Serving the Least of These-A Meeting with Rodney

Today was just one of those days..our little boy did not sleep well last night and I was up late signing various documents for my job so the little sleep I did get was more than what my wife got. So we were both very tired, and our little boy did not nap at all today! yikes! All this was a recipe for me suggesting that we get out of the condo and go get something to eat, since it was 6:30 by the time I got home.

We went to Moe's Southwest Grill, which is VERY tasty and quickly becoming a favorite of mine simply because of how fresh the food is and how fast they make it. We ate our dinner and went outside when a homeless man, who we later found out was named Rodney, approached us and asked us for money for a meal. We paused and then asked him what he would like from the restaurant we were just in, he told us, so we got him a meal and a drink; while my wife was inside ordering it, he said he needed money to get to a shelter he knew of close by and I gave him a few bucks for the bus ride.

He stated he had no family and could not hold a job because he had been sick; he stated just yesterday he found out he had Parkinsons. I did notice a slight shake in one of his hands. A cynical person might have said that while he may have been poor, even homeless, the rest of the story was contrived or something to that effect.

However, these are the lost we are called to reach out to, these are the "least of these" that Jesus wants us to show his grace and love to. I am glad that my son was there to meet Rodney and to see that such folks are NOT outcasts or untouchables, or worst, people to ignore. To be sure, most people do not wish to be MEAN to the homeless, they are simply an inconvenience or a "strain" on their routine or finances. We must remember that before Christ, we were all lost in the sea of our own sin. It rather amazes me that the same people who would state that we need to preach the Gospel to everyone because we don't know who God has chosen or not chosen to be the "elect" (which is the truth, of course, no matter whether you are Calvinist/Reformed or Arminian), are the same people that have a predisposition to think that all people (homeless or otherwise) asking for help as Rodney did above are devious and are not to be trusted. Many say, never give them money, offer to buy the thing they request; while in some cases this might be prudent, is there never a time to simply give the money and leave the rest in the hands of God? Will He not deal with them at the proper time?


Showing Rodney a small amount of grace through the purchase of a meal and a ride as well as praying with him, I hope and pray that the Lord continues to guide Rodney to a knowledge of Him and Jesus whom He sent. May we all continue to be inspired to serve those that come across our path for the glory of the One who saved us from the depths of our sin!

Our Bodies as Fragile Vessels

We are, as Adam, created from the dust; our bodies are temples unto the Lord, yet are subject to fatigue, injury, sickness and ultimately death. Today was one of those days weather-wise that really brought the fatigue and sickness to the forefront, but news from my dad about the state of my grandpa's condition made it even more real.

My grandpa is a retired Methodist preacher, a great man of God (I am named after him); he was a circuit preacher (meaning he traveled to three or four churches over a month's period) in some of the coldest country there is, North Dakota, when my dad was little then settled into Indiana. He has a great passion for the Gospel, but early Alzheimer's has set in and he has been dealing with numerous health problems. Lately he has had mini-strokes which cause him to blackout and lose his balance; this, coupled with not remembering certain things have started to rob him of who he is. Within the last week, he has been hospitalized with a severe bacteria infection (he has been put in isolation where you can only approach him with a protective suit because it's so contagious) and has been diagnosed with what's called "sundown syndrome." Sundown's has this effect: about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, my grandpa becomes a different person, very nasty and very curt with anyone (even his wife) that is near him.

This is really wearing his wife out physically, and she knows she really can't take care of him at home with all that's happened. I am most sad that due to finances and distance, my wife has never had a chance to meet the man I knew growing up, and if things do not improve, Josiah will never see or know his great-grandpa. This would be tough, but God has His hand in this. I imagine the hardest thing for my grandpa is that he wants to remember things and can't; I pray that the grace of God abides in Him and with his wife during this situation. I'd appreciate the prayers of any of those out there reading this as well. Most of all, I pray that the Alzheimer's doesn't rob him of his knowledge of the Gospel and that, if all else leaves, the grace of the Gospel will guide him through to glory.

All this reminds me how fragile we are, and that while we may be called to suffer for Christ's sake, the road is most certainly hard.

Songs and Meditations on Grace

I was getting ready for work this morning when a song popped into my head, Jaci Velasquez's God So Loved The World. The song is simple enough, but for some reason I thought about it and went to the next verse in Scripture, John 3:17:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The reason that this impacted me so much in thinking about this song and these verses was the correlation between salvation and the doctrine of election: Christ did come into the world to proclaim Truth and while He did state that this Truth would pit mother against daughter, and father against son, Christ came with the hope of the Gospel. Christ's entrance into the world was the ONLY way to save us from our path of destruction.

God had given His people, Israel, generations to attempt to obey His law; he would punish them, forgive them, then they would forsake him again. He could not leave redemption to chance or to our fickle nature--He sent Christ into the world to guarantee (not just make possible) the salvation that He would give.

When Christ speaks to Nicodemus in John 3 about being "born again," this is not the same as being educated on what car to buy or what college to attend and then making that choice. Because with most choices in our lives, if we really look deep down, we could see certain motivations that drive us to make those choices--even ones that on the outside appear good, moral and/or altruistic.

The radical nature of the "choice" of following Christ is one that is totally opposite of our thinking: we must "die" to self, giving up our desires to make His desires and will first. Think about that: we must submit to the will of someone else. Have you ever known yourself (or someone else) to purely want to do that, in any situation? Sure, on the outside, a person wouldn't let on that it rubs them a little wrong when they're asked to do something, but apart from Christ's indwelling, would you not act the same way? The Holy Spirit must move in our hearts, changing our hearts to be receptive to the Truth and to truly live for others rather than ourselves.

If the change in our hearts or choice to follow Christ is grounded in ourselves and our own power, rather than Christ, then is it not subject to the same weakness of foundation as all other choices?

I mean, I have a problem with "buyers remorse" sometimes--can you imagine if the salvation decision was as easily abandoned--would God do it that way? Would God, in His infinite wisdom, have Christ die for those who would not ultimately be saved simply because those people did not "choose" to? And this is election: that God not only ordained the vehicle for salvation (which is the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son Christ) but He ordained the method, means and timing of our justification, sanctification and our ultimate glorification.

I thank God that He holds me firm in His grip and my faith is bound up in Christ's faithfulness rather than my own, and that He drew me to Himself, knowing that Christ had already paid for my specific sins on the Cross.

Big Meeting

Today I invited my boss out to dinner since this Thursday marks two years with my law firm (amazing how time flies, isn't it?). We ate at Outback, which was great food, and it was a lot more relaxed than if we met at the office to discuss my standing with the firm.

I think it went pretty well, and I'm sure I may have showed my hand a little, but I prayed fervently before the meeting that God would grant favor with my boss and that God would be honored in it all.

For those that have prayed, thanks! Do continue to pray as everything hasn't been stated or ironed out yet, so we'll see where it ends up.

I'm just glad it's over!

Whirlwind of Change...

So, two months ago, I was simply a low-level associate traveling the roads of Virginia and looking for a way out of my job...

And now, somehow, in two months, we lost a paralegal (the other one's last day is tomorrow), my supervising attorney left for a job in Ohio, we've hired two new paralegals and I'm managing them and looking for a newer attorney who apparently I will manage as well.

It's just really bizarre to think that things can change that quickly in just a short period of time--I actually conducted a semi-interview with an attorney that interviewed with our office today. I didn't think I'd EVER do that, at least not this soon.

But certain circumstances really convinced me, even before this happened, that my time here in this job and this area is not quite done yet (my wife being pregnant, my neighbor's situation, other situations). I say "yet" because my wife and I may be nomads in some sense for the rest of our lives, only God knows (we've moved nine times in less than seven years of marriage)--but I know that His hand is in this, and He has been faithful throughout.

God's timing is always perfect, though we're not always able to trust Him leading up to the fulfillment of His faithfulness.

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I would also ask for continued prayers for my neighbor, whose wife left several weeks ago and is going down a path that grieves the Lord. Pray for repentance, reconciliation and restoration (for both of them). Pray that truth would break through and awaken her heart. My heart breaks for them both, because I know that but for the grace of God and the restraining power of the Holy Spirit such evil lurks and could manifest itself in my own heart.

God Does Not Forsake Us

Something struck me about what I read this morning in my daily Spurgeon reading and how it closely matched with the theme of the sermon that Pastor David preached this past Sunday. In his sermon, Pastor David, while reading through the end of Hebrews 10, said that oftentimes in our daily lives, we focus on the here and now, making the special grace of our salvation serve the common grace of every day blessings that God may bestow.

It is this backwards or reversed (and unbiblical) thinking that often causes us to feel abandoned by God in times of suffering.

Here's the reading from this morning:

Psalm 22:1 My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

We here behold the Saviour in the depth of his sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which his cry rends the air—"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" At this moment physical weakness was united with acute mental torture from the shame and ignominy through which he had to pass; and to make his grief culminate with emphasis, he suffered spiritual agony surpassing all expression, resulting from the departure of his Father's presence. This was the black midnight of his horror; then it was that he descended the abyss of suffering. No man can enter into the full meaning of these words. Some of us think at times that we could cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" There are seasons when the brightness of our Father's smile is eclipsed by clouds and darkness; but let us remember that God never does really forsake us. It is only a seeming forsaking with us, but in Christ's case it was a real forsaking. We grieve at a little withdrawal of our Father's love; but the real turning away of God's face from his Son, who shall calculate how deep the agony which it caused him?

In our case, our cry is often dictated by unbelief: in his case, it was the utterance of a dreadful fact, for God had really turned away from him for a season. O thou poor, distressed soul, who once lived in the sunshine of God's face, but art now in darkness, remember that he has not really forsaken thee. God in the clouds is as much our God as when he shines forth in all the lustre of his grace; but since even the thought that he has forsaken us gives us agony, what must the woe of the Saviour have been when he exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

It is hard to imagine, hard to picture, but when Christ was on the Cross, in bearing our sins, he literally experienced a hell--separation from God. This is the same separation that will be experienced by those that will not call on the name of Christ and will not have their sins paid for. This image is the wrath of God borne by Christ with none of God's love, mercy or grace--it is an agony too hard to imagine.

When we measure our happiness and our life on the blessings and sufferings of this life, our faith has a foundation that is as firm as a sand dune, being blown and shaped by the wind. We have a season of blessing and then encounter a season of woe and suffering and we are swept away.

But we will NEVER have to experience the kind of separation that Christ endured on the cross because we as His chosen, His children, are His because Christ endured it for us, made sin for us. If we make the basis of our life--our faith--the special grace that we receive through salvation in Christ and make common grace serve this grace rather than vice-versa, then we will be further along to a peace that passes all understanding. Man was made to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, meaning not just in this life but for eternity. God may ordain us to endure cancer for the last twenty years of our life, but He has just as sure ordained that we would praise Him when we pass into glory, forever and ever.

Caedmon's Concert--Afterthoughts

The concert was an amazing event, but beside the songs, the great presentation about the Dalit people and Compassion International, one statement really stood out to me the whole night. With the election this year and all that entails, Derek Webb said this (I'm paraphrasing):

"Getting to know the 6 to 8 people that are your neighbors and knowing what their needs are and how you can meet them will have longer lasting effects than what you will ever do in that voting booth."

Whoa. I mean, WHOA! That was convicting for me--how well do I know my neighbors? Do I choose who I want to know? Of course I do! I have chosen to know the neighbors on either side of me because they were nice and solid, Christian people. I haven't tried to get to know the unchurched younger man across the street who lives by himself or the new family across the street because THEY AREN'T LIKE ME. Driving to court today, I really felt sick knowing that I have not been living the Gospel like I should and I repent of that today.

While living at the Beach, I did this kind of selective getting-to-know my neighbors. At the townhouse, there was a Jamaican-American family on one side and a Puerto Rican-American family on the other side, and in living there two years I got to know their names and maybe where they worked. TWO YEARS!

I don't know what I am going to do to rectify the situation but I do have some ideas that I will be praying about that will help in living out the Gospel as I know that I am called to do.

Can you imagine what this country would be like if everyone got to know their neighbors? What a concept. Now have the life-source of that idea be the Gospel, and man, the Holy Spirit will work.

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As promised, I'll give a short comment on what happened after the concert that night at a certain fast-food restaurant in downtown Hickory when I wanted to order four milkshakes for my friend and his wife and my wife and me (this is a replay of what happened--you have to remember, this is 10:30 PM and we're all tired after a long drive/concert):

Me: "I'd like two small chocolate milkshakes, two small vanilla milkshakes and a burger."

Girl on the intercom: "What kind of small milkshake do you want? Do you want the regular small or the 12 oz. small?"

(After a few moments of staring at the menu quite confused and in disbelief at the question asked, having seen only Small, Medium and Large as options on the milkshake menu)

Me: "I want the smallest small that you have!"

Upon reflection in a more lucid moment later that night, maybe there was some "kid" small size that was not on the menu but for someone like me who was tired, it was too much to try to think at that point. I was only concerned of having enough thought of how to drive to get home.

Our Worldview and Our Identity in Christ

As my wife and I await the arrival of our child, we have the fortunate chance to be studying Ted Tripp's Shepherding a Child's Heart in our Sunday School class. In it, it speaks of addressing the heart or sin issues that underlie the child's behavior--understanding not only the what of the behavior, but the why.

This week I was thinking of the importance of the Gospel in raising up a child in the way that he should go but in addition the importance of the Gospel in forming that child's worldview. We certainly cannot prepare a child for EVERY single situation that the child might face, nor can we shield the child from every bad thing. A proper and full understanding of the Gospel is key to giving the child the tools and framework he needs by the time he leaves home.

To give an example (and this may be a sore spot for some), the subject of drinking. Simply telling a child that he shouldn't drink alcohol because it is not a good thing as a stand-alone statement will not service them at all, not only because (as I read it) it is not borne out in the scriptures but it is not within any framework. Taught within the framework that we are put on this earth to glorify God and enjoy him forever, coupled with scriptural references to moderation (and not drinking to excess) and not causing another brother to stumble, a child can see what is proper for the situation and what is not. Giving a child precepts upon which he can address a situation is important in living the rest of his life--rules simply prefaced with "because I said so" (though there is a place for that at times) will not ultimately stick when the pressure and heat of life come upon the then-grown up adult.

How does this connect with our identity in Christ? A proper understanding of the Gospel informs the child to find his security and who he is in Christ, not in the things or pleasures of this world, or the affections or attentions of others. Even in Christian homes do children grow up to be insecure, for they are not shown the full riches of the Gospel (this is more rooted in an incomplete understanding of our adoption in Christ, but that is another post)! I admit that until I came to Reformed Theology I did not fully comprehend grace or the sovereignty of God; for me it adjusted my worldview where worry was no longer a part of who I was and my desire for glorifying God (through the continuous help of the Holy Spirit) became stronger because of this new understanding.

Preach the Gospel to your kids daily by your words and actions, confronting their hearts and shaping their minds so that they might give glory to God as a first response, even when they have left the home.

Let us make this our prayer, modeling it for our children (taken from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Readings):

"Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor, help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give thee honour by patience; I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of thee and for thee; thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have."

What Do You Treasure? (Part Two)

And now for the second part of the diagnostic questions (the first post with the first three questions can be found here):

4. What do you talk about? How often does the name “Jesus” come up in your conversation as a relationship to the word “money”? How would your spouse answer that question about you?

The more days that pass and the more I interact with people, the more I realize that one thing stays the same: we are a people of stories. It doesn't matter how much technology that has arrived or come out, we are storytellers. I get home from work and I talk to my wife about my day, and I frame it in a story. When you're with good friends, you start off, "Remember when you..." followed by laughter or some other reaction. For my part, to reiterate a response earlier, money comes up when a bill has to be paid or some future expense is discussed--now as far as how many times Jesus is connected with that conversation, I must confess not often.

But this is only because in analyzing this as I write, I realize that for some reason when discussing money (or often the lack thereof), I often speak of God providing. It is strange, but now that I think about it, I often speak of God as always being faithful in providing everything we need (physically) while I speak of Jesus as to spiritual needs. They are three-in-one, the Trinity, but it is interesting to think that I have compartmentalized in this way.

(as for what my wife would say, I'm not sure! :) )

5. What do you worry about? Are you more worried about the global state of the economy or the global state of Christianity?

As a matter of degree, I suppose that I worry more about the global state of Christianity rather than the global economy, but this is likely more of function in how I let the news affect me (if I read it much at all). Before I came to Reformed theology and really grasped the doctrine of election, things often paralyzed me because of the immense pressure that I had TOTAL control (though this was incorrect) over an outcome. Realizing the immensity and/or consequence of what the election doctrine holds was my "Martin Luther" moment (if you recall his Romans 1:16 realization). It opened up to me how God was really sovereign over everything and how I was NOT God and He very much was.

All that to say: I don't pray enough about the global state of Christianity as I ought, because I, like many Christians in the West, walk through life oblivious to the suffering and martyrs in the world. Even worse, I am oblivious to the suffering that goes on around me and if I'm worried about one thing, it's that I'll get to heaven and I will have to face the missed opportunities that I did not take advantage of to share the Gospel (not that my not doing these things thwarts the will of God in ANY way, but it goes back to the parable of the talents and sharing the grace that I have been given).

On some level, I probably worry about others' approval, if I had to choose something, but as to the second part of the question, as I have indicated, I don't "worry" about the global state of Christianity as I should, but in the ultimate, I know that God has us in His loving hands.

6. What would it take for you to live an “excellent” life? What resource would, if given to you right now, provide the fuel for you to live an outstanding life?

I don't know how to answer this question, because at this particular moment I feel pretty blessed. I have the Word as a great resource, though I don't use and study it as often as I should. No more money or better status would make my life more excellent, though traveling a little less might be better! God has taught me over the past 10 years the value of being content.

Treasuring the Right Things and Finishing Well

As a sandwich post between my two posts on what people treasure, my good friend Joey Bailey, Family Life Pastor at Green Run Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, had a great article about his Dad (who recently passed away) and what he learned from him:

Longing for Heaven on Our Best Days

"Our passions are not too strong, they are too weak. We are far too easily pleased."

These words penned by C.S. Lewis have been much on my mind as of late. Over the past several months I watched as my father suffered through pancreatic cancer. For a man in whom I rarely saw weakness or failure, this last battle was a difficult one to watch for those by his side. My father taught me many things over the past thirty-four years. I learned how to be loyal to my wife and children. I learned to appreciate a day’s work and the provision it brings to the family. I learned that a man’s duty is to use his God-given strength, wisdom, and resources to help those in need and protect those who cannot protect themselves. I learned how to be unwavering in my convictions without hypocrisy. But it was in his last few hours of earthly life that my dad taught me his greatest lesson.

This world is not my home. This truth is no more evident for the Christian than in times of pain and sorrow. I watched as my dad’s suffering focused his eyes of faith more clearly than ever towards heaven. I saw the anticipation of hope fulfilled grow stronger in his heart. The inward groans of a Christian grow increasingly louder as they near the final stage of their redemption. The crossing of the Jordan puts Egypt forever behind them and the land of promise firmly under their feet. How sweet must be the tears of one who finally stands at the water’s edge ready to cross the final obstacle to an eternity of ever increasing joy in Christ.

There is no question that suffering in the life of a saint increases a longing for heaven. But what about blessing? I saw my dad long for heaven on his worst days. Do I find myself longing for heaven on my best days? Heaven is not simply the redemption of our bodies from all sin, sickness, and pain. God did not bring the Hebrews across the dry ground of the Red Sea just to escape the bondage of Egypt. Heaven is the fulfillment, the ultimate reality of the rich inheritance of all God has given us through Jesus Christ. It is a journey from Egypt to Canaan. Every good pleasure, every happy moment, every object of beauty and majesty in this life is a mere glimpse of what awaits us in heaven. The strongest passions of our hearts can only gain a small taste of delight here.

The danger for us lies in becoming, as Lewis observes, “too easily pleased” with earthly pleasures. We allow our appetites to be satisfied with appetizers, rather than allowing these things to increase our hunger for the real feast. Good days are good gifts from our good God. They are good because they are meant to make us long for heaven just as much as the dark and difficult days. Let us lay aside weak passions and small pleasures so that we may press onward in our journey to a land rich with delight far beyond our wildest imaginations.

Thanks, dad for teaching me how to fight and run in such a way as to finish well and receive the prize!

A Wacky (and Amazing) Week

This has been one heck of a week. Last Thursday (the 17th) we got quite a snow here in Southwest Virginia, in some areas getting up to 4 inches. I had to go to court that day, and because I was told by the court at 4PM the preceding day that, "yes sir, we are having court!" I went down to Abingdon to stay overnight at a Hampton Inn I often frequent.

Sure enough, when I got up, there was 2-3 inches in the parking lot and it was still coming down. I tried calling the courts, no answer, and I watched the news. Many schools were canceling their classes, but no news of any courts canceling. So, I loaded up my car at about 7:30 in the morning and off I went. The roads were just fine until about 20 miles from the courthouse.

Now, mind you, this still was a US Highway, though an alternate route (four lane divided highway), but apparently someone just hadn't gotten around to salting my side of the road (the other side was just fine!). Sure enough, I'm going down a hill at 15, 20 mph tops, and I slid and lost control, ramming my car into a guardrail.

Anyone familiar with Saturns, especially the ones manufactured in the early 2000s knows that they don't dent--they break (because they're made of a type of plastic rather than metal). It was basically cosmetic damage and I am fine (though I got the estimate and YIKES am I glad I have insurance!!)

So I had to pull out of the rut and continue on my way to court--ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY DECIDED TO CANCEL COURT ON MY WAY THERE!!!! But apparently I wasn't the only one that didn't get the memo ("Did you get the memo? We're hearing that you're having trouble with your TPS reports" but I digress).

The courtroom was full of people when I got there, several attorneys, both local and otherwise who told me they hadn't heard anything either. So what does the judge do? He decides that since there was a possibility that some announcement went out that court was NOT being held that day, that he would only give judgments, etc where the defendant showed up. And wouldn't you know, none of mine did! But none of mine ever do show, so I continued all my cases to April. FUN.

So all I had to show for my time down there was a beat up car (kinda makes you wish you had one of those t-shirts: "I went to _____ and all I got was a wrecked car!" Or maybe not).

But I was okay and all was well. I made it okay to last weekend and then something happened that my wife and I didn't quite expect.

Stay tuned. :)

Imparting Grace and the Communion of Saints

We had a great small group last night where we talked about the communion of the saints and the importance of being with other Christians in our walk with Christ. We talked about Paul's exhortations at the end of several of his letters to the brothers and sisters at Corinth, Ephesus and Galatia.

Paul encouraged them to show each other love, grace, peace and to agree with one another (one could imply that he would mean as far as the Gospel and charity would allow) and the love and peace of God will be with you.

It's very easy to like someone that you love or already are at peace with--but what about someone who rubs you the wrong way or is mean? And I'm talking about another Christian! The Scriptures tell us that we cannot say that we hate our brother and yet love Christ because that brother that we despise is a part of the Body. This can be so difficult to do and yet we are called to do it.

We often become myopic when looking and judging others for their sin and at th same time forgetting our own struggles and iniquities--"love the sinner, hate the sin" we might be quoted as saying, but does it actually look that way in practice?

Do we "pray" for others by almost gossiping about other Christians struggles and sins? Or do we actively seek their restoration and sanctification by encouraging and praying with them? We as the local body of believers (and as the invisible Body world over and through time) are in this together. We were created for interdependence with one another.

Go and impart grace to one another today, sowing seeds of peace and restoration among the local body of believers and community that you are a part of, so that God may be glorified.

Ringing in 2008

So I stayed up to watch the ball drop last night (and for those who watched ABC, it's a little tough watching Dick Clark, right? But I'm glad he's still plugging on). Then we watched the fireworks from our porch and that was pretty neat.

I always try to convince myself on the eve of a holiday that I have to work the next day. Why do I do this? Because subconsciously my body reacts differently--yesterday morning, not only because I had just gotten back from a road trip to WV but because I had to work, I would have slept until 9 or 9:30 (yes, that's REALLY sleeping in for me). However, I went to bed at about 12:30 this morning and woke up at 7. Phooey.

So I was awake this morning and thinking of the topic of resolutions and whether to make them, and I thought that often it is what expectations we put on ourselves and the type of help that we use to implement them that causes us to fall short.

Making resolutions in general is similar to choosing what diet to use--a person can look at their weight and state that they are going to cut out several things from their diet only to buckle under the pressure because they have tried to do too much too soon. There is also power in numbers--if you have even ONE person who can do it with you, it can make it seem easier since you've got a friend along in the fight.

I've often made mistakes resolving to make grand changes in my personal devotions. I have bought huge commentaries or books that will help me only to fall from that after days or even weeks.

So, with all of this in mind, I will commit (rather than a more grand "resolve") to moving towards certain goals. Resolutions tend to ask for drastic change (not that sometimes drastic change is never called for). I think that looking at making changes more in the way that our own sanctification works in our walk with Christ can lead to them being more lasting and effective.

But such an attitude must be reinforced by others--no man (or woman) is an island, as John Donne penned. We need each other every day. One price of increased individualism is increased loneliness, depression and despair--every one alive today has (or had) a mother and likely uncles/aunts, grandparents, siblings, but we choose to ignore our resources. Even at church, many check in for service and then run out the minute the service is over! The Church is not a gas station for you to fill up with spiritual fuel and head out on your week! It is a buffet of resources and spiritual nourishment designed by God to help us through this life--Christ guaranteed that we would suffer for His name and that this life would NOT be easy. Is He not faithful to provide the means to endure it?

With all that said, I commit to the following (and I fully hope that anyone who reads this blog would ask me how I am doing):

1. To study (not just read) the Bible for 20 minutes each day, finding a consistent time for this and for prayer.

2. To make a concentrated effort to exercise more consistently throughout the week, not just on the weekend.

3. To spend quality time with my wife once a week (that doesn't involve the TV!)

4. To read one book a month.

And that's it. To me, it doesn't do to have a long list of resolutions and it doesn't help me to make drastic changes that set me up for failure. Any Christian should want to read the Bible more than they did a year ago, if they are progressing along in their sanctification, but even they might not be as consistent in it as they will be in 10 years time. Discipline is practiced and developed, not instantly made. I pray that the Spirit will move upon my heart and give me guidance as I work these out on a daily basis and that most of all that these would all be filtered through a desire to glorify God most of all. For as John Piper has said, He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

Happy New Year to all. May God send His blessings upon you this year.

The Birth of Grace

It's the Christmas season, and I love this season for so many reasons. One of them is the music--I LOVE Christmas songs and hymns (we honestly have at least 25 Christmas albums of some kind). I was on the road to court listening to one of my favorite albums, City on a Hill: It's Christmas Time and the song that Caedmon's Call sings on that album is "Babe in the Straw."

I had listened to the song several times, but when I was listening to it the other day, the words in the chorus struck me:

and if we lose sight of your sweet face
at the birth of grace, at the birth of grace
light of truth shine like Bethlehem's star
lead us to where you are, show us who you are

I've been reading a lot in the Old Testament for my nightly Bible reading (I just finished Ezekiel and if that doesn't put a fear of God into you, I don't know what will!). In Reformed doctrine, we often talk about the Old and New covenants and how God ordained the Savior to come as He did, and how Christ is the eternal priest before God and mediator on our behalf.

But there's something at work in the transition between the covenants as well--notice that before Christ the people of God had to continually make sacrifices to God that were of an appeasing nature but did not ultimately satisfy the holiness of God. God's attitude towards Israel--His own people--had to be one of mercy. Mercy is often defined as having leniency towards another when wrong has been done, in other words, on the receiving end, not getting what you really deserve when you wrong someone else. God, in His forbearance, showed mercy to the Israelites time and again, pulling them out of their slavery to other peoples and saving them on the battlefield.

But they would sin against the Lord and grieve Him, over and over. But He mercifully brought them back until ultimate salvation could be achieved--this was GRACE. That God sent His only Son to earth to be born of a virgin, live a perfect, sinless life, and die on the Cross for the sins of the elect, whom God had ordained to save. At the birth of Christ, grace prevailed--the Lord would no longer need to show His forbearance toward His people because Christ as Savior wore the mantle of God's Holy wrath against our sin on the Cross while at the same time being the perfect and eternal sacrifice that satisfied God's justice and holiness.

The Lord still shows mercy to whom He will show mercy, but not as much in the overarching way that He had to show forbearance to His people in the Old Testament. Grace now prevails in that it gives us what we cannot earn for ourselves--eternal salvation and righteous standing before the Father. And this was all guaranteed by the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.

So this Christmas season, celebrate the birth of Christ, for it was the birth of grace!

Smearing Our Brethren on the 'Net

I was reading my morning Spurgeon this morning, and he points out that we should not make it our business to "help the Devil dishonor the Church."

Spurgeon quotes from Leviticus 16:19, which states the following:

You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life [1] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

The KJV translation that Spurgeon quoted specifically states that we should not be a "tale-bearer," and it means that we should not go around spreading stories, true or not, that would damage the reputation of the person who is the subject of that story. Paul was very specific about those who gossip (see Romans 1:29-30).

The thing that has struck me most since I have been blogging and reading blogs on the internet is how easy it can be to vilify the individual (be that person a Christian or not) when telling a story about something that they have done or a belief that they hold to. Spurgeon goes on to state that we should most certainly rebuke sin, but this is to be done to his face (not to "rail" behind his back) so that you may restore that brother to Christ.

The internet provides a medium in which individuals can attack (and even appear to attack without meaning to) individuals personally rather than dealing with the sin or error itself (recent debates over doctrine on some blogs, I fear, have tried to rise to personal attacks and the medium is not personal so it easily lends itself to that).

Sin and error must be dealt with in the Church, but we must be careful in dealing with both that we do not take the extra step of trying to destroy the Body by our methods. We are the Body of Christ and they will know that we are Christians by our love for one another--this does not mean that we cede any essential doctrine or we water down the Gospel. May it never be.

Reproof and correction, at its base, should be motivated by a love and restoration for the other person, not a motivation to point out fault and claim "see, I told you he or she was [fill in the blank]!!!" Because we can all claim we are the greatest of sinners, and to smear another brother or sister in Christ in our blogging (and even worse, in more private conversations and emails) causes us to puff ourselves up and we do damage to our witness and the cause of Christ.

To echo Spurgeon, I would plead that our talk and actions be infused with the doctrine of the Gospel and our hearts be broken for those who commit sin and error. Make it a point that if someone tells you a tale or gossips about someone else, let it stop with you--glory in Christ and do not glory in pulling your brother down.

Doctrine-Infused Speech

I was reading my daily Spurgeon this morning when a particular line grabbed me:

We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their manifestation in the man's conversation.

Wow. I have to ask myself, does the truth of Scripture grip me in this way, that my conversation shows my understanding of the Gospel? When I am pressed by the heat of situations or encounter others who struggle, do I promote the truths of the Gospel with my speech? I confess that I do not. Spurgeon also, in quoting 3 John 3, states that "doctrines simply held as creed are like bread in the hand," while if that bread is eaten and digested, it does nourishment (and so too with doctrine).

I've commented on this before, but what we feed on (intellectually and spiritually) determines what we produce with our mouths as well as how we act. We can be a tool of both reproof and encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ but also be a stumbling block and detriment to the Gospel in how we speak and act (see James 3:8).

What "secrets" does your conversation with others reveal? Are they the secret treasures of the Gospel or does your talk display something else? May our minds be permeated by the Gospel and its doctrines and may we hold them as dear as life.

A Christ-less Heaven

Today in church our pastor was in Hebrews 9 again and we were dealing with Christ entering into heaven itself and Pastor David pointed out what was right there in verse 23:

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

That's right. Christ died to purify not only the earthly manifestations of the "holy place" in which we would offer sacrifices, but also died to purify heaven itself. I have to be honest that that question had NEVER jumped out at me before.

It says just this in verse 24:

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Christ purified heaven itself--now, at first blush that would seem to say that there was something in God that needed to be purified, but remember: God made the heavens too. He is above it! And it is His presence that made the earthly copy of heavenly things holy! He was before time and before the heavens. 1 Peter mentions the promise of the new heavens and new earth that we look forward to in the time coming when Christ shall return--and Isaiah prophesies this in Ch. 65 and 66.

The union of Christ with the Father purified the heavens because perhaps in a way there was a peace--even an appeasement?--that occurred with Christ's entrance into the heavens. Christ was the Lamb who was slain for all time--taking away the iniquity once for all for God's people, whom He had chosen before time began. No longer did God have act as He did in the Old Testament time and again for His name's sake (due perhaps to the inferior nature of the sacrifices made and the unfaithfulness of His people)--Christ, His Son, offered Himself as a sacrifice once. And in this sacrifice, His work corresponds to the promise that God made in Ezekiel 36, when He speaks of putting a His spirit within us, giving us a new heart--this could not be done without Christ's sacrifice, because His holiness CANNOT be compromised (in the same chapter, several verses show God's concern for His holy name). Without Christ's sacrifice and the eternal effect of his life, death and resurrection, we would still be making continuous sacrifices.

Christ, in purifying the heavens, offers himself as sacrifice and as our mediator between us and the Father, forever interceding for us. Praise His Holy Name.

The other point that David also made is that we often may look to heaven as the end rather than Christ--when we are suffering and in a hard place, how often do we not say, "Lord, take me now!" But this type of escapism is exactly the attitude Christ does not want us to have, but rather we would say with Paul that I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the future glory that is to be revealed to us. And this glory is Christ! Do you dream simply about the streets of gold and the absence of suffering rather than being with Christ, your Savior? Remember that heaven without Christ, to quote my pastor, is just another word for hell--separation from Christ is no heaven at all! The Trinity is 3 in 1! Christ's entrance into heaven made it the "promised land" for us, because without His sacrifice we have no audience or standing before the Father!

No matter the storm, flee to Christ and fling yourself at His feet, hearing His Word for your life today.

Reformation Sunday Celebration

My wife and I attended a wonderful service Sunday night celebrating the Reformation (as well as what God has done and is doing) at Grace Church here in the Valley, joined by several other Presbyterian churches in the area.

It was a time of worship, prayer, communion and a wonderful sermon. Rev. Mike Sharrett of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg (they have a wonderful website which can be visited here) preached on 2 Kings 2: 15-25, where Elisha is addressing three different categories of people shortly after the torch of prophet is passed from Elijah to him.

The first group is skeptical of Elisha's word that Elijah does not need to be looked for, but ultimately Elisha gives in and allows 50 of them to go--when they come back stating they could not find Elijah, he tells them that they should not have gone.

The second group (near the end of the passage) is a mocking group of boys who is representative of those in the town that disdain the message that Elijah brings and essentially call him "baldy"--Elijah then turns to curse these boys and two female bears come from the woods to tear the boys apart.

The third group in this spectrum is a group of those in the town of Jericho that come to Elijah about their water problem--they show themselves blessed to be where they are, yet their water does not allow them to possible grow crops or feed their livestock. Unlike the other groups, they come to Elijah believing that he through his God can help them.

Rev. Sharrett drew parallels to a spectrum of people that receive God's Word: the first group can receive the Word but when the heat of life comes, they run to other pleasures or sensualities for their comfort, forsaking the living water of the Word. The second group who mocks are the ones who disdain the Truth and further condemn themselves before the Father. Finally, the third group hears and treasures the Word, knowing that it gives life, believing that the Father will do what He says.

Rev. Sharrett gave us a challenge to be people of the Word, to read it daily and not just on Sundays--one test that he gave us to tell whether we were people of the Word was not whether we were actually doing it everyday but if we missed it, did something inside us ache for missing it. Part of our regeneration is the changing of our desires--do we desire the Word, even if we are not perfect in our execution and exercise of that discipline?

May we be people of the Word, and do honor to the saints that have come before us, especially those of the Reformation, who liberated the Word from the pulpit, making it available to all and reemphasizing the priesthood of all believers.

Emerging Church/Emerging Conversation

I won't pretend that I know all the distinctions/difference between the above terms, but I know there has been much going on in the blogosphere lately on the topic.

There are many leaders/speakers within this movement, but two of the folks in the conversation, Doug Pagitt and Brian McLaren, have made some suppositions/statements which I find somewhat disturbing.

To start, I have to say that the part of the movement which is probing what it means to be missional (however that is defined) is something that does interest me, insofar as it searches to find how the Gospel is to be practiced or lived out. It's when in trying to be missional that some folks redefine or reshape the Gospel that I have a HUGE problem.

You see, it's folks like Pagitt who state that John MacArthur preaches a perverted Gospel. Yes he said that--see this post.Pyromaniacs: Different Gospels

McLaren in a recent book, Everything Must Change casts the Gospel as a type of social gospel, where Christ came to establish His Kingdom here on earth, and the Gospel is meant to essentially cure social ills and the human condition. (see a great post by Tim Challies on McLaren's newest book here)

There's a sense in which they feel they have a new lease on the Gospel, that they are trying to invent a "new" way to be a Christian, but this social gospel has been preached before, and as Tim Challies mentions, it has been defeated.

McLaren and Pagitt want to leave behind "stuffy" Protestantism and orthodoxy, but if you do this in abandoning basic understandings of justification, atonement, etc, you have no Gospel at all. Jesus did not come to die so that we could have a better world--he died to save us from it and from the wrath of God!

Were the disciples preaching the Gospel to help create a better world? Did they die for that? Did Paul preach dying to oneself everyday because the people he was preaching to needed a better sense of community? NO! He preached to them because they were sinners, and they needed a savior! When Peter speaks in his letter about being prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have, he speaks of the hope in Christ that we have for our salvation, not some social interpretation of the gospel.

Helping and serving others should be a work that is an outflow of the grace that Christ has shown us--it should be a means, not an end of preaching the Gospel, and that's where I fear that the focus of this "conversation" is moving toward.

We have been told in the Gospel that there is one name by which we are saved, and that is through Christ--He said Himself that no one can come to the Father except through Him. If we begin to make the Gospel into a different focus other than the fact that each person needs to come to Christ for salvation, then the Gospel is not preached.

Suffering and Trusting in God

Now that I've posted something trivial about sports, I'll turn to the topic of suffering and the really great sermon that our elder Chris preached on this past Sunday.

The passage was from 1 Peter 4:12-19, which reads as follows:

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And

“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Chris began by stating that Christians who suffer should trust the love of God for a joyful outcome, outlining three points:

1. Be Sure That Suffering Will Come (v. 12)

Suffering in this life, as a Christian, is not a matter of if, but when. Suffering is often utilized by God to test us, to burn away the impurities much like the person who burns away the dross off the gold. Christ told his disciples to count the cost in following Him, because he warned them that as He suffered, so they would suffer. The importance of trusting in the love of God is that we are taken by surprise when we suffer, to the point that we cry out to God, saying "Why is this happening to me? Have you forgotten me God?"

Now, honestly, how many of us have said that when we have come up to suffering or adversity? Many of us have because we forget how God is ALWAYS with us, and is ALWAYS faithful. But God is not only there, but He gives us the grace necessary to rejoice in our sufferings and to cause us to look to God and see His sovereign purpose in it--which is to glorify His name by it (see Rom. 8:18). Notice it is to HIS glory, not yours, that you suffer, so throwing a pity party does not proclaim Him or His gospel in your life.


2. Be Sure That Your Suffering Is For Worthy Reasons (v.15)

It is often that we are bold enough to ask God "Why me" when the suffering is a result of our own disobedience! Peter speaks of evil doing, murder, theft, and even of someone who is a busybody and meddles in another's business. We should not moan in our suffering if we have consciously sinned as Peter mentions. It should be a warning to examine ourselves to make sure that we suffer for worthy reasons.


3. Be Sure That God Has a Sovereign Purpose For Suffering (v. 17)

a. In judgment, God separates the dross from the gold by revealing His glory through the suffering of His Church--in judging His people first, He identifies them as His own, setting them apart for His glory and honor.

b. In producing faith through the suffering, God causes us to put our faith in Him rather than lean on our own understanding or righteousness or flesh. HE must be our portion--we must cling to Christ and in Him alone when we suffer.

c. In connection with the one above, we entrust our soul to God by practicing the faith that He has given to us--this comes in our being sanctified.


In conclusion, Chris reminded us that our motivation for doing good and trusting Him in suffering is that he loves us despite our level of obedience and faithfulness to Him. What a blessed thing indeed!