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!

A Father to orphans

1Hope4Africa-Mission Team and Muphamuzi Baby Home Opening!

The above links to a vimeo of the Muphamuzi Baby Home in South Africa that my friends Donovan & Heather Drew will soon be heading up. They've recently left Crossway Churh and Lancaster and will be traveling there in a few short months to lead this ministry to orphans in Donovan's home country.

What a privilege to watch God at work, and what amazing grace that he has saved us and allows us to participate in his work in this world.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
(John 14:18 ESV)

Brokenness, Faith, Delight

The Holiness of God, page 32:

There is a pattern here, a pattern repeated in history. God appears, people quake in terror, God forgives and heals, God sends. From brokenness to mission is the human pattern. . . . [Isaiah] was not Humpty-Dumpty. In the nursery rhyme the fall of Mr. Dumpty is tragic because no one in the entire kingdom had the power to put him together again. Yet he was no more fragile than Isaiah. Isaiah was shattered into as many pieces as any fallen egg. But God put him together again. God was able to take a shattered man and send him into the ministry. He took a sinful man and made him a prophet. He took a man with a dirty mouth and made him God's spokesman.

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

Psalm 16:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 11: Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.". . . The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. . . .You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Brokenness before God is a good thing, and pain is not to be avoided above all else. I have found that I often try to "guard myself from joy." Only recently have I been able to condense this thought into that 4 word phrase, but it's been developing for quite some time. If something is good, I seem to hold back from being expressive and excited about it because I fear it will not last. When things are difficult, I tell myself to think about how good I really do have it compared to what I deserve, the wrath of God. Then I find myself quickly and surprisingly content and happy. But when things are going well, I seem to warn myself not to take joy and attach myself to any thing because it cannot last, only God can be my lasting joy. Well, that is true, but God gives good things to reflect himself and his goodness to me. So, it's actually sinful for me to reject his good gifts to strive after false security. I can delight in the good things God has given because through them I am delighting in Him.

I am blown away by the grace and goodness of God. Sweetly broken and stretched in faith is a good place to be. Although facing fears with weak faith is hard, I can know God will not crush me. He has already crushed his Son. He only gives me more than I can handle to break me and draw me to himself, where there is fullness of joy. And then as a loving Father, he blesses me even more. "What manner of love is this?"

Even in the many ways my faith is being tested currently, God is blessing me through my relationship with Matt. :) My thoughts go a little like this, "You mean it's been over a week and the guy hasn't dumped me yet? Gee, golly, that sure is swell!" Ok, yeah it's only been 16 days of dating, uh courting, err relating (no, we've "related" longer than that...uhh), well you know what I mean. But those are 16 days of God's goodness not to be taken lightly. God is good.

Blessed be your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's all as it should be

Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be your name

You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord, Blessed be your name

(c) Matt Redman

photo: Tuscany, Italy 2007

EDIT/UPDATE:

While going through some old emails tonight, I came across a note I emailed myself on July 28 (when this was going on). I had thought to blog about it, but never did until this post.

sign that your joy is tied to your circumstances instead of to Christ = slow to be excited about something or have joyful expectation because you know the circumstances will probably change soon and suffering, difficulty, or hardship could come around the corner soon. I want to thoroughly enjoy the blessing and pleasant circumstances God gives me because I am enjoying God in them, not because I enjoy them in and of themselves. I can then be free to enjoy the moment.

The Word Became Flesh

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.... And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

- John 1:14-17

From A.W. Tozer's chapter on "The Love of God" in The Knowledge of the Holy:

God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it.

He prays for me!

I am so thankful that Christ prayed for me and is interceding for me. I spent some time reflecting on the following verses early this week.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. - Romans 8:34

"I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them [come again? He is glorified in us? how amazing!]. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth [wow, how amazing to hear Christ specifically and directly pray for my sanctification in these precise words!]. And for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word [that is me! and you!] , that they may all be one, just you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me [a-maz-ing]. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world [oh my heart melts and eyes fill with tears, to hear that it is not only I who long to be with Him and know Him in his glory but that he desires the same (in fact, I would not desire it if he did not desire it first)- come Lord Jesus, come!]. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known [He is not finished with us!], that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:9-26

This passage is beautiful beyond description. I love revisiting it, and do periodically. What an amazing prayer! What amazing love! What an amazing Savior!

photo: Conestoga House and Gardens, 2010

Take Another Look

Today's message at church was on John 12:20-37 and was called "Take Another Look." I typed out some of the notes that stood out to me, and I'm putting some of them up here.

1. Seeing Jesus will cost everything in this life
2. Unbelief sees what it wants to see

So these came to Phillip... and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." ... And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (parts of John 12:21-26).

You can see Jesus Christ glorified, but it will cost you your life. When you see him crucified, it will make you hate this life. It's costly, but it's well worth it. What have we given up for Christ that will not be given to us many times over?

Christ is strong, and that is what makes his death amazing. See his suffering and death as his glorification.

Do we have the vision of Christ crucified and see it as glorious?

One clear look at the glorified Christ and this life should be ruined for us. Our hopes and dreams are not here.

Where are you struggling and discouraged? Here is the answer for you - take another clear look at Christ crucified and glorified.

I was encouraged and reminded that following Christ is following him in his death but also seeing his glory. It's not only about dying, but it's about dying so that I might gain abundant life in Christ.

Only Jesus! Only Jesus!

Give us Jesus, we cry

Only Jesus! Only Jesus!

The Pearl of greatest price

(c) 2005 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)

Only Jesus