Conclusion

Well, today's post was the last one for this lenten season. Tomorrow marks the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, with Palm Sunday.

I have enjoyed writing and reflecting on these Scriptures with you over this period of time. I hope and trust that God has richly blessed you with His Word, and drawn you deeper to Himself and His amazing love for you over this lenten journey.

May the love of God the Father, the Peace of Jesus Christ, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be yours in a very real and tangible way this Easter season and beyond.

With much love in Christ, be God's, Scott

Union

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."
John 12:27-33

Throughout Jesus earthly ministry, He most certainly drew all kinds of people to himself. His amazing teaching, miraculous signs, and magnanimous personality drew everyone from children, to women, to Jews and Gentiles, to Pharisees and Tax Collectors - sinners and saints alike made intimate company with Jesus. Many people, from all different walks of life were drawn to this God-Man and moved to give up everything to follow Him.

Jesus says here in predicting His death, "when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." For Jesus, the purpose of the cross, in which He was lifted up in glorious suffering for all to see, was to draw all people to himself. It is interesting (at least to me) to note that historically speaking, Christ's crucifixion did not draw all kinds of people to him. In fact the Scriptures will tell you that those masses who shouted "Hosanna" on Palm Sunday shouted crucify him a few days later. Those same people who waved palm branches in jubilant joy as he past them, would later hurl insults and spit upon him. Even those in His closest circle left him and went into hiding as he hung on the cross. Only the brave Mary's and disciples in Pharisee clothing Joseph and Nicodemus, stuck with him 'til the end. Jesus death on the cross did not draw all people to himself like his earthly ministry - His crucifixion left Him all alone, an object of scorn.

So, was Jesus wrong in predicting that the cross and His suffering would draw all people to Him? Not at all. The cross was the event in which Jesus united all of humanity to Himself. Even though we rejected Him, scorned Him, spat upon Him and left Him alone in His suffering...He died in order to draw us to himself for eternity.

His suffering and death defeated our sin, removing the one barrier that existed between us and Him. Now we do not merely draw near to Him as one might draw near to a charismatic athlete or actor signing autographs. We draw near to Him in an intimately miraculous way - fully united to Him in His death and resurrection. As the author of Hebrews reminds us, "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Jesus death does much more than allow us to be drawn into His presence (and really wouldn't that have been enough!) - His death unites us in Spirit with Him for eternity.

We who left Him alone in His sufferings on the cross. We who sinned with great aplomb and selfish indulgence. We who would rather draw people to ourselves than be drawn to Jesus...It was for us, that Jesus journeyed to the cross.

May this awesome reminder of God's grace in our special union with Christ encourage to you worship and glorify Him in such a way that others are drawn to Him too.

Be God's, Scott

Appleseeds

"Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."
John 12:23-26

Jesus' talk of seeds and kernels here reminds me of that simple little children's poster that captured my attention as a kid. There was a picture of a little girl holding this extra large delicious apple sliced down the middle and counting the seeds. At the bottom of this picture, the text read something like this, "man can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." I can vividly recall the satisfying work of logic that my young brain went through to make sense of this statement. The seed had an apple tree in it, with lots of apples, year after year, but only God in His great wisdom knew how many. The only way for all these apples to actually manifest themselves was for the seed to be buried, and die - then, and only then, could we see the blessing of so many more apples.

Here, Jesus describes Himself as such a seed, as He predicts His death and burial and resurrection - something that would be painful, yet necessary for the ample blessings of new life to flourish. In Jesus' life, death and resurrection we see a distinct act of glory. An act of sacrifice so great and unexpected that the Son of God was lifted up for our undivided praise and honor. Jesus was glorified on the cross.

I wonder though, if Jesus had something else in mind as well, when He spoke of it being His hour to be glorifed. I wonder if the thing that would give Him glory was not just the amazing act of sacrifice, but also the fruit that would burst forth from the seed.

We, are the fruit that was born out of the suffering seed. We are the apples that were hidden inside the dying kernel. We are the ones, who by faith, were designed to give Christ and His cross glory. How could we ever give Christ glory? Jesus seems to indicate that we glorify Him when we too become little seeds of sacrifice. We must "hate our life," "deny ourselves, pick up our cross" and "follow Him." When we live our lives for His sake and His glory we become living sacrifices - healthy fruit born out of suffering.

Christ died so that we, by living sacrificial lives of faith might give Him the glory He so richly deserves. To rightly honor and glorify Christ's passion, we must likewise sacrifice all in a life of service and discipleship. And then, amazingly, and undeservedly, God will honor us...we shall one day be lifted up in glory with Jesus to be where He is.

O Lord, forgive me for those times that I have selfishly loved my life at your expense. Forgive me for those times that I have not lived a discipleship life of sacrifice, but of cowardice and consumption. Please empower me to be a seed of glory for Jesus - that all I do, meagre as it is, may bring glory to your name. And Lord haste the day when all the fruit of your sacrifice may reside in glory with you. AMEN

Be God's, Scott

The Suffering Servant

"During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 5:7-10

So, how does this passage make you feel about Jesus? The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who was, and is, and is to come - the great almighty Son of God...reduced and humbled to a crying, weepy, submissive, and suffering servant. Surely this meek and vulnerable picture of Jesus is not accurate...or is it? I find myself initially taken aback at this portrait. I'm pretty sure that I would rather think of Jesus as a glorious victor. I think it's one of those Bible passages that catches us by surprise by upsetting our expectations.

This passage plainly slaps us in the face with the humanity of Jesus - He experienced emotion as we do, He cried and He wept, He experienced the grief that comes when a loved one dies as well as the grief that comes when a close friend betrays your trust. He experienced what it was to be hungry and homeless in addition to experiencing what it was to laugh and dance and rejoice amidst human relationships. Jesus was fully human.

Many people would tell you that Jesus' only time of suffering was during the week of His passion - the taunts, the mocking, Gethsemane, the scourging, the cross, enduring the wrath of God on our behalf. I'd even go a lot farther than that though...I think Jesus entire time on earth as the Word made Flesh was an experience in suffering. Not only did He immerse Himself in this world full of sin only to be spurned and hurt by those very people He created with fearful and wonderful love. Not only did the eternal One who was without beginning or end, subject Himself to a birth (bloody and meagre) and death (bloody and meagre) - but in His willing incarnation, He also limited Himself from the eternal relationship of love that He had always known with His Father and the Holy Spirit. It is no real stretch to argue that Jesus entire life on earth was truly an act of suffering.

So, why would the Son of God willingly humiliate Himself and endure wholesale suffering when He could have chosen not to?

For you...so that when you suffer He might be able to empathize and minister to you - understanding. But even more than that - that He might forgive your sins and grant you eternal life - our great High Priest forever - our Suffering Servant!

Thanks be to God for willingly suffering for us. O Lord give us the strength, and help us to consider it pure joy when we endure suffering of all kinds for your names sake. May we do so knowing that we are following You.

Be God's, Scott

Delight

" How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word."
Psalm 119:9-16

I can't say that I can recall too many scriptures from the days I was a young man/teenager. However, I do distinctly remember reading and reflecting on this passage. I mean here was a passage especially for me - a young man. Through the eyes of a teen, most of the Scriptures were written for grown ups with grown up issues - there weren't a lot that specifically addressed me and my adolescent context. Perhaps that's why I liked and remembered this one so much. I mean, I was a teen who had put His faith in Christ and who was endeavoring to keep his way pure - this verse spelled it out for me plainly - albeit, leaving me perplexed.

How was I to keep my way pure? To stop sinning and pursue holiness? Well, all the answers to those questions were to be found in the pages of the Bible - that same book that was written for grown-ups and was filled with lists of names I couldn't pronounce, in a language and style that was part Shakespeare part Chaucer. Truthfully, at the time, I recall feeling a sense of anti-climactic disappointment. How was I to grow in Godliness - read a book. I had somewhat resigned myself to a life of impurity, for how could I ever relate to this antiquarian book?

The author of the Psalm hid the words in his heart to the point where he could recount them all from memory any time he needed to say them out loud - I had a hard enough time reading it, let alone memorizing it. The author of the Psalm equivocates the joy of reading and obeying the law with the joy that comes in obtaining large amounts of cash - in my selfish teen existence I would have taken the money every time. The author of the Psalm meditated on the words thinking deeply on what they meant - I didn't meditate on anything past the few seconds it took to decide what to wear in the morning.

I knew that reading, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible were important but I had a real hard time getting in to it - it seemed so foreign to me. Not surprisingly, I did struggle with sin in my life.

I wonder if this Psalm is more than just a bit of loving advice for young men. I wonder if these are precious words of life for all of us. A reminder to get back at it and make Bible reading and study an important part of our life. A call to purity through dedication to the Scriptures, not as a means of guilting us into it, but in offering a delicious drink of cold water on a hot day.

I'm pleased to say that despite my initial hesitation and fears, I stuck with the Bible. I can't say it was (and is) always easy, but I stuck with it. I moved from reading little snippets, to the Gospels, to the New Testament, to the Old Testament, to the Bible as the whole revelation of God's great redemption plan in Christ Jesus - my only rule of faith and life. I have learned to love the Word of God and cherish each word, digging for the meaning out of it as a young lover does the words of a love letter from their beloved. I will never stop being amazed at how this living Word continues to nourish and feed me in new and surprising ways time after time.

O Lord, continue to keep our ways pure through the light of Your Word. Increase in us daily, a desire to want to read and mediate on it, in addition to our understanding. May we never neglect Your Word, rather may you continue to take us to new and surprising places of joy and delight.

Be God's, Scott

Confession

" Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom
in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Psalm 51:1-10

One of the great stories of the Reformation has to do with confession. Martin Luther, then a monastic and scholar would attend formal times of confession with a priest. This process of confession for the absolution of his sins became increasingly frustrating to Luther though. He discovered that as soon as he left confession and was walking out, he would sin again and need to return to confession to confess that sin for his absolution. This process of confession, only to immediately sin again became a huge burden to Luther. He imagined what might happen to him if he were to die not having confessed all of his sins.

It was in the midst of this burden, and during a time of devout study of Scripture that Luther was led to a freeing truth by the Spirit of God - that we are justified of our sins once and for all by the grace of God through faith. Forgiving our sins is God's work of grace, and not our work. When we receive the gift of Christ's forgiveness in faith, all of our sins are forgiven - the ones we did, the ones we're doing, and the ones we haven't even done yet. To be justified is to be declared forever righteous in the eyes of God. In a very real sense, when God looks at our lives, He blessedly sees the righteousness of Christ and not our filthy rags.

In other words, the only confession of sin that we will ever need in order to justify us before God is the one time confession that comes through faith at our initial conversion. From that point on we live in the freedom of righteousness bought for us by Christ. The astute reader amongst you might ask the very good theological question - if by grace through faith we have already been declared righteous before God, why do we still need to confess our sins? I mean we do this every week as a part of our Sunday worship liturgy.

The simple answer is that our prayers of confession are really not for God, but for us. We do not confess our sins in order for God to forgive us, but because God has already forgiven us in Christ. It is an exercise in honesty and humility where we claim the promises of God for our own life. It is an admission to ourselves, others and God, that although we have already been declared righteous in Christ, we are still sinners - and these sins often prevent us from doing that which God would have us do. Our confession is also a constant reminder that we are in need of a savior - we ought not take our freedom in Christ for granted, rather our humble confession ought to lead us to a life of thanksgiving and service.

Psalm 51 is a wonderful prayer of confession from David after he (a servant after God's own heart) had an adulterous tryst with Bathsheba and made arrangements to have her husband killed. This prayer evidences for us the raw honesty and penitence of a sinner. Oh that we would have the same raw honesty in our own life before God.

May our sins not be a burden to us as they were to Luther. May we claim the promises of our baptism, and live in the joyful freedom of forgiveness in Christ. May our confession lead us to rely even more deeply on our savior and propel us forward into thanksgiving and service.

Be God's, Scott

I Know French

“The time is coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34

Knowledge is an interesting word. In Canada growing up we all took French classes every year. One thing I learned about the word knowledge is that the French have two words for it: Savoir - means to have knowledge of a fact. Connaitre - means to have knowledge that is intimate relationally regarding a person or a place. Savoir is, I know what my wife's name is (Tanya, if you're interested ;) Connaitre is, I know my wife better than anybody else does.

I find these two distinct understandings of the word knowledge to be helpful when we consider our faith, and how it is that we may know God.

The passage above is a beautiful picture of the new covenant promises that God has made for us in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Prior to Christ, our knowledge of God was limited to that of a savoir knowledge. Knowledge of God came from the law. Humanity was able to know about God through the law, and consequently we were able to know the extent of our own sinfulness. In the law we could see God's holiness on the one hand, and our depravity on the other. Unfortunately, our knowledge could not go anywhere past that stage because our sin prevented any type of intimate knowledge. The law is our work to try to know about God.

The work of Christ graciously enabled humanity to have a connaitre knowledge of God. A knowledge which moves beyond mere facts and figures and into intimate relationship (as God has always intended for us). Christ's work on the cross of "forgiving our wickedness and remembering our sins no more," removed the barrier that we put up, and gave us the freedom to really know God. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." You see, Jesus by forgiving our sins and fulfilling the law for us effectively re-united us with God in vibrant relationship. In Christ "we shall all know Him, from the least to the greatest." The work of Christ changed our relationship with God from an external one defined by our work, to an internal one defined by Christ's work. If the law was our work to try to know God, then grace is God's work for us that we might truly know Him.

I wonder though, despite this Amazing news, how many of us are content with a life of knowing lots of things about God - knowing all the Bible stories, right theology, the right things to do at church, how to morally act in society - yet not truly knowing and enjoying your blessed relationship with God.

Our life of faith is not about following a bunch of external rules and regulations - our work...our life of faith is all about grace - God's work, and enjoying our intimate connaitre of Him.

Be God's, Scott

Zero to Hero

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:4-10

Any of you remember these ads...

Charles Atlas promised Comic Book readers of the 70's quick and amazing transformation from Zero to Hero simply by sending away for his book and 15 minutes of work a day. How could a skinny boy resist the opportunity to morph into a tough, punch throwin' muscleheaded man? - particularly if the swim trunks were included :) Though I have never tried Charles Atlas' program - which is quite obvious for those who have seen me - I question if this sort of "too good to be true" promise of instant "before and after" transformation is even possible.

Physically...no - but Spiritually...thanks be to God...YES!

OK, here's the amazing "after" to yesterday's "before." Yesterday the Scriptures left us with a pretty bleak picture of the human condition - dead in our trespasses and sins. The rest of the passage describes the "after" state of our transformation in Christ:

- instantly made alive in Spirit - regenerated from death to life

- immediately raised up with Christ, where we (right now!) sit with Him in the heavenly places - in other words, upon being made alive we have been elevated to eternal life right now and already glorified in Jesus

- marvellously shown the exceeding riches of His grace

- the stain of sin which had previously tarnished and rusted the workmanship of God in us, has been completely removed to the point where we can now do what we were always created to do...good works

I mean this work of Jesus on the cross on our behalf is nothing short of an amazing undeserved spiritual transformation.

And how does on receive this new life in Christ? Not by anything we could ever do in our spiritually dead state (like we'd boast about that), but solely by grace through faith. Ultimately, it was the richness of God's mercy and His great love for us that raised us from death to life.

Thanks be to God for not leaving us to rot and rust in our sinful dead state, but for quickening us to new abundant life out of the depths and richness of His love for us in Christ Jesus.

Be God's, Scott

I See Dead People...

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."
Ephesians 2:1-3

A friend was sharing with me a story the other day about this big tree they had on their property. One day, out of the blue, this big old tree snapped at the trunk, tipped over and landed on two of their cars - I was even graced with a picture to see the damage. This big old tree had been a fixture on that piece of land long before my friend ever pulled up residence there. Why did this tree fall over you might ask? Despite the fact, from all outward appearances, that the tree was healthy, alive and vibrant - it was dead and rotting on the inside. After the tree snapped in two, you could see the death and rot that was previously unseen. Kind of makes you wonder about other big trees you see as you pass them by - is there death behind that bark that is beyond our vision?

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, gives us a similarly sobering reality about the nature of humanity - though we are born, and live and breathe and move - we are in fact spiritually dead. Outward appearances indicate life, health and vitality: We love, we laugh, we play, we work, we cry, we dance. All of humanity move through this life with the appearance of strength and vitality, while all the time rotting away in death on the inside.

He tells us that the cause of this inner death of spirit is our transgressions and sins. This condition of spiritual death is one that all humans are born into through no choice of their own. Much as a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome child had no choice in being born with a debilitating addiction to alcohol (the choice was made for them by their parents) - we were all born with a debilitating addiction to sin (a choice made for us by our first parents Adam and Eve). As a result, our natural tendency is to sin and fulfill the lusts of our flesh, not obey God in our spirits. In fact, if we are spiritually dead, we are totally unable to live in good relationship with God as we were initially created to be. The human condition is tragic in that we all have the outward appearance of life and vitality, but in reality we are dead people walking.

In our dead condition, we can do nothing to resuscitate ourselves any more than a corpse could choose to pop out of a coffin on its own.

Thanks be to God, in Christ Jesus, that He has made us alive! He has conquered sin and death. His resurrection has enabled our resurrection.

As one made alive in Christ, as I walk the streets - I see dead people - people who are spiritually dead and unaware of it and I am filled with compassion. I keep my eyes on the trees and wonder, not in judgment, but in love and hope.

Oh LORD, may you continue to bring life to those we know and love through your Son Jesus, and Father, may you even use a recovering sinner like myself to help bring others this life. AMEN

Be God's, Scott

My Own Personal Jesus

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."
John 3:16-18

Ah...John 3:16, those sweet familiar words from the Book that we love. For most people they are the first (and only) words memorized from the Bible. Though, I suppose if you are going to memorize any Scripture, might as well be these words of life.

I wonder with you today, if our familiarity with these words, in conjunction with our self-centered culture, has lead us into an under appreciation of what Jesus is really saying here. Let me see if I can explain.

I can remember a time when I was a youngster, having a well intentioned adult discuss John 3:16 with me and instruct me to personalize the verse by putting my name in place of "the world." So, something like this...

"For God so loved Scott that He gave His one and only Son, that if Scott believes in Him he shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Now, I understand why I was instructed this. The adult wanted to teach me of God's amazing love for me. The fact that even if I was the only one who needed saving unto everlasting life, Jesus still would have come and died. This is a knee-knocking thing to think upon. And truthfully, this is exactly what our self-centered culture longs to hear - faith is about you and your belief in Jesus in the vacuum of an isolated personal relationship. The spotlight is on you and Jesus without much consideration of community or the world we live in.

I see the negative effects a personal relationship with Jesus gone awry can have: Christians more concerned with personal growth than service and love. Christians more concerned with being blessed than being a blessing. Christians more concerned with fulfillment than suffering. Christians more concerned with a need for self-help than using their self to help others.

The reality is, that we need to make all of these concerns a priority.

The reality of things is that Jesus did not say "insert your name." Jesus said that He came out of His love for the whole world and to provide for its everlasting life. The Greek word for world here is cosmos, and it encapsulates all of God's creation that suffered the curse of sin - the earth, the stars, the animals, the plants, and the humans. God's plan in salvation is bigger than saving those humans who come to Him by grace through faith in Christ - it is nothing less than the redemption of the cosmos - a plan that He graciously invites His redeemed children to participate in.

Life in Christ is much more than having your own personal Jesus - it is enjoying the love of God, including everlasting life right now in community with His beloved creation and the saints. And it is sacrificially loving the world as He has, alongside Him in partnership.

Be God's, Scott

Good

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say this—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south."
Psalm 107:1-3

Let me tease you with a scary thought today...what if God was not good, and what if God was not loving? Go ahead, try to imagine that scenario, an exercise that I found very difficult to do. But think about it:

If God is almighty and all-powerful - in other words, there is nothing that He cannot do any time He wants to do it. He can create and eliminate. When He speaks, things happen.

If God is omniscient and omnipresent - in other words God knows everything and He is present in every place, in every time all at once. Nothing is beyond Him or hidden from Him.

Imagine if this improbably big and incomprehensible God was without the defining characteristics of goodness and mercy. I mean, if God were bad or evil in addition to all that awesome power and authority He would be incredibly dangerous, and we would find ourselves at the mercy of a tyrannical despot. If God were not good, it would be incredibly bad for us. However, God is good and loving at the core of His being (in addition to all that other stuff). Though I do wonder how often we take it for granted that He is good and loving without really appreciating that fact.

The Psalmist does not take God's goodness for granted. In his song of praise to God he reminds all of us who have been redeemed by the mercy of God to give thanks to Him. We simply ought to give thanks to God because of His goodness. This thanksgiving ought to flow into our everyday lives in which all we do is a testimony of gratitude to God's goodness.

When we choose to pray, we do so with thanksgiving that God is good and will stoop to listen to our prayers.
When we choose to serve, we do so with thanksgiving that God is good and that He chose to come to us as a servant.
When we choose to obey, we do so with thanksgiving that God is good and that His commands are the best way for us to live.
When we choose to love, we do so with thanksgiving that God is good and that He first loved us.

To confess in a God that is good is to live a life of extreme gratitude.

May you know and experience the totality of God's goodness today.

Be God's, Scott

quick note...

I will be attending a Pastor's retreat thingy at Camp Fowler on Monday and Tuesday. I am not sure if they have internet access there or not. Depending on the wired up capacity of that place there may or may not be a Meditation post until Wednesday morning.

Enjoy your worship amongst the saints tomorrow!

Be God's, Scott

Authority

"Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken."
John 2:18-22

I'm no expert in law. In fact everything I learned about the law, I learned from TV cop shows (gotta love my generation ;) That's why I know what Mendoza rights are - that's where the police officer warns the arrested perpetrator of their protective rights. They always warn them something like this, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." I suspect the purpose of this practice is to protect the accused from some type of self-incrimination, or perhaps police baiting.

I find it interesting in this passage of Scripture that Jesus (at the beginning of His ministry - immediately after cleaning out the temple) says one sentence that said so much in so many different ways to so many different people.

"Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days," was Jesus' response to the Jews who had demanded a sign to prove some type of authority after trashing their commercial interests. Jesus, of course was foretelling His death and resurrection - a clear cut sign of His authority to do whatever He pleased. Indeed, anyone who has the power to rise up from the grave, has the very authority of God. This would be THE miraculous sign of miraculous signs. The disciples put two and two together after the death and resurrection of Jesus. They recalled this very statement of Jesus and finally believed. For them, this statement of Jesus was life, and a reminder that their LORD has authority over this place and their lives.

I find it interesting that later on in Jesus' story, during His trial, that this statement comes up again - only this time not to champion His authority over the grave, but, ironically, to convict Him to it. Matthew 26 tells of Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin. They had had enough of Him and were looking to have Him killed. Trouble was, they couldn't find any condemning evidence against Him.

"The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ”

The bit of "evidence" that eventually led Jesus to the cross was this same statement - a statement claiming authority in equality with the One True God. Jesus' statement of loving authority was comfort to the disciples yet blasphemy to the Jews. In fact, as Jesus hang suffering on the cross, painstakingly bearing the punishment for our sin, the Jews mocked Him and added to His suffering by shouting out derisively, "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

Thanks be to God, He did not succumb to the taunts, but suffered and died to fulfill His statement of authority. Jesus willingly gave up His Mendoza rights in order to die for us.

How much authority have you given Jesus in your own life? Are you constantly asking Him for signs or proofs in order to validate His authority? Jesus' words are gold and true, and His authority is blessed and right.

O LORD, do assert your authority in my life, and aid me in removing any doubt or roadblocks that I have built up, that are preventing me from experiencing the joy and peace of Your resurrection.

Be God's, Scott

Zeal for His house

"After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2:12-17

So, you wanna know what makes Jesus mad? You wanna know what fills Him with a righteous anger that shatters that calm vanilla visage we so often have of Him? Well, here is the passage for you.

He walks into the outer court of the Gentiles in the temple shortly before the Passover - a time where every Jewish male must make a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem to worship God and have the sins of the nation atoned for. The scene that greets Him sets Him off. The priests, over the years had developed a lucrative business for the temple coffers of both exchanging foreign cash for Jewish currency at unfair rates, and selling animals for sacrifice at tourist trap prices. The court of the Gentiles was supposed to be the place in the temple where the Jews mixed and mingled with the Gentiles and shared with them the glory of the One True God, yet instead they ripped them off. The focus was not worship but commerce and greed.

So Jesus loses it...He makes a whip out of cords, drives all the vendors out of the temple, and sends coins flying as he upturns tables. Can you imagine that scene? Can you imagine the stunned looks of His mother, brother and disciples?

What made Jesus so angry? "How dare you turn my Father's house into a market?!?" The very place where God dwelt, the very place where His people were able to worship Him was being desecrated by sin. The place where God dwells ought to be holy, pure and worthy of His character. The place where God dwells ought to be a place of worship, with nothing dividing the attention of those worshipping. The temple of God ought to be used for nothing more than beautifully housing God and worshipping Him - certainly not a place for people to profit on the backs of pilgrims.

Jesus anger was twofold: He was angry because people had forgotten and neglected the presence of Holy God, and He was angry because these vendors were preventing people from rightly worshipping God...So He snapped.

I wonder how you might react if I told you a sobering truth this morning from Paul's letters to the Corinthians - "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God. You are not your own." "For we are the temple of the Living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them." If we are a temple of the Living God, that means God dwells in us, and that means our purpose for living is to worship God. Going further, we are to be a Court of the Gentiles for those who do not yet know the one true God - a place where they can come and hear of the glory of the One True God.

O Lord, I am sorry for the many times and ways that I have desecrated this temple. Lord, for all of those times I used this temple for anything other than pure worship, I seek your forgiveness. Clean me from within Lord Jesus, that I might be a Court of the Gentiles in this world where people can come and hear of your glory. Please continue to show grace, mercy and patience to me in my struggle with sin, that I might be a shining reflection of your glory.

Be God's, Scott

A Fool For Christ

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."
1 Corinthians 1:20-25

I was in my second year of studies at McMaster University. The summer leading up to that particular semester I had served as a camp counselor at Camp Shalom. During that summer I had become convinced at the heart level of Christ's great love for me on the cross. God had moved in a powerful and beautiful way in my life. I entered that fall semester at McMaster a new man, excited about my faith...it didn't take long for me to become the fool for Christ.

I was sitting, for the first time, in a tutorial of about 25 students for a class called Cultural Anthropology. The Teachers' Assistant, a young and zealous graduate student all of about 25 years of age, began the class with a simple question for us: "Is there anyone in this class who calls themselves a Christian?" The question was met with silence, and at least for me, it seemed as if the off white walls of the windowless classroom were closing in on me. I cautiously raised my hand with my eyes fixed on the TA. It didn't take too long to glance around the rest of the room panoramically to notice that I was the only one in the class with my hand elevated. Either I was the only one in the class that believed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, or I was just the only one "foolish" enough to raise my hand.

The TA, looking smug, and without a doubt arrogantly enjoying his new found authority, replied to me with a smirk on his face..."Well, that won't last, I can guarantee that you will forget that foolishness by the end of the semester." Upon which the rest of the class snickered and guffawed as my faith was made to be the butt of the joke.

I remember for the longest time being severely offended that this man coined my faith foolishness. He made me out to be the fool in front of my peers in the attempt to encourage higher learning. However, the more I think of it now, particularly in light of the passage above - I will wear that insult as a badge of honor. I am a fool for Christ, and there is no shame in that. In fact, it was to me, a sign that I was on the right path.

Paul points out in his letter to the Corinthians that faith in Christ will always be foolishness to the wisdom of the Gentiles. The message of Christ crucified that I preach is illogical to our common senses entrenched and blinded by sin. The Gospel is foolishness and it is offensive precisely because it points out our responsibility in Christ's death.

The thing that offends and insults the sensibilities of the world so - to preach Christ crucified, is to put the blame squarely on our own shoulders. It is to confess our own negligence and responsibility in the death and punishment of Jesus. The reason that Jesus died that cruel death was us. He willingly took the punishment due to us so that we might be redeemed to eternal life and righteousness. We are the guilty ones deserving of the cross - if we had not sinned Jesus would not have ever needed to die.

People call this Gospel foolish because no one wants to believe that humanity at its core is sinful, and treacherous. It offends, because when we proclaim it, we are necessarily casting blame and responsibility on folks for the cruel death of an innocent.

I do not write this in order to encourage all to be one of those incorrigible "us and them" Christians who looks down there noses as the smug "Gentiles" of the world who "hear the message of the cross and are perishing." I write this as a reminder that I once was blind as well. I too was once one of the perishing ones. I heard the message of the gospel many times, and finally, one summer at Camp Shalom, thanks be to God, it was no longer foolishness but "the power of God leading to salvation."

I will continue to lovingly and humbly raise my hand and proclaim Christ crucified. I will endeavor to be a fool for Christ, if this is what is necessary for the Good News to be heard.

Be God's, Scott

Radiant

"The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes."
Psalm 19:7-8

Perfect, trustworthy, right and radiant are the poetic words used to by David to sing the praises of God's Word revealed to him in the Law. Immediately following David's song of praise to the glory of God seen in the gift of His creation, he goes on to sing a song of praise for God's gift of His law. Perhaps the most telling of these adjectives to me (at least on this day) is radiant.

Radiant is probably a word that we have not often used to describe God's written Word. It's a word that evokes strong feelings. In fact, this beautiful word might be quicker used to describe a sunset, or a bride on her wedding day, or perhaps even a child's smile. Though I love the Bible, and cherish it as my only rule of faith and life, I must confess I have rarely thought of it with words that conjure up images of beauty. Truth be told, I have, over the years, found it difficult to understand, tedious, demanding, and ominous - images of radiance have not often jumped into my head. So where was David coming from in using the word radiant to describe the law? Can we really, in good conscience, use this word to describe the Book that we love today?

I think we can, and I will tell you why - the word radiant actually means emit light, or to beam it out. Something that is radiant, shines out light for all to see. In this sense the Bible is truly radiant, for it beams out the light of God's glory for all to see. In fact radiant fits right in with perfect, trustworthy and right, in that all four are words equally used to describe God. If the creation is God's way of generally revealing Himself to humanity, then the Word of God even more succinctly reveals to us what God is. When we indulge in the perfect, trustworthy, right and radiant law, we are given a glimpse into the very nature of God. His Word radiates His glory. To read the Bible is to know God.

Is it any wonder then that reading this Holy Word revives ones soul, gives wisdom to the simple, gives joy to the heart and light to the eyes - for to drink deeply of it is to fill up on the knowledge of the very nature of God.

I think every Christian knows and feels that they probably ought to read the Bible more frequently. In fact, over my years in ministry, it has been my experience (both personally, and from young and old alike) that many feel a lot of guilt over shoddy reading practices. I still find reading the Scriptures tedious at times, sometimes ominous, and more often than not, demanding. The thing that has freed me from guilt and nudged my nose deeper into the Book is the idea of its radiance. I no longer read because I feel I ought to...I read because I want to know and be known by my Faithful Father. I read to touch His glory, so that I might be a reflection of His glory for all to see. I read to say thank you.

Praise be to God for His radiant Word!

Be God's, Scott

For the beauty of the Earth

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world."
Psalm 19:1-4

I can still remember having a holy transcendent moment with God in the middle of my Freshman Biology class at McMaster University - a time, truth be told, that I did not have many. I remember the professor lecturing on the intricacies of the human cell, and how all these microscopic parts worked together in such an economic yet marvelous way to make the cell function. I was momentarily taken aback at just how perfect the design was. As I stared at the cellular structure diagrams, I could not help but see the fingerprints of the One who dreamed them up, and I felt a sense of awe to be able to witness a small part of the Creator's brilliance.

I have since had similar blessed moments in my life when the evident work of the Creator's hands has led me to a place of worship: the sun setting over the Pacific ocean and painting it different shades of orange and red, cold streams spilling down the Green Mountains of Vermont into a quick moving river, a clear night in the wilderness where the heavens seem to come alive with bright pinpricks of light, the wonderful birth of my two sons (words can't do this one justice).

All of these events, and the many more that I did not recount, served to point me to the blessed Creator and give Him praise and glory.

I think David had some similar holy moments within creation. For to him, the starry heavens at night were not just beautiful in themselves - they declared the glory of God. The skies did more than just go on and on and on - they proclaimed the work of God's hands. God's creative brilliance both tells us and shows us a little bit of His glory. In the work of His hands, we see both His artful imagination, and His perfect design. God reveals a little bit of Himself to us in and through that which He created and that which He continues to create.

Emerson said, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not." This quote resonates with me, because God's handiwork has many times strengthened my faith. The beauty of the earth has assured me of God's beauty. God's care for the sparrow has assured me of His care for me. Watching the sun rise every morning assures me that God is faithful. Witnessing the flowers emerge from the ground each spring assures me that Christ also rose from the ground.

I am reminded on this day, that I too am fearfully and wonderfully made by God. I too, like the heavens and the skies, was made according to His good pleasure and was designed to declare His glory and point people to Him. Oh, Lord, give me the strength to live my life in such a way that people see the fingerprints of your authorship and want to give you glory.

May you notice the creative brilliance of God on this day, and may it lead you to a holy place of trust that implores you to worship Him.

Be God's, Scott

Rest

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh is the Sabbath of the LORD you God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
Exodus 20: 8-11

In the movie "The Terminal" starring Tom Hanks, he plays an Eastern European immigrant who is forced to actually live in JFK airport in New York City for quite awhile when an immigration snafu traps him in limbo. He takes up residence in the airport, and lives his life there as best as he can - he eats, he makes friends, he takes care of himself, he works as he is able. However, never once does he come to the point where he decides to take up permanent residence there. I suppose he could have, everything for a human to survive is right there in JFK - but not once did he ever lose sight of the fact that the airport was not his home. The airport was always designed as a place for people to pass through - a temporary stop. The movie wouldn't have made much sense if Hanks' character decided that he loved residing in the airport, and worked hard to live there for the rest of his life.

It would be foolish for anyone to make the busyness of the airport their permanent residence, right? Surely we would never live our life in such a way.

Every time I read the command above regarding the Sabbath, I am convicted of my continuing efforts to live in the busyness of this temporary residence called life. I forget that this world is not my home, and that I am just passing through. I get so busy watching the interesting people mill around the airport and hustling back and forth on the moving walkways, that I have taken my eyes off of my heavenly destination. More often than not, I find myself at home and busy in the airport.

The command to remember the Sabbath is a command to live in the rest that God intended for you.

Do you know what the highlight of creation was? Many of you might answer the creation of humanity - but I don't believe that to be the case. The climax of creation, the moment that all the rest of the creation was leading up to was the seventh day...the Sabbath rest. I mean after every day of creation we find the same pattern of conclusion/ending - "so the evening and the morning were the _____ day." There was a clear ending to each movement of creation...except for the seventh day. At the end of the seventh day God simply sat back, admired the fruits of His imagination and enjoyed living in the midst of His creation. He rested with creation, thereby blessing and sanctifying it.

This state of Sabbath rest, where God fully enjoys being in the midst of His creation, was the reason why we were made. Sabbath rest in the presence of God is our home. Unfortunately, our sin has removed us from our intended Sabbath rest with our Creator. Our sin has us stuck in Terminal 3 with all the Starbucks and Newsstands. This world is not our home, our home is in heaven where we will someday enjoy our Sabbath rest with God forever. Thanks be to God, Jesus came to break us out of the airport - to forgive our sin and restore our Sabbath rest.

This command was never meant to be burdensome or oppressive. This command is like a cold splash of water in the face reminding us that we were made for rest with our Creator and not ever-moving baggage carousels. To practice Sabbath rest here on Earth has me looking forward to my final destination - heavenly rest in the presence of our triune God contentedly basking in the glory of His creation.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus

Be God's, Scott

The Grand Understatement

"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus."
Mark 9:2-8

The story is told of the little boy making his first ever visit to see Niagara Falls. His parents were very excited to show him the grandeur and awesome size of this natural wonder of the world. Well the parked their car and began to walk over to the viewing area. As they walked nearer to the spot the noise of the water began to increase, and the cold mist began to dampen the little boys hair. The little boy was so small that he couldn't see the Falls at all as they walked up because he was unable to see over top of the protective barrier. Upon reaching the premier viewing area, the little boys Dad picked him up and set him upon his shoulders, and said, "well Son, here's Niagara Falls, what do you think?" The little boy, sat there eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape as he drank in the sight before him. It took him a while, before he replied awestruck..."It looks really wet Dad."

A grand understatement if their ever was one. :) The scripture above includes one of my favorite lines in all the Bible - one that just happens to be another grand understatement.

Quick recent history update: Peter had just figured out on his own that Jesus was in the fact the promised Messiah, and he said as much. Jesus followed that up by plainly divulging the extent of His suffering and death to come. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him. Then Jesus put Peter in his place and clearly laid out the tough road ahead to be a follower of Christ. Here's what comes next - the Transfiguration.

Jesus takes Peter, along with James and John, up on to the mountain, and while there He chooses to fully reveal His glory before them. The extent of His holiness, grandeur, beauty and awesome power was laid before them. They even witnessed glorified Jesus hanging out with faith hall of famers Elijah and Moses. In this very instance, Peter and the other two were given a sample taste of what heaven itself is going to be like. They were treated to one of the most amazing moments in the history of humanity - the pleasure and privilege of being in the presence of the glorified Christ.

Peter, overwhelmed by this moment, and unsure of what to say, spits out this great line all the while with knees a' knocking - "It's good for us to be here, lets put up some tents and stay for awhile." That's great, a classic understatement - "good to be here?" How's about the best and only place to be. How's about the place that we were meant to be, and will be someday in heaven for more than just a taste, but for the whole enchilada.

Here's the neat thing - as you enter church tomorrow morning, bear in mind that you are entering the glorious presence of the risen Christ. You are ascending the mountain with all those other church attenders, and Christ will be there in all the splendor of His majesty. How often do we neglect to notice the fact that Jesus is there and that He wants to show us the extent of His glory. The glory that we were made to know and experience.

As you attend your various houses of worship tomorrow, may you be blown away to the point of grand understatement at the very real and glorious presence of Jesus. May we all leave church tomorrow uttering, "It is good for us to be here, lets put up some tents..."

Be God's, Scott

Soft

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38

Mogos Hagos Kiflom was a Christian in the country of Eritrea (a small North African country bordering Sudan). He was a house church leader in a predominantly Sunni Muslim area. Mogos was unjustly arrested and placed in the vile Mitire Military Confinement Center. His crime - simply being a follower of Jesus. I've used the past tense in my description of brother Mogos, because he is no longer with us. Mogos was tortured to death after countless requests to recant his faith were unsuccessful.

Unfortunately, stories like Mogos' are not unusual in our world. In fact, I recently heard it said that more Christians were martyred for the sake of Christ this past year than any year in the history of the world - including Nero's Rome!

I suspect that Mogos' friends and family, and the brothers and sisters of his house church would likely read Jesus' words above in a slightly different way than most of us North American Christians. To deny oneself and to carry the cross of Jesus is very much a call to endure the same physical suffering as Christ should the LORD require it. For many North Americans to deny oneself and to carry the cross of Christ is merely to turn down a prime Sunday AM tee time at the local course and attend the local church with stadium seating instead.

For many persecuted Christians, when Jesus says, "whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will save it," they truly know that they may be asked to actually die for the sake of Jesus and His gospel. For most North American Christians these words are often spiritualized and sung without thought on Sunday AM.

For many persecuted Christians, when Jesus asks - "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and forfeit their soul?" They would answer, well, that's not good at all. We are just passing through this world which is not our home. The things of this world are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. For most North American Christians, we do our best to have our cake and eat it too - we endeavor to gain the whole world, our soul, and heaven as well. We work very hard to hold on to the things of this world as if we were meant to spend our eternity here.

Now, admittedly, I've been a little harsh on North American Christians today (of which I am one). Some might say, I've portrayed us to be a soft, unfocused lot, particularly in comparison to our persecuted brothers and sisters in the rest of the Church. Rightly or wrongly, I'll let you be the judge.

I suppose that I read these words of Christ this morning and was left challenged. How easy it is to gloss over them. I want to be a follower of Jesus in every sense. I want to carry my cross and follow Him. I don't want to follow only when it's convenient for me or comfortable.

Where we in the church today seem to do everything we can to make following Christ seem as easy as possible to seekers, true discipleship (as required by Jesus) is incredibly difficult - in fact, it costs your life.

Please spend some time praying today for our persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world.

www.persecution.com

be God's, Scott

He turned around

"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of men."
Mark 8: 31-33

This passage is the turning point in the Gospel of Mark for Jesus' earthly ministry. It is at this point when He begins in earnest His journey to the cross. Jesus, after keeping His end game more or less a secret (coincidentally, theologians call this the "Messianic Secret") from His disciples, and generally teaching them through the often confusing metaphorical language of parables, finally comes clean. The secret of His mission is revealed to His faithful disciples, but only after Peter figured it out on his own, "You are the Christ!" Even so, Jesus commanded His disciples to keep this secret, lest zealous followers misinterpret His goal and become a roadblock to the cross.

This passage marks the beginning of the end for Jesus. His first steps away from His beloved disciples and towards the suffering and loneliness of the cross.

So what did you think of Jesus' reaction to Peter? The same Peter who just confessed that Jesus surely was the Christ, upon hearing that the Messiah was to suffer and die (at the hands of His own people), brought Jesus aside to rebuke Him. Quite clearly Peter's take on what the Messiah would do and accomplish was very different than what Jesus' real goals were. If Jesus was the Christ as Peter believed, then surely Jesus couldn't die...the Christ was to lead and restore Israel in victory. So, bold Peter, takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him.

I think Jesus' reaction says a lot about both His love for His disciples and His single mindedness, even though it comes off as quite harsh. "Get behind Me Satan!" is about as a harsh a response as one could ever expect to receive from Jesus. But notice that Jesus doesn't say it to Peter, until after "he turns around and looks at His disciples." What happened during that moment when He glanced His disciples' way? I think Peter's rebuke tempted Him. I think it tempted Him in a very similar way that Satan tempted Him in the wilderness prior to His earthly ministry (see Luke 4: 1-13). It tempted Him at the core of His humanity - "you don't have to do this Jesus, stay with us, you love being with us. You can still have everything you want here and now. Surely you don't need to suffer and die - no human being willingly walks towards that." "Get behind me Satan!" is the same thing Jesus said to Satan in the midst of His desert temptation. Perhaps that time in the desert prepared Jesus for this very difficult moment of choice. His steps undoubtedly got heavier the closer He came to His suffering.

But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He remembered why He needed to suffer and die. I wonder if in that moment, Jesus, fully God and fully man, didn't just see the faces of the beloved disciples before Him. I wonder if He saw each of ours as well. I wonder if all the faces of those He so dearly loved emboldened Him to avoid the temptation and walk singlemindedly towards the cross. Thank you Lord for turning to look at us.

May God give each of us (those He dearly loves) the strength and grace to set our minds on the things of God, and not be misled by our selfish human urges.

Be God's, Scott

Simul justus et peccator

"This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Romans 4:22-25

The gospel message in knee-bucklingly awesome, and frankly almost beyond comprehension. The Apostle Paul seemed to have a similar sentiment regarding the gospel, particularly as he wrote the book of Romans. The passage above concludes chapter 4, which was a technically brilliant discourse on the heart of the gospel - justification by faith. In the statement "it was credited to him as righteousness," the "him" refers to Abraham, and the "it" refers to the faith that was gracefully given to him by God. In short, he convincingly argues that Abraham was justified before God not because of his acts of obedience, but rather, because of the righteousness given to him by faith from God. The justification of Abraham was entirely the work of God.

Simul justus et peccator is a latin term coined by Martin Luther that gets to the heart of our justification by faith in Christ. It means, "at the same time a sinner and justified." Our justification, (btw - justification is a legal term in which the accused in declared "blameless" and completely innocent. In regards to our sin, I like to remember that to be justified is "just as if I never sinned.") awesome as it is, is also entirely the work of God, and worth celebrating. It's also a line of thinking worth thinking about.

Imagine a court case where you have been accused of the murder and sentenced to death by electric chair - and, truth be told, you are guilty (we're imagining remember ;). Justice requires an equal punishment for the crime committed, and justice regardless must be satisfied. Just as you are about to be lead off in chains to your execution, a stranger stands up and willingly offers to take your place to the judge. I mean, even though he was completely innocent of the crimes, he nevertheless offers to receive the punishment due you and save your guilty butt. The judge considers this, and relents, acknowledging that as long as justice is satisfied and someone pays the requisite penalty, it is fine with him. So your chains are taken off and fall to the ground, just they are quickly placed on the innocent man who took your place. In so doing, the judge legally declares the innocent man guilty - crediting him with your guilt and sentencing him to endure your punishment, while at the same time declaring you to be innocent - crediting you with the now doomed man's righteousness. You walk off in unmerited freedom, while the innocent man dies in your place.

Hard to believe? Well this is exactly what Christ has done for us. We are guilty of sin and sentenced to death. Innocent Jesus willingly took our just death sentence upon himself - "He who knew no sin, became sin for us." God the judge credited Him with our guilt, while at the same time justifying us, declaring us blameless, crediting us with the righteousness of Jesus. To believe and be assured of this sacrificial transaction is the gift of faith, which comes from God alone - it is not our doing...it is all God's doing. As a result of Christ's work, the wrath of God was satisfied and we are justified, and now we ought to live our lives in such a way that He is glorified!

If this season of Lent reminds us of anything, it's that despite the saving work of Christ...we remain sinners. We still stumble and sin our way through this journey from life to death. In our struggle with sin, it would do us all well to remember our justification through faith. To remember that because of Christ, we are "at the same time a sinner and justified." To remember that God will credit to us His righteousness when we have faith in Him. And to remember to glorify Him in every way, every day, because "He was delivered over to death for our sins, and raised for our justification."

Despite our sin, we may live in hope and confidence, just as if we had never sinned...this is the amazing truth of the Gospel!

Be God's, Scott

The Dimensions of Gratitude

"You have answered me. I will declare Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him all you offspring of Israel! For He has not abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him, He heard."
Psalm 22: 21b-24

Maybe this has happened to you before - Someone asks you to do a favor for them that more or less calls you out of your way, or somewhat inconveniences you, but you do it anyways (even with a cheerful smile on your face) because you want to be kind. Then when you're done and you see this person again, not a word of thanks - it's like you never did them a favor at all - or (perhaps even worse) you get a thank you, but it's really one of those over the top, syrupy, insincere thanks... like they expected you to do it all along anyways.

Now I'm not saying that the reason you do something kind for someone is in order to be thanked, but receiving a genuine thanksgiving is a real treat.

Psalm 22 is a really interesting Psalm that displays for us the shape and dimensions of thanksgiving. The first half of the psalm (up until verse 21) consists of David praying to God in lament, and asking to be delivered from his suffering. Some psalms (like some of our prayers) would end right there with a hurtful cry to God for relief...but not this one. "You have answered me," says David to God. The remainder of the psalm turns into a psalm of thanksgiving for answered prayer - after David had his prayer answered, he thanked God for it. I think his joyful response to God gives us an idea about what thanking God looks like.

Declare Your name - David declared God's name to his brethren. Specifically, he shared with all who listen and likely even those who would not, how God had answered his prayer. David excitedly told his story of God's gracious deliverance. One way my kids show me thanks for a great gift they get at Christmas is to hear them tell everyone what it was they received. We need to declare the Name of God with excitement to all within earshot, as a testimony of His deliverance in our life.

Praise and Glorify Him - David showed his thanksgiving by worshipping God. In the context of a worship service (in the midst of the assembly) and in his daily comings and goings as a descendant of Jacob he praised and glorified God. His life was lived in worship to God, singing with his lips and with his actions the greatness of God. We need to praise and glorify God every moment of our lives as well.

Fear Him -To fear God is to obey His commandments. Obedience is not merely dutiful service, but truly an exercise in thanksgiving. Obeying God's commands is not burdensome, or a chore, rather the pinnacle of our gratitude. We need to give thanks to God through obedience.

I often take the kindness, mercy and answered prayer of our LORD for granted. All too often I am the one who doesn't finish the psalm, or give a word of thanks, or...even worse, I am the one who offers up a token "thank you" out of a sense of entitlement. God does not need our thanksgiving...but He certainly deserves it.

May we live lives of thanksgiving to God by declaring His name, praising and glorifying Him, and fearing Him in gracious obedience.

Be God's, Scott

El Shaddai

"When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make a covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
Genesis 17: 1-2

This scripture passage marks a very important moment in the history of the world as we know it. In it we see the beginnings of the covenant of grace - an agreement initiated by God between Himself and humans to once again bless us despite our sinful disobedience. This covenant was made with Abram, a man specially chosen by God to be the recipient of this unmerited gift. God promised to bless this 99 year old man with descendants that would out number the stars, a great name, and a father of many nations. Only problem from Abram's (and his wife Sarai) perspective was that they had no children, and humanly speaking they were a little past their prime (at least as far as child bearing went).

This passage comes 13 years after Abram and Sarai lost their patience and faith in the God who always keeps His promises. They decided to take matters into their own hands by hooking up Abram with Sarai's maidservant, Hagar. Consequently, Hagar had a child named Ishmael. However this child was not to be the child of promise. Abram and Sarai's sin and lack of patience with God only produced a child who was destined to become, "a wild man, whose hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him." Their disobedience had produced not a child of blessing, but of curse. Abram and Sarai had messed up their part of the covenant with incredible expediency, and they had to have known it. Interestingly enough, God did not speak to Abram again for 13 years after his failing - 13 years of silence from God.

But God did speak again, because unlike Abram, God keeps His promises. It may have taken 13 additional years, but God gracefully gave Abram and Sarai a second chance by reaffirming the covenant with him.

I think it's significant to note the name which God gives Himself in His re-introduction to Abram. He tells him that He is God Almighty. The Hebrew name used here is one you might be familiar with - El Shaddai. This name literally means - the God who is wholly sufficient - and most times when you find this name used by God in the Old Testament it is given in greeting whenever His servants are particularly despairing or hard pressed and need reassurance. Abram clearly questioned the sufficiency of the LORD to provide him a descendant, this much is obvious because he tried to provide one himself. Abram undoubtedly was despairing, likely wondering if his poor choice had removed God's favor from him.

But God did not give up on Abram...He came to him again reminding him that He is and always will be El Shaddai - the God who is wholly sufficient.

This story hits home for me in a couple of ways (and I wonder if the same is true for you): I see myself quite clearly in the sandals of Abram. I too have often questioned the fidelity of the LORD in the promises He has made to me. I have disobeyed His call to me to walk before Him and be blameless. I too have tried to provide for myself on my own, in any number of creative ill fated ways, and in so doing questioned His sufficiency in my life. By all accounts God should have left both Abram and I alone in the dust with the consequences of our choices. I would've had no reason for complaint.

However...God did not give up on me. With much grace and mercy, He continually re-introduces Himself to me as El Shaddai, the God who is wholly sufficient. Though reassured and humbled by this act, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...I am after all (like you) one of those promised descendants [exceeding multiplications] of Abram, and God's promises run deep and long.

O LORD, please give me the courage and the strength to name you as the El Shaddai in every area of my life.

Be God's, Scott

Homeless and lonely - (Saturday a little early)

" Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.
Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!
Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you."
Psalm 25: 16-25

I had lunch with a homeless guy once in Toronto. We developed a quick intimacy over our conversation and a plate of whatever it was we were serving that day in the soup kitchen. Towards the end of our meal, I asked him a question, not knowing whether he'd answer me, or send me back a stupefied stare. I asked him, "what the hardest part of being homeless was," and the moment it left my mouth, I wished that I could've grabbed it a jammed it back in there. Stupid question, right? Well, truth be told, he didn't seem offended at all. In fact he truly seemed appreciative of the question.

His answer moved me, and I never forgot it. He looked me square in the eyes, took a sip from his styrofoam coffee cup and told me, "The hardest part of being homeless is the loneliness. It's like you don't exist. People walk past you and over you like your a piece of garbage and not a real person. Being homeless is lonely."

Needless to say, my heart broke for him, and all the other lonely people on the streets. God did not design people to be lonely and afflicted, rather to be valued children of God in vibrant affirming relationship with Him. From that day on, whenever I pass a homeless child of God on the streets of the city I make sure to turn towards them and look them straight in the eyes. I want them to know that I see their humanity - that I don't think they're garbage - that they are valuable.

Our sin has made us spiritually homeless, lonely apart from our God. Even after we have come to faith in Him and had our relationship renewed, we can still feel the pain and affliction of loneliness when we sin and push God away - running away from home and back into the streets. We were never meant to endure affliction and hurt and loneliness.

Thanks be to God, that He does not ignore us, or walk past us with scorn. Thank God that He treats us much better than we treat each other. God turns towards us, looks us square in the eyes, and embraces us. Every time we sin and alienate ourselves from Him, every time we run away from Him, He chases us down, forgives our sins, and loves us all over again. Truly, our hope is in Him.

Lord, look upon our affliction and distress and take away all of sins. Guard our lives and rescue us. AMEN

Be God's, Scott

Directions

"Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from old.
Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD."
Psalm 25: 4-7

I don't like the idea of the GPS technology. I suppose I don't like the idea of some computerized voice telling me where to go and when to turn. Why, you ask? Because I am amazing at directions, and finding my own way...OK...truth be told, not so much. I actually stink at directions, and finding my own way, but I am excellent at being stubborn and proud in my driver's seat. This, combined with my penchant for always wanting to be at least 5 minutes early for everything has caused me to be very snippy with my wife on more than one occasion (much to my shame ;) I'm not sure what possesses me to have this "do it on my own" tendency, but have it I do at times. Don't tell me where to go and when to turn. Let me find my own way, even if it means being late, getting lost, or sinning against my wife. What's up with that?

But I'm probably the only one with this problem...right? ;)

How many of us struggle with this stubborn pride in our spiritual life journeys as well? I mean, how many of us walk through life getting lost, taking wrong turns, and sinning against the ones we love all because we wont take the simple directions of our loving God? We think we know best, despite the fact that sin still clouds our decision making ability. Self-reliance trumps reliance on God much to our detriment. We are a stubborn lot aren't we?

David had it right - though I wonder how long it took him to come to this realization - when he finally said:

"Show me your ways - teach me your paths - guide me."

Oh that that would be my prayer as well, for my driving stubbornness is often reflective of my general spiritual stubbornness.

To rightly pray this to God, I think one needs to deny oneself and do two things: Confession and Obedience. Confession is a humble and honest admission that I don't really know the best way to live my life. I make mistakes and wrong turns. I sin and get lost. I confess that I cannot direct myself - I will always fail.

Obedience is listening for God's direction and then, well, obeying it. First, we must listen to God's direction through His Word and prayer. Then, thankfully, and trustingly doing that which God wants you to do. When God shows you the way to go - go that way. When God teaches you the correct path - take it. Where God guides - follow Him. Obedience is our act of submission and faith.

O LORD, save me from myself and my stubborn nature. Help me to remove my pride and help me to listen and trust. AMEN

Be God's, Scott

PS. It's my day off, so I am off for a drive with my wife...I promise to be humble and behave ;)

He Covers Me

"To You O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me.
Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause"
Psalm 25: 1-3

Shame...a powerful human emotional state. Shame defined is a painful feeling of being exposed, uncovered, unprotected, vulnerable. Going back to the origins of the word we can find the meaning "to cover." Though, do we really need a bookish definition to know what shame is? Shame is something we have all felt over our lifetimes to varying degrees. In fact we have likely done backflips of choices through our life journeys in order to avoid being shamed. How often have we done ethically questionable things in order to "cover up" something we did that might expose us and leave us vulnerable to the slings and arrows of an unforgiving world.

I can remember instances of my own boys boldly lying to me when they were very young (too young to have been culturally conditioned to know what they were doing) about doing something they were forbidden to do, even though they were caught red handed. For them, like us, the thought that one might get "found out" is almost too much to bear. These episodes reminded me of Adam and Eve's shame, after disobeying God. Immediately after doing so, they realized their nakedness and sought to cover themselves, and then they hid from God.

After an honest evaluation of your relationship with God, how many of you find yourself still paralyzed by shame as you relate with God? How many of you are secretly fearful of God because He knows the "real" you, secret shames included? How many of you are truthfully fearful of the Lord's return and judgment day, because you believe on that day that your secret, sinful and shameful life will be exposed for all to see? I think shame hinders our spiritual journeys more than we'd care to admit.

David did not want to be publicly shamed for His allegiance to God. Though I suspect David also feared being shamed by God for his own sins and indiscretions as King of God's chosen people. So, David turned to God and prayerfully implored Him to cover him up. He did this by doing an act of faith - he lifted his soul and gave it to God (relinquishing his own sense of control) and fully trusted Him to care for it and cover it. Deep in his heart, David knew this truth about God...He does not want to shame us, or for us to feel ashamed in His presence because of our sins. He wants to cover us.

That's why He sent Jesus to take on our shame, and be fully exposed, uncovered, and vulnerable on the cross. In willingly mounting the cruel cross, Jesus scorned its shame in order to remove ours from our relationship with God. In fact the good news of the gospel is that God did not leave us like Adam and Eve futilely trying to cover our shame on our own. The good news is that He covers us up with the righteousness of Christ. Our shame is gone in the presence of God because Jesus covers us.

May you also lift your soul to Him, put your trust in Him, and let Him clothe you in His glorious righteousness.

Be God's, Scott

Blessed be Your Name

"Immediately, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him." Mark 1: 12-13

Discovery channel has this great show on called Man vs. Wild (Zach and I really like to watch it together). On it, this guy named Bear Grylls travels to distant places in the world that would be difficult to survive in, and then he goes on to show you how one could do just that. He's gone to the Amazon, Alaskan Wilderness, and the African plains to name but a few. One of my favorites was the episode I saw where he went to the Moab desert in Utah. Here's a glimpse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlFpb5nofrg

This episode reminded me of Jesus' time in the wilderness/desert where He survived 40 days despite fasting and temptations. Seeing the hot, punishing conditions made Jesus' humble turn in the wilderness all the more real for me. That must have been incredibly trying! The Son of God, rather than let temptation find Him, willingly was driven out to face it head on, in the most sensational way possible. Out of His hunger and in His human weakness, He was tempted with food, pride and the desire for power and possessions. Even in His weakest human moment, He did not give in to temptation, but rather clung to the fidelity of His relationship with God. Out of this time of trial He was attended by His angels, ready to begin His purposeful journey towards Calvary.

The word tempted here comes from the Greek word peirazo, which literally means to put to the test or trial in order to discover the type of person someone is. Through Jesus' trial we discovered that He was indeed perfect, blameless and holy, fully willing to endure anything for the sake of His beloved. The temptation validates Jesus' candidacy for the more difficult journey ahead.

God seems to have a habit of putting His people to the test to discover the type of people they are, and to test their readiness for that which is yet to come. He did this very same thing with His people Israel as the wandered in the desert for 40 years, before emerging into the promised land. And I know that He often through the power of His Spirit drives many of us out into our own times of trial in the wilderness. What wilderness has God brought you through? Perhaps the trial of disease, poverty, death of a loved one, persecution...in some sense we all have our own type of wilderness trial don't we, and they are not pleasant.

For those in the wilderness, please be assured by this: your God is always with you - in fact He can absolutely sympathize with your weakness and what you are going through, because He too walked through the desert. And count yourself worthy that God has chosen to use whatever wilderness experience (suffering) that you might have to endure in order to prepare and shape you for a glorious journey yet to come. "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind." (1 Peter 4: 1b)

As you find yourself identifying with the wilderness trial of Jesus, may you sing along with Matt Redman,

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Be God's, Scott