day no. 13,080: the founder and the finisher of our faith‏

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

 

Jesus is the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.

 

He is the Author and the Actualization of our faith.

He is the Founder and the Finisher of our faith.

He is the Catalyst and the Completer of our faith.

He is the Designer and the Deliverer of our faith.

He is the Start and the Summation of our faith.

 

The Beginning and the End.

 

Keep your eyes on Him.

day no. 13,079: oil and water‏

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

 

⁹ I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰ I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. ¹¹ But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. ¹² For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? ¹³ But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves.

 

This is a strong and difficult word and one we often see overlooked because of the seriousness of it.

 

Paul does not mean here unrepentant sinners, but those claiming the Name of Jesus living in direct defiance to His commands with no plans to agree with God anytime soon.

 

Those who call themselves Christians and live in outright rebellion demonstrate that they are not His children, but still rebels deserving of wrath, in need of grace through faith in the Son.

 

Do not become this person by refusing to repent and becoming familiar and comfortable with your sin.

 

Do not become the person who would tolerate such defiance by those claiming to be obedient.

 

This is an IN HOUSE teaching as Paul points out.

 

We don't disassociate with rebels who aren't claiming to be citizens of Heaven.

 

We react the same way both to the unregenerate rebel and the rebel claiming to be regenerate. We share Jesus with them as ones who need His grace in order to be restored.

day no. 13,078: should we fight for our right to party?‏

1 Corinthians 6 has a lot to say about our rights.

This is a topic we are intimately familiar with as Americans who often are engaged in discussions about our rights and the rights of others.

 

1 Corinthians 6:7-8

 

⁷ Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated?⁸ Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers!

 

This is entirely contrary to the American spirit of insisting upon your rights. Paul here indicates perhaps the best course of action would be to forego your rights and endure injustice. He does not say this, however, without also firmly rebuking those who call themselves Christian would act unjustly and cheat anyone, let alone another who bears the Name of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

⁹ Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,¹⁰ no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.¹¹ And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Before we get too worked up over our rights, it would do us well to dwell upon what we deserve for what we used to do (and maybe even sometimes still do). If we got what we what deserved, it would be bad news for us. But the Good News is that in Jesus’ works and the Spirit’s presence inside us, we are washed, made holy and judged righteous.

God overlooked His right to destroy you as a rebel in favor creating a righteous Way to welcome you as a child by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:12

“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything.

Do not use your freedom as an opportunity of the flesh. You don’t have the right to live to yourself. You were bought with a price. Live to God. Do not become a slave again to insisting upon your rights. Not everything you could do is helpful to you or others. That which overcomes a person, to that they are enslaved. Be overcome by God and demonstrate that you are His slave, controlled and compelled by Him.

Make full use of your right to remain silent.

day no. 13,077: the violent sweetness of God‏

You may see a ton of Ray Ortlund, Jr. quotes and content popping on my blog for quite some time. I'm doing a deep study of the book of Isaiah, using a commentary by Ray Ortlund, Jr. It is SO GOOD!

You can buy it HERE.

Here is another amazing thought concerning his thoughts on Isaiah 1:2-9

"Conviction of sin is the violent sweetness of God opposing the sins lying comfortably undisturbed in our lives."

O MY WORD!

That is awesome.

I am totally geeking out on this commentary.

God, please continue to expose and execute sin in my life by Your sweetness and if necessary by violence.

Amen.

day no. 13,076: living sacrifices

The last line of My Utmost for His Highest for an entry I read recently said...

"Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him."

We have a tendency to tell God what He must do if we do what He says we must do. 

So we give it a try. 

We attempt to do that which He has called us to do and it goes horribly, nothing goes as expected. 

So we get angry at God and either turn on Him altogether or continue to walk near Him, but always suspicious of Him and His motives.

Do not decide in your heart what must come if you do the right and godly thing.

Proverbs 16:9

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

You do your job.
Let Him do His.

day no. 13,073: so that's pretty sick

Isaiah 19:14

The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

Drunken people aren't notorious for pulling together great feats of walking in the first place.

They are known for upchucking their night's "fun" however.

Combine the two and you've got a recipe for disaster: slippery, vomit-laden, unstable disaster.

Nice metaphor Isaiah.

We get the picture.

Egypt will stumble about and is a danger to themselves and others.

Egypt is on the floor covered in vomit, passed out after several unsuccessful efforts to lift themselves out of their own puke.

What could inspire less confidence than a drunken person walking in slippery sewage?

day no. 13,072: a prayer for my daughters

Song of Solomon 8:9-10

9 If she is a wall,
we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

10 I was a wall,
and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds peace.

There can hardly be four words more imaginably peaceful for a father of daughters to hear than "I was a wall!"

Only better are the words, "I worship and follow Jesus" a la 3 John 4.

Doors do not have discretion.

Walls provide security and selectivity.

My prayer is that my daughters would use discretion and selectivity in guarding their hearts.

My prayer is to hear them in integrity and enthusiasm pronounce, "I WAS A WALL" as I walk them down the aisle to their God-fearing, Jesus-loving, humble, servant-hearted, courageous husband.

Oh Lord, hear my prayer!!!