John 2:24-25
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
If Jesus had found men He could trust, His death would have been unnecessary.
We would need only better programming or motivation.
But our problem was not one of being close but no cigar, but rather one more akin to being up a crick without a paddle.
Jesus knows the depths of depravity because He resisted them all.
He knows the darkness and despair of our condition because He lived among it without indulging it.
He NEVER sinned.
Not once.
May we too not entrust ourselves to men, but in faith entrust ourselves to Jesus.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
day no. 12,776: by faith or by froth?
John 5:44-47
44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The very "goodness" that many people assume about themselves is the very thing that will accuse them before the Father of failure.
Good people do not go to Heaven. Moses and the Law God handed down by him will guarantee that. The very thing in which people place their hope is the thing that will destroy them and accuse them before the Father.
How tragic the scenario that finds one rejecting revelation in order to cling with confidence to speculation.
Do not set your hope in what you have done or what you have not done or never would do. That claim will itself condemn you. The boast of your tongue will be the evidence against you. You are leaning on a sharp stick. You will get stuck.
Jesus is the end of the Law.
Receive righteousness that is by faith.
Reject righteousness that is by froth.
44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The very "goodness" that many people assume about themselves is the very thing that will accuse them before the Father of failure.
Good people do not go to Heaven. Moses and the Law God handed down by him will guarantee that. The very thing in which people place their hope is the thing that will destroy them and accuse them before the Father.
How tragic the scenario that finds one rejecting revelation in order to cling with confidence to speculation.
Do not set your hope in what you have done or what you have not done or never would do. That claim will itself condemn you. The boast of your tongue will be the evidence against you. You are leaning on a sharp stick. You will get stuck.
Jesus is the end of the Law.
Receive righteousness that is by faith.
Reject righteousness that is by froth.
Monday, October 14, 2013
day no. 12,775: the respective laws of hell and heaven
John 2:10
...Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.
The lure of sin is that it baits you with the best it can offer and switches to the worst it requires after you are hooked. This is the law of hell. Paint over dirt. Make things look great in order to cover up the magnitude of ugly that lies underneath.
The rule of Heaven is just the opposite. That which is enticing only gets better and better as you go further inward and upward.
C.S. Lewis said it this way, "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
Or you may have heard it this way:
For the Christian, this life is as bad as life will ever be. For the unbeliever, this life is as good as life will ever be.
The law of sin is to take you further than you wanted to go, faster than you wanted to get there. Sin looks good on the surface. It seems like a good idea. It seems like it could satisfy.
But it's a shell game.
There is no substance underneath it.
It's water that makes you thirstier.
It's food that makes you hungrier.
It's a full that leaves you feeling empty, comfort that leaves you feeling vulnerable, and assurance that leaves you feeling paranoid.
...Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.
The lure of sin is that it baits you with the best it can offer and switches to the worst it requires after you are hooked. This is the law of hell. Paint over dirt. Make things look great in order to cover up the magnitude of ugly that lies underneath.
The rule of Heaven is just the opposite. That which is enticing only gets better and better as you go further inward and upward.
C.S. Lewis said it this way, "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
Or you may have heard it this way:
For the Christian, this life is as bad as life will ever be. For the unbeliever, this life is as good as life will ever be.
The law of sin is to take you further than you wanted to go, faster than you wanted to get there. Sin looks good on the surface. It seems like a good idea. It seems like it could satisfy.
But it's a shell game.
There is no substance underneath it.
It's water that makes you thirstier.
It's food that makes you hungrier.
It's a full that leaves you feeling empty, comfort that leaves you feeling vulnerable, and assurance that leaves you feeling paranoid.
Friday, October 11, 2013
day no. 12,772: to whom do you run?
Atticus: Can I get the legos out?
Todd: Not right now. If you put away the tools, you can get the legos out.
Atticus: But I want the legos out.
Todd: I understand, then put the tools away.
At this point, Atticus begins to cry and runs TO me.
I love this about kids.
They appeal to me with their requests and place their hopes and dreams in my hands and when I say, "No" they do not run from me in tears and anger and frustration, but in tears and anger and frustration they run TO me.
Atticus is able to think of me as BOTH authoritative AND comforting. I am the one he runs to when he is scared or sad even when my decisions are what creates in him sadness.
What a beautiful picture of our relationship with the Father through Christ.
We are free to request.
He is free to be God.
We cling to Him whatever happens.
The Gospel observed in the pattern of my children and the love of their daddy.
Todd: Not right now. If you put away the tools, you can get the legos out.
Atticus: But I want the legos out.
Todd: I understand, then put the tools away.
At this point, Atticus begins to cry and runs TO me.
I love this about kids.
They appeal to me with their requests and place their hopes and dreams in my hands and when I say, "No" they do not run from me in tears and anger and frustration, but in tears and anger and frustration they run TO me.
Atticus is able to think of me as BOTH authoritative AND comforting. I am the one he runs to when he is scared or sad even when my decisions are what creates in him sadness.
What a beautiful picture of our relationship with the Father through Christ.
We are free to request.
He is free to be God.
We cling to Him whatever happens.
The Gospel observed in the pattern of my children and the love of their daddy.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
day no. 12,771: that's why they play the games
1 Kings 20:11
And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’”
What a tough response!
It reminds me of the laconic response of "IF" (scroll to bottom to "Word Origin and History)
Only people who win wars take off armor.
If you lose, your armor either is removed by someone else or thrown into a heap.
I love crap like this.
It makes me feel (even if only for one intense delusional moment) that I could be tough too.
The words themselves feel powerful on your tongue.
It is a tough thing to say.
It is a tougher thing to believe.
And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’”
What a tough response!
It reminds me of the laconic response of "IF" (scroll to bottom to "Word Origin and History)
Only people who win wars take off armor.
If you lose, your armor either is removed by someone else or thrown into a heap.
I love crap like this.
It makes me feel (even if only for one intense delusional moment) that I could be tough too.
The words themselves feel powerful on your tongue.
It is a tough thing to say.
It is a tougher thing to believe.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
day no. 12, 770: no bull
1 Kings
18:26-29
26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
I love Elijah.
26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
I love Elijah.
"Hey guys! Maybe you should consider speaking up. Your god is probably daydreaming about doulel-stuff oreos or something. Maybe he's in the bathroom and can't be bothered right now. Maybe he is out-of-the-office and forgot to set his Outlook to reflect that fact. Or maybe he's taking a nap." (VVCSV)
As funny as Elijah's mockery is, I can't help think about how sad those last
words are,
"there was no voice. no
one answered; no one paid attention."
Ignorance ends in being ignored.
Romans 10:3-4
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Ignorance ends in being ignored.
Romans 10:3-4
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
If you do not submit to God's righteousness, rest assured your self-righteousness
will not persuade Him to action on your behalf.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
day no. 12,769: out of syncretism
1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
I love the language Elijah grabs to explain the absurdity, inefficiency and heresy of syncretism. If the LORD is God, follow Him. If Baal is god, follow him. Do not try to follow both. They are incompatible.
If you try to follow the LORD and Baal, you will follow neither.
You end up limping along.
You do not run hard after either.
A house divided against itself will fall.
No one can have two masters.
It's illogical, impractical and impossible to love passionately and equally two positions that categorically despise each other.
Abandon the limp religion of idolatrous, people-pleasing flattery.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
I love the language Elijah grabs to explain the absurdity, inefficiency and heresy of syncretism. If the LORD is God, follow Him. If Baal is god, follow him. Do not try to follow both. They are incompatible.
If you try to follow the LORD and Baal, you will follow neither.
You end up limping along.
You do not run hard after either.
A house divided against itself will fall.
No one can have two masters.
It's illogical, impractical and impossible to love passionately and equally two positions that categorically despise each other.
Abandon the limp religion of idolatrous, people-pleasing flattery.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
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