"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoke by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name, Immanuel' (which means 'God with us'). (Mt.1:23)
"God with us." Have you really considered what this means? Right this moment, in the midst of the frenzy to celebrate Christmas (though the world has no idea we're celebrating the birthday of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords), can't we pause for a moment of Sabbath sanity to consider anew this astounding, life and destiny altering truth--God. With. Us.
Have we perhaps lost sight of the wonder of who He is and why He came in the midst of all the busyness and craziness? Well then, let me remind you--as I've reminded myself--God with us.
The God who is with us is the Almighty, all-glorious, omnipotent, omniscient Creator and Sustainer of all that we see and of the most unimaginably distant galaxies and the tiniest, most infinitesimal atomic structure. Yes, that Lord of glory and wonder and perfection and steadfast love and grace and holiness and compassion, He is "God with us." God with you. Right now. Whether you're mired in the midst of the deepest sorrow or sailing along the wings of wondrous joy. Whether you're stuck in the muddy middle of some challenge or difficulty that seems to have no end or coming home to promising beginnings or happy completions.
On your very best day, He is "God with us." And on your very worst, when you've failed and forgotten Him and given up and maybe even quit, well, He is still "God with us. " Ever-faithful. Ever-forgiving. Ever-loving. Ever-sustaining. The God of fresh starts and new mercies, day or night. The God of "Let's begin again, right here, right now, because I am with you and for you and in you. I am Immanuel, God with us."
Oh how overwhelmed and thankful I am that He is "God with us." But let me close with the powerful words of Charles Spurgeon. Please read slowly and savor and then pause to thank the Lord that He is God. With. Us. Always and forever. Spurgeon writes--
"This is his name, 'God with us,'—God with us, by his incarnation, for the august Creator of the world did walk upon this globe; he who made ten thousand orbs, each of them more mighty and more vast than this earth, became the inhabitant of this tiny atom. He, who was from everlasting to everlasting, came to this world of time, and stood upon the narrow neck of land betwixt the two unbounded seas. 'God with us': he has not lost that name – Jesus had that name on earth, and he has it now in heaven. He is now 'God with us.' Believer, he is God with thee, to protect thee; thou art not alone, because the Saviour is with thee. Put me in the desert, where vegetation grows not; I can still say, 'God with us.' Put me on the wild ocean, and let my ship dance madly on the waves; I would still say, 'Immanuel, God with us.' Mount me on the sunbeam, and let me fly beyond the western sea; still I would say, 'God with us.' Let my body dive down into the depths of the ocean, and let me hide in its caverns; still I could, as a child of God, say, 'God with us.' Ay, and in the grave, sleeping there in corruption, still I can see the footmarks of Jesus; he trod the path of all his people, and still his name is 'God with us.'"
Praise You, Lord, praise You, our Immanuel--God with us--and to You be all the glory.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Savior-Warrior-Baby
How I love the Advent season. These days and weeks to prepare for the Savior's coming--to contemplate what Jesus' birth means, to still our frantic busyness for some part of everyday that we might wonder at the astonishing, glorious Gift God has given us in His Son--the Lord God Almighty wrapped in fragile infant flesh.
Who could possibly imagine such a scenario? The Lord lying in a lowly feeding rough? The King of Kings arriving without any worldly fanfare or comforts? The Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe born as an utterly helpless and weak newborn? The Greatest allowed Himself to become smallest; the Highest became lowest; the Infinite and Eternal became finite and limited. All out of His unimaginably great love for us--for you, for me.
But in these days of Advent, as you contemplate who He is and why He came--for your redemption, praise God!--please don't allow Jesus to remain as that powerless, fragile infant. Yes, that's how He came, and how thankful we all should be for such a God. But He was and is so infinitely much more. He is your Conquering King who defeated sin and death for you. He is your Comforter who with comfort and encourage and guide you like no other. He is your Wisdom. He is your Joy. He is your Hope. He is your Peace. He is your Love who loves with His perfect love. He is your Grace. He is your Emmanuel who is always, always, always with you and in you.
But He is also your Lion of Judah. Oh please, please remember that the baby Jesus is also the conquering, fierce, omnipotent Lion of Judah. He is Lord God Almighty, and there is none other.
I have never forgotten the words of our dear friend, David Dwight, when our Janie was unconscious in the hospital. I've shared them before but they are worth sharing again (and again!), because we all need the reminder of who our Savior is and what He is able to do. We have so many very dear friends who are enduring deep suffering and sorrow right now. And this Advent--surely like every Advent--finds many folks struggling mightily just to find the courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And so might we all remember--
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
David said he spoke with a Biblical languages scholar and asked him for his thoughts on this passage. Here are David's words: "I will never forget his answer. He said, "David, in verse 13, it says a "the heavenly host" appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and peace to men on whom his favor rests." "This translation," he said, "is far too mild. The word that the translators have called "host" in english is unequivocally the word "army" in greek. The word is "stratia" and it is always and everywhere translated army. In this regard, the Bible is saying that at the birth of Jesus, the sky was filled with a heavenly army - and what they said to the shepherds was something that feels much more like, "Glory to God, this is war, but don't be afraid.""
When he said it, I was frankly stunned. He said, "David, this is more fitting to the reality that Jesus was born to win the ultimate battle, and the capstone of that victory is the resurrection. The heavenly army said to the shepherds in essence, "you needn't be afraid, God does the battling and will win the big war. You trust and walk with this savior-warrior-baby, and be at peace that the Lord's armies are doing the battling and that the victory will be won. That's why you can rejoice - the victory will be won."
It has forever changed my sense of Christmas, in a way that gives me strength and hope."
And it has forever changed mine as well. If you are in the midst of some sorrow or deep disappointment or great loss, please remember who this baby was and is--He is the Savior-Warrior-Baby. He is the mighty Lion of Judah, and He is battling for you...and He will always always always win the war. We might feel tempest tossed, but our Lion, our Aslan, our Conquering King, our Savior-Warrior-Baby is fully, completely in control. Our Lion of Judah will carry us through the storm, and one day He will still every storm, defeat every foe, wipe away every tear, and replace every sorrow with His perfect and unending joy. And nothing and nobody can stop Him.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming. Thank You for coming as a fragile, helpless baby who understands all our weaknesses and fears. But thank You also that You are our Conquering King--our Savior-Warrior-Baby who will swallow up death in victory.
Yes, Aslan, You are on the move and so even as we grieve, we can grieve with hope and with the sure and certain knowledge that You will right every wrong and reign victorious forever and ever. To the Savior-Warrior-Baby, to our Lion of Judah, be all the glory.
Who could possibly imagine such a scenario? The Lord lying in a lowly feeding rough? The King of Kings arriving without any worldly fanfare or comforts? The Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe born as an utterly helpless and weak newborn? The Greatest allowed Himself to become smallest; the Highest became lowest; the Infinite and Eternal became finite and limited. All out of His unimaginably great love for us--for you, for me.
But in these days of Advent, as you contemplate who He is and why He came--for your redemption, praise God!--please don't allow Jesus to remain as that powerless, fragile infant. Yes, that's how He came, and how thankful we all should be for such a God. But He was and is so infinitely much more. He is your Conquering King who defeated sin and death for you. He is your Comforter who with comfort and encourage and guide you like no other. He is your Wisdom. He is your Joy. He is your Hope. He is your Peace. He is your Love who loves with His perfect love. He is your Grace. He is your Emmanuel who is always, always, always with you and in you.
But He is also your Lion of Judah. Oh please, please remember that the baby Jesus is also the conquering, fierce, omnipotent Lion of Judah. He is Lord God Almighty, and there is none other.
I have never forgotten the words of our dear friend, David Dwight, when our Janie was unconscious in the hospital. I've shared them before but they are worth sharing again (and again!), because we all need the reminder of who our Savior is and what He is able to do. We have so many very dear friends who are enduring deep suffering and sorrow right now. And this Advent--surely like every Advent--finds many folks struggling mightily just to find the courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And so might we all remember--
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When he said it, I was frankly stunned. He said, "David, this is more fitting to the reality that Jesus was born to win the ultimate battle, and the capstone of that victory is the resurrection. The heavenly army said to the shepherds in essence, "you needn't be afraid, God does the battling and will win the big war. You trust and walk with this savior-warrior-baby, and be at peace that the Lord's armies are doing the battling and that the victory will be won. That's why you can rejoice - the victory will be won."
It has forever changed my sense of Christmas, in a way that gives me strength and hope."
And it has forever changed mine as well. If you are in the midst of some sorrow or deep disappointment or great loss, please remember who this baby was and is--He is the Savior-Warrior-Baby. He is the mighty Lion of Judah, and He is battling for you...and He will always always always win the war. We might feel tempest tossed, but our Lion, our Aslan, our Conquering King, our Savior-Warrior-Baby is fully, completely in control. Our Lion of Judah will carry us through the storm, and one day He will still every storm, defeat every foe, wipe away every tear, and replace every sorrow with His perfect and unending joy. And nothing and nobody can stop Him.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming. Thank You for coming as a fragile, helpless baby who understands all our weaknesses and fears. But thank You also that You are our Conquering King--our Savior-Warrior-Baby who will swallow up death in victory.
Yes, Aslan, You are on the move and so even as we grieve, we can grieve with hope and with the sure and certain knowledge that You will right every wrong and reign victorious forever and ever. To the Savior-Warrior-Baby, to our Lion of Judah, be all the glory.
Friday, December 6, 2019
Hope in the hard places
Yesterday I went to a beautiful celebration of a life lived to the glory of God--Nancy McDougal embodied what it meant to love God and love others. Thank You, Lord, for the inspiring example of lives like hers--much like Wynn Burrus, JoAnna McMillan, Ray Siegler, just to mention a few. Heaven grows ever sweeter as I contemplate the wonderful folks who have gone on ahead of us.
One thing that especially struck me was the passage of the Bible that Nancy particularly loved and had laminated on a card and kept in her Bible. Every single morning she read this passage, and what an encouraging way to begin the day! It's one of my favorite passages as well, and it's contained in the book of Lamentations.
Now by way of a bit of background information, Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, often referred to as "the weeping prophet," because he prophesied during the horrific years of his nation's destruction, exile and captivity by the brutal nation of Babylon. Not only did he give out God's truth at a desolate and hopeless time in Israel's history, but the very people he was speaking to rejected him and his message.
No wonder Jeremiah says right before this passage begins, "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me." (Lam.3:19-20) Isolated, discouraged, even despairing, Jeremiah looks around and sees only a barren, bleak landscape.
Anybody ever been there? Perhaps even now, in this season of Advent--this season of waiting...waiting...waiting for the coming of the King--you are tired and weary. Or lonely. Disheartened by all you see around you. Frightened about the future. Anxious about the uncontrollable. Or perhaps simply, deeply, sad over some difficult loss. Loss of a loved one...loss of a dream...loss of health...loss, even, of a special season of life that's now over.
We've all been there. Many of us are there now.
But Emmanuel--God with us--is right there with you, with us, in the thick of it. He's here with you now, and He'll be with you tomorrow and next week and next year and into eternity. No matter how alone you might feel, the truth is--You. Are. Not. Alone. Not ever. The Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth is right there with you, whether you're in the loftiest palace or the lowest pit.
But you have to stop and remember this truth. You have to recall and remind yourself where your God is (not only on the throne of the vast universe but also right there with you), who your God is (Savior, Redeemer, Lion of Judah, Lion of God, Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer, Comforter, Encourager, King of Kings and on and on!), and what He says.
And that means going to His Word! When we're utterly exhausted or distressed or discouraged, we need to do what the prophet Jeremiah goes on to do in the passage dear Nancy loves so much--you call to mind His Word and His character! "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam.3:21-26)
Yes! Right in the midst of the pit of waiting or sorrow or despair, choose to call to mind who your God is, what He has done, and what He has said. Open the Word. Read it out loud--through tears if they fall. And allow your heart and mind to hear those healing, strengthening, revealing, encouraging words of Truth come out of your mouth.
When we remember and rehearse His Word, we have hope. (Lam.3:21) What a glorious gift hope is!
Remember and rehearse His steadfast love that never ceases. (Lam.3:22) His mercies that never come to an end and that are brand, spanking new every morning--and every afternoon and evening and night! (Lam.3:22-23) His infinite goodness. (Lam.3:25) Read, remember, rehearse and have your mind renewed and your heart revived. Maybe even copy this passage, and like Nancy, keep it in your Bible to remind you to enter your day with hope as you fix your gaze on the King of Kings.
Thank You, Father, for the life of Nancy McDougal and for her example of relentlessly and constantly loving You and others. Thank You for her love of Your Word and for the way she entered each day by recalling these great truths in Lamentations. And thank You that she is truly Home for Christmas and rejoicing in Your presence. Help us to be faithful as she was all the way to our finish line...which is really just the very beginning of real, true Life.
To God be the glory.
One thing that especially struck me was the passage of the Bible that Nancy particularly loved and had laminated on a card and kept in her Bible. Every single morning she read this passage, and what an encouraging way to begin the day! It's one of my favorite passages as well, and it's contained in the book of Lamentations.
Now by way of a bit of background information, Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, often referred to as "the weeping prophet," because he prophesied during the horrific years of his nation's destruction, exile and captivity by the brutal nation of Babylon. Not only did he give out God's truth at a desolate and hopeless time in Israel's history, but the very people he was speaking to rejected him and his message.
No wonder Jeremiah says right before this passage begins, "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me." (Lam.3:19-20) Isolated, discouraged, even despairing, Jeremiah looks around and sees only a barren, bleak landscape.
Anybody ever been there? Perhaps even now, in this season of Advent--this season of waiting...waiting...waiting for the coming of the King--you are tired and weary. Or lonely. Disheartened by all you see around you. Frightened about the future. Anxious about the uncontrollable. Or perhaps simply, deeply, sad over some difficult loss. Loss of a loved one...loss of a dream...loss of health...loss, even, of a special season of life that's now over.
We've all been there. Many of us are there now.
But Emmanuel--God with us--is right there with you, with us, in the thick of it. He's here with you now, and He'll be with you tomorrow and next week and next year and into eternity. No matter how alone you might feel, the truth is--You. Are. Not. Alone. Not ever. The Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth is right there with you, whether you're in the loftiest palace or the lowest pit.
But you have to stop and remember this truth. You have to recall and remind yourself where your God is (not only on the throne of the vast universe but also right there with you), who your God is (Savior, Redeemer, Lion of Judah, Lion of God, Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer, Comforter, Encourager, King of Kings and on and on!), and what He says.
And that means going to His Word! When we're utterly exhausted or distressed or discouraged, we need to do what the prophet Jeremiah goes on to do in the passage dear Nancy loves so much--you call to mind His Word and His character! "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam.3:21-26)
Yes! Right in the midst of the pit of waiting or sorrow or despair, choose to call to mind who your God is, what He has done, and what He has said. Open the Word. Read it out loud--through tears if they fall. And allow your heart and mind to hear those healing, strengthening, revealing, encouraging words of Truth come out of your mouth.
When we remember and rehearse His Word, we have hope. (Lam.3:21) What a glorious gift hope is!
Remember and rehearse His steadfast love that never ceases. (Lam.3:22) His mercies that never come to an end and that are brand, spanking new every morning--and every afternoon and evening and night! (Lam.3:22-23) His infinite goodness. (Lam.3:25) Read, remember, rehearse and have your mind renewed and your heart revived. Maybe even copy this passage, and like Nancy, keep it in your Bible to remind you to enter your day with hope as you fix your gaze on the King of Kings.
Thank You, Father, for the life of Nancy McDougal and for her example of relentlessly and constantly loving You and others. Thank You for her love of Your Word and for the way she entered each day by recalling these great truths in Lamentations. And thank You that she is truly Home for Christmas and rejoicing in Your presence. Help us to be faithful as she was all the way to our finish line...which is really just the very beginning of real, true Life.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Overflowing with gratitude
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Col.2:6-7)
"...and overflowing with gratitude." A simple thought for Thanksgiving today, but does "overflowing with gratitude" characterize my life? How about yours? Is gratitude our default attitude in life...or is it cynicism...complaining...chronic discontentment...caustic entitlement?
I can tell you, when I start to feel entitled, my gratitude disappears and along with it, any semblance of joy. Or when I start focusing on whatever it is that I want but lack, well then, here comes grumbling, discontentment, and discouragement.
Yet all around me, the world dances with God's abounding goodness, His extravagant love, His staggering abundance, His astounding grace.
Just the other day, I gazed out the window and saw a sight worthy of the National Gallery of Art--
Right outside our front door! Look at those brilliant colors, those varied leaves dancing in the breeze...all absolutely free. Available night and day to be seen and appreciated and savored! Yet day after day, I'd zoom past in my car with nary a glance. But I should have been filled with awe and awash with gratitude that an Almighty Lord grew those trees, colored those leaves, gave me eyes to see them, ears to hear their rustling, and a heart to know and love their glorious Creator!
"It is always possible to be thankful for that is given rather than to complain about what is not given. One of the other becomes a habit of life...Accept, positively and actively, what is given to you. Let thanksgiving be the habit of your life." (Elisabeth Elliott)
"Overflowing with thankfulness" occurs when we "let thanksgiving be the habit" of our lives. And habit means we consciously choose to cultivate it day after day after day.
Thank You Lord for this day...for this breath...for my family near and far...for that mug of hot tea this morning...for the gigantic stick Bingley carried on our walk today... for a text from a dear friend...for being able to text another dear friend who is halfway across the world...for prayer...for autumn and pilgrims and Thanksgiving and pumpkins...for a warm bed at night...for chocolate cake...for my parents in heaven...for the cardinal at our bird feeder...for a new grandbaby...for Thanksgiving and Christmas hymns and songs...
Ann Voskamp says, "Joy is a function of gratitude, and gratitude is a function of perspective." We don't so much as need a change in our circumstances as we need a change in our perspective--and that means looking for, noticing, and being grateful for the blessings God showers all around us and over us. Maybe even just outside our front door!
Today, and everyday, let's choose gratitude. Because we have a great God who is a relentless Giver of all good gifts. And that Almighty Lord and Creator knows us each by name. Amazing. If that doesn't make you grateful, I don't know what will!
Father, give us eyes to see, hearts to savor, and mouths to thank You. Make us relentlessly grateful. Might we be people who overflow with gratitude. To God be the glory.
"...and overflowing with gratitude." A simple thought for Thanksgiving today, but does "overflowing with gratitude" characterize my life? How about yours? Is gratitude our default attitude in life...or is it cynicism...complaining...chronic discontentment...caustic entitlement?
I can tell you, when I start to feel entitled, my gratitude disappears and along with it, any semblance of joy. Or when I start focusing on whatever it is that I want but lack, well then, here comes grumbling, discontentment, and discouragement.
Yet all around me, the world dances with God's abounding goodness, His extravagant love, His staggering abundance, His astounding grace.
Just the other day, I gazed out the window and saw a sight worthy of the National Gallery of Art--
Right outside our front door! Look at those brilliant colors, those varied leaves dancing in the breeze...all absolutely free. Available night and day to be seen and appreciated and savored! Yet day after day, I'd zoom past in my car with nary a glance. But I should have been filled with awe and awash with gratitude that an Almighty Lord grew those trees, colored those leaves, gave me eyes to see them, ears to hear their rustling, and a heart to know and love their glorious Creator!
"It is always possible to be thankful for that is given rather than to complain about what is not given. One of the other becomes a habit of life...Accept, positively and actively, what is given to you. Let thanksgiving be the habit of your life." (Elisabeth Elliott)
"Overflowing with thankfulness" occurs when we "let thanksgiving be the habit" of our lives. And habit means we consciously choose to cultivate it day after day after day.
Thank You Lord for this day...for this breath...for my family near and far...for that mug of hot tea this morning...for the gigantic stick Bingley carried on our walk today... for a text from a dear friend...for being able to text another dear friend who is halfway across the world...for prayer...for autumn and pilgrims and Thanksgiving and pumpkins...for a warm bed at night...for chocolate cake...for my parents in heaven...for the cardinal at our bird feeder...for a new grandbaby...for Thanksgiving and Christmas hymns and songs...
Ann Voskamp says, "Joy is a function of gratitude, and gratitude is a function of perspective." We don't so much as need a change in our circumstances as we need a change in our perspective--and that means looking for, noticing, and being grateful for the blessings God showers all around us and over us. Maybe even just outside our front door!
Today, and everyday, let's choose gratitude. Because we have a great God who is a relentless Giver of all good gifts. And that Almighty Lord and Creator knows us each by name. Amazing. If that doesn't make you grateful, I don't know what will!
Father, give us eyes to see, hearts to savor, and mouths to thank You. Make us relentlessly grateful. Might we be people who overflow with gratitude. To God be the glory.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
We become what we behold
William Blake first said it: "We become what we behold."
Here's how Paul expressed it in 2 Cor.3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
So what are you beholding?
I've been asking myself this question. In our distracted, busy, technology-obsessed world, what am I beholding on a daily, consistent basis? Upon what is my gaze directed? Yeah, sure we all tend to glance at all kinds of things, but the question boils down to our steady gaze as opposed to our passing glances. What's the focus on our meditations? When our minds wander, where do they tend to settle?
Do we tend to default to fretting...worrying...controlling...complaining...envying...striving? Then guess what? We're clearly not daily, consistently beholding the beauty, the grace, the forgiveness, the power, the creativity, the joy, the wisdom, the love, the glory of our Savior. Because we become what we become, and He is not, not, not the Author, Sustainer, or Reflector of fear, anxiety, manipulation, jealousy, discontentment.
But we have the choice. Praise God, we have been given us the gift of choosing where we will focus our gaze. We can choose what and who we behold on a consistent basis.
Thank You, Lord, for giving us minds and hearts that can choose to behold and dwell upon your perfect Word, your astounding creation, and You yourself...You who are perfect, infinite, eternal, beautiful, gracious, winsome, almighty, compassionate, omniscient, faithful, forgiving, omnipotent, loving and on and on.
What we behold will, quite literally, change the course of our lives--both our ultimate course but also our daily, life-in-the-trenches course. One is a path of grumbling and discouragement. The other a path of of gratitude and joy. One is a path of endless and self-focused striving. The other a path of daily renewal in You and Your Word.
Ruth Chou Simons says, "We've been given so much to look at, but we are missing the art of beholding. We are so captivated by our technology and all that it puts before our eyes that we overlook the ways that God displays His glory through creation, relationships, and our ordinary circumstances in the day to day. We look for dramatic ways to experience God, but His presence and transforming work in our lives happen minute by minute."
But to experience true, beautiful, life-giving, joy-infusing transformation, we must look daily, intently, consistently at who Jesus is. We see Him most clearly in His Word. But we also see Him reflected in the beauty of His creation, in His people, and yes, even in our daily circumstances when we open wide our eyes of faith.
Lift your gaze from your cell phone and instead gaze at the Savior. Instead of worrying, start worshipping. Rather than fretting over your lack of time to get everything done, choose to be fueled and fed by the Ancient of Days who has no beginning and no end and who never, ever runs out of anything. Stop lamenting what you lack and instead start rejoicing at all--gloriously all--you possess in Him, through Him, and from Him. He is enough...and He's given us so astoundingly, extravagantly, undeservedly much!
When we choose to behold Jesus on a daily basis, we move from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality. From despair to hope. From ugly selfishness to beautiful self-forgetfulness. From restlessness to rest. And from grumbling and discontentment to gratitude and contentment.
So today, who or what will you behold? Where will you fix your gaze? Keep returning that glance again and again to gaze at the Savior!
Oh might we daily, moment by moment, choose Jesus.
To God be the glory.
Here's how Paul expressed it in 2 Cor.3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
So what are you beholding?
I've been asking myself this question. In our distracted, busy, technology-obsessed world, what am I beholding on a daily, consistent basis? Upon what is my gaze directed? Yeah, sure we all tend to glance at all kinds of things, but the question boils down to our steady gaze as opposed to our passing glances. What's the focus on our meditations? When our minds wander, where do they tend to settle?
Do we tend to default to fretting...worrying...controlling...complaining...envying...striving? Then guess what? We're clearly not daily, consistently beholding the beauty, the grace, the forgiveness, the power, the creativity, the joy, the wisdom, the love, the glory of our Savior. Because we become what we become, and He is not, not, not the Author, Sustainer, or Reflector of fear, anxiety, manipulation, jealousy, discontentment.
But we have the choice. Praise God, we have been given us the gift of choosing where we will focus our gaze. We can choose what and who we behold on a consistent basis.
Thank You, Lord, for giving us minds and hearts that can choose to behold and dwell upon your perfect Word, your astounding creation, and You yourself...You who are perfect, infinite, eternal, beautiful, gracious, winsome, almighty, compassionate, omniscient, faithful, forgiving, omnipotent, loving and on and on.
What we behold will, quite literally, change the course of our lives--both our ultimate course but also our daily, life-in-the-trenches course. One is a path of grumbling and discouragement. The other a path of of gratitude and joy. One is a path of endless and self-focused striving. The other a path of daily renewal in You and Your Word.
Ruth Chou Simons says, "We've been given so much to look at, but we are missing the art of beholding. We are so captivated by our technology and all that it puts before our eyes that we overlook the ways that God displays His glory through creation, relationships, and our ordinary circumstances in the day to day. We look for dramatic ways to experience God, but His presence and transforming work in our lives happen minute by minute."
But to experience true, beautiful, life-giving, joy-infusing transformation, we must look daily, intently, consistently at who Jesus is. We see Him most clearly in His Word. But we also see Him reflected in the beauty of His creation, in His people, and yes, even in our daily circumstances when we open wide our eyes of faith.
Lift your gaze from your cell phone and instead gaze at the Savior. Instead of worrying, start worshipping. Rather than fretting over your lack of time to get everything done, choose to be fueled and fed by the Ancient of Days who has no beginning and no end and who never, ever runs out of anything. Stop lamenting what you lack and instead start rejoicing at all--gloriously all--you possess in Him, through Him, and from Him. He is enough...and He's given us so astoundingly, extravagantly, undeservedly much!
When we choose to behold Jesus on a daily basis, we move from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality. From despair to hope. From ugly selfishness to beautiful self-forgetfulness. From restlessness to rest. And from grumbling and discontentment to gratitude and contentment.
So today, who or what will you behold? Where will you fix your gaze? Keep returning that glance again and again to gaze at the Savior!
Oh might we daily, moment by moment, choose Jesus.
To God be the glory.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Thankfulness in the small
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col.3:17)
That little phrase keeps floating around in my brain--"whatever you do." Whatever you do--whether running errands, cleaning the bathroom, walking your dog, changing your child's diaper, caring for that aging loved one, folding the laundry, returning that phone call, raking the leaves--whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God..."
What unwelcome tasks, what odious chores, what repetitive, mundane, or annoying jobs are we excluding from God's "everything?" Are we doing our every deed and speaking our every word to the glory of the Lord Jesus? And are we choosing to do and to speak continually with thanks?
How about when the fellow in front of you at the stoplight pauses too long when it turns green (because, duh, he's looking at his phone)...so you miss the light...and now you're late? Are you still choosing thankfulness that you have a car, that you can drive, that Christ is with you in that car, that you have places to go, that you are surrounded by brilliant scarlet-colored trees?
How about when the answer to your prayer seems to be "no" or at least "not yet"--do you thank the Lord that He hears and that His wisdom is infinitely greater than yours?
How about when you're just dog-gone tired, and you still have to get up and go through the whole, daily drill yet again--wake up the children, get them dressed, fed, ready for school and on and on--is thankfulness ruling in your heart or is there a spirit of complaining and discouragement taking root?
I don't know about you, but I don't see any exception clauses in those words from God's Word. Do and speak everything in the name of Jesus. Give thanks to God in everything through Jesus. Thankful in the big and the small. Thankful in the hard and the easy. Thankful in the ordinary and the extraordinary. Thankful in the rain and the sun.
Because here's the thing--thankfulness is a choice. A daily choice. An hourly choice. A moment by moment choice to take what the Lord's has given and allowed and to choose to trust Him, acknowledge Him, and thank Him. We have to choose to give thanks. It's not about a la la feeling of thankfulness but an act of the will to choose to give it, no matter our temporary, ever-vacillating emotions. No wonder it's called thanks-giving not thanks-feeling.
But here's the remarkable part--when we make the choice to give thanks and be grateful, the feelings often will come and contentment and joy will arise in our hearts. And it begins by choosing gratitude even in the small, seemingly insignificant things of life.
I love how Mary Mohler puts it--
"Being grateful for the small things is a great entry into turning our thoughts around and focusing them on the Lord. If we have a mindset of gratitude even while carrying out the routine tasks of our day, we will find we have fewer thoughts of complaint and self-focus."
So in this season of thanksgiving, here's a little challenge for each of us--choose to give thanks in the small tasks and routine chores of your life. Today, every day over the course of November, how about we make a conscious effort to thank Him --out loud--in those small things? Maybe even write down each day at least one routine chore or task for which you're thankful to your Heavenly Father. Who knows how He will use it--but know this for sure: you are obeying His Word and bringing glory to God. Even in the small...maybe even especially in the small. For He is in it all--thank You Lord!
To God be the glory.
That little phrase keeps floating around in my brain--"whatever you do." Whatever you do--whether running errands, cleaning the bathroom, walking your dog, changing your child's diaper, caring for that aging loved one, folding the laundry, returning that phone call, raking the leaves--whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God..."
What unwelcome tasks, what odious chores, what repetitive, mundane, or annoying jobs are we excluding from God's "everything?" Are we doing our every deed and speaking our every word to the glory of the Lord Jesus? And are we choosing to do and to speak continually with thanks?
How about when the fellow in front of you at the stoplight pauses too long when it turns green (because, duh, he's looking at his phone)...so you miss the light...and now you're late? Are you still choosing thankfulness that you have a car, that you can drive, that Christ is with you in that car, that you have places to go, that you are surrounded by brilliant scarlet-colored trees?
How about when the answer to your prayer seems to be "no" or at least "not yet"--do you thank the Lord that He hears and that His wisdom is infinitely greater than yours?
How about when you're just dog-gone tired, and you still have to get up and go through the whole, daily drill yet again--wake up the children, get them dressed, fed, ready for school and on and on--is thankfulness ruling in your heart or is there a spirit of complaining and discouragement taking root?
I don't know about you, but I don't see any exception clauses in those words from God's Word. Do and speak everything in the name of Jesus. Give thanks to God in everything through Jesus. Thankful in the big and the small. Thankful in the hard and the easy. Thankful in the ordinary and the extraordinary. Thankful in the rain and the sun.
Because here's the thing--thankfulness is a choice. A daily choice. An hourly choice. A moment by moment choice to take what the Lord's has given and allowed and to choose to trust Him, acknowledge Him, and thank Him. We have to choose to give thanks. It's not about a la la feeling of thankfulness but an act of the will to choose to give it, no matter our temporary, ever-vacillating emotions. No wonder it's called thanks-giving not thanks-feeling.
But here's the remarkable part--when we make the choice to give thanks and be grateful, the feelings often will come and contentment and joy will arise in our hearts. And it begins by choosing gratitude even in the small, seemingly insignificant things of life.
I love how Mary Mohler puts it--
"Being grateful for the small things is a great entry into turning our thoughts around and focusing them on the Lord. If we have a mindset of gratitude even while carrying out the routine tasks of our day, we will find we have fewer thoughts of complaint and self-focus."
So in this season of thanksgiving, here's a little challenge for each of us--choose to give thanks in the small tasks and routine chores of your life. Today, every day over the course of November, how about we make a conscious effort to thank Him --out loud--in those small things? Maybe even write down each day at least one routine chore or task for which you're thankful to your Heavenly Father. Who knows how He will use it--but know this for sure: you are obeying His Word and bringing glory to God. Even in the small...maybe even especially in the small. For He is in it all--thank You Lord!
To God be the glory.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Amazing fall...awesome Father!
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Ps.19:1
Thank You Lord for the simple, glorious, astounding beauty of Your creation. It's been a challenging, even perplexing, few weeks--some things stunningly wondrous (the birth of our first precious grandchild--joy unspeakable!) and others incredibly painful (the deaths of several dear friends--great sadness and sorrow and a reminder that we live in a beautiful but terribly broken world).
So I guess I'd have to say that this past month or two has been hard...but holy. Sadness...yet also sweetness. It's simply true that we can have deep pain in our heart and yet also a song in our soul-- because of Jesus. He killed death that we might live. He bore our sorrows and sins that we might bear His perfect righteousness. And He conquered death and rose to again that we might be resurrected to new, eternal, abundant life.
But even in the midst of all of life's messiness and hardness and craziness, fall is happening all around us, and oh my, how refreshing to our souls! Autumn shouts of God's creativity and glory. In fact, I think fall is a teensy tiny splash or foretaste of heaven.
So for today, I simply want to rejoice in the beauty of this season and in this world that our Lord created. It may be broken by our sin, but it's still astoundingly beautiful. And if we'll let it, His creation will help to restore our souls.
Here's how David Powlinson puts it: "What helps you to lay your cares down and get a fresh perspective on life? What enables you to step back into the business and hardship of life with a new joy?
The Psalms revel in creation. We marvel at the unparalleled beauty of a sunrise and sunset, and even more at a Master Artist so creative that He will erase His art every day to begin again the next. So many simple, unstained pleasures: collecting stones on a lakeshore. Watching autumn leaves drop. Innocent pleasures are a means to step away from what is hard, wearisome, or difficult in our lives into something restful and beautiful. They are not an escape from life's troubles, they are meant to refresh and strengthen us.
What makes such pleasures innocent? It is the fact that there is a greater pleasure. That greatest pleasure is the Maker of all the innocent ones. Is devotion to God one of your pleasures? The lesser innocent pleasures come because the greatest pleasure, God Himself, is in His rightful place. Innocent pleasures don't pretend to save you or protect you. They don't promise you meaning and identity in life. They don't take life's fragility, pain, frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty and wash them away. They are not the giver of every good and perfect gift; they are just gifts that you enjoy. They are innocent because they don't pretend to be anything more."
Thank You, Father, for the beauty of Your creation and for the simple pleasure of watching the leaves drift gently to the ground...of hearing the distant hoot of owls..of feeling the crisp, refreshing cool air on our skin...of tasting the spicy warmth of hot apple cider...of marveling over the brilliant oranges, reds and yellows dotting our landscape...of smelling the spiciness of fall baking and the aroma of cracking fires. Yes, Your handiwork declares Your glory...but You are far, infinitely far, more glorious, more loving, more beautiful than even the very best our eyes can see and that this world can offer.
Fall is mighty amazing, so Lord You--the Maker of it all--You are absolutely awesome!
What can we say but simply say, thank You, Father, thank You. Thank You for these many little oasis's of refreshment--and reminders of You--along our sometimes arduous way. And to You--the Giver of all, all, all good gifts--be all the glory.
Friday, October 4, 2019
Sorrowful...and yet rejoicing
I've thought a lot recently about Paul's words in 2 Cor.6:10--"sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." Paul describes himself and his fellow believers as enduring untold suffering, imprisonments, beatings, hardships, hunger, sleeplessness, persecution and on and on. But despite all this, they are "sorrowful, yet still rejoicing." How can this be?
These past few weeks have begun to teach me anew. Many of us have carried the almost unbearable weight of sorrow upon sorrow when our dear friends' precious daughter, Wynn, went home to heaven. For Wynn, it's eternal glory and good, but for those left behind, there are simply no easy answers. No way to fix here on earth what is unalterably, sorrowfully changed. Though we desperately desire to, we simply cannot make things right.
And so we simply grieve with our dearly beloved friends. We try as best we can to carry some tiny little portion of their grief...and in our deep and weighty sadness, we feel some sense of gratitude that the Lord has allowed us to share a minuscule portion out of the chasm of their sorrow. Oh Father, help us to continue to carry that load and might our love, our grief, give some small measure of solace to our dear friends.
Yes, we are sorrowful and we grieve deeply...
And yet even in the midst of so many tears, so much sadness, we sense Your presence, Lord. Your gentle but powerful love. It's as if we hear dimly, softly even, the distant unmistakable roar of the Lion of Judah. We know that You are here, even in this dark place. Just as You wept at the tomb of Lazarus--even while knowing You would momentarily raise Him from the dead--so, too, You weep with us. You weep at the terrible suffering and separation caused by death. You weep at the horrific price all mankind has paid for Adam and Eve's sin. You weep for this world's brokenness.
You weep with those who weep.
Thank You, Jesus, that even though You know the end of the story, even though You conquered sin and death, even though You know that Wynn lives in eternal light and joyful glory with You right at this very moment, yet, still, You are a God who weeps with us who are still in the shadowlands. You are a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isa.53:3) so You fully understand and enter into our sorrow.
And yet, You are "anointed with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." (Heb.1:9)
You are a God who cries and laughs. Who is God and man. Who died and conquered death. Who was dead and is raised to new life. Who judges and justifies. Who is holy and full of mercy and grace. Who suffers and yet rejoices.
And so on this day, we Your children, are sorrowful and yet rejoicing. We rejoice that Wynn lived a beautiful life to the glory of God--loving You, loving others. And oh Father, how we rejoice that Wynn lives. That she lives in Your glorious, eternal, joyful presence and light and love.
We rejoice that You have given us one another. We rejoice for the gift of dear friends and family. We rejoice for the gift of prayer...thank You that You hear us and that You are moving and working in countless ways we cannot see and do not know. We rejoice for the comfort and wisdom and solace and strengthening power of Your Word. We rejoice that we are never ever alone--for You have promised never to leave us nor forsake us. We rejoice that we're to walk not based on our terribly limited sight or our ever vacillating feelings, but based on faith in You, our Savior, Redeemer, Comforter, and King.
And today, Lord, we simply rejoice for life's simple blessings--the promise of fall. The crunch of leaves underfoot. The bright orange of pumpkins. The smell of fires and hot cider and cinnamon spice. The soaring hawk. The sound of a friend's voice. The mug of hot tea. The cooing of a baby. The joy of loving others, even when that means hurting and weeping with them.
Give us eyes to see Your fingerprints at work all around us, and help us to rejoice even as we grieve. In the midst of tears, please give us grateful hearts that see the invisible and fix our eyes on the One who endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Heb.12:2) The cross and joy--there it is again. Sorrowful and yet rejoicing.
I close with these words I read several months ago by John Piper. They struck a chord with me then, and now, well, they speak with even more force. Might they encourage you today as you seek to see the unseen and choose to rejoice even in the midst of sorrow. Here are Piper's words--
"In any given day, are there not reasons to weep and reasons to rejoice? So much depends on where you fix your mind. Do you dwell on what might have been (for example, what if my mother had not been killed when I was twenty-eight, but instead had been here for her grandchildren as they grew up)? Or do you dwell on what new things God has done (and will do!) to show the sufficiency of His grace (like another good wife for my dad and all my children on a heavenly trajectory!)?
On this side of the resurrection of Jesus, and on this side of the final fulfillment of the promise to work it all for good (Rom.8:28-32), there will still be grief. Yes, but as Paul says in I Thess.4:13, not as those who have no hope. Our weeping will be weeping on the rock of hope.
My prayer for myself and all of you is that our weeping might be deep but not prolonged. And while it lasts, let us weep with those who weep. And when joy comes in the morning, let us rejoice with those who rejoice (Ps.30:5; Rom12:15)."
Thank You, Lord, for the gift of this day, for the gift of Wynn, for the gift of our dear friends and family, for the gift of this broken but beautiful world, for the gift of Jesus, and for the gift of grieving deeply and yet rejoicing. Thank You for weeping with us...and thank You for giving us reasons--innumerable reasons--to rejoice with You.
To God be the glory.
These past few weeks have begun to teach me anew. Many of us have carried the almost unbearable weight of sorrow upon sorrow when our dear friends' precious daughter, Wynn, went home to heaven. For Wynn, it's eternal glory and good, but for those left behind, there are simply no easy answers. No way to fix here on earth what is unalterably, sorrowfully changed. Though we desperately desire to, we simply cannot make things right.
And so we simply grieve with our dearly beloved friends. We try as best we can to carry some tiny little portion of their grief...and in our deep and weighty sadness, we feel some sense of gratitude that the Lord has allowed us to share a minuscule portion out of the chasm of their sorrow. Oh Father, help us to continue to carry that load and might our love, our grief, give some small measure of solace to our dear friends.
Yes, we are sorrowful and we grieve deeply...
And yet even in the midst of so many tears, so much sadness, we sense Your presence, Lord. Your gentle but powerful love. It's as if we hear dimly, softly even, the distant unmistakable roar of the Lion of Judah. We know that You are here, even in this dark place. Just as You wept at the tomb of Lazarus--even while knowing You would momentarily raise Him from the dead--so, too, You weep with us. You weep at the terrible suffering and separation caused by death. You weep at the horrific price all mankind has paid for Adam and Eve's sin. You weep for this world's brokenness.
You weep with those who weep.
Thank You, Jesus, that even though You know the end of the story, even though You conquered sin and death, even though You know that Wynn lives in eternal light and joyful glory with You right at this very moment, yet, still, You are a God who weeps with us who are still in the shadowlands. You are a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isa.53:3) so You fully understand and enter into our sorrow.
And yet, You are "anointed with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." (Heb.1:9)
You are a God who cries and laughs. Who is God and man. Who died and conquered death. Who was dead and is raised to new life. Who judges and justifies. Who is holy and full of mercy and grace. Who suffers and yet rejoices.
And so on this day, we Your children, are sorrowful and yet rejoicing. We rejoice that Wynn lived a beautiful life to the glory of God--loving You, loving others. And oh Father, how we rejoice that Wynn lives. That she lives in Your glorious, eternal, joyful presence and light and love.
We rejoice that You have given us one another. We rejoice for the gift of dear friends and family. We rejoice for the gift of prayer...thank You that You hear us and that You are moving and working in countless ways we cannot see and do not know. We rejoice for the comfort and wisdom and solace and strengthening power of Your Word. We rejoice that we are never ever alone--for You have promised never to leave us nor forsake us. We rejoice that we're to walk not based on our terribly limited sight or our ever vacillating feelings, but based on faith in You, our Savior, Redeemer, Comforter, and King.
And today, Lord, we simply rejoice for life's simple blessings--the promise of fall. The crunch of leaves underfoot. The bright orange of pumpkins. The smell of fires and hot cider and cinnamon spice. The soaring hawk. The sound of a friend's voice. The mug of hot tea. The cooing of a baby. The joy of loving others, even when that means hurting and weeping with them.
Give us eyes to see Your fingerprints at work all around us, and help us to rejoice even as we grieve. In the midst of tears, please give us grateful hearts that see the invisible and fix our eyes on the One who endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Heb.12:2) The cross and joy--there it is again. Sorrowful and yet rejoicing.
I close with these words I read several months ago by John Piper. They struck a chord with me then, and now, well, they speak with even more force. Might they encourage you today as you seek to see the unseen and choose to rejoice even in the midst of sorrow. Here are Piper's words--
"In any given day, are there not reasons to weep and reasons to rejoice? So much depends on where you fix your mind. Do you dwell on what might have been (for example, what if my mother had not been killed when I was twenty-eight, but instead had been here for her grandchildren as they grew up)? Or do you dwell on what new things God has done (and will do!) to show the sufficiency of His grace (like another good wife for my dad and all my children on a heavenly trajectory!)?
On this side of the resurrection of Jesus, and on this side of the final fulfillment of the promise to work it all for good (Rom.8:28-32), there will still be grief. Yes, but as Paul says in I Thess.4:13, not as those who have no hope. Our weeping will be weeping on the rock of hope.
My prayer for myself and all of you is that our weeping might be deep but not prolonged. And while it lasts, let us weep with those who weep. And when joy comes in the morning, let us rejoice with those who rejoice (Ps.30:5; Rom12:15)."
Thank You, Lord, for the gift of this day, for the gift of Wynn, for the gift of our dear friends and family, for the gift of this broken but beautiful world, for the gift of Jesus, and for the gift of grieving deeply and yet rejoicing. Thank You for weeping with us...and thank You for giving us reasons--innumerable reasons--to rejoice with You.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Come Lord Jesus, come
We have all suffered an unimaginable loss. Our dear friends' precious child--their beloved Wynn--has gone to heaven, and we all hurt and ache deeply, profoundly. We ache for the earthly loss of this priceless, wondrous girl who was truly a shimmering light in this dark world. We ache for our dear friends whose loss we simply cannot begin to fathom. We ache for the sorrow, separation, and pain in this world that was caused so long ago by the bitter poison of sin.
"Oh come, Lord Jesus, come," we cry out. We cannot bear it. Our friends cannot bear this burden alone.
And yet, they are not alone. You have given us to them--we, their friends, we, the Body of Christ, to be Your tear-wiping hands, Your servant feet, Your loving, compassionate heart. Help us, Lord. Show us how we can love, how we can help, how we can weep with those who weep, strengthen those with feeble arms and weak knees, and pour Your healing balm on those with broken hearts and wounded souls. Help us be You incarnated as loving, caring friends. Enable us to be Jesus with skin on to these ones we love so dearly.
Please allow us somehow, someway, to help bear their burden. Oh Father, if only we could shoulder some of that pain. Let me, let us, carry it for them, for at least a while.
We know that You, only You--who knows the infinite loss of Your beloved Son--can truly understand the depth of their anguish. Only You can be the love, the grace, the strength, the peace that they need. Only You can be their light in this darkness and their peace in this chaos. But help us to be instruments of all that You are and all that You give.
"We don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (2 Chron.20:12)
Please come Lord Jesus, come.
We're all struggling so deeply with this--"Why, Lord, why?" we cry out. Yet thank You, Jesus, that You can handle all our doubts and fears, all our accusations and frustrations with why You--who are all good, all loving, and all powerful--would allow this. Thank You, tender but strong Lion of Judah, that we can express our every emotion to You...and You hear. You grieve with us. And You love us as our loving, perfect Father, our Abba.
Help us to trust even when we cannot see, to have faith that overcomes our fears, and to believe in Your promises despite our wounded feelings.
You know what it is to lose a priceless, cherished child--Your Son. Your only beloved Son. Only You didn't lose Him...You gave Him. You sacrificed Your one and only Son that we might have life. Abundant, eternal life. Jesus was forsaken on the cross by His Heavenly Father that we might never, ever be forsaken. Such love, such sacrifice, we cannot understand or imagine. But this we know: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
That kind of limitless love, that kind of scandalous grace we cannot begin to comprehend. But when we look to the cross, we see Your love incarnate...Your love not just displayed, but demonstrated and experienced. We see a love so deep and divine, so unfathomable that that Love--whose name is Jesus--would suffer and die for our sins, for our fears, for our doubts, for our failures, for our weaknesses.
You died that we might live. And because You live, Wynn lives. And because Wynn lives, we know, know, know that we will see that beautiful, brilliant, winsome, precious, loving beloved daughter of the King of kings again. Fully healed...and radiant...and glorious. In the midst of our terrible pain and sorrow, we can still say thank You, Jesus, thank You.
And so even as we grieve deeply, help us to keep our eyes fixed on You, the author and perfecter of our faith, as we run the race You have set before each of us.(Heb.12:1-2) Wynn has finished her race triumphantly, and we praise and thank You for her, for her beautiful life, and for her family. Equip and help us, Father, to love and encourage her family, our greatly loved friends. Love them with Your perfect love, Jesus our Good Shepherd, and give them the peace that passes all understanding that only You can give. And fill us Holy Spirit that we might be Your healing balm, Your wisdom, Your compassion, Your tenderness, Your hope, Your light in this world.
Come Lord Jesus, come. To You be the glory.
"Oh come, Lord Jesus, come," we cry out. We cannot bear it. Our friends cannot bear this burden alone.
And yet, they are not alone. You have given us to them--we, their friends, we, the Body of Christ, to be Your tear-wiping hands, Your servant feet, Your loving, compassionate heart. Help us, Lord. Show us how we can love, how we can help, how we can weep with those who weep, strengthen those with feeble arms and weak knees, and pour Your healing balm on those with broken hearts and wounded souls. Help us be You incarnated as loving, caring friends. Enable us to be Jesus with skin on to these ones we love so dearly.
Please allow us somehow, someway, to help bear their burden. Oh Father, if only we could shoulder some of that pain. Let me, let us, carry it for them, for at least a while.
We know that You, only You--who knows the infinite loss of Your beloved Son--can truly understand the depth of their anguish. Only You can be the love, the grace, the strength, the peace that they need. Only You can be their light in this darkness and their peace in this chaos. But help us to be instruments of all that You are and all that You give.
"We don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (2 Chron.20:12)
Please come Lord Jesus, come.
We're all struggling so deeply with this--"Why, Lord, why?" we cry out. Yet thank You, Jesus, that You can handle all our doubts and fears, all our accusations and frustrations with why You--who are all good, all loving, and all powerful--would allow this. Thank You, tender but strong Lion of Judah, that we can express our every emotion to You...and You hear. You grieve with us. And You love us as our loving, perfect Father, our Abba.
Help us to trust even when we cannot see, to have faith that overcomes our fears, and to believe in Your promises despite our wounded feelings.
You know what it is to lose a priceless, cherished child--Your Son. Your only beloved Son. Only You didn't lose Him...You gave Him. You sacrificed Your one and only Son that we might have life. Abundant, eternal life. Jesus was forsaken on the cross by His Heavenly Father that we might never, ever be forsaken. Such love, such sacrifice, we cannot understand or imagine. But this we know: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
That kind of limitless love, that kind of scandalous grace we cannot begin to comprehend. But when we look to the cross, we see Your love incarnate...Your love not just displayed, but demonstrated and experienced. We see a love so deep and divine, so unfathomable that that Love--whose name is Jesus--would suffer and die for our sins, for our fears, for our doubts, for our failures, for our weaknesses.
You died that we might live. And because You live, Wynn lives. And because Wynn lives, we know, know, know that we will see that beautiful, brilliant, winsome, precious, loving beloved daughter of the King of kings again. Fully healed...and radiant...and glorious. In the midst of our terrible pain and sorrow, we can still say thank You, Jesus, thank You.
And so even as we grieve deeply, help us to keep our eyes fixed on You, the author and perfecter of our faith, as we run the race You have set before each of us.(Heb.12:1-2) Wynn has finished her race triumphantly, and we praise and thank You for her, for her beautiful life, and for her family. Equip and help us, Father, to love and encourage her family, our greatly loved friends. Love them with Your perfect love, Jesus our Good Shepherd, and give them the peace that passes all understanding that only You can give. And fill us Holy Spirit that we might be Your healing balm, Your wisdom, Your compassion, Your tenderness, Your hope, Your light in this world.
Come Lord Jesus, come. To You be the glory.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Bingley...and faith rather than fear
It's raining, blowing and grey outside today...a reminder that we're all waiting and praying for Dorian to head out to sea and away from our state and our coastline. Please Lord, spare those in Dorian's potential path and send this hurricane east and away, far away from hurting any more folks.
But I'm also thankful--thankful to be inside and dry. Thankful to have electricity. Thankful for the warmth and comfort of a mug of tea. Thankful for a contented companion lying at my feet. And thankful for the gift of holding in my lap the very words of Almighty God . His words breathed out on a page, just as fresh and warm and nourishing as the moment He first uttered them into life. Thank You, Father, for the treasure of family, friends, home, health, quietness, and the time--even if only a few minutes--to hear You, worship You, thank You, and speak to You.
And I'm also remembering the beauty of Your mountains--what a Creator You are!--and a simple lesson on fear that You taught us this weekend. (Because only the Lord knows how He constantly He needs to remind and encourage yours truly--His forgetful, fretful, often faithless child-- of His forever faithfulness, grace, and abounding sufficiency!)
You see, our dog, Bingley loves the mountains. He loves the wonderful walks along deserted mountain roads. He loves the ready availability of huge sticks.
He loves the magnificent view from the 17th hole green...okay, actually he just loves getting to walk along with all of his family on the golf course.
He loves the cooler weather, the abundance of deer to chase, and the tennis balls that often bounce into our yard from the nearby tennis courts. He really does love the mountains.
But there's one thing that spoils what would otherwise be unadulterated joy on his part--fear. Specifically, fear that we will pack up and leave him. Bingley's pretty much continually on edge in the mountains and whenever any sort of bag is located anywhere near the door, his fear gage begins rising. Whenever we leave to go anywhere without taking him--oh mercy, terror. And when it's actually time to pack up and leave, well, forget about it. He's beside himself, ready to race into the car and sit there all day if that's what it takes to avoid being left behind. He's a ball of anxiety.
It's pathetic, really, because do you think for one single second we'd ever "forget" to take Bingley with us when we leave to drive home? Have we ever forgotten to take him back with us? Of course not! We've never forgotten him, nor have we ever left him. Our track record on that is spotless--because we really love our dog! I can say with one hundred percent confidence that we will never ever forget to take him!
Moreover, we feed him everyday, twice a day. Never forgotten, not even once. We take him for a walk everyday--rain or shine, blazing hot or freezing cold. Never forgotten, not even once. We give him those fancy smancy sweet potato dog chews everyday...I could go on and on.
The point is, Bingley has nothing to fear, and he has every reason in the world for complete faith and trust in his people. But he doesn't. I reckon that's because he doesn't remember--or somehow in his doggy brain discounts--all of our never failing faithfulness in the past.
Hmmm. Sound familiar?
Isn't our fear ultimately a mark of our forgetfulness?
We're filled with fear because we've forgotten (or utterly discounted) God's relentless goodness and faithfulness to us in the past. We forget--or we choose not to recall--how He strengthened and helped us through all those impossible-seeming challenges or sorrows we faced last year, or last month, or last week. We forget who He is and His character. We forget that He was and is always good, always loving, always forgiving, always full of grace--even when we were and are utterly undeserving and unlovable. We forget His Word and His promises.
And what's the antidote to this irrational, amnesiac fear? It's to read, remember, and rehearse. Read His Word and His promises. His Word is a treasure trove of wisdom and strength. A few examples from just one Psalm: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps.27:1) "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." (Ps.27:3) "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Ps.27:13-14)
Read His Word and His promises. Remember His character, His faithfulness, His deliverances, and His goodness to you in the past. And rehearse those promises--say them out loud. Share with someone else how God delivered you in the past. Perhaps most importantly, preach it to yourself! Rather than allowing fear to do the talking, you do the preaching to yourself. Remind yourself of God's Word, His faithfulness, His goodness.
He hasn't failed you yet...why on earth do you think He will fail you this time? He was faithful then...whey would you fear that He who is changeless and perfect, won't be faithful today...and tomorrow and next year? He's never forsaken you or forgotten you before...don't you realize He will never forsake or forget you in the future?
If you ever doubt that, look at the cross. Look at the lengths to which your Heavenly Father went to save you and to demonstrate His love. He sent His beloved Son to die for your sins and rise from the dead to give you eternal life. He promised that He would never ever leave you or forsake you. It's a promise signed with His blood. He hasn't changed, and His Word is still true.
So fear, take a hike! You're just as useless and ridiculous as Bingley's absurd fear of being left. Fear, you're not welcome or wanted here anymore, because we have a forever faithful, eternally good, infinitely wise, and awesomely powerful Lord. We will trust in Him and not be afraid.
Don't forget and be fearful. Instead, read...remember...rehearse and be filled and fueled with faith in the your Heavenly Father.
To God--the forever faithful One--be all the glory.
But I'm also thankful--thankful to be inside and dry. Thankful to have electricity. Thankful for the warmth and comfort of a mug of tea. Thankful for a contented companion lying at my feet. And thankful for the gift of holding in my lap the very words of Almighty God . His words breathed out on a page, just as fresh and warm and nourishing as the moment He first uttered them into life. Thank You, Father, for the treasure of family, friends, home, health, quietness, and the time--even if only a few minutes--to hear You, worship You, thank You, and speak to You.
And I'm also remembering the beauty of Your mountains--what a Creator You are!--and a simple lesson on fear that You taught us this weekend. (Because only the Lord knows how He constantly He needs to remind and encourage yours truly--His forgetful, fretful, often faithless child-- of His forever faithfulness, grace, and abounding sufficiency!)
You see, our dog, Bingley loves the mountains. He loves the wonderful walks along deserted mountain roads. He loves the ready availability of huge sticks.
He loves the magnificent view from the 17th hole green...okay, actually he just loves getting to walk along with all of his family on the golf course.
He loves the cooler weather, the abundance of deer to chase, and the tennis balls that often bounce into our yard from the nearby tennis courts. He really does love the mountains.
But there's one thing that spoils what would otherwise be unadulterated joy on his part--fear. Specifically, fear that we will pack up and leave him. Bingley's pretty much continually on edge in the mountains and whenever any sort of bag is located anywhere near the door, his fear gage begins rising. Whenever we leave to go anywhere without taking him--oh mercy, terror. And when it's actually time to pack up and leave, well, forget about it. He's beside himself, ready to race into the car and sit there all day if that's what it takes to avoid being left behind. He's a ball of anxiety.
It's pathetic, really, because do you think for one single second we'd ever "forget" to take Bingley with us when we leave to drive home? Have we ever forgotten to take him back with us? Of course not! We've never forgotten him, nor have we ever left him. Our track record on that is spotless--because we really love our dog! I can say with one hundred percent confidence that we will never ever forget to take him!
Moreover, we feed him everyday, twice a day. Never forgotten, not even once. We take him for a walk everyday--rain or shine, blazing hot or freezing cold. Never forgotten, not even once. We give him those fancy smancy sweet potato dog chews everyday...I could go on and on.
The point is, Bingley has nothing to fear, and he has every reason in the world for complete faith and trust in his people. But he doesn't. I reckon that's because he doesn't remember--or somehow in his doggy brain discounts--all of our never failing faithfulness in the past.
Hmmm. Sound familiar?
Isn't our fear ultimately a mark of our forgetfulness?
We're filled with fear because we've forgotten (or utterly discounted) God's relentless goodness and faithfulness to us in the past. We forget--or we choose not to recall--how He strengthened and helped us through all those impossible-seeming challenges or sorrows we faced last year, or last month, or last week. We forget who He is and His character. We forget that He was and is always good, always loving, always forgiving, always full of grace--even when we were and are utterly undeserving and unlovable. We forget His Word and His promises.
And what's the antidote to this irrational, amnesiac fear? It's to read, remember, and rehearse. Read His Word and His promises. His Word is a treasure trove of wisdom and strength. A few examples from just one Psalm: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps.27:1) "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." (Ps.27:3) "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Ps.27:13-14)
Read His Word and His promises. Remember His character, His faithfulness, His deliverances, and His goodness to you in the past. And rehearse those promises--say them out loud. Share with someone else how God delivered you in the past. Perhaps most importantly, preach it to yourself! Rather than allowing fear to do the talking, you do the preaching to yourself. Remind yourself of God's Word, His faithfulness, His goodness.
He hasn't failed you yet...why on earth do you think He will fail you this time? He was faithful then...whey would you fear that He who is changeless and perfect, won't be faithful today...and tomorrow and next year? He's never forsaken you or forgotten you before...don't you realize He will never forsake or forget you in the future?
If you ever doubt that, look at the cross. Look at the lengths to which your Heavenly Father went to save you and to demonstrate His love. He sent His beloved Son to die for your sins and rise from the dead to give you eternal life. He promised that He would never ever leave you or forsake you. It's a promise signed with His blood. He hasn't changed, and His Word is still true.
So fear, take a hike! You're just as useless and ridiculous as Bingley's absurd fear of being left. Fear, you're not welcome or wanted here anymore, because we have a forever faithful, eternally good, infinitely wise, and awesomely powerful Lord. We will trust in Him and not be afraid.
Don't forget and be fearful. Instead, read...remember...rehearse and be filled and fueled with faith in the your Heavenly Father.
To God--the forever faithful One--be all the glory.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Darkness to light
Our family loves the mountains. The astounding beauty all around, the coolness, the brilliant sunrises and sunsets, the quieter, calmer pace, the glorious views, the s'mores (mountains=s'mores for our family), the hiking, the fishing, the golfing, the tennis and on and on.
One of my very favorite times is the early morning. It's remarkable the way, every morning, the sky would be inky black and everything was utterly dark. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. But then suddenly, shockingly an orange-hued glow would gently light up the sky. It quite literally seemed to happen within a matter of a minute or two--from pitch darkness to an orange-stained horizon. This was that moment the other morning--
And then, just as astoundingly, the sun abruptly makes an appearance and, again, within a matter of only a couple of minutes moves from a mere sliver over in the horizon to a full-orbed ball of fire.
I couldn't help but think of the old adage, "It's darkest just before the dawn." Just a tired old cliche, right?
Well, those mountain sunrises beg to differ, for they clearly bore that truth out--extraordinarily black predawns suddenly and utterly overwhelmed by dawn's glorious illumination.
Oh if only we could remember that perspective in our daily struggles of life. It might look dark, but the light of God's dawn is coming!
The thing is, the sun doesn't disappear or go away. Our problem lies not in the sun's absence but in our limited perspective. The sun's there, but we're unable to see it due to the turning of the earth.
Just as the sun is there all along--only we couldn't momentarily see it--so The Son is there. He is always there. And He's in the business of decimating darkness, redeeming difficulties, and harnessing the hardships of our lives and using them for our good and His glory. Whether we can see Him or not, He's there. He's moving. He's working. And He's lighting our darkness.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
There's a lot of darkness in our world, and sometimes we can feel as if it's getting darker.
But God's Word promises that "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12)
Jesus is the unshakable, unstoppable, unconquerable Light of the world. And if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness. No matter how we might feel or how circumstances might appear, the Light of the world is there--transforming, illuminating, redeeming, reviving in innumerable ways we often cannot see and do not know.
Praise God that the sun He created always rises. Every new morning, He sends His sun to warm and illumine our world, and He's promised to give us new mercies, new grace for each new day's needs. Because great--infinitely great--is His faithfulness (Lam.3:22-23).
And if you can trust His sun to rise tomorrow morning, then you can trust, you can know, that His Son will rise victorious over any darkness in your life. The Light of the world, the Light of life, is with you, for you, before you, behind you, beside you and within you. And He makes all things, all things, beautiful in His time (Ecc.3:11)...in His glorious, darkness-busting, dawn-illuminating time.
To God--to the Light of the world--be all the glory.
One of my very favorite times is the early morning. It's remarkable the way, every morning, the sky would be inky black and everything was utterly dark. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. But then suddenly, shockingly an orange-hued glow would gently light up the sky. It quite literally seemed to happen within a matter of a minute or two--from pitch darkness to an orange-stained horizon. This was that moment the other morning--
Well, those mountain sunrises beg to differ, for they clearly bore that truth out--extraordinarily black predawns suddenly and utterly overwhelmed by dawn's glorious illumination.
Oh if only we could remember that perspective in our daily struggles of life. It might look dark, but the light of God's dawn is coming!
The thing is, the sun doesn't disappear or go away. Our problem lies not in the sun's absence but in our limited perspective. The sun's there, but we're unable to see it due to the turning of the earth.
Just as the sun is there all along--only we couldn't momentarily see it--so The Son is there. He is always there. And He's in the business of decimating darkness, redeeming difficulties, and harnessing the hardships of our lives and using them for our good and His glory. Whether we can see Him or not, He's there. He's moving. He's working. And He's lighting our darkness.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
There's a lot of darkness in our world, and sometimes we can feel as if it's getting darker.
But God's Word promises that "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12)
Jesus is the unshakable, unstoppable, unconquerable Light of the world. And if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness. No matter how we might feel or how circumstances might appear, the Light of the world is there--transforming, illuminating, redeeming, reviving in innumerable ways we often cannot see and do not know.
Praise God that the sun He created always rises. Every new morning, He sends His sun to warm and illumine our world, and He's promised to give us new mercies, new grace for each new day's needs. Because great--infinitely great--is His faithfulness (Lam.3:22-23).
And if you can trust His sun to rise tomorrow morning, then you can trust, you can know, that His Son will rise victorious over any darkness in your life. The Light of the world, the Light of life, is with you, for you, before you, behind you, beside you and within you. And He makes all things, all things, beautiful in His time (Ecc.3:11)...in His glorious, darkness-busting, dawn-illuminating time.
To God--to the Light of the world--be all the glory.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Remember...and rejoice
Four precious girls from Broughton high school were in a wreck on August 24, and praise God none of them were killed. Our daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury while her dear friend, Tessa, was badly hurt with multiple broken bones. Janie was unconscious and in a coma, and for two long weeks, she was utterly unresponsive and unable to be awakened by anyone or anything.
I've shared about all this earlier on the blog, so I won't go into it. But as I sat in church today, I was reminded afresh of why we have to recall the great things God has done. Why we have to remember who our Lord is and rehearse what He has done.
The psalmist in Psalm 77 expresses it so beautifully. The writer is in a desperate, dark place, but by an act of the will, he tells himself to think back on his mighty God and recall what great things his God has done:
"In the day of my trouble, I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted...I said, 'Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart. Then my spirit made a diligent search; Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?...Then I said, 'I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.' I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your holy deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known your might among the peoples." (Ps.77:2,6-7,10-14) Oh my, that's some an awfully stuff!
The psalmist is exhorting himself--and us--to remember and rehearse who God is and what He has done. Remember His goodness, His grace, His forgiveness, His power, His love. Remember how He saved us. Remember how our sins enslaved us, rendering us helpless and hopeless. We need to remember our chains...and then, because of our mighty and glorious Savior, we need to remember our chains are gone.
Remember how we were just as powerless and unable to free ourselves as our daughter was when she was unconscious and on that ventilator. Not her nurses, not her doctors, not her parents, not her siblings, not her friends, no one and nothing could save and awaken our daughter. Only God could do that.
Only God.
Only God could come to this earth and live the perfect sinless life we could not live.
Only God could go to the cross, bearing not His sins but ours.
Only God could suffer the punishment that our sins demanded.
Only God could die the death that we deserved.
Only God could take our sins and in exchange give us Jesus' perfect righteousness.
Only God could rise from the dead and thereby give us His new resurrection life.
Only God could take our old dead bones and make them dance with glorious life...replace our sorrow with rejoicing...exchange our hopelessness with purpose and joy. Because Jesus didn't come to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive.
And only God could--one happy, happy day--awaken our daughter out of her coma and restore her back to life. Bring her back to us--laughing, talking, singing, walking, living, and worshipping. To us, it literally felt like our God had brought her from death back to life.
But we have to remember. We don't want to forget that dark and desperate time. We don't want to forget how the Lord's presence truly sustained us day after day, giving us His hope and strength. We don't want to forget His priceless gift of friends and family all during that time. We don't want to forget how God gave us wonderful doctors and nurses and therapists. We don't want to forget God's amazing grace, His goodness, His love, His power--all when we had none of our own. And we don't ever want to forget how our mighty Lord restored Janie back to life. Because that's what He does...as it's been said, "God works best in a graveyard." In the graveyards of despair or disease or divorce or defeat or desperation. We all have them...but our God is greater. Greater even than death. Greater even than whatever darkness you might be enduring right now.
So today, right now, please choose to remember. Remember who your glorious God is--the Maker of heaven and earth. The Alpha and Omega. The tender Good Shepherd. The powerful Lion of Judah. The Savior, Redeemer and Friend. Read His Word and recount out loud who He is and what He has done. And remember what He has done in your life. The countless times He encouraged you when you were in a pit...or sustained you in a time of deep need...or brought a friend along at just the right time...or rescued you from terrible peril...or saved you from sins. Oh glorious, amazing grace that saved a wretch like me, and you.
Only God could do that--and will do that--all the way till He brings us to our glorious, eternal Home. But we have to choose to remember and recall so that we be reminded that He who is forever faithful, will do it again and again and again.
Remembering will fuel your faith in the only One who is worthy. And remembering will fill you with rejoicing.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Bits and pieces
"When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.'" (John 6:12)
I've often thought about that. Here was the Maker, Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He had just blessed and broken a few tiny fish and a couple of rolls and miraculously produced enough food to feed and satisfy thousands. With a word, with a mere breath, He could have instantly created a sumptuous feast for anyone and everyone. Yet the Almighty One commands His disciples to go around and gather up the leftovers. Gather the tiny bits and pieces, maybe even from the ground. He could make brand new beautiful rolls and fish. Why worry about those crummy, little leftovers?
Because He's the Good Shepherd. The Bread of Life. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Light of the World. The Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. The Savior and Redeemer who never gives up on us, who never leaves us, who never forsakes us, who never stops loving us.
And nothing--absolutely nothing--is wasted with our Lord. Not our challenges, not our joys, not our weaknesses, not our strengths, not our greatest sorrows or our deepest shame, not one moment of any of our lives. He sees and knows and cares about each moment and He uses every single one of them for our ultimate good and His glory. There is nothing about your life or mine that is insignificant to Him, and He can take our tiniest fragments and mega-multiply them!
This I know by faith...but sometime-well, actually, oftentimes--in the nitty gritty of life, the disappointments and heartaches, I forget. But His Word reveals to us and reminds us that the King of glory is sovereign. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all--good. He makes no mistakes and wastes no moments. Not in your life nor in mine.
And He tells us to gather the leftover pieces...for He will somehow, someway use them all for our good and His glory. Hand Him your weak little bits of energy. Your tiny fragments of faith. Your teeny stores of love. Your nearly nonexistent snippets of patience. Your minuscule scraps of hope. Give those bits and pieces to Him...then watch what He will do with them. He who crafted the stars and formed the mountains with a word will multiply and magnify. He'll revive and renew. He'll sustain and strengthen. He will take our too littles and not enoughs and transform them into occasions for His glory and goodness to be experienced and revealed in our lives.
I don't know what your bits and pieces might be today. But we all have them--and Jesus wastes not one of them. He tells us to gather those broken fragments and place them in His nail-scared, omnipotent hands. If He can turn a few rolls and a couple of sardine-sized fish into a feast for thousands, imagine what He can do with our teeny tiny pitiful leftovers. He is the God who "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us..." (Eph.3:20) Not us, but Him. And He gets all the glory.
Today, hand Him your too littles and too lates. Trust Him. Obey Him. Wait on Him. Praise Him, even with those leftovers and fragments. He will always be more than enough.
To God be the glory.
I've often thought about that. Here was the Maker, Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He had just blessed and broken a few tiny fish and a couple of rolls and miraculously produced enough food to feed and satisfy thousands. With a word, with a mere breath, He could have instantly created a sumptuous feast for anyone and everyone. Yet the Almighty One commands His disciples to go around and gather up the leftovers. Gather the tiny bits and pieces, maybe even from the ground. He could make brand new beautiful rolls and fish. Why worry about those crummy, little leftovers?
Because He's the Good Shepherd. The Bread of Life. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Light of the World. The Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. The Savior and Redeemer who never gives up on us, who never leaves us, who never forsakes us, who never stops loving us.
And nothing--absolutely nothing--is wasted with our Lord. Not our challenges, not our joys, not our weaknesses, not our strengths, not our greatest sorrows or our deepest shame, not one moment of any of our lives. He sees and knows and cares about each moment and He uses every single one of them for our ultimate good and His glory. There is nothing about your life or mine that is insignificant to Him, and He can take our tiniest fragments and mega-multiply them!
This I know by faith...but sometime-well, actually, oftentimes--in the nitty gritty of life, the disappointments and heartaches, I forget. But His Word reveals to us and reminds us that the King of glory is sovereign. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all--good. He makes no mistakes and wastes no moments. Not in your life nor in mine.
And He tells us to gather the leftover pieces...for He will somehow, someway use them all for our good and His glory. Hand Him your weak little bits of energy. Your tiny fragments of faith. Your teeny stores of love. Your nearly nonexistent snippets of patience. Your minuscule scraps of hope. Give those bits and pieces to Him...then watch what He will do with them. He who crafted the stars and formed the mountains with a word will multiply and magnify. He'll revive and renew. He'll sustain and strengthen. He will take our too littles and not enoughs and transform them into occasions for His glory and goodness to be experienced and revealed in our lives.
I don't know what your bits and pieces might be today. But we all have them--and Jesus wastes not one of them. He tells us to gather those broken fragments and place them in His nail-scared, omnipotent hands. If He can turn a few rolls and a couple of sardine-sized fish into a feast for thousands, imagine what He can do with our teeny tiny pitiful leftovers. He is the God who "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us..." (Eph.3:20) Not us, but Him. And He gets all the glory.
Today, hand Him your too littles and too lates. Trust Him. Obey Him. Wait on Him. Praise Him, even with those leftovers and fragments. He will always be more than enough.
To God be the glory.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Thoughts on Prayer, Part 2
Clearly I have given in to the doldrums of summer. I'd planned to quickly follow up that last post ("A few thoughts on Prayer, Part 1") with some wonderful suggestions for prayer from John Piper. But then here we are...several weeks later. Where, oh where, has the summer gone??
If ever there's proof that I need a schedule to coral my laziness and tendency to waste time, well, here it is. Sigh. I do love summer with it's exploding beauty, languid timeline, and simple joys like--
(Oh yes--when God created the Dairy Queen butterscotch dip ice cream cone, He surely said, "It is mighty good!")
But there comes a time when you've gotta take yourself by the scruff of the neck and say, "Okay. Enough! Time to get back on track!" That time is now.
So even while dreaming of that ridiculously delicious ice cream cone, I wanted to share John Piper's suggestions for how to pray for the soul (yours as well as those you love)--
"1. The first thing my soul needs is an inclination to God and His Word. Without that, nothing else will happen of any value in my life. I must want to know God and read his Word and draw near to Him. Where does that "want to" come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 119:36 teaches us to pray, "Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to gain."
2. Next I need to have the eyes of my heart opened, so that when my inclination leads me to the Word I see what is really there and not just my own ideas. Who opens the eyes of the heart? God does. So Psalm 119:18 teaches us to pray, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law."
3. Then I need for my heart to be enlightened with these "wonders." I need to perceive glory in them and not just interesting facts. Who enlightens the heart? God does. So Ephesians 1:18 teaches us to pray "That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened."
4. Then I am concerned that my heart is fragmented and that parts of it might remain in the dark while other parts are enlightened. So I long for my heart to be united for God. Where does that wholeness and unity come from? From God. So Psalm 86:11 teaches us to pray, "O Lord, I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name."
5. What I really want from all this engagement with the Word of God and the work of His Spirit in answer to my prayers is that my heart will be satisfied with God and not with the world. Where does that satisfaction come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 90:14 teaches us to pray, “Satisfy us in the morning with Thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
6.But I don’t want my happiness to be fragile or weak, but to be strong and durable in the face of the worst adversities. I want to be strong in joy, and persevering during the dark seasons. Where does that strength and durability come from? It comes from God. So Ephesians 3:16 teaches us to pray, ‘[That] God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.’
7. I do not want my strength in Christ to simply be fruitful for me, but for others. Clearly, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). So I want to produce good deeds and works of love for others, so that the glory of God will be seen in my life, and others will taste and see that the Lord is good. Who produces these good deeds? God does. So Colossians 1:10 teaches us to pray, "That [we] will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord . . . bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
8. Finally, lest the ultimate aim of it all be missed, I pray day after day—as a kind of banner flying over all my prayers—‘Hallowed be Thy name’ (Mt. 6:9). Lord, cause Your name to be known and feared and loved and cherished and admired and praised and trusted because of my life and my ministry.
All this I pray "in Jesus' name," because God gives these things to my soul only because Jesus died for me and removed the wrath of God so that the Father might "freely give me all things" (Romans 8:32).
Lord, teach us to pray, from beginning to end, in a biblical way with a biblical view of how You act in the world. Show us Yourself and how You work so that we might pray as we ought. And teach us to pray as we ought so that we might see how You work.”
Good stuff! May Piper's words (which are all just based on God's perfect Word) encourage and reinvigorate our prayer lives. (Because I, for one, know that I need all the help I can get!)
Thank You, Father, for summer, for forgiveness, for fresh starts, for the gift of prayer, and for the unfathomable joy of knowing that You--the Almighty God of heaven and earth--still delight to hear from us and speak to us. Amazing, amazing grace. Teach us to pray, Father. Help us to pray. Or perhaps we begin by simply and humbly admitting and asking--please give us a will and a desire to pray. We love You, Abba.
To God be the glory.
If ever there's proof that I need a schedule to coral my laziness and tendency to waste time, well, here it is. Sigh. I do love summer with it's exploding beauty, languid timeline, and simple joys like--
(Oh yes--when God created the Dairy Queen butterscotch dip ice cream cone, He surely said, "It is mighty good!")
But there comes a time when you've gotta take yourself by the scruff of the neck and say, "Okay. Enough! Time to get back on track!" That time is now.
So even while dreaming of that ridiculously delicious ice cream cone, I wanted to share John Piper's suggestions for how to pray for the soul (yours as well as those you love)--
"1. The first thing my soul needs is an inclination to God and His Word. Without that, nothing else will happen of any value in my life. I must want to know God and read his Word and draw near to Him. Where does that "want to" come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 119:36 teaches us to pray, "Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to gain."
2. Next I need to have the eyes of my heart opened, so that when my inclination leads me to the Word I see what is really there and not just my own ideas. Who opens the eyes of the heart? God does. So Psalm 119:18 teaches us to pray, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law."
3. Then I need for my heart to be enlightened with these "wonders." I need to perceive glory in them and not just interesting facts. Who enlightens the heart? God does. So Ephesians 1:18 teaches us to pray "That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened."
4. Then I am concerned that my heart is fragmented and that parts of it might remain in the dark while other parts are enlightened. So I long for my heart to be united for God. Where does that wholeness and unity come from? From God. So Psalm 86:11 teaches us to pray, "O Lord, I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name."
5. What I really want from all this engagement with the Word of God and the work of His Spirit in answer to my prayers is that my heart will be satisfied with God and not with the world. Where does that satisfaction come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 90:14 teaches us to pray, “Satisfy us in the morning with Thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
6.But I don’t want my happiness to be fragile or weak, but to be strong and durable in the face of the worst adversities. I want to be strong in joy, and persevering during the dark seasons. Where does that strength and durability come from? It comes from God. So Ephesians 3:16 teaches us to pray, ‘[That] God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.’
7. I do not want my strength in Christ to simply be fruitful for me, but for others. Clearly, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). So I want to produce good deeds and works of love for others, so that the glory of God will be seen in my life, and others will taste and see that the Lord is good. Who produces these good deeds? God does. So Colossians 1:10 teaches us to pray, "That [we] will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord . . . bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
8. Finally, lest the ultimate aim of it all be missed, I pray day after day—as a kind of banner flying over all my prayers—‘Hallowed be Thy name’ (Mt. 6:9). Lord, cause Your name to be known and feared and loved and cherished and admired and praised and trusted because of my life and my ministry.
All this I pray "in Jesus' name," because God gives these things to my soul only because Jesus died for me and removed the wrath of God so that the Father might "freely give me all things" (Romans 8:32).
Lord, teach us to pray, from beginning to end, in a biblical way with a biblical view of how You act in the world. Show us Yourself and how You work so that we might pray as we ought. And teach us to pray as we ought so that we might see how You work.”
Good stuff! May Piper's words (which are all just based on God's perfect Word) encourage and reinvigorate our prayer lives. (Because I, for one, know that I need all the help I can get!)
Thank You, Father, for summer, for forgiveness, for fresh starts, for the gift of prayer, and for the unfathomable joy of knowing that You--the Almighty God of heaven and earth--still delight to hear from us and speak to us. Amazing, amazing grace. Teach us to pray, Father. Help us to pray. Or perhaps we begin by simply and humbly admitting and asking--please give us a will and a desire to pray. We love You, Abba.
To God be the glory.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
A few thoughts on prayer (Part I)
A little food for weekend thought...on prayer (Part I)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Eph.6:18
"I call on You, my God, for You will answer me; turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer." (Ps.17:6)
Prayer is hard work--or at least it is for me. I'm so easily distracted--"prone to wander, Lord, I feel it!"--and prayer time can quickly degenerate into a sudden remembrance of miscellaneous things I "need" to do or into a laundry list of requests that are focused more on wants than needs, more on physical than spiritual, more on family and friends rather than also on God's big world and His big, grand redemptive plan.
Now praise God He hears us and loves us and answers prayer--according to His perfect will--even with our (or at least my) piddly, sometimes shallow and self-focused prayers. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't aim higher! We're told repeatedly to pray, because there is great power in prayer. Prayer brings the supernatural, transforming, redeeming power of Almighty God to bear in this world and in our lives. The One who knows all and can do all wants us to communicate with Him--to come to Him as our beloved Abba, our Daddy. Why on earth wouldn't we?
Moreover, communication with those we love isn't confined to a laundry list of things that need to get done, right? My brothers and sisters and I loved and adored our earthly daddy, and when we talked to him, we talked about all sorts of things, all sorts of challenges, all sorts of concerns, all sorts of joys. We laughed. We wept. We spoke. We listened. We learned. We cried out. We asked. We thanked. We requested. And we didn't communicate only in some daily one shot deal. No, we talked and shared whenever we were around our earthly daddy.
Shouldn't that reflect our communication with our Heavenly Daddy? All sorts of communication, all sorts of emotion, and at all sorts of times? Praising and worshipping Him throughout the day--"Oh Father, thank You for that sunrise...Praise You for Your glorious grace...Thank You for those that I love...Praise You for Your steadfast love...Thank You for these eyes to see, ears to hear, feet to walk, tongue to taste, hands to hold...Praise You that Your mercies are not just "new every morning" but new every moment of every day and every night!
But not just praising and thanking....also confessing and requesting and listening. Speaking His supernatural Word back to Him--not because He needs to hear but because we do and because there is real power in the Word of God, and in the spoken Word of God.
The bottom line for me, and I suspect for most of us, is to stop searching for some perfect formula of prayer and simply start--and continue--speaking to the Perfect Object of our prayer.
And who is that Perfect Object? He is the righteous, holy, omniscient, omnipotent, all-gracious, all-forgiving, all-loving, all-sufficient, all-sovereign, infinite, eternal Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
We have the privilege and the joy of coming to such an Almighty One and calling Him my Father, my Abba, my Daddy. To call that astounding and stunning is completely inadequate. So we'll just call it glorious and wondrous beyond all imagining.
So in this new week the Lord has so graciously given us, let's keep those lines of communication with our Heavenly Father constantly open. Let's come to Him with our sorrows and joys, our challenges and triumphs, our doubts and questions, our confessions and our praises. Don't hold back and don't give up. No matter what, let's never quit or give up! For as He's told us in His Word--
"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." (Lk 18:1)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4:6)
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (Col.4:2)
Father, thank You for Your priceless and wondrous gift of prayer. Teach us to pray, Lord. Help us to pray. Give us we ask--for You know how we need even this--the will and desire to pray. We are weak..but You are strong.
And help us, Abba, in the words of I Thess.5:17, to "pray continually." Starting today. Starting now.
To God be the glory.
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Eph.6:18
"I call on You, my God, for You will answer me; turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer." (Ps.17:6)
Prayer is hard work--or at least it is for me. I'm so easily distracted--"prone to wander, Lord, I feel it!"--and prayer time can quickly degenerate into a sudden remembrance of miscellaneous things I "need" to do or into a laundry list of requests that are focused more on wants than needs, more on physical than spiritual, more on family and friends rather than also on God's big world and His big, grand redemptive plan.
Now praise God He hears us and loves us and answers prayer--according to His perfect will--even with our (or at least my) piddly, sometimes shallow and self-focused prayers. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't aim higher! We're told repeatedly to pray, because there is great power in prayer. Prayer brings the supernatural, transforming, redeeming power of Almighty God to bear in this world and in our lives. The One who knows all and can do all wants us to communicate with Him--to come to Him as our beloved Abba, our Daddy. Why on earth wouldn't we?
Moreover, communication with those we love isn't confined to a laundry list of things that need to get done, right? My brothers and sisters and I loved and adored our earthly daddy, and when we talked to him, we talked about all sorts of things, all sorts of challenges, all sorts of concerns, all sorts of joys. We laughed. We wept. We spoke. We listened. We learned. We cried out. We asked. We thanked. We requested. And we didn't communicate only in some daily one shot deal. No, we talked and shared whenever we were around our earthly daddy.
Shouldn't that reflect our communication with our Heavenly Daddy? All sorts of communication, all sorts of emotion, and at all sorts of times? Praising and worshipping Him throughout the day--"Oh Father, thank You for that sunrise...Praise You for Your glorious grace...Thank You for those that I love...Praise You for Your steadfast love...Thank You for these eyes to see, ears to hear, feet to walk, tongue to taste, hands to hold...Praise You that Your mercies are not just "new every morning" but new every moment of every day and every night!
But not just praising and thanking....also confessing and requesting and listening. Speaking His supernatural Word back to Him--not because He needs to hear but because we do and because there is real power in the Word of God, and in the spoken Word of God.
The bottom line for me, and I suspect for most of us, is to stop searching for some perfect formula of prayer and simply start--and continue--speaking to the Perfect Object of our prayer.
And who is that Perfect Object? He is the righteous, holy, omniscient, omnipotent, all-gracious, all-forgiving, all-loving, all-sufficient, all-sovereign, infinite, eternal Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
We have the privilege and the joy of coming to such an Almighty One and calling Him my Father, my Abba, my Daddy. To call that astounding and stunning is completely inadequate. So we'll just call it glorious and wondrous beyond all imagining.
So in this new week the Lord has so graciously given us, let's keep those lines of communication with our Heavenly Father constantly open. Let's come to Him with our sorrows and joys, our challenges and triumphs, our doubts and questions, our confessions and our praises. Don't hold back and don't give up. No matter what, let's never quit or give up! For as He's told us in His Word--
"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." (Lk 18:1)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4:6)
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (Col.4:2)
Father, thank You for Your priceless and wondrous gift of prayer. Teach us to pray, Lord. Help us to pray. Give us we ask--for You know how we need even this--the will and desire to pray. We are weak..but You are strong.
And help us, Abba, in the words of I Thess.5:17, to "pray continually." Starting today. Starting now.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Our Almighty God and His unshakeable Kingdom
Sometimes life can be complicated and confusing...or downright frightening and discouraging. Our culture feels like it's coming apart at the seams with vitriol flying in every direction. The news relentlessly bombards us with killings, bombings, kidnappings and on and on. Not to mention we're all facing the challenges of getting older and wearier.
And then God steps in to remind us of Who is really in charge. Who is truly sovereign and perfect in all His ways and dealings. Who will never run out of energy or wisdom or power or grace or forgiveness. Who is always and forever steadfast in His perfect love. Who will never ever leave us nor forsake us. Who is always and eternally for us, never against us.
In case you need reminding: "'To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?' says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God?' Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:25-31)
That is our God, and there is none other!
But if you, like me, can sometimes be a spiritual amnesiac who not only forgets but is prone to wander along the barren, dead-end paths of worry and anxiety, here are a couple of sentences that resonated deeply within me. The more you contemplate them, the more they will encourage and strengthen your heart, for they are truth. And here they are--
"You are one in whom Christ dwells and delights. And you live in the strong and unshakeable Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is not in trouble, and neither are you." James K. Smith
Slow down and really think about that! In fact, put your name in there: "I am one in whom Christ dwells and delights. And I live in the strong and unshakable Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is not in trouble, and neither am I."
Yes, yes, yes!
The God of the universe dwells inside of you. Amazing. And He doesn't just put up with you (which would be remarkable in itself), but He positively delights in you. Mind blown. And no matter how crazy this world, how chaotic your life, His Kingdom is strong and absolutely unshakeable. Hear that--utterly unshakeable! And He's totally, completely, and eternally got it all and got you. No one and nothing can defeat or deter His Kingdom, and He's perfectly in control and untroubled by all that's going on. Because guess what? It's all, all, all a part of His good, perfect and pleasing plan and will. And that means you and I can resign our sham positions as worriers of the world and managers of the universe!
Thank You, Father! Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Holy Spirit!
Today and everyday, might we live and move in this truth--that Christ dwells and delights in us. That we live in His strong and unshakeable Kingdom. And that His Kingdom is not now, not ever, in trouble...and neither are we.
You can unclench those jaws and relax those tight fists, because He's got it. And He's got you. Praise His great and glorious, His unshakeable and unconquerable name. To God be the glory.
And then God steps in to remind us of Who is really in charge. Who is truly sovereign and perfect in all His ways and dealings. Who will never run out of energy or wisdom or power or grace or forgiveness. Who is always and forever steadfast in His perfect love. Who will never ever leave us nor forsake us. Who is always and eternally for us, never against us.
In case you need reminding: "'To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?' says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God?' Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:25-31)
That is our God, and there is none other!
But if you, like me, can sometimes be a spiritual amnesiac who not only forgets but is prone to wander along the barren, dead-end paths of worry and anxiety, here are a couple of sentences that resonated deeply within me. The more you contemplate them, the more they will encourage and strengthen your heart, for they are truth. And here they are--
"You are one in whom Christ dwells and delights. And you live in the strong and unshakeable Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is not in trouble, and neither are you." James K. Smith
Slow down and really think about that! In fact, put your name in there: "I am one in whom Christ dwells and delights. And I live in the strong and unshakable Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is not in trouble, and neither am I."
Yes, yes, yes!
The God of the universe dwells inside of you. Amazing. And He doesn't just put up with you (which would be remarkable in itself), but He positively delights in you. Mind blown. And no matter how crazy this world, how chaotic your life, His Kingdom is strong and absolutely unshakeable. Hear that--utterly unshakeable! And He's totally, completely, and eternally got it all and got you. No one and nothing can defeat or deter His Kingdom, and He's perfectly in control and untroubled by all that's going on. Because guess what? It's all, all, all a part of His good, perfect and pleasing plan and will. And that means you and I can resign our sham positions as worriers of the world and managers of the universe!
Thank You, Father! Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Holy Spirit!
Today and everyday, might we live and move in this truth--that Christ dwells and delights in us. That we live in His strong and unshakeable Kingdom. And that His Kingdom is not now, not ever, in trouble...and neither are we.
You can unclench those jaws and relax those tight fists, because He's got it. And He's got you. Praise His great and glorious, His unshakeable and unconquerable name. To God be the glory.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Funerals...and being revived!
"Will you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation." (Ps.85:6-7)
"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Ps.19:7-8)
Yesterday, the LORD gave me--and many others--the reviving experience of remembering and celebrating a life well lived to the glory of God--the life of Marilyn Lovett. Yes, surely it was a time of grieving and great sadness for her family and close friends. But at the same time, for all of us who were privileged to be there, it was also a time of laughter, rejoicing (and even some gentle conviction!) and recalling her incredible love for the Lord, for His Word, for His work, and for the people He had put in her path.
Although I didn't know her well, she was obviously a woman of tremendous intellect, drive, creativity, organization, and love for those around her. She was not just a "hearer" but a "doer" of the Word--and oh my, shouldn't that be true of everyone of us? I've never laughed so much and so hard at a funeral, and much of what I heard about her, reminded me of my dear Mama--especially in her relentless quest for everyone to use proper, grammatical english! "It's so-and-so and ME," not "I" she'd immediately correct everyone of us, no matter the occasion, the place, or the time.
But in contemplating all of this, I wanted to share a few brief observations. First, funerals can be excellent times for recalibrating our lives and our priorities. We can't help but be reminded at funerals that life is short, death is real, and eternity is coming. So we want to make each day on our all-too-brief spin around the planet count to the glory of God.
As I've heard it said, it's not YOLO but YOLF--"You only live forever." And since we're all going to live forever, how we live today can resonate for our good and for His glory forever...or not. Living in light of eternity infuses our everyday actions and choices with the potential weight of glory. Oh Father, help us to live this day well...to fix our eyes on You, to love--by your grace--You and others, and to live it all, all, all to Your glory.
But secondly, I was reminded how essential it is, especially in our busy, fast-paced culture, to daily come apart and spend time in God's Word. Marilyn was a woman who clearly loved God's Word, and His Word obviously sustained, energized, and revived her on a daily basis. Ps.19:7 puts it succinctly--God's perfect law revives our soul. Through His Word, our Heavenly Father revives our parched and weary souls...and when we are revived, we will find ourselves rejoicing. When I start feeling bone-dry, I've inevitably considered my schedule too "busy" to allow time quietly savoring, enjoying, and being fed and revived by God's supernatural Word.
So today, if you're feeling weary and worn, choose first to remember that life is short but eternity is both forever and unimaginably glorious. Fix your gaze on Jesus and live for His glory today, knowing that today's choices matter. And secondly, choose to put aside your to-do list and your all-consuming cell phone (or whatever is sucking up all your time and attention!) and instead come apart with the Lord and His Word. You will find yourself being filled and refilled, revived and restored. His Word never, ever disappoints, and His mercies are new every morning, every day.
Thank You, LORD, for Your ever-reviving Presence and Word. Help us this day and everyday to come to You and be revived and restored. Life is short...but You are good, Your Word is wondrous, and eternity will be glorious. And thank You for the life of saints like Marilyn. Help us to live to Your glory as well until You choose to take us Home.
To God be the glory.
"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Ps.19:7-8)
Yesterday, the LORD gave me--and many others--the reviving experience of remembering and celebrating a life well lived to the glory of God--the life of Marilyn Lovett. Yes, surely it was a time of grieving and great sadness for her family and close friends. But at the same time, for all of us who were privileged to be there, it was also a time of laughter, rejoicing (and even some gentle conviction!) and recalling her incredible love for the Lord, for His Word, for His work, and for the people He had put in her path.
Although I didn't know her well, she was obviously a woman of tremendous intellect, drive, creativity, organization, and love for those around her. She was not just a "hearer" but a "doer" of the Word--and oh my, shouldn't that be true of everyone of us? I've never laughed so much and so hard at a funeral, and much of what I heard about her, reminded me of my dear Mama--especially in her relentless quest for everyone to use proper, grammatical english! "It's so-and-so and ME," not "I" she'd immediately correct everyone of us, no matter the occasion, the place, or the time.
But in contemplating all of this, I wanted to share a few brief observations. First, funerals can be excellent times for recalibrating our lives and our priorities. We can't help but be reminded at funerals that life is short, death is real, and eternity is coming. So we want to make each day on our all-too-brief spin around the planet count to the glory of God.
As I've heard it said, it's not YOLO but YOLF--"You only live forever." And since we're all going to live forever, how we live today can resonate for our good and for His glory forever...or not. Living in light of eternity infuses our everyday actions and choices with the potential weight of glory. Oh Father, help us to live this day well...to fix our eyes on You, to love--by your grace--You and others, and to live it all, all, all to Your glory.
But secondly, I was reminded how essential it is, especially in our busy, fast-paced culture, to daily come apart and spend time in God's Word. Marilyn was a woman who clearly loved God's Word, and His Word obviously sustained, energized, and revived her on a daily basis. Ps.19:7 puts it succinctly--God's perfect law revives our soul. Through His Word, our Heavenly Father revives our parched and weary souls...and when we are revived, we will find ourselves rejoicing. When I start feeling bone-dry, I've inevitably considered my schedule too "busy" to allow time quietly savoring, enjoying, and being fed and revived by God's supernatural Word.
So today, if you're feeling weary and worn, choose first to remember that life is short but eternity is both forever and unimaginably glorious. Fix your gaze on Jesus and live for His glory today, knowing that today's choices matter. And secondly, choose to put aside your to-do list and your all-consuming cell phone (or whatever is sucking up all your time and attention!) and instead come apart with the Lord and His Word. You will find yourself being filled and refilled, revived and restored. His Word never, ever disappoints, and His mercies are new every morning, every day.
Thank You, LORD, for Your ever-reviving Presence and Word. Help us this day and everyday to come to You and be revived and restored. Life is short...but You are good, Your Word is wondrous, and eternity will be glorious. And thank You for the life of saints like Marilyn. Help us to live to Your glory as well until You choose to take us Home.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Don't miss the beauty along the way
The other day my daughter and I went on a long, lovely hike. Emphasis on both "long" and "lovely." The views were spectacular and the hiking was plenty challenging--in fact, this old bird had a bit of trouble trying to keep up with our daughter. Eight mile hike? Piece of cake, I was thinking...two hours max.
Ugh, wrong. That might be two hours on the nice, flat greenway, but it most definitely was not two hours on the stony path climbing up and down Mt. Albert. More like four hours, thank you very much, of determined hiking with only a wisp of a teeny tiny break to take a photo here and there. By the time we got back to the car, I was both exhilarated (by the glory of God on full display) and relieved (that I could finally sit down--Hallelujah!) What a Creator! What a creation!
But here's the thing--that hike consisted of step...after step...after step. Some steps climbing up and around boulders. Some steps hiking back down rocky, meandering paths. Some steps through lush green woods. Other steps passing amongst fields of blackberry bushes. If we wanted to reach the top, if we wanted to savor the views, we had to keep moving, keep taking one step after another.
When we began, I assumed we'd arrive at our destination in no time, so I set off with a jaunty, energetic stride. But then the hike went on...and on...and on. We--let me rephrase that: I--grew weary and thirsty and hungry. The beauty along the way took your breath away, but at times, that summit seemed impossibly far away; like when my daughter told me, "We're getting closer! Only two more miles"...but this was after we'd already been hiking for nearly three hours. I must confess a sense of discouragement set in at that moment. But my daughter was up ahead, so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Step...step...step...step. Until--glory!--we reached the summit!
The funny thing was, however, that the summit proved mighty anti-climatic. It consisted of a giant bolder perched up high in the middle of thick woods. No soaring view over the mountains and valley from the tip of Mt. Albert.
Nope. The views, it turns out, were all along the way, all along the journey. If we'd been too focused on our ultimate destination to notice what was all around us on the way there, we would've missed the glory, the wonder, the beauty in the here. It sounds so cliche but it's so true--don't miss all that God has for you along the journey in your drive to reach the destination.
The beauty and wonder of life consists of all its ups and downs, its ins and out, its joys and sorrows. As I once heard it said, each day has its share of Good Friday moments and Easter moments. We can't have one without the other...nor would we want one without the other. Rolled all up together, that long, sometime arduous, sometimes glorious journey, is a magnificent and beautiful tapestry...and its wondrous destination is our eternal Home.
The key, of course, is the One who goes with us every step of the way. Our Good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters. Who restores our souls. Who loves us and teaches us and guides us and corrects us and forgives us and who, most remarkably of all, actually enjoys us! His job is to do all that we'd ever need, all that our souls require, while still getting us to His ultimate and glorious Home. Our job is to keep stepping faithfully, day by day. To keep following our Good Shepherd. To keep loving Him and loving those He's placed alongside us in this journey.
Have you grown a bit weary in the journey? Today, ask the Lord to give you a renewed sense of His presence and an increased love for Him as your Good Shepherd. Ask Him to reveal to you the magnificent views along the journey. And then thank Him for each and every moment, each and every view, each and every gift He so extravagantly showers upon your path all along the way. Oh might we not miss the beauty--and His beauty--along the way.
To God--our glorious Good Shepherd--be all the glory.
Ugh, wrong. That might be two hours on the nice, flat greenway, but it most definitely was not two hours on the stony path climbing up and down Mt. Albert. More like four hours, thank you very much, of determined hiking with only a wisp of a teeny tiny break to take a photo here and there. By the time we got back to the car, I was both exhilarated (by the glory of God on full display) and relieved (that I could finally sit down--Hallelujah!) What a Creator! What a creation!
When we began, I assumed we'd arrive at our destination in no time, so I set off with a jaunty, energetic stride. But then the hike went on...and on...and on. We--let me rephrase that: I--grew weary and thirsty and hungry. The beauty along the way took your breath away, but at times, that summit seemed impossibly far away; like when my daughter told me, "We're getting closer! Only two more miles"...but this was after we'd already been hiking for nearly three hours. I must confess a sense of discouragement set in at that moment. But my daughter was up ahead, so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Step...step...step...step. Until--glory!--we reached the summit!
The funny thing was, however, that the summit proved mighty anti-climatic. It consisted of a giant bolder perched up high in the middle of thick woods. No soaring view over the mountains and valley from the tip of Mt. Albert.
Nope. The views, it turns out, were all along the way, all along the journey. If we'd been too focused on our ultimate destination to notice what was all around us on the way there, we would've missed the glory, the wonder, the beauty in the here. It sounds so cliche but it's so true--don't miss all that God has for you along the journey in your drive to reach the destination.
The beauty and wonder of life consists of all its ups and downs, its ins and out, its joys and sorrows. As I once heard it said, each day has its share of Good Friday moments and Easter moments. We can't have one without the other...nor would we want one without the other. Rolled all up together, that long, sometime arduous, sometimes glorious journey, is a magnificent and beautiful tapestry...and its wondrous destination is our eternal Home.
The key, of course, is the One who goes with us every step of the way. Our Good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters. Who restores our souls. Who loves us and teaches us and guides us and corrects us and forgives us and who, most remarkably of all, actually enjoys us! His job is to do all that we'd ever need, all that our souls require, while still getting us to His ultimate and glorious Home. Our job is to keep stepping faithfully, day by day. To keep following our Good Shepherd. To keep loving Him and loving those He's placed alongside us in this journey.
Have you grown a bit weary in the journey? Today, ask the Lord to give you a renewed sense of His presence and an increased love for Him as your Good Shepherd. Ask Him to reveal to you the magnificent views along the journey. And then thank Him for each and every moment, each and every view, each and every gift He so extravagantly showers upon your path all along the way. Oh might we not miss the beauty--and His beauty--along the way.
To God--our glorious Good Shepherd--be all the glory.
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