Think long, drink deeply, rejoice!

Paul prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.  He demonstrated this power in raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion, and every title given not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church which is His body the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.” (HCSB)

Paul here unlocks the key to one of the greatest needs in the Church of our day…and really of any age.  We need to know the grace of God better.  He just finished exhorting the believers to praise the God of our Lord Jesus Christ because of all of the spiritual blessings that He has bestowed on those whom He chose from before the foundations of the world.  Praise Him!  Rejoice in Him!  Praise the glory of His grace!

Often our praise is dull and lifeless.  It is ordinary, feigned, lip-service to our God and benefactor.   Why?  How does our praise become dull and lifeless?  How is it possible that a Christian could engage in empty praise, vain worship? Paul answers in the prayer that he offers up on our behalf.  “That God would grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him so that our hearts may be enlightened to know the hope of His calling, the glorious riches of His inheritance…and the surpassing greatness of His power toward us”…which is the same power that He used in raising Christ to His exalted position above all created things.

My exhortation is very simple.  Pray that God would grant that the eyes of your heart be enlightened to know the glories of His grace and power within you.  If you are a Christian, this is true of you.  God has given you immeasurable grace, has and continues to work His immeasurable power in your life to conform you to the image of His Son and to bring you to glory.

May He fill our hearts with joy in reflecting upon His grace.  May He fill our hearts with wonder at the vast chasm that once separated us from Him and the bridge of His love and grace that now exists because of Christ.   May He fill our hearts with peace and rest as we ponder how He is continually working His great power in us, how great that power truly is – that He also working in raising Christ from the dead and exalting Him.  Think long, drink deeply, rejoice!

May He be glorified as we are not only satisfied but overflowing with joy in rejoicing over His abundant grace to us!  Happy rejoicing today dear brothers and sisters

Psalm 17 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 17) Part 1

God is Just. Why should we cry out to the Lord in our distress?  Because God is a God of justice.  His eyes are upon the righteous and righteousness.  And His ears attend to their cry.  God desires justice from His creation because He is just.  Justness is a  part of His essential character.  There is no falsehood with God.  There is no partiality.  There is no turning of the eye to oppression.  God is just.  And because He is essentially just in His character the righteous have great reason to come to Him for justice.  This is in fact the great confidence that the righteous have, that their righteousness has not fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes.  That in the end they will be repaid for their righteousness even as the wicked are repaid for their wickedness.  Of course the righteousness of the righteous is not their own for they would have no reason to cry out to God for vindication.  But it is His righteous standard that they uphold.  It cannot be their own righteousness for why would God then fight on their behalf?  Where then would be His glory?  What then would be His praise?  He would be nothing more than a body guard.  One whose job is to protect the glory of another.  Neigh but the righteousness by which the righteous is called is God’s righteousness.  It is His name, it is His glory.  And that is also their confidence and their hope.  that His righteousness shall be in the end vindicated.  That He will pursue the vindication of His own righteous standard.

God’s justness shall prevail and His righteousness shall be vindicated.  This He has made clear in many other ways.  The glory of His name and His holiness is His great passion.  Thus to pursue His glory in our own lives is the wisest course of action.  And it is an action which again will yield great reward.  The righteous may unashamedly pursue God’s righteous standard because He will vindicate it Himself.  And in vindicating His righteous standard, they will be vindicated.

The folly of the wicked is in assuming that their own glory is necessary.  It is assuming that their own standard of righteousness is enough.  However their own standard of righteousness is as transient as their own lives.  It will in the end be cast aside.  God will bring it to nothing.  It cannot stand in comparison to His own holy and righteous Word.  They may have their “portion in this life” but in the next their portion will be to drink the cup of God’s wrath and indignation against those who have scorned His righteousness and His righteous ones.  Thus the wicked are short sighted.  They fail to see past the reality of the moment to the reality of the next.  Consequence has become an illusion to the wicked.  It has dropped out of their vocabulary along with absolute and even God.  For them there is only the moment of pleasure without the thought of consequence.  If there were no consequence, the righteous might fail in heart however the righteousness of God reminds us that it is only His great mercy which has thus with held the flood of His wrath upon this earth.  It is His mercy which has stayed His hand this long in the condemnation of the wicked.  It is not for their glory.  It is not for their cunning or wisdom which has wrought them success.  It is the merciful hand of their creator which ought to lead them to repentance, but which because of their hard hearts has led many to both mock His very existence – by whose mercy they stand – and to mock His holy and righteous ones.

What then is the final hope of the righteous?  The punishment of evildoers?  No.  It is our expectation but it is not our hope that they should meet what demise they are sure to who mock the Almighty.  Do we seek the vindication of our own name or righteousness?  No.  Before God, there are none who have reason to boast in any righteousness of their own doing because before His standard we are all guilty.  What then is our final hope?  Our final hope is that the pursuit of God’s righteousness in this life will not be for naught.  Our final hope is that because of His righteousness, “we shall see His face…[and] we shall be satisfied when we awake in His likeness.”

“The duty of delight…”

So we just moved and I am going through some of my old papers in order to shed some extra weight so to speak and clear up my shelves.  I write a lot.  I didn’t realize how much I’ve written…scratched notes and thoughts down on random scraps of paper and/or half used journals that I am uncovering.  Strange.  I think sometimes I loose them or put them down and move on to the next one.  Anyway, here is an excerpt from one of my “journal” entries from December 21, 2002:

“In reading Piper’s ‘Gods Passion for His Glory,’ Edwards’ life is told and his book is included…on page 74 it talks about the difference between believing that God is holy and merciful and ‘sensing’ God’s holiness and mercy.  He says that we must have a ‘true taste’ and delight in God’s mercy and holiness.  I think that is what is lacking in my life…a true passion for God.  What does it mean to truly hunger for and delight in God’s Glory?  To sense God’s grace, mercy and holiness.  I think to sense God’s holiness means to abstain from sin.  Much more of it to abhor sin.  [The one who] utterly despises sin is the one who truly senses God’s holiness.  To sense God’s holiness I imagine is to feel the suns warm rays on a clear sunny day at the beach.  To [taste the sweetness of] and feel the liquid of your favorite drink going down your esophagus.  I think to sense God’s holiness is to have the hairs on the back of your neck stand on edge at the thought that though you are lone, someone is very much there with you.  But not just anyone.  This someone is the one whom the prophet of old spoke of as lofty and exalted.  This one is the one who’s train utterly fills the temple.  The one whom both the heavens and earth flee before.  This one is encircled by burning lights who cry out day and night that He is holy, holy, holy.  That someone who resides inside of those called by His name.  To sense God’s holiness is not only to abstain from but to shudder at the thought of sin.  To sense God’s holiness is to wish oneself accursed, yea even utterly destroyed due to one’s complete destitution before Him.  To sense God’s holiness in totality would be to cease to exist.  To be done away with.  Yet to sense God’s holiness is to be flooded with more than abundant grace and mercy at the recognition of a life saved.  Herein is our delight.  That a holy God would be entertained by wretched, worthless sinners such as we.  That a holy God would extend Himself to those wretched, worthless creatures to give them access to Himself.  That a holy God would give the best that could ever be given, Himself, to worthless wretched creatures in spite of themselves.  Oh the depths of the riches of the glorious grace and mercy of God in His unfathomable lovingkindness toward men!!!”

Oh for that sort of delight.  For that sort of passion.  I think that this is a life long pursuit.  Many would probably give up in pursuing a delight in God for the difficulty of it.  It is climbing the highest mountain.  It is walking the longest road.  And yet it holds the satisfaction of reaching its peak, or of finding your destination.  It is the refreshment of a cool breeze on a hot and humid day.  More than that, it is a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa (coffee for me) on a cold winters evening.  More than that…it is your last – first kiss…it is the groom seeing his bride for the first time at the altar…it is the enjoyment of seeing your child for the very first time, when they take their first breath in this world…it is a good nights rest.  And it is greater than that still.  What is your greatest, longest lasting pleasure and delight?  It is that, except infinitely more enjoyable, infinitely more holy, infinitely more glorious.  To delight in God, who is the greatest good…it is unspeakable.

I long for that delight.  I desire that sort of delight.  The journey toward such a delight is long, and it is difficult.  But it is good.  It is good because that which is its aim is infinitely delightful.  The pursuit of worldly gain and other such possessions is empty and shallow.  It is temporary.  It is flawed and soiled by sin’s stain.  But God is Holy and Righteous and Good, Perfect, Glorious, Gracious, Loving, Merciful…to write the love of God is a futile endeavor.  But to pursue the love of God, will never leave one ashamed.

I titled this the duty of delight, because it is a task.  It is a difficult, labor some task.  I could have just as well titled it the “pursuit of delight in God” or something like that.  As much as I would pursue prayer for the sake of communion with God, I would more pursue delight in God.  Delight in God would make all of my pursuits in God infinitely more enjoyable.

You are Gracious and Compassionate…slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.  I pray for each of my dear friends who would read this…I pray for us all, that you would create in us a heart that finds its highest joy, its greatest good in You and You alone.  May our hearts be sick, as David wrote, may our hearts pant after You as a deer for water.  May our souls thirst for You, the Living God, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in an unapproachable light and yet who has made Yourself known to us through Your Son, the Man Jesus Christ.  May we not grow tired, may we not grow weary in seeking this.   Burn His light into our hearts….burn it so that we can desire no one or no thing besides You.  Let us fall in love with the thought of His appearing.  Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good, how blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm 34:8

“You will make known to me the path of life, in your presence is the fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

Psalm 7 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 7)

God is a Righteous Judge.  He always acts in accordance with His righteousness.  Hear the words of the Psalmist “The Lord judges the peoples…God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day…I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness…”

When was the last time that you gave thanks to the Lord because He is a righteous judge?  Of all the things that we commonly think of to give thanks for, how often does this really come to mind for you?  God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness…through the only Man who is righteous of Himself, that is Jesus Christ the Righteous.  Do you look forward to that day?  Do you long for the time that God puts an end to the wickedness of this world and creates a “new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells?”  Or are you satisfied with the ways of this world?  Are you content with the way that things are going for you, your safe job, your safe home, your safe economic status (I realize that many of these things are not safe for people today, but people still put their confidence in these things), your safe name in the community or in your work place, your safe family?  Are you satisfied with those things?

Let me put it another way.  If God were to allow you to go to a heaven where things were just like they are now (with Him in heaven and you on earth) and where you had unlimited access to all of the good things about your life; would that be enough for you?

Clearly we do not get all good things in this life.  We also get difficulty.  We get strife.  We sometimes lose…big.  We are sometimes persecuted without cause.  We are tormented and rejected by others who live with considerably less godly standards as us.  Do you ever wonder why it is that those people seem to enjoy life more?  The ones who live any way they want, why do they seem to have more money?  Why do they seem to relish their selfish inclinations and its consequences?  Why do they seem to enjoy their drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, rebellion against authority (parents, teachers, managers, etc.), laziness, improper usage of their finances and other such things?  Why do they seem to have “all the fun,” while we are stuck doing things “the right way?”  Do you ever feel like you need to get back at them or else that you might as well join them since they seem to be having a good time?

God is a Righteous Judge.  And He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world through the righteous standard of His Son.  Do you meet that standard?  Have you considered your heart, your motives, even your actions lately?  Do you meet the righteous standard of the perfect Son of God?  Can you say with a clear conscience like the Psalmist “O Lord my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, if I have rewarded evil to my friend, or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life down to the ground and lay my glory in the dust.”  Can you say that expecting that God will “vindicate [you] according to [your] righteousness and [your] integrity within [you]?”

Have you lived with integrity?  Do you?  Do you live according to God’s standards?  Do you seek God’s righteousness?  Do you seek God’s glory?  Or do you seek your own?  The God who “judges the peoples” and who will “let the evil men come to an end, but establish the righteous” will also “try the hearts and minds of the righteous.”  What will He find when He tries your mind, your heart?  Will He find His righteousness, or will He find your version of righteousness?

God has “appointed judgment.”  Though He tarries, He will judge.  And He will judge according to His righteousness.  If you have not found His righteousness, repent.  The Lord is near.  If you have, rejoice, for our salvation is closer than when we first believed; and He has promised to vindicate us, according to His righteousness and to repay all of those who have sinned against His godly ones.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear:

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Matthew 6:33

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord’”  Romans 12:17-19

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, for He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”  Acts 17:30-31

“Know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, though which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that wiht the Lord one day is like  a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a  roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up…according to His promise we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”  2 Peter 3:3-13

Psalm 3 – 150 days of purposeful Medidation (Day 3)

God is a shield to His people, for it says “You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head…Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people.”  Enemies of the people of God are many.  They range from lowly earthlings who themselves are slaves to sins deception and selfish inclinations to lofty principalities and powers who are bent on the destruction of those called by the name of God.

None of them know the end from the beginning.  None of them can say for certain what the future will hold.  None of them are greater in power than the Almighty.  None of them are wise enough to outsmart Him.  So what have we to fear?  We who are called by His name.   We who are His people.  Who do we have to fear?

God is a “shield…a glory…the One who lifts up [our] head.”  How then shall we respond to adversity?  Those things/people which pit themselves against us?  How shall we respond?  With evil?  With dismay?

We should respond with prayer.  We should respond with hope.  We should respond to them confidently knowing in whom we have trusted.  Knowing that the One in whom we have trusted is the One to whom “salvation” belongs.

Who or what is your salvation?  Is it the God to whom Salvation belongs?  Is it the God who is a Shield to His people?  Is it the God who shatters the teeth of the wicked?  If you are “the people” of the God of salvation, fear not and be not dismayed by your enemies…for He said “vengence is mine, I will repay.”  However if you are not for the God who is Salvation, then you have great reason to fear…yea even to tremble.  For this same God who is Salvation to His people is also a “consuming fire.”

Grief and the loss of a brother

Grieving takes on many different forms.  I don’t need a psychologist to tell me that.  You experience shock, anger, disbelief, denial, depression and perhaps some others.  It lasts for different lengths of time for different people.  Depending on how close you are to the situation, the pain can remain for years, perhaps never to completely go away.

How should we respond to grief as believers?  How should we respond to tragedy?  The quick godly (and correct) answer is to understand that God has a purpose for tragedy and that we should trust in His wisdom.  But we won’t all feel that way.  And we certainly won’t all think that way.  And that is not always  the answer that you should give to someone grieving.  While you “know” what is biblical and what is right, those who are grieving will not always feel that way.  And they need to know that its okay.  Grieving is never condemned in scripture.  It is never looked down upon.  Jesus wept for Lazurus.  He was saddened for Jerusalem and its disbelief.  We are often told to weep with those who weep.

Grieving is natural and must happen.  In fact it should happen, especially for us Christians.  Particularly because we are the Body of Christ.  And as the Body of Christ, we all loose when one of us is injured.  When one of us is hurt…and when one of us goes to be with the Lord.  We all should grieve.  And grieving must take its course.  And in time we must all be reminded that death is not the end for Christians.

Its interesting, I shared the loss of my friend with unbelievers and they were totally at a loss for words.  They had nothing to add.  I knew that they would not.  I didn’t expect prayer or and encouraging word or a scripture quoted for comfort.  But I was quickly reminded from that of the verse that one of my brothers recently quoted that we do not grieve “as those who have no hope.”  For those who have no hope, grief is terrifying.  It is stifling.  It is heartwrenching and often it is permanent without the “hope” of relief.

But Christians have Christ.  And Christ is our life.  And because He is our life, and because He lives, we know that we truly live, though we may die.  Though our bodies may decay, though they may wear down, though they may suddenly stop, for not apparent reason…we know that we truly live.

Christ is our life.  We grieve…but not as those who don’t have hope.  We weep.  But only for a season.  Even if that season lasts throughout the rest of our lives…it will come to an end.  Because we will be reunited.  And in the meanwhile, we have that hope as an anchor of our souls.  Namely that God’s word is sure and that we are approaching the time of our rest, in Christ, with all of the saints of God.

“But we would not have you ignorant brethren concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with the cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.“  I Thess 4:13-18

Pray for my brother’s family.  And pray for my sister who is left behind but who is not alone.  And pray for our family, God’s family which has suffered the loss of one of her good soldiers.

Are you full today?

“When Christ who is our life appears, then you will be revealed with Him in glory.” Col 3:4 (Read the Context)

What does it mean “when Christ who is our life appears?”  Considering the context, I am reminded of a few things.

First of all, our life is hidden in Christ. This exhortation is meant as an encouragement of believers as they are told to “keep seeking the things above.”  We are dead to the things of this world.  Apparently the believers in Colossae were being encouraged to subject themselves to certain ritualistic/religious rites or philosophies in an attempt to gain a deeper sense of spirituality.  To Paul this was utterly foolish because true spiritual vitality/life was not found in these things but in Christ.  Hence the exhortation, also, to remain rooted and grounded in Christ.  So how then can we “find” what our life really is apart from in Him?  So many people go on “spiritual journey’s” in an attempt to “find themselves.”  Or else they search throughout all the worlds religions seeking to find God.  Christians sometimes even search outside of scripture and a true knowledge of Christ, in things like their jobs, economic status, family life, politics and other such things looking for what they believe to be their purpose in life.  To keep it short and sweet if we ever desire to understand what true life is, what our purpose is, where we will find true fulfillment, we must look to the giver of life, namely Christ.  Our life, as Christians is in Him.

Second, there is no life apart from Christ.  All of those other things that we may seek are dead ends, or at least shadows of what is true life.  Physical health is a noble end.  But it is only a subordinate end, because all of us (unless the Lord returns within our lifetime) will die.  And we can die while we are completely health, while we have a minor cold or because of cancer.  But we will die.  No amount of medicine or exercise can help that.  We die because of the punishment of death which God has rightly dealt to us because we have transgressed His law.  Apart from Christ, regardless of what physical health/vitality we may appear to have, it is but an illusion.  And the moment our time is up, so will be that illusion of life.  The curtain will drop and we will appear for what we truly are…mere dead men.  However in Christ, when He appears, what we truly are will also be revealed.  The true life, which is only found in Him, in that Day will shine forth brighter than the Sun on a clear Summer day.  He Shines.  And because He shines, anyone who is in Him will also shine.  But apart from Him, there is nothing.

Last, Christ is supreme over any other form or function of life.  If He is not so in your life, you should make Him so.  Because in Him is true life.  In Him is true Grace, true Blessing, true fulfillment, true rest, true love; from which we can never be parted.  All of these things we covet in our hearts.  All of these things we seek.  But apart from Christ; we will have none of them.  So it behooves us to make Him so in all of our pursuits.  To make Him the Ultimate end in all that we do.  To “do homage to Him,” in our hearts and pursuits, as the true King and ruler of the Universe over which He eternally rules.

Christ is Supreme.  In Him is all the fullness.  And you are made full in Him.  Are you full today?

Commencement

The end of one thing and the beginning of another.

Thats the thing about us.  We are constantly in a state of flux.  Our lives are replete with change.  Ending one portion of our lives and beginning something completely different.  Its amazing how many firsts we have.  Your first day at school.  Your first day at Elementary, Middle, High school.  Your first day at College, Grad School and the like.  And then there are first dates, first children, first homes and other such firsts.

Life is chock full of firsts.  And there is generally a complementary set of lasts.  Last day at school, last date, last child, your last house, etc.  Change is really the most constant things that we have.

I say that as I contemplate my own life and how many changes that I have undergone in the past few years.  I could go down the roll, but suffice it to say that I’ve had my fair share.  Some more enjoyable than others.  Change has a way of putting things into perspective for you.  Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.  So what are we to say about all of this?  How are we to understand and manage so many changes that we go through in our lives?..

Well, to use a cleverly crafted illustration, whenever you are sitting in a car at a light and look around only to find that you appear to be moving, the first thing that you’re likely to do is to look at a stationary object in order to figure out if you are actually moving or if something else is actually moving.  You might look at a building for example.  And if that building is steady, then it is likely that you are not moving but perhaps the car next to you is moving.  Now, of course if you are in the middle of an earthquake then the whole thing falls apart.  However, all things being equal, in order to find your bearings, you look to find the things that appears itself to be stationary.

It is the same in life.  When life seems to be in a state of constant flux, which it always is, and when sometimes those things take you into areas and situations where you feel totally out of control; our only hope is to look for that one thing that is constant, that one thing that is stationary.  That is, of course, the Lord.  For He cannot be subject to change, in His essential nature.  Change would indicate a deficiency in who He is.  It would suggest a lack or incompleteness.  And that does not befit the God of scripture who Himself is perfect in every way.  He is perfectly faithful, perfectly just, perfectly Holy, perfectly loving and all manner of other attributes which are clearly revealed to us in His Word.

It stands to reason then that the most important change that we will undergo in our lives is how and what we think about God.  For what we think about God will determine the way in which we maneuver through the constant flow of change in our lives.

Let us press on then to maturity, looking unto God and His Christ with whom there is no variation nor shifting shadow, and in whom there is pure and unquenchable light.  Let us look to Him as the anchor of our hope in a world of uncertainty and turmoil.  And even in joy, let us remember that from Him comes every good and perfect thing, and that to Him belongs all of the glory.  Amen.