From Last Week's Lectionary Readings

But this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people… I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. (Jeremiah 31)

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom. (Psalm 51)

…though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him… (Hebrews 5)

If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honor. (John 12)

Who Acts For The One

“For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has any eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.”

— Isaiah 64:4-5a (NKJV)

In the past I haven’t really had any sort of “theme verse” or any such thing that I’ve returned to during the year for comfort. However, right at the end of 2019, I read Isaiah 35:10 - And the ransomed of the Lord shall return / and come to Zion with singing; / everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; / they shall obtain gladness and joy, / and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. I was immediately drawn to this verse because 2019 had brought much anguish for some close friends. I sort of adopted this as my “go to” verse for 2020, reflecting on it myself and sharing it with others when appropriate. So as 2020 drew to a close, I kept my eyes open for another verse that might serve the same purpose.

While I can’t say that Isaiah 64:4-5 has struck me with as much force as Isaiah 35:10, I think it will serve as a touchstone for the year to come. These lines emphasize the relational aspect of God, how he dwells among his people through the Holy Spirit, and also reminds me how special that is. God meets with people and acts on their behalf… think Romans 8:31-39.

I am also reminded of my own ability to quench the Holy Spirit through my sin. In fact, the latter part of verse 5 says “You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— / In these ways we continue; / And we need to be saved.” Thank God that In Christ Jesus there is an eternal redemption available for all who will believe, for all who will call on Jesus for salvation.

I don’t know if 2021 will hold the same challenges as 2020 did, but I do know that it will contain some kind of challenge for, as Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble. I do know that Jesus has promised to never leave us or forsake us. God will meet with and act for those who are his.

Days Of Affliction

“But when I hoped for good, evil came,
and when I waited for light, darkness came.
My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
days of affliction come to meet me.”

— Job 30:26-27 (ESV)

Perhaps you feel like Job. You were going about your life with the expectation of good things, but evil came instead. Darkness has descended, bringing gut-churning worry and turmoil. And the evil thing you face hasn’t passed in a moment, but days, weeks, and even months of affliction have been yours.

How do we respond to such times? Perhaps our most appropriate response would be like the Psalmist’s:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

In the Midst Of Wolves

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

— Matthew 10:16 (ESV)

Perhaps you’ve noticed the unrest in our nation, the violence, the hatred. This might be a good opportunity for a reminder of how Jesus instructed his followers to interact with the surrounding world. Jesus said weird things like “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek” and even “do good to those who persecute you”. He went as far as to warn his followers that they would be hated, but then reminded them that he had been hated first. Knowing that his execution was near, he told the disciples, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” He was referring to his ability to avoid what he was about to face on the cross. But he stayed the course and tasted death for everyone. He left us an example, not of retaliation, but of redemption.

Which You Experience When?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our suffering, you will also share in our comfort.”

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (ESV)

I have turned to these verses time and again for help in understanding why I sometimes have to go through painful experiences. Generally, I pray that God will deliver me from my afflictions, but these verses remind me that he “comforts us in all our affliction”. In turn, as I have been comforted by God, I am in a position to comfort others. But whence comes the comfort? That was the missing piece for me, for I imagined that comfort meant deliverance. Then I noticed a certain phrase while reading this passage again - “if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer”.

When do we experience God’s comfort in our affliction? When we patiently endure the suffering. How does that happen? How does that make sense? How is patient enduring better than quick deliverance? I have yet to fully digest this, but I suggest the following as a starting place.

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison… (2 Corinthians 4:17).

The kind of beings we are by nature needs to be changed, shaped, and fitted for life with God. Suffering with patient endurance the same sufferings as other believers, which in turn are a sharing in Christ’s sufferings, produces that needed change in us. Only if we consider “glory then” better than “ease now” will patient endurance be better than quick deliverance. If consider it so, we can be comforted by the assurance that whatever affliction comes our way, it is preparing us to experience a greater degree of Christ’s glory upon his return.

Sons of Light

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

— John 12:36 ESV

Jesus was in constant battle with unbelief during his ministry. The Light of God had come to earth and yet some people refused to believe in him. Why do some believe and others do not? In this verse, Jesus puts the responsibility for belief squarely on the recipient of the light. Note his use of the personal pronoun, “you have the light” and “you may become”. The precondition to becoming a child of light is first having light, that is the light of Christ. If the light is present, then believing in the light (Jesus Christ) joins one to the light (child of light). Jesus also told us that we are the light of the world, not exactly like him, but carriers of his light. And while we remain true to him, this dark world has his light. Men and women can still become children of light if they believe in the light of Jesus. For this reason, if you are a child of the light, let your light shine.

Complete Felicity

Isaiah 35:1-10 is one of this week’s Advent readings. The redeemed of the Lord shall walk on the Way of Holiness into Zion…

“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return / and come into Zion with singing; / everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; / they shall obtain gladness and joy, / and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

— Isaiah 35:10

This world only affords an alloyed felicity, joy mingled with sorrow, singing mixed with sighing. But in Zion, gladness and joy will be undiminished because sorrow and sighing flee away, leaving only purified blessedness for those ransomed by God.

Fallen To Me

This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. ~ Psalm 119:56 ESV

When I first read this verse I thought, “O Lord bless me like this!” Given my bent toward selfishness and pride, it is surely a blessing from God when my heart finds obedience to His law. With the Apostle Paul, I find this principle at work within me: I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. This knowledge of my condition drives me to not only rely on what Christ accomplished on my behalf, a holy life, but also to rely on him to put his holiness into effect within me.

Then I Will Go

Send out your light and your truth; / let them lead me; / let them bring me to your holy hill / and to your dwelling! / Then I will go to the altar of God, / to God my exceeding joy, / and I will praise you with the lyre, / O God, my God. ~Psalm 43:3-4 ESV

The Psalmist is making a request for guidance. He desires two guides, Light and Truth. Light gives us the ability to perceive the world around us and truth gives us the ability to discern the correct path. The Psalmist also has a destination in mind, God’s holy dwelling place. He finds joy in being in the presence of God, and joy begets praise.

Has the Psalmist’s request been granted? I think so. What he looked forward to in faith, we look back on, also in faith. Jesus Christ. Christ proclaimed himself the Light of the world and the Truth for the world. He alone is the access to God’s holy dwelling place. The Apostle Paul expressed it this way - “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” At God’s creative word, light sprang out of darkness. His same power is able to shine into our hearts and give us knowledge of his glory. How? By showing us the face of Christ and who he really is.

That We Keep

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. ~ 1 John 5:3 ESV

Love has a way of removing the burden from duty. We care for our children when they are sick, but we do not consider it a burden because we love them. Fidelity to our spouses is not onerous when we are in a loving relationship with them. We help our aging parents freely, because we love them. If we love God we do not consider obedience to him as burdensome. Instead of feeling that doing our duty is keeping us from what would make us happy, loving obedience confirms that we are being freed from the dictates of our own limited, fallen natures and can experience true happiness.

The Way Of Man

I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. ~ Jeremiah 10:23 ESV

Eight implications to ponder from this verse…

1. Revelation is necessary for direction

2. The natural state of mankind is one of aimlessness

3. The fundamental focus of mankind should be outward, not inward

4. Introspection should lead to a sense of neediness

5. The statement “follow your heart” may be the worst advice ever

6. Mankind is dependent, not self-sufficient

7. Life’s highest purpose is not self-actualization

8. The desires we find naturally occurring within us are not worthy of being our guiding principles

I Am... You Are

[Jesus said,] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5

This agrarian metaphor may sound strange to our modern ears, but it gives us an indispensable picture of the Christian life. We are dependent beings. Without Christ, there are no Christians. While this appears obvious, there are those who would use the name Christian, but deny essential elements of who Christ revealed himself to be. The evidence of our union with Christ is in our allegiance to his commandments as demonstrated in the lifestyle (i.e. fruit) we produce. Ultimately, we cannot live in an appropriate manner apart from Christ.

Evermore

May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” ~ Psalm 70:4b (ESV)

Can you say it?

If You Had Been Here

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”…  Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ~ John 11:21 & 32 

Two grieving sisters, two verbatim proclamations.  Mourning together after the death of their brother, Lazarus, I’m sure they had wondered why Jesus had not come when they sent for him.  After all, hadn’t they demonstrated faith in him by imploring him to come and heal their sick brother?  But their faith in Jesus seemingly stopped at the door of death.  His great power was for this life only, or so they believed.  Jesus intentionally waited for Lazarus to die before he came so that he would be glorified as the Son of God when he raised Lazarus from the dead.  This event was a foreshadowing of his own resurrection and a down payment of the resurrection to life of all those who die in Christ.

I Shall Again

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. ~ Psalm 42:11 (ESV) 

Like a boxer hit with a solid blow to the jaw, life can sometimes send us reeling across the ring.  In pain, we stagger around, disoriented and confused.  Perhaps the trouble is bad news at work, an illness in the family, or some other disappointment.  And then come the questions.  Could this have been prevented?  Why is this happening to me?  Hasn’t my family suffered enough?  To where do we turn in such times? 

The Psalmist uses what modern therapists might call “self-talk”.  He directs his soul back to God.  He has hoped in God before and has found the help he needed and has praised God for it.  If he hopes in God now, he will again have cause to praise him. 

We also can find peace in the midst of our turmoil by hoping in God, for he is our salvation.

Led Up

The Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and nights, he was hungry. ~ Matthew 4:1-2 (ESV) 

In the Western church tradition, the beginning of Lent is marked by Ash Wednesday.  For the Eastern church, Lent begins on Clean Monday.  Lent is the forty-day period (calculated in differing ways) leading up to Easter.  The Lenten season is supposed to be a time of fasting, spiritual preparation, and imitation of Jesus’s withdrawal into the wilderness.  For many these days, Lent is only associated with restaurant specials on fish sandwiches, but its true intent is meant to make our hearts hungry for the miracle of the Resurrection.

His Glorious Might

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ~ Colossians 1:11-12 (ESV) 

The life of the Christian is to be marked by gratitude. And we are fortunate in that we have a specific person to whom we can express our thanks. Those who do not believe in God may have a sense that they do not really deserve their families, jobs, friends, or any of the good things that have come into their lives; but they are left to attribute their blessedness to luck, or fortune, or, even worse, their own abilities. Like Bart Simpson saying grace over a meal, “Lord, we got this food ourselves, so thanks for nothing”, no recognition is made of their dependence on the Creator who fashioned everything and provides the raw material for all human industry. So let us be thankful, for sure, but let us also be specific in whom we thank.

For In This Way

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities [faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love] you will never fall.  For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 1:10-11 (ESV) 

How can we be sure to get into heaven? Peter tells us. He lists the qualities necessary for a stable Christian life, one that will make sure we never fall. Then he talks about how these qualities will affect our entrance into Christ’s kingdom. He says that the qualities listed will richly provide for us an entrance, but what does that mean? Well, imagine that you are taking several friends out to an expensive restaurant for dinner. If you are like me, you mentally calculate about how much the cost will be so that you are sure you can pay for the evening. Do you think Bill Gates does this? Probably not, because he has plenty of resources and need not worry about one evening out with friends. The same principle applies to our entrance into heaven. If we pursue the qualities listed by Peter, we will not have to fret over what sort of entrance there will be for us – it has been richly provided for in Jesus Christ – and we are living diligently in him. Conversely, we can live our lives in such a way that we may always be left wondering if we will be able to get in at all.

He Makes Known

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. ~ Psalm 25:14 (ESV)  

Fear of the Lord is the initiation into numerous benefits. The Preacher records some of them in the book Proverbs – wisdom, knowledge, prolonged life, confidence, and better behavior. Above all, though, would be the benefit of friendship with the Lord. With that friendship comes an encounter where the Lord makes known his covenant, his promise. This goes beyond bare information and is something which is worked in our hearts. The record of the promise is found throughout Scripture, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

If You Abide

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ~ John 8:31-32 (ESV)

 Jesus dealt with his share of hypocrites.  In these verses we see Jesus interacting with some who had attached themselves to him.  Jesus does not accept their declaration at face value, but instead predicates their sincerity on their constancy.  True disciples abide (i.e. live and dwell) in Christ’s word and there find freeing truth.  The Word of God is like a mirror, though we may not always like what it shows us about ourselves.  Seeing the truth frees us from self-deception and false piety to then be true disciples.