Nehemiah 1; Ezra 9:4-9
As I read this morning of a people who were repenting in the sight of God it is clear that we, in this time, do not have a clear understanding of the holiness of God. (I include myself among the foremost.) We have no fear of God nor a knowledge that we should fear Him. Even when we are convicted our prayers prove weak and halfhearted, as if to say we are more sorry that we can not get away with with doing what we desire. We have no idea to whom we are praying. If we did we would, with these men, fall on our faces and weep aloud at the evil we practice daily. We have so limited our view of God, that we see Him only as loving and gracious. While He is absolutely those things, His love and grace are cheapened if not seen in light of His holiness and justice. If we choose to never observe the wrath of God how then will we know from what we have been set free. God is not a box of chocolates that we may choose the pieces we like and then discard the rest. In so doing we cheat ourselves out of the joy of seeing His glory. Beware of those who seek to tell you only of God's love and goodness with no mention of His holiness and justice. That is a path to pride as we would seemingly see ourselves worthy of His love and mercy. Romans 1:18-32 gives a description of mankind that is not so flattering. It shows that man is deserving of God's wrath and it is because of this that Romans 5:8 is so sweet. "For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." God does not love me because I am worthy but because He is glorious. It is to this God, the God of justice wrath and holiness alongside love and grace, that we pray. This alone should cause us to forever have a repentant heart.
DAW
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Joy of Fatherhood
There is nothing that will change your life quite like having a child. I thought I was ready for this until my son was born. Everyone tells you that your life changes and that you have no idea what you will feel for your child and all of it sounded rather cliche to me and then I saw him. I heard that first cry and held his little frame in my arms and the tears flowed. It was true. All that I had heard was true. There were and are no words available in any language that can begin to describe what you feel and the love that you have for that child. I never thought it would dissipate but I had no idea it would become even stronger over the next six months. Yet it has. This morning I went to get my son out of his crib and just as with every morning he looked up at me and had the biggest smile on his face. Yet this time I experienced a truth of God that I have known intellectually for some time but this morning I felt it in my heart. As I looked at my son who was beaming up at me I thought of what it must be like for God when we beam up at Him not because of something He did or something He has, but simply because He is there. Do I truly delight in Him? Do I look into His face each morning and smile as big as I can just because He is there or do I start each day complaining because I have to get up and get to work? It is strange the things you learn from those who yet can speak. This morning God used my six month old son to teach me that a love for God culminates in a desire for Him. Do you smile at God each morning or run your laundry list of wants or worse yet not even acknowledge the fact that He is there to wake you up to Himself?
DAW
DAW
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Hideously, Beautiful Cross of Christ
"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." - Galatians 6:14
Let us not boast in our "righteous" accomplishments, but rather in the cross through which we are empowered to obey. Any good or righteous act done by a believer is done through the empowerment of the living Christ. By His death on the cross we have been set free from the curse of the law. What then is the curse of the law? The curse of the law is the condemning power of the law for those outside of Christ. For those that do not know Christ and have not been redeemed from their sin by His death and resurrection, the law stands as their judge to condemn them to eternal life in Hell. "For there is none righteous not even one." There is no one that does good, and no one that seeks God. There is no one who can keep the law in all points not even the most zealous. So what then, are we left on our own to toil on this earth and then die only to have eternal torment as our future with no hope of escape. No! "For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." We can be free from the curse of the law through Christ's death. How? He led a sinless life, a life that kept all of the law from birth to death. He was indeed sinless. Yet before the earth was formed God chose that He should die a murderous death as sacrifice for sinful people (all people) by pouring out His wrath and judgment of sin on Jesus, that we may experience not condemnation but life. It was and remains His good pleasure to show us mercy by placing His justice on Christ. We are the ones who failed and chose to fail. We are the ones who found satisfaction and pleasure in everything else except that which is supremely valuable, Jesus. He decided to show us mercy not because we are so great but because He is so gracious. Not because we are so lovable but because He is so loving. In light of this we who are believers should boast in nothing except the cross. Because through the cross we have been crucified to the pleasure of this world that would lure us away from our Treasure, Jesus. For those of us who do not believe, what would hinder your heart from experiencing the joy knowing God? Boast not in your "good" deeds but in His goodness.
DAW
Let us not boast in our "righteous" accomplishments, but rather in the cross through which we are empowered to obey. Any good or righteous act done by a believer is done through the empowerment of the living Christ. By His death on the cross we have been set free from the curse of the law. What then is the curse of the law? The curse of the law is the condemning power of the law for those outside of Christ. For those that do not know Christ and have not been redeemed from their sin by His death and resurrection, the law stands as their judge to condemn them to eternal life in Hell. "For there is none righteous not even one." There is no one that does good, and no one that seeks God. There is no one who can keep the law in all points not even the most zealous. So what then, are we left on our own to toil on this earth and then die only to have eternal torment as our future with no hope of escape. No! "For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." We can be free from the curse of the law through Christ's death. How? He led a sinless life, a life that kept all of the law from birth to death. He was indeed sinless. Yet before the earth was formed God chose that He should die a murderous death as sacrifice for sinful people (all people) by pouring out His wrath and judgment of sin on Jesus, that we may experience not condemnation but life. It was and remains His good pleasure to show us mercy by placing His justice on Christ. We are the ones who failed and chose to fail. We are the ones who found satisfaction and pleasure in everything else except that which is supremely valuable, Jesus. He decided to show us mercy not because we are so great but because He is so gracious. Not because we are so lovable but because He is so loving. In light of this we who are believers should boast in nothing except the cross. Because through the cross we have been crucified to the pleasure of this world that would lure us away from our Treasure, Jesus. For those of us who do not believe, what would hinder your heart from experiencing the joy knowing God? Boast not in your "good" deeds but in His goodness.
DAW
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Don't Waste Your Life
These are excerpts from John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life.
"At these moments, when the trifling fog of life clears and I see what I am really on earth to do, I groan over the petty pursuits that waste so many lives—and so much of mine. Just think of the magnitude of sports—a whole section of the daily newspaper. But there is no section on God. Think of the endless resources for making your home and garden more comfortable and impressive. Think of how many tens of thousands of dollars you can spend to buy more car than you need. Think of the time and energy and conversation that go into entertainment and leisure and what we call “fun stuff.” And add to that now the computer that artificially recreates the very games that are already so distant from reality; it is like a multi-layered dreamworld of insignificance expanding into nothingness." pg 125
"How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ? The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So the question is mainly positive, not negative. How can I portray God as glorious in this action? How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior?" pg 119
"Oh, how many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there is no adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud—just lots of hard work during the day, and lots of TV and PG-13 videos in the evening (during quality family time), and lots of fun stuff on the weekend—woven around church (mostly). This is life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more, far more." pg 119
"It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God’s existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers’ sweet fog of flattery and lies. That is weightlessness. It is a condition we have assigned him after having nudged him out to the periphery
of our secularized life. . . . Weightlessness tells us nothing about God but everything about ourselves, about our condition, about our psychological disposition to exclude God
from our reality." David Wells pg 121
Ponder these things today and ask yourself if you are wasting your life. Are you using the time God has given you on this earth to make much of Him or make "your" life comfortable?
DAW
"At these moments, when the trifling fog of life clears and I see what I am really on earth to do, I groan over the petty pursuits that waste so many lives—and so much of mine. Just think of the magnitude of sports—a whole section of the daily newspaper. But there is no section on God. Think of the endless resources for making your home and garden more comfortable and impressive. Think of how many tens of thousands of dollars you can spend to buy more car than you need. Think of the time and energy and conversation that go into entertainment and leisure and what we call “fun stuff.” And add to that now the computer that artificially recreates the very games that are already so distant from reality; it is like a multi-layered dreamworld of insignificance expanding into nothingness." pg 125
"How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ? The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So the question is mainly positive, not negative. How can I portray God as glorious in this action? How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior?" pg 119
"Oh, how many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there is no adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud—just lots of hard work during the day, and lots of TV and PG-13 videos in the evening (during quality family time), and lots of fun stuff on the weekend—woven around church (mostly). This is life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more, far more." pg 119
"It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God’s existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers’ sweet fog of flattery and lies. That is weightlessness. It is a condition we have assigned him after having nudged him out to the periphery
of our secularized life. . . . Weightlessness tells us nothing about God but everything about ourselves, about our condition, about our psychological disposition to exclude God
from our reality." David Wells pg 121
Ponder these things today and ask yourself if you are wasting your life. Are you using the time God has given you on this earth to make much of Him or make "your" life comfortable?
DAW
Friday, November 14, 2008
True Love
"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was." John 11:5-6
What an interesting set of verses to explain the love of God. What a warped view of the love of God we have. This is the story of the death of Lazarus and Jesus raising him from the dead. While reading this passage this morning these two verses leaped off the page at me. They seem so paradoxical. Could it be that perhaps this was just a mistake in writing by John? (If you believe that then we must have an entirely different discussion) Absolutely not! We know that every word of Scripture is inspired by God. It is put together exactly as He desires and in this passage He is showing us how His love works. We have become so accustomed to this new definition of love that our culture has thrown on us that we can scarcely see the truth about love. We believe love to be an attempt at making another person happy. That is, we believe that we must say or do whatever we must to make someone feel good about themselves and us, even at the expense of the truth. We have dilemmas over whether to tell someone the truth at the expense of their feelings. Or to put it another way, we wonder whether it is better to tell someone a painful truth or let them continue in ignorant happiness. This is not love. This is not the love of God that is found in Scripture. God never withholds the truth from us or pain from us so that we may feel good. God allows such events in our life that we may see Him and find Him all satisfying. That is the case here with Lazarus. Jesus knew full well that Lazarus would die. He knew that Mary and Martha would grieve tremendously for four days before Jesus arrived. He knew that they believed all to be lost and would even be angry with Him for His delay. Yet "he stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Why? "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." So how is this love made manifest? Mary and Martha are weeping in anguish and Lazarus is dead. How is that loving? How can Jesus possible show His love from this? How could His delay possibly be loving? the answer is found in Jesus' reply to Mary and Martha one verse prior to verse 5. "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son may be glorified through it." What was Jesus' objective in this situation? It was their overflowing joy in the glory of God not their temporary happiness in seemingly "perfecting" their circumstances. What Mary and Martha wanted most was to be with their brother. The wanted him to have relief from His physical ailments. What God wanted most was to be wanted most. He wanted them to be able to say "though he slay me yet will I trust Him" He wanted them to see Him for who He is and find their ultimate satisfaction in Him. If took the death of Lazarus to do it, then so be it. If it took temporary pain to make eternal joy then so be it. We must not be so short sighted in our suffering but rather understand the truth of God's love. It always leads us to be satisfied in Him ALONE! Though there may be pain, there will be great reward because we will see the glory of the only begotten in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. That my friends is love. God's revelation of Himself at the expense of temporary happiness. May we find Him more satisfying than anything this world offers, for that is what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ.
DAW
What an interesting set of verses to explain the love of God. What a warped view of the love of God we have. This is the story of the death of Lazarus and Jesus raising him from the dead. While reading this passage this morning these two verses leaped off the page at me. They seem so paradoxical. Could it be that perhaps this was just a mistake in writing by John? (If you believe that then we must have an entirely different discussion) Absolutely not! We know that every word of Scripture is inspired by God. It is put together exactly as He desires and in this passage He is showing us how His love works. We have become so accustomed to this new definition of love that our culture has thrown on us that we can scarcely see the truth about love. We believe love to be an attempt at making another person happy. That is, we believe that we must say or do whatever we must to make someone feel good about themselves and us, even at the expense of the truth. We have dilemmas over whether to tell someone the truth at the expense of their feelings. Or to put it another way, we wonder whether it is better to tell someone a painful truth or let them continue in ignorant happiness. This is not love. This is not the love of God that is found in Scripture. God never withholds the truth from us or pain from us so that we may feel good. God allows such events in our life that we may see Him and find Him all satisfying. That is the case here with Lazarus. Jesus knew full well that Lazarus would die. He knew that Mary and Martha would grieve tremendously for four days before Jesus arrived. He knew that they believed all to be lost and would even be angry with Him for His delay. Yet "he stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Why? "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." So how is this love made manifest? Mary and Martha are weeping in anguish and Lazarus is dead. How is that loving? How can Jesus possible show His love from this? How could His delay possibly be loving? the answer is found in Jesus' reply to Mary and Martha one verse prior to verse 5. "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son may be glorified through it." What was Jesus' objective in this situation? It was their overflowing joy in the glory of God not their temporary happiness in seemingly "perfecting" their circumstances. What Mary and Martha wanted most was to be with their brother. The wanted him to have relief from His physical ailments. What God wanted most was to be wanted most. He wanted them to be able to say "though he slay me yet will I trust Him" He wanted them to see Him for who He is and find their ultimate satisfaction in Him. If took the death of Lazarus to do it, then so be it. If it took temporary pain to make eternal joy then so be it. We must not be so short sighted in our suffering but rather understand the truth of God's love. It always leads us to be satisfied in Him ALONE! Though there may be pain, there will be great reward because we will see the glory of the only begotten in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. That my friends is love. God's revelation of Himself at the expense of temporary happiness. May we find Him more satisfying than anything this world offers, for that is what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ.
DAW
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
More of Jesus
I want more of Jesus. I don't want more of His stuff and His "blessings." I want the person Himself. There is a deep longing in more heart right now for more of Christ. I feel the words of Peter when He said "to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68 There is too much in the world that would draw the evil desires in me and pull my life into destruction. I want Jesus. I need Him yes, and that need could never be put into words, but I want Him as my treasure. I want to see Him in His glory. I want to experience His holiness. I want to know what it is like to be in the presence of God so strongly that you feel as if you will die if you stay any longer.
(Isaiah 6) I want to abide every second in the presence of my dangerous but good King. I need Him yes, but I desire Him also.
DAW
(Isaiah 6) I want to abide every second in the presence of my dangerous but good King. I need Him yes, but I desire Him also.
DAW
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Who is your teacher?
For those of you who know me and those that don't but read this blog, you have by now come to see that I have been heavily influenced by the teaching of John Piper. God has greatly used Dr. Piper in teaching me His word. I have come to see that thinking is the means to understanding. Simple yes I know but all to often we ( and I mean me) just expect that if we read the Bible, no matter how cursory it may be, that that will be enough to grasp the truths of Scripture. That is not the case. God desires us to think (meditate) on His word day and night. Psalm 1. So there is no doubt that Dr. Piper has been and continues to be very influential in this area.
With that said I feel I must make a point here that I have been convicted of in recent days. I must never set Dr. Piper or anyone else in the seat of ultimate teacher in my life. Let me explain what I mean. There can come a tendency in our lives that we set someone up to be of great influence in our lives and mistakingly make them to be god. Even if they have been used by God to show us more of Himself we, as humans, can make them out to be something they are not. For example, we could perhaps interpret Scripture based on their understanding of the Bible and not God teaching us through the power of the Holy Spirit. You might ask the question, what is so wrong with getting their view on Bible interpretation. Nothing as long as you are not using them to do the work that God desires to do in you. In other words, if you would rather read men's books to grasp an understanding of Scripture than to read the Bible and think about it yourself then you are setting yourself up to be deceived. Men are fallible, all men. No matter how great they may seem to be and no matter what impact they have had on your life they are capable of being wrong. So the best thing to do is ask God to be your ultimate teacher. God wrote the book and if anyone can teach us it would be Him. Seek first God and His word, because it is absolute truth, then go to the secondary sources. We should never put man in the place of primary teacher in our life because they did not write the Scripture, God did. Go to the source. Do not just blindly believe everything that you may hear someone say. Study the Bible. Think (meditate) on the Bible and allow God to teach you first. Then utilize those whom He has also taught to help you when you need it.
It is our responsibility and our pleasure to read the Bible and know the God who redeems us. God wrote His Word not to primarily give us a list of rules to follow but rather to reveal to us who He is. It is only when we see who He is that we will change. When you get a glimpse of the holiness of God for example you will begin to hate sin more and more. A view of the cross in light of God's holiness reveals the severity and gruesomeness of sin. So read the bible and know God. Pray that He would be your primary teacher. Then go to other sources once you have thought it through. God has given us tremendous teachers to assist in pointing us in the right direction but he never means for those teachers to take his place in our lives. Seek Him first through His Word!
DAW
With that said I feel I must make a point here that I have been convicted of in recent days. I must never set Dr. Piper or anyone else in the seat of ultimate teacher in my life. Let me explain what I mean. There can come a tendency in our lives that we set someone up to be of great influence in our lives and mistakingly make them to be god. Even if they have been used by God to show us more of Himself we, as humans, can make them out to be something they are not. For example, we could perhaps interpret Scripture based on their understanding of the Bible and not God teaching us through the power of the Holy Spirit. You might ask the question, what is so wrong with getting their view on Bible interpretation. Nothing as long as you are not using them to do the work that God desires to do in you. In other words, if you would rather read men's books to grasp an understanding of Scripture than to read the Bible and think about it yourself then you are setting yourself up to be deceived. Men are fallible, all men. No matter how great they may seem to be and no matter what impact they have had on your life they are capable of being wrong. So the best thing to do is ask God to be your ultimate teacher. God wrote the book and if anyone can teach us it would be Him. Seek first God and His word, because it is absolute truth, then go to the secondary sources. We should never put man in the place of primary teacher in our life because they did not write the Scripture, God did. Go to the source. Do not just blindly believe everything that you may hear someone say. Study the Bible. Think (meditate) on the Bible and allow God to teach you first. Then utilize those whom He has also taught to help you when you need it.
It is our responsibility and our pleasure to read the Bible and know the God who redeems us. God wrote His Word not to primarily give us a list of rules to follow but rather to reveal to us who He is. It is only when we see who He is that we will change. When you get a glimpse of the holiness of God for example you will begin to hate sin more and more. A view of the cross in light of God's holiness reveals the severity and gruesomeness of sin. So read the bible and know God. Pray that He would be your primary teacher. Then go to other sources once you have thought it through. God has given us tremendous teachers to assist in pointing us in the right direction but he never means for those teachers to take his place in our lives. Seek Him first through His Word!
DAW
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