Ephesians 1:3-23

Blessed be fthe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing gin the heavenly places, 4 heven as he ichose us in him jbefore the foundation of the world, that we should be kholy and blameless before him. In love 5 lhe predestined us1 for madoption as sons through Jesus Christ, naccording to the purpose of his will, 6 oto the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in pthe Beloved. 7 qIn him we have rredemption sthrough his blood, tthe forgiveness of our trespasses, uaccording to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 vmaking known2 to us the mystery of his will, naccording to his purpose, which he wset forth in Christ 10 as a plan for xthe fullness of time, yto unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained zan inheritance, ahaving been predestined baccording to the purpose of him who works all things according to cthe counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be dto the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard ethe word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, fwere sealed with the gpromised Holy Spirit, 14 who is hthe guarantee3 of our iinheritance until jwe acquire kpossession of it,4 lto the praise of his glory.

15 For this reason, mbecause I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love5 toward all the saints, 16 I ndo not cease to give thanks for you, oremembering you in my prayers, 17 that pthe God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, qmay give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 rhaving the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is sthe hope to which he has called you, what are tthe riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, uaccording to the working of vhis great might 20 that he worked in Christ wwhen he raised him from the dead and xseated him at his right hand yin the heavenly places, 21 zfar above aall rule and authority and power and dominion, and above bevery name that is named, not only in cthis age but also in the one to come. 22 And dhe put all things under his feet and gave him as ehead over all things to the church, 23 fwhich is his body, gthe fullness of him hwho fills iall in all.

Psalm 37 & 27

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

 ...

The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;

though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord upholds his hand.

(Psalm 37:3-7a, 23-24)

 

 

You have said, “Seek my face.”

My heart says to you,

“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Hide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off; forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

 ...

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

(Psalm 27:8-9, 14)

living today: Changing Seasons

Enjoying this autumn's gorgeous displays of vibrant colors in the sky, trees, and fields as we transition from summer to winter. They're tangible reminders that other seasons of change and unknowns display the beauty of my never-changing and all-knowing God. And like a child gleefully jumping in piles of leaves (weee!), they create opportunity to trustingly and delightfully enjoy every good gift that "comes down from the Father of lights," including sweetly simple and small joys. And guess what? The giver of each of these good things gives me the ultimate gift, which enables and enhances each simple joy: Christ himself!!! 

Pure happiness to let God be God, man be man, and freely work and play like a little kid as your Daddy takes care of everything big and small. 

" 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus." 

"He walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own."

Some fun stuff recently:

Teresa and I made the pastors a meal for belated Pastor Appreciation (Nov 7th)  

Just a sample of the gorgeousness.

Hot Apple Cider over the fire! (Saturday Nov 9)

Recruiting some babysitting help. (Monday Nov 11)

Ahh-mazing pseudo office space for a few minutes on Thursday.

Making Cup Pies (think cupcakes, but pies!) with Erin Friday night then watching Pushing Daisies.

Fun-sized!
Peach Pie Fully Crusted or w/ Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust;
Pumpkin Pie; and Coconut Cream Pie w/ Mandarin Orange Topper

Started building a little StoryTime Kids Corner. Two videos uploaded so far on a YouTube playlist here. 

Jesus Is the Greatest Ever

I visited my friends Lem & Cindi James this past Sunday. Thankful how God ministered to me in that time, particularly through his preached word exalting Christ in my heart. Here is a near-transcription from the end of Ian McConnell's sermon at Grace Bible Church in NE Philly. It's from the first service (we were at second).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hebrews 1:1-3
Long ago, at many times and ain many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but bin these last days che has spoken to us by dhis Son, whom he appointed ethe heir of all things, fthrough whom also he created gthe world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and hthe exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

You need Jesus to keep you together. …

Are you trusting Jesus to keep you together? Your marriage, your kids, your resources/finances, those you care about together? He upholds us across the board.

 

I am tempted on a daily basis to believe the lie that I hold myself up. Here’s what happens when I try to hold myself up, and when I try to hold up others that I feel I am responsible for – I do have a degree of responsibility, but I can’t do for them what only Jesus can do for them. Here’s what happens when I try to hold people up:  guess what I do? I drop things! And when I drop things, I’m tall, they break.

What are you trying to hold up right now that only Jesus can hold up? What are you trying to keep together that only Jesus can keep together? It’s all in where you depend. You say, “well, I have responsibility” yes, you do…you do have a responsibility to work hard to make your marriage work. You do have a responsibility to work hard to raise your kids and to discipline them and point them in the direction of following Jesus. You do need to work hard at your job to have money so you can provide for your needs. You do need to work, but there’s a way of working where I trust in myself and a way of working where I trust in Jesus, and they’re completely different. Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” … Here’s how we trust in him to uphold us as we commit ourselves to our responsibilities: We do our responsibilities in active trust, in conscience dependence on Jesus who holds everything together.

Here’s what you do not want. You don’t want a team of pastors here who act like it’s their ultimate responsibility to hold you together. And here’s what we don’t want. We don’t want you to trust in us to hold you together because we can’t.  But Jesus can. So what’s the greatest thing we can do for one another? What’s the greatest way we can encourage one another? What’s the greatest way we can exhort one another? Ready? Here you go: Look to Jesus. I want to point you to Jesus. I need you to point me to Jesus. I need to point others to Jesus, because he’s the one who holds us up.

Since he’s the one upholding all things and carrying everything to its intended end, I also need to trust in Jesus not just to hold me up but to take me where I should go. So he keeps me going and takes me to where I should be going. Are you actively trusting in Jesus to lead you and guide you, take you. I think sometimes we are tempted to think Jesus is messing the script up. You’re not writing the script; Jesus is. ..He’s writing the script, upholding us, and taking our lives to their God-appointed end. And here’s what we know about Jesus, He doesn’t mess up. Jesus Christ has never made a mistake upholding things, and he won’t make the first mistake in your life. You can be guaranteed of that. He will uphold you, and he will take you where he has you. Isn’t that relieving? So you can go through the dark night of your soul; you can through that suffering; you can go through that pain – it’s still painful; it still hurts; there’s still unkowns – but here’s what you can do, you can trust in the one who’s going to take you, and your family, and this church to their appointed end. He’s not going to mess it up.

(recap)

·         God is speaking to us. He’s speaking to us through Jesus

·         He’s upholding  the universe by the word of his power, and

·         What he wants us to hear is that Jesus is the sustainer and orchestrator of everything.

He’s holding us up, church. …if you feel like you’re falling. If you feel like your life is ripping apart at the seams, I have good news for you: Jesus will hold you together. He’ll hold you together. He doesn’t promise to take away all the suffering. He doesn’t promise to take away all the hurt. He doesn’t promise health, wealth, and prosperity. He promises to uphold you and take your life to its appointed end, and he won’t mess up.

…

You can trust in him. You can hope in him. He’s the greatest ever.

 

 

photo: evening walk on Creek Hill Road (no edit); Tue Oct 15

"No Greater Joy"

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (3 John 1:4)

I may be no mom, but it brings refreshment and contented joy to my soul to see those I care for walking in faith and truth. 

Stories within The Story

This old post of mine came to my mind today.

It's so true. Relationships are such a privilege. Loving is costly, but so worth it. God weaves some quite astounding stories into his one grand story of redemption. What a kind grace of him to grant perspective and vision for the high calling of a rough road - and what freedom and joy to know he's making something beautiful out of his children that we cannot always see in the moment. He is faithful. His promises will stand. 

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:12-13

Oh Father, use my ransomed life in any way You choose, 

and let my song forever be: my only boast is You!

"He led them forth by the right way."

Morning & Evening

"He led them forth by the right way." — Psalms 107:7

Changeful experience often leads the anxious believer to enquire "Why is it thus with me?" I looked for light, but lo, darkness came; for peace, but behold trouble. I said in my heart, my mountain standeth firm, I shall never be moved. Lord, thou dost hide thy face, and I am troubled. It was but yesterday that I could read my title clear; to-day my evidences are bedimmed, and my hopes are clouded. Yesterday I could climb to Pisgah's top, and view the landscape o'er, and rejoice with confidence in my future inheritance; to-day, my spirit has no hopes, but many fears; no joys, but much distress. Is this part of God's plan with me? Can this be the way in which God would bring me to heaven? Yes, it is even so. The eclipse of your faith, the darkness of your mind, the fainting of your hope, all these things are but parts of God's method of making you ripe for the great inheritance upon which you shall soon enter. These trials are for the testing and strengthening of your faith-they are waves that wash you further upon the rock-they are winds which waft your ship the more swiftly towards the desired haven. According to David's words, so it might be said of you, "so he bringeth them to their desired haven." By honour and dishonour, by evil report and by good report, by plenty and by poverty, by joy and by distress, by persecution and by peace, by all these things is the life of your souls maintained, and by each of these are you helped on your way. Oh, think not, believer, that your sorrows are out of God's plan; they are necessary parts of it. "We must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom." Learn, then, even to "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
"O let my trembling soul be still,
And wait thy wise, thy holy will!
I cannot, Lord, thy purpose see,
Yet all is well since ruled by thee."

My Refuge and Protector

Been rocked by some events the past couple weeks. My safety is in Christ. He is always with me.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?...
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me, yet I will be confident….
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock….
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD .
(Psalm 27:1,3,5,8,13-14)

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
(Psalm 18:1-2)

Conversational Apologetics

On Monday I searched the Sovereign Grace Ministries audio library for the word “apologetics” and found this excellent message called Conversational Apologetics by Michael Ramsden (connected with Ravi Zacharias) given at Covenant Life Church in MD. I’ve heard it before, but don’t know how long ago it’s been. It’s excellent (the British accent is always a plus!), and I took notes. Most of this is direct transcription. Listen to the 2 part audio here.  

“They say I’ve got to learn, but there’s no one here to teach me. If they don’t understand, then how can they reach me? I guess they can’t. I guess they won’t. I guess they front, that’s how I know my life is out of luck.”

-British rap artist

1 Peter 3:15-16:

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience”

The setting for the command to give an apologetic is, “how are you living your life?” Live your life as you should do. And the assumption is this, because your life is being lived a way which is different, people will ask you questions. So if people aren’t asking you questions, you have to ask yourself the question “how am I living my life?” In 2 Cor 3 it says we are living letters known and read by everybody. How does your life read? What does it say? Is it being lived in the way it should be?

“But in your heart set apart Christ as Lord.” The Greek word “heart” refers to the seat of your intellectual and emotional life. And it’s saying, “you’re about to enter into a spiritual battle. Giving an apologetic, giving an answer to those who don’t know why you believe what you believe, that’s entering into a spiritual battle. And before you do that, you’re told to make sure that Christ’s lordship is settled in your life. And the word “heart” is the seat over your emotional and your intellectual life. Over your thoughts and over your feelings. Over everything that you are, He is to be Lord. In James it talks about the double minded mind. It says the “double minded man is unstable in all that he does. It says he’s like a wave blown and tossed about by the winds. Whichever way the wind is blowing he gets carried with it. When the wind of opinion changes, he goes the other way. He’s unstable in everything he’s done. Even in prayer he’s ineffective. To be double minded doesn’t mean to be two faced. It’s not like pretending to be one thing to someone and pretending to be another thing to someone else. It means to be caught in two opinions. It means you don’t know what the truth is, which is why you’re always being carried about by whatever strange new teaching comes along. If you are to engage in this battle, you have to know what we believe, what is the truth, so that then you may be rooted in Christ. And then ready for the spiritual battle.

“And always be prepared” - the word “prepared” means in this text to get physically fit. In other words, Peter is giving us a command here, through the Holy Spirit, which he knows is going to be hard work. Getting fit is much harder (than getting a degree and then forgetting what you learned in college), because once you get fit you have to stay fit….this is not easy. If you came here tonight for just a quick fix in apologetics, then you’re going to be disappointed.

“Always be ready to give an answer”- “answer” and “defense” are not the best words. Giving an apologetic is not simply giving answers to other people’s questions. It’s also about asking questions of other people’s answers or even asking questions of the questions themselves [I like doing this! I find it much easier to slow things down to understand one another and make us think than to plough ahead with assumptions and miscommunications that could have been avoided by asking questions].

Things that asking questions does:

1 - Exposes the assumptions that exist within our culture. Matt 22

Jesus asks questions because it forces people to think. Giving the right answer to the wrong question is always wrong.
2  - Exposes faulty logic. Mark 12:18
3 – Defines words
4 – Exposes motives. People have reasons for believing what they believe. They have motives for them.
5 – Exposes contradictions. When someone tells you there is no such thing at truth, they are asking you not to believe them. So don’t. The culture we live in is so confused, that sometimes we have to ask questions just to bring clarity.
“How” is not “why”. If someone asks you why you are a Christian, don’t answer with how you became one. “Why” is not asking for a process; it’s asking for a reason.

Apologetics is not a philosophy driven discipline. It’s a Scriptural driven discipline. It’s driven by Scripture because it’s about Christ. So it informs everything we say and the direction in which everything flows. Apologetics and evangelism go hand in hand.

“but do this with gentleness and respect and keeping a clear conscience” – why do we give an apologetic? Because we love God and also because we love people. We treat them with gentleness. People are not an argument to be won. “Keeping a clear conscience,” in other words you don’t lie. When you don’t know, you say “I don’t know.”

Faith – putting your weight and trust in something because it is true. So how does faith grow? Well, the more sure you are as to God’s reality, that he is there, and the more convinced you are as to his truth (in other words his integrity, that you can trust him) the stronger your faith. Faith is the response to God’ s truth and reality.

Faith is not a mental psychological condition where you psych yourself up into believing something that isn’t there, or convince yourself that you should trust God even though you think that you shouldn’t. Real faith is knowing who God is and trusting truth and his reality. That’s ultimately what it’s about.

God loves people. When we are talking with someone and raising this question, there are two things that we are trying to do. One, we are trying to assure them as to God’s moral character: he is true, he is just, he is fair. No one brings a moral complaint against God on the day of judgment.  And two, God is doing things that we don’t even know about.  

actual, real, lasting substance

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. - 1 Cor. 15:58

Bryan Chapell (Holiness by Grace):
This side of heaven we will not see how most of our small acts of kindness, or even our great acts of courage that are unnoticed or misunderstood, fit into God’s eternal plan. But we walk and act in... the faith that such actions are eternal, because God promises this is so.…
Knowing the eternal implications of our actions enables us more and more to live for heaven’s effects rather than for earth’s approval.
A gentle touch offered to a crying child on the street, an angry word withheld, the willingness to lose a business deal for integrity’s sake, uncomplaining participation in the dreary routine of dishes and diapers, a smile offered to a harried clerk who has rung up the wrong bill – each unnoticed act of righteousness remains eternal and, as a result, is worthy of our efforts.
The Christian walks through the world with a hidden smile, knowing that by God’s grace each act of love and sacrifice is eternal though the world cannot see it. As we see our world through the eyes of Scripture we know that each day and every moment is lived for eternity and, thus, that no righteous act is fruitless and no sacrifice is vain. 

So good! There is actual, real, lasting substance behind that "hidden smile" experience of depending on the Lord & walking in the good works he has prepared for each day, even in the dreary unnoticed ones. This motivates me to keep looking up to Christ and pressing on with both contentment and anticipation. Sweetness here.

Thank you, dear Father, for how you continue to fill out more of the picture of what is meant by the here and now. Thank you for showing me more of the answer to why you delay our entrance into heaven, that there is actual purpose for life on earth now - the greatest of which is to get started on our quest of knowing and loving you even before we get to do so for eternity in heaven. Eternity starts now. This time does count. Love you, Lord. You are good. 
 

Hospitality to the Stranger

“Fellowship is having your church friends over, and that’s great, but hospitality is inviting the stranger in….Hospitality means meeting the stranger at the gate.”

“It does not matter that there’s cat hair on the couch,” [Rosaria Champagne Butterfield] says in the interview. “It does not matter that all you can serve right now is macaroni and cheese or cereal. It absolutely does not matter.” Why not? Because these small details fade to insignificance compared to the tremendous potential of hospitality on mission.

Quotes from a Desiring God Authors On The Line Audio Interview (here).

Although this has been a bit tough to practically facilitate, because I am not even at my own home often, it’s exciting for me to see how God has placed me right where I am at this precise time and with the exact neighbors I have. I pray for God to grace me to hold out friendship of acceptance, not necessarily approval, that witnesses to them of how God continually initiates with and draws me to the goodness of repentance and relationship with him through his Son. Grace me, O Lord, to be generously unselfish with interruptions to my schedule so that I may love others more than myself.

Shame & Gratefulness

I recognized discouragement and a sense of shame in myself today in a more poignant way than I have in a while. These CCEF articles helped to take that shame and turn it into a tool to push me nearer to Christ instead of following an inclination to turn inward and hide in a dark hole in myself. And now I’m freshly grateful for how nothing can separate me from the love of Christ and that he actually uses ugly things like shame, whether shallow or deep, to draw me nearer to knowing him. Afterall, no one experienced shame to the degree he did.

These articles, by Ed Welsh and based on his book Shame Interrupted, both met me and moved me to desire to grow in showing more compassion to others who may feel shame. I can identify with both sides, feeling shame and shaming others through my selfish inconsideration. Thankful for a merciful God.

 

"The King of the universe enters into his kingdom with signs that he is both the King and the outcast. Shamed people would recognize him, even at his birth, as one of their own....The interruption of shame comes at an historical moment when Jesus took both guilt and shame to the cross and disarmed shame of its power." 

"He knows your name and will also give you his."

"For them, to be truly known is synonymous with rejection...Know anyone who considers their very existence an interruption to the lives of others? Know someone who punctuates most of their sentences with “I’m sorry.”? They know they need help but to ask anything of another is to be an infuriating interruption in someone’s life."

 

"Jesus' simple actions said,

'You are not an interruption.'

'I'm not afraid to connect with you.'

'I care about you.'

 

"I don’t want to be so eager to identify sin in others that I miss the more immediate need of compassion and love. Locating sin and speculating about poor motives really is a lot easier than being patient, kind, and compassionate. I want to give others what they need in the moment, not what is easy for me."

"I don’t want the people in my life to feel like an interruption. May God have mercy on me, because I think sometimes they do.

"If you want to know how to love the shamed more wisely, the first step is to look around for those 'sneaking up on you' just hoping to steal a touch and give it to them. Notice them. Make time for them. Invite them to give voice to their suffering. Embody and point them to the love of Christ.

Christ Interrupts Shame; Shame Interrupted: Finding Words; Shame Interrupted: He Knows My Name; How Do You Respond to People Who Feel Shame

High Purpose of Perplexing Trial - To Know God

J.I. Packer in chapter 21 of Knowing God:

What is the purpose of grace? Primarily, to restore our relationship with God. When God lays the foundation of this restored relationship, by forgiving our sins as we trust his Son, he does so in order that henceforth we and he may live in fellowship. And what he does in renewing our nature is intended to make us capable of, and actually to lead us into, the exercise of love, trust, delight, hope and obedience Godward - those acts which, from our side, make up the reality of fellowship with God, who is constantly making himself known
to us. This is what all the work of grace aims at - an ever deeper knowledge of God, and an ever closer fellowship with him. Grace is God drawing us sinners closer and closer to himself.
 How does God in grace prosecute this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the world, the flesh and the devil, nor by protecting us from burdensome and frustrating circumstances, nor yet by shielding us from troubles created by our own temperament and psychology; but rather by exposing us to all these things, so as to overwhelm us with a sense of our own inadequacy, and to drive us to cling to him more closely. This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God fills our lives with troubles and perplexities of one sort and another: it is to ensure that we shall learn to hold him fast. The reason why the Bible spends so much of its time reiterating that God is a strong rock, a firm defense, and a sure refuge and help for the weak, is that God spends so much of his time bringing home to us that we are weak, both mentally and morally, and dare not trust ourselves to find, or to follow, the right road.
When we walk along a clear road feeling fine, and someone takes our arm to help us, as likely as not we shall impatiently shake him off; but when we are caught in rough country in the dark, with a storm getting up and our strength spent, and someone takes our arm to help us, we shall thankfully lean on him. And God wants us to feel that our way through life is rough and perplexing, so that we may learn thankfully to lean on him. Therefore he takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in himself - in the classical scriptural phrase for the secret of the godly life, to "wait on the Lord."...We need God to make us realists about both ourselves and him.

Perplexities and confusions fade when put in this perspective. Through these the Lord's simple call is to "be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46)

Outside of Christ there is nothing worth knowing, and all who by faith perceive what he is like have grasped all the immensity of heavenly benefits. - John Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion)

photo: Hamburg, Germany 2007 

Guidance: More About His Glory Than Our Security

While dejunking/organizing on Monday night, I listened to a couple audio chapters of Knowing God by J.I. Packer. It's a great book to re-read (or listen). I'm doing the exact same thing tonight - it's great! This is from the end of chapter 20:

Not merely does God will to guide us in the sense of showing us his way, that we may tread it; he wills also to guide us in the more fundamental sense of ensuring that, whatever happens, whatever mistakes we may make, we shall come safely home. Slippings and strayings there will be, no doubt, but the everlasting arms are beneath us; we shall be caught, rescued, restored. This is God's promise; this is how good he is. 
Thus it appears that the right context for discussing guidance is one of confidence in the God who will not let us ruin our souls. Our concern, therefore, in this discussion should be more for his glory than for our security - for that is already taken care of. And our self-distrust, while keeping us humble, must not cloud the joy with which we lean on "the Lord Protector" - our faithful covenant God. - J.I. Packer

Look to God: Rich Provision for Empowered Service

Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace:

     God does not want us to be caught in the paralysis of spiritual poverty. Through the doxology that Paul uses to prepare us for the requirements of this passage, God tells us of the richness of his provision so that we will serve him with courage and vigor:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
     and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
     Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever give to God,
     that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
     To him be the glory forever! Amen (Rom. 11:33-36)

     God says in essence, "I have already declared to you that by the work of Jesus Christ you are rich in mercy. Now build my kingdom with the energy and effort that befits those with unlimited resources. Be done with the self-doubt and fear of loss that cripples those poor in faith. I have declared you holy. Be about the business of building my kingdom. Stop saying that because you are not a Moses, or were not raised in the right environment, or wandered to other priorities, or made some mistakes, you cannot serve God. Yes, you can."
     We who are rich in mercy have God's business to do, and no one can say that we are underfinanced. God's gracious provision empowers us for his service.

God, Our Merciful Boxing Coach

Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace:
     Mercy is the good news that God is for us (Rom 8:31). He is on our side. He is in our corner. The mercy of God's continuous support is a powerful source of the believer's strength in the face of our own faults and frailties. Think of the strength that another's support can provide in the context of Olympic competition. Our town has become a magnet for young boxers, and we follow the Olympic boxing competition closely. Despite their great talents, the youthfulness of most of the fighters makes them particularly prone to mistakes. Yet, even when an immature boxer's own "showboating" sets him up for a sucker punch, I have never seen a coach walk out on his athlete. No matter what the fault, the coaches stay in their fighter's corner. God's grace reminds us that he always remains in our corner, too.
     Even when we, like some of the young Olympians, have taken a blow to the chin due to our own mistakes and pride, God never turns his back on us. When we have boxed with sin, failed, and fallen, God is still for us. He does not wait for us to lift ourselves off the mat before encouraging us. God shouts from our corner, "Get up, child. Yes, you forgot what I told you, but I'm still here for you." Were God to walk away when we go down, leaving us alone and ashamed, then we would have no reason to get up again. But our God promises never to leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). His encouragement lifts us from the paralysis that our own guilt would impose and makes us the vital warriors he desire for the kingdom's battles.

An Eager Meeting

     She took her children to the park to break the monotony of schoolchildren now homebound for the summer, and instead she broke her own heart. She had watched her children run to the playground equipment as another car drove into the parking lot. The new car ground to a quick stop in the gravel. A young, attractive woman with a beaming smile leaped out of the driver's seat and virtually skipped to a secluded picnic table near an adjoining lake.
     The mother's imagination began to race. Who could this attractive young woman be meeting in such a secluded spot with so much enthusiasm? Was this a long-awaited and carefully planned rendezvous with an over-busy husband, a lunch date with a best friend, or a tryst between secret lovers? She determined to stay on the lookout for whoever got out of the next car that parked.
     No one else came immediately. The mother soon grew preoccupied with her children, and forgot to watch for whomever the young woman was meeting. When she did finally glance again at the secluded woman, what the mother saw made her own heart hurt. The attractive, young woman was reading a Bible. The person she had leapt from the car to meet with such enthusiasm was the Lord.

- Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace

This beautiful scene makes my heart smile and think of Psalm 34:5&8: "Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed....Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

photo: hunting cabin, Tioga County, PA 2011

A Working Faith

I took a second listen to Pete's sermon from this Sunday on "Real Faith." There are many ways I'm reminded that I am not in control of my life right now. When I don't feel I'm in control, I am tempted to fear instead of faith, which leads to unbelief expressed in sinful attitudes and works as opposed to the good works of righteousness. This sermon was a gentle and firm call to continue in the fight for faith and good works by the grace of God and not my own willpower.
I want to grow in looking for opportunities and situations for my faith to be expressed, and not cower in fear that my faith will be tested. In reality, I don't have to look for these opportunities, because I'm living in the middle of them right now and am grateful I can see how the Lord guided me into desiring them and now in living them out. I pray that God will grow my faith and strengthen me so that I may not "grow weary in doing good" (Gal 6:9) but be refreshed in the knowledge that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence," (2 Peter 1:3)

I took notes, well actually more like transcribed sections of, the sermon below.

James 2: 14-26

We cannot use the work of God in us as a reason not to work. Eph 2:8-10- “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” …We don’t gain our salvation by these works, but b/c we have salvation in Jesus Christ we work.

2:14-17 James is primarily talking to believers [who are] going on about the faith that they have but not demonstrating the faith that they have.

The dichotomy isn’t whether you have faith or works; the true dichotomy is whether your faith is real or it’s not. Because if your faith is real, you will have works. And if your faith is not real you will not have works.

How is your faith working today? Is it working?
Real faith is a working faith.

Vs 20-24

Real faith anticipates. It looks for the time of expression. Do you look for the time for your faith to be expressed and completed? You know when that is, right? When Jesus returns and you see him, your faith becomes sight and it’s complete. Until then, there are many small completions of our faith. And you know what they are? They’re the work that we do, because faith anticipates. It looks forward to the time of expression. It looks for the opportunity.

[my note: Do I look forward to opportunities for my faith to be tested and proven genuine? Though it may be hard work, how sweet it is to be tested and found firm in Christ! With faith, I can say to the Lord, “bring it on, I am ready to do your will.” ]

Faith looks like saying, “God give me an opportunity to demonstrate, to work.”

This is where the completion of your faith happens. It’s looking for an opportunity to be employed, to go to work, to be active, for a time of expression. It’s looking forward to that. Are you looking forward to that? Or are you avoiding it? “ohh, I hope it doesn’t come to me. Is it gonna come to me?” Well, it’s gonna come to you! So employ your faith….Are you ready to lay down your life for Jesus? Would you even welcome that opportunity to employ faith in Jesus Christ to the point of your death? If you are, I think you’ll be ready to take every opportunity the Lord gives us.  That’s what we need to be working towards, to employ our faith to that level. Don’t you want to be a friend of God? Who would you rather be called a friend of?

Vs. 25

[Rahab’s] faith went to work. Just like mine and yours must go to work. And it should give us great hope that no matter who we are, no matter where we are today dear friends – this is not a hopeless message, this isn’t a brow beating message that says “come on, get your act together people.” There is a caution in it, there is a correction in it, but it’s also meant to stir our faith and to say “listen, you’re looking at that sin, you’re looking at that situation, you’re saying ‘there’s no way!’ Well, have faith dear friend and go to work with it.” Put your faith to work. Believe. Trust.  Be steadfast. Keep walking. Take the next step. Don’t  give up. Be like Christ. Trust him. There will be grace there. Your hope in God will not be disappointed. It wasn’t for Abram. It wasn’t for Rahab. And it will not be for you and for me.

Vs. 26

Works in the name of Jesus are spiritual. A body that has a spirit is alive and effects everything around us.

Real faith is a working faith. Is your faith working? Let’s trust God to work in and through us. Let’s be Christians in this world...This is soul stirring, hopeful truth. Don’t you want to be a friend of God? Don’t you want to walk with God? This is how we can do it.

 
[Opportunity for the good work of loving others, especially when aware of the risk it requires, need not be met by fear but by anticipation for my faith to rise and stand firm whatever the cost. There is a sweet beauty in the expression of faith through works. Just as we can look to Abraham for an example of a working faith, so also I can look to his wife Sarah - 1 Peter 3:6 says: And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." Pretty cool namesake to look up to, if I do say so myself.]

photo: old and new building (in reflection) on a walk
back from the mailbox at work, last week

Carry Your Cross

"Take up the cross, and follow me." — Mark 10:21
You have not the making of your own cross,... but your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to his easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; he leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide!...
Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with to-morrow's sun, you may go forth to the day's cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified. - C.H. Spurgeon

What a natural little expert my heart is at childish tantrums and inward focused despair. What a patiently loving Father, who persists in both requiring obedience and persuading with the sweet mercies of surrender - of which the utmost is relationship with himself.

"Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art."

photo: Longwood Gardens 9.15.12