worship & meditation

I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

Psalm 119:48

There are two places the rich and rewarding truths of God’s Word fill up our lives described in this verse. We see the sufficiency of scripture and the transcendence of God’s Word described. And what was true of this hymn to scripture in ancient Israel is powerfully still very true today.

Scripture fills our worship. As the psalmist worships, lifting hands in praise, the posture of worship is directed toward God’s commandments. It is God’s Word that motivates to worship. It is holy truth that turns hands toward holy worship of God’s holy Word. It is love for God’s own commandments that moves the heart to praise. We must worship in, by, because of, and in response to God’s Word speaking to us. The Word of God should be a major part of our liturgy, in fact, we cannot truly worship without it. God must speak and we must respond. God’s Word is our true worship leader.

Scripture fills our thinking. This too is a kind of worship that continues even when we leave the congregation. We meditate on God’s Word. Unlike the worthless practice of eastern mysticism that says meditations means emptying our minds (an impossibility), biblical meditation is about filling our minds.We fill our thinking with scripture. That means repeated reading of God’s Word… word by word… exploring its depths. It means singing God’s Word, in wonder, praise, and rich personal connection. It means memorizing scripture so that hidden in our hearts are the very thoughts of God Himself, ready to guide us at the Spirit of God’s bidding.

Loving the Lord, and loving His Word, means we commit to worship by the book. It means we commit to meditation on God’s truth. It means we dive deep, personally, productively, emotionally, and spiritually, into a treasure store of truth for all of our lives… truth that carries us confidently, and worshipfully, always to our eternal God forever.

missions: mystery & ministry

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:6

The gospel is the great uniter. It breaks all barriers and brings all believers together into one Body of Christ. In Jesus we are one. And God desires that the Church celebrates and rallies around this reality. There is unity in diversity. There is beauty in God’s planned design of many different ethnicities, races, and colors of humanity united in the worship of Jesus!

What can we do to surely celebrate this mosaic? Paul gave all his life efforts as a Jew among Gentiles to proclaim, publish, and promote this great, mysterious work of Christ. Would we do the same? To do so means stepping out of comfort zones. It means personal exposure and risk. It means cultural exploration and adventure. It means venturing at personal cost to other ethnic expressions much different than our own in order to reach our world with the gospel. This is why missions exists. And will we dare to leave the enclave of our own ethnic comfort zone to make sure the gospel goes everywhere?

Jesus,

You are making of the many tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations of this world ONE body. Would You please move us… move Your church… to love ALL people groups as You do? Some ethnic groups You are already bringing close to us. Most urban areas in the USA are culturally diverse, rich with immigrants and diversity. To others You call us to go and bring the gospel to where they are so that they may know Your love. All should get the opportunity to partake of Your promise in the gospel, for Your glory, so Your kingdom spans this globe.

Amen

my prayer, my promise

Make me understand the way of your precepts,

and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

Psalm 119:27

I open this Bible

a book I’ve been reading for half a century

clearly dear to me

would You show to me

Lord, what I need to see

In the pages of scripture

I want to see You

and keep coming to know You

and what is always true

as I follow You

Your words bring a reading prayer

asking You to help me know

what You wish to show

so that I can go

to this world with truth and grow

As I think on Your words

my soul to worship turns

and inner fire now burns

as my heart fully yearns

to live out all it learns

I think about Your truth

and You Spirit illuminates

as I calmly meditate

on promises overwhelmingly great

discovered as I investigate

What’s more.. what You say You do

showing me how to really live

in the amazing grace You give

I am blessed in what I have

as in Your Word I believe

This Bible shows wondrous works

My God is on the move today

in my life and in my day

in gratefulness I say

“Help me understand and love Your way”.

mighty in mercy

…for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

Luke 1:49-50

Mary’s song of praise at the end of Luke 1 is filled with appreciation for the work of God. It wasn’t just that she was amazed that God was bringing the Messiah into the world miraculously through her, but she knows God is doing a great new work that will change Israel and the world forever. Her praise is all about what only God can do.

The first two things on her list of praises are ways in which she has personally come to believe the extent of God’s work in the coming Messiah she was privileged to deliver into the world. First, she is impressed with God’s mighty, holy power. The fact that a child is conceived in her, still a virgin herself, by the power of the Holy Spirit moves her to contemplate the might of God. In holiness and power, a Messiah would come into the world. And she is blessed to be part of the great things a holy God is going to do, by His Holy Spirit, with His holy Son.

Secondly, Mary sees the mercy of God coming in the Messiah. God, rich in mercy, was saving His people. This mercy would have generational impact. Indeed, two millennia after Mary first praised God for this merciful Messiah, generations of Christians have worshiped Jesus. And even today I am in awe of the mercy Jesus has showered upon me. I am able to fear God, love my Lord and Savior, and find mercy, although I am a sinner, because of Jesus Who is both mighty and merciful.

rewarded according to Your word

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

Psalm 119:9

I first came across this encouraging scriptural admonition when I was a very young man… about 10 years old, and memorizing verses in my church’s Thursday night AWANA program for kids. This was the fundamentalist Baptist version of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts back in the 1970s. I had my gray uniform and my red scarf and a chest full of pins and medals… some for the typical outdoor or sport activities, and most of them for the scripture memory achievements. I am so thankful that I had incentive as a kid to saturate my thinking with the Bible. Some of the motivation might have been a tad legalistic ( I wanted the up front recognition badly and was proud of those fancy pins), but the overall effect of learning so much scripture has indeed proven to be helpful and protective over decades. It still shapes my thinking fifty years later. I can’t say the same thing about basketball teams or softball teams I played on at the time! God’s Word is a powerful, purifying, protective life shaper!

I wish I had the kind of energy and capacity for scripture memory now that I had back then. These days I might learn at most five or six new passages a year. It takes weeks of consistent review to get a new one down. This psalm is correct that a young person’s mind is the best mind for guarding the heart in the Word. I still work at it. It is still very much worth it. And when I apply myself to consistent, significant scriptural exposure, my spiritual life is personally fulfilling and very rewarding.

Lord,

Keep me saturated in scripture, committed to knowing You by Your Word, and filled with Your precious thoughts by consistent intake of Your Word. I know the reward. I live my life in these truths and promises and am not disappointed by You! I have been spared much personal grief by taking care to stay in the Bible. It is a grace coming straight from You. It is precious. It sustains my soul. Thank You for Your Word, my Lord! In it, Your gospel has been made clear to me. By Your Word I am convicted of sin and urged to repent. Through scripture’s great and precious promises I trust You into a glorious eternity!

Amen

5 reassuring truths in Christ

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…

Ephesians 1:7

Packed into this one small verse explaining the wonder of salvation in Christ are five reassuring truths to start the week.

1. In Jesus we HAVE salvation. We possess it right now. It is our present state, not just our eternal future. Jesus has redeemed us and we are saved right now.

2. In Jesus we are REDEEMED. We are brought to Him, His own people, delivered from the control of sin and the ownership of death. We are His now.

3. Jesus gave His life for us. This redemption and this salvation came to us at great cost: the blood of Jesus our Savior shed for us freely at the cross.

4. In Jesus our sins are completely forgiven. Our trespasses against a holy God are now covered by the blood of the sacrifice which Jesus offered. Only Jesus can provide such forgiveness.

5. God now showers on us the wealth of His grace. This is a wealth beyond all the riches we could imagine, and it is now given to us by Jesus. We are a people surrounded by the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.

O Lord Jesus,

Thanks for this reminder as I go into this week. I am saved by You, redeemed by You, loved by You at great cost, forgiven in You, and now Your grace is all around me. May I live in that worshipful awareness and share that life, that truth, that way with others!

Amen

Good catch, Lord!

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,

but the LORD helped me.

Psalm 118:13

I’ve had seasons where I can relate to the sentiment of this section of the 118th psalm. Life can press in hard. People can push you. People can seek your downfall. You can feel backed up to the edge of the abyss, and a look over your shoulder confirms a potential disaster. And still life presses in and pushes hard. In that moment God will rescue. He will catch you. He will help you.

Sometimes I get myself into this predicament, running full speed without spiritually refueling, cramming my week with activity while neglecting sabbath rest. Letting that busy kind of high fuel me while people press in and my personal problems go unaddressed. “I’ll get to them later”, I think. And then, before I know it, there is no where to go… I’m backed up on the cliff’s edge again and my feet are slipping.

When my heart turns to do my Helper, He never fails. He catches me in my failing fall and graciously enforces a time of resting in Him. He disciplines me to get my soul back into balance. And in the wisdom of His Word I see the beauty of walking with Him, not being busy AROUND God, but quietly, carefully, joyously walking WITH God.

Lord,

Once again I find my rest in You. You have caught me numerous times when life has pushed too hard, or I have pushed myself too hard. And when I’ve created that pressure by my own foolish, selfish ways, You have forgiven, disciplined in love, and renewed me. Thanks for Your loving arms that catch me when I fall. Teach me to rest, and walk with You!

Amen

conceited “one anothers”

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:26

Sinful pride will take us to some very bad places. It can make the church, the Body of Christ, horribly disfigured and ugly. Paul has already reminded the Galatian church to serve one another in love. He has appealed to the scriptures (Galatians 5:14) to bring that healing understanding: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18). Doctrinal argumentation over the Christian’s relationship with the Old Testament law had divided the Galatians. Paul observed that the resulting legalism had completely pulled them off center from Jesus and was destroying the true gospel. A vast portion of this epistle corrects their bad doctrine. Now Paul pivots to how they live out the gospel, and love was so scarce in their atmosphere of harsh legalism. They were literally on constant attack of one another. Paul warned that this was going to consume the church completely if they did not repent of it (Galatians 5:15).

But such destructive pride isn’t just a first century church problem. This is a very real issue today. It places a destroying role in every conflict among Christians. We HAVE to be individually right, and might even start was a good reason, such as gospel clarity or doctrinal purity. But then in pride we may judge others, condemn them, talk bad about them, or go on the attack, rather than seeking to lovingly correct, care, and truly reconcile the issue. Our emotions get tangled in the mess and we start provoking them to justify our own “rightness”. Perhaps we envy them because we perceive they get away with what we despise about them.

If we are not careful our perceptions of the problem (skewed by our pride) turn the person into the problem. We are in constant defend mode of ourselves and attack mode of the person in the conflict. We may become so defensive that we are completely blind to the way we are now sinning against one another. And this is so easy to do… sadly today over the really minor issues of health protocols, conscience issues, and worldly politics. Oh how we need to repent of pride and heed the reminder to be sensitively led by the Spirit, crucifying our flesh, so that strife does not mark us, but the fruit of the Spirit does (Galatians 5:22-25)! Oh Lord, help us!

I believe still

I believed, even when I spoke:

“I am greatly afflicted”.

Psalm 116:10

Winds blow hard

and storms rage on

I believe still

that You calm storms

and keep me from harm

The world shakes

and my soul quakes

I believe still

as everything changes

You have it all arranged

My body aches

in sickness and pain

I believe still

that You strengthen and heal

in the affliction grace revealed

Life disrupts strangely

and suddenly unfamiliar

I believe still

Lord You are the same

my salvation remains

both small and great

he will bless those who fear the LORD,

both the small and the great.

Psalm 115:13

God does not see humanity the way we see ourselves. We easily divide by class, income, fame, power, and race. God will have none of that. He isn’t wowed by riches or celebrity status. He doesn’t bless only beautiful people and turn away from the commoners. He really only looks at one criteria: worship - what the text here in Psalm 115:13 calls “fearing the Lord”.  This is a life worship that loves God, obeys Him, seeks Him, and honors Him. No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what you do in your life, God wants to bless you if you fear Him in this way.

I think about my fellow worshippers throughout the week. I have Christian friends who worship in my congregation gathered with me on Sundays. I have Christian friends who gather in other congregations. God loves them all equally. From the elderly who make their way to worship with canes or wheelchairs, to the youngest child holding the hand of a parent, God wants their worship. He loves them. He blesses them as they bless His great name.

Lord,

Help me to see around me how You are not a respecter of persons. You bless all who fear You, small and great. Give me a heart like yours, equally gracious to all those around me. Jesus, help me love all, small and great, like You do. You gave Yourself for everyone. May that love fill me to broaden my view of all people.

Amen

rooted redemption

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Mark 15:15

What Pilate did motivated by populist ideology and expediency actually became the most eternally significant event in the universe. Jesus would be crucified at the decision of a hasty and easily influenced corrupt politician. And it is ironic in a divinely orchestrated way that careless self-absorption and power politics would lead Jesus to the cross. All our sins, all my sin, sent Him there. But the story makes absolute sense in redemptive drama. Jesus would suffer for sins at the hands of sinners with cruel injustice and selfishness apparent everywhere. Even His own disciples sinfully denied Him and fled in fear.

Pilate had guilt in this injustice. So did the Jewish Sanhedrin who perjured lies about Jesus. So did Peter who willfully denied Christ three times in just a few hours. So did I in my sinfulness, pride, and selfishness. Pilate may have thought he was doing Jerusalem a favor by releasing Barabbas and condemning Jesus, but he actually just contributed to the sin debt Jesus would bear as He died on the cross Pilate assigned to him. And God would grant the true GREAT FAVOR of grace as Jesus died for the sins of the entire world.

Looking back now at that cross, I know Jesus willingly laid down His life. He wasn’t just caught in a conspiracy. He was led, by the Father’s eternal plan, to the place where He would lay down His life… the last sacrifice as the Lamb of God… to take away the sins of the world. Pilate may have signed the execution papers, but Jesus gave Himself for us.

Salvation is rooted in the grit and drama of human history. Redemption is a real event. Eternal life is offered now because Jesus really died, was really buried, and really rose again. It is as real as yesterday and as hope-filled as an eternal tomorrow with our Savior!

“How” is as important as “What”.

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.

Psalm 112:5

“How” is as important as “what”. How I do something is as important as the thing that I do. How I choose to do a right thing is as important as the right thing itself. In fact, if I do a right thing with wrong motivations, for the wrong reasons, in a wrong way, I’ve made a wrong thing out of what was right.

This psalm reminds us that a blessed people must also bless others. We are not stingy with what God gives to us. We give out of what we are given because that is what grace does to us. Grace makes us gracious. God’s generous love in turn compels us to be generous to others. Blessing should make us blessers.

And when we do these right things in the right way, God’s blessing marks our lives. We are known for our generous care. We become a people of justice. The heart of God motivates us to care not in mere sentiment, but in impactful action. God wants His people concerned with the “how” of love and justice, to give of themselves in what they do, sharing His blessing in the world.

So we should share the blessing of the gospel generously, ready at any time to tell the good news of Jesus, Savior of sinners. We should give our time in service to Him, especially to the neediest among us. We should use our abilities to share God’s love. We should use our goods to spread healing and hope worldwide, clothing people, sheltering people, feeding people, bringing health to the unhealthy, bringing truth to the deceived, and bringing freedom to those captured in sin. We should be generous in EVERY way.

nothing I did

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 2:21

It’s all Your work, Jesus.

You did it all.

You gave Your life

as the perfect sacrifice.

And it is Your work that saves me.

My good couldn’t do it.

My actions would not atone.

Try as I might

I will never be right.

Your righteousness was what I needed.

God gave all the grace.

He sent His only Son.

And there on the cross

Jesus paid all the cost

so that all who believe can be redeemed.

I believe Your work, Jesus.

I trust it all.

Your blood covers my sin

so that grace now takes me in.

And my work will never save me.

Praise God for such love!

…that He provided the Savior

…that God made known His grace

to the entire human race.

Shout this good news everywhere!

all powerful king

The Lord is at your right hand;

he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

Psalm 110:5

This is THE ROYAL PSALM! Psalm 110 is the most quoted psalm in all the New Testament in reference to Messianic fulfillment in Jesus. Even Jesus Himself confidently asserted that the Messiah was God Himself in quoting Psalm 110:1 to His accusers. It is powerful. It is majestic. It is world-circling in its scope. And the Jews who sang it after David wrote it sing it in the future tense, anticipating the day when God’s powerfully appointed True King would rule the earth unopposed.

This psalm also pictures this future king as the deliverer of true justice, bringing God’s judgment on the Day of the Lord. Look at how vividly this is shown:

• Enemies are His footstool (Psalm 110:1)
• He rules amidst enemies (Psalm 110:2)
• Kings are shattered by Him (Psalm 110:5)
• He judges the nations (Psalm 110:6)
• Chiefs of nations worldwide are shattered (Psalm 110:6)

And this judgment will be authoritative and final.

• God Himself makes enemies the King’s footstool (Psalm 110:1)
• God has made Jesus (the True King) a Priest forever (Psalm 110:4)
• Corpses of defiant enemies fill the nations who defy Him (Psalm 110:6)

Just as the Israelites looked forward to a day when a Royal One would judge the earth, so do Christians also in the words of this psalm believe in the absolute power of our King of Kings. He will lead us. He will judge all the earth. He rules now and will rule in the future. And nobody can oppose our Lord.

promised success

And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

2 Samuel 5:12

The huge difference between King David’s reign and King Saul’s disgraceful rule was that David from the very start knew his kingship and Israel’s thriving success under him were ALL God’s doing. David gave God the credit. He worshiped the God Who blessed Israel. In that climate of worship, David led the nation to focus on God as the True King.

Three things mark David’s mindset. First, he knew God had established him a king. David did not rise to the throne by cunning or might. In fact, when the elders of Israel approached David to unite the nation that had been fractured in Saul’s bitter final days, They too acknowledged that God called David to “be shepherd of my people Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2). The rise to ruling was all God’s work. God kept David safe from Saul’s rage. He blessed David as lead general in Israel’s army. He gave David the hearts of the people and the throne of the nation.

Secondly, David knew that God’s blessing was the only reason any success came to his career as king. And continued success after his inauguration was also God’s blessing. It was the Lord who exalted David’s kingdom and granted success, peace, and prosperity to the nation as a result.

And finally, David knew that God was honoring a deeper covenant. More was happening than just a single promise to David. This was all taking place to bless God’s people, Israel. In a way, all of David’s success was linked to God’s original promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 to make of him a great nation. God’s promise for the sake of His people Israel flowed from an ancient stream of covenant blessing. God would always carefully tend human history to accomplish this great covenant.

And centuries later, the Son of David would come to earth, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Jesus fulfills all of these promises to the penultimate. His kingdom is now established. Jesus is King reigning now forever and ever. And all God’s promises are “YES!” in Jesus!

worship & confession

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 108:4-5

As I read David’s words here, I realize that I still have a lot to learn about worship. David praises God even in the midst of a painful experience with God. It appears from this psalm that some historic enemy was oppressing Israel and God was not giving His people help against the foes. David’s observation is that the nation’s sin had led to this situation. God would not go out with the armies when the nation was unrepentant.

And so this appeal to God comes urgently. It is praise and faith in the midst of sincere repentance. It clings to the promises of God even as it appeals to the mercies of God. It exalts God even as it humbles self in admission of guilt. David pleads for salvation as he confesses and acknowledges the consequences of sin.

I tend to overly simplify praise, removing confession of sin from it and seeing them as two separate acts. I tend to only confess when I feel bad, and then later praise God when I feel better. But this psalm unites both confession and praise and never loses its power. God is Israel’s only hope. God will deliver. God will save. God will defeat the foe. God is faithful. God is exalted higher than the highest heavens. God’s glory fills the earth.

And this God, in grace, forgives sinners. To those who confess, who believe, who trust, and who worship Him, God will bring His salvation. This was true for David. It is true for me. And so, aware of God’s steadfast love that reaches above the heavens where Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, I come acknowledging my own impotence and powerless against sin. I confess my need, my wrong, and trust my Savior’s power to save as my only hope! I praise Him that He hears, forgives, and provides victory over sin’s oppressive control! Be exalted, O God!

four stories of grace

He turns a desert into pools of water,

a parched land into springs of water.

And there he lets the hungry dwell,

and they establish a city to live in;

Psalm 107:35-36

God brings refreshment, provision, and life to His people. This 107th psalm is all about celebrating the grace of God (steadfast love) that He faithfully brings to His people. They don’t deserve it, but God is gracious. The psalm is structured with an emphasis on God’s faithful, caring love. Here is an overview:

INTRO: Give thanks to God for His steadfast love! (Psalm 107:1-3) He has redeemed His people. There are 4 examples of how He did this.

I.  Desert Wanderers (Psalm 107:4-9)

• They are hungry & thirsty.
• They cried out.
• God led them out satisfying their longing and hunger.

II. Afflicted Prisoners (Psalm 107:10-16)

• They are afflicted rebels in irons. They are bound by their sinful choices. God has afflicted them.
• They repented and cried out.
• God burst their bonds & led them out of darkness.

III. Foolish Sinners (Psalm 107:17-22)

• They suffered in sin & drew near to death.
• They cried out.
• God sent His Word, healed, & delivered them.

IV. Adventurous Sailors (Psalm 107:23-32)

• They were entrepreneurial traders who foolishly risked too far.
• They cried out in the storm.
• God stilled the storm & led ships back to safe haven.

CONCLUSION: Reflection on the God Who does as He pleases (Psalm 107:33-43)

FINAL STATEMENT - The Psalm in a Sentence: Whoever is wise, attend to these stories & consider the grace of God.

My life, at various junctures, identifies with all four stories of grace in this psalm. And in it all, I must always be grateful in worship for the strong undercurrent of grace that gets me safely through!

Forever Words

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Mark 13:31

There is a truth I cling to

when everything’s unclear;

Truth that keeps life stable

despite the circumstances I fear.

There are words of comfort

that my soul will hold dear;

The truth, spoken by Jesus

will forever be near.

Some day the universe dissolves

— a fiery conflagration;

But Jesus speaks words that live on

into the New Creation.

Heaven and earth will pass away

at the closing of the curtain;

What Jesus says will live and stay

eternally for certain.

I have set my hope on Him

knowing I too one day will pass;

Trusting in the gospel hope

in eternity to always last.

These are not mere words I read

on which my hope I base;

These are everlasting foundations

that time will not erase.

So I trust. So I believe.

I trust His everlasting Word;

And in this confidence lean back

into secure arms of my Lord.

not good enough

Yet he saved them for his name's sake,

that he might make known his mighty power.

Psalm 106:8

Thank God that we don’t have to be good enough for Him to save us. We don’t “make the grade”. We can’t. God does all the efforts when He saves sinners.

The 106th psalm retells the history of Israel in an epic song. And the rise and fall of the melody line follows Israel’s failures to trust God contrasted with God’s unfailing faithfulness to save them. From this repeated ballad of God’s faithfulness we see God’s mercy shown to sinners.

Why does God save? It is for His name’s sake. He brings glory to Himself in saving sinners. He brought Israel out of Egypt, only to have them immediately rebel against Him at the shore of the Red Sea as Pharaoh’s army rumbled toward them. What did God do? Did He give up on them like they gave up on Him? No. He responded in mercy and with great power and parted a sea so Israel could escape, and then He threw that same sea down on the Egyptian army to drown them. God saves in mercy. God redeems in love. None of it is conditioned on human goodness or effort.

Lord,

For Your Name’s sake You save us. You make known Your mighty power in each life that You redeem through the gospel. You do what we cannot. We are helplessly trapped rebels. And You in mercy do the saving. We needed a Savior. Jesus, You came, gave Yourself completely for us, and now the enemies of death and hell have been defeated, just as surely as Egyptians were swept into the drowning depths of the Red Sea. Continue to make known Your mighty power in saving sinners!

Amen

damaging self-commendation

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:18

These five words have probably ruined solid ministry more than any others: “You should write a book”. I’m serious. I’ve been on a ministry-driven lifestyle for thirty-four years. I’ve seen more Christian books, DVDs, purchasable programs, and media than I care to count… “church growth” books, “deeper life” books, “how to succeed in” books, and my least favorite — “secret of” books, ad infinitum… ad nauseum. And unfortunately, I have spent a LOT of time reading these kinds of books. True confession: I have forced myself to read some really noxious Christian best sellers because I knew people in my church were getting excited about them and I, as their pastor, needed to know how it was affecting things. 

I am always surprised how some “mantle of success” anoints some new church ministry model or best selling Christian market writer. Of course it helps that big publishing contracts come with a marketing budget. A self-commending circle of publishing can easily be found in nearly every segment of Christian thought. It is like 2 Corinthians 10:12 isn’t even found in the biblical text! (Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.) This would be outrageously funny if it weren’t so grossly unscriptural.

I firmly believe there is an army of quiet, conviction-driven, Jesus-following ministers of the gospel who just silently fight this pride-filled mania. They teach in their ministries. They spend their lives in one on one and small group disciple-making. They labor in unknown places with people who need Jesus. They pour themselves into hours of scriptural study in order to preach and teach without ever a thought of creating a money-making platform from that labor. They freely distribute what is given to them by God. Count me a member of The Resistance! The one outstanding example of this kind of thing, a fly in the ointment of hyped Christian publishing machinery, is John Piper’s ministry at Desiring God. Yes, books are published, but all proceeds go to non-profit ministry… and this is the coolest part… EVERY book is also available as a FREE digital resource on their website. It isn’t about the money, self-commendation, and marketing! How refreshing! Truth… not for sale or self-promotion.

Lest you think I totally despise Christian publishing, I don’t. It needs to happen. I’m glad that it does. But like Paul, my prayer is that self-promotion and personality-driven ministry would be seen as totally incompatible with the gospel. May we be humble, obedient disciples making humble, obedient disciples. May Jesus be promoted. May we be commended and driven by His “well done” alone.