Why Don't We Talk Like This?

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me (Gal 1:15-16)

Is it just me, or do we who are disciples of Christ have a hard time talking like Paul?  Our words, our tones, our attitudes all seem to point in the opposite direction of what Paul's is saying. He is continually pointing to Christ. We like to point more to ourselves than to the Father or the Son or the Spirit.

I will admit that God is not absent from our vocabulary. But seriously reflect on how you speak about Jesus or the Spirit or our Father. I'm guessing it is usually in reference to yourself. "God helped me get through this crisis. The Spirit anointed me to preach a great sermon. The Father allowed me to perceive the truth of this passage" All of these  thoughts are fine, as far as they go, but in each one, I am the center and God rotates around me.

Maybe today we need to begin to put God back in the center of our lives. Maybe today we can begin to give Him the glory He rightly deserves. Maybe today we can begin to see, and articulate that we rotate around Him and anything we do or say or think is at His good pleasure and by His magnificent grace.

To God Alone be the Glory

Stones to Flesh?

And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” (Ezk 37:3)

I recently read about the stirring of the gospel in Iran. Could there be a harder place for the gospel to penetrate? Yet, God's words in Ezk 37 and John 3 should constantly remind us that the Spirit moves where He wills. He can put flesh on the driest of bones and He can breathe life into the deadest of men.

Can we each pause here and consider our own spiritual journeys? Where has God breathed life into your spiritual deadness and brought light into your spiritual darkness? Praise Him! Thank Him! Explode with joy over what you have graciously received without any action of your own (You & I contribute as much as dried bones in the desert).

Now, can we turn the corner and plead with God to do it again? We all have situations or scenarios (Iran, for example, or the abortion epidemic, or the salvation of a spouse or parent or child) where everything seems hopeless. If we are spiritually alive, the Spirit is pressing on you, in some way, to cry out to God for something that is beyond hope for the expansion and extension of the kingdom of Christ. If you are unsure where to start, maybe you can begin with Lk 11:13.

Father, we need you more today than ever before. We need the gospel to be real to us today. Take the scales off of our eyes and help us to see, really see, the greatness and the goodness of all that Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. And, I plead that you would give us fuller access to the Spirit in alignment with Jesus' promise in Lk 11.


Father, there are many things in many lives that appear to be spiritual dead ends. Like the dry bones of Ezekiel, we cannot do anything to make a lasting, permanent change. But you can. You can breathe life into whichever situation you choose. So, we humbly ask that you would consider our situation and glorify yourself so that the gospel of your Son may shine all the brighter. I offer this all in Jesus' name. Amen.

To God Alone be the Glory

When there are no words...

        O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

                        my soul thirsts for you;

        my flesh faints for you,

                        as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

        So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

                        beholding your power and glory.

        Because your steadfast love is better than life,

                        my lips will praise you.

        So I will bless you as long as I live;

                        in your name I will lift up my hands.

        My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

                        and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

        when I remember you upon my bed,

                        and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

        for you have been my help,

                        and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

        My soul clings to you;

                        your right hand upholds me.

To God Alone be the Glory

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb
Could rescue the souls of men
Oh you rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way
Oh, we hopelessly lost the way

You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Almighty, infinite Father
Faithfully loving Your own
Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne
Oh, we're falling before Your throne

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/selah/#share

To God Alone be the Glory

Compassion for the unconverted.

We endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. (1 Cor 9:12)

We ought to feel compassion when we think of the wretched state of unconverted souls, and the misery of all men and women who live and die without Christ. No poverty like this poverty! No disease like this disease! No slavery like this slavery! No death like this: death in idolatry, false religion, and sin! Ask ourselves this: Where is the mind of Christ, if we do not feel for the lost? I lay it down boldly, as a great principle, that the Christianity which does not make a person feel for the state of unconverted people is not the Christianity which came down from heaven hundreds of years ago, and is embalmed in the New Testament. It is a mere empty name. -- J.C. Ryle

What can I add to Ryle's words except these two things. First this is part of the heart beat of the whole Bible. Look at Jesus having compassion on on the sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9:36-38) , praying for the recalcitrant Jerusalem (Lk 13:34-35) and inviting all who are weary and heavily ladened to come to him (Mt 11:28-30). Look at Paul, with his whole view of the Church being one of giving up our rights for the sake of Christ and the Kingdom. (1 Cor 9:19:23). Look also at the whole outward spiral of the the book of Acts. Men (and women) were continually taking the gospel out beyond their own borders. This heart beat is summed up in Acts 17:16 and Rom 15:20. On top of this, the OT prophets had the same burden. Ezk 33:11 is but one example.

The second thing is this. I am incredibly convicted. The Spirit has pressed Ryle's words like a knife against my throat. As my heart beats for Christ, does it also beat for His people? And, if it beats for his people, does it beat for the those who are not yet his people? There are many reasons why I fail this test. None of them are legitimate.

Father, in the words of a song I've recently heard, "I want my heart to look like your heart". Allow me to rejoice with those who rejoice in you and grieve with godly grief. Open the eyes of my heart to see the lostness of those who have not yet given their lives to Christ and move me to do what you would have me do to be an ambassador for the kingdom of your Son. Amen.

To God Alone be the Glory

Adversity

He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. (Job 36:15)

In one sense, it is cliche to say that we learn more in the hard times than in the good times. And yet, every cliche has a nugget of truth in it. I think that is one of a main points of the whole book of Job. Its not that Job was unrighteous at the beginning of the book and by the end he had learned how to be righteous. Instead we see a man who had an incomplete view of God.  And God, by His grace, allowed Job to suffer and wrestle with his suffering in order to deliver him and open his ears to hear from God.

Of course the question always arises (at least in my mind) is: why this way? Why can't we learn in the good times? Why can't we hear in times of blessing? The answer is probably more nuanced than this, but the bottom line is that we have spiritual ADD. In good times especially, we lose track of the source of our good times. We forget the purpose of the blessings we've received. We neglect the foundation that our lives and ministries are built upon. Is this universal? Praise God, it is not. But it is very common. We need only to look at Heb 2:1 to see that we all need a constant reminder of the truth of God's Word and to always keep our eyes fixed on Christ.

Maybe the strongest take away is this: whether in good times or in bad we need to keep our focused attention on Christ. As 2 Cor 1:20 reminds us, all of God's promises are Yes in Christ. So if things are going well, praise God and thank Him for all that He has graciously given you in Christ. Remember that you are the branches and that Christ is the vine and that we can do nothing without Him. And if the wheels are falling off,  lean into Christ more. Know that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Remember that His love for those who are in Christ, is unbreakable and He has an end goal that is beyond anything we can ask or imagine.

To God Alone be the Glory

Light & Momentary?

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:17-18)

There is a risk in commenting on any verse in the Bible, especially the well known ones. Many people, much wiser people have probably weighed-in on what the verse means and how it can apply to our lives. What can my words add to the long history that has preceded me?

The answer is, maybe nothing. Or, maybe something, that by the grace of God, may touch a heart or a life.

Each time I read these verses (and really all of 2 Cor 4-5) I walk away with the sense that my focal point is all wrong. Paul refers to our "light momentary affliction". For me at least, the affliction I am experiencing does not seem light or momentary. But when my life is compared to others, my affliction is not as bad nor is as enduring as what they are experiencing. And then take whatever we may be going through (as bad as cancer or killer tornadoes) and compare it to eternal life with God, and suddenly our perspective changes.

For me, I don't wrestle with the truth of these verses. They make sense. We endure small pains for great gains all the time. What I wrestle with is getting my heart and soul to the place Paul was when he could look at the struggles and the trials and the setbacks and the beatings in his life and say they were all light and momentary when compared to the eternal weight of glory that God is preparing for us.

I guess it all comes back to focus. When my focus is on me and my life, my struggles will seem big and probably insurmountable. But when my focus is on Christ and the fact that He has orchestrated my struggles so that I can glorify God and grow in Christ-likeness and that there is a payoff in the end, then maybe whatever I'm going through, whether its cancer or martial strife or job loss or simply a bad day at the office can be viewed as slight and momentary.

And we all need to remember (and be reminded daily) that what is seen (i.e. the cancer and the strife and the  job loss) are transient. Whatever I am facing, whatever you are facing, even if it is as bad as Job's ordeal, it won't last forever. What God has for us, even though it is currently unseen, it is eternal.

To God Alone be the Glory

Lost sheep

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (Lk 15:6)

Luke 15 has become very interesting to me. It is so familiar that I (and many of you) could tell the stories without breaking a sweat. There is a beauty and comfort in being so in tune with a scriptural passage. We don't have worry about looking it up or figuring it out. Its just there. And when something arises in our lives where these verse pertain, we are ready to go. Oh, if only more of God's Word was like that to us!

But there is a danger in familiarity. When we read this passage, whether as part of a daily reading plan or in connection with a devotional, we can easily glaze over the words and the themes. The whole chapter becomes a blur, because we know what it says. Or so we think.

My personal challenge, and by extension my challenge to you, is to re-read Luke 15. Listen to Jesus' words from the perspective of both a sympathetic and skeptical audience. See the themes of helpless lostness and active searching. See the themes of the incredible value of the lost object and the unrestrained celebration when the lost object is found. Additionally see the contrasting responses to the same grace in the two sons. One sees the grace of his father as an deserved gift while the other sees it as an obligation and a right.

Finally, as with any parable, try to place yourself in the story. Remember, Jesus didn't tell this to instruct us on diligent shepherding, wise financial stewardship or godly parenting. This parable was told in direct response to the accusation (true by the way) “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” We are not the shepherd, the lady or the father. We are the sheep, the coin and the son. And I pray we are not the older brother, viewing God's grace as something we deserve and something that should managed and controlled.


Father, thank you for the parables that Jesus shared. They are simple enough for kids to understand, yet deep enough to challenge and encourage someone who has followed Christ for over 20 years. I ask that you allow these 3 parables to sink into our hearts as we read them and cause then to affect us for your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

To God Alone be the Glory