No More Single Digit Kids!

Our youngest is now in double digits. That's kind of a big deal to us. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to process how old the kiddos are and what kind of stage of life we've entered.

I think I'll just enjoy it.

And of course a trip to Chuck E. Cheese ensued, where the monkey met his match.

I Hear You

Scripture: Luke 11:13 "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."

Observation: Clearly Luke chose "the Holy Spirit" intentionally when he recorded Jesus' instructions on the need to pray, pray specifically, pray frequently, pray expectantly, pray passionately, pray with faith, pray unguardedly, and pray confidently. But such a response--the promise of the Holy Spirit--seems, at first, strange. It seems strange until I begin to see God Himself as the first and greatest answer to prayer.

What do I mean by that? Jesus main point in this context is that God will give good things to his children when they ask. Thus, Jesus' promise that the Holy Spirit is a sure gift to the asker makes perfect sense--God Himself is the greatest good! God seeks those that will first and foremost pursue him and desire him when they or those they care about face struggles, hardship, and lack in this life (Matt. 6:33).

Proverbs 30:8-9 says ". . . give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal
 and profane the name of my God." In this Proverb the writer is expressing his passion for God. He asks God to arrange his life in such a way that it does not become a hindrance to his faith in God nor a distraction from his pursuit of God. Priority #1 is the experience of God and with that God will fill all the gaps that are bound to come. In this Proverb the request centers around money, but it applies to fame and shame, health and sickness, popularity and loneliness, and accomplishment and failure alike.

But is this a right request? I see a danger in it. There is a sense in which I could pray for a life free of extremes under the auspice of "contentment," but while contentment is good (Heb. 13:5), when it comes to our desire for God it is a poor descriptor.

Therein lies the danger.

I do not need to be reserved in my pursuit of God. As C. S. Lewis wrote, I am not unfilled because my passions are too lofty. I am dissatisfied with things in my life because my passions are too base! I wallow in the mud seeking treasure when all the while the purest and strongest pleasures which are only found in God Himself are offered freely to me. My fervor is set on a target too low. In seeking contentment, I have mistakenly categorized the relationship with my Creator with cookies, cars, square footage of my home, and accolades among my profession! Be content with such things as I have, but be content with no less than the fullness of God!

Application:
Pray. Pray specifically. Pray frequently. Pray expectantly. Pray passionately. Pray with faith. Pray unguardedly. Pray confidently.

Believe that Psalm 16:11 is true. Treasure the presence and knowledge of God like a suitor cherishes being with and learning about his betrothed.

Prayer: . . .

Not Good.

Scripture: Luke 7:4 "And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, 'He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.'"

Observations:
"Jesus, you should help out this most honorable man. After all he has done so much good--he deserves it. He has earned it."

This passage reflects some deep concepts and truths. Foundational ones. Is there any such thing as a "good" person? Can we earn God's favor? Or to put it another way, can God's favor be earned? What is the benefit of the good things we do--the things that bless others? These questions should be answered individually

1. Is there any such thing as a "good" person? That question is answered on multiple levels, but the answer is pivotal in grasping the error of what the Jewish elders said. If we judge according to what people can see, the answer is "Yes," and not just religious people would be judged thus. Most unreligious persons live morally good lives. This fact leads to the objection, "Then does religion have anything to do with morality? Is religion dispensable?" In a way, yes; but ultimately, no. Why? Because there is a difference between the state of a thing being good and the reason that such a thing is good. [This is way too extensive a subject to discuss here, but it is the difference between our epistemology and our metaphysics. I've seen many, if not most, people confuse these two and the consequences of doing so have been frustration on my part and really bad logical processes on their part.] Essentially, people are generally morally good because the moral law is written on our hearts. God wrote it there to testify of himself. So, even if we were not taught a set moral code by society we would still arrive at many of the same moral decisions most cultures hold as right and good. So, "yes" there are good people.

However, if we answer the same question by climbing high into the mountains and looking down upon the moral value question, taking the sight of God, the answer becomes "No" and a resounding one at that! Some may ask, "Is it arrogance to assume to know the mind of God on this?" But luckily it is not arrogance, but rather this question has already been clearly given by God Himself, "No one is good, but One, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17 spoken by Jesus). The same truth is affirmed through the Holy Spirit by the Jewish disciple Paul when he said, "There is no one good; no, not one . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10 and 23).

That last statement is so key to this first question: "the glory of God." As Jesus stated that God alone is good, God is the actual standard for good. I can walk at street level and identify the good things people do, but from God who stands in the skyscraper looking across the city of humanity the term "good" becomes my--our--impartial judge and condemning jury.

Alas, if the God of all creation condemns us as evil, whatever shall we do?

2. Can we earn God's favor? Or to put it another way, can God's favor be earned? I group these two questions together because I think the second is really just a more appropriate way of stating the first. The answer to the latter is, "Yes, God's favor can be earned." . . . if I'm perfect . . . and by perfect I mean, entirely sinless for my entire life. So, now the question has transitioned from theoretical to practical--and now the answer is "No," or rather, "Not by me" (or any other person). But that is exactly what the Jewish elders were claiming. This centurion deserved God's blessings. He had earned it. The Jewish elders sought to convince Jesus to give healing to the centurion's servant based on the merit of the centurion. They brought a resume of accolades for him. This very concept is what Jesus rebuked the Jewish leadership on over and over and over. They were living their whole lives as hypocrites . . . knowing they weren't good, but pretending like they were and trying to earn eternal life by following rules. They were fooling themselves.

Of course, now I'm in just as dismal as a place as at the end of the first answer. Now no one is actually good and no one can earn God's favor. The situation seems hopeless.

3. But the centurion's own words tell a much different story and reveal what Jesus saw and why he would go with the elders at all. The centurion revealed humility and a recognition of his real standing before a holy God (vs. 6 and 7). The elders thought they could argue or convince God into blessing the centurion with healing; the centurion knew he could never--not with decades of "good" works--earn favor. Jesus responded to the heart of the centurion, not the hard work of the centurion. Jesus was attracted to the lowliness of his attitude, not the lavishing of praise by the elders.

This is the summation of it: Jesus always offers grace to the humble, but resistance to the proud. His favor is a gift only made possible by his very own grotesque death on a brutal cross. And the only work that could be done to make one acceptable before God has already been completed by Jesus--it is a finished and complete work. This then leaves to us only the work of submitting ourselves to God as unworthy of his presence and falling into the gentle arms of his wonderful, endless, comforting, tireless grace.

So, can we be good truly? No. Can we earn acceptance from God? No. But in this passage the exact reason for Jesus' life and death and resurrection from the dead are revealed. He lived to fulfill every rule that God has given us in our place. He died to take the true penalty for our sin in our place. He rose from the dead as Lord of everyone who will accept him for who he is and for everyone who will accept what he has done.

But that still leaves one question unanswered, but this is long enough at this point.

Application: Stop trying to flaunt my impressive qualities; God sees the truth of my sinful character and Jesus died for it. Stop trying to earn God's approval; Jesus did that for me. Rest in the finished work of Jesus.

Prayer: Father, you are so, so good. Bless you, bless you. I just say Amen and I love you.

You Reap and I Sow

Scripture: Galatians 5:7 "for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."

Observation: People are bound by this law which God has designed: "we reap what we sow." Important to remember is that God does not declare rules for which he is not also the perfect display. Thus, Jesus sowed an incredible life of service to God and gained for himself eternal life by fulfilling each and every part of the law via perfect obedience. However, Jesus has no need to reap eternal life for himself because he in himself is eternal life. Therefore, Jesus offers to us the opportunity to reap what he has sown. We have not worked the work (because in fact we cannot work the work that Jesus worked when he fulfilled every part of the law [ref. Romans 8:3-4]), but we get to reap the reward.

What did Jesus in fact sow? In other words, what are the characteristics of the life which he sowed and reaped? He sowed healthy relationships. He sowed a right attitude toward money. He sowed faithfulness toward God and others. He sowed forgiveness. He sowed patience. He sowed comforting. He sowed compassion. He sowed sincerity. He sowed justice. He sowed mercy. He sowed zeal for God. He sowed righteous working for God's kingdom. He sowed holiness. He sowed soundness of perspective and sight. And he asks us, "Who will come reap from my abundant harvest?"

Application: We, through Jesus, may now be given all of the life that Jesus has reaped . . . reaping that life in all of its character and details. Believe in what Jesus has done, believe in what Jesus has promised to do in the future, and believe what Jesus has said he will do for us in the present.

Prayer: Father, you alone are good and able to satisfy me with true life. I confess that I try almost daily to do the impossible--to earn eternal life. I ignore the offer of life and the Spirit who is my power and means for actually living in life. I attempt to define "life" in my own way and then I pursue that however I think it should be pursued. Would you change me? Please sour my taste for what an unbelieving world holds up as life. Please replace it with a lusting for you and the pleasures that you eagerly hold out to me. I don't ask you to remove my "want" for a great life. I ask for you to redirect that "want" to the table of your delights. I love you. Amen.

What Food Do We Long For? Where Do We Look To Find It?

Scripture: "And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you."

Observation: Jesus' primary mission was (is) the spiritual restoration and revival of people. The spiritual has priority over the physical. That holds true for everyone, everywhere, in all times, even those on a deathbed where the physical need has almost brought the physical life to an end. Why? Because after the physical life (this present one) ends, the spiritual continues on. At first glance, my physical sins appear to cause the my spiritual separation from God and the subsequent spiritual deadness, but in fact the latter has caused the former.

Were the crowds looking for spiritual salvation? No. The people wanted Jesus to deal with the physical--physical freedom from Rome and masters, physical healing, physical monetary longings, physical hunger, physical aloneness, and whatever else they felt. I--we--often respond to Jesus similarly. Yet, the spiritual trumps the felt physical needs. Why? Because what we fail to see is that there is a spiritual equivalent that drives the physical longing or that represents or symbolizes the physical need. The physical is meant to point me to my deep spiritual need. Therefore, Jesus makes clear his true mission: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." (Luke 6:32)

Doesn't that trivialize the physical needs of people? Not at all. Did Jesus trivialize them? No. Rather he never lost sight of the fact that the physical (1) is temporary and (2) never ceases to have needs (during this life, I mean). We will always want for food or healing or relationship in this life. It is an "endless" vacuum. Unfortunately, we can--and often do--meet all those needs, but fail to recognize or address the spiritual need that is also constantly calling for our attention. And if I give myself physical food, but fail to seek the food God offers through Jesus I am lost eternally to the consequences of my own sin. However, if I fail to feed my physical need, but I feast on the sustenance of God in Jesus this body may die, but I will immediately pass into eternal life with complete wholeness and no lack forever.

Application: In every moment that I have a need or desire in the physical, give pause to consider the spiritual lack that is driving said physical longing. Often after reflection on my spiritual emptiness and subsequent turning to God in prayer for satisfaction of that need, the physical becomes either less significant or more bearable. Let the physical needs remind me of my need for God and drive me toward deeper relationship with him.

Prayer: Lord, I bless you; oh, how I bless you! Your goodness is limitless. You have no need for anything--you are perfected perfection--and therefore you are here to give freely all that I need. And you give liberally by grace. I am free from any requirement to earn your favor and blessings. Jesus has finished it. But I continue to feel the need to be "better" and somehow deserve what you offer as a gift. Please open my eyes that I may see my real need in light of my true state of spiritual emptiness. Teach me to come to you for completeness and satisfaction. I love you. Amen.

What Food Do I Offer To The Hungry?

Scripture: "And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages"

Observation: There are plenty of things to draw out of these verses, especially in the acts of repentance that John gave to the people. But this morning I'm drawn to something else which is more needful for me at this point.

My attentions drawn to the groups that came asking questions of John. Everyone is recording asking questions--even the pharisees and lawyers--but there is a notable difference in the tone and types of questions being asked, and I think it reveals hearts.

The Jewish leaders came inspecting and testing. There were some good reasons behind these, but there were some sinful as well. John was bold enough to call those evil motivations for what they were.

The other groups, however, came seeking truth, and I think it is easy to see that they were motivated by purer things, namely, a desire to draw near to God due to an aching of the soul brought on by the  Spirit.

The groups mentioned: the crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers.

The crowds no doubt included the leaders who received the harshest rebuke (compare Luke 3:10 w/Matt. 3:7). The others that came, tax collectors and soldiers, were among society's scorned. They were derided by general public, especially the leaders. Consequently, the extensive interweaving of Jewish society w/its religion meant that they were not only publicly separated, but also spiritually opressed. Attendance at the synagogue would have been uncomfortable and may have drawn so much disdain from others that they may have avoided it all together. (Thus, Jesus' rebuke of the leaders that they refused to enter god's kingdom and refused to let others in, too [Matt. 23:13].)

And then along comes this John. The original Bear Grills with a Jesus message . . . how to survive this world. Because they were outcast, John was attractive to these others. They felt comfortable confessing their sins and seeking guidance from him. John directed their attention upward and inward rather than to himself. He didn't dodge the command for holiness, but he didn't leave them feeling condemned.

Application: Can this be said of me? John clearly made paths for the "arrival" of Jesus, but he also made paths for the coming of those who felt the deep wooing of the Spirit and who wanted to be restored to God. Can this be said of me? Response to this passage I think must include the words "intentional," "pursue," "outcasts," and "uncondemning."

Prayer: Lord, impossible for me unless you change me. I confess my failures here. Give me your eyes and heart for the marginalized. You've given me the only message of true hope. There is only one God and one Savior and one way of salvation from a hell we will all face apart from you. But your offer of grace and forgiveness and restoration is there for everyone to take. Please give a John heart for your kingdom. I love you. You are so, so good. Ready me to be a useful conduit of your grace through Jesus. Amen.

Take It To The Bank

Scripture: Luke 1:13, 14 "But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,"

Observation: The visitation of Gabriel to announce the promise of John's birth by Elizabeth obviously brings up thoughts of Abraham, Sara, and Isaac. There are many similarities between the promises of the sons-to-come. But really strikes me today is the promise of "joy," "gladness," and the "rejoicing" by others.

Gabriel does not waste words. These all count so why does Gabriel include among the rest the affirmation of how the birth and subsequent days will be characterized?

A few thoughts arise:
1. Elizabeth was apparently concerned with how the pregnancy would go. She became quite recluse (vs. 24) likely because of what people might think, but also I believe for the same reasons mothers these days delay in revealing a pregnancy (especially at an older age): fear, concern of the thoughts of others, and protection during tender stages of pregnancy. All these things must have been swirling around in her mind, and her thoughts must have been even more difficult due to Zacharias' inability to verbally communicate with her. Further, there no doubt was some trepidation about how such a scandalous thing would be taken by the public.

2. This should be a joyful experience and I've no doubt the couple needed the reassurance that mortality was not going to be a factor for John.

Consequently, I see this:
1. The promises of God come to fruition. Luke was certain to include verse 58 just for that reason. In fact, the fulfillment of this joy and rejoicing began very early and continued throughout the pregnancy on into the days (months...years) that followed. We read in this one chapter that Mary's arrival brought joy from John in utero, Mary rejoiced in song about the amazing work of God in both of them, the neighbors rejoiced, and Zacharias rejoiced in song and prophesy. And then we hear from Jesus 30-some years later that there has been no one who walked the earth who was more great than John . . . God clearly rejoiced exuberantly over John!

2. The promises of God, when fulfilled, also bring praise to God's goodness and grace. In Chapter 1, Luke records that Zacharias, Mary, the neighbors, Elizabeth, and John (via Elizabeth) all praised God (vs. 41, 42-43, 46-55, 58, 64, 65, 68-77).

Application:
1. Read the Scriptures daily to know what promises he has already made and then rely on them in faith.

2. Pray daily to hear the specific promises the Spirit will reveal in due time for my specific needs and work.

3. Praise when they come to pass. (Of course, I should always praise the Lord for he is good forever, but I must be intentional about praising God for fulfilling his promises to me and I must do it to the world . . . not to a closet.

Prayer: Bless your name, Father. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and your greatness is unsearchable. There is no one trustworthy like you, God. Spirit, open my eyes and ready my hearth and mind for more of your truth and will. I love you. Amen.

Fitting In

et al.

Here's a link to something to think about from John Piper.

Convenience and Conscience

This is a repost of something I shared on FB.

"Prior to 1973, the United States was a nation whose parents sacrificed so that their kids could have a better future. After the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, our nation became one in which the parents sacrificed their children so that they could have a better future." - Mike Adams

Think about it. This decision has been made over 57,000,000 times in the U.S. alone since abortion has been made legal.

Pray that God would heal our stony hearts so that we as a nation, especially our lawmakers and judges, would stop murdering for convenience.

Pray for those that are hurting because of the effects of an abortion for God alone can heal a wound so deep.

Here is a website that provides a count on abortions throughout several demographics and provides some background and external links for more information.
 

Nori Art