day no. 16,823: my father's God

Exodus 15:2-3

The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

The God of my fathers is the Father God. He loves His children and their children. It is often said that, "God has no grandchildren," in order to emphasize that regeneration is not a genetic characteristic one can inherit, like blue eyes, blonde hair, or blood type. And in so much as that point is made, fair enough. That said, it must also be noted that God is not disinterested in the salvation of His children's children. He looks to bless thousands of generations of faithful fathers by blessing their children and their children's children. In that sense, God is also not merely like a grandfather, since a papa looks primarily to the child of his child, but God looks to the children of His children nine hundred ninety-nine times over. If God is not like a grandpa, it is because He is better than an earthly patriarch. He has more in mind than grandbabies.

3 John 4

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

The only thing I want more than seeing my kids confess Christ is to watch them marry well and teach their kids to do the same. And the only thing I want more than seeing my grandkids confess Christ is overhearing them teaching their kids to teach their kids to teach their kids to confess Christ.

My father’s God is strong

He is my strength, my song

He’s my salvation

— My Soul Among Lions,

The Song of Moses (Ex 15)

May generations of Van Voorsts confess in chorus, "My father's God is strong," because He is.

day no. 16,657: tamper, tamper

All peoples clap your hands for joy,

to God in triumph shout;

for awesome is the Lord Most High,

Great King the earth throughout.

He brings the peoples under us

in mastery complete;

and He it is who nations all

subdues beneath our feet.

Psalm 47,

The Book of Psalms for Singing

All nations will give way to God.

All kingdoms will come to Christ.

And our feet have been charged with the ministry of tamping the grapes into wine.

Romans 16:20

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein; and all of it and everyone in it will subdued by its Savior.

day no. 16,393: crown Him the Lord of life

Crown him with many crowns,

the Lamb upon his throne.

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns

all music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing

of him who died for thee,

and hail him as thy matchless king

through all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of life,

who triumphed o'er the grave,

and rose victorious in the strife

for those he came to save;

his glories now we sing

who died and rose on high,

who died eternal life to bring,

and lives that death may die.

Crown him the Lord of love;

behold his hands and side,

rich wounds, yet visible above,

in beauty glorified;

no angels in the sky

can fully bear that sight,

but downward bends their burning eye

at mysteries so bright.

Crown him the Lord of years,

the potentate of time,

creator of the rolling spheres,

ineffably sublime.

All hail, Redeemer, hail!

for thou hast died for me;

thy praise shall never, never fail

throughout eternity.

— Matthew Bridges (1851); Godfrey Thring (1871), Crown Him With Many Crowns

day no. 14,566: not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit

Zechariah 4:6
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."

Our natural strengths are often our supernatural weaknesses, our great ability to leap our stumbling block. God is not won over by our power. He is not reached by superheros on tippy toes. If He does not come down, we can never get up. If He does not descend, we cannot rise.

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Purify flesh and blood by any educational process you may select, elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of intellectual power, yet none of these can reveal Christ." - Charles H. Spurgeon

If we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing
"A Mighty Fortress" - Martin Luther

Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak - G.K. Chesterton

When I am weak, then am I strong,
Grace is my shield, and Christ my song.
"Let Me But Hear My Savior Say" - Isaac Watts

Thoughts from "Obsolete" by Sara Groves

This song came up on my random play list the other day while listening to my iPod (or my iTodd - pardon me if I've used that joke before). 

You can listen to it HERE.

Here are some lyrics that stood out to me:

And you don't know where you stand
And you feel so small and thin
And if you are dismissed
Will another take you in?

And you don't know where you stand
And did something pass you by?
And if you are dismissed
Will you get another try?

And I know I shouldn't care
If I'm out or if I'm in
Cause if I am dismissed
Oh You always take me in

This really speaks to our insecurities without Christ and our need for Him to heal even our continual disbelief in His sufficiency after we have accepted His sacrifice initially.

After all, what will happen to us when we are discarded?  When we fail and fall short and are no longer owed the respect for which we previously clamored?  In those moments when all for which we worked is rendered stubble, do we still have something on which (or on Whom) we can stand?  If we are dismissed, are we able to be restored? 

That desperate plea, that ache of lonely, confused, pessimistic doubt that we can be fully confident before God in Christ coupled with the positive assurance of our inability to do so confidently without Him is what we need. 

What happens to us when seventy times seven is eclipsed?  Is there an end to God's proverbial rope or a number of straws that would break even His large, long suffering back? When we are evicted by the guilt of our own shortcomings, is there anywhere for us to find respite and repose? 

Yes, Yes, in Christ Jesus, ever may our cry be, "Yes!" 

My heart is constantly prone to render these questions and desperate again and again to hear the Good News that God in Christ Jesus is for me and no longer against me.  Praise God for His reconciliation.  There was a real distance, a real eviction, a real dismissal.  And there is a real Savior, Reconciler, Redeemer, and Lord who restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes me in His courts forever, Amen!

The Rocket Summer's "Walls"

I was listening to this song on my iPod while working and was struck in particular by the post-chorus:

And all the weight you carry
Will disappear and I will willingly
Embrace your so
You lay your head
So come on home
Come on home
Come on home

It reminded me of images of Christian in Pilgrim's Progress shedding that awful weight and burden that he carried prior to God meeting Him with the Good News of Jesus Christ!  It also reminds me that the Good News is not just for the day you are found by the One willing to take on your heavy load and burden, but everyday being found in the One willing to carry you. 

Listen to the song HERE.

Buy it HERE.

I'll help you break the walls down
I'll help you break the walls down
And bust you out and take you home
Believe in Me (i.e. Jesus) you are not alone
I'll help you break the walls down

The implied Gospel is useful in the arts to point us homeward, but without the proclaiming of the actual, explicit Gospel, it remains simply an arrow without a target.

The weight we carry will disappear only inasmuch as it is transferred to Christ.  He takes our burdens and becomes the weary, weighted down that we might become the easily yoked and freed.

That is the reality and Truth to which this song points.  No neutered, greeting-card, simply silver-lined, sentimental, platitudes.  This is not feel-good.  This is declared good by God, not because you are, but because He is and will be your righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus.

Thoughts from the Rizers "John 14:27"

I was listening to the Rizers’ song “John 14:27” while I was working today.

I HIGHLY recommend you listen and purchase HERE.
“Yes,” I can listen to music on headphones while I work. It’s a hard-knock life.

And “Yes,” I listen to children’s music on my iPod playlist.

I adore the Rizers and their music. If you have not heard them, check them out HERE.

John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I was struck by the words, “I do not give to you as the world gives.”

It made me think, “How does the world give?”

Think about it. To whom, what, when, where, and why do you give?

Probably to people you think deserve it or have earned it, causes you feel are worthy, stuff for your personal enjoyment, when you feel like it, where people can see you doing it or when the person is most likely to reciprocate (or at least feel some pressure to do so), because you are trying to make up for inadequacies and things you withhold in others areas, out of obligation, out of bitterness, or because you want something in return.

Jesus gives to people who do not deserve it. He gives out of His abundance and generosity. He gives us the Holy Spirit and the fruits thereof. He does it while we are yet sinners and deserve nothing. He does it in history on a particular Cross on a specific day some 2,000 years ago at a specific place. He does it because He loves the elect - those on whom He has chosen to show His favor for eternity.

Jesus does not give as the world gives. That is so comforting and reassuring.

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.

That gave me a great sense of peace today just chewing on it briefly.

The Fade

We sang the song, "His Glory Never Fades" today at church.

Buy it HERE.

The chorus goes like this:

Holy is the Lord God,
worthy of praise
His glory never fades,
His glory never fades

Mighty is our King,
with no end to his days
His glory never fades,
His glory never fades

I meditated while singing on this premise. It is true. All else fades.

Perhaps this is why we are obsessed with photographs. They stamp in time the best of us and are timeless in that regard. The substance and sentiment behind the photo fade over time however. We are zealous to capture the beautiful, the honorable, the memorable, and make it immortal, but we cannot. Everything fades.

Isaiah 40:6-8

6 A voice says, “Cry!" And I said,“What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

This may explain why we recycle our celebrities as they get older and the luster wears off, the reason why there is so much pornography and so few marriages that actually end in the death of one of the two, why we are so desperate to have that which is beautiful and preserve it, why we are prisoners of the moment and addicted to that which is best for the moment, why we love the newness and freshness of babies, and why sports fan desire another championsihp unsatisfied with last year's if this year's is thwarted. We want to capture and possess the infinite. We desire to hold that which is unchangingly good and satisfying, but we grasp for it in places, persons, and things which can never meet the heavy weights which we place on them.

The flowers of the field fall. The grass withers. Men die. Memories fail.

God never fades. His beauty does not decay. His riches do not rust. His glory is not diminished by controversy, misstep, rumor, or accusation. He is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

His glory NEVER fades. He is a picture of beauty, love, justice, mercy, forgivenss, joy, and strength. He is a living picture. He is the substance behind the photo that gives it life, yet He need not be captured in inactivity to avoid decay. He ever lives as the best and grandest to which our hearts and minds could possibly aspire. Put another way: nothing we think or feel as great is greater than God.

We can never out-imagine the enormity that is God's glory. We cannot allegorize it in superlative. We cannot apply to it hyperbole. It is beyond that which we exaggerate.

He is glorious. Forever.