The Blessing of the Blank Slate

This may seem like a pointless question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions? Do you know what I mean? Just a robot or computer simply doing the task you were assigned, and nothing more.

Well, whether you've ever felt this way or not, that is the state I found myself in this morning as I approached my routine morning prayer time. Usually this prayer time is not dramatic, focusing God's wisdom for Bible reading, teaching or the like. Sometimes it will expand to cover other things that are pressing, but most of the time the prayers are meant to get my heart and mind in tune with God and his Word.

This morning, however, when I sat down to pray there was nothing. No thoughts of what to seek from God. No words of praise to God. Not even a "hey I can't do this without you, God" type prayer.

My "blank slate" moment was followed by a sickening realization that I can so easily simply go through the motions. Prayer time? Check. Bible reading? Check. Devotional reading? Check. Sunday morning worship? Check? Home group study? Check. And on it goes? But when there really is a "blank slate" moment, dare I proceed? What good is it for me (or anyone I may minister to) if I move forward when God, by his grace, has given me a "blank slate"?

Thankfully, graciously, mercifully, God, by the Spirit, has actually been preparing me for this moment. As others have said, the kindling was being piled up long before today. So, it was as the "blank slate" moment exposed the veritable ease with which I can simply move into other activities like a car on an assembly line, that I began to pray. This was not a "hey I can't do this without you" prayer. Nor was it me seeking God's wisdom to understand and apply his Word to my life and the lives of those around me. Both of these are good and appropriate prayers, but today those prayers wouldn't flow.

Instead the prayer was something to this effect: "Father, I know you are good, even when I can't really grasp it. I know your love is not conditioned on my loving response. I know that even in my "blank slate" moments and in times of empty robotic spiritual rituals, your grace and mercy are alive and active and real and unchanging and unending. Would you take this "blank slate" and use it for your glory. I don't get it. I don't like it. I don't want it. But I know you ordain things just like this to demonstrate all the more that the treasure we have been given in Jesus has nothing to do with us and everything to do with you. Thank you God for my "blank slate" moment. In Jesus' name, Amen."

I share this, not as a boast (except maybe in Christ), but rather as an encouragement to any who may also encounter dry times of prayer, Bible study, or hearing from God. We must always, always, always remember that God is our good, good Father. And even though the path he has us on may not be straight or easy, it is the right path that will eventually lead us to him.  May God help us to believe this and trust this, and live this each day of our lives.

To God alone be the glory.

Why Do We Resist Irresistible Grace?

Ephesians 1:7-8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If there is one thing that resonates in throughout the book of Ephesians, it is the theme of grace. It is, without question, both the overarching point Paul is making but it is also the mortar and glue that hold his entire message together. We cannot worship, we cannot pray, we cannot serve, we cannot love, we cannot replace sin with righteousness, we cannot love our wives and husbands and parents and children nor can we stand against the spiritual forces arrayed against us without the grace of God.  So, Paul makes it abundantly clear that God's grace (and love and mercy) are prior. Prior to us believing. Prior to us repenting. Prior to us seeking. Prior to us even acknowledging. And yet, even as believers standing on this side of the Cross, we seem to resist this reality. For some reason, we want to resist the irresistible grace of God.

Why is this so? What is it that makes us want to run and / or hide from the grace of God?  There are a few things that come to mind, but I'm confident that this is by no means an exhaustive list.

First, the irresistable grace of God scares us. In saying this I don't mean it scares us like a horror film. Nor do I mean it is like the fear one might feel in an abusive relationship. What I mean when I say that the grace of God scares us is that it is beyond us and we cannot control it. It extends to people we may not wish it extended to. It covers sins we may not want covered. It is freely offered where we wish a price were attached. When all is said and done, irresistable grace is a staggering reminder that God is God and we are not. And this scares us.

In addition to being scared by the irresistable grace, we also resist it because don't really believe it. Whether we espouse an "its too good to be true" attitude or a "what about personal responsibility?" mindset, we all tend to try and limit the limitless grace of God. And even if we do get to the point of actually believing and trusting that God's grace is boundless and free, we often continue to trip up on the irresistable part. Can grace itself really affect a change in me? And if this is so, what does it say about my vaunted automony?

One final aspect of God's irresistable grace that causes resistance in us is that means God is in control and we are not. If he will save whom he will, what merit or contribution do we bring to the table? If we are redeemed 100% by the grace of God, then we really are spiritual begars and paupers. And, if this grace is irresistable then God is truely sovereign and I am not.

As I've considered these realities in my own heart and mind, I think this final truth might be the most difficult to embrace. I want so much to be in control, to be contributing, to be making a difference. But it only takes a little peeling of the onion to discover that these desires really mask a still prideful heart that is reluctant to give all the glory to God.  And yet, that is exactly what irresitable grace does. It places all the glory where it belongs: with God.

To God Alone be the Glory

An Open Confession To My Brothers And Sisters In Christ

Yesterday I read the following blog post by John Piper.

We Know They Are Killing Children-All Of Us Know

This morning as I was praying I was convicted that Piper's words were not simply a generic "you guys should have known better" but a specific "John Young, you do know better". Put succinctly, I have sinned by omission. I have let human life perish while I have stood idly by.

God is a God of mercy and grace. Christ has paid for this sin, along with the multitude of my other sins. But today this one sin and its ramifications demands a change.

I must turn from the cowardice of the crowd and turn toward the strength that God provides to speak for those with no voice.

I must turn from the laziness of thinking someone else can carry this burden and turn to the Spirit wrought reality that this may be my burden to bare.

I must turn from the fuzzy thinking that says politics and logical reasoning alone will stem the tide and turn to a prayer driven knowledge that hearts and minds must be changed by Christ.

I must turn from viewing people who disagree in this area as enemies or as ignorant or as something worse and turn to a Biblical, grace drenched view that would weep over sin and plead with God for true heart change and repentance.

Finally (at least for now) I must turn from being content with an occasional blog post or Facebook status and turn to a Christ empowered response that brings the full weight of the gospel to bare on this issue and others like it.

Please pray, not just for me but for the countless people affected by abortion. We don't know their names or stories, but God does.

To God Alone be the Glory

In Rememberance of Jesus

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” - Luke 22:19

What do you do to remember Jesus?

Most may ask, how could I possible forget Jesus? It may be true that we may not forget Jesus the way we forget many of the people we graduated kindergarten with. However, I am convinced there are other more subtle ways that we can forget Jesus.

We can forget his deity. In this mode of forgetfulness Jesus can become the every man, the friend and brother to us all. And while he is the friend of sinners and brother to those who believe, it is only because he was also fully God that we are able to call him brother and friend.

We can forget his humanity. Here we forget that Jesus really did live for 30+ years on this earth, enduring all that trials and temptations and simple inconveniences that we do. And we can also forget that he walked through those 30+ years without sinning, not because he was God, but because he was a man who relied fully on the Holy Spirit.

We can forget his ground-level compassion. I think its easy, at least for me, to take a high-level, fulfillment of God's plan view of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. And while this perspective is true, it is not all of what he was about. He took time to touch people, to talk with people, to celebrate with people and to weep with people. He came not only as a ransom, but also as a servant.

We can forget that he is praying for us. Whether it is Romans 8 or Luke 22 or John 17, Jesus' prayers for his people are the reason we are sustained in our faith. We may think we are spiritually mature, but the only reason this could possibly be the case is due to Jesus intercession on our behalf. Without that, we would be nothing.

So, what do you do to remember Jesus?

I could list several things, such as Bible reading, prayer, devotions, worship and communion that may help us. All of these and many others serve a vital role in aiding us in remembering Jesus. However, all of them can be empty and shallow if done simply as a means to an end. Bible reading isn't simply learning more about Jesus. Praying isn't simply getting our list in front of God. Devotions aren't simply collecting other people's opinions on Christianity. Worship is simply singing songs with adoring lyrics. Communion isn't simply eating a cracker and drinking grape juice with our like minded saints.

In each of these things there is an attitude of mind and heart that allows them to be the Holy Spirit's tool for us to remember Jesus. He can repurpose our Bible reading and help us to see Jesus in ways we may have forgotten. He can reshape our prayers so that we listen more than talk and come to remember that all of God's promises are Yes in Christ. He can realign our devotions in ways that bring out the reality that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, even in our forgetfulness. He can renew our worship, engaging our hearts and minds, allowing us to really adore the Father who loves us and the Son who died for us. And, He can reorient our communion. He can bring us to the point of knowing that we really are proclaiming something much bigger than ourselves and that while Jesus' death did save us, it accomplished and continues to accomplish so much more.

Now, what will you do to remember Jesus?

To God Alone be the Glory.

New Beginnings

What does one write on New Year's Day that has been written before? The start of a new year offers us so many opportunities. We can start a Bible reading plan. We can start a prayer journal. We can start a daily devotional. We can stop squandering our time. We can stop giving in to the one habit that has consumed us for years. We can stop being so self centered and start being more Christ centered.

And yet, all of this is surface level stuff. What really matters is not how well we know the Bible, but how well we know the God of the Bible. The Bible reading and praying, the replacing of sin with righteousness only truly comes when God invades our hearts and minds. When Jesus is first and foremost in what we think and say and do, that's what we are aiming for.

Will we ever get there? Quite frankly, no. But God's expectation is that we keep striving and pressing toward this goal. It will also be by his grace and the strength that he provides. But it still requires grace driven effort; our effort.

So let today be the day of new beginnings. It really doesn't matter if today is January 1 or July 17. Every day, every hour, every moment is a new chance to make a new beginning with God.

Soli Deo Gloria

Of the Father's Love Begotten

(HT to Kevin DeYoung Of the Father's Love Begotten)

Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!

At His Word the worlds were framèd;
He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!

He is found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children
Doomed by law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!

O that birth forever blessed,
When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bare the Saviour of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

This is He Whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long expected,
Let creation praise its Lord,
Evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him,
and extol our God and King!
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert sing,
Evermore and evermore!

Righteous judge of souls departed,
Righteous King of them that live,
On the Father’s throne exalted
None in might with Thee may strive;
Who at last in vengeance coming
Sinners from Thy face shalt drive,
Evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens,
With glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its music bring,
Evermore and evermore!

Christ, to Thee with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be:
Honour, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!

New Year, New Blog.

Well, maybe not so much a new blog as a refocused effort to post content on to the existing blog. My list of excuses for not posting could stretch for a mile, but the reality is that it all comes down to priorities. And, if the truth be told, that is the same for all of life. Not enough time for this. Too tired for that. Can't concentrate. Not interested. The list grows, but the underlying foundation is the same. We will prioritize what is important and can easily discard what is not.

So, when I look back over a sparse year or two of blog posts I can see that same thing. I could blame busyness or an inability to focus on topics, but the simple truth is that other things took precedence. Now, they may have been good things, even necessary things. However, as I sit here today, on the edge of the calendar flip into 2015, I sense the need to return to blogging with more regularity. The other stuff is still there. The excuses are still hiding in the weeds. But, by God's grace, my priorities toward this blog and how He might use it are changing.

One final thing. I know blogs can feel like a one way street. However for those who have a Google login, I have always allowed comments to my blog posts. I am notified of each one and read them all. So, if God uses some post down the line to inspire you or provoke you, feel free to let me know. Also, any one who reads this blog is free to share it or repost it or whatever the newest thing is. The more we can spread the truth about the grace and mercy and love of God as it is found in Jesus the better.

Soli Deo Gloria.