A little food for weekend thought--
At the start of the last couple of summers, I have been convicted and challenged by the words of John Piper. I've shared them before, but if you are anything like me, we don't so much need to learn shiny new things we've never heard before as we need to be reminded of the important things that we've heard but have forgotten. For most of us, it's not a failure of knowing enough but a failure of putting into practice what we do know.
Ah, but for this we have Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for grace...and for the wondrous gift of beginning again. Of picking ourselves up. Dusting ourselves off. Fixing our eyes once again on our loving Savior who is leading the way into a new season. A new week. A new day. A new start.
Aren't you thankful that His mercies are new every morning? (Lam.3:22-23)
So for this new season of summer--this glorious time of warmth, sunshine, ocean, juicy peaches, mountains, watermelon, movies, slower paces, good books, dancing fireflies, melting ice cream, lingering on porches in the evening--let us not forget to "set our minds on things that are above and not on things that are on earth." We have to refocus on Him so that we "seek the things that are above." (Col.3:1-2)
Here are Piper's words--
"Jesus Christ is refreshing. So, seek the things that are above. Don’t replace Christ this summer with trifles. Flight from Christ into Christless leisure makes the soul parched.
At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer and neglect the word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.
Don’t let the coming of summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute.
If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. Don’t fall in love with the video preview and find yourself unable to love the coming reality.
Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us this summer, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Peter’s word to us about this is, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19–20). Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive.
What sort of summer mindset is this? It is the mindset of Colossians 3:1–2, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
It is God’s earth! It is a video preview to the reality of what the eternal summer will be like when “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).
The summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be: the glory of God. Summer is for seeing and showing that. Do you want to have eyes to see? Lord, let us see the light beyond the light."
That's some good stuff...and I sure needed some reminding!
Thank You, Lord, for summer. Thank You for the manifold, relentless gifts of this season. Thank You for time to savor, time to love, time to reflect, time for refreshment. Enable us daily to seek and set our minds on the things above, even as we enjoy this glorious time of year. Please help us "to see the light beyond the light." Even as we bask in the sun, enable us to fix our gazes and our hearts on the true Son, the Creator of that sun and of all the glories of summer.
So, in case you needed a bit of encouragement like yours truly, can I remind us all--it's just the end of May. We all have time to begin again, to start afresh for this new season, this new week, this new day ahead of us. Might we daily adopt the summer mindset--setting our minds on things above. Because that view will always be glorious.
To God be the glory.
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Monday, May 20, 2019
A good week...a great God
It's late Sunday night, but before putting my head on the pillow, I must pause for a moment and simply give God thanks for a mighty good week. The Lord's been so good, so gracious, so kind to our family this past week...nothing we deserved, nothing we could ever earn but the outflowing of an extravagantly good and loving Abba blessing His children. The only response to such utterly unmerited grace is thanksgiving, adoration, and worship of the One who is the Giver of all good gifts. He is the Creator; He is the Source; He is the Sustainer of every good and perfect gift in every one of our lives. (James 1:17) So we trace the gift directly back to the Giver and give Him every bit of the glory, honor, and praise.
Here's how Lewis explained it in Letters to Malcolm: "Gratitude exclaims...'How good of God to give me this.' Adoration says, 'What must be the quality of that Being whose far-off and momentary coruscations are like this!' One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun." How I love that--run back up the sunbeam to the sun...or The Son.
Thank You, Father, for giving us weddings to celebrate and to remind us anew of the glory and wonder of love, of family, of wedding feasts now and in our glorious eternal Home with You in heaven. Thank You for sunny days, for teammates enjoying sports together, for friends with whom we share our joys and sorrow, and for this priceless, crazy, wondrous gift of life. Regular old daily, challenging, astounding life. Thank You for dancing and music and laughter and cake and celebration. And thank You for times for resting, reading, reflecting, and being still to know that You are God. You are just as surely in the mundane Mondays as You are in the celebratory, momentous events of our lives.
Yes, for our family, this has been a mighty good week...but as I sit here, I want to remember this moment. I need to emblazon this in my heart and mind to remind myself (and remind anyone reading this) that life is full of these kinds of joyful, wondrous moments. And life is just as full of hard, lonely, frustrating, disappointing, frightening, sorrowful moments as well. Today, this week, has been good--to God be the glory and praise. But I know that challenges and difficulties will inevitably come as well. They always, always do. Yet, just as surely, those times will pass as well.
The other day, I heard Beth Moore share these words from one of her Bible studies: "Whatever we're going through, we're not staying there. We're not stuck." When we're going through one of those hard, dark places in life, we need to remind ourselves, "I'm not staying here! I'm not stuck here. I'm just a passing through." The joyous times, the hard times, the celebrating times, the lonely times--they all come to each of us. And the secret is to keep our gaze locked on Jesus and know that whatever valley or mountaintop we're walking through, He's both leading us and walking with us every step of the way. Whether we're traveling through the good or the bad, the joyful or the sorrowful, this is not our true home. We're just pilgrims on our way to our glorious and eternal Home, and we have a Savior, a Redeemer, a Friend who will stick closer than a brother, who loves us infinitely and who will bring us all the way Home.
If you're in the midst of a season of joy, thank Him! Rejoice in Him. Trace that sunbeam back to the sun--The Son--and give Him glory and praise! He's the Giver of all good gifts, and we should laugh, dance, and sing with joy over His extravagant goodness.
But He's just as good, just as loving, just as wise, just as sovereign, just as powerful, just as merciful when He's allowing us to walk through a season of struggle or sorrow. Trust Him. Even when you cannot see His face, you can trust His heart. Know that He's got you by the hand and is walking with you--you, His beloved son or daughter. And He's working and moving in all kinds of ways you cannot see and do not know...but will one day.
So thank You, Father, for this week of joy, of blessing, of happy tears, of family, of friends, of celebration. It's all from You, by You, and for You. Thank You for these sunbeams of joy, but we give You--The Son and Source of every single sunbeam--all the glory, thanks, and praise. Whether our weeks are good or hard, joyful or sorrowful, You are the One we adore, the One we follow, the One we worship...for You are forever worthy.
To God be the glory.
Here's how Lewis explained it in Letters to Malcolm: "Gratitude exclaims...'How good of God to give me this.' Adoration says, 'What must be the quality of that Being whose far-off and momentary coruscations are like this!' One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun." How I love that--run back up the sunbeam to the sun...or The Son.
Thank You, Father, for giving us weddings to celebrate and to remind us anew of the glory and wonder of love, of family, of wedding feasts now and in our glorious eternal Home with You in heaven. Thank You for sunny days, for teammates enjoying sports together, for friends with whom we share our joys and sorrow, and for this priceless, crazy, wondrous gift of life. Regular old daily, challenging, astounding life. Thank You for dancing and music and laughter and cake and celebration. And thank You for times for resting, reading, reflecting, and being still to know that You are God. You are just as surely in the mundane Mondays as You are in the celebratory, momentous events of our lives.
Yes, for our family, this has been a mighty good week...but as I sit here, I want to remember this moment. I need to emblazon this in my heart and mind to remind myself (and remind anyone reading this) that life is full of these kinds of joyful, wondrous moments. And life is just as full of hard, lonely, frustrating, disappointing, frightening, sorrowful moments as well. Today, this week, has been good--to God be the glory and praise. But I know that challenges and difficulties will inevitably come as well. They always, always do. Yet, just as surely, those times will pass as well.
The other day, I heard Beth Moore share these words from one of her Bible studies: "Whatever we're going through, we're not staying there. We're not stuck." When we're going through one of those hard, dark places in life, we need to remind ourselves, "I'm not staying here! I'm not stuck here. I'm just a passing through." The joyous times, the hard times, the celebrating times, the lonely times--they all come to each of us. And the secret is to keep our gaze locked on Jesus and know that whatever valley or mountaintop we're walking through, He's both leading us and walking with us every step of the way. Whether we're traveling through the good or the bad, the joyful or the sorrowful, this is not our true home. We're just pilgrims on our way to our glorious and eternal Home, and we have a Savior, a Redeemer, a Friend who will stick closer than a brother, who loves us infinitely and who will bring us all the way Home.
If you're in the midst of a season of joy, thank Him! Rejoice in Him. Trace that sunbeam back to the sun--The Son--and give Him glory and praise! He's the Giver of all good gifts, and we should laugh, dance, and sing with joy over His extravagant goodness.
But He's just as good, just as loving, just as wise, just as sovereign, just as powerful, just as merciful when He's allowing us to walk through a season of struggle or sorrow. Trust Him. Even when you cannot see His face, you can trust His heart. Know that He's got you by the hand and is walking with you--you, His beloved son or daughter. And He's working and moving in all kinds of ways you cannot see and do not know...but will one day.
So thank You, Father, for this week of joy, of blessing, of happy tears, of family, of friends, of celebration. It's all from You, by You, and for You. Thank You for these sunbeams of joy, but we give You--The Son and Source of every single sunbeam--all the glory, thanks, and praise. Whether our weeks are good or hard, joyful or sorrowful, You are the One we adore, the One we follow, the One we worship...for You are forever worthy.
To God be the glory.
Friday, May 10, 2019
Snarling...or singing?
"You can snarl--I will sing." Tim Keller
Oh my, that's good stuff...and it was just what I needed to read at the time (and for that matter, for everyday of my life). Let me explain...
The other day, one of my children had a really difficult encounter with a customer at their workplace. I won't give any details, but suffice it to say, this person spoke in ugly, unkind, and hurtful ways that were utterly unwarranted (and, in fact, just plain ridiculous).
And here was my godly response: "What a jerk! I'd like to get a piece of that person right now!" Suffice it to say, I was mad as a hornet.
My far godlier husband, on the other hand, immediately observed that this person must have been in a lot of pain to overreact in such a negative, terrible manner. Yeah, that too...but still, what a jerk (I'm sorry but I can't think of a nice term to use instead!) to intentionally use words that would harshly criticize and wound. It's one of the worst things about our current culture: all the name-calling, online bashing, demonizing anyone who doesn't agree with you. Sigh.
But then I read these words from Psalm 59:14-17, "They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my Strength, I sing praise to You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely."
Here's some of what Tim Keller said about these verses: "You can snarl--I will sing. In contrast to the snarling, howling dogs is the singing, praising psalmist. Though still under attack (the dogs are still howling), he praises God in his heart for being his fortress and refuge."
People, we have the choice! Will we snarl...or will we sing?
Will we join in with the howling, grumbling crowd...or will we choose to rejoice in God?
Will we give in to our fleshly tendency to complain and criticize...or will we, by an act of our will, recount the Lord's goodness to us, remember His glorious character, and rehearse His unstoppable promises in His Word?
Will we allow difficult circumstances to dictate our actions and attitudes, causing us to despair...or will we choose to rejoice in Him--even when we don't feel like it--by going to His Word and determining that what He says will dictate our reactions and responses?
Will we go along with our culture's cynicism and sarcasm...or will we instead choose to sing and even laugh with joy that the Lord has given us another day to breathe and live and love?
Will we bemoan all that's going on...or will we belt out a praise song or a Psalm in His Word?
Will we snarl...or will we sing? But before choosing, remember that as believers, we have a Redeemer who has forgiven us of a monstrous, unimaginably enormous load of guilt and sin; who has washed us clean by His blood; who has given us His beautiful righteousness in exchange for our hideous sinfulness; who has, even this very day, given us a fresh, new start; who loves us infinitely and perfectly; who has promised us a glorious, eternal, joyful Home; and who is our Strength, Refuge, and Fortress. Sounds like plenty of reasons for singing rather than snarling if you ask me.
So what will it be--will you snarl or will you sing? One choice leads to ever-increasing despair and darkness and the other to ever-increasing hope, peace, joy, and trust. But we each have to choose. Oh might we join with countless other believers and one another in declaring, "They can snarl--we will sing!"
To God be the glory.
Oh my, that's good stuff...and it was just what I needed to read at the time (and for that matter, for everyday of my life). Let me explain...
The other day, one of my children had a really difficult encounter with a customer at their workplace. I won't give any details, but suffice it to say, this person spoke in ugly, unkind, and hurtful ways that were utterly unwarranted (and, in fact, just plain ridiculous).
And here was my godly response: "What a jerk! I'd like to get a piece of that person right now!" Suffice it to say, I was mad as a hornet.
My far godlier husband, on the other hand, immediately observed that this person must have been in a lot of pain to overreact in such a negative, terrible manner. Yeah, that too...but still, what a jerk (I'm sorry but I can't think of a nice term to use instead!) to intentionally use words that would harshly criticize and wound. It's one of the worst things about our current culture: all the name-calling, online bashing, demonizing anyone who doesn't agree with you. Sigh.
But then I read these words from Psalm 59:14-17, "They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my Strength, I sing praise to You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely."
Here's some of what Tim Keller said about these verses: "You can snarl--I will sing. In contrast to the snarling, howling dogs is the singing, praising psalmist. Though still under attack (the dogs are still howling), he praises God in his heart for being his fortress and refuge."
People, we have the choice! Will we snarl...or will we sing?
Will we join in with the howling, grumbling crowd...or will we choose to rejoice in God?
Will we give in to our fleshly tendency to complain and criticize...or will we, by an act of our will, recount the Lord's goodness to us, remember His glorious character, and rehearse His unstoppable promises in His Word?
Will we allow difficult circumstances to dictate our actions and attitudes, causing us to despair...or will we choose to rejoice in Him--even when we don't feel like it--by going to His Word and determining that what He says will dictate our reactions and responses?
Will we go along with our culture's cynicism and sarcasm...or will we instead choose to sing and even laugh with joy that the Lord has given us another day to breathe and live and love?
Will we bemoan all that's going on...or will we belt out a praise song or a Psalm in His Word?
Will we snarl...or will we sing? But before choosing, remember that as believers, we have a Redeemer who has forgiven us of a monstrous, unimaginably enormous load of guilt and sin; who has washed us clean by His blood; who has given us His beautiful righteousness in exchange for our hideous sinfulness; who has, even this very day, given us a fresh, new start; who loves us infinitely and perfectly; who has promised us a glorious, eternal, joyful Home; and who is our Strength, Refuge, and Fortress. Sounds like plenty of reasons for singing rather than snarling if you ask me.
So what will it be--will you snarl or will you sing? One choice leads to ever-increasing despair and darkness and the other to ever-increasing hope, peace, joy, and trust. But we each have to choose. Oh might we join with countless other believers and one another in declaring, "They can snarl--we will sing!"
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Never too late to turn around and come Home
Due to my inordinate love of cardinals, we always keep our bird feeder filled with the best brand of bird food we can find--and a type that supposedly attracts cardinals. Don't get me wrong--we appreciate and enjoy all the birds, but still, it's really all about those cardinals.
There's a little fly in the ointment, however, and that would be the squirrels. Sure they're cute, but those squirrels somehow manage to evade the special device attached to the bird feeder pole that's supposed to keep them away. Those squirrels daily, heck hourly, hang all over that bird feeder and eat gobs of the cardinals' food. No wonder our budget has a special line item for bird seed--we go through industrial size bags at an alarming rate because we're also feeding hordes of hungry squirrels.
Well, smarty pants here finally got sick and tired of the squirrels trying to hog all the food, and I bought a fancy, smancy, guaranteed squirrel-proof feeder. Oh yeah, take that you cute, bushy-tailed oversized rodents! Problem solved.
Those squirrels couldn't figure out how to get to the food, and they just stared at the feeder with a look of consternation (and maybe a bit of angst) on their little rodent faces. I didn't feel one bit guilty...okay, that's a lie. I did feel a tiny bit bad. But still, victory over the squirrel dilemma. Score one for the cardinals...
...until I noticed something. The squirrels weren't eating, but neither were the cardinals! WHAT?! The lovely green bird feeder was filled to the brim with their usual fancy food. It was a sight to behold--shiny and new, clean and impressive. Only problem was, the cardinals refused to eat from it. The little teeny birds liked it fine, but alas, not the cardinals.
The lady at the store told me to wait. Never my strong suit. But after all, the squirrels were no longer bothering us and surely this new fangled feeder would be the ticket, so we waited. And waited...and waited...and waited. Day after day, we watched and waited, hoping the cardinals would recognize the error of their ways and return to their newfangled feeder.
Nada. Not a cardinal. They'd fly up to it...and then fly away. I couldn't tell if the look on their faces was disdain, disappointment, or downright despair. But we'd spent all that money on the fancy new feeder...the lady said it would work...so we'd just keep plowing ahead and assuming something would change.
And then one morning it hit me--this isn't working. Why on earth are we continuing ahead on this fruitless, unhappy course? It's time to repent! To turn around and go back the other way.
Clearly the direction we were headed was no good. So if we wanted the cardinals to come back, we needed to stop, turn around and go in the other direction--meaning, go back, pull that old, icky-looking, non-squirrel proof, unimpressive bird feeder out of the back of the garage and put it back up.
Guess how long it took the cardinals to return? Well, glad you asked--because I hadn't even gotten back up to the porch after hanging the old feeder back up before that lovely daddy cardinal (featured in my very crummy photograph) flew right up and started eating. And yes, guess who else quickly returned? Our buddies, the squirrel posse. I'm sure they've packed on five pounds apiece in the past few days off of our fancy bird food. But that's okay.
In fact, it's more than okay. Because squirrels gotta live too, right? And if a few pesky squirrels are the price we have to pay to get those magnificent crimson cardinals, then fine and dandy. Bring on the squirrels...because the cardinals fly in right behind them.
You can hashtag that JOY all day long in my book! Even more so now, because those cardinals and that battered old bird feeder will be a daily reminder to me that it's never too late to repent. It's never too soon or too late to turn around and run to the arms of your Heavenly Father. He loves you just as much on your worst day as on your best one. He's ready, willing and eagerly waiting to forgive you and envelop you in His love and grace--all you have to do is turn around and run to Him. Run to your Abba, your Daddy.
As a wonderful song, "One Step Away" by Casting Crowns puts it, "It doesn't matter how far you've gone. Mercy says you don't have to keep running down the road you're on. Love's never met a lost cause. Your shame, lay it down. Leave your ghosts in the past ‘cause you know that you can't go back. But you can turn around. You've never been more than one step away from surrender. One step away from coming home, coming home. One step from arms wide open. His love has never let you go. You're not alone. You're one step away."
Don't let pride...or inertia...or laziness...or stubbornness...or hopelessness prevent you from repenting. You don't have to keep running down that dead-end road to despair. Instead of running away, stop; turn around, and start running toward your Heavenly Father. Toward Home. Toward forgiveness and grace. Toward healing and wholeness. Toward redemption and restoration.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9) That promise is just as true today as it was two thousand years ago. It's just as true for the most hardened criminal, as it for you and for me. He's simply waiting for you to turn around and take that first step towards Home.
Thank You, Father, for the blood-red glory of the cardinals and for reminding me through them, that it's never too late to turn around and run to You. Thank You for Your grace and forgiveness bought for us by the blood of Your beloved Son, Jesus. By Your grace and for Your glory, help us today to take that first step toward You...because there's no place like Home.
To God be the glory.
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