The Resurrection --John Donne

The  Resurrection (No. 6 La Corona)

Moist with one drop of Thy blood, my dry soul

Shall—though she now be in extreme degree

Too stony hard, and yet too fleshly—be

Freed by that drop, from being starved, hard or foul,

And life by this death abled shall control

Death, whom Thy death slew; nor shall to me

Fear of first or last death bring misery,

If in Thy life-book  my name thou enroll.

Flesh in that long sleep is not putrified,

But made that there, of which, and for which it was;

Nor can by other means be glorified. 

May then sin’s sleep and death soon from me pass,

That waked from both, I again risen may

Salute the last and everlasting day

~John Donne

Were You There?

"So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, [17] and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. [18] There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them."

(John 19:16-18 ESV) 

Draw Me --Keith Green

Draw me, oh, draw me, please draw me, my Jesus.
Into your presence, where I cannot lie.
My soul is so thirsty, I cannot endure it.
And if I can't get closer, I surely will die.

Take me, oh take me, please take me, my Jesus.
Quickly, before I forget that I'm lost.
For so many times, my mind has deceived me,
That I really don't have to carry the cross.
That I really don't have to carry the cross.

I just need to know how to pray.
My wicked desires block the way,
Sometimes I have grieved you away,
I don't want to do that today.

Help me, oh help me, please help me my Jesus.
Save me from sins that I thought were all gone.
Kill me with kindness, and break through my blindness.
I know till I'm dead, I can never live on.
I know till I'm dead, I can never live on.

I just need to know how to pray.
My wicked desires block the way,
Sometimes I have grieved you away,
I don't want to do that today.

Draw me, oh draw me, please draw me my Jesus.

~Keith Green

Until that Final Day -- Keith Green

My flesh is tired of seeking God

But on my knees I'll stay

I want to be a pleasing child

Until that final day

My mind is full of many thoughts

That clutter and confuse

But standing firm, I will prevail

In faith that I'll be used

Amen, I'm asking once again

Won't You help me my friend

Lord Jesus

Holy Lord Spirit, set us free

From chains we cannot see

Come release us

I wrestle not with flesh and blood

My fight is with the one

Who lost the keys of hell and death

To God's most precious son

One sleepless night of anguished prayer

I triumphed over sin

One battle in the holy war

God's promised me to win

Amen, I'm asking once again

Won't You help me my friend

Lord Jesus

Holy Lord Spirit, set us free

From chains we cannot see

Come release us

My flesh is tired of seeking God

But on my knees I'll stay

I want to be a pleasing child

Until that final day

KEITH GREEN - UNTIL THAT FINAL DAY LYRICS 

Briers and Thorns

"For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. [8] But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."

(Hebrews 6:7-8 ESV)

The phrases "briers and thorns" and "thorns and thistles" are repeated often in reference to Israel's fruitlessness in the Old testament. 

Briers and thorns are an example of the fruitless crop that sin bears in our lives. They are worthless for us in terms of providing nutrients, they consistently grow exactly where we don't want them to grow, and they are notoriously difficult to eradicate. A shoot, a slip of root, a seed is left behind after we dig them out, and they grow back as strongly as ever. 

Their tenacious nature is really a result of humanity's fall into sin. When Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden, God cursed the ground because of their sin, declaring to Adam that 

"cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field."  

(Genesis 3:17b-18 ESV)

Adam's original command from God to work the earth and keep it (Gen 2:15) is still in effect, but he will do his task in pain from now on. It has become really a thankless task--there will never be respite from the battle against the weeds. 

So too is our battle against sin in our lives. We cannot eradicate the evil tendencies of our heart. We are redeemed, but as Paul points out in Romans 7, our old man is still putting forth thorns, thistles, and briers, despite our best intentions. 

The world and its seductive pleasures easy choke the seed of the gospel that is not carefully and painfully tended. If we given up pulling the weeds in our lives or slack off, only doing a weekly weeding, when we should be pulling them out daily, the gospel will end up being choked out in our lives. As Jesus says in the parable of the Sower: 

"Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them."

(Matthew 13:7 ESV)

"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

(Matthew 13:22 ESV)

We must be vigilant and keep fighting against our sin. 

"Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them."

Prov. 22:5

If we stop fighting the battle against sin, the weeds will take over and our defense against them will break down and fail. 

 "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, [31] and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down."

(Proverbs 24:30-31 ESV)   

However, thorns and thistles can also be a means of sending us back to God, as can been seen Hosea 2: 

[6] Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. [7] She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’

(Hosea 2:6-7 ESV)

The Lord hedges His harlot Bride in with thorns, forcing her to return to Him. He shows His steadfast love for His people, by punishing her for her sin, and yet He "allures" her into the wilderness where He will show her His love by giving her vineyards again (Hosea 2:14-15).

It is clear that briers and thorns are a direct consequence of God's judgement upon His rebellious people. In a passage written by Isaiah at the same time as the one written by Hosea, the prophet gives us the word of the Lord: 

[5:1] Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. [2] He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. [3] And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. [4] What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? [5] And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. [6] I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. [7] For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!

(Isaiah 5:1-7 ESV)

God is extremely patient with us, and as the Vinedresser He tends us, giving us the refining experiences which are meant to produce good fruit in us. However, as Isaiah shows us, God's justice must be satisfied as well. If His vineyard does not bear good fruit after all that He does for it, it will be given up to the Judgement.

Thorns and thistles are spreaders--almost impossible to eradicate. Except by fire, which will burn all the seed away. A drastic step will need to be taken: even if God's people repent of their sin against Him, they will still have to bear the consequences; if they don't repent, they will remain sterile forever and will end up burning for eternity.

If God's people do not bear good fruit, He will ensure that they bear a fruitless crop: as punishment (Isa 5:6). Also--if thorns and thistles are a result, it is also evident that the fruits of disobedience will be difficult to get rid of, like these plants. There are serious, long-term consequences for rebellion against God. We will always be vulnerable to our "pet" sins, despite the grace of God which allows us to fight against them. 

However, we have the victory in Christ Jesus, although we are still fighting the battle here until He returns again. Praise God! Our work is not in vain!

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

1 Cor 15: 57-58 

Workmanship

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

We are His workmanship. This makes it clear that we cannot do anything to save ourselves. Christ is the one who does the work to save us for Himself: He made us and we are His. We are His creatures, His creations. We were made, and, through His blood, we are remade for a purpose: "for good works." 

We are "worked" by Christ. An image comes to my mind of a farmer working the land: he plows it, breaking up the hardened soil, plowing under the weeds and revealing the fresh dirt, ready for planting. He tests the soil for its nutrient profile, then fertilizes it for the crop He wants it to grow. This field gets a bit extra of that nutrient, that patch gets more of this one, depending on the seed to be planted there. He irrigates this section, but leaves another section dry (the crop growing here does best with "dry feet"). He directs the rain to fall here (for He is God and, unlike human farmers, can command rain and wind and sunshine as He likes) and withholds it there. He watches over His crop, and when the time is right and the crop is fully mature, He gathers it in.

The field cannot do any of this for itself. It cannot plow, plant, rain, or harvest, but is subject to the farmer's will.

Of course, the metaphor breaks down at a certain point. The field in my picture is truly passive. You cannot accuse it of intentionally harbouring weeds. However, our old nature can harbour weeds and can even cultivate them, if we are not careful to root them out at every opportunity. We are undergardeners in the garden that is us. We are called to tend what God has given us, bearing good fruit, not thorns and thistles. We are not just to bear showy leaves like the fig tree in Matthew 21, but good fruit as well.

This is why Paul says that we have been "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). 

Walking implies action--we do not just sit back and watch our gardens grow weeds and briers, but rather we actively walk in the way that God has commanded, pulling the weeds and burning the briers, coming back again and again to hoe around the good plants, giving them room to flourish and allowing the access the the good nutrients that God has provided for them.

We have before us the grim warning of Isaiah 5: If the vineyard does not yield good fruit, it will be laid waste.  If God does not spare His covenant people of Israel, He will not spare us either. As Paul says,

"Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off." 

Romans 11:19-22

Thanks be to Christ who is the True Vine and who sustains us when we cannot sustain ourselves! 

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

John 15: 7-11

Stale Relationships or Living Faith?

Some time ago, I heard a sermon on Exodus 16 by Pastor Charles Price, about the Israelites and the gift of manna in the wilderness, entitled “Manna: the food that didn't satisfy.”

Price says that the manna given to the Israelites in the wilderness is “the picture of the freshness, of the supply everyday. You see you and I are not invited to live on stale relationships with Jesus Christ; we are intended to live on the basis of a fresh daily supply of life and strength and nourishment.”

This is why daily devotions are so important: We can't “live tomorrow or today on yesterday's supply” (Price).

You won't find a relationship with a friend, family member, or significant other fulfilling if you never communicate with them. The same is true for our relationship with God. Although He is always faithful, we will not feel the true power of our relationship with Him if we do not learn more about Him or communicate with Him through prayer.

“Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” 

Lamentation 3:22

“'His mercies are new every morning' . . . . God gives us today what we need today; He gives us tomorrow what we need tomorrow. He doesn't give us today what we need tomorrow.”

We also should not try to run ahead of God and spent time in anxious worry about tomorrow. Jesus warns of this tendency too, saying,

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

(Matthew 6:30-32 ESV)

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

(Matthew 6:34 ESV)

God wants us to keep us in a fresh relationship with with, resting in Him for all that we need. When we stay in this close relationship with Him, we will have the confidence to trust that He will daily fulfill both our physical needs and our spiritual needs.

The song in the video below really expresses this idea: God truly leads us step by step!

The Lord is My Light

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

(Psalm 27:1 ESV)

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;

when I fall, I shall rise;

when I sit in darkness,

the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8)

My God is a Pillar of Fire,

a light to His people, and

darkness to His enemies

as He was at the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:19-20)

“His lamp shines upon my head,

and by his light I walk through darkness” (Job 29:3)

“because the darkness is passing away

and the true light is already shining.” (1John 2:8b)

And He has promised that

my “life will be brighter than the noonday;

its darkness will be like the morning.” (Job 11:17)

Therefore I sing praises to Him in the night: (Ps 42:8)

“For it is you [Lord] who light my lamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” (Ps 18:28)

“For with [You] is the fountain of life:

in [Your] light shall we see light.” (Ps 36: 9)

"The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

Romans 13:12

"Music with her silver sound"

Where griping grief the heart would wound
And doleful dumps the mind oppress,
There music with her silver sound
Is wont with speed to give redress
Of troubled minds, for ev'ry sore,
Sweet music hath a salve in store.

In joy it makes our mirth abound,
In grief it cheers our heavy sprites,
The careful head relief hath found,
By music's pleasant sweet delights;
Our senses, what should I say more,
Are subject unto Music's law.

The gods by music have their praise,
The soul therein doth joy;
For as the Roman poets say,
In seas whom pirates would destroy,
A dolphin saved from death most sharp,
Arion playing on his harp.

O heavenly gift, that turns the mind,
Like as the stern doth rule the ship,
Of music whom the gods assigned,
To comfort man whom cares would nip,
Since thou both man and beast doth move,
What wise man then will thee reprove.  

~Richard Edwards

Who are your examples?

'What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.'

(Philippians 4:9 ESV)

Who are your examples?

I don't mean just your role models, those people you look up to and admire, but who do you actually imitate in your daily walk? 

Do you imitate those people in your life who seem to have it all together? Do you try to be like that pastor whose blog you follow? What about that motivational speaker who demonstrates such godly characteristics in her speaking and writing? Do you value her humility? Honesty? Spiritual strength? Do you appreciate his knowledge of spiritual things? Or his freedom to participate in a wider cultural context than the people that sit around you in church? Do you admire her boldness in speaking her mind, even when she might have done so with more tact? 

What character traits do you admire and try to cultivate? Or do you just look and think "I'll never be _______ like that"? 

Who do you associate with? Whose minds and actions are you learning, receiving, hearing, and seeing? 

Are you aware of all the examples that impact you on a daily basis? The people you spend the most time with are the ones most likely to impact your daily walk and your character.

The people you live with and encounter on a daily basis are not the only examples before you. The characters in that movie or TV show? Examples. The characters in the fiction book you just read? Examples. The author of that magazine article? The author of that non-fiction book? The people in that funny/not-so-funny commercial? All of them are your examples. 

Who (fictional or non-fictional) are you spending time with? Are they truly admirable? Do they demonstrate Christian virtues? Courage, honesty, humility, patience, prudence, self-restraint, diligence, love, etc.

Or are they examples of what not to do? How are these no-so-lovely characters presented? Are they portrayed as admirable? Are they the hero/anti-hero? Are you aware of the influence these characters have on how you live your own life? 

Maybe you don't follow a specific example. Maybe you follow the example of what you think you should be. But perhaps that "should-be" isn't God's plan for you, and yet you try to follow it anyway, because that is what the people (fictional or non-fictional) you "hang out with" tell you you should be. Maybe you don't even realize that you are following this example--you've never thought about it or questioned it--but you blindly try to conform to it anyway. Maybe it has even become something you covet.

Just something to think about:

Who are your examples? 

Knowledge vs Wisdom

 "There is a huge difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is an accurate understanding of truth. Wisdom is understanding and living in light of how that truth applies to the situations and relationships of your daily life. Knowledge is an exercise of your brain. Wisdom is the commitment of your heart that leads to transformation of your life."

Paul David Tripp ~ Dangerous Calling

"Wisdom is the commitment of your heart that leads to transformation of your life."

This is quite an amazing sentence. And one that can only be truly true when I have been saved by Jesus Christ's redeeming sacrifice--only this seemingly foolish thing can bring me the hope of being wise.

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;"

(1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV)

Knowledge on its own is not enough--it must be used correctly. Knowledge is the flame; wisdom is the light. If you keep staring at the flame of the candle, you will end up unable to see in the dark. If you just focus on theological knowledge--the information, the facts--you will end up being blind to the beauty and mystery of the gospel.

"that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

(Colossians 2:2-3 ESV)

Knowledge is the flame; wisdom is the light.

Trusting AND Trying

"[W]hen it comes to growth in godliness, trusting does not put an end to trying" (91). The Hole in Our Holiness ~ Kevin deYoung

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."

(Psalm 37:3 ESV)

There is no resting on your laurels in the kingdom of God. There is no time behind the lines, no leave from the war--we're always in the trenches.

The Christian life is more of a Sisyphean endeavour--when we think we are getting somewhere, we are closer to falling than we would like to admit. That boulder of pride (or false humility) or anger (or repressed rage) or fear (or false confidence). . . the moment we think we have it conquered is the moment it slides back down the hill.


"So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand."

(Romans 7:21 ESV) 

Thank God for His grace. We don't have to do it ourselves.

However, we are still supposed to keep trying. We are to trust that our efforts to grow in godliness are of benefit and blessed by the Holy Spirit. 

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

It is how we confirm our calling and election (2 Peter 1: 9). And because we are not saved by our works, we don't have to fear our failure.

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

(Romans 8:31-37 ESV)

[3] His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. [5] For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. [10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11] For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:3-11 ESV)

Never Weather-Beaten Sail

Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore.
Never tired pilgrim's limbs affected slumber more,
Than my wearied sprite now longs to fly out of my troubled breast:
O come quickly, sweetest Lord, and take my soul to rest.

Ever blooming are the joys of Heaven's high Paradise.
Cold age deafs not there our ears nor vapour dims our eyes:
Glory there the sun outshines whose beams the blessed only see:
O come quickly, glorious Lord, and raise my sprite to thee!

~Thomas Campion

Storm-tossed

 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold. . ."    

(Isaiah 54:11a ESV)

"And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep." 

 (Matthew 8:24 ESV)

faint heart

a snowflake on the tongue

its frozen splendour gone

in an instant 

a shattered mirror

the shards that pierce

I am the snow queen

yet winter streams still run

liquid fire beneath the ice 

snow is falling like stars

like the ashes of hope

burnt up in reentry

let it blanket my throbbing autumn heart

soft its edges with pale feathers

cool its ardours once again

make me a winter waste land

freeze my fears into nothingness

Sometimes it is easier to be Naomi than Ruth. Sometimes hope is hard. Sometimes emotional hypothermia seems easier than feeling every pin prick. Like Job I say "I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” (Job 3:26 ESV) And yet, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."(Romans 8:26 ESV)

[81] My soul longs for your salvation; 
I hope in your word.
[82] My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me? 

(Psalm 119:81-82 ESV)

[25] And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” [26] And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

(Matthew 8:25-26 ESV)

[5] For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence 

for my hope is from him.

[6] He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

[7] On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

[8] Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

(Psalm 62:5-8 ESV)

A God We Can Count On: Confessing Ps 23 "I shall not want"

[Continuing from A God We Can Count On: Confessing Ps 23 "The LORD is my Shepherd"]

"I shall not want." 

Because He is YHWH, we can continue to confess His active compassion (The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer 90).

Because the LORD is God and because He IS Who He IS, we do not need to fear being without anything. His Being is enough. In Him we have everything we need.

This is where so many of us fall down in our sin. We don't remember that YHWH is enough.

Or rather, we don't actively trust that He is enough. We may know in our head that we are supposed to trust God for everything, but we don't act as though we do. We try to do it ourselves or we trust in other things--money, reputation, approval, job security, a family member. We basically say, "I trust Him spiritually, but I trust __________ a bit more in 'real life'".

We might even say that we are trusting God to provide for us, but that "God helps those who help themselves." While it is true that we are to steward the resources we have, we must be careful not to treat our actions and our choices as "the end," rather than the means. If we view our choices as helping or hindering God in His plans and provision, we are limiting His omnipotence. The means by which He works His sovereign will do not determine its success. While our mistakes may hinder us in our Christian walk, God  is not confined by them. This is not to say that we should not take our decisions seriously, that we can say "Let go and let God" and just do what we feel like. Our choices still must reflect our new life in Christ.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

(Romans 6:1-4 ESV)

We can still sin in how and what we choose. We can, however, take comfort in the fact that despite our mistakes, God will do His will. Even when we do not trust Him as we ought, we do not need to worry that we have somehow "messed up" and we will be left "wanting" until we have "fixed" our lack of trust. His provision is only reliant on His character, not ours. Because "the LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

The Practice of Holiness

“People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”
― D.A. Carson  

Holiness is not a habit. There is a reason we are called to practice spiritual discipline.

We must train ourselves in the practice of holiness. There is a reason Paul likens our lives as Christians to the training of an athlete. Athletes don't have a habit of training; they discipline themselves to train. And they don't just train for the fun of it, they have a goal in mind, a purpose.

[25] Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. [26] So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. [27] But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

(1 Corinthians 9:25-27 ESV)

Our practice of holiness is not running aimlessly; rather,  it is part of our sanctification, part of the refining process we must go through in order to become more like Christ. Being His image-bearers is not simple or easy; it takes work. Disciplining our bodies, our minds, and our spirits can be painful. As we are bent in the direction the Vinedresser wants us to grow, our branches may ache and long for release back to the way that they are naturally inclined to go. But He knows best how to tend His Vines so that they will bear the most fruit.

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

(Hebrews 12:11 ESV)

Holiness requires conscious practice. It means vigilant self-examination, seeing ourselves as we truly are and identifying our sin. Speaking and confessing it, not keeping it to ourselves and hiding what we have done. We must be honest with ourselves and with God about our failures, and must pray for His grace,  that He will show us those sins we do not want to acknowledge, that He would heal us of our spiritual amnesia.

We need to be careful, however, that in our focus on personal holiness, we do not forget the goal--"holiness" without Christ is pompous and priggish Phariseeism. Navel-gazing will not make us holy. Once we look away from Christ to ourselves, we have lost sight of the goal.

True self-examination "[looks] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God"
(Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

[6] If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. [7] Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; [8] for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. [9] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. [10] For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

(1 Timothy 4:6-10 ESV)

Gleanings--War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God's Sake--excerpt

"War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God's Sake" ~ Paul Tripp

Absolutely a must-read!!  It is an excerpt from The Power of Words and the Wonder of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor.

 

So convicted by so much of this. 

This is How He Loves Me

[18] Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
[19] that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
[20] Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
[21] For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
[22] Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

(Psalm 33:18-22 ESV)

When I feel overwhelmed or suffocated or trapped by all the circumstances of life, I can say,

"Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city."

(Psalm 31:21 ESV)

When I don't know "Why?", when I don't know what to do next, I can look to Christ, for "the LORD my God lightens my darkness"(Psalm 18:28b ESV).

'"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.'

(Isaiah 54:10 ESV)

His "love never fails"(1 Corinthians 13: 8).

Even when I fall away, He will be there. He keeps all His promises.

"If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself."

(2 Timothy 2:13 ESV)

"For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness." [my emphasis]

(Psalm 26:3 ESV)

He loves me better than I even know. More than I can guess.


This is my God, and this is how He loves me.

". . . that I may clasp your hand with all my heart. . ."

"'Lord hear my prayer’ (Ps. 60:2) that my soul may not collapse (Ps. 83:3) under your discipline (Ps. 54:2), and may not suffer exhaustion in confessing to you your mercies, by which you have delivered me from all my evil ways. Enable me to love you with all my strength that I may clasp your hand with all my heart. ‘Deliver me from all temptation to the end’ (Ps. 17:30). You Lord are ‘my king and my God’ (Ps. 5:3 ; 43:5)."

St. Augustine, Confessions, Book 1  (I. 24.17)

A heart clasp. . . what a lovely image.

The Singing Flute of Spring

One day in late March when I was about sixteen or seventeen I bought a CD of French Impressionist flute and piano music, and ever since this style always means Spring to me. It is forever associated with slowly warming sun beams, melting snow drifts, and the cheerful whistle of returning robins. It brings the promise of crocuses and tulips pushing through still-cold earth on the sunny south side of my neighbour's house and the relief of ever-lengthening daylight. There is something about this music which embodies Spring's strange dichotomy of warm and cold, dark and light.

Bright notes of silver and gold float through the air, and I'm instantly transported. I'm drinking sweet, milky darjeeling in the sunny living room of my parents' old house. I'm walking home from town on a warm, melty spring day wearing just a sweater, feeling ever-so-free without my heavy winter coat. I'm snuggled up in an armchair with a favourite book. It means simple pleasures: the musty smell of dirt after winter when the snow melts, a misting of green buds on the trees, the trickle of melt water in the drain pipes and down the road drains, lying on the floor in a square of warm light, variegated tulips, and the first dandelion of spring.

Rise up My Love -Healey Willan

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.  

Song of Solomons 2: 10-13

Stir up my conscience!

St. John Passion  BWV 245 ~ J.S. Bach
Chorale 14

Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück,

Peter, who does not think back at all,

Seinen Gott verneinet,

denies his God,

Der doch auf ein' ernsten Blick

but then at a look of reproach

Bitterlichen weinet.

weeps bitterly.

Jesu, blicke mich auch an,

Jesus, look at me also

Wenn ich nicht will büßen;

when I am reluctant to repent;

Wenn ich Böses hab getan,

when I have done evil

Rühre mein Gewissen!

stir up my conscience!  

I sang this with my choir a few years back and it has become one of my favourite choral works. You can truly sense the worship and faith of Bach in all his music, but particularly in his Easter Passions. Soli Deo Gloria!

Predictable / Unpredictable God

I was reading a sermon yesterday afternoon and in the introduction was this passage:

"When we feel that we have some great need, we mould God to the shape of that need and then expect that God is going to meet that particular need, and sometimes in your experience and mine, He doesn’t because we’ve simply invented our own Jesus. It isn’t what His strategy and purpose is … to meet that particular need in our lives maybe. And so we’re told in John Chapter 1, verse 11, that when Jesus was born, “He came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him.” And the reason they did not receive Him was because He did not meet their predetermined expectancy of what the Messiah would be like. He wasn’t born in a palace of royal parents and going to become a military leader. And they rejected the true Messiah because He did not conform to their own expectancy."

Charles Price- MARY: FROM FEAR TO FAITH TO FULFILLMENT 

It was so good to be reminded of this: Don't make an idol of your expectations and substitute them for Christ.  When we invent our own Jesus, he cannot save us. Don't limit Him to your own "predetermined expectancy" or you will end up rejecting the true Messiah. 

The glory of Christ is in how completely radical He is. He works outside of the "rules" of how we think life is supposed to go. He never works in our lives the way we think He will.  With Christ you must always expect the unexpected. We cannot predict Him. 

I heard another sermon by Charles Price in which he talked about this very thing. Entitled “Following God's Direction”, Price showed how Christ's miracles are not predictable—He works differently every time, and in His miracles, He used many different means to heal those who came to Him: He spoke, touched, even spit. He did not work in predictable ways or have a set formula that He used, but each time someone came to Him in faith, their faith was rewarded.

Price shows that this unpredictable way that God has of working with His people is also demonstrated in the story of Moses and the Rock at Meribah.

The first time (Exodus 17: 6), Moses was told to strike the rock.

5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 

The second time (Numbers 20: 8) he was told to speak to the rock.

and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Moses decided that he knew how this was supposed to work.

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. “

It worked—but that was not how God had wanted him to give water to His people.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Number 20:12)

Moses didn't believe-- He did not have faith in God's power to do what He said He would.

In 1 Cor 10: 4, Paul tells us that “the Rock was Christ.” This Rock is our fount of Living Water.

The lesson Price says is that we must not come to Christ the same way each time—we cannot just come to the crucified Christ, but must come to the risen Christ. We must come not just to a slain Sacrifice but to a victorious Saviour. Christ died once for all. By striking the Rock the second time, Moses implied that this one Sacrifice was not enough. To get the Living Water of salvation from this Rock of Christ, we must follow God's directions.

Lately God has been teaching me to trust in His immutability. God is ever the same (Ps. 102: 27); this is part of what makes Him God. (See A.W. Tozer's excellent book The Knowledge of the Holy  for more on this.)

He demands that we trust in HIS unchanging nature by following His leading each time—we cannot just “do what worked” the last time—cannot stay with the traditions, and be hide-bound and static.

This was the sin of the Pharisees: blind faith in “tradition.” They thought they could just do what they had always done. They thought they could predict what the Messiah would be like, how He would come, etc. But they were dead wrong.

He is our LIVING God. He is Unchanging, yet dynamic and unpredictable. He demands our trust in Him through every situation. There is no formula for Christian living. No “do this if this happens”, “do that if that happens”, etc. 

God guides us and teaches us in ways we do not expect. (Isa 30: 21)

Living in obedience is a matter of trust. Trusting God that even when obeying Him is difficult or painful, He knows what is right. If we do what is right in our own eyes, we will always fall.

God wants people who will do what is right in His eyes (Exodus 15: 26; 1 Kings 11:38; 1 Kings 14: 8; 1 Kings 15: 5). All the good kings of Israel are said to have done “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”

We are to look to Him.

Like Peter walking on the sea—once we take our eyes off of Christ, we will sink. Peter “forgot” that Christ was the Son of God and ruled the wind and the waves, reverting back to believing the “rules” of nature—you can't walk on water, it is not possible— and he began to sink.

He is always predictable in His character, but He is unpredictable in how He deals with us. We can't anticipate what He will do with us. Like C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan—He is not a tame lion. He will do whatever is necessary to bring us to Himself.

AS we are all individuals so He treats us individually. However, He demands the same thing of all of us—obedience and love. He demands our worship—not because He needs it, but because of Who He is.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrew 12:1-2