Blessings

God be gracious to us and bless us,

And cause His face to shine upon us.    Selah.

That Your way may be known on the earth,

Your salvation among all nations.

Let the people praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;

For you will judge the peoples with uprightness

And guide the nations on the earth.    Selah.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

The earth has yielded its produce;

God, our God, blesses us.

God blesses us,

That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

{Psalm 67}

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Why does God give good things to His people? Why does He give good things to anyone at all?

After all, we are at His mercy and we are entirely sinful - God does not owe us anything. Come to think of it, He does owe us something: wrath, judgement, and eternal punishment. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God," for God is holy and can do nothing but condemn sinners.

And yet, God does not judge or condemn us. Why? Because Christ stood in our place. He lived the life we could not live. He died the death we ought to have died. So, if we are united with Christ, then we have every reason to praise God endlessly for the good gifts that He blesses us with, not the least of which is our salvation.

But there's more.

Psalm 67:7 indicates that God's blessing has a purpose. In fact the whole chapter points to the purposeful blessing of God, poured out so lavishly upon us.

"God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him."

In my own words, it would say something like this: "God blesses me so that the testimony of my life, in word and deed, would cause the rest of the world to know, love, follow, serve and fear Him." In other words, God's blessing is not only for you. It's for the world. It's for the fulfillment of the Great Commission through His people. God's blessing should drive us to the mission field - whether international or our own backyard - in bold testimony of all that He has done.

Yes, it is good to praise God for the great things He has done and is doing in your life. Yes, it is good to revel in the blessing that He has richly bestowed upon you. But if your walk with God does not lead to action, then you have missed the point. God wants the world to know Him. And we are His "Plan A" for accomplishing that.

Just don't forget that there is no Plan B.

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That you might know Christ,

Questioning

Photo Courtesy: Duncan Hull

Lately, Isabella has been doing this...thing.

"Momma, do you want me to put that on the counter?" 

I answer for Beth, "No, thank you."

So, she asks again, "Momma, do you want me to put that on the counter?"

Beth answers for herself, "No, baby. Thank you anyway."

I had not given it much thought until now, but tonight that same sort of exchange happened and I saw it in a new light. I think it's the Holy Spirit's way of getting my attention in a somewhat unconventional way.

See, I've thought since she started doing it that it was just Isabella being rude. She completely ignores my answer and asks again. I honestly don't know if she asks again because she really wants to hear the answer straight from Beth or if she thinks she'll get a different answer. Maybe it's something else that only her four year old mind can explain. Either way, I had new insight tonight when it happened.

We do the same thing with God.

We have a burning question about our life or God's will or whatever. We try to find the answer. And, whether it's yes, no or maybe, God answers. Sometimes it is directly through His Word or the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is indirectly through the wisdom of fellow believers. But, regardless of the answer, there are times when we respond as though God didn't answer at all.

So we ask again.

In Acts, questioning is shown as a great quality. The example of the Bereans is one in which Paul and Silas came to town proclaiming a word from God, but they went straight to the Scriptures to judge whether it was true. This is a good form of questioning. This is the kind of questioning that I wish more Christians, myself included, made it their habit to do.

Even today, we remember Martin Luther raising some very good questions about what the Church believed and why. And our remembering calls to mind the countless other individuals who stood up to ask good questions - questions that sought to bring people back to God's Word.

But, there is of course another form of questioning. It is the questioning that Thomas is now infamous for - doubtful questioning. It is the "I need to see it to believe it" kind of questioning. It is a faithless kind of questioning. It is a form of questioning that I fear I am all too often guilty of.

Lesson learned. Sometimes I don't like the answer God provided, so I ask again. Or I think I can find a better one somewhere, so I ask again. Or I wonder if God is even able to answer at all, so I ask again. But that's not the kind of questioning that is rooted in faith, trust, and waiting on the Lord in His infinite wisdom. All I'm really doing is pretending to be a Berean.

So, that thing you've been grappling with God about, perhaps even asking Him over and over again hoping that the answer will be different? Maybe the answer is staring you in the face. Maybe He has already answered and you simply need to trust that His answer is true, His plan is sure, and His purposes for your life are much greater than you can imagine.

Are you really a Berean? Or are you a Thomas just masquerading as one?

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That you might know Christ,

Used

I'm going to go ahead and state the obvious: it's election season. Some people really love politics and debates and trying to determine the best candidate. Honestly, I could take it or leave it, but at the very least, I think we as citizens should take advantage of our right to vote and do so in an informed manner. Anyway...yesterday I checked the mail and, literally, every last piece of mail was political in nature.

Vote for me!

No, vote for me!

He's dumb, vote for me!

Well, he hates women, vote for me!

Well, he hates babies and women, vote for me!

He's lying to you and he hates babies and women, vote for me!

No, he's lying to you, hates babies and women, and he just kicked your grandma down a flight of stairs because she was in his way as he tried to shake hands and kiss babies in an effort to convince people to vote for him when he really isn't even qualified to run in this election...oh yeah, and vote for me!

It's an endless onslaught of, to put it bluntly, hate mail directed at one another and filtered through my mailbox.

And I found myself incredibly frustrated about the whole thing, longing for November 7th to come and wishing that there had at least been some sort of note from a friend mixed in with all that mess. I'd have even taken a bill over all that! As I stewed for a moment, a thought floated across my mind:

"I feel used. They don't care who I am or what concerns I have. They just want my vote. If they really cared, I would hear from them more than just during election season."

Now, most politicians probably don't intend that message. But you can imagine my frustration with the whole situation. You've probably even felt it in some form or fashion, and not even necessarily about politics. Maybe you're walking through the mall and those kiosk workers perk up as you walk by. You can practically see the dollar signs on their eyes. You wander around a car lot and the salesmen are fighting over who "gets" you - again, you're just a paycheck to them. It's a common phenomenon, but it's true.

Long story longer, we were driving down the road and I was telling Beth about my frustration over the whole thing and she responded this way,

"People probably feel the same way about us as Christians."

Ouch. That really stings.

And yet, she is absolutely right. We can feel used by politicians or valued only for a sale in the mall, but the same is true for the message that we proclaim. People don't really want to hear what we have to say about the gospel until they can see that we really value them for who they are. Otherwise, they just end up feeling like the next sale.

It is true that we ought to love God. But it is also true that our love for God will show itself in our love for people. Jesus calls it the second greatest commandment. We must truly love and invest in people. The people you are trying to share the gospel with are, after all, people. They have questions and concerns, problems and solutions, joys and sorrows. They are real people with real issues and when you cross their path you have two choices: you can sell them some product they don't need or you can show them a Person they can't live without.

But the only way they'll know they can't live without Him is if they see how desperately you can't live without Him. And the only way they'll see that is by walking through life alongside of you.

Jesus modeled this very thing. He lived life with His disciples and among the people to whom He ministered. And as the people came to Him in droves, they watched Jesus miraculously meet their physical needs while offering the perfect solution to all of their spiritual ones. They watched Him absolutely love them as they were while divinely calling them to something greater than themselves.

And so my challenge to you is this: live life. But live life with people so that they can see just how much you love them for who they are, no matter what. So that they can see that you value them as a person, not as a statistic. And when they see how much you care for them, flaws and all, then they will truly hear what you have to say about the one Person who loves them more than you ever could.

Do you truly love people?
Or are you just using them to get a crown in heaven?

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That you might know Christ,

Shadows

Photo Courtesy: Becky Brewer

The other morning I was coming back from a run and I looked down and saw a rather large shadow on the ground. It startled me a bit because it was moving along in step with me. Creepy...

I looked a little closer though and realized that it was just a bug, a tiny one at that. I could have easily crushed it without a thought. It certainly wasn't anything to be startled or creeped out about.

It's kind of dumb now, looking back on it, but the whole thing got me started thinking those "deep thoughts." At least, perhaps, they're the deepest thoughts a person can have at 6 a.m., worn out from a run and just trying to get home.

Anyway, I thought to myself, "Aren't most shadows like that?"

Deceptive.

Larger than life.

My point is that a shadow is made up of darkness, it's the absence of light. They shift and shuffle as light moves and they scatter immediately if you shine a light on them. In the shadows, you really can't see well and they deceive you into thinking something is there when it's not or something is bigger than it really is.

Satan deceives us in the shadows.

They're like lies - its not the blatant ones that draw you in. It's the subtle, mostly true ones. Shadows do the same thing. It's not the dark, black, scary places where you get caught up and lost in sin. Those places are obvious and much easier to avoid. It's the gray places, the subtleties of life, that drag us right down into the pit. They're just dim enough to see, and just dark enough to deceive. You think you see something that you need or want or desire. And you pursue it. After all, it's not that dark. You can see enough to get there and get right back out again.

But once you get there you realize it's darker than you thought, it's deeper than you imagined. All of a sudden you find yourself trapped in the mire - you're stuck before you even realize what's caught you.

Scripture describes shadows in many ways. Our lives are like shadows, death is a land of darkness and deep shadows, and there is a valley that lies in the shadow of death.

If that were the only way shadows were mentioned in the Bible, shadows wouldn't seem very good to me at all. Yet, Scripture also talks positively about shadows - they speak to the very shadow of the Almighty God.

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7

"He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

"And I have put My words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of My hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are My people.'" Isaiah 51:16

"They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon." Hosea 14:7 

We hide in the shadow of His wings because in Him there is no darkness, there is no shadow. The shadow of God is as bright as the morning sun, so even as we run to hide there we can see exactly where we're going and Who we're hiding in.

There is no deception.

There is no trap.

It is exactly the size it seems - HUGE beyond all imagining - but it's not scary because the very bigness of God is what comforts us. It gives us a peace that passes all understanding because we know that in Him there is no fear or worry. And His Word gives us assurance that all the blessings and pleasures of this life are found when we take refuge in the shadow of God.

Run from the shadows you face in life, whatever and wherever they might be, into the shadow of God.

You will find no safer refuge.

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That you might know Christ,

Tangles

Every morning before heading off to school, Isabella and I sit down to brush her hair and fix it so that it's out of her face. And more often than not, whether its from sleeping hard or food she got in her hair while eating, it's inevitable that she has tangles in her hair.

It's funny, though. I don't normally think of brushing the tangles out of Isabella's hair as an object lesson, but today Isabella said something that really caught my attention.

"Can we just leave them alone?"

It's an innocent question, but one that is definitely worth pondering. See, as inevitable as it is that she will have tangles in her hair, it's just as inevitable that she won't like it when I brush them out.

"It hurts!" she says and runs away from me.

I know it hurts. But I also know it'll hurt worse if I don't brush them out. The tangles will get tangles, even to the point of getting knots, and that hair session will be practically unbearable - not to mention how Isabella might feel about it!

Her question made me wonder whether or not I had ever used that same excuse with God. Maybe I'm spending time with Him, praying, reading the Bible, and I feel convicted of a particular sin.

"Can we just leave that alone?" God convicts me even more. He starts to carve away at that area of my life.

"It hurts!" I say and run away from Him.

Of course it hurts - removing sin is never painless. Growing in holiness is like carving a log down to a beautifully designed figurine. The deeper the cuts, the more progress you make. The more detailed the carving, the more time it takes to sand down the rough edges.

I'm sure that God could leave our sin alone. He could definitely leave us to our own devices. And He does at times if we insist on rejecting Him. But, the sin will get worse. And the process of cutting it away will be even more painful as a result.

So, what does all this rambling mean? Well, for me, it means that I've been thinking a lot lately about a certain passage in the Bible - Colossians 3:1-10, especially verse 5 - and this morning was just the reminder for me that I can't just think about those verses. When I'm confronted with truth, I must also act on that truth. And what is that truth?

If we are in Christ, then we must not excuse or ignore sin. We must kill it.
          Without mercy.
                    Without delay.

To delay is only to make it worse later. To excuse it is to ignore God's standard for holiness. And neither is acceptable in God's eyes. Over and over God tells us in His Word that we are to "be holy as I AM holy." That means every day is a choice - to give in to sin or to kill sin.

What will you choose today?

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That you might know Christ,

A Grief Observed

"Jacob...it's B-Mom...she's gone..."

          "Jacob...Poppa Tom died..."

                    "Jacob...Marianne died in her sleep."

                              "Jacob...Memaw passed away this morning."

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Photo Courtesy: Alberto Lauretti

This morning I received the phone call that no one really wants to receive, that no one ever really seems prepared for. Even when a death is expected, it's still a shock. Ever since college I've been getting phone calls like that. I know deaths have happened in our family before then, but they never seemed personal until I was on my own and I had to deal with the news by myself.

There is always that dreadful, weighty, and interminable pause. You can almost sense that this phone call is different than all the others you've received before. There is always the attempt to break the news in a way that divulges information yet preserves the dignity of the individual and protects the emotions of the hearer. "Died" seems so harsh at times so we soften the blow with "we lost him," "she went to sleep," "they passed away," "he went home to be with Jesus." It all means the same thing, but somehow it makes things easier to swallow.

And what do you say in a moment like that? How do you respond? "I'm sorry" seems to be the most common thing that comes to mind, but it just never seems to cut it. "Ok" feels less than human and devoid of emotion. You certainly can't say, "Oh good!" - at least not out loud. Surely even the most awful people deserve a little sympathy......Right?

Then there is the flood of emotion. First come waves of grief that practically bring you to your knees in sorrow. No one looks forward to the death of a loved one. Subsequent waves of guilt and denial are soon to follow. In the case of an extended illness, perhaps even a bit of relief from the stressful role of caretaker sneaks its way into your mind.

This time, however, it's different. For me, the relative is not by blood but by marriage. At times I feel overwhelmed in the same flood of emotion for the loss of a loved one. I want to cling tightly to each member of my extended family to show them my love and support during this time of sadness. I want to be strong and brave for my wife, yet at the same time empathetic and gentle. But other times I feel almost like an outsider, looking in and observing the grieving process of a family that is not entirely my own. I feel the sharp pain of Memaw's death because she reminded me so much of my own grandmothers - each in their own way. But at the same time, there is not nearly so great a hole left in my heart as there is in Beth and her family. Blood ties more deeply than marriage.

Torn between feeling like both an insider and outsider, it has allowed me the opportunity to think about death from a new perspective. Before I just felt the emotions of grieving. Now I realize that while those emotions are a normal, natural, and healthy part of the process, I must move past those emotions to the question that everyone asks in the event of a death. What happens when you die? Is death the end? 

Death is not the end. Each time I experience loss I am reminded that there was one Man who died and didn't stay dead. He returned to life. He is Jesus Christ. He died the perfect, substitutionary death for all who would believe in Him as Lord and Savior. He made a way for life where there was no way but death. While we were dead in our sins, God made us alive in Christ.

Lois Tisdale: Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife, Mother, Aunt, Memaw - you were so many things to so many people. You are loved and cherished. You are grieved and mourned by those who remain here on this earth, our temporary home. But we also rejoice in death because death has lost its sting! Death has lost its victory! While we may weep and groan, longing for heaven and home, mostly we are jealous. We are every bit of green with envy for you have gotten that sweet reward of a life lived faithfully in service and worship of the King of Kings. You have gotten to taste the riches of heaven and we must continue to wait. We remain here, if only for a little while, until physical death or the return of King Jesus calls us to our heavenly home. "Come, Lord Jesus!"

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That you might know Christ,

Missed

Yesterday, Isabella came home.

We had been out of town and with all the logistics of drop off and pick up, Isabella had been gone from home for a little more than a week.

It was a momentous occasion, to say the least.

She got out of the car, we came out of the front door, she saw us, we grinned ear to ear and called out her name, she screamed excitedly, and she started running as fast as she could to grab and hug and kiss us. In a torrent of information over the next several hours, she wanted to tell us about everything she had seen and done while we were gone, but mostly she just wanted to hold us and tell us she missed us.

Yesterday's 'homecoming' left a permanent impression on my mind.

How excited one person can be to see another. How eager one person can be to share everything that has happened since the last time they saw someone.

It's something I think that we lose with time, with routine, with familiarity.

As I think about the joy that I felt to see my little girl and hold her in my arms and for her to not want to let go, as I meditate on that experience to soak it in and never forget it, I cannot help but think that perhaps I saw just a glimpse of what God feels when one of His children comes running home to Him. The Parable of Lost Things (sheep, coin, & son) in Luke 15 comes to mind. What rejoicing there is in heaven when one who is lost is found!

I never want to forget that joy.

I think so often we get comfortable and familiar with the people we love and we forget the joy that it is to know and love them. Familiarity breeds contempt, right? Even when they are gone, we so quickly forget the hole that only they can fill and that they are sorely missed.

Yet, with God we do this very thing. We spend so much time in church that we begin to feel contempt for His people. We spend so much time serving that we begin to feel deserving of service ourselves. We gradually work our way away from the church, or just leave it altogether, and we forget that the hole God fills can never be filled by anything or anyone else. We get to the point of spending so much time away from God that we forget that He is even missing - and yet He ought to be desperately and undeniably missed.

When you truly understand "how deep the Father's love for us," you will never want to leave Him again.

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That you might know Christ,

The Lord

"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. [Jeremiah 33:2-3]

The Lord.

The One who made all of the earth.

Who formed and crafted it into existence...

With. A. WORD.

The Lord is His Name!

Why would we NOT call out to Him?

Why would we NOT trust Him with all that we fear?

With all that concerns us?

With all that we are?

He is awesome. He is mighty. He is sovereignly reigning over all things.

Trust Him. Cry out to Him. Worship Him.

He is worthy to be praised.

Understatement

"'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,'

Let Israel now say,

'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side

When men rose up against us,

Then they would have swallowed us alive,

When their anger was kindled against us;

Then the waters would have engulfed us;

The stream would have swept over our soul;

Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.'

Blessed be the Lord,

Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.

Our soul escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;

The snare is broken and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 124

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More often than not, I think I severely understate God. You might ask, "What do you mean by that?" It's a valid question.

Here's what I mean:

I say "God's in control." so casually!
Or "He knows what He's doing." so nonchalantly!

Talk about the understatement of the millenium! More often than not I just flippantly toss these phrases around without actually thinking about the implications of what I just said. Think about this for a moment.

GOD. IS. ALL. POWERFUL.

That means He's bigger than my problems. He's bigger than my stress. He's bigger than me in every single way and entirely more capable of dealing with things than I ever could be. The psalmist reminds me here, perhaps more convictingly than I've felt before, that God really, truly is inconceivably BIG.

Why is that so convicting? It seems like such a simple thought.

It's so convicting because I was reminded as I read through this passage that if I really believe that what the Bible says is true, if I really believe that God is who He says He is, then there ought to be an appropriate response from me as I live out my faith.

Do my prayers reflect trust in a God who is bigger than any of my problems?

       Do my actions reflect that trust?

              Do my thoughts reflect that trust?

I think there's something to be said for praying over a situation. Absolutely. But how many times do we pray for something and not really expect God to do anything about it?

How many times do I ask the Lord to show me the opportunity to share the Gospel, but then never leave the house? Can I really blame God for not presenting me with an opportunity to tell someone about Him when I didn't even go where people were in order to share?

In Psalm 124 David is praising God for deliverance, but he closes with this powerful truth, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth."

How often do I say I'm trusting in the God who made heaven and earth but actually place my trust in the god of self?

Is not our God bigger than that?
Is not our God more worthy than that?

This passage should bolster our confidence in the Lord of all creation. It should lead us to believe Him when He says He will do something. This Psalm should lead to a confidence in the Lord that completely and utterly trusts in Him, even when we don't understand His purpose or plan.

Deeper still is the resulting boldness of the believer. How bold are you when it comes to trusting God to do what He says He will do? How bold are you when it comes to accomplishing things for the sake of God's kingdom? If we really trust God, if we really believe Him, then that should lead to action. Our lives should reflect the complete trust that we have in our God - to save us, to sanctify us, and to send us out in His name.

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That you might know Christ,

All?

Here at the seminary, we go to chapel twice a week. Some people might say that's too much, especially if you consider that most of us attending chapel are also involved in our local church and are probably in some form of worship setting four or more times a week. If you count ministry, serving, personal devotions, studying for classes - that's a lot of time with Jesus. I sometimes hear, "Don't you get burned out?"

No. I don't, actually. Not on time with Jesus. But that's a different topic for a different day.

However, for the past couple of weeks there has been a thought...idea...feeling impressed on me each time I've been in chapel or church.

Part of our worship is in song, and it is an awesome thing. A chorus of voices singing loud praises to our God and Savior. Sometimes I love just standing near the back and watching everyone join in the song, hands raised in the air, crying out in thanks and praise to God for sending His Son to save us, for making His Name known, for loving us the way that He does. As I watch, I thank God for all of it - a room filled with people who love Him, who are passionate about telling Him, and who are eager to tell others about Him as well. It is a wonderful reminder of the blessing it is to be in a community of believers. I find myself grinning ear to ear because of how thankful I am.

This past Thursday, one of the songs we sang was by Hillsong, by the name of "Cornerstone." Take a listen. I'll be here when you get back.

That song is beautifully written. The words guide us to reflect on the sacrifice made on our behalf, to remember that Christ is our anchor and worthy of our trust, and to praise Him. Our voices rose, chanting out, practically shouting out, "He is Lord, Lord of all!"

My heart felt as if it might burst with joy and thankfulness.

Even so, I had the weirdest sensation. Almost overcome with joy, I also felt my knees almost buckle under the weight of another emotion - sorrow. For the past couple of weeks this has been happening. Each time it happens, I almost feel like two people in the same body. It's very strange to have exactly opposite emotions flooding you at the same time.

See, as the shout rose up in joyful praise of our "Lord of all," I could not help but think,

"Not yet."

I know, in the broadest sense, that God is Lord over all of the earth. He is supreme and reigning and present. These things I know and love about God. But I also know that there are so many who do not believe in God or trust Jesus Christ to be their Savior and Lord. More overwhelming than that, there are millions upon millions who have never even heard this great news that we cherish - that Christ died so that we might live!

Reflect on that. Let it really soak in. As you praise the God that you have been so blessed to have the chance to know and worship, as you come together with other believers in a community that we so often take for granted, never forget the millions upon millions who do not praise because they have never even heard.

Live thankfully that you know the Lord of all.

But live urgently that all might know the Lord.

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That you might know Christ,

Madness

The other day I found myself, yet again, saying something to Isabella that I felt like I needed to hear more than she did. We were talking about obedience and why it's important for her to listen to and obey her parents. It went something like this:

"It's important for you to listen and obey because we can see the big picture. Like, if you chased a ball into the street. Daddy says stop, not because I don't want you to have your ball, but because..." 

"Because a car could hit me?" 

"Yes, baby, that's right. I might see a car coming that you don't see. You have to trust me. You may not know why I want you to do or not do something, but I promise there's a reason. There's a method to the madness. Sometimes obeying is not because you understand but because you trust me to take care of you."

It blows me away how much I learn about God's love and care for His children through parenting my own. "There's a reason." "Trust me." God says the same thing to us on a daily basis. I've been reading in Jeremiah this week and I don't think it's coincidence that this verse has been stuck on repeat in my mind:

"Are there any among the idols of the nations that give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope in You, For you are the one who has done all these things." Jeremiah 14:22

Nothing provides for us, cares for us, treasures us like our God. The rain in this passage is just one example of the incredible blessing that God pours out on us each day. It's hard for me to look at how broken this world is and not wish that somehow God would put an end to all the suffering. But if I think about it for any length of time, I always end up at the same conclusion:

So much could happen that doesn't.

The Fall ruined it all. Sin should have resulted in the complete destruction of all things. We should expect nothing less from a holy God. And yet we experience good things. Everything in this world that brings happiness is a gift, one that we don't deserve. For every bad thing that happens, a thousand good things happen that we never should have experienced. Every sunrise. Every rain shower. Every newborn baby. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above..."

That immense blessing is God's grace lavished upon us, a grace that is freely and undeservingly given to us. When we deserved condemnation, God offered forgiveness. When we deserved death, God offered life.

So, Jeremiah says, hope in Him. Trust Him.

He is worthy of our trust. Even when we can't see the "method to the madness," we can trust that God has our best interests at heart because He has already blessed us so much more than we could ever deserve.

Stop doing things your own way or in your own strength. His plan is perfect. His strength is sufficient. His timing is impeccable.

There is a reason.

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That you might know Christ,

Salvation

'Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.' Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.

Isaiah 12:2-3

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This week I'm reading through the book of Isaiah. This verse stood out particularly for me this morning. Most English translations say something like the New American Standard quoted above, "you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation." But, I love the distinction in one version of the Bible that lies in this verse. The Orthodox Jewish Bible reads, "...out of the wells of Yeshuah." Salvation is distinguished then, not just as the act of saving, but as the personification of that act. It is the Messiah Himself from whose springs we are to joyfully draw.

What an incredible thought for today! Consider all that the Lord has done. Praise Him for His marvelous works. And remember, it is not an impersonal stream from which we draw our salvation. It is the Living Water that is found in a personal Savior. He did not just give us life. He gave His own that we might live.

Worship Him. He is more than worth it.

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That you might know Christ,

Running Late

What is the worst thing a person could say to you? How would you feel afterward?

I don't know if I've found it, but today I got at least a taste of what that might feel like.

Now that Isabella is full-swing into preschool (don't tell her that, you must refer to it as 'school') our morning routine includes getting up, seeing Mommy off to her school, eating breakfast, getting dressed, and then heading off to Isabella's school before Daddy heads to school himself. We like learning, what can I say?

Anyway, Friday as we were getting ready I looked at the clock and I realized that we were incredibly behind. We had more things left to do than time left to do them. That's not good, and for a person like myself who...strongly prefers punctuality, that's a really not good thing. So, I started rushing. Herein lies the problem. Isabella has recently begun this "do it by myself" phase, which is great, except when she's slowly doing it by herself and we're running late. Then I start to stress out and panic and urge and push and prod and...

You get the picture.

So, I asked her to put on her shoes and socks (read: shoe yourself as fast as humanly possible) and she sat down to take care of that "all by myself" (read: as slowly as humanly possible). I'm freaking out. This is not good. We're going to be late. I'm going to look like a bad parent because I can't get my child to school on time and a bad student because I can't get myself to school on time. Not good. At all.

These thoughts lead me to do the only logical thing - take the shoes and do it for her.

Bad decision. Not logical at all. Cue tears and total meltdown.

I tried to calm her down - to no avail. I tried to reason with her - fruitless. I finally just said, "Baby, look at my face. Do I look mad at you?" She said no. I said, "Then, why are you so upset."

And in this way, the most heart-wrenching and hurtful words I've heard in a long time came out of my daughter's mouth. Tears running down her face, she said to me:

"...because I'm mad at you, Daddy."

I cannot express the hurt that a statement like that can bring to a parent, especially when you know it's your fault in the first place. The last thing that I want to do is hurt my child. Yet, while I know there is merit to her anger toward me - she needs opportunities to grow and do things on her own - I really was just trying to help. I even heard myself saying as I tried to calm her down, "I'm not trying to hurt you. Just let me do it for you. I know a better way."

Even still, in the midst of all of that, I couldn't help but think all day about what it must be like for God, to hear from His children, "I'm mad at you."

We only see a glimpse of this as parents, as we watch our children begin to grow in independence and become the person that God has made them to be. But God sees each situation so much more clearly than we do. I'm not thinking of those moments where we know there is nothing we can do and we must depend on God to handle it (even if it's the last, begrudging thing we do). I'm thinking of those days when we know we ought to trust God to take care of things, but we have the means to do it ourselves and so we do it our way instead. God sees those moments and He looks at us and says, "Just trust me. I know a better way."

And sometimes, maybe even all the time, we get so upset and frustrated and...well, mad because we know how to solve the problem and we want to do it "all by myself," and God knowing better just gets in the way of our plans.

Or does it?

No. It doesn't. I'm coming to realize more each day that God knowing better doesn't get in the way of my plans at all. It gets in the way of my pride.

And that hurts. As God does the things that are best for us, things that may not even be in our own plans for our lives, sometimes it will hurt. I'm reminded of a sculptor, chiseling away at all the extra stone to reveal the expertly crafted masterpiece inside. It hurts, but it is so good for us in the end because it teaches us to rely, not on our own wisdom and ability, but on the infinite wisdom and ability of God.

There will inevitably be times when Isabella is mad at me because she wants to be independent but, due to the situation, she must depend on my limited wisdom and ability (I'm thinking of things like driving and dating). Of course I won't parent perfectly and there will be many times when I rely on myself for the strength to do that - and I will fail miserably.

But the same can be said for all of us in our relationship with God. We want to be independent and self-governing, but God made us to be dependent upon Him and governed by Him. We want to worship ourselves and our strength, but God made us to worship Him alone. Because of this, we are tempted every day to grow angry with God because, ultimately, He knows the better way and to trust Him in that is to put to death our pride and our plans for the sake of His glory in our lives.

It hurts me deeply to hear Isabella tell me that she is mad at me, and I'm sure it won't be the last time either. But, imagine how much more so it is with God.

You didn't get the job you prayed for. "I'm mad at you, God."
Your financial situation gets worse instead of better. "It's your fault, God."
You lose a precious family member to death. "Why would you do this to me, God?"

There are so many things that we could get mad at God about, and yet it is unfounded and ill-informed because we cannot always see or know the purpose that He has for us in a situation. His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Sometimes we get so lost in the details of a situation that we lose sight of the bigger picture - that God has a plan for us and that His plan is to glorify Himself in all things.

Maybe this is just review for you. Good - be encouraged.
But maybe it's deeper than that. Maybe God is saying to you, right now,

"Trust me. I know a better way."

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That you might know Christ,

Revelation 5

"And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation'...'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing'...'To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever'...And the elders fell down and worshiped." :: Revelation 5:9,12,13,14

To someone reading this chapter, I can imagine one question (among many) that they might have would be, "Who is this 'Lamb' and why does everyone in heaven bow down and worship him?"

A valid question. With an amazing answer. This Lamb is the very Son of God, who lived a perfect life and died a cruel death to pay the penalty that God requires for the sins that each of us commit against Him. He died to bring us back into right relationship with God. He died to re-order our worship - from self and stuff-centered to God-centered.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, at the end of time you will join the rest of creation, on your face before the throne of heaven, in worship of the Lamb who was slain to take away the sins of the world.

The question is, will you do so willingly?

Will you be gratefully rejoicing because of your love for the Savior and the price that He paid on your behalf?

Or will you be forced to your knees in submission to the God that you refused to acknowledge your whole life?

The choice is yours.

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That you might know Christ,

After

I love the moment after it rains. The sky is crystal clear. The ground and trees and buildings all look newly washed and clean. The animals come out and resume their chirping and chittering. It is the perfect reminder that even though this world is so broken by sin, God is still making all things new. No matter the storms that we face in this life - whether persecution and suffering from others or the self-inflicted wounds of guilt and shame at our own failures - God is still sustaining and restoring us as we walk through life with Him.

This afternoon it occurred to me, however, that it doesn't always stay that way. Pretty soon the clouds roll away and the sun comes back out. It gets hot and steamy. You can almost feel the air sticking to your face and you can practically taste it on your tongue. Before long, aside from the occasional puddle (that probably annoys you more than it reminds you), you've forgotten that the rain even came. Life resumes its normalcy.

Until the next storm. Perhaps this one is worse than the last. Maybe it's the same or not so bad. Regardless, the rain still comes. The wind still blows. It seems there is no reality other than the constant downpour of water on your roof, dark skies overhead, and a sort of melancholy that the storm conveniently brought along to weigh you down and weary you to the very soul.

Yet, without fail, the storm passes and that moment, the one I almost seem to live for, the one just after the storm when everything seems so new again - that moment comes. And again I am reminded of just how perfectly God protects and sustains His creation. Again I relish the thought of the new heaven and earth that will one day come. And I rest, comforted in these thoughts.

Even still, almost in spite of the comfort that I feel in those moments after the storm, I know it cannot remain. I cannot live in that moment, nor can I live for that moment. Life doesn't work that way, does it? There are many moments spent before the storm even comes. We laugh and cry, we get stressed out and upset, and life happens. Of course there are times during the storm as well. We get frustrated as we sit in traffic, surrounded by drivers who appear to have forgotten how to function as soon as the first rain drop hits their windshield. We get terrified, huddled in the basement of our house, praying it will still be there when the storm passes. Life does not remain in those moments after the rain.

I think that sometimes I live out my faith like that. Maybe all the time, I don't know. I mean, when life is going along well and all the pieces are falling into place, I don't give a thought to the storms that will inevitably cross my path. Sometimes I almost live like temptation and trials are just things that happen to other people, something I might read about in the news. And, when those things do come my way, I either react like it's just one more annoying detail I've got to deal with or I freak out like I'm the only person in the history of the world to experience this.

But we all face storms in our faith, don't we? You see, what occurred to me in realizing that the moment after the rain isn't permanent is that all of those other moments before and during the storm are just as important. Sure, after coming through trials, we experience comfort and peace. We truly get a moment to rest as the God of all comfort wraps us up in His loving arms and reminds us that He's been there, carrying us through, sustaining us as we faced that storm - not alone, but with the Almighty God standing right beside us.

Before the storm comes, though, what are we doing? Are we content just to let life roll on by, taking the storms as they come or even trying to pretend as though we won't be affected? Tragedy strikes us all. Difficult times cut us to the very core of our being. For the Christian, suffering and persecution is inevitable.

But, for the Christian, it should also be anticipated and welcomed.

We intimately learn about comfort in those moments after a storm. But before the storm, we should be intentionally learning the art of abiding in Christ. We should be purposefully learning how to trust our God who has never failed to be trustworthy. Why? Because in the midst of the storm, we don't act methodically. We act instinctually. We don't act proactively, but reactively. If our practice has been to rely on our own strength and our own understanding, then when we faces trials and temptations we will continue to rely on our strength and understanding.

The Bible is clear however that we must "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." How much of your heart? All of it. So, if the end goal is to trust God in those situations where our gut reaction is to trust ourselves, then what needs to change?

Have you ever heard the phrase: "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket?"

If we constantly pour our own strength and understanding into normal life situations, what do you think is going to come up when you reach for that "bucket" during a storm?

We must be in the practice of constantly filling our hearts with the strength and understanding of God. How does that happen?

• Daily spending time in His Word. Peter says that God has given us everything we need for "life and godliness" through the Scriptures. How else can the Word get into our hearts unless we get into the Word?
• Daily spending time in prayer. Luke records that Jesus made a habit of prayer. How else can we submit to the will of the Father unless we offer up our own will to Him in prayer?

There are many more examples (worship and missions, to name two) but the point is this: be in the habit of filling your heart with the things of God before the storm because, whether you like it or not, the storm is coming. You can't live happily in the "after" forever.

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That you might know Christ,

To Be Or Not To Be...Content

Sunday our pastor continued working his way through 1 Timothy, specifically 6:3-10, and the main point he was making was that people will either try to use God for personal gain or they will be content simply to worship God. This started my wheels turning because it forced me to think about my own motives in pursuing a life of godliness. I started asking myself some questions, and honestly I think they are questions that we must all answer when it comes to God and our motives.

Am I trying by my own effort to earn a salvation that has already been freely given?

Am I trying to be more godly so that God will give me the things that I want?

Am I content simply to rest in the hope that I have in Christ, knowing that no matter what comes my way or crosses my path, God works for the good of those who love Him?

If I am not content, if there is always something more that I need to be happy, then what does that say about my walk with Christ and the authenticity of my faith?

If my identity is found in money and power, have I not forgotten that God owns it all anyway?

If my satisfaction is found in sex, have I not forgotten that there is no greater pleasure than to know God?

If my self-worth is found in knowledge, have I not forgotten the infinite depths of knowledge which belongs to God alone?

Maybe this whole montage of questions is just a means for me to think out loud a bit, to process what the Lord is teaching me through His Word and the men who are faithful to preach it week in and week out. But perhaps it is something that we all need to think through.

Each day when we wake up, what is the dominant thought in our minds? Is it all the things we have to do...or the disappointments we have felt...or even guilt because of our own sin and failure? Or are we confidently approaching the throne of grace to worship the only God who saves and sustains, who redeems and restores? I genuinely pray it is the latter. I also know myself and my own sin nature and I realize that we probably all wake up, more often than not, overwhelmed or defeated by the former.

And so I am purposing, I am setting my mind and heart, to pray each day:

Father, you are the Author of Life and the Hope of Salvation. You are Today, will You fill me with the contentment that can only be found in You. Today, in trial or comfort, success or failure, I will be content to know Christ and Him crucified. Today, rich or poor, happy or sad, I will be completely satisfied to rest in the hope that is Christ's blood shed for me and proclaim Your Gospel to the nations. Amen.

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That you might know Christ,

Why We Obey

Here's something about parenting that you might not have realized:

The most heart-breaking thing about a child disobeying is not the first time they do it.

It's the second,

                         and the third,

                                               and the twentieth times.

Why is that?

Because every parent, deep down in their heart, hopes that after the first time their child gets in trouble for something then the child will permanently realize the error of their way and never commit another wrong the rest of their life.

If only it were that easy...

This seems like such a random topic to write about, but it's not coming from nowhere. It's coming from my few years of being a dad up to this point. Tonight, as I sat and talked with Isabella for what seemed like the hundredth (and most certainly not the last) time about disobedience, I found myself saying something to her that I think has been brewing inside of me for quite some time.

"What happens when we disobey?"
(sniff sniff) "A spanking..."
"So do we get a spanking if we obey?"
(sniff) "No."
"How do you show Daddy you love him?"
"Hugs and kisses."
"That's right. And we don't just obey to not get a spanking. When you obey Daddy, you're showing him that you love him. Does disobeying show Daddy love?"
"No."
"What's it show him?"
"Not love."

Every time I have a conversation with Isabella about something discipline related, especially disobedience, I feel like I'm having the same conversation with God - except in reverse. He's using parenting to convict and discipline me. Maybe I'm just late to the game, but it's finally settling deep in my heart that my obedience to God should not be from fear of punishment.

Could God choose to smite me at any moment? Yes. He is God and He has that option.

But God gives me chance after chance, even though I fail miserably time and again.

Why?

Because God loves His creation, especially His human creation. We are the only created thing with His very image stamped into us. As image-bearers of God, we were made to do one thing: worship. Ideally, sin excluded, we would all worship God. We would love Him as perfectly as we were made. Our relationship would be unbroken.

And God wants us to love Him back. He wants us to obey Him, not because He'll punish us if we don't but because we love Him more than anything else in this whole world, even ourselves. Just as much as He wants us to tell Him we love Him with our words, He wants our actions to reveal the same heart of love for our Father.

But sin messed all that up. Sin broke our relationship and distorted our love. Now, we seek to worship anything and everything we can get our hands on. We worship money, sex, and power. We worship people. Most of all, we worship ourselves.

Anything but God.

Sin caused that rift in us. "And it's a void only He can fill."

And so God filled it. In the form of a baby, fully God and fully man, born to walk this earth in perfect relationship with the Father, Jesus Christ did what we could never do. On a cruel, rugged cross, dying a death He did not deserve, stepping into punishment in our place, Jesus Christ made a way where there was no way.

Why?

Because God loves us. And He wants us to love Him in return. He wants us to live for Him, to serve Him, to worship Him as He rightly deserves.

Will we continue to mess up? Of course. But we will not be repentant primarily because we fear punishment, though that is a valid concern (just because we are God's children doesn't mean that He never disciplines us).

Rather, we repent with deep mourning over our sin because we understand the depth of the punishment that Christ took on our behalf and the disappointment and hurt that God feels, just as a parent does with a child, each time we choose to make something else more important that obeying, loving, and worshipping Him.

It's important that Isabella obeys us as her parents. We have her best in mind. We're trying to help her understand not just that she should obey, but why she should obey - out of love for us, and we hope one day out of love for her Heavenly Father.

It's even more important for us to obey God. He has our best in mind, too. Better than we could ever imagine. But perhaps it's just as important for us to remember not only that we are to obey God, but why we ought to obey Him.

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That you might know Christ,