testing my motives

For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

Motivations can be tricky things. I doubt I truly discern the motives of another person. I sometimes have a hard time figuring out why I do the things I do, let alone have certainty about others, even family with whom I am close. But when I start to ask myself two questions regularly, I can begin to root out my motivations more clearly.

The first question is: Why do I do what I do? The answer is somewhat simple: I do what I do because I want something. For instance, I spend an evening tying flies at the vise because I want to have the tools I need to catch fish when I am on the water. That’s pretty straightforward. The answer is much more complicated though when sin enters the picture. What did I want when I yelled at my kids? What was I hopping to achieve when I gossiped about someone? Sometimes even legitimate wants get warped into selfish actions and demands.

The second question helps root out the selfishness and sinful motives: Who am I hoping to please? I guarantee in a problematic relationship or rough patch of my life, 99% of the time the answer is: I want to please me. But Paul, who suffered much, made his motivation for gospel ministry in life very focused: “to please God Who tests our hearts”. He will honor true actions meant to please Him. Knowing He tests our motives forces us to align our hearts to be more self-resistant and more God-focused. And those motives will help us live lives pleasing to the Lord.

Jesus is most important.

As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

Luke 9:34-35

When you think about it, the transfiguration of Jesus was overwhelming with its experience. Peter, James, and John had to be amazed as they witnessed it. Jesus takes them to the crest of a high hill. They relax and the disciples take a nap, only to be startled awake witnessing Jesus glowing like the sun and watching Him have a conversation with Moses and Elijah. That’s right... two historical figures who were dominant superstars in Jewish culture. The Moses who wrote the first five books of the Bible.... the Elijah who was the standard for prophetic power... those two guys were chatting with Jesus. This glowing meeting was their first sight upon rubbing their eyes in disbelief! All of this was happening right in front of them.

Peter is excited by all this, as anyone would be when seeing glowing biblical characters talking together. He starts to suggest they build tents to keep these guys all together for a while. I mean... wouldn’t it be fantastic for every Jew to see Jesus in the company of the the two All Star Old Testament hall-of-famers? But just then the scene changes.

As Peter begins hatching his plan, a cloud rolls over the hill and envelopes them so quickly that everyone gets scared. And in that ominous moment God the Father booms out the command to listen to only His Chosen Son, Jesus. The freak-out moment ends with the cloud lifting and the disciples again alone with Jesus, back to His normal brightness levels, standing together at the top of the hill. The most important lesson? Listen to Jesus.

Speak Lord, and I will listen. I will follow You alone, Jesus. I will look for You in all scripture’s pages. I will let Your love as the Chosen Savior and Beloved Son lead my thinking. Amen.

always blessing the Lord

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,

who stand by night in the house of the Lord!

Lift up your hands to the holy place

and bless the Lord!

Psalm 134:1-2

These words were sung enthusiastically by pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem to worship, eventually ascending Zion’s hill to offer their worship and sacrifices at the temple of the LORD. They journeyed to worship. They worshipped as they journeyed. They anticipated God’s blessing in worship in the temple. They rejoiced in the worship even as they trekked to the temple.

Worship is then both a journey and a destination. My soul can bless the Lord as I prepare to worship just as enthusiastically as it does when I am gathered in a worship service. I can bless the LORD as I serve Him, as I sing to Him, and as I gather with His people. At all times and at any time my soul should bless my Savior and my God.

And so today, as I go about my duties, I pray that I can do so in worship. I will bless the Lord as I journey to my work, where I can serve God in the details of my day. As I reach out to others, as I pray for and converse with leaders, with sinners and saints, I will first seek to worship Jesus. I will remind myself that I can only do what I do because Jesus died for my sin so that I might be forgiven before God, blessed with Christ’s righteousness, and given new, eternal life in Him. And I will look for ways to rejoice in that gospel in my conversations today. I will bless my Lord!

ministry rhythm

When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

Luke 9:11

Jesus planned to take a strategic retreat with His disciples to the town of Bethsaida. The goal appears to have been both a rest from busy ministry and a chance to debrief with His apostles who had all just returned from a season in which Jesus had sent them out into the surrounding villages to preach, heal, and proclaim His kingdom. But the break never came as planned.

News about Jesus seems to have traveled faster than He did. The crowds of needy souls showed up in Bethsaida, and Jesus did not dismay. Instead, He loved them by welcoming them, preaching His good news, and healing the sick among them. Nothing changed. He kept serving those He came to save.

Jesus shows us that loving and caring for people doesn’t really need an off switch. Yes, there is wisdom in taking a break. Yes, a good time of Sabbath is healthy for the soul of the minister and Jesus certainly modeled that practice. Sinners need Jesus though. They will come to Him. We should always welcome those who do so!

Later in the text it is clear that Jesus does get some alone time with His disciples (Luke 9:18). Busy seasons don’t last forever. God will bring us rest and honor our desire for Sabbath with Him. Sometimes that comes as we plan it. Sometimes it comes as a time of refreshing from Him. Living in a ministry rhythm means we are always ready to serve, worship, or rest in the Lord.

Canyonlands

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

Psalm 130:1-2

The soul can feel deep anguish. From there the heart cries out to God. In a bottomless canyon of grief, pain, sadness, or loss we can only look up. And from these awful, unimagineable depths, the Lord will hear the desperate cry. The Lord will encourage the soul in this depressed depth of despair. When we are at our lowest, God is near. He hears our cries for mercy. We are never lost in these canyons with only the echoes of our cries for company. God is with us. The scriptures encourage us to pray to Him from the depths, for God will hear and answer our cries for His help.

Jesus knows the deepest of these depths. He knew it in Gethsemane as He agonized in prayer the night of His betrayal, devoting Himself to the pain-filled road before Him. He knew it most from the cross, where His heart cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Our Great High Priest can sympathize with the darkest, deepest canyons of our souls. He know the greatest of those depths, having gone deeper than any human every could. He took our sorrows with Him to His cross and bore them in His soul in the deepest of dark places so that we can trust His deliverance when we are looking up from our own impossible canyons.

Canyons are both beautiful and dangerous. They seem at times uncrossable, and from the bottom may feel unclimbable. But the God Who made them knows the way through them. And when my soul is in a canyonland, I will cry out to God Who will hear, know, and answer with His merciful love... out of the depths.

Love brings it together.

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:14

Called to obey

to be pure

in what I do and say

Called holy

by Christ

as I live my life

Called to belong

to His Body

in a church holy

Called different

from those outside

the life in which I abide

Love brings all this together

Love leads me to obey

in love

I’m led in what I do and say

Love made me holy

in Christ

Who for my sins died

Love is where I belong

drawn into God’s family

for all eternity

Love is the difference

the watchers should see

what Jesus does in me

taking a stand

But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great victory.

1 Chronicles 11:14

Eleazar fought when the rest of the army fled and God strengthened and blessed his valor. It would appear that Eleazar’s faith was a part of this bravery. At one strategic field of barley this man refused to let fear get the best of him. He fought on until the enemy was either in retreat or K.I.A. He took his stand and it meant he was in the fight... all alone, but not alone, with God. The Lord used him to turn a defeat around. The Philistines may have run off all the other defenders, but they could not overrun Eleazar’s position. One man turned the tide of battle.

This is an example of how far God can used the courage to obey. Eleazar’s stand became his testimony of faith. All of Israel would come to know him as one of King David’s “Mighty Men”. His fight and courage in a barley field swarming with Philistines became his story of faith. God enabled one man to hold his ground and win a battle. God was the hero of saving Israel through the actions of faithful, fighting Eleazar.

I do not know where faith will have me to take a stand. But I do believe that when such moments occur, if I am rooted in the conviction of the gospel, confident in the power of my God, and willing to risk it all for Jesus, God will be the One standing with me and by faith, in me. And whatever happens from there is in God’s control. He will turn the tide when He wills it. I will trust in Him.

the good soil

As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Luke 8:15

I love the way Luke tells us the explanation of the parable of the soils. There is a strong emphasis on the nature of the human heart in response to the gospel. It shows us how the Christian life grows from the heart.

The seed landing on the side path represents people who hear the gospel, but the devil finds a way to take away the impact of the gospel “from their hearts” so that they choose not to believe (Luke 8:12). The seed in the rocky soil is received with a joy in hearts, and after an early faith, quickly withers when difficulties emerge that test the heart (Luke 8:13). The seed among thorns represents hearts easily drawn into the “cares, riches, and pleasures” of life that choke the gospel from bearing mature fruit in the heart (Luke 8:14).

But in the good soil of a Christian, the gospel grows. It is held fast in an honest and good heart now cleansed by faith in Christ. It grows into a maturing crop that bears fruit patiently over time as from the heart real change begins to take place. It isn’t easy. But it is beautiful, organic, and real.

From a heart changed by Jesus through the gospel, I can patiently see the fruit of obedience to His Word. I believe this. I will continue to live for this. I will rejoice when I see the crop growing in good soil around me.

Do it again!

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream...

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like streams in the Negeb!

Psalm 126:1, 4

When my kids were little and some activity at playtime with them was particularly fun, they would squeal with delight and then breathlessly request, “Do it again!” Pushing them high on a playground swing... “Do it again!” Tossing them into the air and catching them with a hug... “Do it again, daddy!” The joy always was great and wanted repeating. And I often would comply until there was no way I could keep at it.

This psalm delights in God in much the same way. God brought Zion (the Temple Mount, synonymous with worship and the welfare of Jerusalem) back from Israel’s neglect and His judgment. And pilgrims trekked to Jerusalem to ascend the Temple Mount, thankful for a way to worship God in obedience to the covenant. This felt like a waking dream to those able to return in restored relationship. It was a delight. And the joy was dreamy in its intensity.

And then there is that childlike, breathless request: “Do it again, Lord!... Restore our fortunes... We want the joy of seeing a fresh spring of joy open up and flow through the desert of our pains!” This was the worship request of a generation thrilled with the joy of anticipation of worship. They did not want to lose that thrill, and so they ask for it to continually renew them like a fresh stream in the parched Negeb.

Lord,

I pray that childlike joy in the wonder of Your saving love in Jesus would always restore in me the joy of my salvation. Do it again!

Amen

Gospel... past, present, and future

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him...

Colossians 1:21-22

As a Christian my past, present, and future are all bound up in the gospel of Jesus Christ. My life is defined by what Jesus has done for me. Before I came to believe in Jesus, I was in the worst state imaginable. But “Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God”. Although I was alienated from God by my own sinful condition, hostile to holiness in my self-driven mindset, and only capable of doing evil in comparison to a holy God, Jesus chose to die for this mess in me! And by faith in His sacrifice, I am now transformed! He has reconciled me to a holy God by virtue of His redeeming death. I am changed. 

Now I am reconciled to God in this present moment. I am made right solely by the fact that the righteousness of Christ is applied to my account and since I am now seen as righteous by Jesus’ righteousness, the Father, Who is well-pleased with His Son, accepts me as His own. I am in proper, loving, family relationship with my Father in heaven!

And He will keep me. Jesus wants to present me holy and blameless and above reproach to the Father. I am free to live in a future glory not worthy to be compared to even my greatest joys today. Praise the Lord! I am saved... past, present, and future!

Delivered

Blessed be the Lord,

who has not given us

as prey to their teeth!

Psalm 124:6

You delivered me

from evil

what threatened me

is gone

by Your power, Lord

You delivered me

You saved me

from the curse

what would death do to me?

...now that I’m alive

by Your grace, Lord

You have saved me

You protect me

even now

from a world of evil

I am free

with Your hand, Lord

You protect me

You lead me

in truth

to do the things

that please You

in Your Word, Lord

You lead me

You will complete in me

by Your might

what You began in me

through Christ

in Jesus, my Lord

You complete me

gospel partnership

And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.

Philippians 4:15

Stewardship of my time, abilities, throughts, and income all directly tie to the growth of the gospel. Paul commended the church at Philippi for being a group of Christians who willingly supported his preaching of the gospel. Initially they were the only church to do so. But because they invested in the gospel, many other men and women became Christians. Churches were born. Lives were changed. Jesus was preached, praised, and promoted. And their financial commitment made it happen even in the midst of hardship. They were willing to do this because they had a gospel vision driving them.

Does a gospel vision drive the way that I live my life? What I want most to happen with my daily work, with my use of income, and with the relationships I cultivate is for Jesus to be made much of so that the gospel will change hearts. I want to live a life well invested in the kingdom of heaven. I want my greatest contributions made because of the gospel, in support of the good news that Jesus saves sinners, and for the future of His church thriving around the world.

May I use what He has given me in this life to spread the life of Christ. May I care like Jesus, proclaim His saving love, and live for the gospel today!

God always cares.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalm 121:3

God’s care for me never stops. There is not a moment, day or night, when I am not kept by the sovereign grace of my God. The Lord never forgets about me. He is always with me. His care never fails. Even when I sleep, God’s vigilant love guards me. I can rest in the continuous care of God. For that I am extremely grateful.

Every morning this summer I have awakened to birdsong. Those birds sing under the watchful eye of their Creator Who knows when even a sparrow falls. How much more does He care for my soul? He sent His Son to live and to die my death so that He can care for me forever! That is an amazing love. Even as I am moved by it this morning, I am not even below the surface of the deep care God has for the world.

O Lord,

You love me with a love that never rests nor desires to do so. You will always love me. I do not need to put my trust in anything else. No job sustains me. No house protects me. No food nourishes me. All of these are YOUR gifts from Your unfailing, constant care. Thank You, O Lord, for never slumbering. Amen

joy always

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

Joy is found in Jesus and as I am reminded by Paul in this command, it is always found in Jesus. I can always rejoice in the Lord. I can rejoice when life goes well. I can rejoice when I experience difficulty. I can know grace in Jesus even as I struggle with sins in my heart or with others. I can find joy, even in the sorrows of life. There may be loss. There may be death. But in Jesus there is always gain and always life. Praise the Lord! I can rejoice.

Selfishness will miss this joy. I can moan over my pains. I can fuss over my relationships. I have a tendency to want more than I need and feel either deficient or entitled as a result. And all these sinful, selfish attitudes will rob me of joy. But when I center on the gospel and I am truly thankful for what Jesus has done in saving a sinner like me, I will rejoice! I will sing in my heart! I will know joy.

Rejoice, O my soul! Jesus has saved you! Jesus is now your life. You are always His and He will complete His good work in you for His glory. Praise Jesus for this great gift of life and grace. Know His power at work in you to bring you joy... always.

expecting nothing

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36

God is merciful to a world that ignores and rejects Him. He sent His Son, Jesus, into that world. And Jesus was rejected by an angry mob that crucified Him. God raised His Son from the dead, and left behind a church that believes and preaches eternal salvation and abundant living for any who would believe and follow Jesus. And that message is changing those who believe, even as it is increasingly scoffed and rejected in the world. God continues to show mercy so that some may come to Jesus. He asks us to be the same way.

I write these words on a Monday morning, the traditional start of a “work week” for most folks in my culture. I will soon dig into my daily agenda, start answering messages and working a plan for today and beyond to be what we often call “productive”. It is results-focused living. It looks for something to come from the effort. But now I must take as my first organizing thought this command from Jesus: “Be merciful... be merciful as God is merciful.”

Very practical concepts from Jesus are behind the call to be merciful like the Father. I must love enemies as Jesus loved them. He died for them. I must give away my time and my money, not lend it for gain. I must expect nothing in return for this commitment to be loving, good, and generous to those around me. I should expect them to provide no productive gain. I should rather expect to experience some rejection, ungratefulness, and perhaps even evil treatment in response to this. My reward is greater than what they can give me. It comes by being a son of God through Christ.

Doing these things, I will then know how God is treated in His mercy. And then my heart will be changed to be merciful as the Father is merciful. This will please the Father. And that is the finest result!

Pressing On

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Philippians 3:12

I’m not there yet...

not even close

Sometimes I see it...

my heavenly goal

Over the crest of life’s hill

I can catch the faint sight

but then the sun goes down

and in fading light

I press on

It’s getting near...

my final day

when I will be home

with Jesus to stay

The journey is constant

as I take the path

that will only end

at my death...

So I press on

I want to see Jesus...

make life with Him my own

And I long to be forever

in my Savior’s heavenly home

I can do this because

He first saved me

I will dwell with Him

In a glorious eternity...

I will press on

the sum of truth

The sum of your word is truth,

and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Psalm 119:160

Add up all that the Bible says and you get one result: TRUTH. God’s Word is the truth. It is all true... every book, every chapter, every teaching, and every word. The search for life-changing truth begins and ends in the Bible. It is what I know I need. And I will dwell there.

The world however is a very unreliable source of truth. It is too changeable. It is full of conflicting viewpoints. It is deceptive and will lie convincingly to us. Search for truth on the internet... You won’t find any of it you can trust now in the era of the “Deep Fake” video and the insta-famous celebrity. I cannot trust what humans say is true. I will be disappointed and deceived.

But I can trust what God says. In the Bible I have deeply tested truth that has carried generations of believers through good times and bad times for millennia. I have the Word of my Creator to show me all that really is. I have the Word of my Savior to show me how He wants me to change and grow. I have the Word of God to show me how to worship and please Him. I have the truth and every bit of it lasts forever.

growing over time

Long have I known from your testimonies

that you have founded them forever.

Psalm 119:152

Although I feel like the very first word of this verse is my personal experience with scripture, I in no way possible, even come close to trusting God and His Word as fully as I should. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God still must daily chip away at what does not look like Jesus in me. Long I have known the surety of the scriptures. And I have a long way still to go. Repentance, faith, and growth in understanding the Bible are a constant and consistent daily need in me and will be my lifestyle until I die.

Growth has happened. I live substantially different (and better spiritually) in my fifties than I did in my twenties. For that I am so thankful! The Word of God that is founded forever is bringing me so much. It will lead me well into the autumn and winter of my life, where I hope to still see God bless the “long obedience in the same direction” (a great term for the Christian life coined by the late Eugene Petersen).

The stability of scripture sustains me at a “pilgrim’s pace” (to switch to Bunyan’s ageless analogy now). The daily drip of an infusion of God’s mind and thoughts via the intake of scripture are what I always need. Long I have known His testimonies. May I know them even longer for they will sustain me, as I follow them to Jesus, every day... until my last earthly day opens my soul up into living forever with my Lord!

Sickos

And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31-32

When I am least cognizant of my status as a sinner, I am least aware of my Savior. But when I readily search my heart and know the sins I’ve done and the depth of sin of which I am capable, I lean hard into heeding Jesus’ call to repent and turn to Him. I need a physician for this sick heart. I need a Savior for my sins. I need Jesus, for I am not well and I am not righteous!

Jesus upset the religious elite by His constant association with people they deemed “sinners”. Everyone came to hear Jesus preach the truth and to receive His healing touch. The mercy He gave to sinners... a mercy consisting of common conversation and the power of His presence, was vastly different from the separationist policies of the Pharisees. Jesus saved from the midst of a crowd of broken, sinful people. He was with them. He lived among them. He ate at their tables, talked with them, challenged them, healed them, and made them His disciples.

Lord Jesus,

I want my heart to be forgiven of my great sin, so I will live with an awareness of the redemption You bring. I also want to freely follow You among a crowd of unpretentious sick people in line for You, the Great Doctor, to make them whole. You are the friend of despised people and outcasts. You are the friend of sinners. Help me to love sinners who need You as much as I need You!

Amen

wonderful word

Your testimonies are wonderful;

therefore my soul keeps them.

Psalm 119:129

I find joy

in what You say

Your living word

shows the way

I should follow

every day

In Your word

I delight

it fills my days

calms my night

as You speak to me

what is right

I find the truth

of Your Word

showing me

my precious Lord

pointing me home

heavenward

Wonder and delight are

what I’ve found

in scriptures pages

my joy abounds

I will keep enjoying while

glory bound

gifts of faith and suffering

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Philippians 1:29-30

There are two gracious gifts through Christ that Paul mentions to the believers in the Philippian church. The first it the gift of faith in the gospel of Jesus. This gift from God had saved them. The second gift is one we may be tempted to see as something less that a gift of God’s grace. But suffering for the sake of faith is a blessing granted by God. It shows the genuine nature of faith. It strengthens belief in the gospel. It extends the reach of the gospel. It draws those under persecution closer to their Lord.

Paul reminds the church at Philippi that their sufferings for the sake of Jesus root them closer to Christ and closer to Paul’s own experience of persecution. When the gospel is under attack, the church unifies around Jesus. The gospel is strengthened. The church endures. The gift of faith often expands in the experience of persecution.

An evil age despises a holy Savior. And His church will also be hated. Christianity grew rapidly as the gospel was watered by the blood of Christian martyrs. And though Jesus had been brutalized by Roman whips, He is now our risen and living Lord! Death could not stop Him from saving us! It will not stop the gospel we love and proclaim.

“And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us...”