The trial of blessing

Often when we think of trials we think of things that happen to us that we would consider "bad". We get sick and have to battle through it. We get in an accident. Our 401K tanks and ruins our retirement plan. A relationship goes sour. We lose a job. All these trials are common to humanity.

But would we consider our blessings a trial? Evidently they can be as we see in the account from 2 Chronicles 26.

Uzziah was one of only eight kings evaluated to be good. The early assessment of him was that (vs. 5), "He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper." It was to Uzziah's credit that he sought the Lord; that He lived in the fear of the Lord.

As he lived this way, blessings came. He was able to conquer his enemies. He was able to fortify many cities. He was able to muster a sizeable army that seemed formidable. His fame spread far and wide. But at the end of the day, Uzziah's blessings turned out to be a trial for him that set him up for a fall.

Verses 15-16 put it well: "And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction." It was actually his blessings that turned out to be a trial for him - one that he did not pass successfully.

Have you ever looked at your blessings as a trial? The fact is they are a trial, for it is during trial that we are tempted to think more of ourselves than we ought, and less of our God than we ought. It is during times of blessing that we are tempted to forget God - to forget that all blessing flow from His hand - and to think that we are something more than recipients of marvelous gifts.

For Uzziah his blessings were a fatal trial. He became proud and at the end of the day the Lord needed to put him in place by afflicting him with leprosy. That brought him back to reality.

How about you and I? Do we see the potential trial in our blessings? When things are going well, when we have received that promotion, when we have made the big sale, when our 401K has blossomed, when our fame is spread......do we see in these blessings the temptation to drift from the God who is the source of all of them?

One way to guard against falling into this trap is to have someone in your life who will speak truth into your life. For a while, Uzziah had Zechariah. Zechariah instructed Uzziah in the fear of the Lord, and that led him to seek the Lord and walk in his ways. One has to wonder where Zechariah was when Uzziah tried to burn incense contrary to the commandment of God. Chances are he was no longer around - no longer speaking into Uzziah's life, helping him to know how to handle the trials of life, including the trial of blessing.

May God help us all to recognize the trial of blessing, and may we, perhaps with the aid of those who will speak truth into our life, avoid the fall that comes when we forget the Giver of all good gifts.

Will He find faith?

The transition from 2 Chronicles 15 to 2 Chronicles 16 is stunning. In chapter 15 Asa is leading the people to follow the Lord fully. Just prior to that when confronted with the massive Ethiopian army he prays this incredible prayer and then is delivered by the Lord. "O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you. " Asa is leading the people of Judah in the ways of the Lord - it is a refreshing sight!

But when we enter chapter 16 everything changes. Confronted now just with the armies of Israel, Asa looks to Ben-hadad, king of Syria. Instead of looking to the God that had delivered them previously and promised to be with them and give them victory, Asa looked to man. And then....when he was rebuked by the prophet for this, he not only abused the prophet and some of the people but continued in his rebellion. The Lord afflicted his feet but not even that was enough to turn his heart back to the Lord. The text says he didn't seek the Lord but sought the physicians instead.

There are a couple of important points to consider in this passage. The first is that we must persevere to the end in this Christian life. There is no guarantee that the state to which we have attained in our walk will be maintained without effort. Even Paul tells us in Philippians to "hold fast to what we have attained" - to strain forward to what lies ahead and not to fall back. How important it is to "end well". Asa did not do so though God's gracious assessment of him is that he fully followed the Lord.

The second point takes a little more wisdom to apply. We live in a world of inventions and conveniences and discoveries, all of which have the potential to "cause" us look away from the Lord and place our confidence in these things. We look to science and medicine and wealth and intellect / information, and in times of crisis we tend to look at those things first. We look to them for solutions.

Not it is not that we should not look to these things, they may well be the means God ordains to care for us. The person with cancer would do well to seek these means. But ....if we look at these means as the ultimate solution, neglecting the One who truly is our "help in trying times", we will be impoverished because of this and we will not be bringing glory to our God. We will also likely miss the miracle that God may have in store for us. We'll miss the work He might have done had we looked in faith to Him.

The words of Jesus are haunting: Will the Son of Man find faith when He comes? In our day and age of many crisis, but also of many alternate "saviors", may we all look first to our Lord in faith. Let our communion with Him be that which guides us to other means which the Lord might choose to use for His glory.

Catching a glimpse of goodness

Have you ever experienced a moment where you catch of glimpse of God's goodness? I'm not talking about a moment when you learn a new truth necessarily, but a moment when you come to realize the reality of a truth.

I can remember a time personally when life circumstances were very difficult. So difficult they were that I found myself pleading to the Lord for answers. After praying I directed my attention to the devotional I was reading at the time, and what I read that morning was like a specific answer to the prayer I just offered to the Lord. It was stunning! It left me humbled and aware of the depths of the Lord's goodness. It seemed odd that I should learn about the Lord's goodness in such a difficult time, but that was the setting the Lord used to convey more of His reality.

I think that is what Israel experienced in 2 Chronicles 7. No, this was not a time of difficulty, in fact, it was a time of significant accomplishment.

God had made many promises to the His people. Now they stood before a glorious temple (not only because God had filled it with His glory, but because it was made in a magnificient way), built in the middle of their promised land, being dedicated by the son of their greatest king. As Israel took in this situation they were overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness. They indeed caught a glimpse of His goodness. And their response? Verse 3 and following says that "they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, 'For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.'"

Later in verse 10 it says that Solomon sent the people away "joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel His people." At that moment the people were impacted by the truth that the Lord had showered His goodness upon them, and they could scarely take it in.

This is a truth that all Christians at least acknowledge in their heads. We believe that God is good; we can even list ways that the Lord is good. But there are those moments that God gives us when we are struck with the reality of those moments. Deep in our souls we are moved to understand just how good the Lord is, and when we have those moments we are moved to bow in awe before Him and declare that He is indeed good. His lovingkindness endures forever.

This Christmas season don't miss these moments. With all the busyness of preparations for Christmas, don't neglect taking time to meditate on just how good the Lord is. He came down from His glorious abode to take on human flesh. He came down so that we would no longer have to live in the bondage of sin and death, but could know the freedom of sins sent away, and the fullness of life that comes through His Spirit.

Oh how good is the Lord! His lovingkindness endures forever. May you know the reality of this truth in a deeper way this season!

Study the Scriptures

This excerpt is taken from George Whitefield. It provides great counsel for all of us who are seeking to read throught the Bible.

I will lay down some directions for you to study the Scriptures with benefit.
First, have always in view the purpose for which the Scriptures were written—to show us the way of salvation by Jesus Christ. "These are the Scriptures that testify about me," says our Lord. Look, therefore, always for Christ in the Scripture. He is the treasure hidden in the field, both of the Old and New Testaments. In the Old, you will find him under prophesies, types, sacrifices, and shadows; in the New, revealed in a body to become a propitiation for our sins as a priest, and as a prophet to reveal the whole will of his heavenly Father.
Have Christ, then, always in view when you are reading the Word of God, and this, like the star in the east, will guide you to the Messiah, will serve as a key to everything that is obscure, and will unlock to you the wisdom and riches of all the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
Second, search the Scriptures humbly—childlike. God hides the sense of them from those who are wise in their own eyes and reveals them only to babes in Christ, who hunger and thirst for righteousness and crave pure spiritual milk, so that they may grow by it.
Imagine yourselves, therefore, when you are searching the Scriptures, especially the New Testament, to be with Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus. And be as willing to learn what God will teach you as Samuel was, when he said, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears."
Third, search the Scriptures with a sincere intention to put in practice what you read. A desire to do the will of God is the only way to know it. To those who desire to know from his Word who he is, that they may believe on and live by and to him, he will reveal himself as clearly as he did to the woman of Samaria, when he said, "I who speak to you am he."
Fourth, in order to search the Scriptures still more effectively, make an application of everything you read to your own hearts. For whatever was written in the book of God was written for our learning. And what Christ said to those before, we must look on as spoken to us also, for since the Holy Scriptures are nothing but a revelation from God how fallen humanity is to be restored by Jesus Christ, all the precepts, threats, and promises belong to us and to our children, as well as to those to whom they were immediately made known.

Fifth, labor to attain that Spirit by which they were written. The Scriptures have been compared to the cloud that went before the Israelites. They are dark and hard to be understood by the natural self, as the cloud appeared dark to the Egyptians. But they are light to Christians, as that same cloud, which seemed dark to Pharaoh and his house, appeared bright and altogether glorious to the Israel of God.
How could it be otherwise? For God, being spirit, cannot communicate himself any other way than in a spiritual manner to human hearts, and consequently if we are strangers to his Spirit, we must continue strangers to his Word, because it is altogether like him, spiritual. Labor therefore earnestly to attain this blessed Spirit; otherwise, your minds will never be opened to understand the Scriptures aright, and remember, prayer is one of the most immediate means to get this Holy Spirit.
Therefore, sixth, before you read the Scriptures, pray that Christ, according to his promise, would send his Spirit to guide you into all truth. Intersperse short interjections while you are engaged in reading. Pray over every word and verse, if possible, and when you close the book, most earnestly implore God that the words that you have read may be engrafted into your hearts and bring forth in you the fruits of a good life.
Do this, and you will, with a holy violence, draw down God’s Holy Spirit into your hearts. You will experience his gracious influence and feel him enlightening, reviving, and inflaming your souls by the Word of God. You will then not only read, but observe, learn, and digest what you read—and the word of God will be food and drink to your souls.
Seventh, read the Scripture consistently, or, to use our Savior’s expression, "Diligently study the Scriptures." Dig in them as for hidden treasure, for here is an allusion to those who dig in mines, and our Savior would by it teach us that we must take as much pains in constantly reading his word, if we would grow wise by it, as those who dig for gold and silver. The Scriptures contain the deep things of God and therefore can never be sufficiently searched by a careless, superficial, cursory reading, but by an industrious, close, and humble application.

Extravagant Grace

Each of our readings today though coming from such different contexts all speak to the extravagant grace of God. How good is He!

In 1 Chronicles 29 David is preparing the materials needed to build a temple for the Lord. He begins by personally giving to this project, and one gets the sense that he gives lavishly. Then he calls others to give, and they too give in abundance. As David looks at all that is before him which he and his people gave to Lord, one might think that he would feel pretty good about himself. Instead he ushers out in praise to the Lord. He can't imagine why God would allow them to give as lavishly as they have. He acknowledges that all they have is from God and the fact that they can give so much only points to the lavish grace of God. (What a great perspective for all of our giving.)

Then in 2 Peter 3, Peter comments on the patience of God. This world is headed for a judgment by fire and it is certainly deserving of it. Mankind's neglect of God and practice of all manner of lawlessness certainly gives God the right to end it all in judgment. But Peter says our Lord is full of patience and that His patience is what leads to the repentance of many. Oh yes, there will come a day when the heavens are dissolved and God puts into place a new heaven and earth, but for now He waits patiently for the repentance of sinners - and how longsuffering has been His patience! This, too, is an evidence of His extravagant grace.

This same theme of judgment is seen is our reading of Micah. God is obviously nearing the time when he will judge His people and exile them. But mixed in with the themes of judgment we often find themes of restoration. God endures for centuries the neglect of His people, and when He finally brings them to judgment, before it even occurs he is talking about a time of restoration. Wow! How extravagant is the grace of our Lord. I am afraid I would not have responded as He did.

Finally, in Luke 15 we see the younger son leaving his father and squandering his estate with loose living. He returns repentant, realizing the folly of his way, ready to become a hired hand. But the father's response to him is amazing. Instead of taking him up on his offer to no longer be a son, the father interrupts the speech, and then begins lavishing grace on his son. He clothes him with a robe, puts a ring on his finger, prepares a calf and calls on his household to rejoice. Again we see how extravagant is the grace of our Lord Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, do you know this grace? Have you pondered its depth and width and heighth? Have you considerd how extravagant is the Lord's grace to us? As we enter this joyous season remembering the entrance of the divine Son in our world, let us ponder anew what a great gift of grace we have been given. It will make your holiday celebration all the more joyous!

Motivation for leading and living

As I have been reading through the Bible this year one idea keeps popping up. It has to do with motivation - both how I motivate myself and how I motivate others. In our readings today I came across it again. Let me explain.

In 1 Peter 5, Peter is giving counsel to elders. In verse 2 he says, "shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly;..."

Here Peter touches on motivation for exercising oversight as an elder. And what is that motivation to be? He says not to lead "out of compulsion but willingly". That is the biblical motivation that I keep running up against throughout the Bible. Motivation for leading and for living is to come, not from some external source, but from the inside, from our heart.

Paul uses a similar motivation in the book of Philemon. He says he could command Philemon to do what he wants - after all he is the apostle Paul. He has authority. But Paul does not want him to be motivated from the outside. He actually wants him to be motivated from the heart - actually from love.

I think Peter has the same thing in mind. He wants elders to lead not for some reason outside themselves - say, because other people expect or require them to do so, but instead Peter wants them lead willingly, from the heart.

But having said that he wants them to be motivated from the inside, he goes on to say that the internal motviation needs to be right as well. Peter say, "...not for shameful gain, but eagerly...." With these words he suggests that a leader could be motivated to lead by an inward desire to get something from it. In this case it seems that leaders could be motivated by monetary gain. Peter says that that is not an appropriate inner motivation.

It is in fact that motivation that ruined Israel. In Micah's prophecy in the 11th verse he states, "Its heads give judgments for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money;...." It seemed all the leaders has one motivation - it was profit, and because their motive was self-grasping they were leading the nation down the path to judgment and destruction.

Instead our motive for leading, and in fact living the Christian life, must be the internal compulsion of love. That is the only one that is pleasing to God and that will be beneficial for our lives and the lives of those around us.

Have you thought about what motivates you these days? Is is something external to you? Is someone putting pressure on you to do certain things? The way you might know this is true is to ask yourself the question if you would continue doing the things you are doing if that person was no longer around. This is an important point for parents in that we must teach our children to "behave" not because of our external control of them, but because they have learned to respond from the heart.

And if we are internally motivated, is our motivation pure and self-giving? It is too easy to be motivated by our self-grasping nature. We might lead so that we gain power or prestige in the eyes of others. Such motivation never benefits oneself or those who serve.

As you consider your life today, and your leadership, if God has so placed you, ....consider from where your motivation comes, and of what character it is. It is best to be motivated by the purity of your love for the Lord and His people. That will be for your good and the good of those whom you serve.

A prayer to keep you from falling

In our reading today we were confronted with examples and warning regarding "falling away". First in 2 Kings 21 we were introduced to the life of Manasseh. Manasseh was the son of the good king, Hezekiah, but unfortunately he did not follow in his father's footsteps. In fact, all the reforms his father initiated, Manasseh turned around. In fact, God's assessment of Manasseh is as bleak as it could be. In verse 9 it says, "But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel." Can you imagine that? The Lord declares that one of the kings of his people led them astray to do more evil than the nations the Lord had driven away. That is a far and deep fall from the Lord's intentions for His people.

As we look into the book of Hebrews, chapter 3, we are given a warning. In verses 7ff, the author warns, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their hearts; they have not know my ways.' As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" The author concludes with these words, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."

Finally, in the book of Hosea, the 14th chapter we have this exhortation. "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the Lord;..." This sentiment is seen throughout the book. Israel had fallen from its privileged position and the prophet was calling them to return.

How prominent are these kinds of words in the Scripture! God's people have been so prone to wander. Is there any hope?

We pick up at least two helps for the wandering heart. The first is to daily say the prayer found at the end of Psalm 139. "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

This God, who is so intimately acquainted knows our hearts. There is nothing hidden from Him. It makes sense that we ask the Lord to reveal to us what we may not see. The Lord sees those seeds of "falling away" and He is able to bring things into our lives to show us that they are there. Often in those trying times, God shows us those "hurtful ways" and if we remain tender to Him and rely on His grace, we can dig them out before they take root.

A second aid to avoid falling away is folow the counsel of Hebrews 3:13. "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today', that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." This means that we must be committed to community with God's people, and not just "hanging out" with others, but speaking into their lives. For when we speak into the lives of others we will be speaking into our own lives as well.

Brothers and sisters, Christ lives in us through His Spirit. He is strong and powerful enough to show us those hurtful ways and to lead us into His way everlasting. May we pursue with His help all that He intends for us individual and as a people.

The "Logic" of Prayer

In 2 Kings 19 Hezekiah was faced with a distressful situation. Assyrian leadership was threatening to take them out. They had been successful in taking out nation after nation and were now claiming they'd do the same with Israel unless they cooperated.

When Hezekiah heard this message, what would he do? Would he seek to make an alliance with another nation, say Egypt, to ward off this threat? Would he try to pay off the Assyrians as was common practice? Would he use his superior intellect and think of a way out of this predicament?

In this instance Hezekiah did the best thing. He tore his clothes (a sign of humbling himself before God), went into the house of the Lord, sent messengers to seek the prayers of the prophet Isaiah, and lifted his own voice in prayer. Confronted with a most dire situations, Hezekiah prayed. Does that make sense? Isn't prayer just an excuse for inaction?

Actually prayer is the most "logical" thing to do. When you consider who God is, when you consider what He has done, it makes the most sense to look to Him in times of distress (actually at all times.) That's why Hezekiah prayed.

In 2 Kings 19:15 he starts off his own prayer acknowledging who this God is. He said, "O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth." Not only does Hezekiah acknowledge who God is but he also declares the truth about the gods of the other nations. He says in 19:17-18, "Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, woood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed."

A similar thought is found is Psalm 135 (4th column readers). The psalmist said, "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear; nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them becomed like them, so do all who trust in them."

In light of his present crisis Hezekiah looked to the most powerful reality to him,...and that was God. In like manner it makes most sense for us to do the same. We need to train our minds to look first to Christ, to offer our prayers to Him, before resorting to human ingenuity.

Hebrews 1 gives us at least 13 things to think about regarding our Lord - His character and His works. When we consider these things and consider that they are but the "tip of the iceberg" it should make great sense that our first "act" during any crisis is to humble ourselves and offer up our prayer.

Consider the following about the Lord from Hebrews 1 and may it convince you regarding the "logic" of prayer.

1. He is the communication of God to us.
2. He is the heir of all things
3. Through Christ the world was made
4. He is the radiance of the glory of God; the exact imprint of His nature
5. He upholds the universe
6. He made purificatino of sins
7. He sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high
8. He is much superior than the angels; He is to be worshipped by them
9. He is the Son of God
10. His throne is forever and ever
11. He is our righteousness
12. He changes not and will outlast the creation
13. All things will be subjected to Him in God's time

May we all be like Hezekiah and look first to the Lord Jesus, for He is God of Gods and Lord and Lords.

The cost of ignorance of God

In Hosea 4:2-3a the prophet describes a sad state of affairs. He details, "...there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefor the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish,..."

Who is the prophet describing here? It must be the foreign nations, correct? No, not at all. Hosea describes the nation of Israel - the people of God. These were the ones who had been chosen of all nations to be God's people. They were to enthrone Him as their God and would live under His blessed presence. So could this sad state of affairs come about>

I think the end of verse one gives a very imporant part of that answer. Hoses states, "There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;... Later in verse 6 Hosea affirms again, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

And how did this lack of knowledge come about? Wasn't this the nation that received special revelation from their God and were instructed to pass it on from generation to generation? Indeed this is the nation, but in time there was a failure to pass on the Word of God. The priests are especially indicted here in this passage. And when a people neglects the Word which is supposed to be their rule of life, another rule of life takes over. The rule of life is one's passions - one's desires, which Hosea says later further takes away understanding and according to verse 14 "leads to ruin".

The antidote for this is found in the verses we read from Psalm 119 (4th column). Over and over again the psalmist says "teach my your statutes" (vs. 124, 135), and "give me understanding" (vs. 125, 144). You get the sense that the psalmist is hungry for the Word. He wants to take it in because he knows how important it is. He knows according to verse 30 that "the unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." He knows according to verse 133 that the Word will enable him to "let no iniquity get dominion over him." He knows that the Word is a source of delight and direction during those times of trouble and anguish in our lives.

Brother and sister, how important is the Word. To neglect it is to invite ruin in your life. To search for it like treasure is to provide oneself with all the treasures of understanding and wisdom for living.

May we all be diligent to read the Word, to meditate on its precepts, to by God's grace apply it to our living. For when we do so, then and only then will we be reallly living.

Do you have faith?

Do you have faith? Are you living by it? These are important questions. To both we all would probably say, "yes". But upon closer examination would that answer hold up.

I imagine that if you asked the Pharisees if they had faith they, too, would have said, "yes". In fact, they might have been indignant that you even asked them that question. "Of course, we have faith. Can't you see by all the religious rituals we perform?"

And yet, the truth be told, they might not have been living by faith. When this newcomer (Jesus) came on the scene they weren't too open to Him. They were pretty settled in their ideas. They were really expecting God to do much else. They had it all figured out.

Jonathon Edwards once said, "I observe that old men seldom have any advantage of new discoveries, because these discoveries are beside a way of thinking they have long been used to. If ever I live to years (old age) I will be impartial to all pretended discoveries and receive them, if rational, how long soever I have been used to another way of thinking." Edwards makes a good point here that as we get older we get settled in our viewpoints and aren't really looking for God to shake us up or open us to new ideas. When you think about this you'd have to say we can get a bit arrogant thinking we've got it all figured out and will cruise to the finish line of life. That lack of expectancy or faith may be very detrimental.

In our reading today Israel was in a very hard place. They were under seige and were on the verge of being wiped out. The situation looked bleak. But God, by the prophet Elisha, declared that the situation would be turned around in a day.

When the captain of the king heard Elisha's declaration he doubted. He said, "If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?" Elisha's response to him is telling. He said that indeed this miracle would happen, and that this captain would not be able to enjoy its reality. As the story progresses we see God do the impossible and we see this captain missing out in a big way.

As I consider this, I have to ask myself the question, "Am I expecting God to do the impossible, or have I pretty much settled in to a comfortable lifestyle? Do I have faith and am I living by it? Will I miss out on what the Lord might do because I have ceased to be amazed by Him?"

What about you? Are you living by faith? Is there anything in your life that is "on the edge" for which you just have to trust the Lord? Have you got everything figured out in your beliefs so that you no longer expect to be surprised by the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God?

I hope these are encouraging questions that will encourage us all to live by faith. That is the life to which we are called, and there is none so pleasing to the Lord (without faith it is impossible to please the Lord) and delightful to His servants.

Glorified in life or death

It is a major theme of Scripture that God is passionate for His glory. He wants to make His name known. All history moves toward the end that God will be glorified. The living should take this to heart and live in such a way that exalts the God who gives the very breathe they breath.

When men fail to live this way or purposefully walk contrary to God's way, God is not thwarted regarding His glory. Though He would rather display His glory through a life that is dedicated to Him, He can bring glory to Himself through the death of those who don't live for Him.

We saw two examples of this in our reading today. The first account was found in 2 Kings 1 regarding King Ahaziah of Israel. He fell through a lattice in an upper chamber and was hurt very badly. He wondered if he would survive the fall. Instead of inquiring of the Lord's prophet, at this time Elijah, he inquired of the god Baal-zebub. Though he should have known better, being the King of God's people, he rejected the Lord and sought direction elsewhere. This folly cost him his life. Ahaziah's messenger was intercepted by Elijah who delivered the message that the king would not survive the fall. Sadly, in this situation, God would be glorified in this king's death, showing Himself sovereign over life and death.

The second account was found in Daniel 5. It involves the son of a pagan king Nebuchadnezzar. His name was Belshazzar. Though he should have known better, having experienced God's hand in his father's life, Belshazzar dishonored the Lord. He took the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem and he used them at a drunken party. Again this folly, this lifestyle that was dishonoring to God, cost the king his life. The handwriting was seen on the wall, and when interpreted by Daniel the message was clear. Accoring to verse 23 "the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have dishonored".... thus your days are numbered, your life has been found wanting, and your kingdom is going to be given away. The swiftness of this judgment coming pass surely brought glory to God showing Him master of life and death, and sovereign ruler who lifts one and brings low another.

There is a better way, though, to bring glory to God. Rather than be one who disobeys God and who glorifies God in your death, God has a better plan for His children. This was actually Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians. In 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Paul prayed: "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would walk in such a way that brought glory to Christ. He prayed that they would be filled with God's grace enabling them to fulfill every good work of faith. He prayed that they would walk in a manner worthy of their calling as Christ followers, and worthy of the Christ who called them to follow.

Oh may it be so that we bring glory to our Lord through a walk worthy of our calling rather than as a judgment for a life lived in neglect of our Maker. His grace is sufficient and abundant. May we all know that grace which equips us for every good work to the glory of Jesus.

Consider the Lord's Steadfast Love

In Psalm 107 (today's reading for those who do all 4 columns) the very last verse declares, "Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord." I love that...if you want to be wise, consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

As you read through this chapter you are given example after example of the Lord's steadfast or covenant love. Each situation depicts humans in their neediness, often caused by sinful human choices. With each situation, when the human cries out to the Lord, He hears and delivers them from their distress. How amazing is the steadfast love of the Lord!

Perhaps it is hard to relate to the nameless, faceless examples in Psalm 107, but when you look at the account in 1 Kings 21 this takes a more personal dimension. In verse 25 the author has just stated, "There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited, He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel." This was the man that just conspiried with his wife to steal property from Naboth. This was the man that was just sulking because he couldn't have his way. With this as the context, one might expect the Lord to take Ahab out, and that was the intent of the Lord. But when Ahab repented, when he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on this flesh and fasted, the Lord in His steadfast love extended His mercy to Ahab. Instead of bringing instant judgment on Ahab, the Lord responded to Ahab's contrition and delayed the coming judgment. How great is the steadfast love of the Lord!

That steadfast love was extended to the three Hebrew men in Daniel 3. They were confronted with a choice: to bow before the image Nebuchadnezzar had set up, or face death. In faithfulness they chose to entrust themselves to their God who was full of steadfast love. They were not disappointed, because the Lord came through for them, delivering them from the furnace of fire, and displaying the glories of His matchless person.

Our Lord's steadfast love not only ministers to us in our sin and affliction in this life, but will go with us until the end. As 1 Thessalonians 4 notes, God's steadfast love will provide our ultimate deliverance. At Jesus' return both those who are "asleep" and those who are alive "in Christ" will be gathered to their Lord and be permanently delivered from this fallen world. The covenant keeping God, who loves us with an unfailing love, will return for His children, and receive them into glory where there will no longer be trials or pain, or suffering or sin. How amazing is our Lord's steadfast love!

Brothers and sisters, be wise today! Consider the Lord's steadfast love. He is a God who promises and will not deviate from His promises. He is a God who loves with a love that is unquenchable. Ponder this anew and let it encourage your heart and enbolden your living for Him!

The Mark of Maturity

If you were asked what THE mark of maturity was, what would you say? I am sure high on your list would be words like faith and love. Paul talks about these much in his epistles; you can't help believe that he was looking for these characteristics in those to whom he was ministering. But would you also include the word "unity"? I believe our readings in both Ephesians and Ezekiel would suggest that we should.

When sin entered into the world, what happened? One effect was division. There was a rift in the relationship between God and man. Man began to hide themselves from God. Man was cast out of the garden away from the presence of the Lord. Likewise there was a rift in the relationship between man and other men (women). Relationships were tainted now with blaming and self-grasping and the like.

So it would make sense that one effect God would design in bringing salvation was the removal of this division and the promoting of unity. And this is exactly what we see.

In Ezekiel after God makes the dry bones live, He then shares with Ezekiel His design to make a united people of God. He intended to bring Joseph and Judah together so that they would be one people, under one God, who would make His dwelling among them. Note that the oneness that God desired affected both relationships that had been severed at the fall - both the horizontal relationships of mankind, as well as the vertical relationship between God and man.

But this bringing together of the OT family may just have been a prefigurement of what God wanted to do later after Christ had come. Paul, in the 4th chapter speaks to this.

He begins this section of his epistle by urging his readers to "walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called". And what does that worthy walk look like? A great part of that answer is unity. Paul speaks of being "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." He reminds them that "there is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." That's a lot of "oneness".

He says a bit later in the passage that God gives "gifted people" to the church to equip them for the work of ministry...."until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature manhood, to the measure of stature of the fullness of Christ."

So there it is - in one verse the merging of maturity with unity. Truly for Paul and for our Lord, our growth in faith and love should move us on towared unity with our brothers and sisters in the faith.

So we must ask, "How is our unity within the body?" Since it is a mark of maturity unity is something we should diligently seek to promote. If it is absent it only means one thing: we are not yet operating from the fullness of Christ. We need to focus more on knowing Christ and loving more the Christ who we come to know.

Let's all pray for the unity of our body and well as the church in general. Since it is a sign of maturity we ought pray that the Lord makes us one, even as the Trinity is one. As God answers this prayer it is certain that the outside world who knows much division will be drawn to this light of God's presence among and within us.

Corporate Identity

We live in a world that can be individualistic. We live out our personal dreams, puruse the fulfillment of our personal desires, trying to be our personal best. Even a recent Army ad campaign spoke of the" army of one". That seemed odd since survival in war really is about the team and in regular life an individualistic mindset often causes more strife and division in relationships.

It should be no surprise that the Christian message, yes, even the identity that the Christian takes on is not an individualistic one, but a corporate one. Paul speaks to this in Ephesians 2 and it is important for us to be reminded what the Word tells us about our identity.

In verse 12 and following Paul first reminds us what we were apart from Christ. He says we were "separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." He further notes in verse 13 and following that we were "far off", divided by a "wall of hostility". That was our identity apart from Christ. It was quite bleak!

Yet through the kindness of God our identity has changed. Paul says in verse 13, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace." He goes on to say that Christ has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, that "He has created in Himself one new man in place of the two." He declares that we have been reconciled to God in one body through the cross. In verse 19 he declares "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,..." And if all that were not enough he concludes by saying in verse 22, "In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

You'll note that much of this language points to the fact that as Christians we are made part of a new family which is central to our new identity. We are no longer to look at ourselves as individuals but instead we have been grafted into the body of Christ. Jew and Gentile through the blood of Christ have become one - in fact, they have become the place where God dwells through the Spirit.

This truth has many implications as the New Testament makes very clear. Since we have a new corporate identity, we must exercise care for the body. We must use our gifts to build up this body. We must strive to promote the unity and purity of this body.

Brothers and sisters, praise God for what He has done for us in Christ Jesus. Remember what you were, and remember what you have now become in Christ through His blood. Now live out your new identity in Christ never again reverting to the individualistic mindset of the flesh. God will help us to do so!

What to do with the Law...

There is much confusion about the law these days. What do we do with the law? Is it still in force? Are we under the law or free from the law? If we are free, in what sense are we free from the law?

I wish I could say this post will answer those questions, but.......no, I don't think so. We'll have to stick with what Paul says in Galatians 3. Indeed this will take us down the road a bit to understand the answer to some of these questions.

So what does Paul say? Here are a few points to consider.

1. If you rely on the law for your righteousness you are under a curse. Paul quotes, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by ALL things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." Why are lawkeepers under a curse? Because no one keeps all the law. So if you want to play the law game, know for certain you are under a curse.

2. The law was added (to the promise of Abraham) because of transgression. If you think about it, why do we have any laws? We have laws because people do things that are harmful to others or even themselves. People race their cars down the streets putting others at risk. So, we enact laws to curb this human tendency. Thus, the fact that the Law was put in place speaks to our human tendency to act in ways that are not loving, that put others at risk. The Law indeed shows us our sinfulness.

3. The Law is not able to provide for us a righteousness before God. Paul clearly says in verse 21, "For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law." But the fact is the law can't do that. In fact, it does a better job at condemning us for our lawlessness.

4. The law has temporal limits. It was not meant to be "in charge" forever. Paul says the law was added "until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made,..." That word "until" sets a limit of time. Again in verse 24 Paul says, "So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian..." Note that a guardian in classical times was a slave, whose task it was to conduct a boy to and from school and to supervise and direct his general conduct. The role of the guardian was limited by time and was not meant to replace the relationship with one's parents.

5. Thanks be to God that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Paul says in verses 13-14, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."

The Law had an enormous role. It showed us our sinfulness. It showed us we are under a curse. It sought to guide and curb our behavior until we were led to the promise. Now having been led to the promise which is ours through faith in Christ we have been declared sons of God. We are no longer under the Law in this way, but now as sons we are under the law of Christ, which is His Spirit written on our hearts. The law is no longer something external to us, but has come to take residence in us, empowering us to live in a way that fully represents the loving ways of our Father. Thank God for His immeasurable mercies to us!

Two ways to glorify God

In our readings today we saw at least two ways to glorify God. One was found in Galatians; the other in Ezekiel.

The first concerned the Apostle Paul. He was a man of tremendous pedigree, education, zeal and more. He used these assets, in the name of religion, to promote and elevate himself. He went as far as to persecute those who identified themselves with "the Way" of Christ. From the casual observer it may have appeared that this would be the last man who would join the army of Christ.

But God was already at work, ready to be glorified through this man. As verse 15 instructs, "But when He who had me set apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to (I think "in" fits better) me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles,..."

From verse 15 we see that Paul had been set apart from before birth. God had a plan for Paul's life even before he breathed one breath of earth's air. God also took the initiative to pour out His grace upon Paul, thus enabling Paul to know and receive Christ. Having received Christ Paul's life was immediately transformed. Before he was destroying people who proclaimed Christ; now, He was Himself a vessel given over to revealing Christ in word and deed.

When others saw the dramatic change in Paul, according to verse 24, "they glorified God because of me." When they saw how a persecutor of the church of Christ became its main proponent and advancer, they glorified God. God's name was lifted up declaring that He had done an amazing work in transforming this enemy into an ally. That's one way God is glorified.

Buy there is another way God is glorified. That was found in our reading in Ezekeil 28. As with so many of Israel's enemies they enjoyed a time of prosperity. They may have had wealth and power, and success over God's people, Israel, but the Lord reminded them through the prophet Ezekiel, that things were going to change.

In verse 22, Ezekiel say, "Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will manifest my glory in your midst. And they shall know that I am the Lord when I execute judgment in her and manifest my holiness in her;..."

In this instance God is being glorified through His judgment of evil nations. When those nations who think of themselves as secure, are brought down in a moment, God shows Himself strong, and He is glorified.

So there are two ways God is glorified. He is glorified when His power transforms the human soul and makes it one through which Christ is revealed. Or God is glorified in the judgment of people who insist in hardening their hearts in the face of God. Either way God will be glorified; His name and His power will be revealed. But it is far better to be among those who are glorified through God's transforming their soul.

If you are one in whom God has made that transformation, give thanks to God, and recommit yourself to being a vessel through which Christ will be revealed. If you have not yet ungone such a transformation, then today is the day to seek the Lord. Call on His mercies. He is ready to receive sinners and fill them with the glorious life of His Son.

Sufficiently Humbled

How difficult it must have been for David to have his own son rebel against him and seek to steal the kingdom from him. It must be exceedingly difficult to love someone and yet see them hurt you so badly. David must have had a mixture of emotions pulsing through his being: anger, love, anxiety, indignation,....

And if this weren't enough for one man to bear, David had to endure the indignities of Shimei. He cursed David, and said that he was getting what he deserved. He declared that Absalom would be king. He threw dust and stones at David to declare his contempt.

When faced with this, David's men had a solution: take this guy out! They knew in their hearts that the king should not be treated like this. But David's response was not what they expected. He suggested that the Lord might have sent him to curse David, and if not, David thought the Lord would reward his gracious and merciful response.

One has to wonder why David responded this way. Most kings would have taken this "dead dog" out. But I believe David was sufficiently humbled. His affair with Bathsheba and his deceitful scheming that resulted in Uriah's murder, taught him not to trust his own heart. No...he would not retaliate. Instead he would receive the curses and entrust himself to the God who had been so gracious and merciful to him.

I don't know the historical context for Psalm 71, but it could well have been at this time that David penned these words. Read the following verses and see how appropriate they would have been for this moment.

71:2-3: In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress!

71;4-6: Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For You, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are He who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.

71:12-14: O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

Instead of taking things in his own hands, David chose to trust the Lord. He submitted to the difficulties of life believing that either God had ordained them for his correction, or that He would deliver him from them to the praise of God. Had he not had so great a fall it may be that David might not have reacted in this way. But he had been sufficiently humbled. He had been shown the capabilities of his own heart, and now his trust would only be in the Lord. The Lord had been good to him and he believed if he walked in His ways, God would continue to bless.

Have you been sufficiently humbled? Hopefully we all don't need to go through the kind of things David did, but how important it is to submit our lives into the care of our God. How important it is to see all things coming from the gracious hands of our God believing that He can turn them for good. That is the kind of confidence David had and that we can have as well. As David said in Psalm 71:20-21: You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Hiding from an all-seeing God

As humans who are sinful we do resort to hiding, trying to cover our sin with man-made means.

We saw this in our reading this morning in 2 Samuel 11. David had stayed away from leading his men in battle. That left him alone and more susceptible to temptation. As he went up to his roof and looked around a woman bathing caught his gaze. That was his first moment of decision. He could have looked away or looked in God-like love (always seeking the best for others), but instead he let lust rule the day.

He went on to inquire as to who this woman was, and though the answer was that she was another man's wife, he went ahead and sent for her. Again, he had a moment of decision. Would he violate so clear a command from God not to take another man's wife. But alas....he sent for her, had relations with her, and she became pregnant.

It is important to step back and consider what has happened here. David was a man so blessed of God. God had walked with him and protected him, and had now given him the kingdom. How could David, in ungratefulness, grasp for more? Likely there was a battle raging in his mind. I am sure the forces of truth were battle those of deceit. But in the end lies won out and David committed his sin.

So what would he do next? Well, when deceit rules the day, it leads to further deceit - it leads to hiding. So David tried to deceive Bathsheba's husband. Could he get him to leave the battle and go lie with his wife, thus covering David's sin. Much to David's disappointment Uriah was too much a man of integrity. He would not lie with his wife when the rest of Israel was unable to do so because they were attending to their duty. Uriah's character and choice was such a contrast to David's at this time in his life. It must have panged David a bit, but not enough to abandon his life.

So having failed to deceive Uriah, David continued his cover-up attempt by having Uriah killed. He sent word to Joab with instructions to put Uriah at the front of the battle and then when the fighting got heavy to withdraw from him.

His plan seemed to work.....or did it? The last verse of the chapter says it all. "But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord." Trying to hide from an all-seeing God doesn't work. How foolish it is to forget this.

As humans and sinners this is an important truth to always consider. We live under the gaze of God. He sees all and He sees all with perfect clarity. We can try to cover our sin and hide, but those attempts do us no good. We cannot fool the Lord, and such hiding only does damage to our souls.

Instead we should take the counsel of Ezekiel 18:31-32: "Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn and live."

The call is to repent - turn and live. Hiding or covering our sins is not the answer. Uncovering them by confessing them before the Lord and then letting the Lord cover them with the blood of Christ is the only way to see those sins cast away as far as the east is from the west.

Oh sinner, come clean before the Lord. Stop your hiding! Come and receive the only cure at the fount of Christ's cross!

Remembering Amazing Grace

In two of our readings today we were met with dramatic renderings of God's amazing grace.

The first was found in 2 Samuel 9. David has now been established as king. He has great power and is esteemed in the eyes of the people. More importantly he is blessed by his God. But even in this state which might have puffed him up he seeks to show God's kindness to someone.

He asks Ziba if there is anyone in Saul's house to which he might show kindness. Ziba admits that there is a young man name Mephibosheth, who is Jonathan's son, thus Saul's grandson. Mephibosheth is lame due to an accident that occurred earlier in his life.

So here is the picture - the strong powerful king, David, summoning the lame Mephibosheth into his presence, supposedly to show kindness. But was this only a rouse? After all Saul had tormented David for years. Maybe this was time David would avenge himself on his enemies.

But no - that was not his intent. When Mephibosheth comes before him, David extends tremendous grace. He restores to Mephibosheth all the property that belonged to Saul, and then invites Mephibosheth to eat at the king's table.

I love the response of Mephibosheth to David's kindness. He says, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?" It appears that Mephibosheth grasped the greatness of the grace that David was extending to him. Sadly, as we will find out in a later chapter, Mephibosheth seems to forget this amazing grace.

Ezekiel 16 also gives a a graphic picture of grace. God describes it like this in verse 6: "And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in you blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I made you flourish like a plant of the field...." A few verses later the Lord shares how he washed her, anointed her, clothed her, adorned her with fine ornaments, even a ring and a crown. The transformation couldn't have greater - from abandoned and wallowing in blood, to being cared for in the ultimate way.

Sadly, for Israel, she forgot God's grace. As the rest of the chapter details she went "a whoring" in the most foul ways. But even after proclaiming judgment God still in the end speaks His intention to extend grace once again. He says in verse 62 -63, "I will establish my covenant withy you, and you shall kknow that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord."

Brothers and sisters, take a moment to consider these pictures: the lame man before the king, the abandoned child wallowing in its blood. These describe us in our sins - not deserving in any way - not having something within ourselves that compels the Lord to act. Yet He has acted in His Son, Jesus Christ. For the lame and the one abandoned one, the Lord gave His life so that we might eat at the King of King's table all the days of our life - so that we might be adorned by Him in the finest of clothes.

May we often look back at the grace which drew us to God. May we not, like Israel, forget God's amazing grace. Perhaps that is why the Lord instituted His table, so that frequently we could remember the depths of God's grace, and be continually transformed by it.

Do you know God's amazing grace? Has He brought you to His table? Has He adorned you with His robe of righteousness? Never forget what the Lord has done for you. Marvel every day at the greatness of His grace!

The Presence of God

In the Old Testament the presence of God was symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant. Picture the Ark in the middle of the camp surrounded by the twelve tribes. This was a statement that Israel was a people, called out by God, among whom He lived. It was a beautiful image!

But it must be remembered that having God in your midst is not something with which to trifle. You'll remember when the Ark was captured by the Philistines how it became a curse to them. Each city that took the Ark experienced such hardship that they couldn't wait to pass it on to the next city. Our God's presence can be a thing of terror.

These facts may help us understand the events in 2 Samuel 6. David has just been made king by all of Israel. It took over 7 years, but now the promise of God for David to be shepherd of Israel has come to pass.

Now, in a wise act David seeks to bring the Ark into the City of David. By this David is saying that God's presence is central to his being blessed as a king, and to the people being blessed as well. But along the way, something tragic occurs. One of the men, Uzzah, who is bringing the Ark up to the City of David, extends his hand to settle the Ark, and for this he is taken out by God. Here again is the message that the presence of God though potentially a blessing to His people, can also be a thing of terror. There needs to be much respect for the presence of God Almighty.

That respect was lacking during the days of Eli. When Israel was confronted by the Philistines and things weren't going well, they decided to bring the Ark up, hoping that the presence of the Ark would turn the tide of the war. But it was not to be, for treating the presence of God as a rabbit's foot to get what one wants is never a respectful way to treat the divine presence. In fact, we ought to think about the presence of God not as something that can get us what we want (ie: blessing, etc,...), but rather as something that enables us to be and do all that the Lord desires for us.

In our day, the people of God no longer carry around an Ark to symbolize God's presence. Something far more amazing has happened! God's presence now dwells in human hearts through the Spirit. That fact, ought fill us with reverence - the Holy One of Israel dwells in our hearts. Oh, how we must want to carry that presence carefully.

We should also realize that that presence, though a great blessing to us, is not first designed to "get us what we want". It is first designed to enable us to live according to God's will. In a sense we coudl say it is designed to get God what "He wants" - ultimately His glory.

Fellow Christian, we are enormously blessed in our day. As those who have placed our trust in Christ, we are indwelt by the very presence of God. We need to let this sobering reality sink in to our hearts. But not only that - we must realize that that presence is an enabling presence that will give us the power to live in such a way that brings God's blessing to the nations, and thereby extends His glory. When we live in this way we will find in the end that we are as well most blessed.

God the script writer

Who is writing the script of your life? Is it you, or is it God? If we were honest we would have to say that often we are trying to write our own script, and when things don't go our way, we fall apart. But is this the way God wants things? I know we would all say God doesn't want us to be the script writer. He is Creator of all things; He gives life and breath to us all. Certainly He has the right and the perspective to write the script of our life. When we accept this life tends to go much smoother.

Consider the life of David. We saw that he was anointed as king way back in 1 Samuel 8. Yet for years he was chased around the countryside by Saul. His life was in continual danger. Several times he had the opportunity to do away with his enemy but refused to harm the Lord's anointed in any way. (He even put to death the person who claimed to finally end Saul's life.) Can you imagine how hard that must have been to know that you are going to be king, but having to wait for so long?

Finally, Saul dies and one would expect that David would be anointed king over all of God's people. But what happens? Abner anoints Ishbosheth as king over Israel. David is only anointed over the small territory of Judah. This lasts for over 7 years. Can you imagine again how this might have affected David? He waited all those years to be king, and then when Saul dies God throws another twist in the script.

The amazing thing that we observe is that this seemed to be all right with David. Though many other men would have tried to rewrite their script, David continued to be submissive to the Lord. He continued to inquire of the Lord and follow the Lord's leading.

This seems to be key to a life that is marked by peace. Allowing God to be the script writer of our lives takes a lot of pressure over ourselves. Allowing God to guide and direct events and seeking only to be God's servant in every life situation seems to be the way God designed it for our good.

Brothers and sisters, how do you view the script of your life? Are you trying daily to make things happen according to your plan, or have you relinquished your life to the Lord. Do you tell Him in good times and bad that you are OK with HIm writing the script of your life? Are you seeking His will and guidance in all that occurs in your life, desiring only be a faithful servant?

I guarantee, though life will not be smooth, it will be much more peaceful when we allow God to write the script and when we seek only to be found obedient and faithful. May God grant us this freeing perspective today and for the days ahead.

Living to God's Glory

There is much talk about living to the glory of God these days. That is a good thing, but I wonder if we really understand what it means. It certainly may resonate in our hearts that we want to live to God's glory, but what does that look like? It is an important question which I believe the apostle Paul answers, at least in part, in 1 Corinthians 10.

Starting in veres 23 and following Paul speaks of what we eat and drink. He declares that since there is no such thing as an idol that we are able to eat and drink things that might have been offered to idols. If indeed there is no such thing as an idol (because, of course, there is only one true God - all other deities are false) what we are eating was in truth offered to something that doesn't really exist,......I think you get the point.

Paul also mentions that we can eat and drink anything because the "earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." God owns it all and he has given it to His creatures to enjoy sanctifiying it through the Word and prayer.

Though there is a great deal of freedom here, Paul offers a decisive limitation. Though we are free to eat and drink - though as Christians we have tremendous freedom, we are not to be ruled by that freedom. Instead we are to have a higher purpose and that purpose is to do all things that will promote the good of my neighbor.

Thus, I am free to eat and drink anything, but if my eating and drinking causes a brother to stumble and drift from Christ, then my eating and drinking is wrong. I should in love limit my eating and drinking because I consider my brothers soul so much more important than my personal freedoms.

This loving behavior Paul ties to living "to the glory of God." In verses 31-33 Paul says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved." Clearly in these verses Paul ties living to God's glory to acting in such a way to promote the advantage of my brother.

Actually when you think of it, this makes perfect sense. To live to the glory of God is to live in such a way that you reflect the character of God. And what is more like the character of God than laying down your rights / freedoms to promote the advantage of others.

This is what Christ did. His life is the most potent example of a life lived to the advantage of others. He not only laid down freedoms but Himself took on the form of a bondslave and gave His life to the cross. He did this to secure our good - our advantage - our salavtion.

Now when we reflect this in our lives - considering first the advantage of others - we do indeed live to the glory of God.

Don't miss this connection. It is a very prominent one in the Scriptures. Living to the glory of God is tied to living in a self-sacrificing way, desiring to promote the good of those around me.

May the Lord, grant us all grace, to live to His glory in this way, today and every day.

The Focused Life

What is the focus of your life? Don't read on until you have answered that question..........have you answered it? Now - does your life - your choices - your lifestyle support that focus, or do they contradict that focus?

In our reading today in 1 Corinthians 9 we were introduced to a man who was focused. He is the Apostle Paul, and everythng about this chapter suggests he had a focus that he really lived out.

What was Paul's focus? We get hints from verses like the following:

9:12 - Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. (There is a strong focus on seeing the gospel move forward.)

9:16 - Paul succinctly says, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel." (He is obviously focused on proclaiming the gospel to others.)

9:19 - Numerous times in this verse and the verses that follow Paul says, "...that I might win more of them." (He lived to see others affect by the gospel.)

9:23 - Paul says, "I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessing."

Now was all this more than a mantra for Paul. Did he actually live it out? The answer screaming out from this chapter is an absolute "yes". Even as he says in verse 26 "So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air," Paul disciplined his life to accomplish the goal God set before him.

So committed was Paul to this goal that he would gladly give up his rights. At the beginning of the chapter Paul speaks of different rights he had as an apostle of Christ, but Paul says he would gladly give them all up. Paul lived for something greater than his rights. He lived for the gospel, and if his rights got in the way of the flourishing of the gospel, Paul laid his rights down.

In a day and age where we fight for rights (women's rights, gay rights, children's rights, immigrant's rights,.....) it is amazing to see a man who lived for something beyond his rights. He was a true servant of Christ whose life matched his stated focus.

May God help us all, first to embrace a godly focus - to embrace a life that is given to proclaiming the gospel in word and deed. And then may He help us to live out this focus. May others see in us a demonstation of the gospel. May they see that there is something vastly more important to us that our rights or our pleasures.

The same Christ who equipped Paul for this focused way of life lives in us. May we know His grace and strength as we live out His calling on our lives.

Do you have ears to hear?

Ezekiel's commission to ministry was not exactly a joyous occasion. He was told to go and speak to a people who were stubborn and rebellious. He was told to fear not, but to be faithful to go to this people and declare, "Thus says the Lord..." Whether they listened or not, and the implication was that they would not listen, he was to do his part in bringing the Word of the Lord to them. They would be responsible for receiving or rejecting it, and there would be consequences for their response. Eventual they were exiled for their neglect of God's Word.

Saul, as well, had the word of the Lord available to him through the prophet, Samuel. He had been told things by Samuel which he disregarded to his own peril. Twice it is recorded that Samuel had told him the specific Word of the Lord, and both times Saul ignored this counsel and went his own way. Doing this resulted in Saul losing the kingship and living his life enslaved to inordinate passions. There was a great cost associated with the neglect of God's Word.

The foil to these examples of rebellion in Israel was David. In 1 Samuel 23 we see him several times inquiring of the Lord. We see him actually seeking the Lord. Once, because of the fears of his men, he went back to the Lord to make sure he had heard correctly, but once affirmed he not only heard the Word, he acted on it. And what was the result of his attention and obedience to the Lord? He way was prospered and made safe. Though he went up against the strong army of the Philistines he was victorious. Though the men of Keilah would have given him up the Lord helped him to know that he should depart. Though Saul got close to capturing him, at just the right moment the Lord brought the Philistines to take Saul from the chase and provide a deliverance for David.

David was attentive to the Word of the Lord. He had ears to hear. He even pursued the Word of the Lord as his daily guide. The result was a life blessed by the presence and protection of the Lord.

The same will be for us. We have the Word of the Lord available for us through the Word of God - the Bible. We can neglect or ignore it, or we can pursue it and seek to order our lives by it. There are consequences for both paths. We ignore the Word to our own hurt. We end up walking in our own paths, away from the Lord. The result is never satisfying. Or we can pursue the Word, and seek by His strength to obey it. That path leads to a partnership with the Lord, that may not make life difficulty free (David's life has great trial) but it assures us that the Lord is with us and will take us safely through life's challenges.

Let's all make today a day that we seek the Word of the Lord, that we don't walk this life on our own, but walk in tandem with our gracious Lord. His Spirit is given to us to help us do just that!

Remember we are servants

In our reading today in 1 Samuel it is very sad to see the self-destruction of Saul. He had such promise at the beginning. It seemed that he was humble even though he had a many gifts: tall, handsome,..... Then things went south for him.

Twice he was confronted with his own fears. He feared the Philistine armies and he feared what the people thought of him. Both times that led to his disobedience, which showed that the wrong fear ruled his life. Had he the fear of the Lord; had he a right view of who God is and who he was in light of that, it is not likely that he would have fallen the way he did. But there was no fear of God and as a result, his heart was ruled by another fear.

Having disobeyed the Lord twice, the prophet Samuel declared that the kingship would be taken from him and given to another. Now not only fear ruled his heart but also jealousy and envy toward God's choice of a new king, David.

So driven by fear and jealousy, Saul pursued David. So controlled, and we would have to say blinded was Saul, that it led him to commit the atrocity we read about today. He had 85 people killed, not for anything they had done, but because he was not under the control of the spirit of His God. The remaining chapters of this book will show this gradual self-destruction. It is very sad.

Instead it would have been helpful for Saul to take on the attitude of Paul which we saw in 1 Corinthians 3. He said, "who are we but servants of Christ. Oh yes, we may have the opportunity to plant or even water, but it is God who gives the increase. He is the One who matters, we are but servants."

Had Saul had the attitude of Paul, it would have saved him from his self-destructive ways. A servant does not care if God elevates another in their place. A servant is only only interested in doing the will of their Lord. In fact, doing God's will becomes the controlling passion of their life, which in the end displaces all other passions: fear, jealously, envy,....

Brothers and sisters, as we go out this week, may we remember our identity as servants. God is Lord of our lives; we delight in doing His will. When God brings things into our lives, good or bad, we allow Him to call the shots. That is such a better way to live than to be control by our dark passions. May the Lord grant us His grace to live today consumed by our passion to walk only in His ways!

Fear and Faith

For those of us reading all four columns of McCheyne's today we came again to Psalm 33. This psalm is very significant to me because the Lord used it to encourage my fearful heart some 23 years ago.

I and my family were on the verge of leaving Wisconsin. We had worked hard for one year to find a job in California that would enable me to care for my family while I went to seminary. A week before our departure we still did not have a job.

Needless to say, I had a bit of anxiety. I was moving my family across the country and had no job nor a place to live. As I considered these things before the Lord, He directed me to Psalm 33:22. It reads, "Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." As I read this it seemed to be a divine proportion to me. It seemed to be saying, "To the extent as I trust in you, may I know the steadfast love of the Lord." It was a call for me to put my trust in the Lord being confident of His steadfast love.

This gift of the word was an encouragement to me, and the challenges I faced in the year ahead proved over and over the truth of this. God's steadfast love did carry us through this challenging stretch. God was indeed faithful.

During the days of Samuel the prophet, this kind of trust was lacking in Israel except for one young man. The people were confronted with a major challenge in the person of the champion of the Philistines, Goliath. He defied the armies of the living God, but no one in the army had the nerve to stand up against him.

But maybe it wasn't nerve that they needed. Maybe it was that they needed trust in the Lord.

I love David's words in verses 45-47. I think they say it all and show his secret to success. He said, "You come to me with sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand... that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's; and he will give you into our hands."

There is the secret to David's success. When others looked to themselves and looked at the challenge before them, they strunk down in fear. David did not look at himself, nor his weapons. He only looked at or rather trusted in the Lord, and found the Lord's love completely faithful.

Today if you are confronted with fear realize that fear is like a warning light on your car, that tells you that something is wrong. And with fear, what's wrong is that we are looking in the wrong place. Instead we should lift our gaze on high, and when we do we will find a quiet confidence filling our soul. May God help us conquer our fears and know this tranquility of soul even in the midst of our challenge.

A Choice of Kings

Life is a choice of kings; it is a choice of who or what will rule the throne of your heart. And the choice is not inconsequential, for the sovereign you choose will impact greater the quality of your life.

In 1 Samuel 8 Israel requested a king. Samuel was growing old and his sons did not walk in his way, so the people looked around at other nations and thought it best to choose a king. Samuel did not like their request, but the Lord told him to grant it. He said, "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being their king."

To let them know the consequence of this choice the Lord told Samuel to let them know what it would be like under this king. As you read the description it is filled with the statement, "He will take..." That is the way it is when we choose a king other than the Lord. The sovereign will only take from us, over and over. He will bring emptiness. Only the Lord Christ when He is enthroned will fill us. That is His way!

In Romans 6 we saw a choice as well. Paul says something will rule our hearts. Either sin will rule or righteousness will rule. Either we will be slaves to sin or slaves to God. These are the only options, and the consequences of this choice could not be any bigger. According to Paul slavery to sin leads only to death. He says about the other choice: "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you gets leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We saw a choice of kings (or queens) in Jeremiah 44 as well. Jeremiah pled with the people to repent and cast away the idols and serve the Lord. Sadly, the people rejected his plea. Defiantly they declared that they would serve the queen of heaven. They thought she could deliver what they wanted better than the Lord. Again the consequences of their choice could not have been more significant. This choice only brought them exile and destruction. Such is the way when we choose the wrong sovereign.

Brothers and sisters, this theme is prominent in Scripture. Life will be lived under a sovereign. That sovereign will either be the Lord, who made heaven and earth and us, or it will actually be our glands. After all, any other thing we enthrone is just a puppet of our desires. And as the choice of sovereign had huge consequences in each of the examples above, so it will have in our life. Choosing any other sovereign but Christ will only lead to emptying oneself - diminishing your life until it leads to death. Choosing Christ (or as Paul would say, being chosen by Christ) leads to be filled by the One who is all and fills all - Jesus Christ.

As Joshua told the people as the end of his life - "Choose you this day whom you will serve." It really is a very important choice.

God Speaks

One truth that comes to us clearly from the Bible is that we worship a God who speaks. Our God is a communicating God. In fact, He communicates to us in a variety of ways.

In Psalm 19 two ways were disclosed. The first is through the creation. The writer of this psalm says that the "heavens declare the glory of God". He says there is constant communication from God through the heavens and that this communication is known to all. There is none who are hidden from this speech.

The psalmist also points to the law, another method of communication the Lord has used and continues to use. This law not only teaches us how to live, but it also reflects the very character of the lawgiver: perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, more worthy than gold.

In Jeremiah 43 we saw another mode of communication. In this chapter we saw God communicating through His prophet. Often the Lord chose to send His message through a human vessel. Jeremiah was chosen to communicate just prior to the days of Judah's exile to Babylon.

God also communicates to us through pain, oddly enough. When the Philistines inherited the ark of the covenant, they thought that they had gained a trophy for their victory in battle. Instead they inherited a plague. Each city that took the ark came to be infested with mice and afflicted with tumors. God was communicating through their pain that He is God, and there is none like Him. He is untamable, not a creation of human hands.

So, we see that God is a God who communicates. But we must ask, "How do we respond to that communication?" The Philistines seemed to listen. They sent the ark away and learned a great lesson about the God of Israel. The people of Judah, on the other hand, rejected the Word of the Lord. The message was not one they wanted to hear, so they set it aside, but they did that to their own peril.

The psalmist (Psalm 19) had a great viewpoint regarding God's communication. Refering to the law he declared that it was worth more than fine gold. He also stated this wonderful truth, "Moreover, by them (the law) your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward."

Knowing their value, the psalmist then petitioned the Lord. He said, "Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgressions."

Brothers and sisters, we have a God who speaks. Are we listening? The Word of the Lord is of supreme value. Do we believe this? If we do we will be petitioning the Lord to keep us in the path of His Word all the days of our lives. We will seek by the Holy Spirit who resides within to walk in all the ways of our Lord. May God help us to do so!

Semblance or Substance

In 1 Samuel 4 we have an interesting incident. Confronted by the Philistines who are winning the battle, God's people are desperate. They are not sure why they are losing, but they know they don't want to see this trend continue. So what do they do? The bring out the Ark of Covenant thinking that this object which represented the presence of God would turn their fortunes around.

From the outside this appears (it has a semblance) to be a "religious" move. It has the appearance of relying upon the Lord. It is interesting to note that the Philistines thought it a "religious" move. They said something like "now a god has come into the camp of Israel". They were impressed and even trembled a little.

But what was really going on here? I call it "rabbit's foot religion". Do you remember those rabbit's feet you could get? Do you remember that when you wanted good luck, you would merely need to rub the rabbit's foot? Of course, it never worked, but it was a fun child's game. But now the people of God were treating their God as if He were a rabbit's foot. They thought they could insure God's favor is they took His ark and put it in their midst. What they were really doing, though, is treating God like the servant, not the Master.

The same type of scenario took place in Jeremiah 42. The people have a semblance of repentance. They come to God's prophet, Jeremiah, and ask him to pray for them. They declare that they will do whatever the Lord declares to them through Jeremiah's mouth. From the outside this appears very pious. It appears to be just the thing that they ought to do.

But when you look at Jeremiah's prophecy you can tell there is a little more going on than meets the eye. The Lord, throught Jeremiah, let's the people know that He knows their heart. He knows that they aren't really interested in doing what the Lord wants. All they are interested in is peace and safety and they are hoping God can be used to insure this. As we read the rest of the story we will find out how sincere these people were.

Brothers and sisters, the Christian faith is a faith of the heart. We can do many things on the outside, like go to church, give offerings, carry a BIG bible,....but if these are not accompanied by a heart that is submissive to God an desirous of His will, they will do us very little good.

That seems to be the message of Romans 4. Circumcision is something outward, and as good as it is if it is not accompanied by a heart full of faith and trust in God, it will do you no good.

The heart that the Lord is looking for is a heart of faith, that comes to God only wanting His will to be done. Jesus' words, "Not my will, but Thine be done" ought to be the measuring stick for our hearts. If that is our attitude we will not have the semblance of religion, but we will indeed have the substance. May God give us clear understanding of the difference, and may we, by His power pursue the real thing.

The Best Teachers

Who are the best teachers? Perhaps a good answer to this question is: The best teachers are those who first teach themselves.

You may recall from earlier readings what is said of Ezra (7:10). The Bible attests that he studied the law, practiced it and then taught it to his people. That middle verb "practice" was vital to his teaching of the people. We are more credible as teachers when we first put into practice what we seek to pass on to others.

In Romans 2 Paul draws attention to this when he says in verse 21, "you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?" Previous to this verse Paul describes people who are "sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children,..." Paul observed those who were very confident that they had something to pass on to others, but he questioned that supposition. He suggested that if they teach one thing, but live another that they are ill-suited to be teachers of anyone. If they teach against stealing, but steal themselves, is their teaching worth anything? Will it influence anyone?

The tragic reality of this point comes home in the story of Eli and his sons. Though we see Eli rebuking his sons for despising the Lord and their immorality with the women who served the tabernacle, we see that he has no effect. And why does he have no effect? Apparently, he wasn't practicing what he was preaching. He, too, was growing fat from all the choice meat he and his sons were eating. It would indeed be hard to "teach" one's children to refrain from doing something that you seem to be regularly participating in.

The Christian faith calls all of us to be teachers. We will be teaching our children, teaching our neighbors, teaching one another. We are calling on to share the Word of Christ with others as the Lord gives us utterance. But if we are to be effective as teachers, we must not forget that the best teachers are those who embody the teaching they are trying to pass on.

Jesus did this perfectly with His disciples. Everything He spoke they saw in His life. There was no disconnect. He was indeed the best of teachers.

Unfortunately, for the rest of us our modeling will be inconsistent, but we should strive, by the Spirit of Christ within us to embody His truth. That will be the greatest aid to our teaching. May God help us all live out the glorious truth we are called to teach.

God of Providence

In each of our readings today we saw servants of God suffering affliction. Naomi loses her husband and two sons. In those days that was a big thing. It meant living in impoverished conditions, and even in danger, especially if you were a woman.

Paul found himself in a boat that was storm tossed for over 14 days. Not only did he receive minimal food during that time, but he had to endure the nauseous experience of being carried up and down, up and down by the sea. (Personally I have found that experience pretty brutal to endure.)

Jeremiah, too, had his sufferings. He was unjustly placed in a prison. There was something about the truth of his message that his auditors did not like, and decided to take it out on him.

Three different servants of God, all apparently serving their Lord faithfully, but all experiencing affliction. This certainly shows us that God does not keep His servants from suffering! But that is not the whole story. In each case God's providence shines through as well.

Naomi is given a daughter-in-law who is second to none. She clings to Naomi and Naomi's God and serves her faithfully. God also provides the grace of Boaz who looks with favor on Ruth, and is God's instrument of provision (of food) and protection (from other men who might try to take advantage of Ruth).

Paul is assured in a dream that he will be taken care of - that God would provide. God was not finished with him yet and would work out all the details so that Paul could complete the work set out for him. So God not only provides safety amidst the shipwreck, but also keeps Paul in the good graces of the leaders so that he is not put to death. God again shows his amazing providence.

Jeremiah, too, was shown grace. The king calls for him wondering if he has received word from the Lord. (I am sure he was hoping for a different word, but Jeremiah's message stayed consistent.) Upon answering the king, Jeremiah requests mercies - to stay out of prison, and the king grants him a better place to stay, and bread to eat.

Thus, in each case though the Lord permits affliction, in the midst of affliction God shows Himself to be a God of providence; a God who provides for His servants.

In these days of great uncertainly (global terror, stock market crash, unemployment) it is important to remember that though the Lord may allow affliction, He is still on the throne, and will, in His time, provide for His servant who trusts in Him and continues to serve Him with gladness.

Brothers and sisters, take heart. Don't let your current affliction get you down. Your life is in the hand of God. Look to Him in faith. Serve Him faithfully. His providence may be just around the corner.

Mercy in the midst of judgment

Sometimes the Bible is criticized for having a God in the Old Testament that is incompatible with the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament is said to be wrathful and judgmental, whereas the God of the New Testament is full of love and mercy. Now the only way you can believe that is to not have read the Bible for in so many places in the Old Testament (the the New) we see mercy mingled with judgment.

Our reading today offered two examples. The first is the book of Ruth. In the opening phrase we find the words, "In the days when the judges ruled..." reminding us that this book took place during the time of the judges. Hopefully we will not have forgotten already what we learned from that book. Especially the last few chapters were filled with horrendous accounts like the chopping up of the Levite's concubine, and sending the pieces to all the tribes, followed by a war that featured God's people destroying one of their own tribes. The theme of the book was that there was no king in Israel and that every man did what was right in his own eyes. In a sense this book depicts the natural judgment of God upon a people who rejects their true King.

But in the midst of these sad days for the people of God, we see a glimmer of hope - a demonstration of mercy. We see this endearing book of Ruth, that is so filled with the opposite of what we find in the book of Judges. As we read through the book the rest of this week we will find such love and tenderness, and in the end we will see the greatness of God's mercies as it points to the birth of David through which the Savior would be coming. Mercy amidst judgment - how good is our God.

We found the same in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah asks Baruch to write down words regarding the coming judgment upon the people of God. But in the midst of those words we find words of mercy. In 36:3 it says, "It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way; and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin." So even in the midst of proclaiming impending destruction, God is declaring His desire to see them repent so that He may withhold from them what their sins certainly warrant.

That is the nature of our God. Yes, His judgment is for real, and there will be a day of reckoning. But He is always a God full of mercy and lovingkindness. He wants to draw His people to Himself so that He might live among them and bless them with His presence.

Sadly, the people of Israel rejected these overtures of mercy. They heard the message, but did not act upon it. They did this to their own destruction. May God grant us an awareness of both the mercy and judgment of God. May we take His judgments seriously, and may we respond to His mercies before the waters of judgment overwhelm us.

Perhaps the greatest emblem of mercy and judgment is the cross. At the cross judgment was being placed upon the sins of man, and Oh - what a judgment it was. The cry of dereliction from Jesus helps us to understand the agonies of this judgment. But the cross also displays in full HD the beauty of God's mercy. Though we deserved hell, we get life through the Lord Jesus Christ. May those mercies transform us every day of our life!