Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Happy Anniversary

Only God's grace could have gotten us this far.


The Marriage Prayer - John & Josee Waller

Father, I said till
Death do us part
I want to mean it
With all of my heart
Help me to love you
More than I love her
Then I know I can
Love her more
Than anyone else

And bring her in
Your presence today
Make her what
You want her to be

I pray to hear her heart
I pray she'll love you more
I pray to cherish and serve her
And we'll bring you glory today, I pray

Father, I said till
Death do us part
I want to mean it
With all of my heart
Help me to love you
More than I love him
Then I know I can
Love him more
Than anyone else

And bring him in
Your presence today
Make him what
You want him to be

Lord, help me love her
As you love the church, your bride

Help me submit to him
As I submit to you, my life

This is my prayer Amen



Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Ephesians 4:29 challenge.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. - Eph 4:29

Due to some specific circumstances in my life, God is reminding me of the significance and importance of Eph 4:29. And, He has not stopped merely at the surface level (i.e. say good, uplifting things) but has pressed on me that I must not only adopt grace filled speech, but a grace filled heart.

The more I sit under the weight of a verse like this, the more I realize my spiritual vision is way too myopic. I see what I want to see and don't see what I don't want to see. And the words that proceed from my heart often reflect not the heart of Christ, but the stunted, sinful, self-seeking heart of John. If living out Eph 4:29, or the myriad of other grace filled commands of God, is to become a priority in my life, something has got to change.

One thing is clear, if I am to be a speaker of grace or, to raise the bar, a modeler of grace, then the grace of which I speak and Grace-Giver of whom I model must be foremost in my heart and mind. Whatever the topic that is causing the challenge, my vision must return to Christ and His gospel. That is centerpiece of grace. Christ's death and resurrection, His reaching out and rescuing me, His breathing life into me while absorbing the Father's just wrath toward me must always consume me. Only then can I speak grace. Only then can I model grace.

But another thing is also clear, but I think easily forgotten. It is the reality that believers are always in community. We in the West (America in particular) have come to accept the cultural norm that church is something external. Most of us realize that the church isn't a building, but I would dare to say most of us view the church as something we join, an organization with officers and by-laws, etc. And while a local church needs organizational structures like these, this is not the church. We are the church.

Since we who profess Jesus as Lord are the church, we each have a duty to each other. We must (yes must) speak grace to each other. Not simply speak graciously to each other. Most people can do that. No, the Bible is clear, we who are the church must care for one another in a way that is simply unattainable except by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we try to muscle it, we will fail. But, if we strive in the power that God himself provides, we will bring glory to the Father, we will exalt the Son, and we will rely on the Spirit. Through this we will strengthen the church, both the individuals we are interacting with and the larger body as a whole.And by this we will bring grace to those with whom we interact.

As I write this, I am back to where I started. The heartbeat of Eph 4:29 is the heartbeat of Christ. It is a daunting call to give our lives and our pride and our preferences for the glory of the One who gave His life for ours. And, as I sit here writing this, it is clear to me that the biggest thing keeping me from going "all in" is that there is still too much John and not enough Jesus in my words and in my thoughts and in my heart.

May God change that today.

To God Alone be the Glory

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Wisdom from John Newton

Sometimes it is better to simply take the wiser words of a better man than try to summarize. When conflict arises, we must consider not simply how to win the debate, but how to model Christ. Below is advice John Newton provided to a brother who was about to enter into a conflict.


"The scriptural maxim, that “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God,” is verified by daily observation. If our zeal is embittered by expressions of anger, invective, or scorn, we may think we are doing service of the cause of truth, when in reality we shall only bring it into discredit. The weapons of our warfare, and which alone are powerful to break down the strongholds of error, are not carnal, but spiritual; arguments fairly drawn from Scripture and experience, and enforced by such a mild address, as may persuade our readers, that, whether we can convince them or not, we wish well to their souls, and contend only for the truth’s sake; if we can satisfy them that we act upon these motives, our point is half gained; they will be more disposed to consider calmly what we offer; and if they should still dissent from our opinions, they will be constrained to approve our intentions."

Newton's entire letter can be found at On Controversy. If we could but emulate men like Newton...

To God Alone be the Glory

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Why was I made to hear thy voice?

Why was I made to hear thy voice,
And enter while there's room;
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve then come?
'Twas the same love that spread the feast,
That sweetly forced us in,
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

Issac Watts

To God Alone be the Glory

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

That you might grow up into Salvation

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pt 2:2-3)

Each time I read 1 Peter 2, I need to re-read verse 2. I need to take that extra moment to ask what is Peter (and God) really saying? Its as if the authors (both human and divine) have used a linguistic trick to catch our attention in order to make a very important point.

You see, this verse is not saying we need to grow up in order to receive salvation. While that fits many of the world's religions, it is contrary to the gospel, to grace and to the words of Jesus himself.  Additionally, this verse is not saying receive salvation so that you may grow up. While this thought may be prevalent in some of our churches, such a mindset was exactly what Paul battled in Galatia and we see in full flower with the Pharisees.

So what does this verse say? Three quick things: Salvation is dependent on an intimate connection with Christ. God's Word is essential to spiritual life and growth. And, salvation is not just an event. It is also something we enter into.

Much could be said about each of these points, but I want to focus just a couple of thoughts on our growing into the salvation that Christ himself provides. What would change in my Bible reading, praying, meditating and just plain living if I viewed my salvation, not as a static, past-tense event nor as a status that has been set nor as simply my name being recorded somewhere for God to check off on the day of my death? What would change if I began to see my salvation as something living and growing? What would change if I began to realize there is more to salvation than simple creedal affirmations and rote obedience? What if this relationship thing with Christ became real? What if this love affair really reached all the way into my heart?

Let me wrap this up by saying I am continually haunted by a question Jesus asked Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus asked "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (Jn 3:12) That question haunts me because it shows there is much more to salvation than what we know and see and perceive. And yet we don't even fully grasp the first lesson.

So today, let us taste and see that the Lord is good. Let us consume the pure spiritual milk of God's Word. And let us begin growing up into our salvation.

To God Alone be the Glory

Monday, May 14, 2012

Our role is not our reward

Two quotes from a blog by Jon Bloom on Desiring God struck me today:

"We too easily cherish our roles in the Great Wedding more than the wedding itself."

"We must remember that our role is not our reward. Jesus is our reward. We must remember that our role is not our reward. Jesus is our reward. The wedding is not about us. It’s about him. And we never want to compete with the Bridegroom for the bride’s attention and affection."

Read the whole thing here

To God Alone be the Glory