Shortly after the Canadian junior hockey team won the gold medal game in Vancouver, an enthusiastic fan told a reporter that he had been waiting for such a victory his entire life. While perhaps his comment was more a reflection of being swept into exaggeration by the crowd’s jubilant mood than a life long dream, it got me thinking.
What am I yearning for?
I suppose it is heaven.
There are many reasons to mediate upon heaven. Here are three of them:
I am compelled more deeply to love others when I mediate upon heaven. In Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae, he expressed praise to God because of the “love that you (referring to the Christians) have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” (Colossians 1:4-5 ESV).
I am reminded about the universality of God’s church (2 Timothy 4:8).
I am excited that Jesus will be there.
“Heaven would not be heaven to the saint if Jesus were not there,” reminds A.W. Pink. “May its brightness so attract us that earth’s fairest, loveliest, most enchanting scenes may be weariness itself to our hearts, as detaining us from the object of our hopes!”[i]
Lord, as I ponder your power and behold your beauty, may I be awestruck at your attributes and stunned by your splendor. Please instill within me a deeper understanding of heaven that I will yearn for it more deeply.
[i] Arthur W. Pink, Redeemer’s Return. Accessed 13 Jan 2006. Available: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pink/return.ch2.iii.iv.html
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Pride
I marvel and shudder at how prideful people are. Working with the public affords me an opportunity to observe how pride manifests itself in so many. Debit cards can be swiped in two machines at each cash register. The swipe strip in the machine that customers use to input their personal data does not always work. When this happens, the cashier usually has to swipe the card. When the cashier offers to swipe the card at the other machine, some customers, even after several unsuccessful swipes, are reluctant to hand their card over. They insist on swiping one more time. Not surprisingly, it fails once again.
Their stubbornness is illogical because the transaction takes longer. The way they want it to be is to their detriment. It’s also irrational. The cashier knows what they are doing when they suggest the card be swiped elsewhere, because he or she is aware of the machine’s faulty history.
Customers’ pride inhibits them from trusting and relying on the cashier. They know their card will be returned to them immediately. Even so, they want to swipe the card themselves.
It reminds me of the Gospel, in that we are saved through faith. Yet, rather than trusting God will be faithful to His promises, some believe they can contribute to their salvation and help God out. But they can’t. That eternal life is free confounds the conceited but heartens the humble.
Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “…faith is the appropriate instrument of justification because in its very nature faith is active in receiving Christ, but noncontributory (in that sense ‘passive’ or, perhaps better, ‘receptive’) in relation to the justification we receive. It has no constructive energy; it is complete reliance on another. It is Christ-directed, not self-directed, and Christ-reliant, not self-reliant. It involves the abandoning, not the congratulating, of self.”[i]
I must take this reminder to heart. Lord, may my pride be diminished more and more as I better understand its folly!
[i] Sinclair Ferguson, “Sola Fide” in R.C. Sproul Jr. ed. After Darkness, Light. Essays in Honor of R.C. Sproul. Phillipshurg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2003. p 83.
Their stubbornness is illogical because the transaction takes longer. The way they want it to be is to their detriment. It’s also irrational. The cashier knows what they are doing when they suggest the card be swiped elsewhere, because he or she is aware of the machine’s faulty history.
Customers’ pride inhibits them from trusting and relying on the cashier. They know their card will be returned to them immediately. Even so, they want to swipe the card themselves.
It reminds me of the Gospel, in that we are saved through faith. Yet, rather than trusting God will be faithful to His promises, some believe they can contribute to their salvation and help God out. But they can’t. That eternal life is free confounds the conceited but heartens the humble.
Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “…faith is the appropriate instrument of justification because in its very nature faith is active in receiving Christ, but noncontributory (in that sense ‘passive’ or, perhaps better, ‘receptive’) in relation to the justification we receive. It has no constructive energy; it is complete reliance on another. It is Christ-directed, not self-directed, and Christ-reliant, not self-reliant. It involves the abandoning, not the congratulating, of self.”[i]
I must take this reminder to heart. Lord, may my pride be diminished more and more as I better understand its folly!
[i] Sinclair Ferguson, “Sola Fide” in R.C. Sproul Jr. ed. After Darkness, Light. Essays in Honor of R.C. Sproul. Phillipshurg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2003. p 83.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Church Discipline
Matthew 18:20 is quoted frequently about the importance for Christians to spend time together. It says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Yet this verse is taken out of context as Jesus is actually referring to something many Christians are uncomfortable to discuss – church discipline.
As the commentary in the Reformation Study Bible points out, “These verses (speaking of 18:19, 20) should be taken in the larger context as still dealing with church discipline. V. 19 is a further application of v. 18, and v. 20 states that Jesus is present to validate the judicial activity of the church.”
A friend, and brother in Christ, once admonished me because I had earlier expressed concern publicly about another believer who was clearly disobeying the Lord. (In hindsight, this was an error on my part because Matthew 18:15-17 makes clear that church discipline is to be a dealt with in a strictly internal manner.) Although my admonisher agreed that our brother was acting in a manner unworthy of his calling he said, “we need to be completely above reproach.”
Church discipline is not only Biblical and instituted by Jesus, but it is absolutely necessary. An excellent series of articles appeared in Christianity Today online last summer about church discipline. The introduction noted, “The Protestant reformers named three ‘marks by which the true church is known’: the preaching of the pure doctrine of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline to correct faults.”[i]
May the church today recognize the need for discipline!
[i] Marlin Jeschke, “How Discipline Died.” Christianity Today. 2005 August. Accessed 29 July 2005. Available: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/008/13.31.html
As the commentary in the Reformation Study Bible points out, “These verses (speaking of 18:19, 20) should be taken in the larger context as still dealing with church discipline. V. 19 is a further application of v. 18, and v. 20 states that Jesus is present to validate the judicial activity of the church.”
A friend, and brother in Christ, once admonished me because I had earlier expressed concern publicly about another believer who was clearly disobeying the Lord. (In hindsight, this was an error on my part because Matthew 18:15-17 makes clear that church discipline is to be a dealt with in a strictly internal manner.) Although my admonisher agreed that our brother was acting in a manner unworthy of his calling he said, “we need to be completely above reproach.”
Church discipline is not only Biblical and instituted by Jesus, but it is absolutely necessary. An excellent series of articles appeared in Christianity Today online last summer about church discipline. The introduction noted, “The Protestant reformers named three ‘marks by which the true church is known’: the preaching of the pure doctrine of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline to correct faults.”[i]
May the church today recognize the need for discipline!
[i] Marlin Jeschke, “How Discipline Died.” Christianity Today. 2005 August. Accessed 29 July 2005. Available: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/008/13.31.html
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Salutations (again, and again, and again)
I often wonder what is proper etiquette when I pass someone in the hall at school or store aisle a second time after exchanging greetings several minutes before. Should I say hello again, settle with a smile, or look the other way?
Speaking of greetings, I’ve observed enough customers greeting their friends or co-workers to recognize that most greetings are not genuine. I’m baffled by customers who greet someone they know ecstatically, and then when I say hello to them moments later, they respond as though I had threatened to knock out their front teeth.
Speaking of greetings, I’ve observed enough customers greeting their friends or co-workers to recognize that most greetings are not genuine. I’m baffled by customers who greet someone they know ecstatically, and then when I say hello to them moments later, they respond as though I had threatened to knock out their front teeth.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Epiphany
Today is Epiphany. It is an observance intended to celebrate the shining forth or revelation of God to mankind in human form in the person of Jesus. For some Protestant church traditions, the season of Epiphany extends until Ash Wednesday.
The season celebrates the Wise Men, who were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as King, and so were the first to reveal Jesus to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. It was one of the first indications that Jesus came for people of all nations.
I heard about Epiphany for the first time yesterday. That I posted a comment about the Wise Men yesterday just hours before I learned about Epiphany is one of those wonderful incidents that the secular brush off as coincidences but the faithful marvel at.
May Jesus continue to shine forth His light!
The season celebrates the Wise Men, who were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as King, and so were the first to reveal Jesus to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. It was one of the first indications that Jesus came for people of all nations.
I heard about Epiphany for the first time yesterday. That I posted a comment about the Wise Men yesterday just hours before I learned about Epiphany is one of those wonderful incidents that the secular brush off as coincidences but the faithful marvel at.
May Jesus continue to shine forth His light!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Nativity Manager Displays (And The Visitors Who Weren’t There)
The battle over public faith-inspired displays is revived every year around Christmas. Last month was no different. Nativity managers in particular, are objects of contention. But I wonder how many involved on both sides realize that many nativity scenes are un-Biblical – that is if wise men are part of the display.
Certainly Jesus was born in a manager (Luke 2:7), but He was no longer in the stable when the wise men arrived. Rather, they saw the infant Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11).
Certainly Jesus was born in a manager (Luke 2:7), but He was no longer in the stable when the wise men arrived. Rather, they saw the infant Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11).
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
(Just) Saintly Jargon
People in most professions seem to relish their sector-specific terminology, and as I recently learned, football commentators are no different. I watched part of a college football game on television for the first time, but soon lost interest. All of the football lingo confused me.
Christians also use jargon, which often enters into corporate prayer. Sometimes the jargon is amusing; other times it is disconcerting and down right confusing. It baffles me why some evangelicals repeat God’s name over and over again. We all know who is being addressed! Nor, do I understand why so many preface their prayers with ‘just’ - especially since they don’t talk like that in conversation.
I used to think that this was a distinct contemporary oddity among evangelicals. Not so, apparently.
Charles Spurgeon, a nineteenth-century British preacher wrote, “’Dear Lord!” “Sweet Jesus!” Precious Christ!” are by them poured out wholesale, till one is nauseated. These familiarities may have been not only tolerable, but even beautiful when they first fell from a saint of God, speaking, as it were, out of the excellent glory, but when repeated flippantly they are not only intolerable, but indecent, if not profane.”[i]
In another sermon he said, “God’s name is not to be a stop-gap to make up for our want of words. Take care to use most reverently the name of the infinite Jehovah.”[ii]
May the Lord instill within us a desire to ask Him to “teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1 ESV)!
[i] C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p. 49.
[ii] Ibid, p. 58.
Christians also use jargon, which often enters into corporate prayer. Sometimes the jargon is amusing; other times it is disconcerting and down right confusing. It baffles me why some evangelicals repeat God’s name over and over again. We all know who is being addressed! Nor, do I understand why so many preface their prayers with ‘just’ - especially since they don’t talk like that in conversation.
I used to think that this was a distinct contemporary oddity among evangelicals. Not so, apparently.
Charles Spurgeon, a nineteenth-century British preacher wrote, “’Dear Lord!” “Sweet Jesus!” Precious Christ!” are by them poured out wholesale, till one is nauseated. These familiarities may have been not only tolerable, but even beautiful when they first fell from a saint of God, speaking, as it were, out of the excellent glory, but when repeated flippantly they are not only intolerable, but indecent, if not profane.”[i]
In another sermon he said, “God’s name is not to be a stop-gap to make up for our want of words. Take care to use most reverently the name of the infinite Jehovah.”[ii]
May the Lord instill within us a desire to ask Him to “teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1 ESV)!
[i] C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p. 49.
[ii] Ibid, p. 58.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Clay Rock?
I think Clay Rock exemplifies what it means to be a Christian. We recognize that we are created beings, crafted by God in the manner that clay is molded and shaped in the hands of the potter (Isaiah 45:9). As Isaiah said, “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8 ESV).
As clay, we have no authority to question, quiz or critique God. We are reminded in Romans: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to the molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9: 21,22 ESV).
The Lord is not subject to evaluation. We recognize the folly of the reprobate when they offer their view of God as though they were scrutinizing an armchair at a furniture store.
Despite our vulnerability and vileness as clay, we are transformed following regeneration into “living stones” by virtue of our association with Christ who has vindicated us. Peter noted, “As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4 ESV).
This image of being built up as a spiritual house returns our focus to the Lord, for Jesus is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). David says in Psalm 18, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (v. 2 ESV). He asks, “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? – the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless” (v.32 ESV).
“Clay Rock” reminds us of our frailty and the absolute allegiance we owe to God as the Potter who formed us, and the Rock by which we have been redeemed. May the Lord instill within us a fear of His name, that we may approach His throne in awe, humbleness and reverence!
As clay, we have no authority to question, quiz or critique God. We are reminded in Romans: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to the molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9: 21,22 ESV).
The Lord is not subject to evaluation. We recognize the folly of the reprobate when they offer their view of God as though they were scrutinizing an armchair at a furniture store.
Despite our vulnerability and vileness as clay, we are transformed following regeneration into “living stones” by virtue of our association with Christ who has vindicated us. Peter noted, “As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4 ESV).
This image of being built up as a spiritual house returns our focus to the Lord, for Jesus is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). David says in Psalm 18, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (v. 2 ESV). He asks, “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? – the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless” (v.32 ESV).
“Clay Rock” reminds us of our frailty and the absolute allegiance we owe to God as the Potter who formed us, and the Rock by which we have been redeemed. May the Lord instill within us a fear of His name, that we may approach His throne in awe, humbleness and reverence!
Monday, January 02, 2006
Vocation
When I was in kindergarten I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up - a truck driver. More specifically, I wanted to drive a truck that transported new vehicles. The Lord, evidently, had other plans. This is not to say, of course, that driving a truck isn’t a worthy calling. Clearly though, it’s a good thing my vocation is not a truck driver. I don’t have a driver’s license.
Determining what God’s will for one’s life is the ultimate life goal for many evangelicals. We seem to be infatuated by living with purpose. Perhaps, then, its not surprising Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life book remains a best seller.
The quest for purpose is not new. The first question posed by the Shorter Catechism of the Westminister Assembly, written in the 1640s asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
Although I don’t yet know what my vocation will be, I rest in the knowledge that whatever my calling may be; I’m called to always be seeking to bring glory to God.
This is what I intend this blog to be; a tool that I hope will bring glory to God. I recognize that blogging is not my vocation. But I hope the blog will serve as a forum to discuss, expound, think and meditate as I grapple with (and enjoy) living redeemed in a fallen world.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Determining what God’s will for one’s life is the ultimate life goal for many evangelicals. We seem to be infatuated by living with purpose. Perhaps, then, its not surprising Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life book remains a best seller.
The quest for purpose is not new. The first question posed by the Shorter Catechism of the Westminister Assembly, written in the 1640s asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
Although I don’t yet know what my vocation will be, I rest in the knowledge that whatever my calling may be; I’m called to always be seeking to bring glory to God.
This is what I intend this blog to be; a tool that I hope will bring glory to God. I recognize that blogging is not my vocation. But I hope the blog will serve as a forum to discuss, expound, think and meditate as I grapple with (and enjoy) living redeemed in a fallen world.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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