Where we live...

I've been thinking a great deal about where we live lately. The television has been filled with news of attacks on the military in my country, continued attacks on the unborn in the womb and the sale of their dismembered bodies, and the wholesale slaughter of Christians around the world. On an international and national scale, things are deeply troubling to say the least. In addition to that, in my small circle of friends and family, the tales of brokenness and suffering abound, the reality of consequences of sinful behavior, and the unrepentant hearts of believers has been breaking mine. 

As I've been feeling a real pain and discomfort grow in my chest, costing me sleep and peace of mind over these events, I've been drawn back to two truths: 1) this place I live is not my home and 2) this place I live is in desperate need of the truth of God. 

God never intended for this world to be the way that it is or for things to be so broken. We wrought this with our words and deeds, yet it still seems nearly impossible to understand and even more difficult to take our own share for the blame and hurt we have caused. God made the world perfect and beautiful, we broke the perfection. But God didn't leave us where we were in brokenness. He condescended and transcended all of the ugliness and through His death, burial, and resurrection, has made a way for the us out of a broken home and into an eternally perfect one. 

Remember where you live, and live in such a way as to prepare for your real address in a better world. As a Christian, you will struggle because you will be trying to do the right thing in the wrong world. Don't give up. You're headed for a far better world. Persevere. Brokenness is everywhere. Jesus still reigns. Cling to Him. 

Psalm 100

For over 2 years, we've been slowly working through a Psalm a night on Wednesday nights. Last night we hit Psalm 100, and it was a sweet reminder of who God is and how He alone is worthy of our praise. The Psalms have been greatly cathartic to me. They show the great majesty of God for sure, his steadfast faithfulness and loving-kindness. The Psalms also show the honest and frail state of man in the throws of difficulties of life with all of the complexities that come from seeking to live as light in a dark world. Perhaps most comforting and beautiful to me in the Psalms is that I find doubt, frustration, happiness, confusion, clarity, pain, joy, sorrow, depression and yet still I find God, constant and faithful to listen and love. 

         

I have found Psalm 100's strength lies in the truths of Psalm 100:3. We are told to "know that the Lord is God." To know that Yahweh is God is to stand on a firm foundation in our understanding and is comprehensive of just who the one true and living God is. Danny Akin says it is "to know who is God and who God isn’t. It is to know the Lord by His Word and through His works. It is to know the God who has made Himself known in nature and scripture (Ps 19) but supremely in His Son Jesus." Hebrews 1:1-2 reminds us, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.”

    We see in verse 3 that we are not our own, He created us. We are not our own, He has redeemed us (1Cor. 6:19-20). Here we find the natural antidote for our idolatry, selfishness, and navel gazing. We are not our own. We were bought with a price, and although it was free to us, it was greatly costly to God. James Boice said it well: “The natural result of knowing God is to know ourselves, and the only way to really know ourselves is by knowing God” (vol. 2, p. 812).

     And if the phrase, “It is he who made us” is a statement of accountability to remind us of our contingent origins, this phrase “we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” is a statement of privilege. I not only know the King, I am known by Him. Don’t run past the personal pronouns in verse 3. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. This verse looks back to the kind words of Psalm 23 where the good shepherd leads us to lay down by still waters and even though " I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me: your rod and staff, they comfort me." Why don't I fear? Because the one who disciplines me also knows the way to bring me to safety; He sees farther than I do and He loves me. Verse 3 also looks forward to Luke 15:3-6 and John 10:1-18. Both are talking about Jesus! He is our Shepherd-King and being known by His great love allows to praise Him, as Psalm 100:1 tells us to, despite our circumstances, because of what we know to be true.  

     

Psalm 65

I've been studying the Psalms on Wednesday nights since I arrived at ESBC, taking one a week, and slowly but surely watching how God reveals Himself time and time again. This past week, looking at psalm 65, focusing in verses 9-13 I was reminded of a great truth that I've seen play itself out in moments all spring and summer, year after year with my father as we planted our garden. In verses 9–11 All the covenantal benefits are blessings of God by which he demonstrates to his people that they are his beloved, chosen people (described first in Psalm 65:4). One of these blessings is water (Psalm 65:9). For generations, people have prepared the land before the fall rains by making “furrows” and  “ridges” (Psalm 65:10). They would build up these raised bed gardens and wait. patiently waiting for God to water the seed that He had blessed them with. They had taken what God had given them and prepared the land. Now all there was to do was wait for God to bless their efforts. Despite all of their work, if God didn't show up their work was for nothing. 

They rejoiced when, after the gentle rains, their “crops” would grow. They rejoiced even more when they saw the latter rains in the spring. These rains permitted the crops to mature and to produce abundant harvests (Psalm 65:9). 

This drove me to ask the questions: How am I making furrows and ridges in my life? How are we preparing to receive the blessings of the Lord in our church? How am I taking the gifts that God has given me and setting them up intentionally to receive a bigger blessing? How am I showing through my life that I am relying on the Lord? I once heard Dr. Jim Shaddix say, "We should live and plan our ministries within our churches in such a way that if God doesn't show up, our ministries will be an absolute failure." We must beg and plead for God to do a mighty work. We can't just schedule a revival, we must seek the hand of our mighty God to move and act and draw men and women unto Himself and use us to reap the harvest!  

God's heavenly carts overflow with his blessings, (Psalm 65:11). When God’s carts overflow, his people rejoice in his bountiful provisions. He has blessing upon blessing in store for His children. May we be bold enough to work diligently in God's will and to pray fervently for Him to rain down on us all that we need to continue doing His work! 

Hearing Loss Lessons

Two weeks ago, while watching T.V. and winding down for the night with my wife, the hearing in my right ear suddenly went out and was replaced with a high pitched ringing. In that moment, it was annoying, but not worrisome. I tried ear wax removal systems and solutions. No change. Days later, the concern began to set in. What was going on? Was this permanent?

After preaching Sunday morning and thinking I was projecting quite loudly, my wife said, "I was surprised you were preaching so quietly on something you are so passionate about." I made an appointment to see an ENT doctor the very next morning. After an extensive auditory testing, they discovered that I had lost 90% of my hearing in the right ear. They speculated many different things ranging from small stroke to benign tumor to "we may never know." The cost of an MRI was prohibitive, but needed by the doctor to determine the exact cause of the hearing loss. Lindsey and I prayed and I began to take the steroids the doctor prescribed. Through the benevolence of my parents, God has provided for me to have an MRI which will happen this Friday at 10am. Will you pray for me?

In the meantime, God is teaching me many things. Here's a small list:

• I take my senses for granted. The thought of not seeing my bride on our wedding day or seeing my children do so many things haunted me when I was diagnosed with LHON. The thought of never hearing my sweet children's voices or listening to my wife sing along to the radio in the car is unfathomable. Thank you Lord for my sight and hearing. 
• When I lost my vision, it was only some of it. Not a complete loss. Even with hearing loss, it is only some of it. God has never allowed me to be completely without a sense for more than a short time. For that I am immensely grateful and see His divine hand and grace on me. 
• He has always been faithful to me and these verses won't leave my mind: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23  
• This is not due to my sin, but a product of living in a fallen world in a fallen body. I am not being punished, but God can use this to help m learn to trust Him more through it. 
• I have not been overwhelmed by the loss of hearing, but this has revealed alack of trust in the Lord, which is to a degree the opposite of what I would have thought. A part of me had just resigned myself to suffering and that God would just do whatever He wanted. Instead, I should be beseeching my sovereign and heavenly Father to alter my circumstances. Not complaining, does not necessarily equate to trusting in God. Resignation is not necessarily reliance. This may seem small, but it was God's sweet and continued grace to me to show me this.
• If I do not get hearing restored, He is still the God who loves and died and bled for me. 
• My wife is sweet and walks humbly with me through all of this and, Jesus who knows our every weakness, knew I needed her if I were have even half a shot to run this race well.