These words from Paul David Tripp really struck--well, convicted--me:
"Do you live a life of blessing or complaint? It is so easy to grumble. It is so easy to find fault. It is so easy to be discontent. It is so easy to find things that are less than you want them to be. It is so easy to be irritated and impatient. It is so easy to groan and moan about the difficulties of life. It is so easy to be dissatisfied."
And all God's people said, "Amen!"
How simple--and temporarily satisfying--it can be to grumble and grip...which then causes us to give in to dissatisfaction, discontentment and discouragement.
And have you noticed that such toxic attitudes are contagious? Yeah, yeah, we've all heard the old expression, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy," but goodness, it's so true! And that's because mama's ugly attitude or grumpy disposition or irritable words tend to spread like like a noxious stomach bug. Nothing's more contagious and nothing can ruin your day more quickly!
But come on. Of course it's not just mamas--it's every single one of us! Our complaining and grumbling can infect a family, a home, a church, a classroom, an organization, a small group, a workplace...you name it.
Why is griping and grumbling such a natural default mode for so many of us? I'll tell you why. Because we're sinners! That's pretty much the unvarnished, unattractive truth. I'm a sinner. You're a sinner. All God's children are sinners.
We're selfish and prideful, and oh my, we want what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. "Me, myself, and I"--and my desires and my agenda--all too quickly become the central focus of our lives....and as I've heard it said so many times, "A person all tied up in herself makes a mighty small package." Not to mention a miserably unhappy person.
Oh forgive us Father!
But here's the thing. The Bible consistently condemns grumbling and griping. For instance, remember Moses and God's chosen people in the wilderness? They were world champion complainers--and God punished them severely for all their grumbling. "And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled..." (Num.11:1). That's just one tiny example among many.
Or how about Paul's words in Phil.2:14: "Do ALL things without grumbling or questioning." I don't see much wiggle room in there, do you?
We tend to chalk complaining and griping to a lesser category of "misbehaving"--we don't even want to call it sin. But goodness gracious, this convicted me, because it is sin, plain and simple! It's essentially shaking our fist at God and saying, "Your plans for me aren't good enough. Your ways aren't the best. In fact, I think I know a lot better than You do, Lord, the way the world should operate." Ultimately we're telling God, "You're not enough, and I don't think I can trust You."
Ugh. Not a pretty picture, is it? But unless we can diagnose our disease, we won't discover the medicine that will bring healing and hope into our hearts and lives.
Here's what Tripp says: "The joy or complaint of your heart always shapes your willingness to trust God and to do His will. Complaining forgets God's grace. It ignores His presence. It fails to see the beauty of His promises. It allows the display of His splendor in creation to go unnoticed. It questions His goodness, faithfulness, and love. It wonders if He is there and if He cares. If you believe God and His control over everything that exists, then you have to accept that all of your grumbling is ultimately grumbling against Him. Yes, it is so easy to complain. It is so easy to forget the daily blessings that fall down on each of us. Our readiness to complain is another argument for the forgiving and rescuing grace that Jesus, without complaint, willingly died to give us."
Is anybody else out there convicted? Maybe I'm the only one who needed some stern (but so beneficial!) reminding today, but it's high time we put away the complaining and start counting the blessings. Yes, this side of heaven, life is most certainly not perfect...but then neither are you or I. Life holds it share of hardships...but also it's tremendous bevy of blessings.
So what's our focus? What we lack...or all we possess? Where we fall short...or Who has raised us to new life? How we've been wronged...or how infinitely much we've been forgiven?
Are we numbering our complaints...or counting our blessings?
Are you reading these words with eyes that can see? Are you breathing? Do you have any loved ones in your life? Can you smell the fresh scents of spring? Can you hear the chatter of birds? Did you have food to eat today? Is there shelter over your head? Do you own a copy of the very words of Almighty God? Have you been saved by the Savior Who has an infinite supply of His perfect love, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, power, and peace always and ever available?
That's just a teeny tiny starter list of His relentless gifts in our lives! But the way I see it, if we'll start counting the blessings, we'll run out of time, energy, and desire to count the grumbles.
Maybe it's time to stop recounting the complaints and start recording the blessings! Starting...now. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace and Your goodness. Gives us eyes to see, lips to proclaim, and hearts that rejoice in You and Your blessings. Keep us counting the right things--gifts, not grumbles.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Beauty sings of Him
"He has made everything beautiful in it's time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecc.3:11)
Something I recently heard on beauty (this is a rough paraphrase): Beauty is a gift from God to us, for the Lord uses beauty to stir our hearts and to help us see how good and great He is.
There are all kinds of beauty--from the quiet beauty of a sunset to the happy beauty of a loved one's laugh to the astounding beauty of a majestic mountain to the satisfying beauty of a meal shared with family to the peaceful beauty of a fireplace and open Bible.
When we see such beauty, what's our response? Indifference and pride...or gratitude and worship?
Do we slow down to savor that beauty and then immediately point to God--the Source and Creator of that beauty--and give Him praise?
At the moment, I'm thinking of the contented, grateful beauty of remembered moments. The beauty of thankfulness in God's goodness in even the simplest events of our lives. Just a few examples from this weekend: A wonderful dinner at Crooks with several of our children--
Thank You Lord for the beauty of those we cherish, the beauty of fellowship, the beauty of beloved places we enjoy together, and well, of course, the beauty of Mt.Airy Chocolate Soufflé cake!
Then there was the beauty of savoring one last high school prom for our senior...and the beauty of all those amazing friendships with the kids and with their families--
And just today, the beauty of watching a dear family friend, Roy, earn his Eagle Scout badge--and feeling not just proud of him but also thankful, so thankful, once again, for the gift of friendship.
Beauty sings of glory.
Yes! Every shred of beauty we glimpse in this world--whether relational beauty, creation beauty, inward heart beauty--all sings of some aspect of God's astounding, infinite, magnificent glory. And as we increasingly reflect Christ's character, we too, become more and more beautiful...inside and out. He is the Source and Creator of all beauty. He is the Beautiful One. Oh might we reflect His beauty to the world as the moon reflects the light of the sun.
One last reminder of beauty I found a few minutes ago in a book I was reading. One of Janie's dear friends in college made it for us--
Yep, that pretty much sums it up. If we want to be reflect God's beauty and bring Him glory, we must daily, moment by moment, "look to the Lord." As we look to Him, we become more like Him and increasingly radiate His astonishing, beautiful glory.
He is our radiance. He is our wisdom. He is our peace. He is our joy. He is our hope. He is our love. He is our forgiveness. He is our grace. He is our beauty. He is our glory. He is our all in all.
He is our Lord.
Thank You, Father, that You make all, all, all things beautiful in Your time...sometimes even the things or events or people that might not seem so beautiful to us at the time. In Your sovereign ways and in Your nail-scarred hands, even the ugly or confusing or difficult will one day ultimately become grace-stained beautiful.
Father, help us this day and everyday to see and savor the beauty You have created, and might we then immediately turn to give You all the thanks and glory.
Thank You for singing through Your beauty. Gives us eyes to see and ears to hear.
To God be the glory.
Something I recently heard on beauty (this is a rough paraphrase): Beauty is a gift from God to us, for the Lord uses beauty to stir our hearts and to help us see how good and great He is.
There are all kinds of beauty--from the quiet beauty of a sunset to the happy beauty of a loved one's laugh to the astounding beauty of a majestic mountain to the satisfying beauty of a meal shared with family to the peaceful beauty of a fireplace and open Bible.
When we see such beauty, what's our response? Indifference and pride...or gratitude and worship?
Do we slow down to savor that beauty and then immediately point to God--the Source and Creator of that beauty--and give Him praise?
At the moment, I'm thinking of the contented, grateful beauty of remembered moments. The beauty of thankfulness in God's goodness in even the simplest events of our lives. Just a few examples from this weekend: A wonderful dinner at Crooks with several of our children--
Then there was the beauty of savoring one last high school prom for our senior...and the beauty of all those amazing friendships with the kids and with their families--
Yes! Every shred of beauty we glimpse in this world--whether relational beauty, creation beauty, inward heart beauty--all sings of some aspect of God's astounding, infinite, magnificent glory. And as we increasingly reflect Christ's character, we too, become more and more beautiful...inside and out. He is the Source and Creator of all beauty. He is the Beautiful One. Oh might we reflect His beauty to the world as the moon reflects the light of the sun.
One last reminder of beauty I found a few minutes ago in a book I was reading. One of Janie's dear friends in college made it for us--
He is our radiance. He is our wisdom. He is our peace. He is our joy. He is our hope. He is our love. He is our forgiveness. He is our grace. He is our beauty. He is our glory. He is our all in all.
He is our Lord.
Thank You, Father, that You make all, all, all things beautiful in Your time...sometimes even the things or events or people that might not seem so beautiful to us at the time. In Your sovereign ways and in Your nail-scarred hands, even the ugly or confusing or difficult will one day ultimately become grace-stained beautiful.
Father, help us this day and everyday to see and savor the beauty You have created, and might we then immediately turn to give You all the thanks and glory.
Thank You for singing through Your beauty. Gives us eyes to see and ears to hear.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Morningus Horribilis!
A few years back, when asked about a particularly terrible time in the monarchy, Queen Elizabeth described it as the "annus horribilis." The horrible year.
Well, that phrase came to mind this morning right after my walk with Bingley--the morningus-with-our-dogus-horribilis. I wonder if they've covered that phrase yet in our son's Latin class? Maybe not.
Now in Mr.Bingley's defense, yours truly was not in the world's greatest mood when we set out on what was otherwise a spectacular spring morning. What's my excuse? How could anyone be grumpy on such a sunny, sparkling morning with azaleas and dogwoods blooming to beat the band? After all, my children are healthy--no ICU's, no crutches, no terrible diseases, praise the Lord. My creaky old body still functions, and my legs are still able to carry me down that greenway. My eyes can still see the astounding beauty all around me. My ears can still hear the glorious chorus of birds singing, and my nose can still smell the joyful scents of spring floating on the air.
So what's the excuse for my crummy mood? Seriously? None. Nada. Zippo. Only the niggling little worries of life that can steal your joy--little peace-snatchers of stresses about people I love, of an impossibly lengthy to do list, and even of a few irritable teenagers. All in all, no excuse for fussing and fretting.
Never a good idea to allow life's minor frustrations rob you of the joy, hope, and peace you should be enjoying in Christ. He died for our sins and gave us the inestimable gift of abundant, eternal life...am I really going to give in to doubting and worrying over such minor irritations? Forgive me, Father.
But back to the morningus horribilis. I won't go into great detail, but suffice it to say, Mr.B misbehaved. When a friend I ran into asked if I wanted to let him off the leash for a few minutes so he could rip and run with her dog in a big field on the greenway, it seemed like a fabulous idea. Well, that is until he found the very muddy, very horribilis creek on the far side of the field.
Like most labs, Bingley loves him some water...any kind of water, whether lake, stream, or puddle. So Mr.B proceeded to race up and down that creek. Up and back, up and back, up and back. Did I mention the creek was muddy? As in disgustingly, smelly muddy?
Bingley was having so much fun that I let him race back and forth for several minutes in that creekus horribilis (though in my defense, I was not immediately aware of how truly horribilis it was). The other dog--obviously wiser and shrewder than our enthusiastic water dog--avoided that creek like the plague. Good call on her part.
When I finally figured Mr. B. had had enough fun, I called him...and discovered I had a thoroughly wet, muddy, smelly--okay, yes, horribilis--dog on my hands. Maybe this wouldn't have been so distressing had I not had a parent meeting in a few minutes, so Bingley and I really didn't have time for a bath when we got home.
Then, on that walk back home, we passed a friend with another big black lab, and Mr.B chose that moment--when he was already on very thin ice with his already very grumpy mom--to lunge, bark, and generally act like a maniac. My friend gasped, and I could sense her shock and disapproval, which mortified and embarrassed me and left me feeling particularly horribilis towards my dog. Oh, and did I mention my back hurt too? Sure don't want to leave out any of the gory details.
When we returned home--yours truly in the most horribilis mood of the century and Bingley smelly, muddy and blithely unaware of how furious I was with him--I now had to give him a bath...and be late and filthy for my meeting. Suffice it to say, this would not be a relaxing spa-like experience for Mr.B.
Thank You, Lord, that my wonderful husband was still home, and after hearing me moan and groan and grumble and gripe, Richard proceeded to help me bath our dogus horribilis. Well, actually, Richard bathed him, while I held the leash and glared at Bingley. I must say, he looked terribly sad and repentant and my atrocious mood began to soften.
Post-bath, Mr.B was looking a bit sheepish, but happy to be sitting in the sun and no longer shivering from the blast of the hose's cold water--
Enough of all this drivel. Let me just skip to the end of the story...to the part where I realized what a nit wit I can sometimes be. Well, how about change that to "what a nit wit I can often be."
It hit me as I drove to the meeting--
Bingley misbehaved...my response was anger and frustration. I misbehave...and God's response is grace and forgiveness.
Bingley disappointed me...and I was spitting nails. I disappoint God..and He took the nails in His hands and feet.
Yes, "All we like sheep have gone astray." (Isa.53:6) We all, like Bingley, get muddy and smelly in our pride, our selfishness, our greediness...and God cleanses us from all unrighteousness and takes our filthy rags and gives us instead His clean, white robes of righteousness. (Isa.64:6)
Oh Lord Jesus, how can we ever say it often enough? Thank You, thank You, thank You for pursuing us, for cleansing us, for saving us, for redeeming us, and for sanctifying us. Please forgive us for how often we we forget the wonder of Your grace and lose sight of the glory of Your salvation. And forgive us, forgive me, for appalling ingratitude for the infinite riches of Your goodness and love.
Thank You for Your grace that is deeper than the ocean and higher than the heavens. Thank You for fresh starts...clean dogs...fresh, clean attitudes...and sparkling spring days. Thank You for Jesus.
To God be the glory.
Well, that phrase came to mind this morning right after my walk with Bingley--the morningus-with-our-dogus-horribilis. I wonder if they've covered that phrase yet in our son's Latin class? Maybe not.
Now in Mr.Bingley's defense, yours truly was not in the world's greatest mood when we set out on what was otherwise a spectacular spring morning. What's my excuse? How could anyone be grumpy on such a sunny, sparkling morning with azaleas and dogwoods blooming to beat the band? After all, my children are healthy--no ICU's, no crutches, no terrible diseases, praise the Lord. My creaky old body still functions, and my legs are still able to carry me down that greenway. My eyes can still see the astounding beauty all around me. My ears can still hear the glorious chorus of birds singing, and my nose can still smell the joyful scents of spring floating on the air.
So what's the excuse for my crummy mood? Seriously? None. Nada. Zippo. Only the niggling little worries of life that can steal your joy--little peace-snatchers of stresses about people I love, of an impossibly lengthy to do list, and even of a few irritable teenagers. All in all, no excuse for fussing and fretting.
Never a good idea to allow life's minor frustrations rob you of the joy, hope, and peace you should be enjoying in Christ. He died for our sins and gave us the inestimable gift of abundant, eternal life...am I really going to give in to doubting and worrying over such minor irritations? Forgive me, Father.
But back to the morningus horribilis. I won't go into great detail, but suffice it to say, Mr.B misbehaved. When a friend I ran into asked if I wanted to let him off the leash for a few minutes so he could rip and run with her dog in a big field on the greenway, it seemed like a fabulous idea. Well, that is until he found the very muddy, very horribilis creek on the far side of the field.
Like most labs, Bingley loves him some water...any kind of water, whether lake, stream, or puddle. So Mr.B proceeded to race up and down that creek. Up and back, up and back, up and back. Did I mention the creek was muddy? As in disgustingly, smelly muddy?
Bingley was having so much fun that I let him race back and forth for several minutes in that creekus horribilis (though in my defense, I was not immediately aware of how truly horribilis it was). The other dog--obviously wiser and shrewder than our enthusiastic water dog--avoided that creek like the plague. Good call on her part.
When I finally figured Mr. B. had had enough fun, I called him...and discovered I had a thoroughly wet, muddy, smelly--okay, yes, horribilis--dog on my hands. Maybe this wouldn't have been so distressing had I not had a parent meeting in a few minutes, so Bingley and I really didn't have time for a bath when we got home.
Then, on that walk back home, we passed a friend with another big black lab, and Mr.B chose that moment--when he was already on very thin ice with his already very grumpy mom--to lunge, bark, and generally act like a maniac. My friend gasped, and I could sense her shock and disapproval, which mortified and embarrassed me and left me feeling particularly horribilis towards my dog. Oh, and did I mention my back hurt too? Sure don't want to leave out any of the gory details.
When we returned home--yours truly in the most horribilis mood of the century and Bingley smelly, muddy and blithely unaware of how furious I was with him--I now had to give him a bath...and be late and filthy for my meeting. Suffice it to say, this would not be a relaxing spa-like experience for Mr.B.
Thank You, Lord, that my wonderful husband was still home, and after hearing me moan and groan and grumble and gripe, Richard proceeded to help me bath our dogus horribilis. Well, actually, Richard bathed him, while I held the leash and glared at Bingley. I must say, he looked terribly sad and repentant and my atrocious mood began to soften.
Post-bath, Mr.B was looking a bit sheepish, but happy to be sitting in the sun and no longer shivering from the blast of the hose's cold water--
Enough of all this drivel. Let me just skip to the end of the story...to the part where I realized what a nit wit I can sometimes be. Well, how about change that to "what a nit wit I can often be."
It hit me as I drove to the meeting--
Bingley misbehaved...my response was anger and frustration. I misbehave...and God's response is grace and forgiveness.
Bingley disappointed me...and I was spitting nails. I disappoint God..and He took the nails in His hands and feet.
Yes, "All we like sheep have gone astray." (Isa.53:6) We all, like Bingley, get muddy and smelly in our pride, our selfishness, our greediness...and God cleanses us from all unrighteousness and takes our filthy rags and gives us instead His clean, white robes of righteousness. (Isa.64:6)
Oh Lord Jesus, how can we ever say it often enough? Thank You, thank You, thank You for pursuing us, for cleansing us, for saving us, for redeeming us, and for sanctifying us. Please forgive us for how often we we forget the wonder of Your grace and lose sight of the glory of Your salvation. And forgive us, forgive me, for appalling ingratitude for the infinite riches of Your goodness and love.
Thank You for Your grace that is deeper than the ocean and higher than the heavens. Thank You for fresh starts...clean dogs...fresh, clean attitudes...and sparkling spring days. Thank You for Jesus.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
His sacrifice...our privilege
A little food for weekend thought--
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom.12:1-2)
Such powerful, convicting, counter-cultural words. To offer ourselves--our hands, feet, legs, arms, hearts, heads--as living sacrifices to the One who sacrificed everything for us. How quickly and easily we claim our rights, insist on our desires, demand our prerogatives. And how reluctantly we (or should I say, I) sacrifice our time, our possessions, our very bodies on the altar of worship.
Oh forgive us, forgive me, Father.
Such a sacrifice always ultimately results in joyful worship and glorious praise to our God. As Hebrews 13:15 puts it, "Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name." Oh might we daily, constantly offer up that sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord with our lips, our attitudes, and our actions.
But here's the thing--we simply can never ever out-give Almighty God! What is any sacrifice on our part, really, in comparison with the sacrifice Christ made for us? It's like comparing a a microscopic molecule of water with the vast ocean. No comparison!
David Livingstone wrote: "People talk about the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and thought! It was emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege...I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."
Nate Saint was one of the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians while attempting to bring them the Good News of God's salvation through Jesus Christ. Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, and the others offered the ultimate sacrifice of their bodies and their very lives in their service to and love for their Savior. Yet Saint once wrote, "If we could only grasp the significance of the Incarnation, the word 'sacrifice' would disappear from our vocabulary."
Today, consider it a high and holy privilege when God allows and accepts any kind of "sacrifice" on your part. Men and women across this globe are literally sacrificing their very lives for their belief in the Lord Jesus. If they can die for Him, how can we not willingly, joyfully, offer Him our time, our bodies, our priorities, our possessions, our sleep, our reputation, our words, our desires, and our thoughts?
Lord, every single bit of it is Yours. All yours. We place it all at Your nail-scarred feet.
Thank You for the privilege of sacrificially worshipping and serving You. Thank You, thank You, thank You, Jesus, for paying the greatest cost and making the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.
To God be the glory.
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom.12:1-2)
Such powerful, convicting, counter-cultural words. To offer ourselves--our hands, feet, legs, arms, hearts, heads--as living sacrifices to the One who sacrificed everything for us. How quickly and easily we claim our rights, insist on our desires, demand our prerogatives. And how reluctantly we (or should I say, I) sacrifice our time, our possessions, our very bodies on the altar of worship.
Oh forgive us, forgive me, Father.
Such a sacrifice always ultimately results in joyful worship and glorious praise to our God. As Hebrews 13:15 puts it, "Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name." Oh might we daily, constantly offer up that sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord with our lips, our attitudes, and our actions.
But here's the thing--we simply can never ever out-give Almighty God! What is any sacrifice on our part, really, in comparison with the sacrifice Christ made for us? It's like comparing a a microscopic molecule of water with the vast ocean. No comparison!
David Livingstone wrote: "People talk about the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and thought! It was emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege...I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."
Nate Saint was one of the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians while attempting to bring them the Good News of God's salvation through Jesus Christ. Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, and the others offered the ultimate sacrifice of their bodies and their very lives in their service to and love for their Savior. Yet Saint once wrote, "If we could only grasp the significance of the Incarnation, the word 'sacrifice' would disappear from our vocabulary."
Today, consider it a high and holy privilege when God allows and accepts any kind of "sacrifice" on your part. Men and women across this globe are literally sacrificing their very lives for their belief in the Lord Jesus. If they can die for Him, how can we not willingly, joyfully, offer Him our time, our bodies, our priorities, our possessions, our sleep, our reputation, our words, our desires, and our thoughts?
Lord, every single bit of it is Yours. All yours. We place it all at Your nail-scarred feet.
Thank You for the privilege of sacrificially worshipping and serving You. Thank You, thank You, thank You, Jesus, for paying the greatest cost and making the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
A sustaining word
"Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good works." (Heb.10:24)
I was reminded of this beautiful truth by a wonderful bowl given to me by an amazing group of women in our Bible study--
Now that's a good work, don't you think?
Rather than pondering all the ways someone is irritating you....or the times they've failed to come through...or all the ways they need to improve (in your humble opinion), how about thinking about, pondering, and considering all the ways you can build them up, love them, and encourage them to be God's very best?
Oh boy, don't we need each other? Don't we need one another when our strength is flagging, our joy is leaking, and our hope is disappearing? Don't we need to encourage one another in the Lord? Don't we need to exhort each other--"Don't quit! Keep running the race by faith! (Heb.12:1-3) Keep persevering! Look to Jesus, lean on Jesus, love Jesus--He is mighty to save, ready to move, and able to do abundantly more than all you could ask or imagine. (Eph.3:20) The finish line is in sight--so keep running!"
How grateful I am for the priceless gift of family, friends, and sisters and brothers in Christ. How often these irreplaceable, beautiful people in my life have showered me with grace, with love, with forgiveness, with hope, with joy. And I want to be someone who encourages them as well. Oh Lord, please make me an instrument of grace, encouragement, and strength to others!
I love the words of Isaiah 50:4--"The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning He awakens; He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught."
That's what I pray my words--whether written or spoken--do for others: "sustain with a word him who is weary."
Isn't that what we all need? Sometimes life can be so hard. So wearisome. So downright discouraging. And what we all desperately require is a sustaining word. A strengthening word. An encouraging word. A loving word.
Translation?--what we all really need is a word from the Word. We need the Living Word--the Lord Jesus--and we need His written Word. We don't need more expert advice. We don't need more spin from pundits. We don't need self-improvement jargon. We don't need empty, meaningless drivel.
Nope--we need the Living Word Who is our sustenance, and we need His written and spoken Word that sustains. And we--you, me, the Body of Believers--need to be the men and women who share that life-giving, life-sustaining Word.
In the words of a powerful song by Casting Crowns: Jesus, Friend of Sinners--"Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded. What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did...You love every lost cause; You reach for the outcast. For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came. Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast. But You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet. 'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever..."
Yep, that pretty much sums it up--I was that lost cause. I was and am that grateful leper at His feet. He died for sinners such as me...and you. Because He is good--so so good--and so loving, so wise, so powerful, so holy, and so full of grace and mercy.
What gloriously great news! How dare we not share it with a lost and dying world? And how dare we miss the opportunity--any and every opportunity--to encourage our family and friends with a sustaining word?
Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. Thank You for all the myriad ways You sustain and strengthen us every single day. Oh Lord Jesus, thank You thank You thank You for Who You are, for all You have done, and for all You are doing in our lives and in our world. Help us, teach us, enable us to be vehicles of Your sustaining mercy, grace and love to those around us.
Today, today, let's share a sustaining word with someone God puts in our path.
To God be the glory.
I was reminded of this beautiful truth by a wonderful bowl given to me by an amazing group of women in our Bible study--
Now that's a good work, don't you think?
Rather than pondering all the ways someone is irritating you....or the times they've failed to come through...or all the ways they need to improve (in your humble opinion), how about thinking about, pondering, and considering all the ways you can build them up, love them, and encourage them to be God's very best?
Oh boy, don't we need each other? Don't we need one another when our strength is flagging, our joy is leaking, and our hope is disappearing? Don't we need to encourage one another in the Lord? Don't we need to exhort each other--"Don't quit! Keep running the race by faith! (Heb.12:1-3) Keep persevering! Look to Jesus, lean on Jesus, love Jesus--He is mighty to save, ready to move, and able to do abundantly more than all you could ask or imagine. (Eph.3:20) The finish line is in sight--so keep running!"
How grateful I am for the priceless gift of family, friends, and sisters and brothers in Christ. How often these irreplaceable, beautiful people in my life have showered me with grace, with love, with forgiveness, with hope, with joy. And I want to be someone who encourages them as well. Oh Lord, please make me an instrument of grace, encouragement, and strength to others!
I love the words of Isaiah 50:4--"The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning He awakens; He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught."
That's what I pray my words--whether written or spoken--do for others: "sustain with a word him who is weary."
Isn't that what we all need? Sometimes life can be so hard. So wearisome. So downright discouraging. And what we all desperately require is a sustaining word. A strengthening word. An encouraging word. A loving word.
Translation?--what we all really need is a word from the Word. We need the Living Word--the Lord Jesus--and we need His written Word. We don't need more expert advice. We don't need more spin from pundits. We don't need self-improvement jargon. We don't need empty, meaningless drivel.
Nope--we need the Living Word Who is our sustenance, and we need His written and spoken Word that sustains. And we--you, me, the Body of Believers--need to be the men and women who share that life-giving, life-sustaining Word.
In the words of a powerful song by Casting Crowns: Jesus, Friend of Sinners--"Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded. What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did...You love every lost cause; You reach for the outcast. For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came. Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast. But You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet. 'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever..."
Yep, that pretty much sums it up--I was that lost cause. I was and am that grateful leper at His feet. He died for sinners such as me...and you. Because He is good--so so good--and so loving, so wise, so powerful, so holy, and so full of grace and mercy.
What gloriously great news! How dare we not share it with a lost and dying world? And how dare we miss the opportunity--any and every opportunity--to encourage our family and friends with a sustaining word?
Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. Thank You for all the myriad ways You sustain and strengthen us every single day. Oh Lord Jesus, thank You thank You thank You for Who You are, for all You have done, and for all You are doing in our lives and in our world. Help us, teach us, enable us to be vehicles of Your sustaining mercy, grace and love to those around us.
Today, today, let's share a sustaining word with someone God puts in our path.
To God be the glory.
Friday, April 10, 2015
What I've learned
Tomorrow I have the privilege of being on a panel with two other seasoned (I like this word a lot better than my original choice of "old-timer") moms. We're hoping to share with a group of amazing young mamas some lessons we've gleaned over the years of living, loving, and parenting our children.
Here's how I would sum up what I know: Grace.
Seriously, every single bit of it is grace, grace, and more grace--
The grace of God to bless us with the incalculable gift of our priceless children. Why God would give us these five beautiful, eternal souls I will never, ever understand. It's, plain and simple, grace beyond all comprehension.
So yes, God's good grace in blessing us with these children, but then also the desperate need for daily grace. The grace of strength when you're completely empty. The grace of love when you've got nada. The grace of wisdom when your brain has turned to mush. The grace of prayer when you've come to the end of your pitiful resources. The grace of persevering faith and hope when the way ahead looks dark and dreary. The grace of joy--God's indefatigable joy--even in the muck and mire and messiness of life. Parenting--like all of life--is simply all, all, all by His grace.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--so that no one can boast." (Eph.2:8-9) "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb.4:16) "But He give gives more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace the humble." (James 4:6)
Grace, amazing grace. That, in a nutshell, is what I've learned in 25 years of parenting--it's all by grace...every single challenging, exhilarating, frightening, fulfilling, anxious, wondrous, exhausting, and joyous moment of being a mama.
But I will also add one more very important lesson I've learned--one for which I wish I could go back in time and preach to my much younger, often stressed-out-trying-to-be-the-perfect-mom-but-failing self. And it would be this: Savor these moments.
Yes, yes, you've heard it ad nauseam, but since you're reading this, maybe, just maybe, you need reminding. Because it's true for every one of us--no matter whether you're young or old, parent or not, man or woman: slow down and savor.
Savor these irreplaceable moments with your children, your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your friends. God has given you these precious-beyond-all-imagining people in your life...and neither they, nor you, will be here forever. Heaven's coming--praise God--but the Lord's only giving you this day, this hour, this moment with the people you love right now so that you can truly see them, love them, encourage them, appreciate them, and savor them.
Savor the people. Savor the little, tiny moments of laughter, sharing, eating, riding, walking. Savor the everyday, the commonplace. Believe me, if you lost that regular routine, you would be wondering how on earth you could have possibly taken it for granted. So instead of letting it all just slide by you unnoticed and unappreciated, slow down right now and savor each part of the ordinary, but oh so beautiful, life the Lord has given you.
Don't miss the opportunity right now--right now--to savor the gifts God has given you. In children, spouse, family, friends, home, job, chores, church, hobbies, favorite foods, dog, trees, birds, books...The list goes on and on and on. So many gifts, so much to savor.
And most of all: savor the Savior. Don't miss savoring the One who gave up eternity to give you eternal Life. Such grace unimaginable. Such love indescribable. Such forgiveness inconceivable. Don't miss a single day of savoring the Savior.
Grace...and savor--that's what I've learned. Pretty simple...but then, I'm a pretty simple person. But these are two lessons I continue to appreciate and, by the grace of God, will continue to practice. Day by day by day.
Grace and savor. All by His grace. All for His glory.
To God be the glory.
Here's how I would sum up what I know: Grace.
Seriously, every single bit of it is grace, grace, and more grace--
The grace of God to bless us with the incalculable gift of our priceless children. Why God would give us these five beautiful, eternal souls I will never, ever understand. It's, plain and simple, grace beyond all comprehension.
So yes, God's good grace in blessing us with these children, but then also the desperate need for daily grace. The grace of strength when you're completely empty. The grace of love when you've got nada. The grace of wisdom when your brain has turned to mush. The grace of prayer when you've come to the end of your pitiful resources. The grace of persevering faith and hope when the way ahead looks dark and dreary. The grace of joy--God's indefatigable joy--even in the muck and mire and messiness of life. Parenting--like all of life--is simply all, all, all by His grace.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--so that no one can boast." (Eph.2:8-9) "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb.4:16) "But He give gives more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace the humble." (James 4:6)
Grace, amazing grace. That, in a nutshell, is what I've learned in 25 years of parenting--it's all by grace...every single challenging, exhilarating, frightening, fulfilling, anxious, wondrous, exhausting, and joyous moment of being a mama.
But I will also add one more very important lesson I've learned--one for which I wish I could go back in time and preach to my much younger, often stressed-out-trying-to-be-the-perfect-mom-but-failing self. And it would be this: Savor these moments.
Yes, yes, you've heard it ad nauseam, but since you're reading this, maybe, just maybe, you need reminding. Because it's true for every one of us--no matter whether you're young or old, parent or not, man or woman: slow down and savor.
Savor these irreplaceable moments with your children, your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your friends. God has given you these precious-beyond-all-imagining people in your life...and neither they, nor you, will be here forever. Heaven's coming--praise God--but the Lord's only giving you this day, this hour, this moment with the people you love right now so that you can truly see them, love them, encourage them, appreciate them, and savor them.
Savor the people. Savor the little, tiny moments of laughter, sharing, eating, riding, walking. Savor the everyday, the commonplace. Believe me, if you lost that regular routine, you would be wondering how on earth you could have possibly taken it for granted. So instead of letting it all just slide by you unnoticed and unappreciated, slow down right now and savor each part of the ordinary, but oh so beautiful, life the Lord has given you.
Don't miss the opportunity right now--right now--to savor the gifts God has given you. In children, spouse, family, friends, home, job, chores, church, hobbies, favorite foods, dog, trees, birds, books...The list goes on and on and on. So many gifts, so much to savor.
And most of all: savor the Savior. Don't miss savoring the One who gave up eternity to give you eternal Life. Such grace unimaginable. Such love indescribable. Such forgiveness inconceivable. Don't miss a single day of savoring the Savior.
Grace...and savor--that's what I've learned. Pretty simple...but then, I'm a pretty simple person. But these are two lessons I continue to appreciate and, by the grace of God, will continue to practice. Day by day by day.
Grace and savor. All by His grace. All for His glory.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Plodding!
Can I just add a little addendum to yesterday's post?
Just this morning I read these words by one of my favorite writers, Robert Morgan: "It's easier to plot than to plod, but both are necessary."
Meaning--yes, we need to plot and plan, but life is primarily composed of lots of plodding...of putting one foot in front of the other and doing the work that needs to be done. Even when you don't feel like it.
Kind of like today--definitely a plodding kind of day where there's work to be done, but the old energy and motivation is flagging. Like one of my mom's pillows used to read: "My get up and go...got up and went!"
The word plod apparently comes from an Old English word meaning "puddle." (Which would make it Bingley's favorite word since he loves, loves, loves a puddle...but I digress.) Thus, someone who is a good plodder "is willing to get his feet wet and wade through the mud and mire to arrive at his destination." Oftentimes that's what it takes, doesn't it? Simply persevering and doing what God's called you to do at the time, even when the going gets tough or uncertain or frustrating or unrewarding.
One more quote from Rob Morgan: "Success is doing our work one task at at a time, one step at a time, one moment at a time, relishing the smallness of it while trusting God for its power to change the world through chain reactions of blessings we'll recognize only in heaven. So we must practice the power of plodding and despise not the day of small things."
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." (Prov.16:3) And "let us us also lay aside every weight [for me, right now: the weight of laziness, lack of desire and energy] and sin which clings so closely [Amen!], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith" (Heb.12:1-2).
So here's to plodding!...while keeping my eyes focused on Jesus (and that makes all the difference).
But I also have to add that sometimes a visual aid helps us in the midst of the plodding. My visual aid came in the form of my new favorite picture our daughter texted us this morning from Chapel Hill. Her caption reads "My favorite place to do work"--
Gotta love the toes. And the view of the Planetarium. And the Carolina blue sky. And just generally the whole idea of reading and studying on the KD front porch in one of God's best places on the planet.
So yeah, as I'm plodding, I've decided to imagine that I'm doing my work right there on that porch... shoes off, sunglasses on, book in lap. I may be plodding on the outside...but it's "Carolina in my mind" on the inside! And Jesus just up ahead. Thank You, Lord.
To God be the glory.
Just this morning I read these words by one of my favorite writers, Robert Morgan: "It's easier to plot than to plod, but both are necessary."
Meaning--yes, we need to plot and plan, but life is primarily composed of lots of plodding...of putting one foot in front of the other and doing the work that needs to be done. Even when you don't feel like it.
Kind of like today--definitely a plodding kind of day where there's work to be done, but the old energy and motivation is flagging. Like one of my mom's pillows used to read: "My get up and go...got up and went!"
The word plod apparently comes from an Old English word meaning "puddle." (Which would make it Bingley's favorite word since he loves, loves, loves a puddle...but I digress.) Thus, someone who is a good plodder "is willing to get his feet wet and wade through the mud and mire to arrive at his destination." Oftentimes that's what it takes, doesn't it? Simply persevering and doing what God's called you to do at the time, even when the going gets tough or uncertain or frustrating or unrewarding.
One more quote from Rob Morgan: "Success is doing our work one task at at a time, one step at a time, one moment at a time, relishing the smallness of it while trusting God for its power to change the world through chain reactions of blessings we'll recognize only in heaven. So we must practice the power of plodding and despise not the day of small things."
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." (Prov.16:3) And "let us us also lay aside every weight [for me, right now: the weight of laziness, lack of desire and energy] and sin which clings so closely [Amen!], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith" (Heb.12:1-2).
So here's to plodding!...while keeping my eyes focused on Jesus (and that makes all the difference).
But I also have to add that sometimes a visual aid helps us in the midst of the plodding. My visual aid came in the form of my new favorite picture our daughter texted us this morning from Chapel Hill. Her caption reads "My favorite place to do work"--
So yeah, as I'm plodding, I've decided to imagine that I'm doing my work right there on that porch... shoes off, sunglasses on, book in lap. I may be plodding on the outside...but it's "Carolina in my mind" on the inside! And Jesus just up ahead. Thank You, Lord.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The Tuesday after Easter
Well, it's Tuesday after Easter...and I had planned to reflect upon and write about each day of Holy Week. Clearly my follow-through didn't quite measure up to my intentions. Sigh. Sounds all too familiar. Thank You, Lord, for grace. Thank You for loving us just as much on those multiple occasions when we fail as on those few occasions when we succeed.
But oh my how I wish that my follow-through could match my proposed plans.
For instance, here's my plan for this week: finally get going on cleaning out all the clutter in our house and giving it away; writing about three million thank you notes; deliver a number of overdue birthday presents to friends; clean out my slightly gross car (okay, my very gross car); finish reading three books I'm partway through; start reading that new book on the Puritans I just ordered...and finish it this decade; clean and organize my closet...and the children's closets...well, and the whole house; cook a real live, home-cooked meal that our children will actually eat (hope springs eternal); have devotions with the boys every single day no matter what (hope springs eternal, part II); write this blog; begin writing that book I've always dreamed of writing...and doing it before the year 2050 (hope springs eternal, part III); write letters to all my children telling them how much I love them; get going on all those projects I've been putting off until after Bible study lectures were done for the year; encourage someone in the Lord everyday. Oh yeah, and walk Mr. Bingley who's looking at me right now with a slightly reproachful look in his eyes.
Alrighty then...I'm thinking this is so doable this week.
Yeah right.
So before moving on to all that is before me, I wanted to reflect for just a moment more on Easter. And here's what I'm thinking: Thank You thank You thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You, Jesus, for coming. Thank You for staying. Thank You for dying. Thank You for rising. Thank You for the cross that covered all our sin. Thank You for Your empty tomb...for You are alive! Thank you for Your grace...Your love...Your forgiveness...Your power...Your patience...Your perfection...Your righteousness...Your glory. Thank You for the priceless gift of salvation. Thank You for never giving up on us...and for never letting up on us. Thank You for Easter hope and resurrection glory.
And thank You for reminding me once again that our greatest joy in life comes not from possessions and accomplishments, but from relationships--our relationship with You and with those we love. Thank You for the joy, joy, joy of having all our children home for Easter...truly a little tiny taste of heaven.
If I fail to get one thing crossed off my to do list, Father, help me to love--to love You and those You've so graciously placed in my life--and to love extravagantly, unselfishly, continually. And I can love, because You first loved me. (I John 4:19)
Lord, help us to live our mundane moments and days in the weeks to come with the continual remembrance of Easter and the constant awareness that we worship and follow a risen, resurrected Savior!
It may be the Tuesday after Easter...but it's still Resurrection Sunday in our hearts. Keep us rejoicing, Lord! To God be the glory.
But oh my how I wish that my follow-through could match my proposed plans.
For instance, here's my plan for this week: finally get going on cleaning out all the clutter in our house and giving it away; writing about three million thank you notes; deliver a number of overdue birthday presents to friends; clean out my slightly gross car (okay, my very gross car); finish reading three books I'm partway through; start reading that new book on the Puritans I just ordered...and finish it this decade; clean and organize my closet...and the children's closets...well, and the whole house; cook a real live, home-cooked meal that our children will actually eat (hope springs eternal); have devotions with the boys every single day no matter what (hope springs eternal, part II); write this blog; begin writing that book I've always dreamed of writing...and doing it before the year 2050 (hope springs eternal, part III); write letters to all my children telling them how much I love them; get going on all those projects I've been putting off until after Bible study lectures were done for the year; encourage someone in the Lord everyday. Oh yeah, and walk Mr. Bingley who's looking at me right now with a slightly reproachful look in his eyes.
Alrighty then...I'm thinking this is so doable this week.
Yeah right.
So before moving on to all that is before me, I wanted to reflect for just a moment more on Easter. And here's what I'm thinking: Thank You thank You thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You, Jesus, for coming. Thank You for staying. Thank You for dying. Thank You for rising. Thank You for the cross that covered all our sin. Thank You for Your empty tomb...for You are alive! Thank you for Your grace...Your love...Your forgiveness...Your power...Your patience...Your perfection...Your righteousness...Your glory. Thank You for the priceless gift of salvation. Thank You for never giving up on us...and for never letting up on us. Thank You for Easter hope and resurrection glory.
And thank You for reminding me once again that our greatest joy in life comes not from possessions and accomplishments, but from relationships--our relationship with You and with those we love. Thank You for the joy, joy, joy of having all our children home for Easter...truly a little tiny taste of heaven.
Lord, help us to live our mundane moments and days in the weeks to come with the continual remembrance of Easter and the constant awareness that we worship and follow a risen, resurrected Savior!
It may be the Tuesday after Easter...but it's still Resurrection Sunday in our hearts. Keep us rejoicing, Lord! To God be the glory.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Wednesday and continuing...
Wednesday of Holy Week. I just learned that this day is sometimes called "Spy Wednesday," referring to the actions of Judas in "spying" on Jesus in preparation of betraying the Messiah. Even writing those words sends shivers down my spine--imagine "spying" on the One who formed your eyes and knows your very thoughts before you think them? Think of betraying the Messiah who would quite literally die in order to save you?
On this Wednesday of Holy Week, the Scriptures record essentially two things happening simultaneously: Jesus continued teaching in the temple area while the Sanhedrin and other religious authorities schemed to kill Him. They plotted...but Jesus kept right on teaching and loving and seeking to reach the lost. Their evil machinations did not deter Him one iota.
I love the simple words of Luke 21:37-38 "And every day He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him."
The chief priests and elders gathered to plot how they would arrest and kill Jesus (Mt.26:3-5)...but Jesus continued teaching, even getting up early in the morning to speak to the people. In the words of Luke 22:1-2, "And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death, for they feared the people"...but Jesus continued teaching.
They connived...Jesus continued. They colluded...Jesus continued. They conspired...Jesus continued.
Nothing, nothing, nothing would deter our Savior from completing His work and mission on this earth. He had "set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Lk.9:51) to die for the sins of the world and give His children eternal life. No matter the opposition, the betrayal, the animosity, the agony, Jesus would not quit until He could say on that cross: "It. Is. Finished."
And so, until all was accomplished, Jesus would continue...and continue...and continue. Faithfully, so faithfully all the way to the very end. Till it was, indeed, finished and accomplished, and our sin debt was "tetelestai"--"Paid in full."
Gratitude is a completely inadequate word for what I feel right now for Jesus' perseverance on my (and our) behalf. Like those pharisees, I, too, am a schemer and conniver. Yet Jesus continued all the way to the end to secure my salvation, utterly undeserving though I am.
Like Judas, I, too, have betrayed my Lord in my thoughts, my actions, my inactions, my words, yet my Savior continued.
Like those fickle crowds shouting "Hosanna" one moment and "Crucify Him!" the next, I, too, have fallen prey to the complaining, sinful, ugly mentality of "But what have You done for me lately, Jesus?"
And yet, incredibly, shockingly, gloriously, my Lord and my God continued and did not quit until He had died the death I deserved...to give the Life I never, ever could deserve.
No wonder it's called "amazing grace." His scandalous, wonderful, amazing grace.
What can one do in the face of such gracious, persevering, continuing love...save fall to your knees in amazement and adoration? Once again, I'm simply left saying, "Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus."
Oh Father, help us, too, to continue--and not to quit, not to flag, not to waiver--in whatever work You have called us to do during our brief dance of life. Help us to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." (Heb.12:1-3)
Keep us running faithfully, Lord. Help us to look to and consider Jesus and endure. Enable us to continue and continue and continue...all the way to Your glorious finish line. It's just ahead...oh, keep us faithfully continuing, Abba.
To God be the glory.
On this Wednesday of Holy Week, the Scriptures record essentially two things happening simultaneously: Jesus continued teaching in the temple area while the Sanhedrin and other religious authorities schemed to kill Him. They plotted...but Jesus kept right on teaching and loving and seeking to reach the lost. Their evil machinations did not deter Him one iota.
I love the simple words of Luke 21:37-38 "And every day He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him."
The chief priests and elders gathered to plot how they would arrest and kill Jesus (Mt.26:3-5)...but Jesus continued teaching, even getting up early in the morning to speak to the people. In the words of Luke 22:1-2, "And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death, for they feared the people"...but Jesus continued teaching.
They connived...Jesus continued. They colluded...Jesus continued. They conspired...Jesus continued.
Nothing, nothing, nothing would deter our Savior from completing His work and mission on this earth. He had "set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Lk.9:51) to die for the sins of the world and give His children eternal life. No matter the opposition, the betrayal, the animosity, the agony, Jesus would not quit until He could say on that cross: "It. Is. Finished."
And so, until all was accomplished, Jesus would continue...and continue...and continue. Faithfully, so faithfully all the way to the very end. Till it was, indeed, finished and accomplished, and our sin debt was "tetelestai"--"Paid in full."
Gratitude is a completely inadequate word for what I feel right now for Jesus' perseverance on my (and our) behalf. Like those pharisees, I, too, am a schemer and conniver. Yet Jesus continued all the way to the end to secure my salvation, utterly undeserving though I am.
Like Judas, I, too, have betrayed my Lord in my thoughts, my actions, my inactions, my words, yet my Savior continued.
Like those fickle crowds shouting "Hosanna" one moment and "Crucify Him!" the next, I, too, have fallen prey to the complaining, sinful, ugly mentality of "But what have You done for me lately, Jesus?"
And yet, incredibly, shockingly, gloriously, my Lord and my God continued and did not quit until He had died the death I deserved...to give the Life I never, ever could deserve.
No wonder it's called "amazing grace." His scandalous, wonderful, amazing grace.
What can one do in the face of such gracious, persevering, continuing love...save fall to your knees in amazement and adoration? Once again, I'm simply left saying, "Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus."
Oh Father, help us, too, to continue--and not to quit, not to flag, not to waiver--in whatever work You have called us to do during our brief dance of life. Help us to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." (Heb.12:1-3)
Keep us running faithfully, Lord. Help us to look to and consider Jesus and endure. Enable us to continue and continue and continue...all the way to Your glorious finish line. It's just ahead...oh, keep us faithfully continuing, Abba.
To God be the glory.
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