Originally written 19 May 2010:

As I considered what I would write this week, my last week as PWOC President for Carlisle Barracks, I have been thinking about “blooming where you’re planted.” Well, not so much “blooming” as “serving” really. And perhaps not even “planted” so much as “being where you happen to be at the moment.” Jesus said in Mark 10:45: 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (NASB)

If we are followers of Christ, then we must be serving. Even though I will be moving into a position that is more comfortable to me, I do not think that God will let me remain in my comfort zone, since my faith in Him grows when I am stretched. I am determined, by God’s strength, to be available to Him to do whatever He wants me to do in whatever moment He wants me to do it. I desire to move closer to the ideal of always being aware of His presence, seeking to be sensitive to His leading, moment by moment.

There may be times in our lives when we cannot serve others as we have in the past. We may need to serve others by allowing them to serve us. But more often, I think we just fail to see how God is leading us to serve in that moment.

I will never forget how CH Pace told us that our friend Betty Leahy came to him because she was discouraged. She was no longer able to serve as she had in the past. He suggested that she might write notes of encouragement to others as her ministry. She embraced his suggestion with enthusiasm. I pray I never come to a point where I think I am done serving.

And I must pray, or I might miss opportunities that God brings to me. Prayer expresses our dependence on God. Paul said in Philippians 4:13 (in the context of having learned to be content in all circumstances) “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” And Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Service for service’s sake is not a good thing. It will only “serve” to exhaust us, and although God can use all things for good, we will miss out on His best, as will those we serve. We serve because we love God, and our obedience should be an expression of how we love Him with everything we have.

Lastly, let’s be joyful in our service! We serve the God of the Universe, who loves us personally! Jesus said later on in the same passage in John, verses 10-11:

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

I pray that this coming year will be joyous as we continue to grow in our love for God and in our love for each other, wherever we may be “planted.”

Originally written 12 May 2010:

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 (NASB)

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. Isaiah 30:18a (NASB)

Only 19 pitchers in all of major league baseball history have managed to pitch a “perfect game,” which is defined as not allowing any batter to reach base in a game that lasts at least nine innings. The first major league pitcher to pitch a perfect game did so in 1880. Since then, only about 1 in every 11,000 games has been “perfect.”* Of course, along with strike outs, the batters might be thrown out at first base, or the ball might be caught for an out, making a perfect game truly a team effort.

What does this have to do with the verses above?

My friend, Lorie, is a tremendous baseball fan. So much so, that every year one of the Christmas trees that she puts up is decorated with baseball decorations. She has always wanted to visit all of the major league ballparks. So for their anniversary celebration this year, she and her husband have flown out to the West Coast to take in some baseball.

What are the odds that she would witness a perfect game in person – that they would choose to attend a game in Oakland on the very day (Mother’s Day) that Dallas Braden, pitcher that evening for the Oakland A’s, would pitch a perfect game? I would say it was nearly miraculous! What a mother’s day gift from God! I have been marveling since Sunday about how God worked that out for her. It was a gift perfectly tailored for her.

Do you remember a time when God gave you a good and perfect gift? As I have written before, the Old Testament is full of reminders to God’s people that they were to remember what He had done for them. When life is tough, as it often is, and doubts about God’s goodness assail us, we can come to His word, read His promises, and remember what God has done for us. The good gifts that He has given us may also help us remember that He loves us deeply and personally, and we can trust Him.

*From Wikipedia.com at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_game 

Originally written 5 May 2010:

Today I have been considering the last Passover celebrated by Jesus with his disciples. While the passage in Luke 22:7-20 is thick with ideas to consider, one phrase in particular stood out to me, and stayed with me the entire day. It comes from these verses:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Luke 22:14-15 (ESV)

The phrase “I have earnestly desired” is actually translated from words that literally mean, “With desire I have desired.” It is an idiom that meant Jesus really, really wanted to eat the Passover with them. In fact, the Greek word used for “desire” refers to a longing, a craving, and when referring to illicit desire, lust. Very strong words, indeed, and Jesus does not only use the word by itself, but He repeats it.

Note that He doesn’t just strongly desire to eat the Passover, but that He strongly desires to eat the Passover with them. He wanted to spend those last few hours before His ordeal began with His disciples. He wasn’t simply going through the motions because it was His duty to institute the sacrament of Communion. He wanted to be with them, the ones He loved. (The depth of Jesus’ love even for His betrayer, Judas, astounds me — He doesn’t exclude Judas when He makes this statement.)

As I thought on how much Jesus desired to be with those He loved, I realized that I don’t often think of God as wanting to be with me in the same way. I perhaps think that God considers being with me a duty, done only for the sake of my position in Christ.

Duty is not a bad thing. Sometimes it is all the motivation we have within us to do the right thing. And I believe God will honor an act done for the sake of duty. But He would much prefer that we act from hearts filled with gratitude and praise, and He often will change a dutiful heart into a joyful one as we obey.

But, God does not dwell with us because He has the duty to do so. God earnestly desires to be with us, and our position in Christ, clothed in His righteousness, is the reason Our Father is able to overlook our sin in order to dwell with us. He really, really wants us to come to Him because He loves us deeply. Jesus wanted so much to be forever with those He loved, that He died for our sins. God’s love for us truly is astounding. 

Originally written 28 April 2010:

I’ve been thinking about Judas Iscariot today. I read the section in Luke that describes when Judas decided to betray Jesus:

“Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people. And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.” Luke 22:1-6 (NASB)

When I saw the film Jesus of Nazareth during the Easter season this year, I thought about what might have motivated Judas. The film painted him in an entirely sympathetic light, and discounted the facts recorded in the Bible: that Satan had entered into him, that he intended to betray Jesus, and that he used to steal out of the common purse, since he was the treasurer for Jesus and the disciples. (This last fact is found in John 12:6) He was not the tragically misled character the film portrays.

But the film made me think about my assumptions. I have always thought of Judas in the worst possible light. How could he have betrayed a friend with whom he had spent so much time?

Like the rest of the disciples, he had thought that Jesus had come to set up an earthly kingdom. Yet, Jesus kept talking about dying, and it began to look like He would not fulfill Judas’ expectations. The Life Application Study Bible notes have this to say about Judas:

“Disillusioned because Jesus was talking about dying rather than about setting up his Kingdom, Judas may have been trying to force Jesus' hand and make him use his power to prove he was the Messiah. Or perhaps Judas, not understanding Jesus' mission, no longer believed that Jesus was God's chosen one.”

Whatever Judas’ motivation, I think he made two basic mistakes. When Jesus didn’t follow Judas’ plan, he became so disillusioned that he gave up on Jesus. Aren’t some of us tempted to make the same mistake? When God doesn’t follow our plan, aren’t we sometimes tempted to give up trusting Him?

His other big mistake was that when he lost all hope, he did not turn to God for forgiveness. When he realized the enormity of what he had done, he felt remorse and killed himself. He did not believe there was any hope for himself before God. I think that if He had come to God in repentance, that even the act of betraying God’s Son would have been forgiven. Jesus’ sacrifice is that effective. If Jesus is our Savior, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven. Jesus’ blood is able to cleanse even the most “impossible” stain of sin. God said, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18b, NASB)

Originally written 21 April 2010:

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” Ps. 62:5-8 (NIV)

During PWOC last week, these were the verses that were shown after we had finished praising God in song. I had not noticed before how not only our salvation depends on God, but also our honor. We do not need to be concerned about our honor—it is in God’s hands. Just as salvation depends on God, my honor, or how others view me, also depends on Him. I don’t have the control over how people view me that I think I have. My responsibility is to obey. He will take care of the rest. As I trust Him, I will have peace about what others think of me.

In fact, any honor we receive should be reflected back to Him. He is the ultimate source of all that we do, whether we do it in His strength by the Holy Spirit, which brings Him glory, or in our own strength, since He is our Creator. We bring Him greater honor and glory when we depend on His Spirit, of course. Bringing Him glory is what we have been created to do.

Of course, we sometimes don’t reflect the honor we receive back to God. When I receive a compliment, for instance, it might not be an appropriate time to explain how God really deserves the praise—although that could be an excellent opportunity to testify about God’s work in our lives. But if not, I could graciously accept the compliment, and I hope in my mind I would be thanking God for the work He is doing. Even compliments on our appearance could be a trigger that causes us to be thankful for all of the abundance He as poured out upon us.

I have not arrived (which is obvious to those who know me even a little), but I hope I am stepping closer to the ideal of being aware of God’s presence in all that I do as I move through the day, sending each thought upward as a continual stream of prayer and fellowship with Him. Let us “pour out [our] hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” In Him, we will find hope and rest.

Originally written 14 April 2010:

As I have thought about serving God through ministry and service to others, I was struck by a blog entry on the Desiring God website. The author pointed out that God gave extremely detailed instructions to Moses regarding the building of the tabernacle, the construction of its furnishings, the priestly garments, and everything else used in the worship of God in the tabernacle. These directions are recorded in Exodus chapters 26-30.

Thankfully, God didn’t just give Moses the commands to accomplish all this and then sit back and watch to see how well he did. In chapter 31, verses 2-6, God tells Moses that He had called two specific men to create and oversee the crafting of the precious tabernacle items and the materials used to build the tabernacle itself. He not only called them by name and appointed them to these positions, he also granted them the knowledge, wisdom, abilities, and skill to carry out His instructions. Furthermore, God says that He had put skill in the hearts of all the skilled who would be helping these two men so that they would be able to make everything He had commanded Moses to make.

In Exodus 35:5, God commanded the people that anyone with a generous heart was to come and contribute what they could for the tabernacle and its furnishings. They were to consider it their offering to the Lord. The people responded in such an overwhelming way that the craftsmen came to Moses to ask him to stop them from bringing any more—they had far more than they needed! (Exodus 36:6)

The blog entry ends with this encouragement: “…when God calls us to do something, he provides all the necessary direction, ability, and resources to accomplish it.” I want to assure you that I absolutely know this to be true! He will provide all that you need to carry out any assignment He might give to you.

Have you seriously considered where God might be asking you to serve in the coming months? While I would certainly hope that you are currently praying about a position on the PWOC board, there are so many ways in which we can serve God through serving others. A simple ministry of encouragement might be what He desires of you, for example—intentionally watching for opportunities to encourage others in their walk with God, and following through on those opportunities.

As we walk in obedience and dependence upon Him and His provision, we will be amazingly blessed!

Originally written 31 March 2010:

Aside from the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I would be hard pressed to think of a more appropriate passage in scripture on which to meditate during this week before we celebrate His resurrection:

Phil. 2:3-10:

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth….” (ESV)

I pray that we would desire to serve others the way in which Jesus served others while He was a man walking on Earth: with love and humility. And as we think about Jesus’ tremendous sacrifice, let us especially praise Him during this week, for He is truly worthy of all of our praise and adoration.  

Originally written 24 March 2010:

“Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” I Samuel 12:24

This is one of my favorite verses. It tells me that I should reverence God and serve Him honestly and faithfully from my heart. Why? Because He has done great things for me.

There are many places, especially in the Old Testament, where God’s people are reminded to remember what God has done for them. We tend to have short memories when it comes to good done for us. Instead, we usually concentrate on the troubles of the here and now or worry about what might happen tomorrow. When we remember what great things God has done for us in the past, it builds up our trust that He will continue to do great things for us in the future, and that He is doing great things for us right at this very moment.

What I appreciate most about this verse is that it tells me that I should serve Him honestly from my heart. I can’t hide anything from my Creator. I might as well be honest with Him. But what if I don’t feel like serving Him? I need to acknowledge that to Him. He knows anyway. I can trust Him to invigorate my dull heart to desire Him above all other things once again. If I feel guilty about something, I need to talk to God about it. I am being ridiculous if I try and avoid Him, since He already knows about it. I might ask Him for conviction that will motivate and strengthen my resolve to fight against the temptation of sin. God has my very best interests in mind. It is the height of foolishness to think that I know better than my Savior, Who knows me better than I know myself. He won’t always answer the prayers of my heart according to my plan or my timetable, but He will answer in a way that is uniquely designed to bring me or others closer to Himself.

We will never encounter a situation where it would be better to avoid God. If we feel like running from Him, that should tell us that we need to run TO Him. We are letting our enemy win and are believing his lies when we avoid our Father. In God alone will we find true peace and satisfaction: “…for consider what great things He has done for you.”

Originally written 15 March 2010:

This week, the sermon by CH Reese made me think of some of my favorite verses that relate to how we are to love one another. Please take the time to read these verses from the Word of God:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

“Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

“For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

“Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

“Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

(Heb 10:23-25, Eph 4:1-3, Col 4:6, Rom 12:16, Gal 6:3, I Cor 8:1b-2, Phil 2:3-4, Gal 6:1-2, Rom 12:15, Heb 4:15-16, II Cor 1:3-5, II Pet 1:12, Phil 1:6, Jude 1:24-25 NASB)

Originally written 3 March 2010:

Last week, I was reading through chapter 15 of Luke. The religious leaders were grumbling about how Jesus associated with sinners. He didn’t seem to care about keeping Himself clean by separating Himself from them. In fact, He even seemed to enjoy their company! (This wasn’t the first time they had accused Him: Luke 7:34) This was not how they expected a prophet to act. Jesus answers them by telling the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal (or free-spending) son. In each of these parables, Jesus illustrates how heaven rejoices over the repentance of a sinner.

The parable of the prodigal son is a familiar story. While reading it this time, I was reminded of how patient God is. The father in the story was patient with his son. He didn’t force him to stay at home or refuse to give him his share of the inheritance, even though the son’s request was rather impertinent. Not long after the younger son had acquired his new wealth, he journeyed to a far country, where he squandered all of his money in “riotous living.” After that, a famine arose in that land, and he found himself destitute. He had hit the very bottom when he finally came to his senses. He decides to return to his father in humility, offering himself as a servant.

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20-24 ESV)

He had to have been away from home for quite some time, and yet his father spotted him while he was yet a long way off. His father had been watching and waiting for him for a long time. He rejoiced to see him coming. He welcomed his son home, and didn’t even let him get to the part where he would offer himself as a servant. There was no condemnation, only celebration.

An interesting difference between the three parables is that the sheep and the coin did nothing to be found. The shepherd and the woman diligently searched for them. On the other hand, the prodigal son humbly returned to his father, who was watching and waiting for him.

I am so thankful that God is patient with us. We may wander away from God, forgetting that in Him we found true peace, joy and contentment. God may choose to perceptibly pursue us, or He may seem to watch and wait for our repentance. When we do repent, He will receive us with joy as His precious children, with no condemnation. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 ESV)

Originally written 24 February 2010:

I was thinking about the song Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zschech. So much of that song expresses what is in my heart, and I enjoy singing it. One line in the song has always bothered me a little bit, though. Can you guess which it is? It is in this section of the song:

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.

It has always seemed a bit presumptuous to sing that I will always love God and that I will always stand for Him. I have seen someone close to me turn away from God. That was years ago, and they have not turned back in repentance. How can I be so sure that I won’t head down that same road some day?

The clues to why I do believe that I will stand firm to the end are in the lines surrounding the one in question. The last line reminds me of some of my very favorite verses:

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Psalm 73:25-26 NAS77)

Why would I walk away from my only real hope? Nothing on this earth can satisfy my desire like my Creator. Even as I fail (all too often), God will be my strength and my hope.

I think the first line, “I sing for joy at the work of Your hands” refers not only to God’s work around me that I can see, but to the work God had done in me. As Israel was exhorted to remember the great things God had done for them, I can remember specific, amazing works that He has accomplished in my life. There is no other explanation for those things. He is responsible, and I cannot deny His work in me.

Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24 NASB)

If whether or not I stand depended only upon me, I might as well wave the white flag. I thank God for His strength. As I sing that line of the song, in my mind is the thought that, yes, I will love You and stand until the end, only by Your strength.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 NASB)

Originally written 17 February 2010:

I don’t come from a background that observed Lent. As we enter the Lenten season, I have been learning more about Lent and pondering what this time should mean to me. If I understand the reason for Lent, it is to prepare ourselves for the Easter observance of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is traditional to give up something as part of this preparation.

Many people give up something that might have an unhealthy hold on their lives. Of course, we should always be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning things that might control us. If something is given up as a kind of fast, then one purpose is to humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our dependence on Him. When we miss the thing we are giving up, and are tempted to give in to our desire or need for it, we can use that as a cue to come to God in prayer.

Since I have been watching the Winter Olympic Games in the last few days, I am reminded of these words, written by Paul in I Cor. 9:25-27:

“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (NASB)

Self control is a fruit of the Spirit. If we are doing these things to prove our worthiness in some way, instead of acknowledging our dependence upon Him, then we have crossed over into pride. Our self denial will give us no lasting advantage. Paul cautions us about following the forms of religion in Col. 2:23: “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” The very next verses in Colossians shows us what our focus ought to be:

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:1-3)

As we consider what God may be asking us to give up (if anything), let us make it our aim during Lent to not just follow a form of religion, but to more fully seek His presence in our daily lives. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) Let us follow Him with the tenacity of an athlete seeking the gold medal.

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross….” (Heb. 12:1b-2a)

Originally written 3 February 2010:

The other day I was explaining to friends why John Piper’s book, Desiring God, was so perspective-changing for me. I read it the summer after graduating from college, and it changed forever the way I looked at my relationship with God. Previously, I had understood that it was my duty to follow after Jesus and obey Him. If I gained any pleasure from my relationship with Him, it was a happy side effect. But if I was gaining too much pleasure from seeking Him and obeying His leading, I might become suspicious that my emotions were playing too big a part. If I experienced too much joy in obedience, it somehow ruined the purity of the act of obedience. I thought if I enjoyed my Christian duty too much, I would be forfeiting my reward in heaven (although I don't think I was too conscious of this last concern, and I probably felt guilty about that).

Of course, the Bible doesn’t support such thinking. The Psalms are full of emotional pronouncements that show that pleasure in God is a great thing. Ps. 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (ESV) When the people in Nehemiah’s time had heard the Law read aloud and were grieved that they had fallen so far short of God’s law, he exhorted them not to grieve on that festival day: “…for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Neh. 8:10 ESV)

God created us with the desire to experience pleasure. Our sin is not that we desire pleasure too much, but that we are satisfied with things that bring too little true pleasure. Isaiah 55:1-2 says:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (ESV)

A famous line in the Westminster Catechism answers the question, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Are you enjoying God? Do you experience pleasure in your relationship with Him? Or are you settling for the pale imitations that the world offers?

It isn’t wrong to find pleasure in things if we accept them with thankfulness as good gifts from God. But if we look to them as our primary source of satisfaction and enjoyment apart from God, we will be missing out on His best for us. We were created to experience the joy of relationship with our Creator. Let us pray that if need be, God would restore our joy, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. And let us seek pleasure in our relationship with Him, for His glory.

Originally written 27 January 2010:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

Are you worried or anxious about anything? I have been this week. These are verses I have memorized, and yet, if I am going to forget something from them, it will be the words “with thanksgiving.” I have noticed that when other people quote these verses from memory, they also sometimes leave those words out.

It makes sense to me that God would want us to bring all of our cares and worries to Him. It is harder for me to remember to be thankful. If I am thankful, it means that I appreciate how God has provided in the past, and I am trusting that God will provide in the present circumstances, and that He will continue to provide in the future. I can also be thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit in me, enabling me to handle whatever comes my way, in His strength. I can also be thankful for the privilege of coming into the presence of the Creator of the universe, my Heavenly Father. I am thankful that He has loved me so much that He has extended His scepter to me, allowing access to Him through Jesus.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV)

Last night, when I was thinking of the verses from Philippians, I was reminded that I was to be thankful when presenting my requests to God. As I thanked God for how He would provide in my circumstances, a peace came upon me. This morning, I have again become anxious, so I will once again come into His presence asking for His help, trusting in His care, with thankfulness.

Originally written 19 January 2010:

A couple of days ago, I read Luke 12:22-33. The first part is about how we are not to worry about where our necessities (food and clothing) will come from, or to focus too much time and energy on getting them and storing them. God provides food for the birds and arrays the wild flowers beautifully. If He provides for them, then we should not worry, for we are far more valuable to God.

I had not noticed before that this is where Jesus then says:

For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (Luke 12:30-31 ESV)

Matthew gives the expanded version of verse 31 that we are more familiar with: “…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness….” Instead of worrying so much about the future that we expend far too much effort getting and saving enough to eat and clothe ourselves, we should seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Those are of eternal value. I like how Matthew Henry says it in his commentary: “Mind the affairs of your souls with diligence and care, and then trust God with all your other affairs.”* Jesus goes on in verse 33 to caution us to be sure and give to those in need, thereby storing up treasures in heaven. (Note that this does not mean we need not plan for the future, for planning is part of being good stewards of the resources God gives to us—see the announcement below about Ray Porter’s workshop. Planning helps us to have more to use in ways that have eternal worth.)

I have been thinking lately about the kingdom of God. While God’s kingdom is not yet here on earth as a physical, governmental reality, it is here on earth through His church. Those who are His children are part of His kingdom.

A kingdom is an area where a sovereign reigns. God’s kingdom is where God reigns. Of course, God is sovereign and all-powerful, but He chooses to not force Himself where He has not been given free rein (or perhaps what I really mean is “free reign”). So those who are not His children are not part of His kingdom on earth right now.

Of course, on a personal level, there are parts of me where I do not give God “free reign.” But through His grace, and by His conviction, encouragement, and strength, He will continue to reign more and more freely in my life.

The most encouraging verse in the section for me is verse 32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He has not given it to us grudgingly, but with pleasure! We are His flock. He loves us and provides for us, and we need not fear.

Originally written 5 January 2010:

Last week one morning I read Luke 10:38-42, which contains the account of Mary and Martha when Jesus came to visit them. Many of us have heard teaching about this story many times, but this time I was struck by a couple of things I had not fully considered before.

In verse 38 the passage tells how Jesus was welcomed by Martha into her house. (One commentary speculated that Martha might have been a widow, since it clearly says “her house”—she was the head of the household.) Verse 39 tells of how her sister Mary “…was seated at the Lord’s feet listening to His word.”

In verse 40, Martha presumptuously says to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” She doesn’t even wait for His answer to her question. She assumes that even after her oblique rebuke of Him, He will take her side in the matter. But of course He doesn’t, as we all know.

What I had not looked at before was the phrase in verse 40 that occurs right before her complaint. It says, “But Martha was distracted with all her preparations….” The word “distracted” is translated from a compound Greek word that essentially means to draw (as in pull) around. She felt as if she were being drawn here and there by all her preparations. None of us ever feel like we are being pulled in many directions, do we?

The ESV translation reads, “But Martha was distracted with much serving….” The word for “serving” is the same word that Jesus uses when he talks about service. Her service was not a bad thing. Jesus came with a large entourage, and they needed to be provided for and made comfortable. But the word “much” caught my eye. In Martha’s complaint to Jesus, a word commentary said that the tense of the phrase “my sister has left me to do all the serving alone” seems to indicate that Mary had been helping Martha, but had stopped to listen to Jesus. Perhaps Mary had recognized that they had done enough, and it was time to turn her whole attention to Jesus’ teaching.

Martha’s motivation may have been praiseworthy; she wanted to present her very best to her Lord. But Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part….” Jesus’ gentle rebuke communicates to Martha that she cares too much about things that don’t matter as much as the one necessary thing. Her service is good, but “much service” is distracting her from giving Him His desire—her complete attention. In serving too much she was actually neglecting her guest.

In the first few days of this new year, I have been thinking of the phrase, “Let’s make the main thing the main thing.” What is the main thing? Expressing our love to God by spending time with Him, listening to His word to us and communicating with Him in prayer. Service, even service with the best motivation, can become “much service” distracting us from our true purpose. When we are growing in our love of God with our entire being, our service to others will flow from that primary relationship. Let us pray for a growing desire (and recognition of our need) to spend time with Our Savior and Lord, giving Him our full attention.

Originally written 15 December 2009:

On Monday, I became so frustrated that I began to cry. I had spent most of the day trying to fix my stepmother’s computer. The previous afternoon I had spent several hours extracting files off of the damaged hard drive, and now I was attempting to get a replacement hard drive to work with her system. One of her restoration disks was missing, so restoring her system was not simple.

I had been so proud that I had come up with a clever way of restoring her system, and it had seemed to work, and had restored Windows, but when the computer restarted, nothing happened. I had expected to succeed, and I had failed. Her system had crashed only the week before I was due to fly back for my grandmother’s 100th birthday. It would have saved her money to have me fix it, and I had extended my time there one extra day on a whim, before I knew she would need help. God’s timing had been perfect. I was destined to succeed! Not. In this instance, I was not the “hero” I had expected to be. (Does that sound a tad prideful?) I had to admit that it was out of my control, and God probably had another way in mind to provide for my stepmom.

I have to trust that God knows what He is doing. My stepmom mentioned Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Right now, I am writing this from the San Francisco Airport USO, where I am waiting for a red-eye flight so I can get home tomorrow. The flight I was supposed to take had engine trouble and ended up being canceled. I waited a couple of hours on the plane, and then I waited in line to talk to a customer service representative for two hours. Why do these types of things happen? What am I supposed to learn from it? What “good” will come from it?

Perhaps it only has to do with learning patience in unexpected circumstances, being reminded that God desires humility, and trusting and resting in Him. Sometimes I forget that God is concerned about my heart condition, above and beyond what I accomplish.

Originally written 24 November 2009:

And His mother came to Him and His brothers also, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:19-21)

This section follows that of the parable of the sower, and reinforces the importance of acting upon God’s word. It might seem that he was dishonoring his relationship with his mother and brothers, but that is not the case. Here, His point is that in a very real, eternal sense, those who act upon His word are part of His family. As I thought on this earlier today, I realized how very thankful I am to be a part of God’s family. How precious to me is His grace that drew me to Him and enabled me to accept His salvation.

The New Testament is full of references to brothers and sisters of the faith. So, in a very real, eternal sense, we are all members of the same family of God, and are all related. Sometimes, just as we take our earthly family relationships for granted, we can take the relationships of our spiritual sisters and brothers for granted. Let us continue to love one another deeply. (I Peter 4:8)

Thanksgiving and Christmas are two holidays that have family as a central part of our celebration of them. It can be a very sad and lonely time, because some family members may not be able to celebrate with us, either due to distance or death. Let us pray for one another, and let us pray that we would be comforted by God. Sometimes God uses our spiritual family to comfort us as well as directly comforting us through His word and through the sense of His presence.

I am so very thankful for you, my sisters in grace. Whether you are with family, or apart, I hope that your Thanksgiving will be an especially blessed time this year.

Originally written 17 November 2009:

In my very slow journey through Luke, I have reached the parable of the sower of the seed in Luke 8:5-15. I have considered this parable quite a few times over the years, but this time I focused on two aspects of this section of scripture.

And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God….” (Luke 8:10a)

How very thankful I am that God has chosen to reveal His mysteries to us! A mystery, as used in the Bible, is not something that is completely unknowable. It is something which cannot be known without a special revelation; His word is His revelation to us regarding the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

The second aspect I looked at concerns the good soil that produces fruit in the parable. Jesus tells His disciples that the seed in the parable represents the word of God. I want to be like the good soil, accepting the word of God, believing it, and producing fruit:

“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” (Luke 8:15 NASB)

The one word I had not noticed before is “perseverance.” They hold fast to the word they have received, and with patience, they bear fruit. The seeds sown in the rocky and thorny soils may spring up quickly, but they wither away or become choked out before they can produce any mature fruit. The seed sown on the good soil produces fruit, with perseverance.

If you have been impacted by His word recently, but have not seen it bear fruit yet, be patient. Persevere. Hold onto His promises. His word will not return to Him without accomplishing His purpose (Isaiah 55:11—It is interesting to me that the verse before this one in Isaiah also mentions seed and a sower). It may not be evident right away, since it takes time for a plant to bear mature fruit. Matthew Henry’s commentary says there must be both “bearing patience and waiting patience.” If you continue to trust that He is at work in you, and seek Him and His righteousness (as He enables), you will eventually see His fruit in your life. It will be for His glory, and will be your delight.