6/26/2008 - Colorado Bound |
We are loading the jeep tonight and headed to the mountains. This blog will be unoccupied whilst I am occupied with wilderness wanderings. I'll leave the lights on though while I am gone. Look for me around here again after the July 4th holiday! |
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6/26/2008 - Strengthening Disciples |
When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Acts 14:21-22
Discipleship involves counsel and care. That is what I see here in the pattern of Paul and Barnabus as they complete their first missionary endeavors. They spend time strengthening the souls of those who had come to faith in Christ. And it sounds like these people had their share of hardship. They needed reassuring strength. They needed encouragement in their faith. They meeded to know that hardship must be part of the Christian experience.
I see this passage and am reminded that when I have days in which it seems an endless stream of such encouragement is necessary, I am following in the steps of the earliest Christians. I can take heart. This is part of what I am called to do in Christian discipleship. |
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6/25/2008 - My Idolatry |
And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.
Judges 2:12
It seems innocent.
Entertainment.
or a joke.
Amusement or a thought
begins to poke
me in a direction
away from my devotion to God.
I live in a land
where idols erupt
and in my home
they can disrupt
my heart and the throne
of my life they can steal.
Simple idols
not grinning stone
or metal
will sit on my throne
Lazy self, greed, lies
all will become gods to me
I leave a lot
when a let these totems
control my heart
and I lose my motive
for godliness when
God is not my God
Abandonment
is not my plan
I return to the Master
and submit to His hand
so that these idols
may topple and those
around my see
Jesus my Savior
reigning, living, loving in me. |
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6/24/2008 - My Repentance |
For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.
2 Corinthians 7 :11
This verse provides a look at how genuine repentance will manifest itself in my attitudes. First I must be earnest. It is the initial reaction of true repentance to eagerly and aggressively pursue righteousness. This is an attitude that ends indifference to sin and complacency about evil and deception. I must be eager to clear myself of the stain of sin. I desire to clear my name of the stigma that accompanies sin. My repentant heart restores the trust and confidence of others by making genuine repentance known. I do not hide my repentance like I hid my sin. And there is an indignation like no other. Repentance leads to anger over my sin and displeasure at the shame it has brought on the Lord's name and His people. I fear the Lord. This is reverence toward God, who is the One most offended by my sin. Repentance leads to a healthy fear of the One who chastens and judges my sin. There is a longing for restoration that shapes my life. This could be translated "yearning," and refers to the desire of the repentant sinner to restore the relationship with the one who was sinned against. I want to be restored with God and with others when I am truly repentant. And I am consumed with the full measure of my repentance. I love God so much that I cannot want to harm Him or His family again. I want justice for sin. This refers to the desire to see justice done. I no longer try to protect myself with excuses; I want to deal with the sin no matter what it might cost me. I want holiness restored. The essence of my repentance is an aggressive pursuit of holiness, which was characteristic of the Corinthians. The Greek word for "innocent" means "pure" or "holy." I must demonstrate the integrity of my repentance by my purity. |
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6/19/2008 - Who holds my hand? |
Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Psalm 73:23-24
There are three important aspects of a relationship with God that deserve special notation in this passage. The first has to do with God's presence and nearness. Even Old Testament saints took comfort in the fact that God was with them. The picture of God holding a person by the right hand is one of nearness, direction, and intimacy. It is the kind of thing that a parent does for a child. And this nearness was the constant experience of the writer of this Psalm. How much more should I be saying these words with the very Spirit of God residing within my heart? God is continually with me and as near as my own heart.
The second important aspect is that of guidance. God guides with His counsel. God is the first counselor that I need and with His nearness, it makes sense that I should seek His will. What affrontery to Him it is for me to seek every other source first when He is so near! It is like I walk right past my wife to talk with another person. I should seek His counsel, which is the best counsel, exactly because it is He Who is holding my hand.
The third aspect is that of an eternal future. The psalmist could confidently conclude that the God Who is near in life, Who is here in counsel, will be dear in death. God receives the soul to glory. Not the soul's glory, but the full glory of the presence of God. God provides comfort, strength, and relationship for today just as He will do so in our future. One cannot underestimate this. I attended the funeral of an aunt yesterday. She had begun attending a little church after my uncle died. The pastor made it very clear (as he preached the gospel to my relatives) that she had trusted Christ at that time and longed to do what God would have her do. I was comforted knowing that indeed she had pursued a relationship with the God Who loves her and now she has been received up into His glory.
When I know the One Who holds my hand, I find what I need, no matter how my life goes. He holds my right hand. He guides me with His counsel. He will lead me to heaven with Him.
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6/17/2008 - Thoughts of judgement |
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 5:10
Jesus Himself told His disciples that all judgement had been committed to Him. This is true. I will answer before my Lord for all the things that I have done. And no personal excuse will stand. I can't beg off the wrong I have done in attitude and action with some sort of casual reply like, "I had a headache". That will not pass muster on that day.
Paul was so motivated by the thought that he would give account of Himself before His Lord that it motivated him in his ministry. It was because of such a healthy fear of God that he persuaded men with the gospel. Paul was not the judge. Jesus is the judge and Jesus died for the offending parties. He is more than willing to forgive. He is also the One to Whom we owe all of our allegiance, service, devotion, duty, and life's work.
I think of this sort of accountability with too much light commitment on my part. My perspective needs to be changed to that of Paul. I need to see the eternal impact of the gospel in my own heart, and as the call of my life. I know that as I give account for myself, there will be much sadness over this in me. And I want to be able to hear words of encouragement from my Lord. I want to be a servant who hears the praise of "well-done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord".
Thoughts of judgement are not popular. They intimidate when they should bring intimacy. My perspective on them is changed when I realize that the closeness of my relationship with Jesus should naturally invite the scrutiny, and when I draw closer to Him, the approval of my Master may well be felt and understood RIGHT NOW, making the fear of future judgement less of my heart's sense.
Lord Jesus,
I will appear to give account. I do so now when I take the time to offer this day to You, My Lord, for Your service, Your glory, Your purposes. You know what I will face. I pray that I will sensitive to Your leading, to the teaching of Your Word and the prompting of Your Spirit. Make something of eternal worth in me today.
Amen
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6/16/2008 - Cure for what ails me. |
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16
For a man in middle age, these are encouraging words. My body has recontoured. I look back at pictures of me in my 20's and I realize I won't be like that any more. My outer self is going the way of all flesh. The inevitable fight against age and gravity is impossible to win. Hollywood stars spend millions on surgery and personal training to keep up appearances. I am not sure that if I had the means I would indulge such luxury. After all, my eternal soul is really ageless.
That is the difficulty. I feel like I can do so much. I feel youthful even if my body says differently. A checkup last week with the doctor confirmed that osteoarthritis is still setting in. Pain in my shoulder and neck is probably to be expected for the rest of my life. For the first time the doctor suggested shots for the pain if it persists. More wasting away.
But in Christ there is a dynamic to me that overcomes the drag of this outer shell's diminishing abilities. I am renewed in the Lord daily. His Word, His people, His work rejuvenates me. And I rejoice in this. I find hope in the reality that my feelings will not change despite what happens to my body.
No pill could provide this. No amount of exercise, weight loss, medication, nutrition or personal training can induce what the Spirit of God and the Word of God give to me. And for that reason I will not lose heart.
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6/12/2008 - Willing but Weak |
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14:38
On the night that Your spirit was torn
with the prospect of Your sacrifice
the men that You had borne
through ministry slept.
As Your soul cried out in pain
they could not stay awake
and You approached them again
warning them to stay fresh.
But they fell asleep while You agonized;
they did not share Your passion
for the souls of men. They should have recognized
what was happening, but they were dull
Still, You used the opportunity of their shrinking
to call them to spiritual strength and duty
Had they truly been awake and thinking
they could have seen the victory coming
So like these men am I today
I am sure I sleep
missing the chance to see the way
Your glory is revealed.
Forgive my weakness, make my spirit strong
and willing to follow You in the night of Your passion
so that in the end I will worthily belong
to those who watch and pray and enter not into temptation.
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6/11/2008 - The End of Feel Good Religion |
Editiorial Note: I have been on vacation in rural Missouri and literally had no internet access. So this blog has been on haitus. I am back with this entry...
Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 14:21
I know that I will answer for the way in which I have responded to this truth. I live in a fairly affluent community. Many of the people around me are more worried about giving up a Cancun vacation due to high gasoline prices than they are about the need of the poor who live less than thirty minutes from their door. Self-obsession in the hallmark of middle class values. Even popular charities are more self-obsessed. I recently saw a commercial by Johnson and Johnson in which the chairman of the company bragged on how energy efficient and "green" his product production was. The clincher: You can feel good about buying our products. So doing something good for the earth makes me feel good. Is that the best reason to do anything?
I am reminded in this passage that charity to the poor is the mark of righteous living, not feel good religion. I should not help someone to get a good feeling. I should do it because it IS the right thing to do. Yes, God does promise blessing, but that may not come through feelings. Honestly, to travel to a slum or housing project is not the kind of thing that feels good. To serve someone in such situations does not feel good. But to do the right thing out of love for the Lord is reward enough.
I have missionary friends who have served in some of the most impoverished, hardened societies on the planet. And the sheer difficulty of living in third world conditions took its toll on them mentally, spiritually, and physically. But they do not regret what was done in service to God for those in great need. I do not think they felt good while in sub-Saharan Africa, or desert Central Asia. But they knew they were obeying the God Who commands us not to despise our poor neighbor, even if they live in deplorable conditions and are in a difficult culture.
Lord,
Give me this persective and help me to lead my ministry to be generous to neighbors in need.
Amen
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5/29/2008 - Gospel's Increase |
But the word of God increased and multiplied.
Acts 12:24
Preach the gospel;
it will grow.
Tell the good news
as you go
into all the world.
God is faithful
to His Word.
He will bless
it in the world
and lives will be changed.
True believers
the standard hold
and in the gospel
are true and bold
despite persecution's threat.
When fought against,
the gospel prevails
into eternity
God's truth avails
us a hope and future, joy now and again.
The glorious light
of Christ's hope
shines forth in the night
so we can know
that God loves the world by His Son.
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5/28/2008 - How Freedom Feels |
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
1 Peter 2:16
I got a reminder of this kind of freedom last night. The Gracetones ministered to the Celebrate Recovery group at Open Door Baptist Church last night. The evening was dedicated to the Lord and to the ministry that Stan Gatton has had for many years. And people in recovery know how to party! We sang worship songs, and the people sang along. We sang our own sanctified rock and roll tunes and they rejoiced and danced in the aisles. They worshiped in about any way imagineable, and it occured to me that this is what freedom from sin is looking like for these folks. And they focused on the God of deliverance and salvation. Some of them might struggle all week with the chains of addiction, but for at least an evening they focused on true joy in Christ.
I was reminded that Jesus Himself said that the one who loves the most is the one who has been forgiven of the most. And my heart melted a little. I am in recovery myself. I am a recovering legalist and judgmental practitioner of works-righteousness. Being a recovering Pharisee, it is a lot for me to rejoice with this kind of celebration. But I need more of this kind of joy in my life. I wish more counseling situations ended in this kind of joy!
We tend to cover-up our sins. But admitting our inability to do what is right, and responding with simple obedience to the gospel, we find freedom beyond what is evil that may control us. And we live as servants of God. I want to be known as a man who is free. I want that kind of freedom to mark my life. I want to run in the circles of people who aren't afraid to really live in the freedom that Christ gives.
I sincerely believe that heaven's worship is celebratory. It exalts God. He is great. And I plan on dancing to that groove throughout eternity! May I do more of it here and now.
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5/27/2008 - You have been served. |
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:43-45
I have had my eyes drawn away from this truth for sometime now and it has led to personal discontent. When you seek attention for yourself, you will certainly become dissatisfied in ministry because ministry is all about serving others. No one celebrates servants. They work behind the scenes. They die behind the scenes. They simply serve. The problem is that evangelicals can't seem to stop creating their own celebrity culture from the servants who lead them. Nancy Pearcey has done an incredible job of documenting this evangelical history beginning with the Great Awakening. Read "Total Truth" for her expert analysis of the past 250 years of this phenomena. George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were just the start of the celebrity culture among Evangelicals. Evangelicals in America and England began making superstars of their leaders much to the disdain of passages such as this one. That does not mean that every famous preacher is a prima donna. It does mean that the Body of Christ can get its focus off of Jesus.
The problem I have is that I crave the attention that such expectations create. And I should not. What's more, God has placed me in a VERY SUBSERVIENT role. I am an "associate pastor". I get increasingly introduced as such, and most people see that as sort of an internship for the "Real Thing" rather than an important ministry in and of itself. Just this weekend when I was introduced as such at a function in which my ministry partner, the senior pastor of the church, was in attendance, someone condescendingly said something like, "It must be great to apprentice under him. You must be learning a lot". Part of me wanted to interrupt with the fact that we have been good friends for a quarter of a century and see ourselves as partners. We have nearly identical education and experience. But I bit my tongue because it was not the place. I let the misperception continue for this person becasue it would have been too difficult to correct it in the awkward setting. But the second fiddle position will probably always be misunderstood by most Christians. I once had a person at my own church (where I have served for 11 years now) ask me when I was ready to get my own church! I thought, I am in my church! God put me here to serve.
Lord,
Servant means slave. And that is not a pretty word. It means that I serve without recognition, not as an honored member of society, but as the lowliest part of it. And Jesus set the example as slave of all. He came to serve and to give His life. Can I, the slave, be as foolish as to think that I should do less than this? I am slave to a slave. You know my heart's struggle to serve. You know that the church literally shines a spotlight on those who should be Your slaves. It is an odd culture that I must somehow fight to see You restore in Your church. I affirm and submit to Your design of slavery to all.
Amen
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5/26/2008 - The Cost of Following Jesus |
Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."
Mark 10:28-30
This little interchange between Peter and Jesus is enlightening, encouraging, and eye-opening. The context of the this statement involves the one man whom Jesus invited to be a disciple only to see the invitation refused: The Rich Young Ruler. Jesus knew the heart of the man. He saw the earnestness in his appeal for eternal life. But the man's wealth got in his way. Jesus made a point of reminding the disciples around Him of the cost of following Him, which prompted Peter's comment.
Jesus' reply to Peter is full of promise and pain. The pain comes in the cost of leaving behind one's relationships, possessions, and comfortability for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. It comes with persecution as Jesus promises here. But it comes with its own reward, both in this life and in the age to come. Jesus tempers the temperal promises of what might come to one in this life with the reality of persecution. Who would want a lot of houses and family responsibility and possession knowing all of it could be threatened by persecution? The point is that persecution causes one to hold none of these too closely. Instead, the focus is on the value of Christ and the glory coming in the future when eternal life is our experience.
The cost of discipleship is high. The rewards of discipleship are many. Somewhere, between the two realities is where we live our lives.
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5/22/2008 - Counterbalance to stress |
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
Proverbs 12:25
This may seem to be a simple observation or truism, but for the heart overloaded with anxiety, it is a comforting word... a refreshing breeze in a desert experience... water for a thirsty soul. I know this from the conversations that I have regularly where I see hearts weighed down in this way. It is an impossible burden to bear alone. It eats at the soul, depriving it of sustenance and peace. Good words are desperately needed in anxious times.
I know this from my own experience. Monday night a friend approached me with a direct question: How are you doing? One look at his eyes made it clear this was not a "how do you do" greeting, but an honest concern for my heart. It felt good to know that this man had this question on his heart for me. It was followed up by a truly encouraging conversation. It built me up. It drew me to thanks for God for these kind of people. Good words lightened my day.
Sometimes I wonder if I am cut out to do the amount of counseling that God has given me to do. I tend to get unconsciously personally pessimistic and care-drawn by so many bad circumstances and difficulties. But God has wisely given me good words by caring people to take me back to where I need to be so that my anxious weights that I carry with others do not stoop me too low! Thank God for His wisdom and gracious provision in the Body of Christ.
I know that today will have its own weight. I can carry the heavy weight of anxiety, or I can be impressed by the weight of God's glory and holiness. I choose to look for the second.
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5/20/2008 - Christian hedonism. |
I started reading John Piper's updated edition of "Desiring God". Although I am not nearly as enamored with every bit of reformed theology as he is, I am enjoying the revitalizing journey into a Christian philosophy and theology of joy. I will post updates on my observations and reactions from time to time. This is a book every Christian ought to examine. Here is what Piper proposes:
Christian Hedonism is a philosophy of life built on the following five convictions:
1. The longing to be happy is a universal human experience, and it is good, not sinful.
2. We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction.
3. The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God. Not from God, but in God.
4. The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it is shared with others in the manifold ways of love.
5. To the extent that we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we fail to honor God and love people. Or, to put it positively: The pursuit of pleasure is a necessary part of all worship and virtue. That is:
The chief end of man is to glorify God
by
enjoying Him forever.
John Piper, Desiring God (Sisters, Or.: Multnomah Publishers, 2003), 28.
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5/14/2008 - The difference between arrogance & humility |
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs 12:1
I pray that God would protect me from the kind of spiritual arrogance that cannot receive discipline or reproof. Wise people love these things. It is humbling to be a sinner. But my only hope of growing in sanctification is to take necessary discipline and reproof. This often happens at the hands of other people.
Some people have to always appear to be in control. They cannot accept that God desires humble servants, not pompous overlords. And the church has often been hurt over the ages by this pride. Since I am in leadership in a church, I know that my highest temptation will be to become that sort of untouchable leader. And that is not what God calls me to be.
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5/13/2008 - Disbelieving despite the experience |
Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.
Deuteronomy 1:32-33
The human capacity to disbelieve God is strong. The children of Israel, despite the clear Word of God and the visible presence of God among them, struggled to believe God. Now I find that hard to believe! This is an insight to the depth of human fallenness. I think that I have it harder because I do not have the kind of miraculous visible manifestation of God that Israel had as He led them out of Egypt, through the desert, and into the Promised Land. But their capacity to question God and trust themselves was just like mine is today. And despite all that God had done that they could literally see, they struggled to believe.
Many times I have wished to look for a pillar of cloud or fire to guide me. And all along I have had something greater, the very Spirit of God residing within me guiding me through the clear teaching of the Word of God. Am I any better than these Israelites in the Penteteuch? No. In some ways, I am disbelieving against a greater light! So I realize that when God is chastising Israel, He is clearly calling me to repent as well.
Lord God,
You lead me. You are with me. Your presence comforts and convicts. And today I acknowledge that I am not better than my fathers in the faith when I disbelieve or disregard that truth. Thank You for Your clear leadership and care. Your grace extends even beyond my struggles to trust. My faith shifts and sinks, but You abide faithful.
Amen
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5/12/2008 - In the Potter's Hands |
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."
Jeremiah 18:6
This is an appropriate image in the light of the last week. I have graduated from Calvary Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling. I am both happy to be done and strangely waiting for it to sink in. I am not the kind of guy to throw parties in my own honor, so I have been quietly waiting for the next steps of instruction from God. I think God is telling me to simply allow Him to do with me as He would. And like the simple lump of clay that I am, I will need to let Him do the reshaping into the vessel He desires.
It feels a little weird not to have an academic element in my life since it has come to dominate a lot of my planning and schedule the past two and a half years. I suppose the spinning of the wheel has stopped for a while. And now I am in His hand again, only in a different way.
Those closest to me have shared in the trials, the sacrifices, and the joys of the Theological journey. And they have rejoiced with me at its completion. I feel a real need to give back to them. My wife and children have particularly done without me, had to cope with my lack of time management, and sacrificed things such as family vacations and time with me in order to allow me the space to complete my degree program. I will be giving back to them now. In terms of personal ministry, we shall all wait for God's direction. I do know that I have a lot to do with where I am right now, and am content to stay there if that is what God wants. There are people to help. There are life stories to enter. There are ministry opportunities to take part in. There is planning, implementation, and trust in God on the road ahead. But right now, in a calming way, it feels good to sit and wait for just a little while.
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5/8/2008 - Up on the Mountain to Pray |
And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
Mark 6:46
Up...toward Your throne
higher I climb
from people alone
but closer to You
Onward...in progress
toward something
and Someone beyond me
I find a cleare view
Up on the mountain to pray
is where I need to be
there I find my time with You
and my soul is nurtured and free
Clear...vision for eyes
and air for the lungs | |
