“It is I.”

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Matthew 14:27

When the winds blew

and the waves raised

I saw You

yet I was afraid

You were drawing near

to comfort me

but in my fear

I could not see

Still You reached out Your hand

as You drew nigh

I rose to stand

as You said “It is I”.

“Take heart,” You spoke

to my trembling soul

into my stormy boat

Your peace did flow

The winds ceased

the waves did too

as Your great peace

filled me through

No longer afraid

I trust in You

for You have said

You’ll see me safely through.

delivered from the prison of a cave

Bring me out of prison,

that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me,

for you will deal bountifully with me.

Psalm 142:7

David wrote these words while hiding out from Saul’s wrath in a cave. And that cave at times felt like a prison. He longed to be a free man. He longed for God to keep His promise to him. But until then the cave would also become a sanctuary… a place to worship, to cry out, to trust God, and to wait.

David modeled this worship in difficult times in this way throughout the 142nd psalm:

• He lamented and prayed, unafraid to express his emotion to God (Psalm 142:1-2).
• He trusted that God knew his condition and had a plan for Him (Psalm 142:3).
• David felt alone and hunted (Psalm 142:4).
• He trusted God as a refuge, not just the physical environment of the cave (Psalm 142:5).
• David threw all his weakness and inability on a mighty God by faith (Psalm 142:6).

Eventually David’s cave would fill with hope, support, and power. God would bring “mighty men” his way to help him. The cave became a war room. And they too would hide with him until God brought an end to Saul and then exalted David as king. And when that happened, David was not alone anymore, crying in a cave or imprisoned by injustice. God clearly answered the prayer He heard from David in a cave!

Generations later, God would not abandon the Son of David in a cold cave of a tomb. He would resurrect Jesus to be King of Kings! And He who turns caves into war rooms will do the same for those imprisoned by a temporary cold cave!

the danger of only seeing one side of Jesus

“Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? … Where did this man get all these things?”

Matthew 13:54, 56

There is a grave danger in seeing Jesus from only one side. Such is the case with Jesus’ neighbors in Nazareth. They knew Jesus… but they could not accept that He was anything more than just a guy from their hometown. What they knew about Jesus, captured in the phrase “this man” shows their exclusive focus on just His humanity:

• an astonishingly articulate rabbi whose teaching was heard in their synagogue.
• the son of the carpenter.
• the son of Mary.
• the brother of James, Joseph, Simon, Judas, and sisters.

Yet those four facts were where their belief about Jesus stopped. They could relate to the human Jesus… the amazing teacher… the son of their town… and even a worker of unexplained wonders. But they failed to see His wisdom as God’s wisdom or His miracles as God’s work. The human Jesus alone will never be the true Jesus. He demands more than an earthly origin story. Jesus requires an acceptance of His divine reality as the Son of God and Lord of His people.

Many are all too comfortable right now with a human Jesus. He spoke powerful words of peace and understanding. He identifed with the outcasts and the downtrodden. He accepted those who came to Him. He was gentle and was greatly misunderstood. But His life was much more than that simplistic human assessment of Him! 

The ones who truly misunderstood Him, including those who only saw Him as a Nazarene citizen, misunderstood that He was sent from God to redeem the world from sin. They reject His gospel mission by only looking at His human side. Jesus was no mere activist. He is instead, the very God of heaven, a Savior, our Lord, God in the flesh demanding our worship and our action in His call to follow Him, to live like Him, to be transformed by Him, and to call this world to repent and believe in the God-man Jesus Christ our Lord!

of trees and treasures

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

Matthew 12:33

Jesus spoke these words about the Pharisees immediately after they accused Him of having power over demons only because Satan had empowered Him. This was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And it was a great evil… one that Jesus said put them at extreme peril on judgment day for their calloused hearts.

Jesus goes on to say that such words could only proceed from corrupt hearts (Matthew 12:34-35). He began His discourse on human motivation with this picture of two trees. A good tree is known as good because from it comes good fruit. Likewise a bad tree is deemed worthless and fit for destruction when it produces fruit that is bad. He then gives an even deeper picture of the treasure chest of the inner person (Matthew 12:35-36). A good person brings good treasure from the righteousness in his heart that he treasures. And an evil person’s dark treasure chest can only bring out evil. A life filled with evil will be miserable, hateful, and never satisfied. Only a heart transformed by Christ can bring out good.

Lord,

Help me understand and evaluate my heart by life fruit and the treasures that come out of my heart. I want to make the tree good as You transform me. I want my treasures to be Your treasures, truth and life that lasts for eternity. Teach me, lead me, heal me, and bless me thus, Lord!

Amen

defended

But you, O GOD my Lord,

deal on my behalf for your name's sake;

because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

Psalm 109:21

David wrote these words of confident trust as he processed horrible mistreatment by people who should have cared about him. The psalm is heavy on lament and calls God to justice. It does not necessarily suggest a specific occasion for its composition, but I could see David having these thoughts during Absalom’s revolt, when civil war drove David from the throne and many people turned against him. Look at how David describes his mistreatment and see if you can’t identify with it:

• People spread lies about him (Psalm 109:2).
• He is attacked without mercy (Psalm 109:3).
• People that he loves accuse him (perhaps this is his own son?) (Psalm 109:4-5).
• Actions toward David are unkind (Psalm 109:16).
• There is no mercy or empathy for David’s broken heart (Psalm 109:16).
• Curses are called down upon David (Psalm 109:17-18).

David is affected by all this accusation and hatred directed at him. Look at how he feels:

• He is the poor and needy one in the psalm (Psalm 109:22).
• He feels wasted and weak (Psalm 109:23-24).
• He is scorned socially, feeling alone and rejected by people in general (Psalm 109:25).

But David trusts God beyond the intensity and immensity of the hate directed at him. He clings to God’s steadfast love, trusts that God will in the end show His power, believes God can turn their curses into His blessings, and trusts God to put sinful accusers to shame (Psalm 109:26-28).

In the end, even if others hate us, ridicule us, reject us, or cancel us, those who trust Christ will be vindicated… for He Who is at the Father’s right hand defends the right hand of those who need Him (Psalm 109:31)!

fear uncovered

So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Matthew 10:26

My soul fears much more than I care to admit and much of my fear is around what other people do. I am at my heart a fearer of people. This shows up in the way I want everyone around me to like me, to be happy, to agree, and treat me the way I think I should be treated. I never want anyone to think bad of me. It is a perverse kind of selfishness that centers my happiness on pleasing others and judging what they think, not about Jesus so much, but what they think about me. This is fear. It is not good for me to do this.

Often a good day quickly goes bad when I do not get the response I think I should from people. I turn sad or sullen or angry or judgmental or often just a mix of all sorts of dark negativity. It is what fear does to me when I choose it. And it will keep me up at night, ruin my days, steal my joy, and pull my heart from the love and worship of my Lord.

This is why I need Jesus to confront and calm my fears as directly as He does in Matthew 10. I am most afraid when I cannot understand why people act the way they do toward me. But God knows hearts, not me. He will, in His time, as promised here, take care of every selfish or hateful motive from others against me. AND He also uncovers my own selfish fears, making them known by His Spirit’s use of His Word so that in His revealing light I can confront my sinful fear and my own judgmentalism of others, acknowledge my faithlessness, and then properly broken by my sinful failure… I repent!

Lord,

This light upon my fear is exactly what I needed as a reminder for today. Thanks for Your timely wisdom. Uncover my fear and expose my heart by Your Spirit and Your Word. Make me uncomfortable about my sin, and stop me from the idolatry of pleasing others! Uncover my conflicted soul! Make Your power known!

Amen

self trapped

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by safely.

Psalm 141:10

Fallen in a pit

dug to trap another

hanging from a rope

meant to catch a brother

what the wicked plan

in the ways of man

we can understand

God will bring their end

using their own traps against them

Consequences follow

every evil scheme

God can turn against

the wicked what they originally mean

to hurt, wound, or kill

will never thwart God’s will

God will overrule

using their very evil tool

in irony to destroy them

Trapped in their own net

they don’t trust God and yet

God in mercy shows them

how to repent and turn to Him

they can still turn away

from self and no longer stray

He would always take them back

and deliver them from their trap

if by faith they would trust in Him

intense ministry

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

Matthew 9:35

Jesus really had an intense ministry. It is like nothing else we read of in the Bible. Matthew’s summary description of it here shows a four-fold work taking place:

1.  Jesus traveled to cities and villages. He was always on the move, taking His ministry and message to new places. He was sent to a people (Israel) and connected with them by going to where they were.

2.  Jesus taught in the synagogues. He worshiped with those to whom He was called. And as a rabbi, Jesus was allowed to teach at their gatherings. He operated within the means of worship and instruction that everyone expected.

3.  Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom. He had a new message of hope. He proclaimed salvation to Israel. He pointed the people to Himself and a new way of God transforming hearts that only His work would bring.

4.  Jesus healed diseases and afflictions. People were physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually afflicted. Jesus had mercy and authority over sickness and demonic possession. He healed in order to show that power and authority. And it was no doubt His miracles that brought the crowds to Him as He did what only God could do.

All of this intense ministry was fueled by an authentic and unique love for the crowds… something the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not display. He saw the crowds as harassed and helpless, in need of a gentle shepherd (Matthew 9:36). And Jesus would call all His disciples to love and to serve with kingdom intensity like He did (Matthew 9:37). May His church today carry on with authentic intensity as Jesus continues to empower and enable us to travel, teach, preach, and see Him heal lives!

singing praises in the pressure

…for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Psalm 63:7

One biblical strategy for not being overwhelmed by stress and anxiety is to truly worship God. Psalm 63 was written in a stressful time for David as he fled from Saul in the wilderness of Judah. There was an entire army bent upon following Saul’s orders. They wanted to “destroy” David’s life (Psalm 63:9). David had reason to fear but chose to fight fear in faithful worship of God.

David acknowledged that his circumstances INCREASED his thirst for God (Psalm 63:1). So an immediate action when given to fear is to see how the painful circumstances call out for desperate faith. Crave God when you feel like caving in to fear!

That thirsty craving led to expressive worship engaging David spiritually and physically. His eyes looked upon God to behold His power and glory. His lips praised God for His steadfast love. His hands were lifted up in praise (Psalm 63:2-4). Choose to fight fear with your whole person — soul and body!

David directed his soul to remember God… even in nights when it was hard to sleep (Psalm 63:5-8). He remembered God as he turned in his bed. He made those nights time to worship and to meditate upon the God Who satisfied him, sheltered him, and held him up in the stress-filled story. He chose to make sleeplessness worshipful.

The last word for David in response to anxious stress was this: “,,,the king shall rejoice in God.” Worship in the hard times can have its own unique joys… if we will only discipline our souls to see them and choose to embrace the gift of songs in such stresses.

Jesus the Healer

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Matthew 8:17

Mark 8 emphasizes Jesus as the Healer. A simple survey of the chapter yields these insights about how He heals:

• Jesus heals a leper - Emphasis: Jesus wills it so (Mark 8:1-4).
• Jesus heals a centurion’s servant - Emphasis: Jesus has authority at a distance (Mark 8:5-13).
• Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law - Emphasis: Jesus meets needs before we even ask (Mark 8:14-15).
• Jesus casts demons from many - Emphasis: Jesus fulfills scripture (Mark 8:16-17).
• Jesus calms a storm - Emphasis: Jesus commands the physical world (Mark 8:23-27).
• Jesus heals two demon-possessed men - Emphasis: Jesus commands the spiritual world (Mark 8:28-34)

Lord Jesus, 

You are the Great Healer. You have borne all our hurts, our sorrows, our pains, and our illnesses. You have the will to restore us and make us whole. You have all the authority so that nothing… not time, distance, our emotional responses, our fears, or any opposition can change what You will to do for us or what You will for us to be. You see the need we have before we even come to You. You fulfill all that has spoken in scripture concerning You. You command the forces of nature. You command even demons to flee from us.

There is nothing broken that you cannot fix. There is no distance You cannot by grace and power bridge. There is no evil stronger than Your power to command it to cease. My life then is Yours to heal. My broken relationships are Yours to renew. My anxious and weary heart is Yours to calm and mend. My oppressive circumstances are Yours to break. My storms are Yours to still. You are always my Healer!

Amen

From wicked to righteous

The wicked are estranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

Psalm 58:3

All people are born wicked. We are born in sin. From the womb we are sinners through and through. Our sin will lead our first steps astray. Our first words will be lies. That is our natural state. This is why we are answerable to a holy God before Whom we deserve to be cast in judgment. This is why we need Jesus to save us. All of us, each of us, every one of us is wicked at birth.

Scripture is clear that this lost condition is endemic to us all. And we are held accountable before a holy God. We are born into sin. We do sin. We need a Savior. None of us, born as we are in this desperate and depraved condition, have the capacity to please God or make amends for our wickedness. We remain estranged. We walk further away with each lie we speak, each disobedience we choose, each sin we selfishly commit in disregard of a holy God.

God judges wickedness. There are two methods for this. One is in a life that ends in eternal punishment by a just God. The other is in faith that trusts that Jesus bore that punishment for our wicked nature on the cross, and then rose from the dead that we might eternally live cleansed by His redeeming blood. And this is the “reward for the righteous” from the “God Who judges on earth” (Psalm 58:11). In Jesus we know the forgiveness for sin, the restoration of our estrangement, the righteousness that holds us close to a loving God, and the truth that erases all the lies! Praise Him for the way He turns the wicked to be His holy ones!

with all I am

Awake, my glory!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

Psalm 57:8

With all I am

I will praise You

With all my mind

I will seek You

With all my soul

I will worship You

With all my heart

I will love You

Glorious God You deserve

All I have

With all I am

I begin today

With all my mind

I take in the splendor of the dawn

With all my soul

I entrust my life to You

With all my heart

I will feel You near in glory

Saving God I am Yours

With all I am

far from sand

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Matthew 7:26

Lord,

My prayer today is simple: Let me live solidly built on the rock secure foundation of hearing AND doing what You say. May Your authority not only pique my interest but also control my choices. May Your wisdom be more than a thought, but also in my actions. Will You please help me to do what You say?

Your own warning tells me that just because I read Your Word does not mean my life will be stable. Just because I say I am Christian is no guarantee. I must be a man who does what I say I believe, lives what I trust, and puts into practice what my Lord preaches.

The expectation from You, my Lord, is that saving faith is a living faith. This I know, my God. And I will seek to be among Your wise “doers” of all that You say!

Amen

lip service failure

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:23

On a future day

some will say

     “Lord, Lord…”

Surprise declaration

of rejection:

“Depart from me!”

“Workers of iniquity!”

“You said what you do

but I never knew you!”

It isn’t enough

to say verbal stuff

if with the will of the Father

you never seem to bother.

Many can falsely claim

to believe in The Name

while living such a lie

will fail them when they die.

In the now

it has to be how

     Jesus is Lord.

Obedience shows

more than I know.

I seek to obey

what Word and Spirit say

“Well done!” I want to hear

from the Lord I love and fear.

careful inspection

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

Matthew 7:18

Jesus began this section of the Sermon on the Mount with a warning against judgmentalism (see Matthew 7:1). Then he asks His followers to live by a clear criteria that cares about how others wish to be treated… the famous Golden Rule: “…whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…” (Matthew 7:12). This is a standard by which we evaluate our actions and motives and a standard that people may use to evaluate Christians.

But Jesus does NOT teach that actions are neutral. He links what we do on the outside with who we are on the inside. He uses the analogy of fruit and tree to help us understand that nothing we do is motive-free. And the fruit shows the health of the tree. Jesus thus encourages analysis of the fruit… good fruit = good tree… bad fruit = bad tree. Discernment and judgment are to be practiced by Jesus’ guidelines. This is far different than judgmentalism where “my criteria” is the standard. In a context on this kind of careful inspection Jesus Himself called certain people “dogs” and “pigs” (Matthew 7:6) and warns that others might be false prophets (Matthew 7:15). He calls us to recognize fruit and make the determination ourselves (Matthew 7:16). Thus the command to “judge not” in Matthew 7:1 isn’t about making determinations, it is about being careful HOW we do so.

It is important to protect out hearts from the sin of judgmentalism. That means we realize that “how” we look at sin, starting first with ourselves, is key. We don’t forget our own real need to pull logs out of our own eyes first. We realize judgment begins with us and is God’s to do ultimately. We treat others with respect and love as we would want to be treated, wanting to repent of our own sin, and hoping our loving words can convince others to repent of theirs. Yet if bad fruit is clearly in evidence we have to recognize it for what it is. First in our own hearts… then in helping others get to the root of their own diseased tree and stunted fruit. It is wise to evaluate the fruit of our lives by Jesus’ standards.

thin path

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:14

O Keeper of the narrow gate I come to You today. I have chosen to follow You just as You have chosen for me to follow. And the path I have been on has been hard. There is more ahead that will be narrow and rugged. I look to You. I know this is the path of life, and I will hike it to the summit!

Some men tell lies about an easy way. They stand at a wide gate and convince a crowd that coming to You is about a gilded path of wealth and happiness, no sickness, no trials, and no difficulty. They walk a wide road to hell and destruction, all the while invoking lies and producing blindness. I’ll have none of that!

Give me the climb. Give me the steep rocks. Lead me through the canyons, into the valleys, across the raging waters, and up the cliff faces as necessary. The thin path strengths my trust in You, Jesus. And yet it is nothing like the road You took up Your hill, to die for me! You created this path to my life by Your dying. I will live on it even as it means I climb with difficulty and with desperate determination and purpose. When I am weary, be my Guide, O Holy Spirit. Be my hope, my Leader, and my companion, Lord Jesus. Urge me on, Father. I will hike with the few.

Amen

holy pursuit

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Do I really believe that relationship with God is a worthy pursuit? Jesus taught that those in His kingdom who live under a good and gracious Father still make effort to enjoy the benefit of that relationship. We don’t just sit back and wait on God. We pursue the gift of His care. We are in an active pursuit of a loving, holy, gracious God Who loves us.

And so I reflect on what Jesus taught. I must ask of God. My prayers must be worshipful but also I must respectfully request from Him. And Jesus says the Father is ready to grant what I need. “Everyone who asks receives.” He is a good Father Who answers in care, love, and willingness to grant by His power.

Yet in my asking I must also seek. That seems to be a root action behind requests. Do I seek my answer from God only after I have exhausted my own attempts at provision or been disappointed by the world? Seeking means seeking first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33)! Will I seek truth, answers, life’s satisfaction only from my God? “The one who seeks finds.”

And finally, will I knock at God’s door to find it opened to the new and the better place? We enter protection under a roof when a door is opened. God longs to be a shelter, help, and home for those who knock at His door. “To the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Lord,

Help me pursue You by asking, seeking, and knocking. May Your provision, Person, and presence meet all that I will always need!

Amen

Your speck/my log

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:3

Forgive my critical inspection

when I have not done self introspection

You have a problem, that is true

but I fail to see I am a problem to you

I judge you for an irritation

failing to control my agitation

that speck in your eye I magnify

my log goes unidentified

Forgive me Lord for ignoring my sin

while my own brother’s sin I spin

into the worst offense that I can see

I need Your Spirit to chasten me

show me the wrong I do

so I will listen to You

Forgive me brother, too

when I sit in judgment of you

this log must go

so my sin I can know

then we can restore

and find grace once more

freewill sacrifice

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;

I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Psalm 54:6

Where does my praise come from? Does it arise from my own free choice, welling up from a thankful heart, willing to give up my sacrifice to the Lord? Do I offer praise that costs me something… an offering of sacrifice? I think all too often I am disengaged… with the assembly reading words on a screen, humming a familiar tune, just going through liturgical motions and calling it worship. Lord, help me to sacrifice in praise to You. Help me get up early and stay up late! Help me give up my time, my thoughts, my personal treasures and to place them on an altar of joyous praise to You, my Savior, my King, and my God!

Why would such a sacrifice be worth my efforts? It is because by Your very nature… by Your very name, O Lord, YOU ARE GOOD! I believe this. I have trusted Your good name when everything around me felt awful and life betrayed my trust. I have believed You are good when everything in life screamed to me that all was bad. I found You to be my portion when all else was empty. You kept me focused when everything else was shrouded in a dense fog of uncertainty and grief. You were good then. You are good now. Your name, my God, is good and I will praise You!

So today, by choice, with a grateful soul, I offer up praise. Now, in an early morning when my body craved sleep, instead I give You this freewill offering of my praise. It seems small, but You are magnified in it. I know that Your name, O Lord, is good… it is excellent… it is power… You are my praise… Mighty God! Healer! Sustainer! Joygiver! Anxiety-slayer! I am for Your praise! You are for my good! I give thanks to Your name, O Lord!

wondrous love

Blessed be the LORD,

for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me

when I was in a besieged city.

Psalm 31:21

I love David’s words here describing God’s saving nearness to him in a time of intense difficulty. And here I am with another Monday feeling like I too am besieged! Sometimes that is just the way the week starts. Here I see that David blesses God for showing wondrous steadfast love. “Steadfast love” is David’s poetic way of talking about grace from a loving God. It is a covenant-keeping God in love Who pours Himself into a painful situation and rescues. So this is wondrous love indeed! It is grace! It is perfect for a Monday mentality that needs grace to rearrange it! And it has me singing an old gospel song… (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN)

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul
What wondrous love is this, O my soul
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I Am
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing
While millions join the theme, I will sing

And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be
And through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on
And through eternity, I'll sing on

O Lord Jesus,

I bless You for Your wondrous love and grace. When sin besieged me You died to set me free. And whatever difficult circumstances or besetting sins I feel or whatever painful besieging circumstances I fear now, You are here to show wondrous, steadfast love. And I will sing of that great love… with my life, and for eternity!

Amen

Jesus and anxiety

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

Matthew 6:31

Jesus’ command telling people “do not be anxious” does not sit well with today’s psychologized society. The first tendency of most people who have been taught that anxiety is an uncontrollable physical reaction and that science has yet to unlock all there is to understand about the physiological roots of emotion and fear would be to smugly laugh Jesus’ command aside. “Jesus was part of an ancient misunderstanding of human psyches.” “Do not be anxious? LOL! Jesus might as well tell us ‘do not breathe’!”

So this reigning psychological interpretative grid of human experiences combines with an age that has given us technology that creates unprecedented alarm and anxiety. We are contentious people, split over politics, opinions, ethnicity, and even the most basic of human differences, gender. We have instant electronic attachment to everything that is alarming. Our phones blare constant alerts. Provocative posts are meant to stir responses. Our politicians now deliberately poke and push to elicit fear, anger, and adrenaline! Our entertainment is loud and volatile. Relationships are so selfishly motivated that they are guaranteed to fail. Anxiety looms over everything… always under the surface… always around the next turn.

But Jesus is right! And the reason anxiety is not god is that Jesus is God! He is the Prince of Peace. Jesus is our Provision and our Protector. Jesus gives daily hope… daily help… a measured calm for the turmoil that rages around us. The secret to saying “No” to anxiety is saying “Yes” to Jesus. That doesn’t mean we won’t feel shaken from time to time. It means He is there when the fear comes and He is right beside us to take us beyond it. Anxiety and physical fear may still plague us, but they don’t have to control us. We have a Savior Who can handle our fear and increase our faith… He Who walks on water in the midst of stormy waves calls us to be “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

heart treasure

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

We talk about our treasures. Our eyes light up, our words flow faster, our diction is crisper, our enthusiasm flows when our treasure is our topic. Listen to what a person talks about the most. Or more graphically on display, look at what predominates their social media feed. You will find their treasure as surely as if they handed you a map with an “X” marking the spot.

We think about our treasures. We can’t help it. What we treasure will consume our free thoughts. Treasures dominate our minds, our hopes, our dreams, our plans, and our waking AND sleeping moments. What I catch myself daydreaming about most in an alone moment probably points me to what my heart may currently be treasuring.

We feel for our treasures. When I cry over a loss, I may find an uncovered heart treasure in the tears. When I have anxiety over the future, my worry fixates on what my heart treasures. What angers me? That too is something that points to a perceived devaluing of my treasure. What appalls me? I perceive others not treasuring what I treasure. My feelings often wrap themselves around what my heart treasures, adorning treasures with deep personal emotion.

We choose our treasures. What have I chosen? What decisions will I make today or have I made around what my heart values? How do I choose to live my life? Look at how a person lives, whether miserly or extravagantly, sensually or practically, spiritually or materially, and you will see a museum built to the treasures of their heart. These museums are erected by their choices around the treasures they value the most. We choose to live around what our hearts treasure. 

The words of Jesus then invite us to deeper introspection. Will I let His insights into seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness inform my inventory of my treasures? Will I let Him reorder what I treasure… indeed, will I let Jesus be ALL that I treasure?

in secret

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:18b

In secrecy You know me.

God, You know my motivation…

my every inclination

is no mystery.

I am exposed before You.

You understand all that I do.

I am a living history.

I cannot hide any inclination.

I am open to Your investigation.

In secrecy You know me.

In secrecy I give to You.

God. purge my ambition

and in every situation

empower my ministry.

I seek Your kingdom.

I proclaim Your freedom.

Give me divine victory

over pride-filled self-deception…

may Jesus be my reflection!

In secrecy I give to You.

In secrecy I sacrifice.

All my selfish pride

no longer will I hide.

In Your presence I am free.

Transform this heart of mine.

Let Your glory always shine.

Make a light for all to see.

In Jesus I am crucified,

so that Your power is magnified.

In secrecy I sacrifice.

meaningful prayer

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:7-8

Payer is intimate soul conversation with God. It isn’t rote religious ritual. It isn’t about mindless repetition. It isn’t about following some prescribed formula to gain access to answers. That’s what pagans did according to Jesus. They repeated the names of their gods over and over to appease the deity’s egos. They prayed memorized prayers rapidly, repeatedly, often with a talisman in hand to physically feel themselves repeating a prayer a specific number of times or in rhythmic sequence. So any religious system that tells you to repeat prescribed penitent prayers for a specific number of times to appease deity or atone for a wrong is utterly pagan according to our Lord.

Jesus says to talk to the Father. He is already intimately concerned about us. He knows what we need before we ask, so our prayers aren’t about magical persuasion. They are about entering into worship, submission, gratefulness, and awe of the God Who knows us and cares for us. This is so much deeper than pagan ritualistic thinking. It is so much richer than Pharisaical show-making. This is soul intimacy with our soul’s Creator. He loves to engage in that conversation!

Take into account John Calvin on why we pray:

Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may release themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into His arms; in a word, that they may declare that from God alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things.

giving in secret

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:3-4

Jesus expects generous giving to the needy to flow from His followers. The admonition in Matthew 6:2 is not “if you give” but “when you give.” Jesus expects Christians to care about the poor. Jesus expects His people to give to help the neediest. Jesus expects us to care in physically measurable ways. And the attitude by which we do so is also very important. We can negate the reward of our giving by our selfish attitudes.

In Jesus’ culture the Pharisees, the religious show-offs on the right side of the aisle of ancient Israel, loved to draw attention to their gifts to the poor. They blew a trumpet as they dropped a gift into the coffers of a local synagogue. They made sure people saw their “good deeds”. They were motivated by pride and displaying their wealth. But Jesus much more prefers anonymous donors! In fact, His command is that our giving should be “in secret”. It is the opposite of the virtue-signaling public show. If possible, we need to give willingly, generously, and without getting the credit. That’s the call of true heart-felt generosity and the kind of true righteousness God the Father will always reward.

Lord,

May I be a steward of the means You have given me to give in secret. May Your reward be my sole motivation. May humility be the way I live out what I give out!

Amen

Vindication

Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,

according to your righteousness,

and let them not rejoice over me!

Psalm 35:24

What was David asking for in this cry for God to vindicate him? He wanted God to clearly involve Himself to point out the stark difference between David’s righteous commitment to obey God and the evil motives of David’s enemies. David trusted the Law AND the covenant that the Lord had made with him as king.

To be vindicated by God meant that all the opposite characteristics shown in the actions of David’s sinful accusers would be shown by David’s life. God would defend him. It meant that the light of God’s justice would shine on his enemies’ evil motives, exposing the intentions of their hearts. David’s true worship of God, offered in faith and obedience would be revealed for all to see.

This cry for vindication was an appeal to God’s righteous, faithful love. God always keeps His promises. And a faithful, consistent, holy God will vindicate His people. They may suffer for a season as the wicked seem to thrive and press in around them. But the Lord will vindicate them. He will show His faithful care. He will not allow faithfulness to Him to be snuffed out by the wicked.

The gospel shows us the ultimate vindication. Wicked men marched Jesus up Golgotha. Wicked men condemned and crucified the perfect, faithful, obedient Son of God, heir of David’s covenant, and Messiah. But by resurrection from the dead God defeated all those evil actions and vindicated His Righteous One! And now Jesus clothes those who trust in Him with His own perfect righteousness and will vindicate His faithful followers. May His righteousness be our strength, hope, and vindication always! 

…by the word of Your lips…

With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

Psalm 17:4

God’s people have always had the challenge of living above the ways of sinful humanity. God calls us to righteous living. David sings in this Psalm about navigating the tension of the “ways of man” and avoiding the “ways of the violent”. How did he achieve success while living with the reality of those pressures? How did David find the power and ability to please God and keep His commands amidst such a chaotic culture?

The answer to these questions is found in the wisdom, strength, and power of the Word of God. David committed to knowing, loving, and obeying scripture. “By the word of your lips I have avoided…” was the reason for David’s remarkable confidence and success. He was confident not in his own power. He saw the truth of God lead him from the works of violent men. David was a man of the Word, stable amidst the chaos of surrounding culture. Scripture held his heart true to God. Scripture ordered his thoughts and directed his heart to do what God asked of him. God’s Word kept the King faithful, and it does the same for us today!

Lord Jesus,

You are the Living Word. And as I obey the gospel, as I turn from sin and cling to Your grace, as I let Your Spirit fill my thoughts and incline my heart to the wisdom of Your Word, I believe that You will help me navigate a destructive, sin-filled, hateful, violent, and chaotic culture. We live in a world where the works of man defy Your truth and devalue Your creation daily! And violent men by force now destroy with so much pain, greed, and defiance. O how we long for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Who will end all this chaos and restore us by the Word of Your mouth. Do so soon! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Amen

Begging Borrower

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Matthew 5:42

I am poor 

I am vulnerable

I have nothing to offer

Your grace to proffer

Yet You are rich

You are capable

You reach out to my poverty

give Yourself extravagantly

Lord, I lack everything

Yet You pour out to to me

treasures of Your redeeming love

found in a Savior come from above

Now my soul is filled

in Your raining mercy

I am called to be complete

as I sit rich now at Your feet

Others still are beggars

others are still in great need

fill me with love to care

meet their need in me, bring You there

When I needed

Lord, You gave to me

so with gospel truth from my heart

help me to be generous from the start

In my giving

may I see clearly

not the begging, but You meeting their need

so that Your grace, their poverty may exceed.

a lust problem

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28

It is sadly true of this culture at this time that Jesus’ clear warning about how sexual sin devastates at the heart level is entirely ignored. It is so bad that the kinds of behaviors that would once have been publicly decried even by unbelievers are now explained away quite awkwardly and unbiblically among Christians. A political figure on a talk show brags about playboy conquests and NEVER publicly repents of that sort of talk? We waive it off as an imperfection from younger days and tell people he is still our best champion for religious rights. A pastor or televangelist’s latest tryst raises eyebrows? We step around it and talk about the need to forgive and restore.

I’m all for Jesus forgiving the worst things we do. He does redeem from sexual sin. But I am not in favor of a casual treatment of Jesus’ own words on sin right here in His magnum opus Sermon on the Mount! Sexual sin starts in the heart, scars the heart, callouses the soul. And in a world that is now so openly pro-porn, pro-sexual exploration, pro-sensuality of ANY KIND, and anti-Jesus on these matters, we need to heed the warning of Jesus all the more! Looking to lusting is already a major sexual sin. Inciting a passion not meant for anything other than private expression in monogamous, heterosexual marriage for life will lead to awful consequences. Sexual sanctity and sanity is guarded at the heart.

Lord,

You know my heart and I pray that I will heed Your words in the online, all-the-time, entertainment-driven, cultural sludge that seeks to incite lust… help me stand true to you… to my marriage… to my heart!

Amen

Murder, anger, insult, and hate

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Matthew 5:22

Jesus addresses the heart. It is the heart of anger that underlies conflict. Murder was addressed in the Law as the worst way humans go on the attack. And anger is an attack. Insults are an attack. Slander is an attack. And dare I say it?… Social media put downs are an attack. And Jesus places the ultimate peril’s consequence for hateful anger: hell fire burns for those motivated by attack upon others.

Jesus calls us to peace. It is so important to be at peace that unresolved conflict impedes worship according to the Lord. Reconciling with a brother is more important than sacrifice to God. Jesus recommends hasty, timely, prioritizing of conflict resolution as the motivation for those in conflict. Reconcile now! Reconcile ASAP! Avoid further damage in the conflict (Matthew 5:23-26).

In an age of hasty attack and political polarization, anger and judgment of others (even our brothers and sisters) is at an all time high. I have to think that Jesus’ warning should rule our motivations both in face-to-face conversation and online discussion. Will we love Jesus and check our attitudes?

The One Who fulfills the Law

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17

Jesus came to show us what the Law was meant to do… to draw us in obedient love to God the Father. He was not a destroyer of the Law. He did not cast it aside as useless. Instead, His perfect life would fulfill all the obedience of the Law, and His perfect sacrifice would cover all the sin that the Law demanded by atoned. His resurrection would bring new life, and a new confirmation of His complete fulfillment of the Law, removing by His resurrection all the curses of breaking the Law for all who will believe Him.

Jesus fulfilled the Law by getting to the heart of the Law’s intentions. In fact, His teaching amplified and expanded the intentions behind the Law. Anger was bigger and at the root of murder. Lust was worse than sexual sin and was the root of adultery. Casual commitment was the root of failed marriages. Pride was the root of oath taking. Hateful retaliation and pride were at the root of conflict. Jesus shows light on the motivations and the deep roots of our sin, not just the letter of the law.

Jesus also fulfilled the Law by teaching us to hold to His heart standards as He transforms us. We do not relax either the commandments or His teaching about them (Matthew 5:19). Instead, we rely on a greater righteousness than the mere obedience of the Pharisees. We let the Savior look into our hearts. We let His Spirit and His Word root out our motivations. His redeeming, renewing work gets at our motivations, our deepest musings, our choices, and our hardest feelings. And then, clothed in the righteousness of Christ (because we are so aware of our insufficiencies as our core is exposed), we let His Spirit live in us, transform us, and call us to a better obedience, a better relationship, and a true understanding of our lives with God and with His Word.

salt shaken

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Matthew 5:13

We are the salt of the earth. We Christians benefit the world by the spread of the gospel like so many grains of salt scattered abroad into the world. We flavor a tasteless culture and preserve a dying generation. We add the seasoning holiness of God so that some will thirst after God and His righteousness. We are indeed the ONLY salt of the earth.

As I think of being a living picture of this sermon metaphor from Jesus, my mind creates an acrostic to tease out the implications of being the salt of the earth. This is not inspired. It is not meant for this acrostic to exposit the phrase. Rather, it stirs thought for a few reflective applications:

S - Season what is bland. Their world is tasteless when it comes to holiness. Evil is now good. My life in Jesus are a few shakes of salt to flavor a world with the salt of righteousness in the gospel. That salt, when mixed with Christian community, adds holiness in distinct flavor differences to the garbage slop dishes served up in a rotten world.

A - Attract with the flavor of Jesus. Salt adds the attraction. Salty Christianity is winsome, not repulsive. Sinners flocked to the grace of Jesus. And so they should when the Church is truly salt.

L - Live in love. That’s how Jesus said the world would know His people to be radically different (John 13:35). The love of Christ is the saltiest seasoning, but it is not truly shaken out into the world unless it is sprinkled out by the reality of the gospel. A social gospel devoid of the cross and the resurrection is bland. We lovingly live and proclaim the love of God in Christ by proclaiming redemption and restoration in Christ. And we do it because God loves the world.

T - Teach the gospel generationally. The gospel will preserve Christ’s church as we make lasting impact to each new generation. We are always preaching the good news of the kingdom, always making new disciples of Jesus, always making Jesus known. We stop doing that? The salt has lost its saltiness and we are “no longer good for anything.”

The advantage of disadvantage

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3

Your kingdom Lord,

can be found

in my great need,

Vulnerable,

I will come

to You and believe.

Impoverished,

poor in spirit

nothing I bring.

Mourning,

bereft of hope,

still I sing.

Meekly aware,

O Friend of sinners

now with me.

Hungry and thirsty,

driven by want

to see You holy.

My need / Your supply!

My hunger / Bread of Life!

My thirst / Living Water supplied!

My inability / Your power!

My grief / Your comfort!

My poverty / Your riches!

O Lord,

Your kingdom comes.

Your will is done.

I come in need.

Your power exceeds.

I feel Your embrace

of enabling grace!

Amen

God is near our broken hearts!

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

The heart breaks so easily. It can shatter into a thousand precious shards. Some ways the heart breaks:

• Shattered dreams. They could be relational, vocational, or aspirational. But what we hoped to do or be is often broken by brutal reality. It is just not our experience. Our hearts break for the dream that is lost.
• Broken relationships. This is all too common in a day and culture where selfish visions screaming “Fulfill me!” hoist heavy sinful expectations on relationships. That will guarantee a broken heart eventually. But relationships don’t always break from a selfish overload. Often they break from the actions of the other person. Sinners who love sinners will inevitably hurt one another.
• Loss. Hearts will break in grief. We can grieve a hurt or an imperfect situation. We can and should grieve the death of someone we love. And a string of these can leave a person feeling alone, vulnerable, and broken-hearted.

Enough of these experiences can crush a person’s spirit. Some soul-crushing examples:

• Homes dealing with abuse, divorce, or desertion.
• Diseased bodies and minds struggling to get through each day.
• Cultural or societal upheavals like poverty, epidemics, war, famine, political instability, or persecution.

All these heart-breaking, soul-crushing experiences are all too common. But take heart… God is not distant! He is near! 

Jesus suffered with broken-hearted, soul-crushing agony for us, carrying all our sins and sorrows on His cross… wrongs we have done… wrongs done to us. He then rose again over death and death-like experiences. God is near in His Son and in His Holy Spirit. He saves us and mends broken hearts! God rebuilds and refills crushed souls!

It is written

But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4

“It is written…”

those three words

make the devil turn

when the tempter lied

Jesus strongly replied

with “It is written.”

“It is written…”

the Word of God

from the Son of God

silenced temptation

Bringer of salvation

trusted “It is written.”

“It is written…”

So we must

confidently trust

scripture’s power

in our trying hour

believing “It is written.”

“It is written…”

will form our souls

will make us whole

in truth we live

victory He gives

because “It is written.”

watching and waiting safely

O my Strength, I will watch for you,

for you, O God, are my fortress.

My God in his steadfast love will meet me;

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

Psalm 59:9-10

In times of trial, as we wait for the Lord to deliver us, to make His strength known in our weakness, to hide us in His fortress, we will know a faithfulness even as we wait. The waiting itself becomes sustaining. I have known this in ways deeper than I ever thought possible. God is near in the waiting. That nearness produces confidence in our faith.

David wrote this psalm from a specific circumstance. It was composed during that awful time before David’s kingship, when Saul was bent on killing him. The jealous rage of a commander-in-chief who had become unhinged had put David’s home under military surveillance. David thus could not go home. He had to hide. But David hid not in caves or the wilderness alone, but in the protective care of God. He fell back in faith into the fortress of His God. 

This was not a retreat of defeat. This was a turn to trust that hoped for the future triumph of God over anything that opposed David. David believed God Who had already anointed him king and made promises to David. He let God handle the details of his defense even as it looked like the system was irreversibly stacked against him.

Saul’s mania and minions would all run their course. The jealous king would eventually die by his own hand, wounded in battle against Israel’s foes. Saul would fail in his campaign against God’s plan. And in God’s timing, the forces aligned against David fell in one day. David’s wait, in faith, was well worth it when God’s timing came.

And so when we watch for God to work, let us take heart from this psalm of praise. God will surround us with His protection as we do so. God’s grace and power will lead us beyond the trial if we only stay faithful and lean in!

the well-pleasing Son

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Matthew 3:15

When Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized, John first prevented it claiming it was he who needed to submit to baptism by Jesus. But Jesus, the greater authority, explained to John, the lesser authority, just why he needed to do so. Jesus and John would “fulfill all righteousness” by Jesus’ baptism. There was something big going on. It wasn’t that Jesus was out of place to be baptized by John, rather it was that both of them would obey an even greater authority, God the Father.

The was immediately known after Jesus was baptized. The Spirit of God rested on Jesus like a dove. The voice of the Father from heaven proclaimed Jesus as “my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mathew 3:17). All righteousness was fulfilled as Jesus began His public ministry, confirmed by John the Baptist, by the Holy Spirit’s presence, and by the Father Himself.

Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. He did every righteous act revealed by God and demanded by the Law. His baptism showed the Father’s approval from the very beginning. This was going to continue all through His ministry in His teaching, healings, and by His miracles. It would culminate in His crucifixion to die for our sins to satisfy God, defeating death and sin by His obedient victory over sin’s curses forever! Jesus fulfilled all righteousness so that all who trust now in Him receive His righteousness by faith and come to the Father by the well-pleasing Son.

In His temple

The LORD is in his holy temple;

the LORD'S throne is in heaven;

his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

Psalm 11:4

The Lord is in His holy temple

enthroned above

yet moved by love

He sees me

He redeems me

He frees me

The Lord is in His holy temple

from Holy place

He gives His grace

He sees us

He redeems us

through Jesus

The Lord came from His holy temple

life from on high

came here to die

to be here

draw us near

to break fear

The Lord returned to His holy temple

victory won

salvation done

free from the grave

our souls to save

no longer enslaved

The Lord dwells in His holy temple

His Spirit He gives

as in us He lives

He dwells within

He helps us win

no longer in sin

The Lord is in His holy temple!

God’s justice is poetic justice.

The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Psalm 9:16

The best justice is poetic justice and that is exactly how God’s judgment of the wicked works. The wickedness ends by the consequences playing out. The wages of sin is death. The justice is meted by the way in which evil falls by its own fatal actions. It burns itself out of fuel. It pushes limits until disease, derailment, derangement, downfall, or detonation end things inescapably. God’s justice prevails.

What bothers us as those whose lives must bear witness to evil events is that our perspective is limited. We do not see how the trap has been laid. We might live to see evil ensnared by a just set of ironies. We might not. But we must still believe that a merciful God gives every chance for the wicked to repent before they are brought to hell-bound ruin by their own actions. When it happens though, they will fall into pits dug for others and slip in forgotten nets hidden by their own deceit.

Lord,

I trust Your ways (Psalm 9:18-20). I wait for Your poetic justice. I know You will not let man prevail because all nations will answer in judgment to You. The needy are not forgotten by You and the hope of the poor shall not perish no matter what governments, communities, or hate groups will do. You let the nations know they are mere men and in ironic justice they will fall in their own sinful traps.

Amen

One named Jesus

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

It was Joseph who was instructed to name Jesus. The righteous and just Joseph, who would be asked to be earthly father to the Son of God was given this honor to name Jesus, with the revelation that this was no mere child. Jesus was the Savior of His people. This saving work was unlike that of any previous king, judge, or deliverer from Israel’s past. Jesus would deliver from sin… a task no other earthly king could ever do.

Jesus is named a Savior while still in the womb of Mary. He is revealed to save from sins even as His earthly home is being pieced together in order to prepare for Him. The Son of God is already going to save before His first breath would be drawn in that Bethlehem manger. And his parents had to accept the enormous gift and responsibility for that coming salvation even as the fearful task of raising a sin-savior-son came to them.

Lord Jesus,

Joseph called Your name Jesus as the angel instructed him because he believed the Word of the Lord… that You would save Your people from their sins. This morning as I pray in grateful wonder because I am one whom You have delivered, I realize that although You are the world’s Savior, You are uniquely my Savior. I wrestle with my constant reminder of my need for You. I am indeed a sinner. I am a believer too. I trust You for saving grace. And I am still sadly quite broken. Honestly, a fitful night tossed around in that brokenness has me right where I need to be in appreciation for Your saving work. I am so broken that I screw up even my closest relationships with selfish nearsightedness that wounds others. And I am blind to it. It hurts when I realize I have done it. I need saving from myself. I need You, Jesus, to save me from myself… to save me from my sin. Thank God there is One named Jesus!

Amen

trinity blessing

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

as known in His masterful words

disciples follow on His road

healing grace

helping grace

dying grace

forgiving grace

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

The love of God the Father

as shown in the gift of His Son

His sun and rain bestowed on everyone

tender love

active love

caring love

saving love

May the love of God the Father be with you!

The fellowship of the Holy Spirit

as felt in His constant presence

known in His powerful gifts

comforting fellowship

controlling fellowship

unifying fellowship

transforming fellowship

May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you!

ministry ain’t easy

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

2 Corinthians 11:29

Paul poured himself into the lives of those to whom the gospel ministry enmeshed his heart. For him, ministry was both highly public (he preached in synagogues and marketplaces, before rulers and crowds; he wrote intensive epistles full of doctrine, encouragement, and strong rebuke when needed) and his ministry was balanced by being intensely personal (he cared for leaders and individuals, naming them with affection in his writings; he built close ministry teams and trusted them). This led to deep engagement in the messiness of lives.

Paul uses two phrases to show how this type of intense ministry connection affected him: “daily pressures” and “my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Emotionally, gospel ministry is a high stakes game. It requires an “all-in” kind of commitment. It is personally, emotionally, and spiritually risky and draining. And it will take a toll. The pressures are real. The anxiety is real and rises up. And we must feel with and care for those to whom God has joined to us in dynamic discipleship and mutual ministry.

When a fellow believer is weak, we identify with their weakness and long for God to strengthen us together. We suffer mutually with them. If a ministry partner is made to stumble (even publicly… the Greek work for “made to fall” is related to the word for scandal), we feel the embarrassment and the burning desire to correct it and see repentance and restoration. Ministry is not for those who want no risk and just enjoy fun times for free. It is costly.

Lord knows I have the occasional sleepless night as I have felt the weakness of a dear saint or grieved the fall of a brother. I’ve come alongside in grief and loss, in sorrow and pain, in fear and confusion, in sin and regret, to express my empathy and point to Jesus. And I have had others consistently do the same when I have been the weak, hurting,  or faltering one! 

Intensive mutual ministry is a powerful and purposeful story. It is an exciting experience and the stuff of life! I’m so glad God calls the church together to such deep connection. I am intensely sad that so many settle for superficial mega-church peripheral inspiration that often has spirituality but little Jesus and does not demand deep connection. Or they fall for an insidious political MAGA-church scandalous misdirection that feels big or important, but is instead very petty and small without Jesus. The deep personal connection with believers around us is all our hearts were made for! It isn’t easy. We will feel it deeply. It is totally worth it.

the most generous gift

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Grateful hearts are truly generous. When preparing a church to generously support the spread of the gospel to provide help for the hurting, Paul is confident that the Corinthians will give. And it is part of their worship of Jesus to do so. Generous giving flows from hearts that in gratitude realize that God has already been the most extravagant Giver through Christ to give us His inexpressible gift. God is the most generous. The gift of salvation by Jesus Christ is the inexpressible gift Paul shares in this praise. We could never give as God does. But we can give with joyful gratitude for what God gives.

This is a gospel-motivated generosity. This gratitude motives us to invest our lives in the power of the saving grace that transforms the hearts of all who believe. It is the gospel that will change lives in our world. It is the gift of Jesus’ saving life that will change lives forever. He brings peace in a traumatic situation. He bring power to the weak. He brings transformation to the troubled. And that inexplicable love (it really is mind-blowing and breath-taking in its scope and power) will eternally be our portion and our purpose. Thank God for His generous, inexplicably wonderful gift!

Lord,

May I love in this kind of love… love as I live this life… and give my all in the appreciative apprehension of the wonder of Your great gift in Jesus!

Amen

AWESOME!

Come and see what God has done:

he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

Psalm 66:5

When thinking about what God does, I too say that He is awesome in His deeds.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound!

Worthy of praise… yes more than worthy is He!

Extravagant love poured out on me!

Salvation in Christ offered to all who believe!

Omnipotent King who rules all this world!

Mighty God Whom no person can oppose!

Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!

Yes Lord! You are awesome. You shower us with blessing and lead us in victory over everything that fails to defy You.

Yes Lord! You are awesome. I worship You, God of my salvation, Savior of my soul.

controlled by, concluded in, and committed to the grace of Christ

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

2 Corinthians 6:1

What does it mean to receive the grace of God in vain? Paul’s urgent appeal here is best understood in the previous context in which he also made a strong personal commitment to the Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5:13… For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. What had Paul and his ministry team in such a frame of mind? Why were they so worked up? The power of the message of the gospel is the answer. They were controlled by God’s love in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14). They concluded that all who come to Christ died in Him so that they no longer lived self-directed lives, but for the sake of a crucified and risen Savior. They were convinced that the Corinthians needed to live out the gospel this same way.

To not live for Him Who died and rose again would be to receive the grace of God in vain. The gospel reception isn’t just a nod to a set of statements. it is a transforming commitment to an all new life, directed by a powerful, loving, living Lord! It would call believers into tested commitments and potential persecution (2 Corinthians 6:4-10). It would result in new allegiance that made each believer a holy temple in which God resided… a call to holy living markedly different than the standards of pagan culture… holiness marks those who truly receive the grace of God (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Since Jesus is Lord, there will be visible ways He is known in His people! He will bear me up in hardships and possible persecutions. He will deliver me, hold me near, and strengthen me in trials. He will transform those difficulties by grace into displays of His glory and power! He will also equip me by His righteousness to live a holy life in a world that is dark compared to the light of God’s holiness. Jesus will live in me… His temple.

satisfied with the goodness of God’s nearness

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,

to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 65:4

Lord,

You brought me near because Jesus came to do so. Jesus reaches out His nail pierced hand to extend to me the offer to draw near. He died and was raised again to life so that NOTHING would separate me from Your great love, O God! I grab hold of my Savior, drawn to the embrace of my Father, comforted and strengthened by the living presence of Your Holy Spirit. And now I dwell in Your courts.

And not only have You done it all for me to draw near, but You provide for all who by faith believe the gospel to find all of life’s satisfaction in You. My heart seeks to worship… and is fulfilled with the wonder of You. My self searches for identity and is remade to be what You intended in Christ. My relationships seek love and to be loved and all those relationships are fulfilled in You and Your people. My circumstances have me searching for meaning, and all purposes are completely satisfied with trusting You. Truly blessed am I and are all whom You choose to bring near!

Amen

The new has come.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Past sins and brokenness

used to define me

shackles would bind me

How I needed forgiveness!

Indecision and blindness

kept me from seeing

stopped me from believing

that You could give me Your kindness

My old life has gone

a new life has come

alive in the Son

by what You have done

New holiness and direction

clear in Your Word

loving my Lord

amazed at His perfection

New life and power

to live as He says

to love all His ways

to know Him each hour

My new life has come

and an old life has gone

this new creation now lives

in full life Jesus gives

total depravity: a “necessary evil” doctrine

They have all fallen away;

together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

Psalm 53:3

The doctrine of total depravity is not one that is discussed much these days. Humanistic optimism in the 20th century misled the world into thinking that science and progress would just keep making us better and better. Our problems were due to lack of education and the affect of repressive archaic superstitions from religion. So Marxism tired to throw them off and unleash progress. Various Marxist principles even found their way into academia and education in the Western world. But it failed spectacularly. Scientism tried to prove itself worthy of our worship with remarkable advances… one example: in sixty years time we went from flimsy gliders to rockets that landed humanity on the moon. Oh… and we also had two world wars of unspeakable destruction thanks to science. This “progress” ended the 20th century in a worldwide nuclear annihilation standoff that exists to this day! 

G.K. Chesterton famously quipped that the doctrine of total depravity was the easiest to prove — just read the daily newspaper. And even now as postmodern relativism tries to dismantle and reframe human history, we still live with an onslaught of total depravity… much more readily observable with restraints thrown off… the universal sinfulness of the human race all over an interconnected, electronically instant access, world. Newspapers are old fashioned and gone, replaced with constant 24/7 Tik Tok videos and social media posts. Common people showing how they have their sin in common. We pull a device from our pocket that reveals to us total depravity worldwide in an instant. God is right in what He has revealed about the problems with humanity.

The apostle Paul laid out the gospel of Jesus Christ, understanding this sinfulness in Romans 3:10-12: “None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks after God, all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; no one does good, no not one.” He echoes David’s experience thousands of years earlier in Psalm 53, but then Paul points to the only solution — Jesus! Romans 3:23-24: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Thanks be to God! In Jesus we are delivered from the domination of depravity and transformed to become His holy people for His glory!

afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

This passage is an inconvenient bubble-bursting reality check for those who want to believe prosperity theology. I can see Osteen squirming. “God wants you wealthy, healthy, and happy!” Really? Not according to Paul’s clear experience… a lifestyle he insists to the Corinthians is what those dedicated to making the gospel of Jesus Christ known should expect. Christians should expect life to be hard. It is complicated to stand for the gospel in a dark world that hates the light of Christ. But notice that even though it is hard, there is hope and sustaining goodness from God in the difficult experiences. They are never unbearable.. God is at work in them.

There is “affliction” — a word used to describe pressing grapes. Christians may be pressured by the world around us but notice: we are “not crushed”. Jesus strengthens us so that pressure doesn't break us. There is also the reality of being “perplexed”, which describes feelings of entrapment, optionless, walled-in, not knowing what to do next. Yet Jesus is with us. He is right there so there is a way out. We do not despair because Jesus is there! Christians are persecuted, which is now the default treatment from our culture. Christian morality in all its forms is now seen as the problem by cultural elites. We have sexuality, gender, absolute truth, scripture, sinfulness, and redemptive need “all wrong”. The world insists people are basically good, but repressed by Christian judgmentalism. We are now the enemy of “progress” and “goodness”. But persecution does not strike down the truth of the gospel. Jesus never forsakes us even if the world does. For over four thousand years the world has tried to strike down the people of God. They have never succeeded to destroy the message God has given to us.

Lord,

We trust in You. We carry in our experience Your death and Your rejection so that You may live Your life anew in us… right now! Nothing opposed to You, or to You living in us, can succeed. We take heart!

Amen

short term vanity

Remember how short my time is!

For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

Psalm 89:47

it is an illusion

young man who confidently looks ahead

not realizing one day you are dead

short is the span

not in your hand

do you hold your days

or even know your ways

reject the delusion

the plan and the scheme

of the American dream

will let you down to crash

life and love burned to ash

without any restart

to comfort your heart

through the confusion

God sends one beam of light

so keep Jesus in sight

reorder your imagination

align with heaven’s expectation

to your Savior now run

with thin shadows be done

accept this conclusion

old man that you have become

held safely and treasured by God’s Son

through sorrows He has seen you

with new life he has blessed you

a short life — it may be vanity

but Jesus has made your for eternity