Redeeming Love

Psa 116:1-9 NLT - [1] I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. [2] Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! [3] Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. [4] Then I called on the name of the LORD: "Please, LORD, save me!" [5] How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! [6] The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. [7] Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me. [8] He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. [9] And so I walk in the LORD's presence as I live here on earth!

What is this business of love? It has consumed man's thinking for thousands of years, yet still his mind is unable to grasp it. Why do we love? The scripture is the only definitive answer to this question. It is not contained in emotion, wound in transcendence, or bound within ourselves. Love, the word of God tells us, flows from the Father. Notice the Psalmist's prayer to God in Psalm 116. His praise to God is that he "love[s] the LORD because He hear[ed] [his] voice and [his] prayer for mercy." At first it would appear to the casual reader that the love of God is bound to the conditions of what He does for man. To the contrary, it is the love of God which has eternally existed that causes the Lord's redemption to be manifest upon the Psalmist. Redeeming love is not an action so much as it is the product of God Himself.

Notice that the Psalmist beautifully annotates that God "bends down to listen," so the Psalmist will "pray as long as [he has] breath." What a powerful analogy! God bends down to hear our prayers. His infinite frame crushes through every boundary of the heavens, and the debris of His mercy and love fall upon us as He lifts us up into His arms. Redemption! Redeeming love! We are like children lifted up into the arms of God. This is why we love. I John 4.19 says "we love because He first loved us" (NIV).

In all our relationships, all our actions, all that we encounter, we approach everything with love because Christ is love and He lives in us. His redemptive power that rescued the Psalmist, the redemptive power that caused him to shout "How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!", is the same love which beams down on us every day of our lives. Let's live through our week remembering that. God's redemptive love is continually wrapping itself around us. Our Lord holds us firmly in the times of storms and in the times of joy. He has redeemed us through His Son, and He is never letting go!

On Supporting Fellow Believers

Act 2:42-47 NLT - [42] All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper ), and to prayer. [43] A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. [44] And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. [45] They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. [46] They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity -- [47] all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

One of the fundamental and often neglected duties of Christ's followers is the responsibility to support our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to minister to the world and to our communities, indeed, but the Scripture is also clear in this: that we are to support one another. In Acts 2, this picture is portrayed with absolute clarity. The recorder of Acts(likely Luke) explains that "the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had." Not only this, but they "sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need." The Scripture is undisputedly precise on the intentions for God's church: we are to be one body. In order to be one body, we must live as one body. When a member is week, we must minister to the needs of that member.

There are many ways in which God accomplishes His will regarding this issue. The most obvious, as is the case in Acts 2, is monetary aid. The believers loved their brothers and sisters so much that they were willing to give up everything they had so that they might all live together. Clearly the tithes of fellowship--the sense of oneness with Christ--is present in Christ's early church. What does that say about us? I believe ti says we are to desire, above all else, a oneness with each other. The Church is designed primarily to serve the kingdom of God, and this goal is impossible without the daily functioning of His children all working together for a common goal. Let us be aware of the monetary needs around our congregations. Those in need may often be too embarrassed to proclaim their struggles, but if a believer is struggling to feed their family or pay their bills, Acts 2 instructs us that it is the duty of God's Church to step in and aid this person.

The second vital ministry we can perform to serve members of the body in need is that of spiritual needs. This need triumphs every other need, be it monetary, physical, or emotional. In fact, some of the monetary problems, behavioral problems, and ailments source from a real spiritual need. Hearts are hurting even in God's kingdom. Prayer and words of encouragement are not just stereotypical instruments of God's empowering of the spiritually needy within the Church: they are vital resources for the ministry of the broken heart. I am convinced that if we can address these needs, a great deal of other needs will be met as well. Hurt, depression, malice, guilt, and other emotions all are rooted deep within a hurting spirit. Once the root is resolved, the rest will(thought often slowly) begin to heal as well.

Let's remember Acts 2 when we go into worship. There are many needs around God's Church. Let us act as one body, ministering to the needs of one another as Christ calls us.

Wrestling with God

Gen 32:24-32 NLT - [24] This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. [25] When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket. [26] Then the man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!" But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." [27] "What is your name?" the man asked. He replied, "Jacob." [28] "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won." [29] "Please tell me your name," Jacob said. "Why do you want to know my name?" the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. [30] Jacob named the place Peniel (which means "face of God"), for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared." [31] The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. [32] (Even today the people of Israel don't eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob's hip.)


The stories of Jacob display a constant struggle. Jacob's struggle is the struggle to receive the blessings of God. Not only does he deceive his father and brother in Genesis 27 to receive Isaac's blessing, in Genesis 32 we read of his nightly tussle with the mysterious man who carries an ordinance from God. In the midst of this conflict, Jacob's unwillingness to "let [the man] go unless [the man] blesses [Jacob]" demonstrates Jacob would fight to the death for the Lord's blessing. Why? Is it Jacob's internal struggle to find acceptance with God? Does he wish so desperately to do the will of God?

The Scriptures leave void many of the details of Jacob's life. Nevertheless, his struggles are our struggles. Not much has changed in the past few thousand years. Men still wrestle with God to find acceptance. For many Christians, it is the struggle to avoid returning to "the sin which so easily ensnares us" (Hebrews 12.1). For others, it is the guilt of being completely helpless to ever justify our faith through our own works. Still, with others, their daily lives are a constant burden of what plans God has for them in their lives.

You see, Jacob's struggle was not a physical struggle. Externally he wrestled a man, but internally he was wrestling with God, for the man he wrestles proclaims that Jacob "fought with God and with men and [has] won." Notice what Jacob's proclamation when he names Peniel: "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared." In whatever fashion we cannot comprehend, our empathy extends to Jacob's circumstances. In our wrestling with God, we experience the trials of life(the physical wrestlings) in order to seek God's face(our spiritual wrestlings.)

What is the key to winning? How do we keep going when life presses against us so unbearingly at the weakest moments in our lives? Endurance. Jacob possessed endurance. We must possess it. As children of God we are called to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12.1). We fight with God for different reasons, but the conflict is not for us to win--it is for us to realize why God wins. Only then can we understand His purposes. Only then can we, like Jacob, receive the blessings of God so that we might live out those blessings to glorify the Lord.

Choose Wisely

Choose Wisely

Luke 16:22-28 NIV - [22] "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' [25] "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' [27] "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, [28] for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

 

One of my favorite films is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  In it, Dr. Jones and his rival Donovan, both in competition to find the Holy Grail, discover a room full of hundreds of potential grails, one of which is the true cup of Christ.  The knight guarding the Grail tells them, "You must choose, but choose wisely.  For as the true grail will bring you life, the false grail will take it from you."  The greedy Donovan chooses the most luxurious, extravagant cup, and soon violently perishes from rapid aging.  Indiana, however, finds hidden behind fancy cups a humble, meager cup without decoration.  "This is the cup of a carpenter," he proclaims. This cup saves his father's life, but the knight instructs him that eternal life will only come if he stays within the temple.

 

There is an incredibly powerful analogy to be drawn from this film scene.  Christ gives each of us a choice.  We can partake of the extravagant cup and live our lives on this earth full of its comforts, or we can take the cup of the carpenter.  We can choose to spend our life in the temple: in God's presence.    Christ tells us that these are our only two choices.  Look in Luke 16.  Jesus tells the story of the rich man and the beggar who both die.  The rich man spent his life in luxury on earth but spends all of eternity in hell.  Repentant perhaps of his ways, he cries for Lazarus to warn his brothers of hell "so that they will not also come to this place of torment."  On the other hand, on earth "Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and [the rich man] is in agony." 

 

What choice will we make?  We can either be Lazarus or the rich man.  There are many who question whether there is perhaps another option, but our Lord leaves us with no such room to play dice.  The issue is that man is inherently fallen, not innocent.  He is in dire need of redemption, and unless he is willful to ask for it, Christ will not provide it.  Jesus is a gentleman; He will not force Himself upon us.  But if we choose to live outside of His reign, we must accept the consequence.  We must follow him whom we serve.  If that is Satan and his angels, then we will follow them to hell. 

 

But damnation is not the message of the gospel.  The gospel is a message of peace, of salvation, of joy!  Christ has made us aware of the reality of the unsaved man, but he has provided a way out for us!  Which cup will you drink from?  Choose the rugged road.  Choose the way that is difficult, but is so rewarding.  A relationship with Christ far outweighs any earthly pleasures we can have here on earth.

 

 

 

The Model of our Heavenly Father

The Model of Our Heavenly Father
John 10.25-30
25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

Where ought a father to derive his authority?  It is a simple question that is not asked often enough.  So many men stumble into fatherhood either purposefully or accidentally, but have no direction other than learning as they go along.  But this is not the attitude our Heavenly Father had on Christ on earth, nor is it the attitude Christ has on us.  Biblical fatherhood is a manifestation of heavenly fatherhood.  In John 10 Jesus states that "the works [He does]" are "in [His] Father's name."  Those are the works that testify about him.  Those are the works that bring  us under Christ's direction, for Jesus says that "[His] sheep listen to [His] voice; [He] knows them, and they follow [Him]."  The love of the Father flows through the Son, and that love then showers itself bountifully upon us. 

Fathers, is the situation so different?  Are we not to provide the love and direction of the Father, just as Christ did to us?  The model of fatherhood is an analogous representation of the Father's love of the Son.  So it is that every action a father does bears immense impression upon his children.  The love a Father shows to His children is what the children see as God's love.  Fathers, let us ensure that the instruction and direction of Christ is being passed onto yourself and to your family. 

This reveals the most crucial aspect of fatherhood:  a man's own relationship with the Father.  If a father is not in persistent study and prayer, if his life and actions are not tuned to the will of God, the love of the Father cannot be manifest upon his children.  Fathers, it is so vital to heed the instruction of the Lord, not merely for yourself but for your children and your wife.  A family that is mirroring Christ's lifestyle and instructions and that is responding daily to the Lord's personal direction upon that family will prosper spiritually.  The storms and waves of life will by no means topple such a household because its foundation is build upon the Lord. 

Fathers, is Christ's love moving through you and onto your own family?  If not, turn to the Lord today.  There is nothing more important than for the salvation and godliness rooted in a man's household. 

Weekly Devotion 6.12.2011

The Yield of Those Who Are Patient

Jos 5:12 NLT - [12] No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.

The old adage of "good things come to those who wait" truly shines all throughout Scripture.  In James 5.7 we are instructed to "be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen."  We read also of the Israelites spending 400 years in bondage, and another 40 wandering through the desert.  The Bible speaks so often of patience for a reason:  it yields the fruits of the Lord.  There is a reason that Hebrews 12.1 coaches us to "run with endurance the race God has set before us."  Our faith is not a sprint.  It is a long journey that continues well beyond when we first give our hearts to the Lord.  Indeed, Christianity is about continually giving one's heart over to Christ's forgiveness.  In doing so, we will receive the favor of the Lord.

In Joshua, we read that the Israelites finally, after 40 years of wandering, begin their campaign to take the Promised Land God has given them.  After  decades of manna, we read that "no manna appeared on the day [the Israelites] first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again."  Wow!  Talk about patience!  Forty years later, when the Israelites finally have land to cultivate, the Lord didn't forget their needs.  He had still been delivering manna all that time!  The patience of the people Joshua led went on to create a prosperous civilization that would arise to one of the most powerful middle eastern powers of the Bronze Age.  More than this, however, the Lord would use this civilization to bring forth the Messiah by whom we have all been saved:  Jesus Christ.

Yes, good things come to those who wait.  What are you waiting on from the Lord?  What does He have in store for you?  Hang in there!  If the Israelites could wander in the desert for 40 years with nothing but manna to eat, we can endure whatever trial the Lord delivers to us.  As He never left the Israelites during their exodus and never failed to deliver them the Promised Land, so too He will not forget His promises to you:  promises to bless you so that you might live a life that is a beacon to the world and a blessing to God! 

Worship and Wonder through the Lord's Creation

Worship and Wonder through the Lord's Creation

Psa 8:1-9 NLT - [1] For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. [2] You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. [3] When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-- the moon and the stars you set in place-- [4] what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? [5] Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. [6] You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority-- [7] the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, [8] the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. [9] O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

If the power of God is in the earth, then His majesty lies in the heavens.  Ironically, looking up at the infinite dance of celestial balls on a summer night sky does not invoke doubt of a Creator somewhere out there in this nebulous abyss, but instead yields to us confirmation that everything is perfectly orchestrated by the Grand Conductor of whom all things flow.  Truly the Psalmist is right when he proclaims that the Lord's "glory is higher than the heavens."  How wondrous and powerful the night sky appears; how much more wonderful must be God if He is even above that! 

Not only is God's majesty portrayed in the heavenly portrait, but the Psalmist says that he can "look at the night sky and see the work of [the Lord's] fingers--the moon and the stars [He] set in place."  When in doubt of God's promises or His creative capacity, look up!  It all works together, so why can't He work out your circumstances?  It is easy to wonder, "what are mere mortals that [God] should think about them, human beings that [He] should care for them?"  It is such a wide universe!  How could God care about us?  It is because He has "made [us] only a little lower than God and crowned [us] with glory and honor."  Think you're insignificant?  Think nothing you can do can make a difference?  God says you matter.  The fact that you, a soul embedded within a tiny biological mechanism operating on a small, uniquely and perfectly habitable rock orbiting somewhere around one of billions of giant, nuclear balls ought to show that God cares for you.  He has a purpose for you and I!  

It is good to worship God through nature.  Sometimes we need to spend time to stop and consider all that He has done in the universe.  Doing so not only helps us appreciate His care for us and His plans for all of creation, but it reveals His nature and consequently causes us to recognize our continual need to praise Him for all He is and all He does.  Find something God has created today and thank Him for it.  You'll feel significant and will feel His presence as you worship Him!