1 Peter 2:3: "if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good."
Oh, conviction..... Thank you, Jesus, for Your Word, for fellowship with You, Your life and joy giving sacrifice, and Thank You, Lord, that You have given me the fortune of like minded friends, so that "by testing, I may discern what is the will of God." Lord Jesus, allow us to drink more deeply of You! Allow us to "taste that the Lord is good."
IF we have tasted that the Lord is good, then we engage in the practice of self-abandonment, a practice commended by God. Our source of joy is no longer crap and filth of this world. John Piper reminded me last night ("Heat and Light") of something he learned from a book written by C.S. Lewis et al, "Quest for Joy." Self abandonment is not the act of renouncing pursuit of pleasure, but the act of abandoning the pursuit of lesser pleasures in favor of the life-giving, all-satisfying joy that comes from fellowship and friendship in Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of Deity dwells, and to whom we have access to fullness.
Let yesterday's post tie into this one. 1 Peter 2:3 says [we may grow into salvation] IF we have tasted that the Lord is good. Wrestle with this! Let's beg him together for a taste of the joy that He alone provides!
Here is verse 2 of "Jesus, My Only Hope," a Sovereign Grace worship song.
I will not fear Your judgment
for me no wrath I dread
for it was spent on Jesus
poured out upon His head.
When Satan's accusations
make my poor heart afraid
I hear my King declaring
"Father, that debt is paid!"
FEAST ON THAT!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Our Source of "Fullness"
Colossians 2: 9 - 10 speaks so much truth into my life yesterday and today. Paul says, "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, (10) and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." Jesus is God in the flesh. I, as a believer, have all fullness..... everything I need in Him! He has smashed every rule and authority and become my only hope.
Paul is speaking to the Colossian church about philosophers in Colossae who were spreading false doctrine. While the word "fullness" has such heavy implications to the believer, my ESV Study Bible tells me that Paul was actually using this term to kind of "poke" at these philosophers, using a term from their jargon to mock their parallel philosophy, rooted in evil and darkness. The question is: Where do I gain my fullness? If Christ allows my union with Him, and He provides the crushing blow to all rules and authorities, why do I seek pleasure, comfort, and joy in things other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Why do my remedies for worldly anxiety or depression trump the all-sufficient Savior?
Charles Spurgeon frequently suffered terrible bouts with "depression." He and I have that in common. Spurgeon applied the all-sufficient balm of the gospel to his life as his sole remedy. Is it double minded (James 1) to embrace contemporary methods for treating anxiety and depression? Is this a parallel teaching rooted in darkness like in Colossians 2: 9-10? When is Christ Jesus enough? Paul says here that Jesus is God manifest in body, and we are filled with Him!
Paul is speaking to the Colossian church about philosophers in Colossae who were spreading false doctrine. While the word "fullness" has such heavy implications to the believer, my ESV Study Bible tells me that Paul was actually using this term to kind of "poke" at these philosophers, using a term from their jargon to mock their parallel philosophy, rooted in evil and darkness. The question is: Where do I gain my fullness? If Christ allows my union with Him, and He provides the crushing blow to all rules and authorities, why do I seek pleasure, comfort, and joy in things other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Why do my remedies for worldly anxiety or depression trump the all-sufficient Savior?
Charles Spurgeon frequently suffered terrible bouts with "depression." He and I have that in common. Spurgeon applied the all-sufficient balm of the gospel to his life as his sole remedy. Is it double minded (James 1) to embrace contemporary methods for treating anxiety and depression? Is this a parallel teaching rooted in darkness like in Colossians 2: 9-10? When is Christ Jesus enough? Paul says here that Jesus is God manifest in body, and we are filled with Him!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Joint Heirs with Christ....
Romans 8:17 "and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ......"
Wow! This verse, even out of context (the rest of the passage adds tremendous clarity to the above statement), gives Christian life purpose. The passage of Romans 8:12-17 gives more depth to the main point I've isolated from verse 17. If we are children of God, then we are alive in His Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh. In the Spirit we cry out "Abba! Father!"
Is there a more humbling thought than this? That God has allowed us to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ. I pray that God Himself will reveal to each of us the depth and breadth of all this statement implies. The Sovereign God of all creation allows fallen worshipers to become as His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. WHAT? Oh, yes, God allows us to basque in the beauty of His presence of His Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we can enter into friendship with Him. We are heirs of righteousness and holiness!
Fellow believers, let us cling to this truth for joy when the suffering of this world inevitably strikes a blow to our faith. The person of Jesus Christ took the blow of our Father's wrath. He took our punishment so that we can be fellow heirs. Thank you, Jesus!
Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Wow! This verse, even out of context (the rest of the passage adds tremendous clarity to the above statement), gives Christian life purpose. The passage of Romans 8:12-17 gives more depth to the main point I've isolated from verse 17. If we are children of God, then we are alive in His Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh. In the Spirit we cry out "Abba! Father!"
Is there a more humbling thought than this? That God has allowed us to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ. I pray that God Himself will reveal to each of us the depth and breadth of all this statement implies. The Sovereign God of all creation allows fallen worshipers to become as His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. WHAT? Oh, yes, God allows us to basque in the beauty of His presence of His Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we can enter into friendship with Him. We are heirs of righteousness and holiness!
Fellow believers, let us cling to this truth for joy when the suffering of this world inevitably strikes a blow to our faith. The person of Jesus Christ took the blow of our Father's wrath. He took our punishment so that we can be fellow heirs. Thank you, Jesus!
Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What Was I Thinking?
Proverbs 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
Saturday, our family's dishwasher caught fire. It had a good life, a number of years of service, and was generally dying a slow death anyway. Saturday night/Sunday I did some research and Sunday afternoon, while at Lowe's to purchase Kelley's Mother's Day flowers (to plant with the kids) we purchased a dishwasher.
Monday after work, Kelley called me to tell me that our brand new dishwasher was just sitting outside our house. How could this be? We paid an addition $105. to have our new dishwasher installed in our house..... No one had called me to set up an appointment to install. You mean to tell me that we dropped $500 on this new dishwasher and these guys had just left it sitting outside my house? Boy, I was livid. So, I headed to Lowe's to "straighten this whole thing out."
I marched straight back to the appliance section of Lowes. Before I was finished telling my story, two sales associates (including the one that had sold me the dishwasher Sunday), the delivery manager, and the store manager were surrounding me. They were captive to my rant. "Someone here has lost their mind," I proclaimed. "Maybe $500 isn't much to you guys, but that's a lot of money to me." I had caused a stir, maybe even a scene.
"Are you sure it's your dishwasher?" they asked. "Yes!" I exclaimed, "but I'll get my wife on the phone to make sure. The group huddled ever closer. "We don't show in our computer that we've delivered anything to your address," they continued.
"Honey, will you go outside and look at the box? Are you certain that it says 'Whirlpool' on there?" "Make sure there is a white Lowes delivery sticker on there."
"Oops, John, I'm so sorry. This box is our new sand filter for our swimming pool."
Red-faced, I apologized, tucked my tail and left embarassed and humbled. I believe there's a lesson for me here......
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
Saturday, our family's dishwasher caught fire. It had a good life, a number of years of service, and was generally dying a slow death anyway. Saturday night/Sunday I did some research and Sunday afternoon, while at Lowe's to purchase Kelley's Mother's Day flowers (to plant with the kids) we purchased a dishwasher.
Monday after work, Kelley called me to tell me that our brand new dishwasher was just sitting outside our house. How could this be? We paid an addition $105. to have our new dishwasher installed in our house..... No one had called me to set up an appointment to install. You mean to tell me that we dropped $500 on this new dishwasher and these guys had just left it sitting outside my house? Boy, I was livid. So, I headed to Lowe's to "straighten this whole thing out."
I marched straight back to the appliance section of Lowes. Before I was finished telling my story, two sales associates (including the one that had sold me the dishwasher Sunday), the delivery manager, and the store manager were surrounding me. They were captive to my rant. "Someone here has lost their mind," I proclaimed. "Maybe $500 isn't much to you guys, but that's a lot of money to me." I had caused a stir, maybe even a scene.
"Are you sure it's your dishwasher?" they asked. "Yes!" I exclaimed, "but I'll get my wife on the phone to make sure. The group huddled ever closer. "We don't show in our computer that we've delivered anything to your address," they continued.
"Honey, will you go outside and look at the box? Are you certain that it says 'Whirlpool' on there?" "Make sure there is a white Lowes delivery sticker on there."
"Oops, John, I'm so sorry. This box is our new sand filter for our swimming pool."
Red-faced, I apologized, tucked my tail and left embarassed and humbled. I believe there's a lesson for me here......
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Healing and the Holy Spirit
As I listen to Paul Baloche sing, "You Have Been So Good to Me" this morning, Spurgeon's devotion book prompts me to meditate on Matthew 12:15. In this passage, the Pharisees are plotting against Jesus, so He goes away from where He is to go out and perform healing. Despite my sin nature and filthy heart, Jesus provides healing to me. He removes the disease of sin from my soul, and through His blood and victory over death, proclaims that I am clean in the sight of the Father! Now that's some healing! Swine flu pales in comparison the sickness of my sin. I believe I'll ask for healing from the disease of John Burroughs!
Even better, in I John 4:13, the Word reminds us that once healed, we may dwell in Him. What a gift! Jesus heals us, then ushers into the 'mansion' of His presence. ".....we abide in Him, and Him in us, because he has given us of His spirit." Too poor for this mansion? His abode has a mortgage that's already been paid. Need furniture? It's already there. What about my shabby old garments? In His presence, he provides new garments and a full armor! The shelter of His Holy Spirit is given to believers so that we may dwell in Him.
Thank you Sovereign God for all the provisions necessary to know and love you.
Even better, in I John 4:13, the Word reminds us that once healed, we may dwell in Him. What a gift! Jesus heals us, then ushers into the 'mansion' of His presence. ".....we abide in Him, and Him in us, because he has given us of His spirit." Too poor for this mansion? His abode has a mortgage that's already been paid. Need furniture? It's already there. What about my shabby old garments? In His presence, he provides new garments and a full armor! The shelter of His Holy Spirit is given to believers so that we may dwell in Him.
Thank you Sovereign God for all the provisions necessary to know and love you.
Monday, May 4, 2009
False Gods
In my heart and in my family we worship our Risen Savior, we worship the one true God, by means of His Holy Spirit. Three of the five of us recognize our sin nature, our need for Jesus' saving grace, and have begun the lifelong journey of sanctification. Thank God for His Word which recently taught me in Hebrews 4 that the Bible is "living and active, .....pierces to the division of sould ad spirit...."
Today Jeremiah 16:19-20 speaks to me:
O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of trouble,
to you sall the nations come
from the ends of the earth and say:
"Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies.
worthless things in which there is no profit.
Can man make for himself gods?
Such are not gods!"
There are no golden calves at my crib, no stone statues, no shrines to other gods. But there is a TV in virtually every room, there are devices and contraptions for all sorts of entertainment. There is food for all occasions, not just necessities, but anything for whatever whimsical desire we muster up.... There are all sorts of idols that lead to lack of time with my God, and a number of distractions for comfort, laziness, and leizure. Especially in my home, my Savior today prompts me to lead my home in a Christ-centered way, removing distractions and any obstacle to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and the living Word.
Today Jeremiah 16:19-20 speaks to me:
O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of trouble,
to you sall the nations come
from the ends of the earth and say:
"Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies.
worthless things in which there is no profit.
Can man make for himself gods?
Such are not gods!"
There are no golden calves at my crib, no stone statues, no shrines to other gods. But there is a TV in virtually every room, there are devices and contraptions for all sorts of entertainment. There is food for all occasions, not just necessities, but anything for whatever whimsical desire we muster up.... There are all sorts of idols that lead to lack of time with my God, and a number of distractions for comfort, laziness, and leizure. Especially in my home, my Savior today prompts me to lead my home in a Christ-centered way, removing distractions and any obstacle to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and the living Word.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
John 17:15
Jesus' last prayer is a thing of beauty. I am so thankful that God brought me to this passage today in my quiet time. "I do not ask that you take them from this world, but that you keep them from the evil one." Jesus is praying for His disciples here, and I am a follower (disciple) of Jesus Christ. So, at least as far as my pea brain can discern, this prayer has two obvious practical applications in my life.
1.) Jesus prayer is that God would not remove me from 'this world,' including hardships, sin, and suffering, but keep me from the evil one. For me, this implies that my life should never be about running from trouble (and not necessarily to it either), but wait patiently upon the Lord. My place is to grow in consecration and sanctification, just as He has ordained through hardship, with every trial.
2.) Christians, the body of Christ, should not withdraw from the world as we have in recent history. Jesus' simple words "I do not ask that you take them from this world," are so profound and important for us to cling to. Under scrutiny and condemnation, at a time when Christians are labeled and mocked, I wonder how much of this we have brought onto ourselves by withdrawing from culture? To isolate ourselves, look pompously at others, condemn people, proclaim rules for living (rather than love and mercy) brings about the desire to withdraw and create a Christian subculture. [If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic power, and understand all mystery and all knowledge, and if I have faith, such as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Cor. 13:1-2] I believe Jesus' words are all the convincing I need to embrace this life as a means to experience Him and DISPLAY THIS to my little earthly circle of influence. Jesus prayed for protection from the evil one in this world, not isolation from the world and the evil one!
Jesus lived in and among the world. I desire that Christians would permeate non believers and ask the Holy Spirit to work through our acts of love and service. And may the church proclaim love and serve our communities with a desire to display the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1.) Jesus prayer is that God would not remove me from 'this world,' including hardships, sin, and suffering, but keep me from the evil one. For me, this implies that my life should never be about running from trouble (and not necessarily to it either), but wait patiently upon the Lord. My place is to grow in consecration and sanctification, just as He has ordained through hardship, with every trial.
2.) Christians, the body of Christ, should not withdraw from the world as we have in recent history. Jesus' simple words "I do not ask that you take them from this world," are so profound and important for us to cling to. Under scrutiny and condemnation, at a time when Christians are labeled and mocked, I wonder how much of this we have brought onto ourselves by withdrawing from culture? To isolate ourselves, look pompously at others, condemn people, proclaim rules for living (rather than love and mercy) brings about the desire to withdraw and create a Christian subculture. [If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic power, and understand all mystery and all knowledge, and if I have faith, such as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Cor. 13:1-2] I believe Jesus' words are all the convincing I need to embrace this life as a means to experience Him and DISPLAY THIS to my little earthly circle of influence. Jesus prayed for protection from the evil one in this world, not isolation from the world and the evil one!
Jesus lived in and among the world. I desire that Christians would permeate non believers and ask the Holy Spirit to work through our acts of love and service. And may the church proclaim love and serve our communities with a desire to display the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
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