twitter to the effect: The only way to receive all that Jesus has for you is to be all that He wants you to be.
It sparked a thought: The only way you can be all that He wants you to be, all that you can be or would like to be, is to receive all that He is. Jack Taylor, in his book The Key to Triumphant Living, shared a prayer. As I recall he said, "Lord, do whatever you need to in me and to me in order to do whatever you want to through me."
In order to be perfect as He is perfect, in order to be all that He wants us to be, we must first be yielded to Him - or as He put it, "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me." It is as we let go, and allow Him to be our life, that we are able to live the life He desires for us. "The word [logos, message] of the cross [i.e., death, death to self, and the victory that comes with it, and the various implications of it for our Christian life and daily living] is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power [dunamis, inherent capability] of God."
Be all that you can be. It isn't through great training, pride in yourself, or esprit de corps. It isn't through the inherent ability of the human being.
Be all that you can be. It comes through ceasing from your own labor and resting in the finished work of Christ. That is the Sabbath that remains to the people of God. (Heb.4:9-11). That's the Christian Sabbath. It isn't a day of the week. It's a lifestyle of faith - resting in the sufficiency of the Lord to accomplish His will - both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), and to complete that which He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6).
It sparked a thought: The only way you can be all that He wants you to be, all that you can be or would like to be, is to receive all that He is. Jack Taylor, in his book The Key to Triumphant Living, shared a prayer. As I recall he said, "Lord, do whatever you need to in me and to me in order to do whatever you want to through me."
In order to be perfect as He is perfect, in order to be all that He wants us to be, we must first be yielded to Him - or as He put it, "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me." It is as we let go, and allow Him to be our life, that we are able to live the life He desires for us. "The word [logos, message] of the cross [i.e., death, death to self, and the victory that comes with it, and the various implications of it for our Christian life and daily living] is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power [dunamis, inherent capability] of God."
Be all that you can be. It isn't through great training, pride in yourself, or esprit de corps. It isn't through the inherent ability of the human being.
Be all that you can be. It comes through ceasing from your own labor and resting in the finished work of Christ. That is the Sabbath that remains to the people of God. (Heb.4:9-11). That's the Christian Sabbath. It isn't a day of the week. It's a lifestyle of faith - resting in the sufficiency of the Lord to accomplish His will - both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), and to complete that which He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6).
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Power of the Resurrection
I've often wondered as I read Philippians 3:10-11, why the "power of the resurrection" precedes being conformed to His death. I know I've written some insights about it sometime before, probably in my personal journal. I couldn't find anything in my blog archives. I've been considering the resurrection the last few days. I was talking with my daughter about the challenges to our faith and the problem of evil in the world. And I remembered a friend of mine. He was one of my coworkers years ago at a drug treatment center where we were both counselors. He had told me he had once been very active in church, but had rejected that and became an atheist. We were talking about it one day, and he said the one thing that kept him from totally, unreservedly denying the existence of God was the resurrection of Jesus. He said, "I can't get away from that. I can't deny the resurrection. There's just too much evidence for it. And if the resurrection happened, I can't totally deny the existence of God."
Those words have come back to me many times over the years. Sometimes in my own struggles, when circumstances demanded so much attention I began to lose sight of the eternal, I would find myself wondering if my faith was empty and unfounded; if God really did hear my prayers; if He really cared. Then I'd think of the resurrection and remember Mike's words. And working backwards from the reality of the resurrection, I'd be reassured.
As things go wrong, when we're hurt by others, when we experience any type of loss, ideally, our grip on the material, temporal world is shaken by our suffering and we are reminded to embrace the greater reality of the eternal. Righteousness is ours by faith in Jesus and provided by God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:9), and we come to know Him better and more intimately.
We see the power of the resurrection. We see it, and we know it. The resurrection is the key. It sets Christianity apart from all other religions. No other religion has a deity who chose to come to earth and take on humanity out of love for mankind, with the express purpose of providing cleansing, forgiveness, mercy and fellowship. There are other religions that have a dying god, but without exception, they died because of the cruelty of some other god and/or because of their own misdeeds, and almost without exception, tied to the coming of winter. Other religions have a god who rises from the dead. But that "resurrection" is tied to the seasonal "rebirth" of life in the Springtime - foundational to a worship of creation and repeated from year to year. Only Jesus died once and for all time - innocent of all sin Himself, but taking on the sins of mankind, proclaiming, "It is finished (fulfilled, completed)" - and rose once and for all - all for the benefit of others - so that all men might be able to enter into fellowship with the living God.
The apostles and approximately 500 others witnessed Him alive after His resurrection. They weren't a ragtag bunch of militant revolutionaries pursuing a cause after the death of their leader. They saw Him alive from the dead and saw Him ascend into heaven. They knew from personal, sensory, scientifically undeniable observation that He was who He had claimed to be and had done what He had promised to do. He had conquered death that they might have eternal life. He was the living mercy seat where man could meet God. The problem they faced was not whether or not they believed this. It was undeniable reality. The problem they faced was that they could not deny it, even when threatened with torture and death. And every one of the apostles and many others were executed because they could not and would not deny what they had seen with their own eyes.
The cross of Jesus was the turning point of history, but only because He overcame death and rose to life again. If there was no "life side" of the cross, it would be meaningless. Had it ended with the cross, "Christianity" would have been just a footnote in history. His followers would have scattered. If His promise of conquering the grave was a lie, it all would have died. There would have been no empowering by the Holy Spirit. If there were no resurrection of Christ, then Christianity would be just another empty religion with no power and no future hope, all based on a lie. If there is a God, without the resurrection, Christianity would be a lie about God Himself, claiming He did something He did not do. Or, there simply is no God at all. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, we are living and dying for a lie, and deserve to be pitied.
But, the resurrection did happen. Christ is our redeemer. He is our eternal mercy seat where we may abide in the presence of the living God and experience His love, grace, mercy, and fellowship. Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ.
The sufferings of this life serve to bring us into fellowship with Him. They can teach us that eternal reality supersedes temporal reality. They can teach us to let go of "stuff" and to embrace our Heavenly, eternal Lord. They facilitate our learning to die to self and take up our cross to follow Him - being conformed to His death. The power of His resurrection is the power that makes the cross efficacious in our lives. Paul had the order correct:
That I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His sufferings
being conformed to His death
that I might attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Those words have come back to me many times over the years. Sometimes in my own struggles, when circumstances demanded so much attention I began to lose sight of the eternal, I would find myself wondering if my faith was empty and unfounded; if God really did hear my prayers; if He really cared. Then I'd think of the resurrection and remember Mike's words. And working backwards from the reality of the resurrection, I'd be reassured.
As things go wrong, when we're hurt by others, when we experience any type of loss, ideally, our grip on the material, temporal world is shaken by our suffering and we are reminded to embrace the greater reality of the eternal. Righteousness is ours by faith in Jesus and provided by God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:9), and we come to know Him better and more intimately.
We see the power of the resurrection. We see it, and we know it. The resurrection is the key. It sets Christianity apart from all other religions. No other religion has a deity who chose to come to earth and take on humanity out of love for mankind, with the express purpose of providing cleansing, forgiveness, mercy and fellowship. There are other religions that have a dying god, but without exception, they died because of the cruelty of some other god and/or because of their own misdeeds, and almost without exception, tied to the coming of winter. Other religions have a god who rises from the dead. But that "resurrection" is tied to the seasonal "rebirth" of life in the Springtime - foundational to a worship of creation and repeated from year to year. Only Jesus died once and for all time - innocent of all sin Himself, but taking on the sins of mankind, proclaiming, "It is finished (fulfilled, completed)" - and rose once and for all - all for the benefit of others - so that all men might be able to enter into fellowship with the living God.
The apostles and approximately 500 others witnessed Him alive after His resurrection. They weren't a ragtag bunch of militant revolutionaries pursuing a cause after the death of their leader. They saw Him alive from the dead and saw Him ascend into heaven. They knew from personal, sensory, scientifically undeniable observation that He was who He had claimed to be and had done what He had promised to do. He had conquered death that they might have eternal life. He was the living mercy seat where man could meet God. The problem they faced was not whether or not they believed this. It was undeniable reality. The problem they faced was that they could not deny it, even when threatened with torture and death. And every one of the apostles and many others were executed because they could not and would not deny what they had seen with their own eyes.
The cross of Jesus was the turning point of history, but only because He overcame death and rose to life again. If there was no "life side" of the cross, it would be meaningless. Had it ended with the cross, "Christianity" would have been just a footnote in history. His followers would have scattered. If His promise of conquering the grave was a lie, it all would have died. There would have been no empowering by the Holy Spirit. If there were no resurrection of Christ, then Christianity would be just another empty religion with no power and no future hope, all based on a lie. If there is a God, without the resurrection, Christianity would be a lie about God Himself, claiming He did something He did not do. Or, there simply is no God at all. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, we are living and dying for a lie, and deserve to be pitied.
But, the resurrection did happen. Christ is our redeemer. He is our eternal mercy seat where we may abide in the presence of the living God and experience His love, grace, mercy, and fellowship. Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ.
The sufferings of this life serve to bring us into fellowship with Him. They can teach us that eternal reality supersedes temporal reality. They can teach us to let go of "stuff" and to embrace our Heavenly, eternal Lord. They facilitate our learning to die to self and take up our cross to follow Him - being conformed to His death. The power of His resurrection is the power that makes the cross efficacious in our lives. Paul had the order correct:
That I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His sufferings
being conformed to His death
that I might attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Love, Early Church Style
If we loved as Christ loved, and as the early Christians loved, would we divide into denominations?
"We who used to hate and destroy one another, and would not live with men of a different tribe because of their different manners, now, since the coming of Christ, live familiarly with them, and pray for our enemies." Justin Martyr (c. 160)
Reading that, it struck me odd that for the last several centuries, we have divided into increasing numbers of denominations and subgroups - tribes, if you will. And, often, we have little to do with those of different tribes because of their different "manners." Rarely do we faithfully pray for one another, even within our own church, much less those from another church, and still much less those of other denominations.
If we loved as Christ loved, and as the early Christians loved, we would distinguish more clearly and more faithfully between a person and his or her actions.
"Loving one's enemies does not mean loving wickedness, ungodliness, adultery, or theft. Rather, it means loving the thief, the ungodly person, and the adulterer. Not as far as he sins (in respect of the actions by which he stains the name of man), but as he is a man and is the work of God." Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
"What else is the preservation of humanity than to love a man because he is a man and the same as ourselves? . . . If it is contrary to nature to injure a man, it must be in accordance with nature to benefit a man. And he who does not do this deprives himself of the title of a man." Lactantius (c. 304-313)
Honestly, I believe that's where most Christians reside. The majority of Christians are loving, and do distinguish between the sinner and the sin. However, the action of a minority, albeit perhaps a large minority, come across as harsh, condescending, judgmental, and sometimes cruel or hateful. When that happens, people will respond in kind. And, their loud claims of hatred &/or phobic behavior resonates with those who desire to remain in darkness, and the world accepts the lie that all Christians are like that. In truth, it's an excuse by the sinner to further justify his/her behavior. However, it's a very convenient excuse handed to them by people who totally do not understand the level of love Christ expected from his disciples: "Love one another," "love your neighbor," and even "love your enemy." When Jesus said your righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees, He didn't mean you should live by an even longer list of rules.
If we loved as Christ loved, and as the early Christians loved, we would be recognizable as true followers of Christ. Our lives would be evidence of the existence of God and the veracity of the Gospel.
"Our religion commands us to love even our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us. . . . For everyone loves those who love them. It is unique to Christians to love those who hate them." Tertullian (c.212)
And, as Jesus Himself also taught: "By this all men will know you are my disciples, when you love one another."
Think about it. "All men" aren't there to see us "turn to the person next to you and tell them you love them." Such declarations during our church services at the urging of the clergy are not quite what the Lord meant by "love one another." Loving one another is as much what we do outside the four walls of our meeting places as is loving our neighbor and loving our enemies.
"We who used to hate and destroy one another, and would not live with men of a different tribe because of their different manners, now, since the coming of Christ, live familiarly with them, and pray for our enemies." Justin Martyr (c. 160)
Reading that, it struck me odd that for the last several centuries, we have divided into increasing numbers of denominations and subgroups - tribes, if you will. And, often, we have little to do with those of different tribes because of their different "manners." Rarely do we faithfully pray for one another, even within our own church, much less those from another church, and still much less those of other denominations.
If we loved as Christ loved, and as the early Christians loved, we would distinguish more clearly and more faithfully between a person and his or her actions.
"Loving one's enemies does not mean loving wickedness, ungodliness, adultery, or theft. Rather, it means loving the thief, the ungodly person, and the adulterer. Not as far as he sins (in respect of the actions by which he stains the name of man), but as he is a man and is the work of God." Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
"What else is the preservation of humanity than to love a man because he is a man and the same as ourselves? . . . If it is contrary to nature to injure a man, it must be in accordance with nature to benefit a man. And he who does not do this deprives himself of the title of a man." Lactantius (c. 304-313)
Honestly, I believe that's where most Christians reside. The majority of Christians are loving, and do distinguish between the sinner and the sin. However, the action of a minority, albeit perhaps a large minority, come across as harsh, condescending, judgmental, and sometimes cruel or hateful. When that happens, people will respond in kind. And, their loud claims of hatred &/or phobic behavior resonates with those who desire to remain in darkness, and the world accepts the lie that all Christians are like that. In truth, it's an excuse by the sinner to further justify his/her behavior. However, it's a very convenient excuse handed to them by people who totally do not understand the level of love Christ expected from his disciples: "Love one another," "love your neighbor," and even "love your enemy." When Jesus said your righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees, He didn't mean you should live by an even longer list of rules.
If we loved as Christ loved, and as the early Christians loved, we would be recognizable as true followers of Christ. Our lives would be evidence of the existence of God and the veracity of the Gospel.
"Our religion commands us to love even our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us. . . . For everyone loves those who love them. It is unique to Christians to love those who hate them." Tertullian (c.212)
And, as Jesus Himself also taught: "By this all men will know you are my disciples, when you love one another."
Think about it. "All men" aren't there to see us "turn to the person next to you and tell them you love them." Such declarations during our church services at the urging of the clergy are not quite what the Lord meant by "love one another." Loving one another is as much what we do outside the four walls of our meeting places as is loving our neighbor and loving our enemies.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Godliness vs. Religion
I have long said Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship. I don't recall reading it or hearing it from someone else before I came to that conviction, but I know I'm not the first to say it, much less the only one.
Maybe I got it from a previous word study in 2 Peter 1:5-7, or some other occasion when I looked up the word "godliness" in a Greek lexicon. Wherever, or whenever, I originally realized it, I found the following this morning as I was reading this passage and looking up the character qualities Peter listed in these verses.
According to Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament:
"eusebeia, godliness. [The opposite of threskeia, religion. Eusebeia relates to real, true, vital, and spiritual relationship with God: while threskeia relates to the outward acts of religious observances or ceremonies, which can be performed by the flesh. Our English word 'religion' was never used in the sense of true godliness. It always meant the outward forms of worship.]" (bold emphasis mine)
While there are various acts and observances that a part of Christianity, particularly when we gather to worship, to varying degrees with the varying denominations, etc. True godliness, and true Christianity, is independent of these acts and observances, rites and rituals. It can exist without them.
And godliness isn't about what we do, but about what He has done.
1 Peter 1:3-4 "...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and excellence, for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."
And, in 1 Timothy 3:15-16. How are we to behave? What is the basis for the outward expression of our faith? Our own attempts at religious acts, actions, rules, observances, etc? Nope. Jesus. Just Jesus. It really is all about Him - knowing Him, being in relationship with Him:
"...I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Beheld by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory."
(Oh, and that isn't referring to the church building. The New Testament church was never a building. It is the people of God, the followers of Christ. We are His house. See Hebrews 3:6, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and compare Acts 2:1-3 with 2 Chr. 7:1-3. And for more on godliness and the difference between true Christianity and religion, see my earlier blogs: http://heisarewarder.blogspot.com/2011/03/sabbath-rest-pt3.html and http://heisarewarder.blogspot.com/2011/07/sabbath-day-lords-day-or-sabbath-rest.html.)
Maybe I got it from a previous word study in 2 Peter 1:5-7, or some other occasion when I looked up the word "godliness" in a Greek lexicon. Wherever, or whenever, I originally realized it, I found the following this morning as I was reading this passage and looking up the character qualities Peter listed in these verses.
According to Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament:
"eusebeia, godliness. [The opposite of threskeia, religion. Eusebeia relates to real, true, vital, and spiritual relationship with God: while threskeia relates to the outward acts of religious observances or ceremonies, which can be performed by the flesh. Our English word 'religion' was never used in the sense of true godliness. It always meant the outward forms of worship.]" (bold emphasis mine)
While there are various acts and observances that a part of Christianity, particularly when we gather to worship, to varying degrees with the varying denominations, etc. True godliness, and true Christianity, is independent of these acts and observances, rites and rituals. It can exist without them.
And godliness isn't about what we do, but about what He has done.
1 Peter 1:3-4 "...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and excellence, for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."
And, in 1 Timothy 3:15-16. How are we to behave? What is the basis for the outward expression of our faith? Our own attempts at religious acts, actions, rules, observances, etc? Nope. Jesus. Just Jesus. It really is all about Him - knowing Him, being in relationship with Him:
"...I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Beheld by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory."
(Oh, and that isn't referring to the church building. The New Testament church was never a building. It is the people of God, the followers of Christ. We are His house. See Hebrews 3:6, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and compare Acts 2:1-3 with 2 Chr. 7:1-3. And for more on godliness and the difference between true Christianity and religion, see my earlier blogs: http://heisarewarder.blogspot.com/2011/03/sabbath-rest-pt3.html and http://heisarewarder.blogspot.com/2011/07/sabbath-day-lords-day-or-sabbath-rest.html.)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Embracing Life
I have been so blessed during my visits and photography sessions with cancer survivors. Maybe it's because they've come so close to losing live that they embrace life with such a passion. It makes me aware how blessed I am to be a survivor. It's been a factor in the work the Lord has been doing in my own life recently. The lessons about which I've blogged and which I wrote in my book nearly 20 years ago are becoming more and more a part of me, more and more real to me.
We are made to love God. He is willing to be loved by us. He is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Life is made up of both good and bad. Some people resist this as best they can with avoidance or denial. Most accept it. It is those who embrace this truth that are able to truly know overwhelming victory in all things. If we truly embrace both the good and the bad of life, we can win. How do you embrace the bad? You know that God is, and that He cares for you, and that He is using all things to mold us into the image of Christ and to bring glory to Himself. You know that He is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted/tested/tried beyond what you are able, and will with the testing provide a way of escape (1 Cor. 1:9, 10:13). You die to self and your own desires, cease from your own laborious efforts, and rest in Him - a 24/7 perpetual Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-11). You don't settle for the relief, the diversions, the so-called solutions that the world offers. You make knowing Him your first priority. Ultimately, you thank Him. Thank Him for all things (Ephesians 5:20) - both the good and the bad, because you know, and you know beyond any doubt, that He is doing the two things you want most in all the world, in all of life - He is bring glory to Himself, and He is molding you into the image of Christ.
Embrace Him. Then embrace life. Embrace the fact that life has both good and bad - both are used by God. It isn't that He causes the bad, all though He's willing to accept the blame when we're still working through it all and feel like blaming Him. In reality, it is how He makes Satan of no effect. Evil doesn't happen because the evil one feels like being a malicious little imp and inflicting pain on you. It happens because the evil one sees you as dust, and wants to make you see yourself as dust - of no value to God or man, and to make you ultimately reject God. When you embrace the good and the bad and allow God to use all things for His glory and to use all things to mold you into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), you are dying to self, embracing the cross and the power of the resurrection and Satan is made of no effect (Heb. 2:14).
Why did I become a photographer? Why did I have cancer? Why anything? I'm not sure "why?" is the right question? I'm not even sure "How are You going to use this?" is the right question. Actually, I'm thinking a question is not needed. I'm thinking it's more like:
"Wow! This is awesome. Look what God has done! He's done great things for me. He's using my battle with cancer to help make me the man He's always wanted me to be. He's creating new abilities in me. He's creating new vision, new passion."
Whether I live another 30 or 40 years, or 3 or 4 years - I'm alive, with a God who loves me and makes Himself available to me. I can hear the wind blowing outside. Feel the gentle breeze through the screen door. Smell the grass and trees, with a little hint of skunk. I can feel the warmth of my wife's embrace; see all the things she does to help me through life's challenges. She's an amazing partner, a gift from God. I can see the joy in my grand daughter's eyes, hear the joy in her voice as she shouts, "Papa!" and runs to me. I can feel the tightness of her hug as she squeezes me around the neck. I can feel her joy and enthusiasm and love as she delights in my love as much as I do in hers. May my heavenly Father sense my delight in Him, and may we all know more intimately His delight in us.
We are made to love God. He is willing to be loved by us. He is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Life is made up of both good and bad. Some people resist this as best they can with avoidance or denial. Most accept it. It is those who embrace this truth that are able to truly know overwhelming victory in all things. If we truly embrace both the good and the bad of life, we can win. How do you embrace the bad? You know that God is, and that He cares for you, and that He is using all things to mold us into the image of Christ and to bring glory to Himself. You know that He is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted/tested/tried beyond what you are able, and will with the testing provide a way of escape (1 Cor. 1:9, 10:13). You die to self and your own desires, cease from your own laborious efforts, and rest in Him - a 24/7 perpetual Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-11). You don't settle for the relief, the diversions, the so-called solutions that the world offers. You make knowing Him your first priority. Ultimately, you thank Him. Thank Him for all things (Ephesians 5:20) - both the good and the bad, because you know, and you know beyond any doubt, that He is doing the two things you want most in all the world, in all of life - He is bring glory to Himself, and He is molding you into the image of Christ.
Embrace Him. Then embrace life. Embrace the fact that life has both good and bad - both are used by God. It isn't that He causes the bad, all though He's willing to accept the blame when we're still working through it all and feel like blaming Him. In reality, it is how He makes Satan of no effect. Evil doesn't happen because the evil one feels like being a malicious little imp and inflicting pain on you. It happens because the evil one sees you as dust, and wants to make you see yourself as dust - of no value to God or man, and to make you ultimately reject God. When you embrace the good and the bad and allow God to use all things for His glory and to use all things to mold you into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), you are dying to self, embracing the cross and the power of the resurrection and Satan is made of no effect (Heb. 2:14).
Why did I become a photographer? Why did I have cancer? Why anything? I'm not sure "why?" is the right question? I'm not even sure "How are You going to use this?" is the right question. Actually, I'm thinking a question is not needed. I'm thinking it's more like:
"Wow! This is awesome. Look what God has done! He's done great things for me. He's using my battle with cancer to help make me the man He's always wanted me to be. He's creating new abilities in me. He's creating new vision, new passion."
Whether I live another 30 or 40 years, or 3 or 4 years - I'm alive, with a God who loves me and makes Himself available to me. I can hear the wind blowing outside. Feel the gentle breeze through the screen door. Smell the grass and trees, with a little hint of skunk. I can feel the warmth of my wife's embrace; see all the things she does to help me through life's challenges. She's an amazing partner, a gift from God. I can see the joy in my grand daughter's eyes, hear the joy in her voice as she shouts, "Papa!" and runs to me. I can feel the tightness of her hug as she squeezes me around the neck. I can feel her joy and enthusiasm and love as she delights in my love as much as I do in hers. May my heavenly Father sense my delight in Him, and may we all know more intimately His delight in us.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Dodging Hypocrites
I saw a cartoon by political cartoonist Glenn McCoy that showed two toilets, one with a Koran in it, the other with a Bible. Over the Koran was a sign saying "hate crime." Over the Bible the sign read, "Art." Someone had taken the cartoon and made it into a poster with the caption under it: "Hypocrisy: It's Everywhere." Obviously the point is the hypocrisy in our culture and in the media that accepts brutal criticism, defamation, and mis-characterization of Christianity and labels any similar action toward other religions as criminal. But that's not the point I want to make here.
What struck me is that there really is hypocrisy everywhere. Pick a profession. There's hypocrisy in the media, in medicine, in plumbing, in carpentry, roofing, trucking.... So how do you avoid the hypocrites? Do we stop watching any TV, reading any news anywhere online or in print? Do we quit going to the doctor or dentist? Do we let our pipes leak & our septic tanks overflow because of some dishonest plumber? Do we let our roof rot, fall apart, and leak because of some dishonest roofer? No, because we know there are some out there in any of those professions who are honest and have some integrity. We even may tolerate mistakes from them if we know they didn't intend to fail us and they'll try to make it right.
Yet there are many people who reject Christ, religion as a whole because of the "hypocrites in the church." Sorry, but that doesn't make any more sense than letting your roof cave in because some roofers are hypocrites and take your money and don't deliver a good job. It's as ridiculous as dying of cancer because some doctors are hypocrites who only want to make a buck and don't really care about their patients, or worse, some break the law and hand out illegal prescriptions. Sorry, but I'm going to find an honest doctor who knows what he's doing. I'm going to find an honest roofer who will do the job right for a price that's fair to both of us. And I'm going to find Christian people who really know and love the Lord and hang out with them.
If you read that far, hopefully you get the point. What's below just develops the idea a little further.
Churches are populated by people. Most are Christians. Some are not, but call themselves by that name. Now, people make mistakes. Even sincere Christians are still human, and sometimes fail. Most of us can handle that. I think "hypocrites" in the church fall into two main categories, that are really two versions of one main problem.
But there are some who are just trying Christianity. They don't know the Lord, have no relationship with Him, but are "Christian" because that's the religion they belong to. If Christianity is just a religion, and just another set of rules, it's powerless. It's as powerless as any other religion - based on rules and laws and standards of behavior. This approach to Christianity totally misses the point of the Old Testament: "You can't follow all these rules and be holy in your own strength - you're going to fail"; and the New Testament: "You need a Savior to pay the price of your sins, give you the power by which to live, and open up a relationship between you and God." People who approach Christianity as a religion and a set of rules, are going to fail. It's disappointing when they do, and the sad part is they have no solution to the problem other than to just keep struggling or to give up altogether and decide it doesn't work.
Even worse is when they decide what's needed is a more strict adherence to all the "rules." It becomes all about obedience to the law and what they perceive as "holiness." The worst of these become hyper-critical of others, abusive, and misuse people, even justifying it by Bible verses they totally misunderstand and take out of context. They hurt and wound others without remorse, thinking they are being holy and defending the faith.
Paul addressed this in Galatians 5:4 - "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." The word translated "severed from" is sometimes translated "destroyed" or "done away with" or "made powerless." The idea of it is being made of no effect. It's like those times on your computer where you type something, forget to save it, shut down the computer and totally lose it. You worked. You put forth effort. But there is nothing to show for it. No results. No effect. That's Christianity under law instead of grace.
What struck me is that there really is hypocrisy everywhere. Pick a profession. There's hypocrisy in the media, in medicine, in plumbing, in carpentry, roofing, trucking.... So how do you avoid the hypocrites? Do we stop watching any TV, reading any news anywhere online or in print? Do we quit going to the doctor or dentist? Do we let our pipes leak & our septic tanks overflow because of some dishonest plumber? Do we let our roof rot, fall apart, and leak because of some dishonest roofer? No, because we know there are some out there in any of those professions who are honest and have some integrity. We even may tolerate mistakes from them if we know they didn't intend to fail us and they'll try to make it right.
Yet there are many people who reject Christ, religion as a whole because of the "hypocrites in the church." Sorry, but that doesn't make any more sense than letting your roof cave in because some roofers are hypocrites and take your money and don't deliver a good job. It's as ridiculous as dying of cancer because some doctors are hypocrites who only want to make a buck and don't really care about their patients, or worse, some break the law and hand out illegal prescriptions. Sorry, but I'm going to find an honest doctor who knows what he's doing. I'm going to find an honest roofer who will do the job right for a price that's fair to both of us. And I'm going to find Christian people who really know and love the Lord and hang out with them.
If you read that far, hopefully you get the point. What's below just develops the idea a little further.
Churches are populated by people. Most are Christians. Some are not, but call themselves by that name. Now, people make mistakes. Even sincere Christians are still human, and sometimes fail. Most of us can handle that. I think "hypocrites" in the church fall into two main categories, that are really two versions of one main problem.
But there are some who are just trying Christianity. They don't know the Lord, have no relationship with Him, but are "Christian" because that's the religion they belong to. If Christianity is just a religion, and just another set of rules, it's powerless. It's as powerless as any other religion - based on rules and laws and standards of behavior. This approach to Christianity totally misses the point of the Old Testament: "You can't follow all these rules and be holy in your own strength - you're going to fail"; and the New Testament: "You need a Savior to pay the price of your sins, give you the power by which to live, and open up a relationship between you and God." People who approach Christianity as a religion and a set of rules, are going to fail. It's disappointing when they do, and the sad part is they have no solution to the problem other than to just keep struggling or to give up altogether and decide it doesn't work.
Even worse is when they decide what's needed is a more strict adherence to all the "rules." It becomes all about obedience to the law and what they perceive as "holiness." The worst of these become hyper-critical of others, abusive, and misuse people, even justifying it by Bible verses they totally misunderstand and take out of context. They hurt and wound others without remorse, thinking they are being holy and defending the faith.
Paul addressed this in Galatians 5:4 - "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." The word translated "severed from" is sometimes translated "destroyed" or "done away with" or "made powerless." The idea of it is being made of no effect. It's like those times on your computer where you type something, forget to save it, shut down the computer and totally lose it. You worked. You put forth effort. But there is nothing to show for it. No results. No effect. That's Christianity under law instead of grace.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Faith vs. Trust?
I read something yesterday that suggested that trust is a better word for our relationship with God than is faith. Faith is part of the name of many churches and organizations, but most don't recognize what it means. The writer pointed that out and suggested that trust indicates the level of faith we need in relationship to God. He suggested that trust goes beyond faith. That trust had to do with the person of God, and how trustworthy He is, as well as how knowable He is. It was in the Foreword to a book that seemed to indicate that trust would result in our knowing God better (leaving the impression that faith might not). Most of what I read in the foreword and the author's preface made me want to read the book. It was written by one of my favorite contemporary authors. However, if I understood the foreword correctly, I gotta say I disagree.
Trust is not a better word than faith. The problem is that we have allowed "faith," like many words that are part of Biblical Christianity to become so overused and misused and even abused, that they no longer carry the significance in our discourse that they should. Rather than looking to alternative words, we should seek to better understand and reclaim the words that were foundational in the Christian relationship with God. I think faith is one of them.
It's partly the focus my He Is a Rewarder manuscript. Rather than building toward knowing God, I start there. Knowing God is the starting place. It is foundational for our faith. True, as our faith matures, we move toward knowing Him even better, and that serves to increase our faith. It is both starting point and result.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is impossible to please God without it. It is the "sense" by which we experience the spiritual, as our other 5 senses allow us to experience the physical. Faith involves resting in Him. It comes from knowing Him, and accepting that He cares about me as an individual. (He is, and He is a rewarder). Faith in the Greek New Testament is both a noun and a verb. In English, we general translate the verb as "believe," because we have no verb for "faithing." As a result, we often fail to realize that faith is an action. As a further result, because belief and believe are used in much broader, non-spiritual ways, the concept of faith also becomes somewhat diluted.
Faith, in some ways is a synonym for other words we find in Scripture - like believe, trust, abide, wait, rest. In another sense, I think it is more than that. It is the sum of all the best connotations of each of these other words. None of them by itself is an adequate synonym. None of them can replace it. All of them help us understand faith more completely.
Let's don't give up on our dialect. Let's don't stop using certain words because the world uses them differently, denigrates them, makes fun of them, or just plain can't understand them. Let's make sure we understand them and lovingly share the insights we gain from them. We don't have to use a Christianese dialect that no one can understand, but these words have meaning and when rightly understood and communicated should help us, and others, understand the incredible, relentless, loving tenderness of the God who is and who is a rewarder.
Trust is not a better word than faith. The problem is that we have allowed "faith," like many words that are part of Biblical Christianity to become so overused and misused and even abused, that they no longer carry the significance in our discourse that they should. Rather than looking to alternative words, we should seek to better understand and reclaim the words that were foundational in the Christian relationship with God. I think faith is one of them.
It's partly the focus my He Is a Rewarder manuscript. Rather than building toward knowing God, I start there. Knowing God is the starting place. It is foundational for our faith. True, as our faith matures, we move toward knowing Him even better, and that serves to increase our faith. It is both starting point and result.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is impossible to please God without it. It is the "sense" by which we experience the spiritual, as our other 5 senses allow us to experience the physical. Faith involves resting in Him. It comes from knowing Him, and accepting that He cares about me as an individual. (He is, and He is a rewarder). Faith in the Greek New Testament is both a noun and a verb. In English, we general translate the verb as "believe," because we have no verb for "faithing." As a result, we often fail to realize that faith is an action. As a further result, because belief and believe are used in much broader, non-spiritual ways, the concept of faith also becomes somewhat diluted.
Faith, in some ways is a synonym for other words we find in Scripture - like believe, trust, abide, wait, rest. In another sense, I think it is more than that. It is the sum of all the best connotations of each of these other words. None of them by itself is an adequate synonym. None of them can replace it. All of them help us understand faith more completely.
Let's don't give up on our dialect. Let's don't stop using certain words because the world uses them differently, denigrates them, makes fun of them, or just plain can't understand them. Let's make sure we understand them and lovingly share the insights we gain from them. We don't have to use a Christianese dialect that no one can understand, but these words have meaning and when rightly understood and communicated should help us, and others, understand the incredible, relentless, loving tenderness of the God who is and who is a rewarder.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Fruitful Labor
I was reading in Philippians 1 this morning. I journaled some thoughts on the whole chapter, but I'm trying to keep my blogs a little more brief when possible. So here are some thoughts from the last half of that chapter:
I find it striking, and challenging, that Paul's desire was that Christ be exalted. He wanted his body, whether in life or death, his physical existence, to be a channel for the proclamation and exaltation of Christ. He wanted all men to see and know Christ; that Christ would be lifted up before all men, revealed, exalted. He wanted all men to be changed by this knowledge. That to him would be "a fruitful labor." That was life to Paul. To choose life or death was to choose between living a life that would reveal Christ to others, and living eternally in the presence of Christ Himself.
Though he desired to live in the heavenly presence of the risen Lord, he was convinced that for the time being it was more necessary to live on in the flesh for the sake of others. Therefore, he believed he would yet be set free from prison and remain in this life and continue to share in their progress and joy in the faith.
Lord, let my life be about love and joy and faith and Christ. Let my love abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, that I may approve the excellent, in order to be both sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes in Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Let my life be about exalting Jesus so that others may know You and walk in Your joy. Let my life be an example of faith and joy (and progress in both) to the praise and glory of the Father. Amen.
I find it striking, and challenging, that Paul's desire was that Christ be exalted. He wanted his body, whether in life or death, his physical existence, to be a channel for the proclamation and exaltation of Christ. He wanted all men to see and know Christ; that Christ would be lifted up before all men, revealed, exalted. He wanted all men to be changed by this knowledge. That to him would be "a fruitful labor." That was life to Paul. To choose life or death was to choose between living a life that would reveal Christ to others, and living eternally in the presence of Christ Himself.
Though he desired to live in the heavenly presence of the risen Lord, he was convinced that for the time being it was more necessary to live on in the flesh for the sake of others. Therefore, he believed he would yet be set free from prison and remain in this life and continue to share in their progress and joy in the faith.
Lord, let my life be about love and joy and faith and Christ. Let my love abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, that I may approve the excellent, in order to be both sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes in Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Let my life be about exalting Jesus so that others may know You and walk in Your joy. Let my life be an example of faith and joy (and progress in both) to the praise and glory of the Father. Amen.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Heart of the Matter
Pt.7 on Psalm 51 - David's prayer of repentance (and a good one for us, too)
What we've seen so far is that the heart of the matter is that to the core of my being, down to the embryonic me - I need God's love, compassion, cleansing, and restoration. And, it is to that level that God plans and provides for our cleansing and forgiveness.
Psalm 51 says sin is very real. Be very ashamed. If you're guilty, there's nothing wrong with feeling guilty. It isn't just a bad emotion, it's a proper response to guilt.
It also says, the proper response to guilt and shame is to go to God sincerely acknowledging your failure and seeking His cleansing (you won't find it anywhere else).
And finally it says, you will find cleansing in Him. He desires to not only forgive, but to thoroughly cleanse-to the very core of your being. Not only that, He will take you deeper into Him providing salvation, intimate relationship, knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately joy, rejoicing and praise.
David continues in vs.14 - "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness." After all that's been said, he's still begging for forgiveness. He certainly didn't flippantly say, "You're right, Nathan, I sinned. Lord, forgive me. Okay, I'm good." He was hurting and struggling deeply in his heart to find forgiveness. He did not presume on God's grace and goodness. Numerous songs have been written through the years based on Ps.51:10-13, I believe because of the hope of forgiveness received expressed in those verses. We stop there. David went on, still pleading for deliverance.
This final plea for forgiveness is an important one. Sin is a matter of the heart. As a physical organ, it is deep in the chest, in the "center" of the person, as it were. It is a symbol of the innermost being. Furthermore, when the blood is poured out, so is life. The "life is in the blood" and so in the Levitical sacrifice the blood was not to be consumed, but to be poured out on the altar for the forgiveness of sins. So, if sin is a matter of man's innermost being not following the will of God, if it is a matter of the heart, then it should be of little wonder that the wage of sin is death. It goes to the core of the man, his heart, and consumes the life, pollutes the blood.*
So, David's plea is basically, Deliver me completely-to my core, my heart. Filter the impurity of sin from my very blood. Don't let it flow through me any longer. Wash me. Filter my blood with the blood of the Lamb. When I know that level of cleansing, when I grasp that dimension of your love, joy will come and it overflow in song as I declare that it is Your righteousness that flows through me. Let Your blood course through my spiritual veins and replace sin with righteousness.
God's forgiveness brings joy, and joy takes expression in praise. So David continues, "Lord, open my lips...." Guilt shuts our mouth in misery, depression and solitude. But there are people around who still need to hear the Good News. Shame, and fear of shame, can keep us from talking. "What if I speak and then fail? Or even worse, what if they learn of my past failures?" True forgiveness, the salvation that God provides, eliminates that fear and shame. It is exactly what we need to be proclaiming to the lost and dying world around us. "Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise."
"For." Why? Because (for) it is a broken and contrite heart that God won't despise. It is true sacrifice that He seeks. Without that, religion is just empty ritual. "Sin" has become a non-word, void of any real meaning. We either use it as a club to bludgeon people into feeling guilt. Or, we go to far the other way avoid even talking about it. We watch TV and movies and laugh at the humor of the situations in which the characters find themselves and shrug off the immoral relationships in which they are depicted.
As a result, salvation means nothing. On the one hand, we have many Christians who are so caught up in law and rules, they don't understand grace, and are every bit in bondage to a morality to which they cannot accede as the ancient Hebrews were. They call themselves Christians, but are modern day Pharisees. On the other hand, we have people call themselves "Christian," but aren't the least bit concerned about the areas of immorality that still characterize their lives. Pop-psychology of the 60's and 70's is the norm of many modern churches: "I'm OK, you're OK." There is no guilt. Guilt is just a bad emotion we need to learn to deal with and put aside. It isn't "sin" because right and wrong are relative, there are no moral absolutes. That's just being judgmental or "phobic."
David knew the reality of sin, guilt and shame. He also knew the reality of a God who not only was able to make him clean, to forgive him, to remove guilt and shame and restore him to joy, but actually desired to do so. He also knew that what God wills to do, He will do.
He concludes with a reference to Zion - Jerusalem, and the restoration of "righteous sacrifices." For us, Jerusalem is "The Lord Our Righteousness" - Yhwh Tsidkenu (Jeremiah 33:16). His righteousness is our dwelling place.
It is also our "starting place." Acts 1:8 says we are to be His witnesses, starting in Jerusalem and going to the uttermost parts of the earth. Spiritually speaking, I think it is also our heart - the Holy City, as it were - "right here," my dwelling place, where I am right now. It is my innermost being, my heart, where I long for Christ (who is my wisdom and righteousness) to dwell, to be at home. It is here that true worship takes place - in the very core of me. All the sacrifices for atonement, including the passover Lamb, culminate here. Christ in me is my hope of glory (Col.1:27). It is the summing up of all things in the heavens and things on the earth in Christ. In Him, we have obtained an inheritance with the Holy Spirit as the irrevocable earnest of that inheritance (Eph.1:10-14). And so we are admonished to "keep seeking the things above, where Christ is.... Set your affections on things above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col.3:1-3).
God is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Have you experienced God's forgiveness at this level? Have you found that God really does desire to forgive and cleanse? Without sharing details of your sin, feel free to share your insights into God's grace and forgiveness.
What we've seen so far is that the heart of the matter is that to the core of my being, down to the embryonic me - I need God's love, compassion, cleansing, and restoration. And, it is to that level that God plans and provides for our cleansing and forgiveness.
Psalm 51 says sin is very real. Be very ashamed. If you're guilty, there's nothing wrong with feeling guilty. It isn't just a bad emotion, it's a proper response to guilt.
It also says, the proper response to guilt and shame is to go to God sincerely acknowledging your failure and seeking His cleansing (you won't find it anywhere else).
And finally it says, you will find cleansing in Him. He desires to not only forgive, but to thoroughly cleanse-to the very core of your being. Not only that, He will take you deeper into Him providing salvation, intimate relationship, knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately joy, rejoicing and praise.
David continues in vs.14 - "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness." After all that's been said, he's still begging for forgiveness. He certainly didn't flippantly say, "You're right, Nathan, I sinned. Lord, forgive me. Okay, I'm good." He was hurting and struggling deeply in his heart to find forgiveness. He did not presume on God's grace and goodness. Numerous songs have been written through the years based on Ps.51:10-13, I believe because of the hope of forgiveness received expressed in those verses. We stop there. David went on, still pleading for deliverance.
This final plea for forgiveness is an important one. Sin is a matter of the heart. As a physical organ, it is deep in the chest, in the "center" of the person, as it were. It is a symbol of the innermost being. Furthermore, when the blood is poured out, so is life. The "life is in the blood" and so in the Levitical sacrifice the blood was not to be consumed, but to be poured out on the altar for the forgiveness of sins. So, if sin is a matter of man's innermost being not following the will of God, if it is a matter of the heart, then it should be of little wonder that the wage of sin is death. It goes to the core of the man, his heart, and consumes the life, pollutes the blood.*
So, David's plea is basically, Deliver me completely-to my core, my heart. Filter the impurity of sin from my very blood. Don't let it flow through me any longer. Wash me. Filter my blood with the blood of the Lamb. When I know that level of cleansing, when I grasp that dimension of your love, joy will come and it overflow in song as I declare that it is Your righteousness that flows through me. Let Your blood course through my spiritual veins and replace sin with righteousness.
God's forgiveness brings joy, and joy takes expression in praise. So David continues, "Lord, open my lips...." Guilt shuts our mouth in misery, depression and solitude. But there are people around who still need to hear the Good News. Shame, and fear of shame, can keep us from talking. "What if I speak and then fail? Or even worse, what if they learn of my past failures?" True forgiveness, the salvation that God provides, eliminates that fear and shame. It is exactly what we need to be proclaiming to the lost and dying world around us. "Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise."
"For." Why? Because (for) it is a broken and contrite heart that God won't despise. It is true sacrifice that He seeks. Without that, religion is just empty ritual. "Sin" has become a non-word, void of any real meaning. We either use it as a club to bludgeon people into feeling guilt. Or, we go to far the other way avoid even talking about it. We watch TV and movies and laugh at the humor of the situations in which the characters find themselves and shrug off the immoral relationships in which they are depicted.
As a result, salvation means nothing. On the one hand, we have many Christians who are so caught up in law and rules, they don't understand grace, and are every bit in bondage to a morality to which they cannot accede as the ancient Hebrews were. They call themselves Christians, but are modern day Pharisees. On the other hand, we have people call themselves "Christian," but aren't the least bit concerned about the areas of immorality that still characterize their lives. Pop-psychology of the 60's and 70's is the norm of many modern churches: "I'm OK, you're OK." There is no guilt. Guilt is just a bad emotion we need to learn to deal with and put aside. It isn't "sin" because right and wrong are relative, there are no moral absolutes. That's just being judgmental or "phobic."
David knew the reality of sin, guilt and shame. He also knew the reality of a God who not only was able to make him clean, to forgive him, to remove guilt and shame and restore him to joy, but actually desired to do so. He also knew that what God wills to do, He will do.
He concludes with a reference to Zion - Jerusalem, and the restoration of "righteous sacrifices." For us, Jerusalem is "The Lord Our Righteousness" - Yhwh Tsidkenu (Jeremiah 33:16). His righteousness is our dwelling place.
It is also our "starting place." Acts 1:8 says we are to be His witnesses, starting in Jerusalem and going to the uttermost parts of the earth. Spiritually speaking, I think it is also our heart - the Holy City, as it were - "right here," my dwelling place, where I am right now. It is my innermost being, my heart, where I long for Christ (who is my wisdom and righteousness) to dwell, to be at home. It is here that true worship takes place - in the very core of me. All the sacrifices for atonement, including the passover Lamb, culminate here. Christ in me is my hope of glory (Col.1:27). It is the summing up of all things in the heavens and things on the earth in Christ. In Him, we have obtained an inheritance with the Holy Spirit as the irrevocable earnest of that inheritance (Eph.1:10-14). And so we are admonished to "keep seeking the things above, where Christ is.... Set your affections on things above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col.3:1-3).
God is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Have you experienced God's forgiveness at this level? Have you found that God really does desire to forgive and cleanse? Without sharing details of your sin, feel free to share your insights into God's grace and forgiveness.
Friday, November 18, 2011
He truly is a rewarder
Pt 6 on Psalm 51.
Wow, this is the 2nd time I had a series going and down to the final installment when it got put on hold - and during the break, God showed me more. I won't go back through all the previous verses, but there were some insights that made the remaining verses (14-19) even more meaningful for me. I'll share some of that today, and hopefully finish the passage in the next post (to avoid one really long blog-post). As I've stated, we as Christians can read Ps.51 from a standpoint of great rejoicing because we have as our experience much for which David prayed. The fact is, though, sometimes we don't feel that joy and come to God in earnest longing for renewal.
What stood out to me most as I reread this passage a few days ago was the depth of our need and thoroughness of His response.
vs.1. "...according to the greatness of Your compassion...." - massive, expansive, broad, deep, huge, mountainous, unfathomable compassion - more than enough, but exactly what I need to blot out my transgressions, failures and sin.
vs.2. "Wash me thoroughly...." - thoroughly - completely; permeate me; every nook and cranny, every micro-pore of my spiritual being where iniquity and sin do or could possibly reside - "and cleanse me from my sin."
vs.3. Because that's what it will take. I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.
I know them. I see them. I can't shake the memory of them. I look at me & I see my failures.
I know them. I understand them. I see how they work, how they stain and soak in and permeate (hence, the need for "thorough" washing.
vs.5. "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." I am evil down to the moment of conception, to the embryo, to the fertilized egg - to the very core of my being. Hence, again, the need for Your thorough cleansing and Your great compassion.
vs.6. Again, "Behold." It is at that very level that You, God, desire truth - my innermost being. In the hidden part - the core of me, every nook & cranny & micro-pore - You will make me know wisdom - as thoroughly, if not more-so, than I know my sin. I will see it, constantly. I will look at me and I will see wisdom. I will see Jesus, who is wisdom from God & righteousness & sanctification & redemption. I will understand wisdom, how it works, how it operates, how it/how HE frees me from transgression, iniquity and sin.
vs.7.Father, I don't fully understand "hyssop", but I do understand "shall." You purify and I shall be clean; You wash and I shall be whiter than snow.
My need is thorough, but so is His response.
Wow, this is the 2nd time I had a series going and down to the final installment when it got put on hold - and during the break, God showed me more. I won't go back through all the previous verses, but there were some insights that made the remaining verses (14-19) even more meaningful for me. I'll share some of that today, and hopefully finish the passage in the next post (to avoid one really long blog-post). As I've stated, we as Christians can read Ps.51 from a standpoint of great rejoicing because we have as our experience much for which David prayed. The fact is, though, sometimes we don't feel that joy and come to God in earnest longing for renewal.
What stood out to me most as I reread this passage a few days ago was the depth of our need and thoroughness of His response.
vs.1. "...according to the greatness of Your compassion...." - massive, expansive, broad, deep, huge, mountainous, unfathomable compassion - more than enough, but exactly what I need to blot out my transgressions, failures and sin.
vs.2. "Wash me thoroughly...." - thoroughly - completely; permeate me; every nook and cranny, every micro-pore of my spiritual being where iniquity and sin do or could possibly reside - "and cleanse me from my sin."
vs.3. Because that's what it will take. I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.
I know them. I see them. I can't shake the memory of them. I look at me & I see my failures.
I know them. I understand them. I see how they work, how they stain and soak in and permeate (hence, the need for "thorough" washing.
vs.5. "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." I am evil down to the moment of conception, to the embryo, to the fertilized egg - to the very core of my being. Hence, again, the need for Your thorough cleansing and Your great compassion.
vs.6. Again, "Behold." It is at that very level that You, God, desire truth - my innermost being. In the hidden part - the core of me, every nook & cranny & micro-pore - You will make me know wisdom - as thoroughly, if not more-so, than I know my sin. I will see it, constantly. I will look at me and I will see wisdom. I will see Jesus, who is wisdom from God & righteousness & sanctification & redemption. I will understand wisdom, how it works, how it operates, how it/how HE frees me from transgression, iniquity and sin.
vs.7.Father, I don't fully understand "hyssop", but I do understand "shall." You purify and I shall be clean; You wash and I shall be whiter than snow.
My need is thorough, but so is His response.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Turning Point of Hope
Repentance & Ps. 51, pt.5
About 1/2 way through his prayer, David seems to hit a turning point where it's apparently becoming more real, more believable, that he may indeed find the forgiveness for which he's been pleading and the joy he once knew in "You only." There seems to be a renewed hopefulness emerging in verses 10-13. It's a hope we can know, too.
Again and again David's prayer is fulfilled in the New Testament experience. David cried out for a clean heart. Sin has dirtied us. We do not deserve to be in God's presence, yet that is the very place in which we are invited to dwell. We are cleansed by the blood of the Sacrifice Lamb, sprinkled clean and invited into the Holy of Holies. He cried out, "take not Your Holy Spirit from me." For the follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit has been given as an earnest of our inheritance. (An earnest is something given to confirm a promise. If the promise is not kept, the earnest is forfeited. For example, when you buy a house, you put up "earnest money" as a promise that you really do intend to buy this house, not just get them to hold it while you look for something else. If you do not follow through, you forfeit your earnest.) God gave the Holy Spirit. He (the Spirit) cannot be forfeited. He is God's promise of full payment to come - of being in His presence in this lifetime as our earthly heritage, and of our eternal home in heaven, forever before the throne of God.
David longed for the joy of salvation and a "willing spirit." The cleansing of repentance brings joy in the Lord. It opens us to the sustenance of a willing spirit. His Spirit is given to both will and work for His good pleasure. He has made us new creations, no longer slaves to sin. Although housed in the flesh, our spirit, the new man within us, is inherently good, desiring to love and honor God. It is willing, though the flesh is weak, to walk in a manner worthy of Him, to please Him in every respect, to bear fruit in every good work, and to increase in the knowledge of Him. It is willing to trust Him and to receive from Him whatever He brings, to the point of giving thanks for all things. It is willing to do what He says, constrained by the love of Christ.
Oh, the joy of His cleansing blood. The joy of cleansing is the motivation to share the good news. It is powerful enough to bring positive results to the sharing - "sinners will be converted to You." The world needs this joy.
Feel free to leave comments or questions. If you want references for some of the statements above, let me know. I'd be glad to post them.
About 1/2 way through his prayer, David seems to hit a turning point where it's apparently becoming more real, more believable, that he may indeed find the forgiveness for which he's been pleading and the joy he once knew in "You only." There seems to be a renewed hopefulness emerging in verses 10-13. It's a hope we can know, too.
Again and again David's prayer is fulfilled in the New Testament experience. David cried out for a clean heart. Sin has dirtied us. We do not deserve to be in God's presence, yet that is the very place in which we are invited to dwell. We are cleansed by the blood of the Sacrifice Lamb, sprinkled clean and invited into the Holy of Holies. He cried out, "take not Your Holy Spirit from me." For the follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit has been given as an earnest of our inheritance. (An earnest is something given to confirm a promise. If the promise is not kept, the earnest is forfeited. For example, when you buy a house, you put up "earnest money" as a promise that you really do intend to buy this house, not just get them to hold it while you look for something else. If you do not follow through, you forfeit your earnest.) God gave the Holy Spirit. He (the Spirit) cannot be forfeited. He is God's promise of full payment to come - of being in His presence in this lifetime as our earthly heritage, and of our eternal home in heaven, forever before the throne of God.
David longed for the joy of salvation and a "willing spirit." The cleansing of repentance brings joy in the Lord. It opens us to the sustenance of a willing spirit. His Spirit is given to both will and work for His good pleasure. He has made us new creations, no longer slaves to sin. Although housed in the flesh, our spirit, the new man within us, is inherently good, desiring to love and honor God. It is willing, though the flesh is weak, to walk in a manner worthy of Him, to please Him in every respect, to bear fruit in every good work, and to increase in the knowledge of Him. It is willing to trust Him and to receive from Him whatever He brings, to the point of giving thanks for all things. It is willing to do what He says, constrained by the love of Christ.
Oh, the joy of His cleansing blood. The joy of cleansing is the motivation to share the good news. It is powerful enough to bring positive results to the sharing - "sinners will be converted to You." The world needs this joy.
Feel free to leave comments or questions. If you want references for some of the statements above, let me know. I'd be glad to post them.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Clean Up on Aisle 7!
Repentance & Psalm 51, pt 4
Hyssop was used in the Passover to sprinkle blood in the cross-shaped pattern above and on each side of the doorway of the homes of the Israelites. It was also used in the ceremony for a leper who had recovered
from his disease. Perhaps these things were in mind when David prayed in verse 7: "Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
I believe was really sweating it out as he prayed this entire Psalm. In verse 8, he describes himself as having broken bones - crushed by the holiness of God. I don't think he was entirely sure God would forgive Him for what He had done. I do believe He was absolutely convinced there was no hope but to throw Himself on the mercy of God - a mercy He had experienced from a God whom He knew and loved intimately in times past. He knew if God was willing, he would be truly cleansed, and once again know joy and gladness in His relationship with God. There may be times we feel the same way - our heart is as filthy and hideous as the infected wounds of the leper; we're crushed by the guilt of our sin. But, we have something even David didn't. We have the ultimate sacrifice. We can come to the Father as one already healed, saved, by the shed blood of the Passover Lamb on the cross of Calvary. There is no doubt, no room for dispute. I shall be clean. It is accomplished, and it applies to me. I need only to turn to Him (repent, change direction), receive His cleansing, rest in it, and experience joy and gladness in fellowship with Him.
David's sin was "ever before him." He'd done what was evil "in God's sight." His only hope was in God's willingness to stop looking at his sin. Only if God was willing to turn away and leave David's sin behind was there any hope of David being able to do so as well. So, he prayed, "hide Your face from my sin." Whether David fully experienced this freedom in his life, we are not told. However, the fulfillment of His prayer came on the cross as God hid His face from our sins and Jesus cried out, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?"
How awesome is that?
Hyssop was used in the Passover to sprinkle blood in the cross-shaped pattern above and on each side of the doorway of the homes of the Israelites. It was also used in the ceremony for a leper who had recovered
from his disease. Perhaps these things were in mind when David prayed in verse 7: "Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
I believe was really sweating it out as he prayed this entire Psalm. In verse 8, he describes himself as having broken bones - crushed by the holiness of God. I don't think he was entirely sure God would forgive Him for what He had done. I do believe He was absolutely convinced there was no hope but to throw Himself on the mercy of God - a mercy He had experienced from a God whom He knew and loved intimately in times past. He knew if God was willing, he would be truly cleansed, and once again know joy and gladness in His relationship with God. There may be times we feel the same way - our heart is as filthy and hideous as the infected wounds of the leper; we're crushed by the guilt of our sin. But, we have something even David didn't. We have the ultimate sacrifice. We can come to the Father as one already healed, saved, by the shed blood of the Passover Lamb on the cross of Calvary. There is no doubt, no room for dispute. I shall be clean. It is accomplished, and it applies to me. I need only to turn to Him (repent, change direction), receive His cleansing, rest in it, and experience joy and gladness in fellowship with Him.
David's sin was "ever before him." He'd done what was evil "in God's sight." His only hope was in God's willingness to stop looking at his sin. Only if God was willing to turn away and leave David's sin behind was there any hope of David being able to do so as well. So, he prayed, "hide Your face from my sin." Whether David fully experienced this freedom in his life, we are not told. However, the fulfillment of His prayer came on the cross as God hid His face from our sins and Jesus cried out, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?"
How awesome is that?
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Psalm 51, pt 3
It took two blog posts to get thru verse 1? hmmm. Let's see if I can pick up the pace.
Unlike Pilate, who symbolically washed his hands after turning Christ over for crucifixion, David knew that the source for true and total cleansing was God Himself, and so he had hope of being fully cleansed. Do you feel you can never be clean because of the stain of sin on your life? Cry out to God, and know that He will hear you, and He is both willing and able to wash you completely clean.
In vs. 3 David says, "For my sin is ever before me...." "For" is a reference to what precedes it. It is because he cannot shake the awareness of his sin that David cried out in the opening verses for cleansing. Is your sin "ever before you?" What does that mean? I think in part it is a reference to the difficulty we have forgetting our failures and letting them go, and forgiving ourselves. Even long after a failure, a casual word, a scene from a TV show or movie, the words to a song, can spark a memory. Beyond that, just the idea of spending time in the presence of Holy God, at some point has to make you realize you're not worthy to be there. Awareness of sin should cause us to run to God, not hide from Him. Nothing's hidden from Him anyway.
Okay, David took another man's wife to bed. We don't know how willing she was in this, whether she was longing to be with the king, or if she was too intimidated to say no. Then he had Uriah killed, involving his army commander in the crime. Together, David and Bathsheba suffered the death of the child conceived through their union. Nathan said David had shamed God before the enemies of Israel. It wasn't a secret sin at any level. Yet, David says, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...." All sin, ultimately, is against God. No matter who else is involved or affected by it, it is against God. He alone is perfect and sets the standard for holiness and righteousness. It is when we let other things take the place in our lives that belongs to Him alone that we wind up doing things that are evil. It's letting other things take His place that constitutes sin in the first place and results in the actions we recognize as "sins." The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack. My God shall supply all my need.... If I truly believe that, I will act on the basis of that truth and not seek to meet my needs in any shallow thing the world offers. Whatever the outward expression of sin may be, it comes down to this - putting something or someone in the place that belongs to God alone.
"...what is evil in Your sight" is another phrase that can be taken a couple of different ways: It could be the things God "sees as" evil. I think it also recognizes that God "sees" everything we do, and nothing is hidden from Him. We all come into this world subject to sin. It's pretty much guaranteed, that at some point, we're going to (verse 5). But in direct contrast to the condition of fallen man, verse 6 declares that God desires truth in our innermost being and in the hidden part He will make us know wisdom. Isn't that awesome? What hope it brings. What He wills, He does. His command is His promise. The fact that He desires truth in our innermost being is His promise that He will endeavor to put that truth there. This is the God that spoke and the "bang" of His voice was so "big" that the universe came into being. I think He can handle putting His truth in your heart and mine. There is the basis for peace, hope, forgiveness, cleansing. God wills it.
Unlike Pilate, who symbolically washed his hands after turning Christ over for crucifixion, David knew that the source for true and total cleansing was God Himself, and so he had hope of being fully cleansed. Do you feel you can never be clean because of the stain of sin on your life? Cry out to God, and know that He will hear you, and He is both willing and able to wash you completely clean.
In vs. 3 David says, "For my sin is ever before me...." "For" is a reference to what precedes it. It is because he cannot shake the awareness of his sin that David cried out in the opening verses for cleansing. Is your sin "ever before you?" What does that mean? I think in part it is a reference to the difficulty we have forgetting our failures and letting them go, and forgiving ourselves. Even long after a failure, a casual word, a scene from a TV show or movie, the words to a song, can spark a memory. Beyond that, just the idea of spending time in the presence of Holy God, at some point has to make you realize you're not worthy to be there. Awareness of sin should cause us to run to God, not hide from Him. Nothing's hidden from Him anyway.
Okay, David took another man's wife to bed. We don't know how willing she was in this, whether she was longing to be with the king, or if she was too intimidated to say no. Then he had Uriah killed, involving his army commander in the crime. Together, David and Bathsheba suffered the death of the child conceived through their union. Nathan said David had shamed God before the enemies of Israel. It wasn't a secret sin at any level. Yet, David says, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...." All sin, ultimately, is against God. No matter who else is involved or affected by it, it is against God. He alone is perfect and sets the standard for holiness and righteousness. It is when we let other things take the place in our lives that belongs to Him alone that we wind up doing things that are evil. It's letting other things take His place that constitutes sin in the first place and results in the actions we recognize as "sins." The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack. My God shall supply all my need.... If I truly believe that, I will act on the basis of that truth and not seek to meet my needs in any shallow thing the world offers. Whatever the outward expression of sin may be, it comes down to this - putting something or someone in the place that belongs to God alone.
"...what is evil in Your sight" is another phrase that can be taken a couple of different ways: It could be the things God "sees as" evil. I think it also recognizes that God "sees" everything we do, and nothing is hidden from Him. We all come into this world subject to sin. It's pretty much guaranteed, that at some point, we're going to (verse 5). But in direct contrast to the condition of fallen man, verse 6 declares that God desires truth in our innermost being and in the hidden part He will make us know wisdom. Isn't that awesome? What hope it brings. What He wills, He does. His command is His promise. The fact that He desires truth in our innermost being is His promise that He will endeavor to put that truth there. This is the God that spoke and the "bang" of His voice was so "big" that the universe came into being. I think He can handle putting His truth in your heart and mine. There is the basis for peace, hope, forgiveness, cleansing. God wills it.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Repentance, pt.2 - Ps. 51:1
Okay, so maybe "Repentance" is not going to be the best on-going title for this series of posts. It definitely is the theme of David's prayer. However, there is also hope, rejoicing, deliverance, and victory over temptation.
In the Model Prayer, any reference to seeking forgiveness is preceded by praise and adoration of the Father, an appeal that His kingdom come, His will be done, and our daily needs be met. Sometimes in the course of our praying, as we look at the holiness and the provision of our loving Father, we are confronted with our own sin. There are other times, however, when all we can see is the blackness of our hearts, and the only response we seem able to voice is a crying out for forgiveness and mercy.
Several years ago, as I was involved in an intercessory prayer ministry, I found myself spending a lot of time in Psalm 51. I found that I often needed to include repentance early in the process of intercession. Although I had always thought of this Psalm as dealing with repentance for "extreme" immorality, since it was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba, it became an integral part of my prayer life. Even if your sin seems nowhere as dark as that for which David was repenting, this is a wonderful passage to guide you in repentance, and to open your eyes to the depth of love revealed in God's provision for our salvation.
In verse 1, David begins by acknowledging the absolute sufficiency of God as the source for his forgiveness. At the same time he was seeking God's forgiveness, David was acknowledging God's greatness. He had long walked in a knowledge of the deep lovingkindness of God, of His never-ending/always new compassion. Even though the depth of his sin forced him to forego his often eloquent words of praise, it was David's deep awareness of the goodness of God which was the basis for his confidence in coming to God in repentance. He didn't approach God flippantly presuming upon God's willingness to forgive. He was painfully aware of the seriousness of his sin. We shouldn't take our sin lightly either. Nonetheless, do not doubt the willingness of God to forgive, not only as the basis of His lovingkindness and compassion, but also in direct proportion to the abundance of His lovingkindness and compassion. What matters is not how bad you are, but how good God is.
David proclaimed in Psalm 103:10-12: "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." How much more real this truth should be to us who can say with Paul, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
I was saved at a young age. I knew little of sin, grace, or righteousness. I only knew I was a sinner, could not save myself, and needed to accept what Christ had done for my salvation by opening my heart to Him. However, He knew me well. He knew not only the sins of a small child, but also of an adolescent, and a grown man. In His mercy - His great and marvelous mercy - He saved me anyway.
Ps.51:1 (from my heart): O God, I was without hope because of my sin, yet in Your holiness You saved me. By Your grace, You gave me hope and eternal life. Now, again, Lord, be gracious to me in proportion to Your lovingkindness. In proportion to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out (soak up, eliminate) my transgressions (all the ways I have broken, and do break, Your law and fall short of Your will for me). Lord, I know so little of Your love, for I spend so little time with You. Yet I do know You love me. You have given me life and breath. You have forgiven me so much already. In proportion to my sin, and compared to Your holiness, I deserve to be a charred pile of ashes on the floor before You. Yet through the blood of Jesus, my High Priest, You invite me to enter boldly before Your throne to receive mercy and find grace to help in this time of need. And God, I need You now more than ever.
In the Model Prayer, any reference to seeking forgiveness is preceded by praise and adoration of the Father, an appeal that His kingdom come, His will be done, and our daily needs be met. Sometimes in the course of our praying, as we look at the holiness and the provision of our loving Father, we are confronted with our own sin. There are other times, however, when all we can see is the blackness of our hearts, and the only response we seem able to voice is a crying out for forgiveness and mercy.
Several years ago, as I was involved in an intercessory prayer ministry, I found myself spending a lot of time in Psalm 51. I found that I often needed to include repentance early in the process of intercession. Although I had always thought of this Psalm as dealing with repentance for "extreme" immorality, since it was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba, it became an integral part of my prayer life. Even if your sin seems nowhere as dark as that for which David was repenting, this is a wonderful passage to guide you in repentance, and to open your eyes to the depth of love revealed in God's provision for our salvation.
In verse 1, David begins by acknowledging the absolute sufficiency of God as the source for his forgiveness. At the same time he was seeking God's forgiveness, David was acknowledging God's greatness. He had long walked in a knowledge of the deep lovingkindness of God, of His never-ending/always new compassion. Even though the depth of his sin forced him to forego his often eloquent words of praise, it was David's deep awareness of the goodness of God which was the basis for his confidence in coming to God in repentance. He didn't approach God flippantly presuming upon God's willingness to forgive. He was painfully aware of the seriousness of his sin. We shouldn't take our sin lightly either. Nonetheless, do not doubt the willingness of God to forgive, not only as the basis of His lovingkindness and compassion, but also in direct proportion to the abundance of His lovingkindness and compassion. What matters is not how bad you are, but how good God is.
David proclaimed in Psalm 103:10-12: "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." How much more real this truth should be to us who can say with Paul, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
I was saved at a young age. I knew little of sin, grace, or righteousness. I only knew I was a sinner, could not save myself, and needed to accept what Christ had done for my salvation by opening my heart to Him. However, He knew me well. He knew not only the sins of a small child, but also of an adolescent, and a grown man. In His mercy - His great and marvelous mercy - He saved me anyway.
Ps.51:1 (from my heart): O God, I was without hope because of my sin, yet in Your holiness You saved me. By Your grace, You gave me hope and eternal life. Now, again, Lord, be gracious to me in proportion to Your lovingkindness. In proportion to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out (soak up, eliminate) my transgressions (all the ways I have broken, and do break, Your law and fall short of Your will for me). Lord, I know so little of Your love, for I spend so little time with You. Yet I do know You love me. You have given me life and breath. You have forgiven me so much already. In proportion to my sin, and compared to Your holiness, I deserve to be a charred pile of ashes on the floor before You. Yet through the blood of Jesus, my High Priest, You invite me to enter boldly before Your throne to receive mercy and find grace to help in this time of need. And God, I need You now more than ever.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Repentance, pt.1
If there really are any absolutes - clear, definite rights and wrongs - and, especially if there is an ultimate absolute - a holy God - what should our response be when we have chosen to do what is wrong. The obvious response, in Christian terms, is repentance. Most likely, you've heard this interpreted in books or sermons as a change of mind, or a change of direction - going one way, realizing it's wrong, and turning 180 degrees and heading the opposite direction.
How do you really do this? How does the moment of change take place? Is it simply a moment of choice, a mental decision, that when made, all is said and done? I'd have to answer, "Yes. --and, no."
Most of the Christian life can be explained as a moment of decision followed by a lifetime of process. Even salvation is describe in scripture in past, present and future tenses. I submit that repentance involves a moment of decision followed by an on-going process as well. One of the best examples of the nature and process of repentance is found in David's response to his own sin in the prayer recorded as Psalm 51.
King David is described in scripture as a "man after God's own heart." Yet, he took another man's wife to bed in an adulterous affair. Then, to cover his sin, he murdered the man by arranging to have him killed in battle. I've heard several people over the years use the life of David and the "man after God's own heart" idea to as an excuse to reject God. "If David's an example of the heart of God, I don't want to follow [or believe in] a god like that." I've heard some say it with such an air of condescension they obviously think themselves pretty smart for coming up with it. In reality, they're just showing off their own lack of understanding, but that's their excuse nonetheless.
Being true to your beliefs is easy when you don't have any. It's another matter altogether when you recognize there really is a God, He really is holy (pure, righteous), and to live in His presence you need to be holy also. When there is such an incredibly high standard to which to aspire, the odds of failing are significant. The Bible admonishes us to be holy, to be perfect. It also acknowledges we cannot be, particularly not on the basis of our own abilities and efforts. God desires for us to know that He exists (which we can only know by faith), and to know that He rewards those who seek Him. Corollaries include the fact that He desires good for us (not that each experience on earth will be good in and of itself - we will have troubles and tribulations on this earth. However, He will use each situation to bring about good in us - that we may become more like Him. It's a process. It's growth. It takes time. It begins with salvation. It begins with repentance. It begins when we faith Him. It continues all through life.
David understood that, probably more after his colossal failure than before. His sin drove Him to seek God even more passionately. Over the next couple of blog posts, let's look more closely at Psalm 51. What are your thoughts about it? Have you read this Psalm? Have you contemplated? Can you at all relate to it? Is it depressing to you? Or is it a cause of celebration and rejoicing? Please post your comments. And please tell others to check out this series of blog posts.
How do you really do this? How does the moment of change take place? Is it simply a moment of choice, a mental decision, that when made, all is said and done? I'd have to answer, "Yes. --and, no."
Most of the Christian life can be explained as a moment of decision followed by a lifetime of process. Even salvation is describe in scripture in past, present and future tenses. I submit that repentance involves a moment of decision followed by an on-going process as well. One of the best examples of the nature and process of repentance is found in David's response to his own sin in the prayer recorded as Psalm 51.
King David is described in scripture as a "man after God's own heart." Yet, he took another man's wife to bed in an adulterous affair. Then, to cover his sin, he murdered the man by arranging to have him killed in battle. I've heard several people over the years use the life of David and the "man after God's own heart" idea to as an excuse to reject God. "If David's an example of the heart of God, I don't want to follow [or believe in] a god like that." I've heard some say it with such an air of condescension they obviously think themselves pretty smart for coming up with it. In reality, they're just showing off their own lack of understanding, but that's their excuse nonetheless.
Being true to your beliefs is easy when you don't have any. It's another matter altogether when you recognize there really is a God, He really is holy (pure, righteous), and to live in His presence you need to be holy also. When there is such an incredibly high standard to which to aspire, the odds of failing are significant. The Bible admonishes us to be holy, to be perfect. It also acknowledges we cannot be, particularly not on the basis of our own abilities and efforts. God desires for us to know that He exists (which we can only know by faith), and to know that He rewards those who seek Him. Corollaries include the fact that He desires good for us (not that each experience on earth will be good in and of itself - we will have troubles and tribulations on this earth. However, He will use each situation to bring about good in us - that we may become more like Him. It's a process. It's growth. It takes time. It begins with salvation. It begins with repentance. It begins when we faith Him. It continues all through life.
David understood that, probably more after his colossal failure than before. His sin drove Him to seek God even more passionately. Over the next couple of blog posts, let's look more closely at Psalm 51. What are your thoughts about it? Have you read this Psalm? Have you contemplated? Can you at all relate to it? Is it depressing to you? Or is it a cause of celebration and rejoicing? Please post your comments. And please tell others to check out this series of blog posts.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
BC, GC & Freckles
Let me tell you about a friend of mine. Several years ago, a little black stray cat showed up in our yard. She was really sick, very weak. She wouldn't let us get too close, but we provided her with food and water for a few days until she felt better. She rewarded us a few days later by moving her 3 kittens into our barn. A couple of days later, she was run over and killed just up the road. We gave the kittens food & water. We placed the food dish on a platform in the barn where we keep our hay. They would scrample up on top of a chicken-wire cage that sat next to the table, but wouldn't come close to us. They'd wait at the back edge of the platform by the wall till we fixed their bowls and moved away before scurrying over to eat.
They were strays, and we refused to consider them pets, but over time, felt we needed to distinguish between them when we talked about them. One was mostly black, one was grey, and one was black with large brown spots. Hence, black cat (shortened to BC), gray cat (GC) and freckles. We didn't feel we could take them in as pets - we already had 2 indoor cats and 2 dogs. And strays don't have a great life expectancy. In a semi-rural neighborhood like ours, beside the danger of cars, there are dogs that sometimes roam the neighborhood, owls, and occasionally coyotes.
Freckles was the 1st to wander off. We're not really sure when or why. He just quit coming around. A few months later, it became obvious that GC also stood for girl cat, as local toms suddenly started hanging around. Within a couple of months she had kittens in our barn. About a week later, she moved them out of the barn - we never knew where. About a week after that, she quit going back & forth to her new den - apparently the kittens didn't survive. A couple of days later, I saw BC & GC sitting in the pasture. They were looking around and back & forth at each other - looking totally like they were carrying on a conversation. Then GC got up and walked away. BC sat there and watched her leave, never to return.
After that, BC tended to follow us around more. He seemed lonely and desiring companionship, but he still wouldn't let anyone near him. I felt sorry for him. Still, he was a "stray," not a pet. When I fed him, I began standing right by the table until his hunger forced him to venture over to his bowl in spite of my presence. Then I'd walk away. Eventually, I began to reach out toward him. As soon as he began to duck away, I'd turn and walk off. I'd push it right to the edge of his comfort level, and then remove the perceived threat. Over time, I actually touched his head. Same thing - when he flinched, I'd walk off. Then I would add a brief stroke to the process. He'd tolerate it for a few moments, then start to pull back. I'd walk off. In time, a good head rub before he began to eat became part of the morning routine.
Soon, he'd sit on the back fence in the morning while I topped off the horse trough & filled a couple of jugs of water to carry out to the stall. I'd prop my hand on the fence and he'd nudge it until I petted him. He'd follow Trish & me, around the yard when we were outside, but he still would not come near us, except in the barn, and on the back fence early in the morning. Those were the two "safe" places for him.
After filling the water jugs, I'd go get the muck bucket from near the compost bins to clean the horse stall. He'd follow me, and eventually, the compost bins became the 3rd safe place where he'd let me pet him. From there, we'd walk across the pasture to the barn. I'd speak to him, he'd meow back, and we'd "converse" all the way to the barn. If he wasn't waiting for me when I went out to feed the horse, I could call, "BC!", and he'd soon come running.
It took almost two years to get BC to the point that I could just reach out to him and speak to him, and he'd walk up and let me pet him - any time, any place. A couple of times when I was working in the yard and sat down to rest, he actually crawled up on my lap for a couple of minutes. Stopping to pet him while I was working outside, giving that once fearful little kitten a head rub and hearing him purr, was as refreshing to me as a drink of water. Trish could pet him occasionally. Our kids could pet him when they were feeding him. But he pretty much kept his distance from anyone but me or Trish, and mostly just me. We were friends.
About 6 months later, Trish called me late in the afternoon. As she was returning home from work she saw a black cat lying by the road at the end of our street and thought it was BC. I hurried home and found that it was. He'd been hit by a car several hours before. Probably was the reason he'd not come when I called him for breakfast that morning.
I did pretty good up to the point while I was burying him and thinking back over our time together. When I remembered thinking of him as my refreshing "drink of water," I couldn't help but weep.
I was surprised at how much his death affected me. It still affects me. We worked in the pasture today, and I kept thinking about BC. When we came in, I got out my journal and read what I'd written the day after he died, and my eyes teared up, and my throat tightened up. Ridiculous. After all, he was "just a stray." He never was really "our" cat. I knew from the start his odds weren't good. But I had poured a lot of time and effort into gaining his trust, just so this little stray could have the pleasure of receiving a good head rub every now & again.
God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. How much more must God grieve over us when we hold back, when we only allow him into certain "safe" places in our lives, when we roam the neighborhood and won't abide in Him, risking our lives just because we're free to do so. He is so patient with us. It's His kindness that leads us to repentance. It's His relentless tenderness that gives us time to allow us to develop trust to deeper levels. How it must make Him grieve that we do not understand and embrace how totally trustworthy He is. Why don't we run to Him to receive the love He offers, and passionately embrace Him and love Him back? This is where we begin - knowing Him.
They were strays, and we refused to consider them pets, but over time, felt we needed to distinguish between them when we talked about them. One was mostly black, one was grey, and one was black with large brown spots. Hence, black cat (shortened to BC), gray cat (GC) and freckles. We didn't feel we could take them in as pets - we already had 2 indoor cats and 2 dogs. And strays don't have a great life expectancy. In a semi-rural neighborhood like ours, beside the danger of cars, there are dogs that sometimes roam the neighborhood, owls, and occasionally coyotes.
Freckles was the 1st to wander off. We're not really sure when or why. He just quit coming around. A few months later, it became obvious that GC also stood for girl cat, as local toms suddenly started hanging around. Within a couple of months she had kittens in our barn. About a week later, she moved them out of the barn - we never knew where. About a week after that, she quit going back & forth to her new den - apparently the kittens didn't survive. A couple of days later, I saw BC & GC sitting in the pasture. They were looking around and back & forth at each other - looking totally like they were carrying on a conversation. Then GC got up and walked away. BC sat there and watched her leave, never to return.
After that, BC tended to follow us around more. He seemed lonely and desiring companionship, but he still wouldn't let anyone near him. I felt sorry for him. Still, he was a "stray," not a pet. When I fed him, I began standing right by the table until his hunger forced him to venture over to his bowl in spite of my presence. Then I'd walk away. Eventually, I began to reach out toward him. As soon as he began to duck away, I'd turn and walk off. I'd push it right to the edge of his comfort level, and then remove the perceived threat. Over time, I actually touched his head. Same thing - when he flinched, I'd walk off. Then I would add a brief stroke to the process. He'd tolerate it for a few moments, then start to pull back. I'd walk off. In time, a good head rub before he began to eat became part of the morning routine.
Soon, he'd sit on the back fence in the morning while I topped off the horse trough & filled a couple of jugs of water to carry out to the stall. I'd prop my hand on the fence and he'd nudge it until I petted him. He'd follow Trish & me, around the yard when we were outside, but he still would not come near us, except in the barn, and on the back fence early in the morning. Those were the two "safe" places for him.
After filling the water jugs, I'd go get the muck bucket from near the compost bins to clean the horse stall. He'd follow me, and eventually, the compost bins became the 3rd safe place where he'd let me pet him. From there, we'd walk across the pasture to the barn. I'd speak to him, he'd meow back, and we'd "converse" all the way to the barn. If he wasn't waiting for me when I went out to feed the horse, I could call, "BC!", and he'd soon come running.
It took almost two years to get BC to the point that I could just reach out to him and speak to him, and he'd walk up and let me pet him - any time, any place. A couple of times when I was working in the yard and sat down to rest, he actually crawled up on my lap for a couple of minutes. Stopping to pet him while I was working outside, giving that once fearful little kitten a head rub and hearing him purr, was as refreshing to me as a drink of water. Trish could pet him occasionally. Our kids could pet him when they were feeding him. But he pretty much kept his distance from anyone but me or Trish, and mostly just me. We were friends.
About 6 months later, Trish called me late in the afternoon. As she was returning home from work she saw a black cat lying by the road at the end of our street and thought it was BC. I hurried home and found that it was. He'd been hit by a car several hours before. Probably was the reason he'd not come when I called him for breakfast that morning.
I did pretty good up to the point while I was burying him and thinking back over our time together. When I remembered thinking of him as my refreshing "drink of water," I couldn't help but weep.
I was surprised at how much his death affected me. It still affects me. We worked in the pasture today, and I kept thinking about BC. When we came in, I got out my journal and read what I'd written the day after he died, and my eyes teared up, and my throat tightened up. Ridiculous. After all, he was "just a stray." He never was really "our" cat. I knew from the start his odds weren't good. But I had poured a lot of time and effort into gaining his trust, just so this little stray could have the pleasure of receiving a good head rub every now & again.
God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. How much more must God grieve over us when we hold back, when we only allow him into certain "safe" places in our lives, when we roam the neighborhood and won't abide in Him, risking our lives just because we're free to do so. He is so patient with us. It's His kindness that leads us to repentance. It's His relentless tenderness that gives us time to allow us to develop trust to deeper levels. How it must make Him grieve that we do not understand and embrace how totally trustworthy He is. Why don't we run to Him to receive the love He offers, and passionately embrace Him and love Him back? This is where we begin - knowing Him.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Nature of Evil
When Vladimir Putin was asked what he thought when Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire," he said he wasn't bothered by it. He said it was just a way of speaking about an enemy, basically, just rhetoric, and nothing truly offensives.
He was then asked if he thought the same about George Bush referring to Osama bin Ladin as evil. Putin's response was "No. That was mild language. The Muslim extremists truly are evil, because we are but dust to them."
Wow. "We are but dust to them." What an accurate and succinct definition of evil. To look at man as nothing more than dust, and hence of virtually no value is a valid depiction of evil. Satan himself sees man as no more than dust, and he brings evil into the world by devaluing man.
What you value, you cherish and protect. You don't destroy. You don't diminish it.
By way of example, this is the evil of the "theory of evolution." Granted there is scientific evidence for development and change within species over time. But to take it back to some primordial soup, or even to random atoms and molecules that were somehow charged into life by some random "bang," reduces man to dust, and relegates moral values to a system of situationally based social mores. Man has no real value other than what society places on him, and that can change from society to society, culture to culture, and time to time. This is where "situation ethics" and the "if-it-feels-good-do-it" philosophy of the 60's (which have stuck with us in varying forms and degrees ever since) came from. If there is no God, there are no absolutes - or at least no moral basis for absolutes - everything is based on chemical or electronic nerve impulses.
Is this about "creationism" or a "young earth?" No. This is about evil. This is about the basis for placing a value on man that is greater than dust.
Theft is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Adultery is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Murder is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Terrorism is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
God is the opposite. God took dust, shaped it, stooped down and breathed into it the breath of life, and created man.
He was then asked if he thought the same about George Bush referring to Osama bin Ladin as evil. Putin's response was "No. That was mild language. The Muslim extremists truly are evil, because we are but dust to them."
Wow. "We are but dust to them." What an accurate and succinct definition of evil. To look at man as nothing more than dust, and hence of virtually no value is a valid depiction of evil. Satan himself sees man as no more than dust, and he brings evil into the world by devaluing man.
What you value, you cherish and protect. You don't destroy. You don't diminish it.
By way of example, this is the evil of the "theory of evolution." Granted there is scientific evidence for development and change within species over time. But to take it back to some primordial soup, or even to random atoms and molecules that were somehow charged into life by some random "bang," reduces man to dust, and relegates moral values to a system of situationally based social mores. Man has no real value other than what society places on him, and that can change from society to society, culture to culture, and time to time. This is where "situation ethics" and the "if-it-feels-good-do-it" philosophy of the 60's (which have stuck with us in varying forms and degrees ever since) came from. If there is no God, there are no absolutes - or at least no moral basis for absolutes - everything is based on chemical or electronic nerve impulses.
Is this about "creationism" or a "young earth?" No. This is about evil. This is about the basis for placing a value on man that is greater than dust.
Theft is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Adultery is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Murder is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Terrorism is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
God is the opposite. God took dust, shaped it, stooped down and breathed into it the breath of life, and created man.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Using The Model Prayer as a Model
Thank You, Lord, for adopting me as Your child. You are my Father. Thank You for loving me, for caring for me as only a Father can, for feeding, sheltering, clothing, comforting, and counseling. Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are eternal, everlasting, endless. You are heavenly, not only in location but in character.
Your name is holy. Let it be holy among us. You are the Lord our righteousness. Thank You for making Your righteousness our dwelling place (Jeremiah 33:16ff). You are also the Lord who sanctifies [makes holy]. Thank you for indwelling me with, and adopting me through, Your Son, so that I may be holy and blameless before You. Thank You that You have taken on the responsibility of my sanctification, for only You are holy. You are the Lord My Peace. Thank You that in my coming and going You give me peace and comfort. Rest is in You. I am safe in You. You are "The Lord Who is There." Thank You that I can always count on You to be there for me. You are the Lord Who Heals. Thank you for providing for my healing through the torn flesh of Jesus. Thank You that on the basis of the cross of Jesus, He healed diseases of those who came to Him even before the cross (Mt.8:16-17;Is.53:4). You are the Lord Who Provides. You see my needs even before I ask and hear my prayers and provide all I need just as You provided the ram for Abraham's sacrifice (Gen.22:14). You are the Lord My Banner. Like a flag mounted atop a building to show ownership, You have given me Your Spirit [who needs a tattoo, when you have the Holy Spirit marking you as His?]. Like the flag lifted on a battle field to show victory, You, Lord are my victory flag. Thank You for claiming me as Your own. Thank You that Christ's victory over the grave was made my victory as well. You are the Lord My Shepherd. Thank You for shepherding me - feeding, guiding, protecting. You are holy, Lord, as Savior, King, Counselor, Father, Prince of Peace.
Lord, let Your kingdom come in my heart. Be enthroned in my heart and be my king. Show me Your will so that I can please You and be fruitful in all I do. Let Your will be done in my home, my wife, my children, in this church, in our nation. Establish Your kingdom in our hearts today. Be King of our country and grant Your will to be done in our land. Help us a Christians to be faithful to Your call to be witnesses and spread the Good News throughout our nation. [this is a good spot to pray for specific requests and concerns as well.] Thank You, Lord, that the promise is given in Your name - Yhwh Shammah and Yhwh Nissi - that You are here, raising the flag that proclaims the establishment of Your kingdom in our hearts - and Yhwh Tsidkenu and Yhwh M'Kaddesh - that You are making us holy and have given us Your own righteousness that Your will may be done; that You are "at work both to will and to work for Your good pleasure."
Lord, Your will is done in heaven. It is done by Your eternal power. It is done by the efficacy of the blood of Jesus, sprinkling clean the holiest of holies, and sprinkling us clean, that we may enter and remain in the presence of Almighty God. Let it be so on earth. Let the power of His endless life be worked out in our hearts. Let the full effect of the blood, even beyond our comprehension, be brought to bear in our lives.
Supply what we need in order to live, physically and spiritually, for You today. Thank You, Yhwh Yireh [the Lord our Provider] that you see what we have need of even before we ask, and that Your very name promises us that You will provide. [This is another good point to address specific needs and concerns both for yourself and interceding for others, keeping in mind what we "need" is often as simple as daily bread - not necessarily the fine wines and gourmet meals we may desire.]
Lord, with David I cry out, "Be gracious to me, O God, according to the Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin...." [You may even want to pray all the way through Psalm 51, or Psalm 25]. [Be as specific in your confession as you need to be. Sometimes God will see your heart as you pray His word, and wash you with the word, administering forgiveness to specific areas without your being specific. Often He will call to your mind specific areas or deeds about which your specific confession and repentance is needed. He will respond in His way to your broken and contrite heart. Let Him be sovereign enough to not lead you through the same pattern every time you come to Him. Be assured that He will respond to those who see their spiritual poverty and mourn because of it (Matthew 5:3-4).]
Lord, I know I deserve no forgiveness until I forgive those who wrong me. Give me a tender heart that is quick to forgive, and slow to anger. Let my response to everyone with whom I find even the slightest occasion for blame or accusation be forgiveness rather than being judgmental.
Help me respond immediately to the initial promptings of Your Spirit. Give me grace to be humble, and draw near to You as You have invited me to. You have provided the means for me to live daily in YOur presence throug Your Son. Do not let me neglect so great a salvation. Be the Lord my Shepherd, and guide me around the nettles, the cliffs, and the wolves and lions that seek to devour me. Protect me from the evil one. Thank You that You are faithful and will not allow me to be tempted without providing a way of escape. Enclothe me in Your armor so that I will not fall prey to the wiles of the enemy.
Praise You, Lord, that the kingdom is Yours. That, in itself, is assurance that You will establish it. Thank You that the power is Yours. Power [New Testament Greek word is "dunamis"] is ability. Indeed, You are able to see to Your will and perform it in Your strength. I am weak, but You are strong. You are God. I'm not. Glory be to Your holy name forever. I praise You, Lord, for Your grace. I give glory to You and honor. Majesty is Yours; dominion is Yours. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is by Your doing that I am in Christ Jesus, and I praise You for it.
Your name is holy. Let it be holy among us. You are the Lord our righteousness. Thank You for making Your righteousness our dwelling place (Jeremiah 33:16ff). You are also the Lord who sanctifies [makes holy]. Thank you for indwelling me with, and adopting me through, Your Son, so that I may be holy and blameless before You. Thank You that You have taken on the responsibility of my sanctification, for only You are holy. You are the Lord My Peace. Thank You that in my coming and going You give me peace and comfort. Rest is in You. I am safe in You. You are "The Lord Who is There." Thank You that I can always count on You to be there for me. You are the Lord Who Heals. Thank you for providing for my healing through the torn flesh of Jesus. Thank You that on the basis of the cross of Jesus, He healed diseases of those who came to Him even before the cross (Mt.8:16-17;Is.53:4). You are the Lord Who Provides. You see my needs even before I ask and hear my prayers and provide all I need just as You provided the ram for Abraham's sacrifice (Gen.22:14). You are the Lord My Banner. Like a flag mounted atop a building to show ownership, You have given me Your Spirit [who needs a tattoo, when you have the Holy Spirit marking you as His?]. Like the flag lifted on a battle field to show victory, You, Lord are my victory flag. Thank You for claiming me as Your own. Thank You that Christ's victory over the grave was made my victory as well. You are the Lord My Shepherd. Thank You for shepherding me - feeding, guiding, protecting. You are holy, Lord, as Savior, King, Counselor, Father, Prince of Peace.
Lord, let Your kingdom come in my heart. Be enthroned in my heart and be my king. Show me Your will so that I can please You and be fruitful in all I do. Let Your will be done in my home, my wife, my children, in this church, in our nation. Establish Your kingdom in our hearts today. Be King of our country and grant Your will to be done in our land. Help us a Christians to be faithful to Your call to be witnesses and spread the Good News throughout our nation. [this is a good spot to pray for specific requests and concerns as well.] Thank You, Lord, that the promise is given in Your name - Yhwh Shammah and Yhwh Nissi - that You are here, raising the flag that proclaims the establishment of Your kingdom in our hearts - and Yhwh Tsidkenu and Yhwh M'Kaddesh - that You are making us holy and have given us Your own righteousness that Your will may be done; that You are "at work both to will and to work for Your good pleasure."
Lord, Your will is done in heaven. It is done by Your eternal power. It is done by the efficacy of the blood of Jesus, sprinkling clean the holiest of holies, and sprinkling us clean, that we may enter and remain in the presence of Almighty God. Let it be so on earth. Let the power of His endless life be worked out in our hearts. Let the full effect of the blood, even beyond our comprehension, be brought to bear in our lives.
Supply what we need in order to live, physically and spiritually, for You today. Thank You, Yhwh Yireh [the Lord our Provider] that you see what we have need of even before we ask, and that Your very name promises us that You will provide. [This is another good point to address specific needs and concerns both for yourself and interceding for others, keeping in mind what we "need" is often as simple as daily bread - not necessarily the fine wines and gourmet meals we may desire.]
Lord, with David I cry out, "Be gracious to me, O God, according to the Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin...." [You may even want to pray all the way through Psalm 51, or Psalm 25]. [Be as specific in your confession as you need to be. Sometimes God will see your heart as you pray His word, and wash you with the word, administering forgiveness to specific areas without your being specific. Often He will call to your mind specific areas or deeds about which your specific confession and repentance is needed. He will respond in His way to your broken and contrite heart. Let Him be sovereign enough to not lead you through the same pattern every time you come to Him. Be assured that He will respond to those who see their spiritual poverty and mourn because of it (Matthew 5:3-4).]
Lord, I know I deserve no forgiveness until I forgive those who wrong me. Give me a tender heart that is quick to forgive, and slow to anger. Let my response to everyone with whom I find even the slightest occasion for blame or accusation be forgiveness rather than being judgmental.
Help me respond immediately to the initial promptings of Your Spirit. Give me grace to be humble, and draw near to You as You have invited me to. You have provided the means for me to live daily in YOur presence throug Your Son. Do not let me neglect so great a salvation. Be the Lord my Shepherd, and guide me around the nettles, the cliffs, and the wolves and lions that seek to devour me. Protect me from the evil one. Thank You that You are faithful and will not allow me to be tempted without providing a way of escape. Enclothe me in Your armor so that I will not fall prey to the wiles of the enemy.
Praise You, Lord, that the kingdom is Yours. That, in itself, is assurance that You will establish it. Thank You that the power is Yours. Power [New Testament Greek word is "dunamis"] is ability. Indeed, You are able to see to Your will and perform it in Your strength. I am weak, but You are strong. You are God. I'm not. Glory be to Your holy name forever. I praise You, Lord, for Your grace. I give glory to You and honor. Majesty is Yours; dominion is Yours. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is by Your doing that I am in Christ Jesus, and I praise You for it.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Peace with all men
Pt. 8 on the Power of Thanksgiving
Guess it's time to get back to and finish up the topic of giving thanks always for all things. It's my favorite topic, and I'm not sure I want to move on. I'm still growing in it, my experience of it is not complete. I know it's an important lesson for all believers to learn.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Paul presents some thoughts on intercession: "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Three different words for prayer, plus thanksgivings. Why thanksgivings? We've already seen the relationship between thanksgiving and peace. Interceding for, praying for, and giving thanks to God for all men, particularly kings and all who are in authority, results in leading a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. That's how the early Christians changed the world. No military crusades. No evangelistic crusades. No mega-churches. They weren't afraid to share their faith. They were willing to die for their faith. But they led tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity, and the world took notice that they were different. Their lives were relational-gathering often to learn from one another, to encourage and build up one another, to minister to (serve) one another in love, and to pray.
The Roman emperors often sought to eradicate them. The people around them did not understand their beliefs and often distorted them - for example, accusing them of cannibalism because they spoke of eating the body of Christ. They, on the other hand, prayed and gave thanks and lived tranquil and quiet lives in godliness and dignity. In spite of persecution, where men are faithful to God, they can give thanks and lead a tranquil life, serving God. It does not matter what men say or do, or even what governments do. It does not matter if they are corrupt, or even if they direct their evil toward us. Even when we suffer for their faith, we can still know God's peace. Evil can't change that. Ultimately, evil will fail - not just in eternity, but here in space & time history as well. As Pharaoh hardened his heart, and his heart was further hardened by God, God's people suffered - for a season. Under the Roman Empire, some emperors persecuted Christians, some left them alone. Ultimately, the empire fell. Hitler fell. Stalin fell. The Soviet Union fell. The important thing is that in all things we trust God absolutely. Trusting Him, we can give thanks - the ultimate expression of total faith in God.
Guess it's time to get back to and finish up the topic of giving thanks always for all things. It's my favorite topic, and I'm not sure I want to move on. I'm still growing in it, my experience of it is not complete. I know it's an important lesson for all believers to learn.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Paul presents some thoughts on intercession: "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Three different words for prayer, plus thanksgivings. Why thanksgivings? We've already seen the relationship between thanksgiving and peace. Interceding for, praying for, and giving thanks to God for all men, particularly kings and all who are in authority, results in leading a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. That's how the early Christians changed the world. No military crusades. No evangelistic crusades. No mega-churches. They weren't afraid to share their faith. They were willing to die for their faith. But they led tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity, and the world took notice that they were different. Their lives were relational-gathering often to learn from one another, to encourage and build up one another, to minister to (serve) one another in love, and to pray.
The Roman emperors often sought to eradicate them. The people around them did not understand their beliefs and often distorted them - for example, accusing them of cannibalism because they spoke of eating the body of Christ. They, on the other hand, prayed and gave thanks and lived tranquil and quiet lives in godliness and dignity. In spite of persecution, where men are faithful to God, they can give thanks and lead a tranquil life, serving God. It does not matter what men say or do, or even what governments do. It does not matter if they are corrupt, or even if they direct their evil toward us. Even when we suffer for their faith, we can still know God's peace. Evil can't change that. Ultimately, evil will fail - not just in eternity, but here in space & time history as well. As Pharaoh hardened his heart, and his heart was further hardened by God, God's people suffered - for a season. Under the Roman Empire, some emperors persecuted Christians, some left them alone. Ultimately, the empire fell. Hitler fell. Stalin fell. The Soviet Union fell. The important thing is that in all things we trust God absolutely. Trusting Him, we can give thanks - the ultimate expression of total faith in God.
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