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
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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
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
Friday, April 3, 2009
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
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
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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
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
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