Wednesday, February 28, 2018

beyond injustice


And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”
Mark 15:2

Looking in on the trial of Jesus, as Mark records it, we see the injustice and unfairness Jesus suffered for us. He did nothing worthy of execution, yet at every turn the religious and civil authorities lead Him to His death. Pilate is the climax of this injustice. As the Roman governor he had the final say and he found no real reason for Jesus to be found guilty of capital offenses that compelled an execution order. But the crowd was demanding. And Pilate was motivated most by political expediency. And so, to please an angry crowd, he handed Jesus over to the death squad.

Ironically, this sort of thing is why Jesus came to give up His life. The complexities of sin are woven through all of human existence and experience. Sin complicates individual lives and social structures. Sin hurts us in about every way possible. Sin makes every human structure flawed and broken. We should not be surprised that we’d see Jesus the victim of a broken system even as His death and resurrection will bring victory over that broken system.

Jesus died in a broken system, betrayed by a broken system, misunderstood and lied about in that broken system, so that He could as King of Kings finally break the power of that broken system, making all things new in Him. In Jesus, all things are new. And nothing in this broken world will stop what Jesus has done and is now doing!

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

choosing worship over worry


My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Psalm 57:7

David wrote these words while fleeing for his life and hiding in a cave. That hardly seems the kind of circumstances to write such words of conviction and worship. He feels threatened by “storms of destruction” (Psalm 57:1). He is paralyzed by fear as if surrounded by hungry lions (Psalm 57:4). David is truly afraid. But he chooses to trust and worship God despite the very real fear.

God has already shown His providential protection to David. The enemy plans to end him have already backfired on them (Psalm 57:6). And witnessing God’s providential protection of His life, David can confidently sing even as he still runs for his life. He can worship beyond the fear. He can trust while hiding knowing God is keeping him safe. He chooses worship over worry!

It is no coincidence that the words “worship” and “worry” feel so similar to our souls. They both indicate what is important to the human heart. Worry is often the result of misplaced worship, pointing us to an idol of the heart that functionally replaces God revealing our real values. Worship though can banish worry when we confidently believe and choose to trust God. It can lead us to sing over our fear!

Friday, February 23, 2018

handoff


‘But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’
Deuteronomy 3:28

God raised a man
to take Israel
from under slavemaster’s hand
to know their God
and through wilderness to stand
with a new generation
finally to possess the Promised Land

But at the border
Moses would be gathered home
another leader would be raised
whom God had already shown
capable to lead by faith
making God’s victory known

Joshua in command
of Israel’s army
used by God to capture land
defeat their foes
by faith to stand

Transitioned by God
Joshua would follow
the Lord and then lead
Israel tomorrow

Moses said goodbye
climbed Pisgah
there to die

Joshua led on
bringing Israel home

Handoff complete.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Save now!


And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
Mark 11:9-10

Messianic fervor is in the shouts of this crowd as Jesus enters Jerusalem at the start of Passion Week. The entire episode is direct fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. The cries of “Hosanna” (literally “save now!”) are more in hopes of ending Roman occupation than they are hopes for eternal salvation. Ultimately Jesus would die to end a tyranny more cruel and more globally repressive: He would, by His death and resurrection, save His people from Satan’s global empire and would destroy the domination of sin and death over human experience.

But in this scene we see the gentle majesty of our Savior. He has the authority and power of the King of kings over all that rules this earth. He has the calm and controlled majesty of the Prince of Peace. He brings the hope of deliverance with him every yard further into the city as the donkey carries Him. He is worthy of praise because He is indeed humanity’s only hope.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey just a week from His death and resurrection. There, He would show His authority at every teaching moment: in the temple, to His challengers, and ultimately display it vividly in His crucifixion. There He would die to “save now”. And His resurrection from the dead on the third day would save us “in the highest”! Hosanna!

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

It’s OK to be broken.


The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17

David wrote these words in the broken experience of being confronted in his sin, in a season of repentance, still carrying fresh in his thinking the consequences of muliple sins for which God was forgiving him. And on the human scale they were really big sins: adultery, murder, lies, and conspiracy. And God assured David of deep forgiveness of these sins. Yet the consequences would still continue to make big waves the rest of David’s days.

Still, at this point, David knows that the broken feeling, the powerlessness, the waiting, the enormity of the sins revisiting him, and the need to cast his soul on a merciful God were all the right state of mind for him. He needed to keep expressing a broken spirit before God. This was not unbelief, but rather an expression of belief and his need for only God to bring relief. His raw, painful awareness of his offense before God and his desire for repentance were a kind of worship, as important as the offerings of sacrifices to atone for these sins under the law.

I have known broken seasons where the Spirit of God and the Word of God confronted me on the seriousness of my sins. I know what it is to grieve the sin and still have to grieve the consequences of sin at the same time. And God’s mercy and grace never feel closer to me than those times... and they may last for days... a season of brokenness that soaks my soul in mercy. God’s nearness is known in repentance. He is the Father that runs to the broken, repentant prodigal. God welcomes the broken-hearted sinner because He sent His Son as the friend of sinners to put an end to their sin by suffering death’s consequences for them! Amen! It is great to find such grace when broken.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

before the LORD


So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Numbers 32:20-23

Moses instructed the leaders of Gad and Reuben on their responsibility to God in the conquest of Canaan. Early on, Israel defeated Midian east of the Jordan, and the tribes of Gad and Reuben desired to make that territory their homeland. Moses is willing to do what they desire, but there is still God’s mandate for them to continue to fulfill. Four times in this passage Moses reminds them that God has purposed to use them in the continued conquest. They are still warriors. The repeated reminder is found in the phrase “before the LORD.”

Gad and Reuben must take up weapons “before the LORD.” They must cross the Jordana with their fellow Israelite soldiers “before the LORD.” The land will be subdued “before the LORD.“ Then they can take possession of their east-Jordan homeland “before the LORD.”

They were obligated “to the LORD and to Israel.” Moses also points out that failure to do this would be sin “against the LORD.” All the hard work, and the fight ahead to win the Promised Land was an act of obedience. Life lived “before the LORD” obeys Him out of worship with a desire for God’s will to be accomplished with and through us.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Do you not yet understand?


And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Mark 8:21

This morning I feel like Jesus has asked this question of me as His disciple. Just like His twelve were so earthly focused that they were worried about only having one small loaf of bread on the boat to share among them all, so I worry over the perceived shortages of stuff I see in my hands, missing in that short-sightedness what God has in Christ for me. It is the way self-focus robs my faith, and just at it operated among the disciples with Jesus in their very midst, so it also is disruptive of my trust in my Lord Who has promised to always be with me.

Jesus points out the irony of their worry over not bringing enough food for the boat trip. Just hours earlier Jesus had miraculously fed 4000 hungry people with just seven loaves of bread. The crowd was fed and they picked up seven baskets full of bread that they literally did not have when they started distributing the seven loaves! God had more than provided for their needs.

But as soon as there was a brief perceived shortage again, the disciples began arguing amongst themselves rather than talking with Jesus. They missed what God could provide. And in that moment of self-doubt and anxiety, Jesus asked them a hard question to pull their focus back onto Him... “Do you not yet understand?” Point made, Jesus... Fear, anxiety, and sinful worldly preoccupation all contributed to a lack of faith and a works-based mindset that blinded them to the truth literally seated among them. And that same faithless combo pulls my heart from understanding Jesus and recognizing His work in my life. I hear the question and the point is made to me: Trust Jesus. He can handle it. He will get me through. I truly do not have the resources to make it through with my meager one loaf. But if I understand Jesus, He will provide.


Friday, February 16, 2018

a song against fear


“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10

This is a song against our deepest fears. And in it God Himself calls for us to calm ourselves in His worship, to know Him and know that He is making Himself known by the praise of the nations of the earth. There are three verses to its melody.

The song opens with a strong statement of God’s help as He is our refuge and strength in all trouble. This stabilizes our souls when fear shakes us in catastrophic circumstances (Psalm 46:1-3). It equips us to face the unthinkable.

Then we see how this trust in God helps bring true joy. God’s presence is with those who trust in Him. This makes fearful hearts glad, confident in the help that God brings, despite the threats from nations that rage against God. God will demolish the threats we fear with one simple utterance of His voice, providing safety and security again, and He is so strong that a mere word defeats our fears (Psalm 46:4-7).

Finally, the song in a third verse calls us to behold what God has done. We view the shattered, desolate remains of what we once feared. All the weapons aimed against us are broken, shattered, and burned. And as we stand in wonder in the wreckage of what we once feared, we hear God’s voice calling us: “Be still and know that I am God.” He is with us, always our strong fortress (Psalm 46:8-11).

O God my fortress,
I still and quiet my anxious soul in You. I long for Your peace to make an end of the circumstances that tempt me to fear. I have tried to control them in a vain hope that my own power would save me from the anxiety. I’ve missed seeing Your great power. I repent and I trust. I will see You exalted above this present personal turmoil. You will make an end of what looks impossible to me. Yes, I will trust.
Amen

Thursday, February 15, 2018

provision


And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting.
Numbers 18:31

One of the main “sources of income” for the Levites as they served in the sacrificial system at the altar was found in the grain, wine, and sacrificial animals brought to the Lord in tithes from the Israelites. The Levites were commanded to take a portion of these food tithes for themselves, to feed and provide for their families. They were cared for by the very ministry that they performed.

God did not want the priests and Levites worried about their source of living. They were called to hard, daily, constant work in the worship of the Lord. They were given no inheritance of land or property, but were instead devoted to the work in God’s house. So their provision also came from that same work. God decreed a method for their needs to be met as they devotedly and sacrificially served Him.

And God did not leave His servants empty handed. The Levites would never go hungry as long as they served God. So it is as we minister the gospel and serve Jesus today, no matter what our work environment. He will provide in the service as we serve. We only need to trust, to be willing to make ministry a priority in whatever vocation God has given us, and then know God’s sweet and timely provision.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Hope in Jesus



And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Mark 5:34

Jesus called her “daughter”.
She had suffered long,
body in pain,
condition worsening.
But still she saw hope with Jesus.

Jesus called her “daughter”,
though for twelve years
she endured disease.
A mystery made her unclean.
But all on her own, she placed hope in Jesus.

Jesus called her “daughter”.
She wanted anonymity.
Hiding in a crowd,
she believed teaching His cloak
would bring health from Jesus.

Jesus called her “daughter”.
He called her out from the crowd,
commending her faith
and her faith-filled honest admission.
She found her new life in Jesus.

Jesus called her “daughter”.
Tender words of family
assured her of His grace
and love’s power healed her disease.
She found her hope in Jesus!

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

self counseling


Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Psalm 43:5

Life can throw us some very unexpected and disappointing circumstances. It can look tough. Physical illness, a strained relationship, loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or just the stress of a new season of life can all start to seem to us to be impossible situations. And then if a few of these are hitting us at the same time, we may feel as if we can bear no more. Our souls are in turmoil and downcast, in Old Testament terms. In modern parlance: we are depressed.

Our lives have these sort of lows. It is inevitable for two reasons: 1) we live in a broken world that has been cursed because of sin and that broken experience is magnified by all the other broken people around us. 2) We ourselves are very broken and usually don’t own our own level of sinfulness, often choosing to blame circumstances or other people.

But there is a faith-filled self-talk here in this psalm to help us when we struggle in our broken pain. Faith says to the emotionally torn soul, “Why?... Why are you in such distress when God is in control? Believe Him!” And then faith finds confidence in God, in the worship and praise of the Lord of our salvation. He will help. He IS help. He will save us in the difficult days. He IS our salvation. He is where our broken souls should focus to find relief in those difficult, broken, unthinkable, downcast days of suffering.

Monday, February 12, 2018

trumpet sounds


On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.
Numbers 10:10

Two silver trumpets were constructed by Israel in the wilderness at the command of God. They served several purposes. Primarily they were used to signal all the assembly when it was time to set up a new camp or to move on. They were an early warning system meant to muster troops to defense. And they were blown to signal great occasions of joyful celebration. All these were useful applications for the people of Israel.

But the trumpets also served a distinct purpose in worship specifically for God. They were sounded over offerings. The music from the trumpets was a “reminder” before God of the obedience of His people and the atonement provided by the sacrifices. In that way the sound of the trumpets was a part of real worship. And when God heard the toning of the trumpets, He knew His people were honoring Him as the LORD their God.

The trumpets then were useful instruments of the covenant Israel enjoyed with God. They served a functional as well as ceremonial purpose. The trumpets called the nation to literally follow God across the wilderness. The horns signaled times of alarm, but also occasions of joy. And most importantly, they trumpeted out a regular reminder of God’s faithful, merciful provision for the sin of the nation.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

worship and doubt


And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
Matthew 28:17

This is a stunning bit of information in the post-resurrection gospel story. It is included in the text because it really happened that way. Jesus rose from the dead and even those closest to Him struggled with it when they saw and heard Him themselves. They worshiped. Some doubted.

Now if the resurrection of Jesus were pure fable and fiction, it would make more sense for this doubting detail to never make the official accounts. We read it today never having seen Jesus, asked to believe that He said and did what is recorded and that He rose from the grave. This inclusion of the disciples’ own doubt is a test to our own faith. But the doubt was very real because the fact of the resurrection is very real. I mean I would seriously doubt my experience if I went to a funeral only to bump into the deceased a few days later in a town down the road! Jesus did what NEVER happens. He rose from the dead.

And Jesus gave this band of eleven worshipers peppered with a few amazed skeptics the command to continue His kingdom work. He had all authority in heaven and earth. They needed to make more disciples, continuing to follow Jesus’ commanding authority as Lord. They would go from there, making disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as well as teaching them to observe all that Jesus says. Doubt would dissipate in obedience.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

precious steadfast love


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

What is the most precious thing to my soul? Of course my home and my own children... my beloved wife all spring to mind as the dearest people to my heart. But there is One more precious... more important... more needed. Jesus is most precious because in Him I know a steadfast love that transforms me and saves me. It is constant, unchanging, and no matter how bad my circumstances may feel, His love is always by my side. His precious love is what compels my soul to love God, truly love the people God has placed closest to me, and learn to love the world that God loves.

Without the steadfast love of Jesus I would still be lost in sin. I’d be so much more self-driven than I am. I’m sure I’d be a one man neurotic mess of narcissistic drive. It has taken the vision of steadfast love from Jesus Who died for all sin to shake me from a worldview that is only all about me. And in that love I have found others who have found refuge in the shadow of His wings!

I know the love of a great God. And it is a love that through Christ is extended to all humanity. It is the most precious thing in all the world. Saints have died with only it in their heart, suffering for it, and have joyously known all they needed in Christ as they have taken refuge in the shadow of the wings of love in Jesus. I should live for the joy of knowing, proclaiming, and showing by my actions to others the steadfast love of Christ.

Monday, February 5, 2018

the better priest


Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.
Leviticus 16:11

God instituted the levitical priesthood and sacrifices so that atonement could be made for His people’s sin. But it was a necessary messy business, made all the more complex by the fact that the high priest and his family were themselves also sinners. This made the awkward situation of the priest publically performing sacrifices meant to atone for his own sins. This happened regularly as fallen leaders publically declared their sin and had to display their own need to deal with sin before a holy God as He had demanded of them.

In the levitical system a bull had to be slaughtered to atone for priestly sins. Sacrifices were made out of obedience to a holy God Whose righteous demands meant that all sin must be atoned for with the shed blood of a sacrifice. And the priests modeled this obedience by offering this special sacrifice on the Day of Atonement just to cover their own sin.

Thankfully now, we have perfect Great High Priest in Jesus. He never had to offer sacrifices for His own sins. Instead, His sinless sacrifice for us has forever atoned sin, appeased God’s wrath on sin, and taken away the guilt of those who have believed in Him as Savior. We cannot save ourselves, but His perfect atoning work for us HAS indeed saved us. He is the true and better High Priest Who gave Himself for us.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Power and Great Glory


Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:30

A day is yet to be
when all the world will see
Jesus completing the story
returning in power and great glory

And on that day at His sign
the clouds reveal a new time
with Jesus in power on high
the King of Glory will draw nigh

In heaven’s clouds all will see
a Savior, Judge, Who will be
Ruler over all, His saints set free
to know His power and great glory

Thursday, February 1, 2018

abundant goodness


Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
Psalm 31:19

God is rich and generous in His grace. His goodness is abundantly shown to us every day. Each morning as I awaken once again to His tender mercies, He forgives my sins as I confess them to God, showering me with grace and love as I seek to serve Him. I am in awe of all God does for me. And this supply is never wasted on His people. It is always stored up for us. God has more grace than we can every fully comprehend.

There are no limits to what good things God has for His people. In fact, an eternity of His love awaits each one of His children. We may struggle believing it in the midst of temporary difficulties, bewildered by what we struggle to understand right now. Yet the grace of God in Jesus keeps our souls, remakes us into new creations in Christ, forever loving us. Struggling now is only a momentary affliction in the scale of vast eternity!

God is good. God is faithful, true, and abundantly gracious to repentant sinners. His grace is forever shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We are forever loved, forgiven, and reborn in Christ as children of that inexhaustible grace. How abundant is His goodness to us in Jesus! It is stored up in eternal storehouses for those who trust Christ! His goodness works in our lives now as we take refuge in Him. And all the world can now see the good grace of Jesus among us as we follow Him.