day no. 13,308: Jehovah knoweth none‏

Well may the accuser roar, 
of sins that I have done; 
I know them all and thousands more, 
Jehovah knoweth none!

Tullian Tchividjian mentioned this line in a sermon of his going through the book of James.

I love that line.

Satan is right.

I am wrong.

I agree with Satan.

I don't deserve to be forgiven.

But oh, what a God we have.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve.

It reminds me of this:

Zechariah 3:1-4

3 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

3 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. 4 So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

day no. 13,307: i will give you my entire world if you do with it what i desire‏

Matthew 4:9

And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

Satan here expresses the exact sentiment so common to many of us in our reluctance and stubbornness in avoiding and failing to accept the difficulties and sufferings of life in a fallen world with imperfect hearts beating flawed blood through our veins and misinformed thoughts through our brains.

We tell God that we will give Him our entire life, our entire world IF He will do what we ask.  If He will only give us something we want.

We believe we would be happy to hand over everything to God, IF only He would worship us and do our bidding.

But God does receive us on those terms.

He does demand our entire world: our life and livelihood.

But it is not in exchange for His worship of us and the reorienting of His Kingdom and agenda in order to help us build our own kingdom and fulfill our agenda.

Quite the contrary.

He demands our worship. A worship so genuine, so moved, so complete that it would gladly hand over its entire world, to leave everything and follow Him wherever He may be going because being where He is is more important than having what we used to want.

In summation:

Do offer your whole world to God.

Do NOT insist that He worship you.

Do NOT withhold worship from Him if He should do things with your world that you would not have chosen on your own.

Hand over your world and let Him have it to do with as He pleases.

Psalm 115:3

Our God is in the heavens;
    he does all that he pleases.

day no. 13,304: the very same gracious, invading light‏

2 Corinthians 4:6

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.

In the beginning, there was God and there was an empty void of nothing.

Into that dark world, God spoke and light invaded.

That is the story of the beginning of all creation.

It is the exact same with us.

Empty.

Dark.

Void.

Sinful and headed on the wide path to more of the same.

And into that empty, dark heart, God speaks and by grace through faith hearts are made new by the light of Christ.

The light of the world invades our dark hearts and we are changed.

We become a place where God dwells, full of life and fruit and livelihood.

What a beautiful parallel.

day no. 13,303 continued... adolescent double imputation‏

Luke 2:51

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

Jesus obeyed His parents.

He honored his father and mother.

He pays for the sins of all the times we've dishonored, disrespected and disobeyed our parents.

He is able to give us a record of perfect righteousness because He obeyed His parents perfectly.

day no. 13,303: the only rib i know better than the McRib

Happy Birthday Paige!

I'm so glad you're my wife.

day no. 13,302: blessed because you believed‏

Luke 1:45

You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.

You, too, are blessed when you believe that the Lord has done what He said He would do.

It is as simple and childlike and difficult and mature as that.

Faith.

day no. 13,301: the preacher in process

The other morning, the big kids and I watched the video below (for about the 1,000th time)

   

I ADORE this video. 

Srrsly. 

You may be tempted to think that we've watched 1,000 times because kids love watching stuff over and over and in part, you'd be right. But I'm right there with them when it comes to this masterpiece. 

I love that Elijah sings opera at some points. 
I love the animation.
I love the storytelling. 
Love, love, love. 

Anywho... 

I have longed prayed that my son would be a pastor who faithfully preaches God's Word and that in my lifetime I would get to hear him preach the Good News of Jesus Christ empowered by God's Spirit. 

He's well on his way. 

He already thinks like a preacher apparently. 

After watching it this particular time, Atticus dropped a bombshell of awesomesauce: 

"The water did not put out the fire of God, the fire of God put out the water." 

So pastoral. 

I can hear that play on words preached even now. 

What a tiny stud. 

Atticus, I LOVE you little man.

day no. 13,300: changing your rock solid plans‏

Mark 16:3

On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

The ladies had decided to anoint Jesus' dead body, but had a problem: a heavy rock.

When they arrived at the tomb the heavy rock problem was solved, but now they had a different problem: the dead body they wanted to anoint was no longer dead.

Some problems are good problems to have.

Some plans we're happier than others to see God interrupt.

day no. 13,297 continued... every new beginning is some other beginning's end

Candeo had an elder retreat this evening.

It was agreed upon at tonight's session that I would step don effectively immediately from my role as elder at Candeo Church.

Due to my lack of inherent desire (a la 1 Tim 3) and thus being in the office merely out of compulsion (a la 1 Peter 3) it seemed prudent according to Scripture for me to step back from my role as elder at Candeo.

This was a long time coming in some respect as I had felt the lack of desire for a spell now, but had hoped, along with the other elders, that the desire would rekindle or perhaps find it season passed.

I love Candeo.

I love Jesus.

I think the best thing for my love for both and their respective benefit is for me to return to lay leadership in the body.  This was agreed upon by the other elders and affirmed in response to the Biblical requirements to serve in this capacity and the evidence of my heart and life stage at the moment.

It was a good run.

I am honored to have been allowed the opportunity to serve in this capacity.

day no. 13,297: over our heads at the end of ourselves‏

2 Corinthians 1:9

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Turns out God DOES give us MORE than we can handle.

Good thing too.

If He didn't show us we were over our heads every once in a while, we may never come to the end of ourselves and to the beginning of greater dependence upon Him.

Praise God that He loves us enough to bring us beyond our own ability to manage or we might spend the rest of our lives managing our little kingdoms with little to no thought of His greater, eternal heavenly Kingdom.

So let's get beyond the "God never gives you more than you can handle" cliches and begin giving glory to God for the fact that it is our very good to be in over our heads at the end of ourselves.

day no. 13,296: waste and worship‏

Jake Hering pointed this out the other day while leading worship at Candeo from

Mark 14:3-9

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and wheneveryou want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Mary spilled ointment all over Jesus' feet.

It was called waste by those watching.

If she wanted to anoint Jesus' feet, she could have used less oil and saved the rest for something else.

But she emptied it out.

She poured it all out.

What onlookers called, "waste," Jesus honored as "worship."

Extravagance is an evidence of love.

Boys dating girls display extravagance all the time spending more money and time than necessary in order to woo the affections of another.

Let's get back to extravagance. 

Let's not be afraid to do what others would wrongly call, "waste."

day no. 13,295: a few verses to minister to your souls today my children‏

My dear children,

2 Corinthians 3:18

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.

As we behold the glory of the Lord we become more glorious by the grace of His Spirit.  It is merely in beholding His glory that we are transformed.  Behold His glory. Behold less your own ingloriousness (for lack of a better word).

Hebrews 10:8-10

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Jesus Christ sanctified completely, once for all, those for whom He offered Himself.  God sees you as perfect as He sees Christ if you are in Christ. To be in Christ is to be seen as perfect like Him.

Hebrews 10:14

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Jesus Christ made perfect those who are BEING made perfect. You are not perfect yet.  You are seen as perfect by your faith in Jesus, but you are not yet perfected.  Already, not yet.  Seen as righteous, growing in righteousness.

Lastly,

Galatians 3:2-14

2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receivethe promised Spirit through faith.

You did not inherit eternal life or receive righteousness by working hard enough to be declared righteous.  NO! God forbid!  You were declared righteous by your faith in the one true God who offers perfect righteousness to those who would empty themselves of self-righteousness.  If this is how you came to be adopted into His family as His child, why now would you assume that it is your performance that secures your room in His house or favor in His presence.  It was by faith you found refuge in the beginning and it is again by faith that you find security today in His presence.

Love,

Daddy

day no. 13,294 continued... somebody pinch me

St. Patrick!!!

It's your own very special day.

St. Valentine may get red and pink, but you get green my man.

No chocolates and fat, naked, angel babies today.

Nope, only the best for you.

Fat, naked adults.

Only the best for you Pat.

You're welcome.

Signed,

'Merica

day no. 13,294: you can be god if...‏

Mark 15:32

Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

Don't we do similar things?

We tell God we will believe in Him if He does certain things that we require.

So, in essence, we tell God that we will let Him be God if He serves us.

See how backwards that is?

In that scenario, we are god and judge.

But God refuses to bow to us.

He insists on dying for us, even when we're trying to insist that we want Him to do something else for us.

day no. 13,293: a matter of will‏

Mark 14:36

“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

This is the moment.

Praying to God to mercifully provide another way than the difficult one ahead of you, yet being fully committed to go through the difficult, narrow way if another way is not provided.

day no. 13,290: sound doctrine and false profit‏

Mark 13:22

For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.

In the book of Acts, we will see the apostles preaching the Word of God and the accomplishments of the Son in living, dying and rising from the dead.  This message will be accompanied by signs and wonders.

Signs and wonders are not in themselves indication of authenticity as we see here.

So listen to what the miracle workers say. To whom does the miracle worker seek to bring glory? Does the wonder accompany an impassioned plea to repent and believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Do not merely be stupefied by the wonders, but ponder what message accompanies the wonders. This will be a safeguard against accepting or believing false messiahs and prophets.

day no. 13,289: treasure chests‏

Mark 12:41-44

⁴¹ Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴² Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

⁴³ Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.⁴⁴ For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Jesus spent time hanging out by the offering boxes watching people.

He watched what they put in the box.
He watched their hearts as they offered.

What would He see you giving?
What would He see you feeling about what you'e giving?

day no. 13,288: walking in the light will inevitably require days of darkness

Isaiah 50:10-11

10 Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
    without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
    and rely on your God.
11 But watch out, you who live in your own light
    and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
    You will soon fall down in great torment.

"There are ways to shave the radical edge off of Christian obedience. People light their own fires, to use Isaiah's metaphor. They have their own ideas to live by. Why listen to Christ when there are plausible, and certainly easier, ways to live? Some people sit through sermons, but are they listening? Their lives are not set apart from the convenient, soft ways of the world. Why? They don't feel in their hearts that Christ can be counted on when it matters. They are making their own way." ~ Ray Ortlund, Jr.

Walking in the light of Christ sometimes will mean walking in dark days where the light is limited and the clouds overcast.

Some choose to expedite the process and step out of the darkness of following a God who is always infinite steps ahead of us and into the light of worldly solutions and methods of dealing with darkness.

To follow Christ is to follow even when it is dark.

The soft world around encourages us to abandon the narrow path that goes through gloom for the enlightened, broad road that offers alternative forms of light.

God's response to this kind of medicine is clear: He hates it!

He hates band-aids that keep a wound from fully healing by offering fleeting respite from the pain of real healing.

Read again God's powerful plea through His prophet:

Isaiah 50:10-11

10 Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
    without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
    and rely on your God.
11 But watch out, you who live in your own light
    and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
    You will soon fall down in great torment.

It doesn't mean you're not a legitimate Christian if you experience some dark days or confusion and pain and suffering.

It is, in fact, evidence of your legitimacy.

It is OK to have dark days.

Don't allow the Devil to convince you otherwise.

But don't listen to the Devil and fire up light-hearted nonsense in an attempt to make your own light to endure the God-ordained darkness of the narrow path that leads to where He is.

day no. 13,287: a childlike dependency

Mark 10:15

"I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

Children do not work for the food for which they beg.

They just beg.

They receive with joy after asking in humility.

day no. 13,286: whom do we perceive is speaking?‏

Exodus 20:19

They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 

I have probs posted this gem from Chambers before, but it bears repeating:

"We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”

day no. 13,283 continued... can He? will He?‏

Mark 9:23-24

23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

In Luke 5, we see a leper say, "If you are willing, I know you can." Here we see a man who believes Jesus is willing, but questions whether or not He can.

God is capable and caring.

If He were only capable, but didn't care, we would have no confidence in offering up prayers to Him because He'd be all, "I can do whatever I want whenever I want to whomever I want whenever I want to do it and I don't care what you want."

If He were only caring, but not capable, we would have no confidence in offering up prayers to Him because He'd be all, "I love you so much and all, but I'm just one God after all. I wish I could do more for you."

day no. 13,283: Happy 3rd Birthday Finneas!!!

TINY WARRIOR!!!

I love you little boy.  

You are such a sweet child.

You love to cuddle.

You love to fight and wrassle.

You are just a joy to have as a son.

You are full of emotion and you wear it on your sleeve.

It is sometimes the best of times and sometimes the worst of times and you feel it all intensely.

I love that about you.

I pray that like Phinehas from the Bible you would have great zeal and follow-throughed-ness, but I also pray like that same Phinehas, you would have discernment and ask questions before acting impulsively.

The same man who grabbed a spear when it was clear, asked questions of the 2 1/2 tribes when the rumors were at their worst.  In both circumstances, he proved himself a man of action, but a man of wise action.  

I am excited to see how God will use your courage and tenderheartedness to give Him glory and give others hope and compassion.

You are a tender, tiny warrior and I absolutely adore you little boy.

Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

day no. 13,282: bread and fish to the fill‏

Mark 6:42

They all ate as much as they wanted

This never does not stand out to me.

Put another way, this always stands out to me.

Every time.

He didn't just make enough for everyone to eat something.

He made enough for everyone to enough.

day no. 13,281: God will not give His glory away

"What sets God apart from the vengeful idols of our minds that demand everything and forgive nothing is the dying love of Christ for sinners who don't even listen to Him carefully. God will not give that glory away, whatever it takes - even death on a cross." ~ Ray Ortlund, Jr.

Yeppers.

Still delighting in my "God Saves Sinners" commentary on the book of Isaiah by Ray Ortlund, Jr.

The most surprising thing in the world is that the God we wish existed is the only true God that actually is.

The idols of our imaginations seem more likely to us.

He is not limited by our limitations.

He is not bound by our bondage.

He is above and beyond and fully committed to being the glorious gracious, one and only, God.

His glory is to show grace in giving to those who don't deserve it, who haven't rightfully earned it.

His glory is to grant mercy to those who fully deserve destruction, who have rightfully earned a guilty verdict.

day no. 13.280: total depravity totally defeated‏

"It takes no one less than the one true God sacrificially and eternally to disconnect what we deserve from what we get." ~ Ray Ortlund, Jr.

God is not defeated by our failure.

He defeats our failures without destroying us who worship Him.

day no. 13,279: faith says, "Your..."‏

"Faith says, 'Your will be done, in Your way, at Your pace, by Your grace, for Your glory.'" ~ Ray Ortlund, Jr.

The only faith that saves is faith in God.

His will above yours.

His ways instead of yours.

His pace instead of yours.

His grace, not your works.

His glory, not yours.