a grateful talmid

Musical Ebenezars

2010-10-06T06:38:00.001-07:00

Do you know what an Ebenezar is? It is the name that Samuel gave to a rock that he set up to remember a particular battle that the Israelites won over the Philistines. It was to remind them in the future of God's work on their behalf in the past. I have several musical Ebenezers. As I was going to Alice yesterday, I was listening to a station that plays music that you would hear in doctors' offices. It isn't Muzak, but close. They play oldies as instrumentals. Sometimes they play the oldies, if they are easy listening. B. J. Thomas came on. It wasn't one of his more popular songs, but it made me want to look him up on the playlist site and then on Youtube. I found a bunch of songs from one of his first Christian albums. He was one of the first Christian artists I listened to. Listening to the songs took me back to a time when I was simply enraptured by the fact that God loved me and forgave me. I didn't think "pastorally" or "theologically", I just knew that I experienced grace in an incredible way. Lately, God has reminded me how much I still need grace and how much He wants to give it and how much He has given it.

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit" – David (Psalm 51:12)

I think that this a good reason for younger generations to be more open and accepting of songs and hymns of older generations. Many are the Ebenezers of their older brothers and sisters.

Friday Night Lights or Light of the World

2010-10-02T09:11:00.001-07:00

All I once held dear, built my life upon,

All this world reveres and wars to own;

All I once thought gain I have counted loss,

Spent and worthless now compared to this.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You

There is no greater thing.

You're my all, You're the best,

You're my joy, my righteousness,

And I love You Lord.

- Graham Kendrick –

That is radical affection! How does an avid football fan (like me) maintain that type of affection in the middle of football season?

In the Moment

2010-09-30T06:46:00.001-07:00

As I was driving to jail yesterday (I'll let you imagine why), my mind was working through my "to do" list for the day and week. Then a thought popped into my head. What was at the end of the list? A microwaved bowl of Chinese noodles (I love those things!)? A little television before bed? The weekend? I find that so much of my day is "working through" to "get to". And I sadly confess, that what I am "getting to" is, too often, not God. It's not bad, but it's not God. When I value God supremely, I don't have to work through duties to get to what I really want. In each moment, I am working with the One I really want.

Comments on Job 5-8

2010-09-29T06:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I received a call from a friend who lost a spouse less than a year ago. The pain and agony that I heard in his voice gave a new dimension to my reading of Job. Job was tormented in body and soul. Unrelenting grief. Excruciating pain. Blinding confusion. He pours out his broken heart before the Lord and "godly friends" are quick to shush him or correct his theology. Doesn't Job know that the "the righteous don't suffer, they only prosper." Heard that anywhere lately?

Observations from Job 1-4

2010-09-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

"What is Satan doing in the presence of God?" I've heard that asked many times. I think the confusion comes from regarding heaven as the eternal state of bliss for the dead, rather than as the "control room" of the universe. Our eternal state is in a renovated world with renovated bodies.

"The sons of God…" in this passage may give us a clue about the identity of the "sons of God who married the daughters of men in Genesis 6.

We can see why Satan is called the "accuser of the brethren" in Revelation 12.

The words of Eliphaz, Job's "friend", could be preached on Sunday morning and receive hearty "Amens," but it reflects Satan's attitude toward Job, rather than God's.

Job 2:12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. ¹³ And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

His friends were doing so well, until they opened their mouths. Sometimes the best thing we can say to a suffering friend is nothing.

Where does my help come from?

2010-09-27T09:35:00.001-07:00

Observation: In the Bible, when God's people are faced with an overwhelming problem, they often address Him as the "One who made heaven and earth."

^ESV 2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: "O LORD the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.

^ESVPsalm 121:1 A SONG OF ASCENTS.I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? ² My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

^ESV Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

^ESV Psalm 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, ⁶
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

^ESVActs 4:23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

Like Hezekiah, in the story above, we have an Adversary who shouts from outside the walls, "Don't think your God is big enough to get you out of this mess!" But another, still, small Voice, whispers, "Your God created the heavens and the earth. Do you really think there is any mess that He cannot deliver you from?"

2009-12-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 24:
Psalm 45,46 (morning) 89:1-29 (evening)
Isaiah 59:15b-21
Galatians 3:23-4:7 (morning) Philippians 2:5-11 (evening)
Matthew 1:18-25

2009-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 23:
Psalm 72 (morning) 111, 113 (evening)
2 Samuel 7:1-17
Titus 2:11-3:8a
Luke 1:39-56

2009-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 22:
Psalm 66, 67 (morning) 116, 117 (evening)
1 Samuel 2:1b-10
Titus 2:1-10
Luke 1:26-38

2009-12-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 21:
Psalm 61, 62 (morning) 112, 115
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Titus 1:1-16
Luke 1:1-25

2009-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 20:

Psalm 24, 29 (morning) 8, 84 (evening)

Genesis 3:8-15

Revelation 12:1-10

John 3:16-21

2009-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 19:

Psalm 55 (morning) 138, 139 (evening)

Zechariah 8:9-17

Revelation 6:1-17

Matthew 25:31-46

2009-12-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 18:

Psalm 40, 54 (morning) 51 (evening)

Zechariah 7:8-8:8

Revelation 5:6-14

Matthew 25:14-30

2009-12-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 17:

Psalm 50, 59 (morning) 60, 33 (evening)

Zechariah 4:1-14

Revelation 4:9-5:5

Matthew 25:1-13

2009-12-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 16:

Psalm 119:49-72 (morning) 49, 53

Zechariah 3:1-10

Revelation 4:1-8

Matthew 24:45-51

2009-12-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 15:

Psalm 45 (morning) 47, 48 (evening)

Zechariah 2:1-13

Revelation 3:14-22

Matthew 24:32-44

2009-12-14T06:01:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 14:

Psalm 41, 52 (morning) 44 (evening)
Zechariah 1:7-17
Revelation 3:7-13
Matthew 24:15-31

2009-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 13:

Psalm 63, 98 (morning) 103 (evening)

Amos 9:11-15

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 13-17

John 5:30-47

2009-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 12:

Psalm 30, 32 (morning) 42, 43 (evening)

Haggai 2:1-19

Revelation 3:1-6

Matthew 24:1-14

2009-12-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 11:

Psalm 31 (morning) 35 (evening)

Haggai 1:1-15

Revelation 2:18-29

Matthew 23:27-39

2009-12-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 10:

Psalm 37:1-18 (morning) 37:19-42

Amos 9:1-10

Revelation 2:8-17

Matthew 23:13-26

2009-12-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 9:

Psalm 38 (morning) 119:25-48
Amos 8:1-14
Revelation 1:17-2:7
Matthew 23:1-12

2009-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 8:

Psalm 26, 28 (morning) 36, 39 (evening)

Amos 7:10-17

Revelation 1:9-16

Matthew 22:34-46

2009-12-07T01:03:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 7:

Psalm 25 (morning) 9, 15 (evening)

Amos 7:1-9

Revelation 1:1-8

Matthew 22:23-33

2009-12-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Bible Readings for December 6, 2009:

Psalm 148-150 (morning) 114, 115 (evening)
Amos 6:1-14
2 Thessalonians 1:5-12
Luke 1:57-68

2009-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

THE ARRIVAL 2009 Readings for December 5:

Psalm 20, 21 (morning) 110, 116, 117 (evening)

Amos 5: 18-27

Jude 17-25

Matthew 22:15-22

2009-12-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009 Readings for December 4:

Psalm 16, 17 (morning) 22 (evening)

Amos 5:1-17

Jude 1-16

Matthew 22:1-14

2009-12-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

This morning I was reading a publication sent to me by Renovare called, Explorations: Rhythms of Life. In it I read this quote from a contemporary English Benedictine nun named Maria Boulding--

"If you want God, and long for union with him, yet sometimes wonder what that means or whether it can mean anything at all, you are already walking with the God who comes. If you are at times so weary and involved with the struggle of living that you have no strength even to want him, yet are still dissatisfied that you don't, you are already keeping Advent in your life. If you have ever had an obscure intuition that the truth of things is somehow better, greater, more wonderful than you deserve or desire, that the touch of God in your life still you by its gentleness, that there is a mercy beyond anything you could ever suspect, you are already drawn into the central mystery of salvation." (The Coming of God, Chapter 1)

2009-12-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009 Readings for December 3:

Psalm 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50

Amos 4:6-13

2 Peter 3:11-18

Matthew 21:33-46

2009-12-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009 Readings for December 2:

Psalm 119:1-24 (morning) 12, 13, 14 (evening)

Amos 3:12-4:5

2 Peter 3:1-10

Matthew 21:23-32

2009-12-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009 Readings for December 1:

Psalm 5, 6 (morning) 10, 11

Amos 3:1-11

2 Peter 1:12-21

Matthew 21:12-22

2009-11-30T06:15:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009

I have never observed the Advent season. My church culture instilled in me an aversion to anything liturgical or formal. My own personality also creates an affinity for a solitary spirituality. But I think I'm getting over these. Since I have come to see and appreciate the fact that the Bible is one Big Story (rather than a catalogue of promises or a compendium of doctrines and moral teachings), I have learned to appreciate the desire of my liturgical brethren to capture the spirit of the Story in their Calendar and readings.

I am particularly drawn to Advent this year, because it allows us to submerse ourselves in a Story that is more compelling than the ones being promoted through every form of media at this time of the year. It allows me to connect, through prayer and praxis (activity), with a world-wide community that at least claims to hold that Story as true and formative. Finally, it allow me to do something together with the local community of believers that I have come to know and love so much. I look forward to the interaction.

I am using the word Arrival, rather than Advent. Maybe it will lower the resistance of those suspicious of anything liturgical. Besides, that's what advent means.

2009-11-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009

Readings for November 30:

Psalm 1, 2, 3 (morning) 4, 7 (evening)

Amos 2:6-16

2 Peter 1:1-11

Matthew 21:1-11

2009-11-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Arrival 2009 Readings for November 29:

Psalm 146, 147 (morning) 111, 112, 113 (evening)

Amos 1:1-5, 13-2:8

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Luke 21:5-19

2009-04-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Remembering to Forget

I lead a seminary extension class one night a week. We are studying the book of Hebrews. Last night we were discussing one of the provisions of the New Covenant--"I will remember their sins no more". A question came up--"Why do we sometimes have a hard time forgetting our sins?" Two things came to my mind.

First, maybe there is a correlation between our ability to forget our sins and the willingness to forget the sins of others. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy." How can I believe that I can bring up the past failures of others without quenching the Spirit's work of helping me forget my own? How many times have you heard yourself say, "There you go again. You always..." Or if you haven't said it, at least you thought it.

Second, we tend to remember the sins that shame us while being totally unaware of the other sins that offend God. We beat our chests and tear our garments over succumbing to that "habit" again or doing the unthinkable. Yet, we justify energetically and eloquently our pride, anger, and critical spirits.

2009-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

A PEEK INTO THE SHACK

"As he [Mack] tried to establish some inner balance, the anger that he thought had so recently died inside him began to emerge. No longer concerned or caring about what to call God and energized by his ire, he walked up to the door. Mack decided to bang loudly and see what happened, but just as he raised his fist to do so, the door flew open, and he was looking directly into the face of a large beaming African-American woman." The Shack, William P. Jacobs, p. 82

Question. Would fewer people get stuck at this point in the book, if Papa would have appeared as a strong, older gentleman? Perhaps, some would have been less offended, if Mack would have opened the door to see "the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up..." (Isa. 6:1). The visions of God recorded in the Bible depicted God in a form appropriate to the situation. It was in the year that King Uzziah died that Isaiah had this vision. The people of God needed to be reminded that the True King of Israel was still on His throne.

I think Young is saying more about the dangers of fashioning any mental image of God and calling that image God, than he is making a case that God is an African American mother.

On page 93, speaking as Papa, Young writes, "Mackenzie, I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or woman, it's because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning."

I'm reminded of this passage from A.W. Tozer's, The Knowledge of the Holy--

"When we try to imagine what God is like we must of necessity use that-which-is-not-God as the raw material for our minds to work on; hence whatever we visualize God to be, He is not, for we have constructed our image out of that which He has made and what He has made is not God. If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand." (p.12)

I think the thoughts expressed by Tozer are comparable to the words puts in Papa's mouth.

"...Mackenzie, I am what some would say 'holy, and wholly other than you.' The problem is that many folks try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves, projecting that to the nth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive, which often isn't much, and then call that God. And while it may seem like a noble effort, the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who I really am. I'm not merely the best version of you that you can think of. I am far more than that, above and beyond all that you can ask or think." (p. 98)

2008-12-26T08:30:00.001-08:00

Read this story. This is what the kingdom of God looks like in the athletic arena.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373

2008-12-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

ESV Colossians 1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,...

ESV Colossians 2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,...

ESV Philippians 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Fullness and emptiness. Opposites. Jesus was filled with God. Jesus in some way "emptied" himself of God. As the Son of God in human form, the fullness of God was his by nature. He did not have to seek it.

As sons of God, the fullness of God is ours by our new nature. We do not have to grasp for it, it has been given--"and you have been filled in him..." (Col. 3:10).

Why don't we feel full?
1. We don't believe that we are filled ("blessed... in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places... Eph. 1:3).
2. We don't value what God has filled us with as much as what the world promises to fill us with.
3. We grab rather than pour. Fullness is expressed and experienced counter-intuitively. It's by moving in the direction of emptying (i.e. giving) that we enjoy the feeling of fullness.

Paul prays for a community, displaying and enjoying the glory (fullness) of God for the sake of surrounding world.

2008-12-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

As distressing as it may be to us introverts, the fullness of God is experienced in community. Throughout the passage we have been looking at, Paul uses the second person PLURAL to address his audience. Although I do believe that I can personally experience the fullness of God, Paul did not intend for the fullness of God to be the product of a "privatized spirituality." The glory that fills the temple Jesus is now building manifests itself in and through community. I should not think that I can disconnect from other believers, practice some type of private spiritual disciplines and expect that I am going to experience the fullness that Paul is talking about. It is the Spirit-filled interaction within the New Covenant ecclessia that develops and displays the New Covenant shekinah that Paul prays for.

2008-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Cravings don't call the shots.

God rather than gunk comes out when I get poked.

That is why I am attracted by the promise of the fullness of God.

I heard Randy Pausch of "The Last Lecture" fame say, "Don't tell people what to do. Tell them a story and they will figure out what to do."

As I have approached this topic, I have avoided looking for a method, i.e. "Seven Steps to Experiencing the Fullness of God". Instead, I have been drawn to the Story, the context if you will, in which experiencing the fullness of God becomes possible.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Paul alludes to Solomon's dedication of the original Temple built in Jerusalem. Solomon saw the completion of the Temple as evidence that God had been faithful to the promise He had made to his father David--

ESV 2 Chronicles 6:8 But the LORD said to David my father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 9 Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.'

I believe Paul saw Solomon as only a partial and typological fulfillment of that promise.

ESV Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul writes as if Jesus is rebuilding the Temple, but this time the Temple is not made of carved stones, but redeemed humanity. And this time, the glory of God fills the Temple prior to completion. As a matter of fact the fullness of God is essential to the rebuilding process.

As I put the fullness of God in the context of Christ constructing a new habitation of God (where heaven intersects earth), and as I begin to align my life to that activity, experiencing the fullness of God becomes more than just a prospect.

2008-12-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

FULLNESS OF GOD (cont.)
Ephesians 3:14-19

ESV 2 Chronicles 7:1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

ESV Ephesians 3:19...and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

What is "This reason" (v14) that caused Paul to bow and pray this prayer to the Father? It is the same reason referred into in verse 1 of the same passage. Paul does not get to what he was going to do "for this reason" in verses 2-13. Instead, he discusses his ministry to the Gentiles. In verse 14 he gets back to what he was about to say. I believe the reason that he prays this prayer is given in the last few verses of Ephesians chapter 2.

ESV Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The temple imagery in this passage is obvious. So I think an appropriate reading of the text would be "Because you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God [holy temple], I bow my knees to the Father...that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Other phrases in 3:14-19 also invoke temple imagery--"according to the riches of His glory" and "the breadth and length and height and depth"(i.e. dimensions of the Temple and furnishings).

Paul's prayer reminds me of Solomon's prayer that is recorded in 2 Chronicles 6. But instead of fire and smoke being the manifestation of the glory of God, in the case of God's new temple, it is the "love of Christ that surpasses knowledge".

2008-12-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

The filling is what really makes so many desserts. Twinkies, Hostess Cupcakes, Pop Tarts. You know. All those culinary masterpieces. The filling also can really ruin a dessert. I can't tell you how many times I have bitten into a filled donut only to regret it once my teeth pierced the sweet pastry and I got a taste of what was on the inside.

I have lately been focusing my attention on Ephesians 3:19b, "that you may be filled with all the fullness of God". To me, that is an awesome prospect. When I get poked, something delightful rather than disgusting could come out. Also, my life can be characterized more by contentment than craving.

For several weeks, I have been teaching on this topic, so in the next several blogs I will reiterate and expand on some of the insights that I have drawn from Ephesians 3:14-19--

ESV Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

2008-12-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!

Jews all over the world every year end the Passover Seder with these words. Here two articles that give different Jewish perspectives on the practice.

http://www.shma.com/nov03/shimon_felix.htm

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_Seder/Seder_Steps/Zion_SederMeaning3_643/NextYearJerusalem.htm

Our observance of the Lord's Supper is based on Jesus' activities during the Passover Seder on the night before He was crucified. By the time of Jesus, the Passover had not only commemorative value, but gave tangible expression to the hope that God would one day deliver the Jewish people from captivity and exile (even though that exile was taking place in their own land) through a new Moses, a new David, the Messiah.

When we take the Lord's Supper I have observed that we emphasize the commemorative aspect more than the expectant. Yes, Messiah has come. Sins are forgiven. The Spirit has been given. Bonds have been broken. New creation has begun. But there is still a not-yet component of our salvation. We still groan with all of creation. We wait for complete redemption of our bodies and the rest of creation. We still long for the time when we will eat in renewed bodies and in a renovated world.

NEXT YEAR IN NEW JERUSALEM!

2007-06-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Wake Up, Neo!

ESV 1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

ESV Romans 13:11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

“A person had to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for grace.” Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience In the Same Direction , p. 25

“’I’m doomed to live in Meschech, cursed with a home in Kedar! My whole life lived camping among quarreling neighbors.’ But we don’t have to live there any longer. Repentance, the first word in Christian immigration, sets us on the way to traveling in the light. It is a rejection that is also an acceptance, a leaving that develops into an arriving, a no to the world that is a yes to God.” Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience…, p. 33

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of god lives forever.

2007-06-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

The picture on the top represents the kingdoms of this world. The picture on the bottom represents the kingdom of our God. The picture on the top illustrates the futile attempts of the kingdoms of this world to bring peace between factions that have been warring for generations. It is a picture of the walls erected in Baghdad to keep the Sunnis from attacking the Shiites and vice versa. And we all are witnessing how well that is working.

The picture on the bottom represents the kingdom of our God. The man in the middle is an American medical missionary who works in Nigeria. His name is Dr. Tracy Goen. He went to a mission hospital that was about to close its doors. At first, he primarily ministered to the Yoruba people. They had been Christian for several generations and welcomed him warmly. But through some very unusual (some would say supernatural events) he began to work with a predominantly Muslim nomadic people called the Fulani. He endeared himself to this group of people by healing their sick and vaccinating their cattle (he was studying veterinary medicine at Texas A&M before he decided to become an MD). He did not charge them for the vaccinations. He gained such trust with the Fulani, that they made him one of their kings, with all of the rights and privileges that go with the office.

His deep relationship of trust and friendship with both Yorubas and Fulanis was developed through selfless service to both. Because of these relationships, Goen was able to bring an end to decades of killing between the two tribes. The Yorubas are subsistence farmers. The Fulani are cattlemen. Fulani cattle would often devour Yoruba farms and the Yoruba would retaliate by killing Fulani cattle. The Fulani would retaliate by killing Yorubas. Yorubas would retaliate by killing Fulani, resulting in generations of cyclical violence.

The doctor was able to bring both sides together to work out an equitable solution. The Yoruba were told to not kill a Fulani cow if it invaded his farm. Instead, they were to come to the Council and they would be compensated. The Fulani were told not to retaliate if one of their cattle were killed by the Yoruba. Instead, they were come to the council and they would be compensated. For the past three years the killing has stopped between the two tribes.

When Tracy Goen told his story at our church, he showed a picture of himself standing between the local leader of the Yorubas and one of the kings of the Fulani (that is not the picture above, although I have included it as a representation.). The contrast in the kingdoms was indelibly etched into my mind and soul.

Maybe Jesus really knew what He was talking about when He said the we should seek the benefit of our enemies with the same energy that we seek our own (Matt. 5:43-44).

2007-04-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

When did love stop becoming a choice?

(Man, I don't do this blog thing very well. I'm better at having something to say, rather than having to say something. But here goes another try.)

I read this quote by Stanley Hauerwas--

"When couples come to ministers to talk about their marriage ceremonies, ministers think it's interesting to ask if they love one another. What a stupid question! How would they know? A Christian marriage isn't about whether you're in love. Christian marriage is giving you the practice of fidelity over a lifetime in which you can look back upon the marriage and call it love. It is a hard discipline over many years."

It reminds me of one of my favorite pieces of dialogue from the movie, First Knight. King Arthur has witnessed Guinevere kissing Lancelot goodbye. Lancelot has decided to leave Camelot for the good of the king and Camelot. Having confessed her love for Lancelot and affirmed her love for Arthur, the conversation goes as follows:

Arthur: When a woman loves two men, she must choose between them.

Guinevere: I choose you!

Arthur: Your will chooses me; your heart chooses him.

Guinevere: Then you have the best of it. My will is stronger than my heart. Do you think that I put so high a price on my feelings? Feelings live for a moment and the moment passes. My will holds me steady to my course through life.

Back to Hauerwas:

The difficulty, therefore, is that Christians, when they approach this issue [homosexual marriage], no longer know what marriage is. For centuries, Christians married people who didn't know one another until the marriage ceremony, and we knew they were going to have sex that night. They didn't know one another. Where does all this love stuff come from? They could have sex because they were married.

Now, when marriage becomes a mutually enhancing arrangement until something goes wrong, then it makes no sense at all to oppose homosexual marriages. If marriage is a calling that makes promises of lifelong monogamous fidelity in which children are welcomed, then we've got a problem. But we can't even get to a discussion there, because Christians no longer practice Christian marriage.

You can read the entire article at this site, http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010202/faith3.html

How can we think that we can demonstrate the kingdom of God to our world, when we have deified romantic love and sacrificed our marriages and families on its altar?

2007-03-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A CHURCH TO BE RELEVANT?

THIS?

OR THIS?

"When you are no longer able to help the needy, are you still a church?"

I heard this quote last week listening to a sermon from Mars Hill Church in Grandville, Michigan. One of the pastors, Don Golden, quoted an African pastor that he had met while working with a relief agency. He asked the the pastor how he felt in trying to minister to a community in famine conditions with resources almost completely depleted. Above was his response.

John sent messengers to Jesus asking him if he was the Christ or should they look for another. He answered the disciples by pointing out the deeds they had observed, i.e. the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers cleansed, deaf hearing, dead raised up, and the poor having the good news preached to them.

How would we answer the question, "Are you the body of Christ are shall we look for another?"

2007-02-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

ACHIEVING ESCAPE VELOCITY

I view the next 40 days, not so much as a time of getting rid of some bad habits or just as a time to have close communion with God, but also as a time to recognize and relinquish life patterns that divert time, energy, and affection away from the Kingdom (especially as it manifests itself in the needs of others) to myself. It's amazing how much energy and willingness to serve I'm finding, since I'm not fighting against the gravitational pull of a TV, computer screen, or video game. "Cocooning" is not so compelling when soul-numbing activity has been eliminated.

I see Lent as a time to prepare my life to be poured out for the world around me, as Christ's was poured out for the entire world.

2007-02-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

TRIP TO "THE HOLY LAND"

I'm still amazed how refreshing a two hour drive in total silence can be. Although not without its moments of bombardment from the enemy with inappropriate thoughts, I enjoyed the clarity in thinking and meditation.

The one-on-one time with my son, Tim was great. Had fun meeting and visiting with his roommates. The time with the FCA was awesome. I was energized just being in the room with so many sincere and gifted followers of Jesus Christ. The potential for kingdom impact in that room was immeasurable. I felt like I adopted a whole new set of kids.

One of my favorite parts of an Aggie home game is the pre-game flyover. I though it had to be cool to be a graduate of A&M and get to fly an F16 over your old school in front of a stadium full of former students. What an honor! What a rush! That's a little the way I felt standing in front of the Aggie FCA. I was thrilled that God gave me such a privilege.

On the way home, I got two twenty-once bottles of Mountain Dew MDX. It was about 11:00 p.m., so I decided that I would risk a heart attack rather than falling asleep at the wheel. I was tremendously blessed listening to Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids. I had downloaded their Sunday service before Ash Wednesday and their Ash Wednesday service. I felt like I was taking part.

"From ashes you have come..." consider that you are a mere creature who owes your existence completely to God.

"...to ashes you will return..." consider that you are mortal. Quit living as if you are never going to die (physically).

The cross on the forehead reminds us that we are on a journey with Jesus. We haven't arrived and we are moving not only to the Cross but through to Resurrection.

Seeing that others have a cross on their forehead reminds us that we have company.

Wow! The Scripture readings and prayers were powerful.

2007-02-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

A NEW PATH

For the first time in my life, I am going to take a Lenten journey. This is not a part of my ecclesiatical tradition, but I'm looking forward to the adventure. I see a need to clear a LZ for the Spirit to land noticeably and effectively in my life--to pursue, in Henri Nouwen's words, "the creation of boundaries that keep time and space open for God--a time and place where God's gracious presence can be acknowledged and responded to." (Lent and Easter Wisdom from Henri Nouwen compiled by Judy Bauer, Ligouri Press, Ligouri, Missouri 2005, p. 4.)

I'm using as a guide, a publication by the Mustard Seed Associates which you can read and download at the following site: http://mustardseedjourney.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/a-journey-into-wholeness-lenten-series.pdf . I will try to keep a daily log of this journey.

This evening I speak to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Texas A&M at College Station. I look forward to the two hour trip being a time of silence and solitude. I want to carve out more of this type of space, especially when I am at home. It's so easy for me to fill up time and space with electronic media at home. I guess that is what I'll be "giving up" for Lent.

More tomorrow.

2007-02-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES

We humble ourselves before the Lord. Because of overwhelming problems or unshakeable sins we realize how inadequate we are at handling life and living as a citizen of the kingdom of God and cry out to God.

God lifts us up. He gives grace to the humble, pouring mercy, hope, and power into our lives by the Spirit and Word.

We begin to walk worthy of our calling. We begin to love and live a little more like Jesus and see God’s grace pour from our lives to bless other people.

We move from dependency and gratitude to competency and contempt. We forget our inadequacies and begin to believe that people are being blessed because we are such competent Christians. We begin to look down on others who don’t seem to have grasped “the secret” of living a successful Christian life. We begin to feel entitled to more grace.

The walls fall in again. Circumstances overwhelm us. Sin won’t let go of us. God is disciplining His children. We can’t manage life. Loving and living like Jesus seems like the impossible dream.

We humble ourselves. We have hope in a God who is full of mercy and patience, so we cry out to Him again.

God lifts us up…

Can this cycle be completely broken in this life? I’m not sure. The key is keeping always before our mind that we can do nothing apart from Christ and apart from Christ we are nothing—to recognize that even at our best we do not love God or others to the extent that Christ did. We have every reason to be humble and no reason to feel competent.

2007-02-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

SMOKE SCREEN

"..and the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat...Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die." ESV Leviticus 11-13

As I was reading this passage this morning, it struck me as interesting how the incense acted as a buffer between the manifestion of God's presence and Aaron. I'm not sure what all the ramifications are to this, but I do know that throughout Scripture incense and prayer go hand-in-hand (cf. Psalm 141:2, Luke 1:10, Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4, 18:13). I have always seen blood as the mediatorial (i.e. appeasing or atoning) substance in ancient Hebrew worship. Here, incense functions in that capacity so that Aaron can survive in the presence of God long enough to sprinkle the blood of the atonement on the mercy seat.

If this spurs any thoughts or insights, I would love to hear them.

2007-02-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

WORSHIP KIT

You shall beat some of it [incense] very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people." ESV Exodus 30:36-38

Why did God give such a stern warning against using the formula for making the holy incense to make personal perfume? Yeah, I know, “because it was holy.” But that is a lot like a parent saying, “Because I said so.” It doesn’t really explain why.

Ancient Hebrew worship of Yahweh was not only multi-faceted, but multi-sensory as well--

Sights...
Sounds...
Even smells...
Especially smells--
slaughtered animals,
roasting meat,
the sweet pungent aroma of burning incense

The sense of smell is arguably the most powerful of our senses.

The formula for the sacred incense was not a secret. Anyone could duplicate it. Someone might want to recreate the awesome experience of God’s presence at the tent of meeting in his own tent. The easiest and most powerful way would be to burn the sacred incense. I’m sure that it would be very effective (at least for a while) in evoking the memories and thereby feelings that he had experienced at the tent of meeting. It would also be very easy to mistake these feelings for worship. But over time, the aroma of the sacred incense would be associated more with events in the household than the events at the tent of meeting. And instead of bringing the memory of the sacred into the mundane, the memory of the mundane could overwhelm the experience of the Sacred.

2007-01-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

As I was praying for our town this morning, an interesting picture came into my head. I felt like I was painting the town with a laser. “Painting with a laser” is a term used in combat. Some soldiers are equipped with hand-held laser tracking devices which guide artillery or missiles to the enemy target. The key is keeping the laser pointed at the target until the weapons are locked on to it. Prayer...bringing heaven’s artillery to bear on enemy strongholds to release oppressed people.

2007-01-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

Stories are powerful. The movie “Bambi” put a dent in the hunting industry when it first came out. People’s lives are shaped by certain stories. After college, I came to a place in my life where I knew God needed to be first in my life. I asked Him to help me live in that reality and through various events (that I will not take the time to go into here), He gave me that help. I went to my pastor and told Him that I wanted to serve Christ. I was especially enjoying studying and teaching the Bible. He gave me two biographies. One was about D. L. Moody. The other was about C.H. Spurgeon. Both were preachers. After reading their stories, I really wanted to be a preacher. The rest is history.

God wants to shape the lives of the followers of Jesus with an even bigger story. That story is found in the Bible. I am convinced that Christ intends to transform a portion of this world through each of His disciples. I am also convinced that Christ intends to transform each of His followers by the Big Story that the Bible tells. Or to put it another way—God transforms us through His Word, so that He can transform the world through us.

That’s why I see that it is critical to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures and to read them as we would read a story, rather than as a book of spiritual principles. It’s important that we get caught up in the Story of creation, fall, Abraham, Israel, Christ, and the early church. This story is our story. And it’s a story that is transforming our world into the kingdom of the heavens.

To help people (especially young people) understand the unity of the Story, I have divided the Bible into episodes.

Episode I: One God to Rule Them All (Genesis 1-11)
Episode II: A People of Promise, A Land of Promise (Genesis 12 – Judges)
Episode III: A Throne of Promise (Ruth – Malachi)
Episode IV: The Promise Takes His Throne (Matthew-John)
Episode V: A New People of Promise (Acts-Jude)
Episode VI: A New Land of Promise (Revelation)

2006-12-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

SURVIVAL OR CONQUEST?
The Greek verb, nikao, appears 17 times in the book of Revelation. I like how the English Standard Version translates it—“conquer”. It’s where the brand name, “Nike”, comes from. Of the 17 occurrences, two refer to what the “Beast” does to the “saints” (Rev. 11:7; 13:7), two clearly describe what Christ does or has done (Rev. 5:5; 17:14), two occurrences are found in the description of the first of the four horsemen (Rev. 6:2), while the remaining twelve portray the followers of Christ conquering (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:11; 21:7).

I believe that The Revelation should be read as a call to conquest rather than as a calendar of end-time events. It was written to beleaguered groups of people in Asia Minor. I imagine that they questioned whether or not the movement that Christ started would even survive. Then they get a message from Jesus Himself portraying them as victors rather than victims. And history has shown the vision to be true. In about three centuries, one of the kingdoms of the Dragon (the Roman Empire) has crumbled and the kingdom of the Lamb is thriving.

How did they conquer? Through the blood the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even unto death. The war is still raging. Christ is still riding. The Dragon has other kingdoms. But Christ has called us to be Dragon Slayers. Try reading Revelation again as a training manual for Dragon Slayers.

2006-12-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

For those who care, I'm sorry that it has taken so long to publish this post. I'm not sure that I'm ready for the responsibility of maintaining a blog. But I'm not ready to give up yet, so here goes..

ESV Revelation 19:14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

ESV Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Did Jesus mean for His followers to understand the cavalry charge described in Revelation 19 to be something that happens at the end of time or something that was happening at the time they were hearing or reading the prophecy?

Notice that both the armies of heaven and the bride of Christ are wearing fine linen (bússinon).

The fine linen that the bride is wearing represents “the righteous deeds of the saints.” I believe that it is both natural and correct to assume that the fine linen represents the same thing in both cases; therefore, the armies of heaven are arrayed in the righteous deeds of the saints.

In the case of the Bride, the righteous deeds are adornment. It was granted her to clothe (peribálātai) herself with righteous deeds as preparation for her “wedding day”. In the case of the armies of heaven, the righteous deeds are equipment. They are arrayed (endeduménoi) in righteous deeds. The Greek word in the parenthesis is used several times in the New Testament in reference to putting on armor (Ephesians 6:11, 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8).

In both cases, the fine linen distinguishes the people of God (whether depicted as a bride or as the armies of heaven) from the rest of humanity. It describes their activity, not their reward. Righteous deeds are only distinctive before Christ returns to restore all things. After His return and the resurrection of the dead, righteous deeds lose their distinctiveness. Everyone on earth is a saint and everything that they do is righteous.

When I understood that what the armies wore symbolized what they did, my mind went back to the passage in 1 Peter 5:5 (discussed in an earlier post titled, "May I Help You?") , where followers of Christ were encouraged to clothe themselves with humility. I believe that the vision of Revelation 19 is picture of what Christ was doing in the 1st century and what He is doing in the 21st century. He has waged and is waging war on political and spiritual powers and principalities through the righteous deeds—the militant humility of His followers.

2006-12-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11-16, English Standard Version)

Until recently I have understood this passage to be a vision of Christ’s return to earth with his saints. Now, I’m not so sure. I think most would agree that Jesus intended for his followers who read or heard this vision to identify with the armies following the rider on the white horse. Now, here’s the question? Did Jesus mean for his followers to see this as a description of their return to earth with him in their resurrection bodies? Or, did Jesus mean for them to visualize themselves riding with him in the first century wreaking havoc on principalities and powers? Hint: What are the armies wearing?

More about this in the next post.

2006-12-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

One of the ways to clean out a dirty glass is to put it under a faucet of clean running water. The clean water will at first become dirty water, but as the clean water keeps flowing into the glass, the dirty water will eventually be displaced by the clean water. Now, if there are streams of dirty water coming into the glass at greater volume than the clean water, then you will never get the glass clean and will probably get it dirtier.

Jesus promised to be a faucet of clean running water to anyone who would come to him and drink. Even better, if a person will put their complete confidence in Jesus as the One who has the world under control and his followers completely taken care of, the faucet of clean running water will be inside of them and constantly running

Question: If we have a faucet of clean running water in us, why are our thoughts, feelings, motivations, and actions so dirty?

2006-12-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

From the movie, The Last Samurai

"From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue…"

Man! Doesn't that describe Jesus' intention for each of His followers?!!

2006-11-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

COMMUNITY

A good friend of mine asked, “How has the Western lens of evangelism in the last 50 years that promoted the idea of a "personal salvation" affected authentic Christian community?”

I believe emphasis on personal salvation (almost to the exclusion of consideration of God’s purpose to renew all creation) programs a person to believe that the essence of spirituality is to be saved from the judgment that is coming upon this earth. I am now in the waiting area waiting for my escape from this doomed planet. God has provided some goodies and entertainment to keep me from being bored. The enemy also has provided some goodies and entertainment. My assignment while waiting is to eat God’s goodies and avoid the enemy’s goodies so that people will want to accept the same escape route as I have. In this view of salvation, Christian community is defined as those who share the waiting room with me. And though most are pretty good company, after awhile some of them get on my nerves.

“When is that rescue ship going to arrive?!!”

2006-11-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

WHAT IS GOD'S LOVE LANGUAGE?

I was talking to a couple about their marriage last night. We centered in on the topic of love languages. It is based on the idea that each of us “hears” love in a certain way. Some of us recognize touch as an expression of love. Others feel loved when they receive gifts. Another group hears, “I love you,” when they are on the receiving end of acts of service. There are those who do not hear, “I love you,” unless you spend meaningful time with them. And finally, some people hear love, when they hear, “I love you,” or other words of affirmation spoken to them.

At the end of our discussion last night, the husband asked a very significant question—“What is God’s love language?” What a question! If the greatest commandment is to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul, and mind (and it is), how do you love God?

The very short and biblical answer is obedience. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” But I believe we often hear obedience as merely keeping the rules. The Bible tells us the rules and we show God how much we love Him by the way we keep those rules.

I submit that the obedience that says, “I love you” to God is more about imitation than compliance. In the same context where Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandment,” he also said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

When we are so secure and satisfied with God’s care for us and His control of the world that we no longer feel a need to take care of ourselves, but feel free to abandon ourselves to His plan and purpose and devote ourselves to the pursuit of the benefit of others with the same intensity that we have pursued our own, then we are speaking God’s love language.

2006-11-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

PREACHING TO THE CHOIR

I used to call it a “religious battle of the bands.”

It’s our town’s Community Thanksgiving Service. Choirs from most of the churches present a musical selection, interspersed with various pastors praying, reading Scripture, and or preaching. When I first got here the crowd was very large, usually over 500. Last night, you could say that the speaker literally “preached to the choir”. Remove the choirs and preachers and you may have had about 30 to 40 people.

Why keep it up? No one is coming anymore. A few years ago I would have said bury it. Very few people seem to be enjoying it.

But then, whom is this event designed to please? Doesn’t He deserve any and all gratitude that we can give, no matter how off-key or antiquated a few of those expression might be? It’s hard to keep from putting myself at the focal point of worship, as if God likes what I like?

There is also the issue of unity. No matter how feeble the attempts, I believe something powerful takes place in multiple dimensions when followers of Christ try to worship together. It’s sort of an “in-your-face” to the entities, both spiritual and political, who gain their power from the fragmentation of the body of Christ.

I like the way N. T. Wright puts it—“Then in chapter 3 [Ephesians] it emerges once again that the creation of this united worshiping community is a sign to the principalities and powers of the world that their time is up, that God is God and that they are not (3:10).” N. T. Wright, Freedom and Framework, Spirit and Truth: Recovering Biblical Worship, www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Biblical_Worship.htm

2006-11-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

MAY I HELP YOU?

In a Home Depot store, how do you distinguish employees from customers?

In a multi-cultural society, how do you distinguish followers of Christ from the rest of the crowd?

The apostle Peter wrote, “…Clothe (egkombōsasthe) yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another…” (1 Peter 5:5 ESV). The Greek word in the parenthesis is only found here in the New Testament. It refers to tying on an article of clothing. Peter may have been alluding to the apron-like garments that Roman slaves wore to distinguish themselves from Roman citizens. The image of Jesus tying on a towel to wash the feet of his disciples comes to mind.

Could it be that the distinguishing mark of a disciple of Jesus Christ is not so much morality as it is humility? I have heard a lot of “biblical” preaching and teaching. Have done quite a bit of it myself. I’m sorry to say that I have not seen humility pushed as hard as conformity to certain practices and beliefs. And what’s worse, I have seen humility walked even less than it has been talked.

I believe that it was Jesus’ humility that made him so attractive to the “spiritually incompetent” of his society. Jesus’ humility had nothing to do with feigned inferiority or any other form of self-deprecation. It was more about priorities. Father God’s way before his own way. The needs of the world before his own needs. For Jesus, humility was essentially a life of complete submission and total service, coming from an absolute confidence that his Father had the world completely under control and had him totally taken care of.

What would happen to the world’s view of Jesus Christ, if his followers moved humility from the periphery to the center of their teaching and practice? What would my world begin to look like if I wore humility like a bright orange apron?

2006-11-13T07:01:00.000-08:00

IS GOD CONCEITED?

Assumption: God is the possessor of every known virtue to the infinite degree. There is no one greater or equal to Him. There is no one or nothing of greater or equal value to Him. This is no brag, just fact.

For Him to place greater value on something other than Himself would be inconsistent with truth. To attribute greater value to anything other Himself would be to make that thing God. So when God values His glory above everything else, He is not being conceited, He is being consistent. It would be the epitome of conceit if any creature tried to do the same.

The Hebrew word for “glory” is kabod, which literally means “heavy”. So when the seraphim in Isaiah 6 say, “…the whole earth is full of His glory…” They are saying that creation is heavy with God. All of the things that we admire most in creation—beauty, wisdom, justice, mercy, strength, truth, love, etc.—are reflections of the One who created it. The way that I get a grasp of this is to think about a chocolate brownie. I really like chocolate brownies. And when I pick up a heavy brownie, I really get excited because I am expecting that thing to be particularly rich and chocolaty. If you pick up a precious metal, the value is gauged by its purity and weightiness. This is the Old Testament idea of God’s glory.

Through Creation and also through Redemption, God is sharing the intense pleasure that He gets from being God and acting like God. Creating us in His image, God programmed us to enjoy Him, the way that He enjoys Himself. Now, I know this sort of rubs our sensibilities the wrong way. And it should, if we are talking about a mere creature. However, there is nothing wrong with God wanting to be treated as the center of the universe. HE IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE! But when you or I live our lives as though we are the center of the universe, it is obnoxious at best and blasphemous at worst.

God does not do anything out of a desire to meet His own need. He has no needs. By definition, He is self-sufficient. Creation is not God’s attempt fill some kind of void in His being. It is really quite the opposite. God’s love compelled Him to share that which is of supreme value, His glory (the substance of all that He is) with something other than Himself. So he created angels and ants, constellations and cockroaches, and He said, “It’s all good.” Then He did something very special. He took some dirt and breathed into it some parts of His being that He did not put into any other of His creatures. And he called them humans. Then He said, “It is all very good.

He designed humans to enjoy the experience of being like God and acting like God and to live their life in awe and gratitude toward the One who would so graciously allow them this privilege and responsibility.

The serpent tempted Adam and Eve by offering them a way to enjoy the experience of being like God and acting like God without having to be dependent upon God or obedient to God. He offered them a way to actually become God. He convinced them to distrust God and disobey God. As a result, they not only lost their ability to enjoy being like God and acting like God, but they lived under the delusion that they had the right to decide who was God and who was not.

Living for the glory of God is all about restoration. Through Jesus, God restored our ability to enjoy the experience of being like God and acting like God. To put it another way, He restored our ability to reflect God. Jesus is the perfect example of what humans were meant to be—a flawless reflection of all that God is. Total trust and obedience allowed Jesus to experience maximum enjoyment of being like and acting like God. (And yes, Jesus is totally God and equal to God, but what He accomplished in restoration was done as one who was totally human. The divine powers that He demonstrated while on earth were by means of the Holy Spirit energized by trust and obedience.) When we look at Jesus, we see why God is so thrilled with Himself and wants to share that with others. We see demonstrations of the power that put the earth and seas in their places and we see demonstrations of compassion and pity that make us wonder why God would give such attention to insignificant creatures like us.

The most precious human relationships are those where people open up and share themselves with one another. That’s what God’s glory is all about. God has opened up and shared Himself with us, knowing that if we will receive what He is sharing, our joy will be full. Glorifying God is not about making Him look good by my good deeds. Glorifying God is about showing how attractive He really is by seeking my satisfaction totally in Him. Trust and obedience is the means by which I enjoy that satisfaction.