Last Sunday morning was chaos in my house. It seems like some level of chaos is the norm on Sunday mornings, but this time it reached a new high. Females have a strange habit of trying on several different outfits before they find the one that suits them, and we have four in the house. I had to advise on so many combinations that I lost count! Not to mention the numerous items I sifted through for myself. There were more clothes on the beds than in the closets by the time we left for church! We are just so fickle!
I was reminded of this as I thought through Psalm 106 this morning. In that Psalm, we have an abbreviated history of the Jewish nation. I was troubled as I read of God's faithfulness, and their repeated forgetfulness and rebellion. They would follow and praise God briefly, and then they would pursue something else. I felt like I was looking in a mirror. Except that they had less and knew less. I don't know when this Psalm was written, but when God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, they didn't have any written Scripture. And throughout the Old Testament they didn't have the Spirit dwelling in them. I have the entire Bible AND the Spirit. I am without excuse. But God...
Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
Psalms 106:43-45
Before He created anything, God knew that we would sin and then be unable to keep His law. He knew we would be fickle in our following, even with the Bible and the Spirit. So Jesus came to be faithful in my place, and the place of all His people. And he paid for all my fickle unfaithfulness with His blameless life.
So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:7-11
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Bridegroom
Tomorrow is my anniversary. My Shorty and I have been married for fourteen years. Today we are dropping the Crew off with my parents and leaving for an overnight stay near where we had our honeymoon. So I've been thinking about weddings. Every year for the last fourteen years, we have done something to celebrate our marriage. But not once in any of those years have we spent time talking about how great our best man was. He did his job as best man, and is still a dear friend, but the best man is not the focal point of a wedding or marriage.
I struggle with wanting to be the center of things. I want to be noticed and praised. And I have been convicted by John the Baptist's words "He must increase, but I must decrease." I'm cool with Jesus increasing as long as I get to increase too. Which is foolish, but there it is. I'm a narcissistic fool.
As I read through John last week, I noticed that part of the reason that John the Baptist was able to make such a profoundly abnormal statement to his disciples was because he had a proper understanding of who he was. He understood that he was a "friend of the bridegroom". He was the best man. The bride was not for him. The wedding was not about him.
And I was encouraged for ministry. Dear Christian, dear pastor or teacher, dear brother or sister, whatever your capacity in ministry (and if you are a believer, you are doing some kind of ministry) remember that you are the "best man". The bride (the church) is not for you. The kingdom is Christ's. The wedding is about him. Take joy in your Bridegroom.
Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3:25-30
I struggle with wanting to be the center of things. I want to be noticed and praised. And I have been convicted by John the Baptist's words "He must increase, but I must decrease." I'm cool with Jesus increasing as long as I get to increase too. Which is foolish, but there it is. I'm a narcissistic fool.
As I read through John last week, I noticed that part of the reason that John the Baptist was able to make such a profoundly abnormal statement to his disciples was because he had a proper understanding of who he was. He understood that he was a "friend of the bridegroom". He was the best man. The bride was not for him. The wedding was not about him.
And I was encouraged for ministry. Dear Christian, dear pastor or teacher, dear brother or sister, whatever your capacity in ministry (and if you are a believer, you are doing some kind of ministry) remember that you are the "best man". The bride (the church) is not for you. The kingdom is Christ's. The wedding is about him. Take joy in your Bridegroom.
Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3:25-30
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Darkness
Are you afraid of the dark? If you're more than ten, you'd probably answer no. By the time I was about ten, I told people that I wasn't afraid of the dark, I was just afraid of the stuff that could be HIDING in the dark. But isn't that really what fear of the dark is? Fear of the bogey man. Fear of sinister creatures or creepy crawlies. Fear of the unknown.
I recently began a Bible study in John. The first week delves into the prologue (John 1:1-18), in which we are introduced to Jesus as the Word, the life, and the light which shines into the darkness. And we are told that this Light has not been overcome by the darkness. I've been pondering this for several days. The implication is that the Light has not only not been overcome, but is actually OVERCOMING the darkness.
But as I thought about the darkness, I made some fresh observations. Always before when I read these verses, I thought of the "darkness" as the devil and his demons. There is certainly a sense in which this is true. Christ has shone into the kingdom of darkness, and He has defeated Satan. Another "darkness" into which Christ shines is the darkness of society. There are social issues and injustices, and the light of the gospel shines to improve and alleviate them. But this week, after a season of vicious wrestling with my sin, I was so encouraged to realize that Christ's light has shone, and continues to shine, into the darkness in MY HEART and that darkness HAS NOT OVERCOME. Not only has not, but WILL NOT! Christ will accomplish his purpose in my life for his glory. That is WONDERFUL news!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
I recently began a Bible study in John. The first week delves into the prologue (John 1:1-18), in which we are introduced to Jesus as the Word, the life, and the light which shines into the darkness. And we are told that this Light has not been overcome by the darkness. I've been pondering this for several days. The implication is that the Light has not only not been overcome, but is actually OVERCOMING the darkness.
But as I thought about the darkness, I made some fresh observations. Always before when I read these verses, I thought of the "darkness" as the devil and his demons. There is certainly a sense in which this is true. Christ has shone into the kingdom of darkness, and He has defeated Satan. Another "darkness" into which Christ shines is the darkness of society. There are social issues and injustices, and the light of the gospel shines to improve and alleviate them. But this week, after a season of vicious wrestling with my sin, I was so encouraged to realize that Christ's light has shone, and continues to shine, into the darkness in MY HEART and that darkness HAS NOT OVERCOME. Not only has not, but WILL NOT! Christ will accomplish his purpose in my life for his glory. That is WONDERFUL news!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
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