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

Do We Presume on the Riches of God?

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Rom 2:4)

Take a moment and consider this verse from Romans 2. How do you view God's kindness, his richness and his patience?

If you are anything like me, the honest answer is that I often view God's kindness, richness and patience (not to mention his grace and mercy) are perks of membership in this club called Christianity. Sure, God saved me  by his grace alone. Sure, it was only in the cross of Christ that my sins were forgiven. Sure, it is only by laying a hold of these realities by faith (which itself is a gracious gift) does any of this matter to me personally.

But then what? How do I interact with God today, believing and trusting in all that I just wrote? What is my reaction to the kindness of God when he gives me a warm, dry, safe house this morning? What is my attitude toward God when he endures another routine prayer at breakfast, lunch or dinner? How do I view God when I open my Bible in freedom and read it my own language and can actually begin to grasp what He is trying to say? Gratitude? Humility? Adoration? Worship? Child-like incredulity?

If you are like me, it takes a Spirit-driven reminder to get back to these appropriate responses to the riches of God in my life. As I survey my life, I see many more examples of presumption, of expectation (not the good kind) and of neglect. My heart continues to drift back to a self-focus and so often, when I am not intentionally thinking about God and Christ and the Spirit, my mind, by default returns to a focus on me.

I want to close with an awesome thing for you to consider. Even as our focus moves constantly from God and to ourselves, God is continuing to pour out his riches in kindness and patience. He is always after our good and He is sending us thousands of reminders of his awesome love and power and grace. The question is: will we see them? And will we allow the Spirit to change our presumption to praise?

I now send forth this post with a deep sense of its many defects; but with an earnest prayer that it may do some good. (JC Ryle)

To God Alone be the Glory

Happy Anniversary - belated, of course

I noticed over the weekend that this blog has survived its first year. This is only by the shear grace of God, since the general tendency of my life is to start strong but fade as things become routine and other, newer things come into play. For nostalgia's sake, I re-read my first post and found it as powerful as when I wrote it. Clearly God's Word doesn't ebb or fade.

Coincidently, I also participated in a Bible study that worked through Heb 10. Since the overall title of this blog is "Drawing Near", I took a moment to reflect on the connections between that verse (Heb 10:22) and the goals and objectives I have for this blog.

Two things immediately stand out to me.  First is that drawing near to God is a privilege that Jesus has purchased for us at the cost of his life through his High Priestly role. Yet, this is an action verb, not a passive one, so in some sense, we must participate in drawing near to God who has drawn near to us through the life, death and resurrection of his Son. Second, our drawing near is done in full assurance of faith. I submit this represents both the means and also the measure of our drawing near.  We can only draw near to God through faith and while that faith doesn't have to be the rock-solid, never-doubting, world-conquering, Jim Elliot kind of faith it does need to have the full assurance that Jesus is who He says He is and He accomplished what He needed to accomplish and that God is satisfied in Him.

Strange is it that where misery was concentrated mercy reigned; where sorrow reached her climax weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing of bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured confidence through simply gazing at Christ on the cross! - C.H. Spurgeon

To God Alone be the Glory

Whoever Finds Me Finds Life

"For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD," Proverbs 8:35

In reading through Proverbs 8 today, I was again struck by the reality that the Holy Spirit is a person. To be sure, I am a trinitarian as they come, but it is easy, too easy, to relegate the Spirit to a some kind of secondary status. He is like an athlete who comes off the bench to make the game winning play. We are glad he was there, but it was the starters that got us to the final seconds. That may be our perception, but that is far from God's reality.

As time allows I would respectfully ask you to thoughtfully read Proverbs 8. Absorb the fact that "Wisdom" is speaking. Wisdom speaking? Really? Does that mean wisdom is not a commodity to be handed out like candy at a parade? Maybe the truth of it is that Wisdom (i.e. the Spirit) is a person we come to know and to emulate, thus becoming wise. (See Prv 13:20). Beyond that, consider passages like Eph 1:13-14 or 1 Cor 2. The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we may have the wisdom of God and the mind of Christ.

One last thought. Even though the Holy Spirit, by the nature of his role in the Trinity, is the "behind the scenes" person, we must strive to not commoditize him. There is so much in our walk with Christ that would be impossible without the Spirit (dare I say all of it!) so we must give him the respect and praise that is he is due! And as we stretch our puny minds to even grasp these realities, we can praise and thank the Spirit that we are able to grasp even a small part of of the grand reality of God.

To God Alone be the Glory

A Life of Day-in and Day-out Consistency

"We feel the presence of God around us when we pray, yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day—in and day—out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which comes much farther down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test." - Oswald Chambers

Maybe this is why Christianity, true Christianity, is so hard. Following Jesus isn't just a ticket to heaven or a "get out of Hell free" card. Following Jesus is a life long commitment to do things his way. Everything.  The big things (no murder, no adultery) and the "little" things (love your neighbor, serve rather than be served).

But, let's face it. These things are not sexy. Even writing a blog about them seems, well, boring. This is just ordinary stuff. The "just do it" kind of things. Yet, in the end, that what makes all the difference. As you read the parable at the beginning of Matt 25, what is the perception of both groups of people? Neither group realized they were either helping or neglecting Christ. So it is with us. Everyday, every decision, every action either glorifies or denigrates our Savior. Sobering thought, isn't it?

Thankfully there is hope.  First, we have a savior who gave up his life for us while we were yet sinners. Seccond, we have a merciful and faithful high priest that is ready to forgive those who come to him. Third, we have a victorious king who is seated at the right hand of the Father and is interceding for us. Fourth, we have the Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, but is also the source of our power and strength, so that we can, in fact glorify God in everything we do.

To God Alone be the Glory

Jars of Clay or Swallowed up by Life?

What does one do with 2 Cor 4-5? I've realized this weekend that I've highlighted and underlined virtually every verse in these two profound chapters. I almost wrote a blog post at the end of chapter 4, but hesitated since, these two chapters are intimately connected. How could I simply write about half of the picture? But now, with chapter 5 under my belt, I have the opposite problem. How do I highlight or summarize these two chapters? I'm not sure I have a good approach, but I'm going to try.

As I looked back over the verses, one thing that struck me was the images of the two conditions of believers. One condition is summed up in 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." How true is that? But there is another condition portrayed in 5:4b "so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." Isn't this the hope that all of us have?

Re-reading these two chapters, I see Paul painting pictures around these two conditions. Our current condition: frail, fallen and broken, yet not ultimately defeated, disowned or destroyed. He never says this is simply our fallen state and that we should despair. Instead he encourages us to see our current circumstances, as bad as they may be, as a testimony to the grace and mercy of God. Because through what we are currently enduring, God is glorified and we look forward to our ultimate deliverance. And that is the second image he paints for us. A glorified, resurrected existence that will be in the very presence of God. He then connects these two conditions by saying we are waiting, some days with groans, in the former condition. But we have the Spirit as a guarantee, a promise that one day soon we will make the trade. We will move from our jar of clay and be swallowed up by life.

To God Alone be the Glory