Come to Me all

Security. Identity. The Word of God.

I am hit with the need for these three. I want my soul to be ever increasingly established. Immovable because of my Anchor. I hunger and thirst after him. I have a Rock who is my salvation, and I have his word to feed my soul the unchanging truths of who he is and how he relates with me.

Security:

...for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Identity:

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. ... (1 John 3:1)

Satisfaction in the Word:

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:13-14)

Somedays we get stuck in a fog. But no cloud can keep me from Christ.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Forgiveness

I was blessed by a simple reminder of God's mercy through Steve's blog post this morning. It is good to dwell on God’s merciful and gracious forgiveness to me. And in light of that, I am able to fully forgive others. God has indeed dealt mercifully and bountifully with me. I want to grow in my awareness of that and then overflow with grace to those around me.

Do I feel it is hard to forgive because of an offense done to me? How much more have I offended God. Do I hold back full forgiveness because the person did not really seem sorry enough or see their sin as clearly as I think I do? How much deeper does God see my sin and how much more blind am I to my injury against his holiness and justice. Does the cost of extending forgiveness seem too much, especially if it is not appreciated as I deem appropriate?  Nobody ever has or ever will pay as high a cost as God for my salvation. Do I wait to forgive until they ask for it? Christ died on the cross to forgive me, and he did not wait for me to come asking for his forgiveness and turn in repentence. He first loved and forgave me. Is an offense repeated just too many times for me to continue to extend grace? With every passing day, I continually and repeatedly commit the same sins against my God. He does not withhold his mercy, and his love is not conditional.

Several audio messages have been beneficial to me recently in relation to these thoughts. Allen Snapp's message (Sarah's Hope) at our church on May 8th spoke grace for forgiveness and faith when another continually sins against you.

Last week I listened to a message from Ken Sande at KingsWay Community church called Breath Grace. This encouraged me to hold the gospel out to others in a compelling way and flee from the temptation to promote mere moralism. Rather, I want to "breath in grace" from God and turn to breath it out to others. I do not have it in myself without first receiving it from Christ.

This week I benefited by Andy Farmer preaching Bringing the Gospel to Bear in Conflict. Simply seeing my offense as the greatest and seeing my sin more and more is huge and builds my humility and thankfulness for how gracious God has been to me. I never want to look more at another's sin than I look at my own before God.

God's forgiveness is great. It is greatly undeserved by this wretched sinner. How I want to daily live with an awareness of his holiness and the outrageous kindness of his mercy and kindness to me.

All I Have Is Christ

I once was lost in darkest night, yet thought I knew the way

The sin that promised joy and life had led me to the grave

I had no hope that You would own a rebel to Your will

And if You had not loved me first, I would refuse you still

But as I ran my hell-bound race, indifferent to the cost

You looked upon my helpless state and let me to the cross

And I beheld God's love displayed, You suffered in my place

You bore the wrath reserved for me, now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ

Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone, and live so all might see

The strength to follow Your commands could never come from me

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

And let my song forever be, my only boast is You

by Jordan Kauflin as recorded on Looked Upon

Evidences of Grace

At the end of my work day today, I had a conversation with Teresa that reminded me of some sweet truths. As we spoke about her relationship with an unbeliever in her life who is going through a significant trial, we recounted the hopelessness you have for such times without Christ. And we can often feel helpless to help those who don't want the only hope we have to offer: salvation in Christ. So what can you do? Is there anything beyond commiserating with them? Their unbelieving friends will do that, and very unhelpfully as well. How can we offer words and actions that guard against reinforcing a worldly and fleshly indulgence in gossip, slander, despair, anger, depression, and unbelief? How can we instead be salt and light?

With my Christian friends, a main way I can live life with them and be an encouragement is to point out evidences I see of God's grace in their lives. God may show me something that they don't see, or he may refresh my soul with their clear sight of his goodness where I am blind in particulars. That's a wonderful purpose in fellowship. God's grace is everywhere, and we can never exhaust the end of seeing it in a single life in a single day. His common grace is also lavish to unbelievers. They are part of this world where he causes the sun to rise and set on the good and evil alike (Matt. 5:45). For example, this week we've had simply gorgeous weather, and it's not only children of God who are being blessed by it. They also benefit from the restraint he has put on evil in this world. There are plentiful examples of how they benefit from his goodness and grace each day, even though they are blind to it.
As Teresa and I spoke longer, she started recounting some good things she sees in her friend and her situation. This is God's grace! And that is worth highlighting, even if they seem meager offerings in our eyes. And we should not merely highlight good, but make a point to comment on how it's because of Christ that these good things exist in their lives.

It hit me that it's very similar to simply preaching the gospel to yourself around non-Christians. Often I have found that those who won't hear the truth of the gospel spoken directly to them have a softer heart when I'm applying it to myself in their ear shot. Or sometimes they take offense, saying, "You're not that bad! Don't be so hard on yourself." But then I am able to apply the gospel and it is hard for them to be more defensive of me than I am of myself. That's what I've found at times, and I don't know how well I just explained it. But I bring it up because it hit me that there is a similar connection to the above situation. Preaching the gospel is something we need to do to our own hearts, to other Christians, and to the lost. Pointing out evidences of grace and crediting God for them is something we need to do in our own hearts, in the lives of other Christians, and in our interactions with non-Christians. There is not a single soul exempt from the need of grace. God has poured it out generously, so I want to see it and talk about it more and more each day to whoever is in my path.

photo: 10/26/2008 - Krista, Kiera, & Elya at a Doxa meeting

Hope in God

Feed your faith, and your fears will starve. -anonymous "church sign"
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. - 1 Peter 3:5-6

Allen Snapp from yesterday's sermon on Sarah's Hope (Genesis 20:1-13 and 1 Peter 3:5-6):

Hope in God fixes our eyes on God and his promises. We don't need to fix our eyes on the "all things" and figure out how they are working together for our good - we fix our eyes on God and trust that they are.

Hoping in God gives our character strength to be steady as you go, to do what God has called us to do. Do good and don't fear (1 Peter 3:6). Steady as you go.

The actions of those on the Titanic to avoid the iceberg actually probably contributed to them hitting it in the worst possible way, and made matters worse than if they did nothing. It's not just about what's happening to you and coming at you in your life. It's how you respond that either escalates or defuses the problem. Sarah's faith in God gave her strength to walk through trials in a way that glorified God. She kept doing the good God called her to do and she didn't give in to fear. And the Lord would speak that to you: do good and do not fear. Allow God to steady your soul. "Do not fear anything that is frightening" - it really is frightening, but you don't need to fear.

Our confidence never shifts to our growth in God, to our sanctification. Our confidence is always in the gracious undeserved power and blood of Jesus Christ shed for our sins. And that will always and ever be where our confidence lies. We never need his mercy less because of growth. When we clearly see our need for grace, we are able to give grace to others.

And who is this God, this Christ, in whom I am to hope? Colossians 1:15-20 describes for me:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

This is the One who is fully worthy of my hope and trust.

photo: the home I was made for,

where I will see the One I was made for

(December 2007)

Justice, Grace, and Joy

The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul, page 128:

It is the confusion between justice and mercy that makes us shrink in horror when we read the stories of Nadab, Abihu, and Uzzah. When God's justice falls, we are offended because we think God owes perpetual mercy. We must not take His grace for granted. We must never lose our capacity to be amazed by grace. We sing the song, "Amazing Justice." Our lyrics tend to go like this:

Amazing Justice, cruel and sharp

That wounds a saint like me:

I'm so darn good it makes no sense -

The tower fell on me!

...Since it is our tendency to take grace for granted, my guess is that God found it necessary from time to time to remind Israel that grace must never be assumed. On rare but dramatic occasions He showed the dreadful power of His justice. He killed Nadab and Abihu. He killed Uzzah. He commanded the slaughter of the Canaanites. It is as if He were saying, "Be careful. While you enjoy the benefits of my grace, don't forget my justice. Don't forget the gravity of sin. Remember that I am holy."

If I find I am lacking a joyful, content, and humble heart, I have found there is no better place to turn my eyes than to contemplating the holiness of God. When I see God rightly, see his righteousness and justice, then I see myself rightly before him and am utterly amazed at his grace and kindness. The good news of the gospel can become sweet to my soul once more and Christ more dearly my treasure, when I make God the starting point and not myself.

What beautiful anticipation should fill my heart, as I contemplate at day's end the glorious undeserved privilege of walking out my next day as a redeemed child of the Holy Almighty God. He should cause me to quake and tremble in fear. But he has adopted me as his own and delights to show himself as a gracious and loving Father, in a myriad of ways each day in details great and small.

Our God is great, and greatly to be praised. May I rejoice in the God of my salvation and be amazed by his holiness and grace in each moment of each day.

photo: a view from home; November 22, 2010