God Knows...And God Cares

Wow. I can hardly believe it is Monday of finals week. I took my Theology II exam today. I'm getting ready for three more, then it's "off to see the wizard", toto, dorothy, and Kansas in general. Time really flies by. I'm not quite sure I like the idea, but I guess I will have to adjust.

I just want to say a word to anyone doubting that God cares about what is going on with you, specifically - HE DOES!

Yeah. You had better believe it. He knows what you need, when you need it - and He will send it when it's time for you to have it.

Nahum 1:7 tells us that God knows those who call on Him. He doens't deal with us in a generalized, all-you-little-human-things kind of way. Not at all. He is a personal God, interested in dealing with us personally. And He will. Whether it be a good shaking from the scruff of our necks, or a timely word of exhortation or encouragement, He will send it our way when we are in need of it. I find this so encouraging, and it confirms to me that
GOD KNOWS...AND GOD CARES!

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

My ESV Bible has as header for Psalm 96: "Worship in the Splendor of Holiness" (from v. 9)

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary...
(Ps. 96:1-6)

The Gospel is Fitted for All Men

"Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

For more great quotes on the gospel, see the "Together For The Gospel" blog, http://blog.togetherforthegospel.org/gospel/index.html

Towards Thee I Roll - Herman Melville and The Enemy Within

I recently read an excellent book, The Enemy Within, by Kris Lundgaard. It is based on the great works by John Owen on the subject of sin. I found that what has stayed with me is a quote from Herman Melville's Moby Dick, which Lundgaard uses in chapter four to illustrate important truths about sin, sin's struggle against God, and the intensity with which we should struggle against the remaining sin in our lives.

Herman Melville's classic work Moby Dick is the story of Captain Ahab's unrelenting pursuit of the great White Whale. This quote captures the vehemence with which the captain pursues his archenemy:

The author offers two very helpful analogies that developed from this potent little excerpt.

1. God is like the white whale. The flesh is not the Captain Ahab, it is not the harpoon, but rather the pure hatred (Rom. 8:7). The sad reality is that we, every human being, in our unregenerate state, are all the Captain Ahabs, waging war in our hearts against God. Only when we are saved and this enmity is put to death, are the whale and the Captain Ahab reconciled.



2. If slightly altered, the excerpt could be read as a declaration of war on our remaining sinful flesh that wages war against the Spirit that abides within us (Gal.5:17):

"Towards thee I roll, thou all-consuming by unconquering FLESH; to the last I grapple with thee, from HEAVEN'S heart I stab at thee; for LOVE'S sake I spit my last breath at thee."

May we always show this sort of rabid hatred against the sin that remains within us. May we stand strong, resolved and determined to go-down-swinging, to "spit our last breath" at it's unwanted presence in our lives. May we worship God by waging war against sin.

The Apostle Peter's Experience With Biblical Hope

This is an excerpt from my paper on Biblical Hope, for Methods of Biblical Change.

My definition of Biblical hope is: a confident anticipation that God will keep his promises, thus providing the way to joyfully and confidently continue forward in any circumstance.

I hope this is a profitable read. God bless!

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...Because of human weakness, every believer will falter in his faith and struggle with maintaining biblical hope from time to time. If hope were merely an understood, never-lacking property of the Christian walk, then the Bible would not speak so frequently about the issue. The human soul is helpless, and desperately longs for hope. As has been said before, Christ offers this hope. To encourage the believer in his quest for hope, in the gospel of Matthew there is an example of hope acquired, lost, and restored – the plight of Peter walking on the water. This story, recorded in Matthew 14:22-33, is extremely relevant as an example of how focus on Christ and His promises relates to biblical hope.
When Peter realized that it was Jesus that the disciples saw walking on the water, he called out and said “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water (v. 28).” After receiving the Lord’s command to come, Peter left the boat and walked on the water to meet Jesus. This was accomplished by a radically focused faith on Jesus! It is evident that focus was essential in this endeavor, because when Peter began to focus on the wind he faltered and began to sink, crying out to Jesus (v.30). In this moment, Peter was faced with a choice of focus – of hope. Would he focus on his inability, or on Christ’s sufficiency? Would he sink to his death, or cry out to the Lord? The next verse says that Jesus immediately reached out and lifted Peter up, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” In this brief story, we see an example of how vitally important focus on the Savior is to maintaining biblical hope. The progression of Peter’s acquiring, loss, and restoration of hope is as follows: 1) Peter saw the Lord and had faith, 2) This faith carried Peter through an impossible situation, 3) Peter lost his focus on Christ and instead focused on his surroundings and personal inability (placing him in great danger), 4) Peter looked again to Jesus for hope, and 5) Hope was immediately restored.

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Giving Thanks

It is the day after Thanksgiving, and its "dejavue". 365 days ago, I sat in a hospital waiting room, waiting through the surgery, praying for Rebeca, anxiously waiting for news about her condition. It's been a long road. Today, 365 days later, I sit in another hospital waiting room. We have traveled from Jahuara to Culiacan, down to Mexico City, and now we are in Corpus Cristi, Texas.

I am thankful for:

• My Saviour, who gives us hope in times of difficulty. His promises are what have brought me through this situation.
• My family, including the Casarez. I love them very much, and praise God for them!
• For "voz sos..."
• My immediate family's health
• The good times I have spent with little Rebeca. I pray for many more to come.
• Elda. She's a riot. I love that little girl!
• For ice cream. It's cheering me up right now!
• For music.
• etc.

Give thanks, on the mountains, and in the valleys.

You Don't Have to Know a Lot

I was thinking today about something I heard John Piper say in a message. I don't have the exact quote, but it was something like "you don't have to know a lot to be used by God in a great way. You only have to know a few glorious, all-consuming...truths, and be set on fire by them".

I was thinking about a problem I have noticed in our day. It is a matter of cultural influence in our thinking. The problem I see is that we tend to think that if you are a converted athlete, a Christian rock artist, a missionary that has led hundreds to Christ, and so on, then you are more useful to God. This is simply not true. If it were, than I would have every reason to be discouraged. But this is not the case! God can use me, if I commit to following him, and growing in my passion for his renown.

The gospel is what we need to be set on fire by. And don't be fooled into thinking that this means we pray for a heart for the lost, and pray for a desire to evangelize. I have found it to be true in my own life that if I have to pray for those things, then I have a greater underlying problem - my relationship with my Saviour. When my relationship with Christ is deep and rich and pure and sweet, then the rest comes naturally.

This may have been a big babble of ideas, but this is what I am saying: Take heart! If you seek after the Lord with all your energy, and establish the truths of his word in your heart, then God will use you! You don't need a Ph.D. You need truth, and a passion about that truth!

Personal Lessons in Biblical Hope

I recently wrote a paper on Biblical Hope. I believe that the source of this hope is Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 1:1) , and I define biblical hope as a confident anticipation that God will keep His promises, thus providing the way to joyfully continue forward in any circumstance. This is an exerpt from the section I entitled Applicaton 2: Personal Lessons in Biblical Hope.

Biblical hope has been a very real topic to me since November, 2005. My family has served in Sinaloa, Mexico on the mission field for six years. We have become very close to our national ministry partners, Carmen and Norberto. They are like a second mother and father to me, and their two little girls, Rebeca and Elda are as close to me as my own sister. In November, 2005, I was told that Rebeca, age seven, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, placing her in critical condition. What followed were four months of coma – four months of uncertainty about what the next day would hold in precious little Rebeca’s life. I believe that this is the first time in my life that I had to question God’s plan in such a personal way. I have had grandparents pass away, but why would God allow this to happen to a little seven year old?

At first, the temptation that I succumbed to was a focus on the present, on the horrible situation that was taking place. I was both bitter and confused, understanding that God is sovereign, yet unhappy with his choice. I was, like Peter on the waves, in danger of sinking to my end if I did not cry out to the Lord in this time of need. The waves of the situation were overwhelming, and as far as I could see, God was messing up. This was probably the worst spiritual valley I have experienced in my faith.

Thankfully, I was able to be lifted up by my brothers in Christ, who encouraged me to focus on God’s promises, and not the situation at hand. When I began to realize that God was trying to show me many things through this situation, my perspective began to change. I remembered that this life is temporary, and that some day we will be with God, and His plan will have come to pass in perfect order. I remembered Isaiah 55:9-10, that God’s thoughts are much higher than ours. This helped me to trust that God knew what He was doing. When I shifted my focus from the “waves” to the “Maker of the waves”, I found peace for my soul. Rebeca has improved, but not completely. It's still very hard to see her this way, but when I remember the promise that God is a very present help in our time of need, and that he knows those that come to call on Him, I find hope.

From the Conclusion:

May those who seek to find hope outside of the Savior realize the futility of their endeavors, turn to the only Source of true hope, Jesus Christ, and rest in the promises of the Savior. May those who have received the gift of Christ’s love live their lives in confident anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promises, encouraging and empowering the believer to live for His glory.

Worship Hard, Don't Hardly Worship

Dr. Baker's standard encouragement when we leave class for chapel:

"Worship hard -- don't hardly worship!"

From the Dome of the Rock to the Astrodome

I think these following ideas come from Chris Tomlin/Louie Giglio, in their respective writings (The Way I Was Made, The Air I Breathe):

Even a cursory glance at humanity indicates that every man is an inherent, inveterate worshiper. No matter how you cut it, everyone worships something, and worships it well. Temples surround us. From the Dome of the Rock to the Astrodome, worship is taking place across the planet. From moshing fans at rock concerts to quiet monks at secluded monasteries, church steeples to neon lights, everyone is worshiping something. The question is not whether or not you worship, but what you worship, for you, my friend, are a seasoned worshiper.

It's a concept worth considering, since God has declared Himself as the only One worthy of worship:

"You shall have no other gods before me" (Deuteronomy 5:7).

If you miss the boat on worship, then you miss the boat on eternity.

Worship - Short and Sweet

Worship is our response to, and magnification of, that which we deem of utmost importance in our life.

The old English word was spelled wor(th)ship! Worship is attributing worth to something.

Follow the trail of your time, money, and conversation, and you will have a pretty good idea of what you worship.

Funny - Coffee Worship

Sad, but true.

$3.00 cup of coffee at starbucks:

5 days a week = $15

1 month = $60

6 months = $360

1 year = $720

a habit over the next 20 years = $14,400

worship????? just a little : )

Saved "To the Praise of His Glory"

Ephesians 1:3-14:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

SAVED TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY! SAVED TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY! SAVED TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY!

A Sunday-morning Prayer

Father in heaven, glorious God above all gods, Great and Holy, Your name we praise. We are but the created, and we cry out to the Creator. Enable our feeble minds and feeble bodies to grasp the splendor and majesty of your Being. Give us the faith to fall into your arms without hesitation. We need nothing else but you, God. Our steps are dogged with troubles, worries, fears, and hesitation - we thank you for your Word that serves to light our way. Grant us the strength to trust you in the hard times when our back is to the wall, and we cannot see Your way. When we cannot see your workings, Father, grant us the faith to believe in the things we cannot see. Set our gaze upward, and not on on our surroundings. Give us the patience to follow your lead, and not rush ahead with our own agenda or desires. You are the one who directs our paths, and numbers the days that this vaporish life will linger yet in the air. Let us look to you for direction, and please be patient with us as we learn to bear patience in our life. Your ways are not are ways, nor are your thoughts our thoughts. This is a blessed truth, Father, for we know that any way of Yours, and any thought, will be a thousand times over more beautiful than our own. All the glory be to You, Father of Lights, Sustainer, Friend!

Psalm 62:1-3 "...Lead me to the rock that is higher than I".

The Train Called Worship

One more quote, this time from Desiring God. Next time I'll write something personal. But this is really good.

This quote concerns the old evangelical slogan "Fact, Faith, Feeling"

"In one well-known booklet the slogan appears as a train: The locomotive is 'fact.' The coal car is 'faith.' The caboose is 'feeling.' The explanation reads: "The train will run with or without the caboose. However, it would be futile to attempt to pull the train by the caboose." But what are the "feelings" the train of Christian living can run without? Do "feelings" refer merely to physical experiences like sweaty palms, knocking knees, racing heart, trembling lips, tearful eyes? If so the slogan is clear and accurate..."

Piper procedes to point out that while physical expression of emotions can be superficial, therefore not entirely necessary, he points to the affections - the response within our hearts that is 100% vital to true worship. Quoting from Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections:

"The definition of these 'affections' (or what most people today mean by feelings) is: 'the more vigorous and sensible excericses of the inclination and will of the soul.' In other words, the feelings that really matter are not mere physical sensations. They are the stirring up of the soul with some perceived treasure or threat...let us make clear that the locomotive of fact is not headed for heaven if it is not followed by a faith that treasures Christ and if it is not pulling a caboose-load of new, though imperfect, affections." [end quote]

Gotta love it!

Edwards on the Excellency of Christ

I wish to pass on a quote that I found in TGWOTG

from "The Excellency of Christ,
by Jonathan Edwards

"What is there that you can desire should be in a Savior, that is not in Christ? What excellency is there wanting? What is there that is great or good; what is there that is venerable or winning; what is there that is adorable or endearing; or what can you think of that would be encouraging, which is not to be found in the person of Christ?

Would you have your Savior to be great and honourable, because you are not willing to be beholden to a mean person? And is not Christ a person honourable enough to be worthy that you should be dependent on him; is he not a person high enough to be appointed to so honourable a work as your salvation? Would you not only have a Savior of high degree, but would you have him, notwithstanding his exaltation and dignity, to be make also of low degree, that he might have experience of afflictions and trials, that he might learn by the things that he has suffered, to pity them that suffer and are tempted? And has not Christ been made low enough for you; and has he not suffered enough?

Would you have your Savior to be one who is near to God, so that his mediation might be prevalent with him? And can you desire him to be nearer to God than Christ is, who is his only-begotten Son, of the same essence with the Father? And would you not only have him near to God, but also near to you , that you may have free access to him? And would you have him nearer to you than to be in the same nature, united to you by a spiritual union, so close as to be fitly represented by the union of the wife to the husband, of the branch to the vine, of the member to the head; yea, so as to be one spirit? For so he will be united with you, if you accept him...What is there wanting or what would you add if you could, to make him more fit to be your Savior?" [end quote]

What is there not to worship? Embrace Christ as your treasure.

Living as an Image-bearer

You my friend...are a worshiper!

So opens Louie Giglio's powerful little book, The Air I Breathe.

Do you see the truth in what he says? Even a careful observation of humanity indicates that every man is an inherent worshiper. No matter how you cut it, everyone worships something. Temples abound in our world. Whether it be the Dome of the Rock or the Astrodome, worship is taking place across the planet. From moshing fans at rock concerts to quiet monks at secluded monestaries, church steeples to neon lights, everyone is worshiping something.

But why? Why is it that we are wired for worship?

Because we were created to worship our Maker.

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)"

God chose to design us as image-bearers. WE WERE CREATED TO REFLECT THE GLORIOUS IMAGE OF THE CREATOR! But man failed his resposibility. He chose to exalt himself, rather that God. He chose to seek pleasure in his own glory, and as a result, his ability to reflect God's glory was broken like a shattered mirror after a fall. The Fall.

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles... And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:21-23, 28-32)"

Man is not ignorant of God. He has turned away from the worship of "the glory of the immortal God" to the worship of self, satisfying his longings with nature, fleshly pleasures, accomplishments, and all manner of shallow and unsatisfying things. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to deep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

But all hope is not lost. God will change the hearts of some, so that they may be restored to their original purpose.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)"

The shattered mirror is being restored, one piece at a time:

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)"

Live as a worshiper, my friend. Fulfill your original purpose.

A Quote on Worship in song (from TGWOTG)

I find this quote fascinating. It is from point number two in the introduction of The Great Work of the Gospel. The cross inspires worship in a way unmatched by any false religion. Here is the quote (from TGWOTG):

"The Cross is the greatest surprise of human history. None of the religions of the world could have even have thought of such a thing. Indeed even closest associates of Christ never saw it coming. None understood the plan of it. When one discovers the reason for it and the wisdom of it and the nature of it, one understands why Christianity is "Christ crucified" (1 Corinthians 1:23) It is not simply a code of ethics or a set of wise principles for living, like those provided by Benjamin Franklin or Confucius. It is God at work in human life through the cross.

The unique character of Christianity as a religion of music is evidence for this excellence. The cross inspires song. No other religion inspires such a burning passion to put words of praise to music. Hymns, gospel songs, oratorios, choruses pour out of the cross in every language and every ethnomusicological form in a never ending stream. Take the cross out of the mountain of music and you have a molehill. Such is the wonder of God's solution to our sin." [end quote]

May the glory of the cross of Jesus Christ inspire a song of freedom from guilt and devotion to a loving master who "despised the shame" and bore our sins on that tree (Heb. 12:2).

Reflect His glory!

Worship-inspiring Book

I am currently reading an excellent book entitled The Great Work of the Gospel, by John Ensor. In the introduction, Ensor explains that he calls the outworking of God's wonderful grace The Great Work for the following three reasons:

1) Because the problem [sin] is the greatest of all problems.

2) Because the solution is the most excellent of all solutions

and

3) Because the change it produces it the most extreme change possible.

If you have a hankering to read a good book, I give The Great Work of the Gospel a big "thumbs up". It's saturated with Scripture in a way will refresh your soul and lead you into a deeper gratitude of what God has done in His Great Work.

I will be posting further reflections inspired by this book at a later time. Read this book. It's an easy read, and it is well worth your time!

Life Is Not About Accumulation

Life is not about accumulation. Consider Luke 12 for Jesus' word on material possesions.

Luke 12.15 (ESV)

"And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possesions."

To the man who devotes his life accumulating stuff, God says:

"...Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" (Luke 12.20)

He who dies with the most toys still dies.

As Christians, we are called to a radically different lifestyle:

"...Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, not about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."

"And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12.1-2, 32-34)

God is good to provide for those who are in earnest pursuit of something greater than earthly possesions. He will provide for our physical needs, in order that we may channel our energies into a pursuit of that which is far more satisfying.

Created for God's Glory

Isaiah 43:6-7 (ESV)

"...bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."