Posts

Posted on

Your Idols- My Idols

Dear sister,

Idols…Oh, how I see the guilty bowing before their objects of worship. Marriage, smart kids, desire for marriage and smart kids. Stuff, Amazon, E-bay, malls. Jobs, prestige, advancement, power, bank accounts. Beauty, exercise, firm biceps, smoothies, health, supplements. Clean houses, order, minimalism, or one more object to display. All good things gone wrong. Then there are pride, desire to control, self-righteousness in all religiosity. I can spot these things in others a mile away. Or is it simply Projection 101? My sins imputed to others? I get so sick of myself.

And then there is God. So holy. So clean. So above us all in every way. Impeccable and perfect. A God of love, yet hating, despising our sin—those things we cling to, reluctant to unclench our grasping fingers from our objects of adoration—a thing, a person, an attitude, a thought, so often justifying ourselves with, “It’s not so bad-I mean, look at her.”

Scrutinize Ezekiel 14…It’s hard to justify ourselves when we look at our Father in heaven and begin to understand His hatred for idolatry and His refusal to allow His people to remain in their sin. Not only will He chasten His own, but those who come hypocritically to God’s people, to His ministers, seeking a relationship with God by rules of their own making, continuing their love of sin, will be judged. And there comes a point in time when God’s patience ends and no amount of intercessory prayer, even by truly righteous people like Noah, Daniel, or Job, will avert chastening or judgment for those in ongoing, unrepentant iniquities. Simply put, sin is serious. Very serious.

Paul tells us in Romans 6:12-13:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.” Do not…Do…Put off…Put on… By His grace.

Yes, it’s true our God remembers our frame, that we are dust. Yes, He is forgiving and filled with loving-kindness and tender mercies, but that does not diminish His hatred for our sin, our sin that nailed His Son, our Savior to the harsh, lonely, Father-forsaken cross. Too often we are cavalier about our wrongdoing. Too often we excuse ourselves or commit shallow repentance. Too often we gather well-meaning others around us who confirm us in wrong-doing, assuring us it’s not so bad, after-all, look at all the good you’re doing. This is deadly trade-off thinking, thinking which desensitizes us to the truth about ourselves or presuming upon His grace with a casual, “Oh, He’ll forgive me”, sometimes with a little comic-relief chuckle.

Let’s confess to God our love of idols, our distorted thinking. Let’s ask the Lord to show us more and more of His righteousness and beauty as we immerse ourselves in His Word and implore Him to make us more like Himself, hating sin, loving righteousness, submitting in glad obedience. And then, as we marvel at His glory, let’s repent again, more deeply, examining more profound layers of our inward beings. Let’s be honest. No white-washing. Let us thank Him for the blood of Christ poured over us, washing us clean.

And if you don’t know Him, if He is not the Savior and Master of your life, give Him your sin and yourself. Throw yourself on His undeserved mercy. Let Him take your sin and give you His righteousness. Come to Him in faith alone. You can never make yourself good enough. There is a lovely little hymn which states,

“Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded,
Sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and power.

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.”

So come as you are. Poor. Needy. Unable. He loves to forgive and save—and it is forever.
Love because of His deep love,
Cherry

Posted on

Worthwhile Worship

Many churches divide their services into at least two parts, praise and worship as one, the other, the sermon. But, is worship just singing hymns and praise choruses? Might it include preparing my heart the night before for corporate worship with repentance and thanksgiving? Does it encompass entering the sanctuary reverently and joyfully? Giving a word of encouragement to the person God has placed next to me in the pew? Lifting songs to the Lord, with the choir, voicing adoration to Him? Anticipating the reading of the Word with respect? Listening eagerly to my pastor, prayed for often during the prior week, proclaim the message, diligently prepared in the power of the Spirit—with sheer wonder that God accomplishes in each individual heart exactly what He intends? Could leaving the sanctuary with sobriety and joy in my heart—and service to my neighbor in my resolve be an act of worship?

Worship is to be a way of life—formally, privately, in the mundane, in the consequential. Rising up, lying down, cleaning baseboards, teaching school, caring for the incapable, writing for blogs. All to God’s glory. It doesn’t come easily or naturally. We are so earthly-minded. We like ourselves so much. Worship is something intentional and must be practiced. It derives from being “in awe” of something or someone, transfixed—and awe transforms or intensifies our desires and dispositions. Awe focused on things or people is misplaced with exaggerated affections leading to improper attitudes or actions. Putting on Christ, seeking to know Him in all His beauty and magnificence, being consumed with Him will benefit every area of our lives as the overflow causes desires to become aligned with His will, thoughts and actions working toward putting Christ on display, appetites whetted for more of God.

How do we do this? By being in His Word, regularly sitting under sound biblical preaching, focusing on Him before His table, fellowshipping with like-minded others. If we neglect the Word we tend to create our own little comfortable rules for worship. If we really love Him, we will desire to know Him and love Him in the way which pleases Him. Scripture is our originating and final authority for whom God is and how acceptable worship looks.

Colossians 1 always lifts my heart to Him. It concerns the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in pre-eminent splendor. It was written to demolish the false teaching that Jesus is not God nor sufficient for all we need. Paul is a master at concisely telling us who Jesus is.

Following instructions in how to walk in a manner worthy of our calling as Christ-followers—after telling us we can, with steadfast joy in God’s goodness face all the reversals and downturns of life without chafing, teeth-gritting, or grumbling because of His power, not our own—after telling us we have been given to Christ, the Son of the Father’s love (incredible thought)—Paul wants to assure our hearts regarding the authority undergirding these blessings.

Our hearts, already stirred to worship, are now directed to even higher thoughts. Not to the gifts, but to the giver Himself. If any confusion lingers in the recesses of the readers’ minds, the author zeroes in on exactly who this Son of the Father’s love is. Paul demands attention with our reasoning powers, our spiritual eyes, and points us relentlessly to this Son, the one who bought us back from the slave market of our true moral guilt before God, the One who alone is able to forgive our sins because of His death on our behalf, replacing enemy status for friend.

This Son is the exact image, the exact likeness of the Father, His manifestation in a human body. Not an imperfect image as we are. The exact image. He is God Himself, omnipotent and altogether holy.

He, being uncreated, ranks above all in creation—having created all that is visible and invisible, reigning supreme now and forever. Christ set the universe in motion, but has not left it alone, robotic-like to do its thing, but actively holds every atom, every molecule together, preventing explosion and chaos. He controls earthquakes and floods and every beating heart. For as long as He deems, His hand is upon night turning to day and the continually changing seasons in their cycles. He is God the Son and life exists because He holds it all together.

Paul continues his description. As the head and brain rule the body, Christ is head of His body, the church, guiding it, giving its members dynamic power, the same power which raised Jesus, the firstborn from the dead, the first one who was raised never to die again—unlike those other miraculous raisings in Scripture, those resurrected ones always dying again in time and space. And this forever resurrected Christ has brought all His children to Himself in right relationship and will reconcile all things to Himself on a certain day of His own choosing. Then, Jesus will give us who are in His kingdom, the Father’s love gift, back to the Father and we will live together, perfectly worshipping the triune God forever.

Dear sister, meditate on these things. Awe is transformative. Awe of Him enables us to be thankful for that wayward child, recognizing that it is God alone who does the rescuing. It empowers us to praise God in the middle of that turbulent relationship or fearful diagnosis knowing that God is up to something good in my life because He is good.

Some day every knee will bow before His majesty, some willingly out of love and gratitude, others by force, remaining in rebellion. May we be numbered among the true worshippers. Like Peter and John in Acts 4, may we live and breathe in such a way that others will realize we’ve spent time with Jesus as everything we are and do becomes an act of worship of our King, the Son of the Father’s love.

Worshipping Christ with you,

Cherry

Posted on

Rest for the Restless

Psalm 23… A favorite for many, but never mine in the past. It always made me think of funerals and those were dread-worthy. Every little memento from a memorial service had the deceased’s picture on the front with date of birth and death and “The Lord is my Shepherd” printed on the back.

That was before, but time’s march forward and more serious and difficult trials under my belt with the prospect of more to come, growth in Christ and the longing to see Him face-to-face have changed my perspective on this little gem from the Scriptures.

I’ve read and heard much about the stupidity of sheep. The other day a study leader was commenting on this very thing as he explained that goats are much smarter than sheep. In slaughterhouses, goats have been trained to literally lead the herded sheep to their place of death. When a goat has done its job, it steps aside as the foolish sheep meet their fate, and it returns to lead another bunch of unsuspecting woolly beasts to their demise.

How appropriate are the Scriptures when they liken us to sheep. Prone to wander we certainly are, scattering without a shepherd, but as believers, we are led by a Shepherd, not to death but to life—to a place, not of deprivation, but where our needs are met, where our longings are transformed to align with His desires for us, where He accompanies us in every venue of life, and promises to give us rest and tranquility, not from the trials of life, but for our souls.

The happiest sheep are those that are grazing and relaxing in green meadows, those that are ambling beside still waters, not resting in any false sufficiency of their own, but resting in the assurance that the Shepherd is close by. Content sheep are not curious wanderers, not those looking at a yonder field of weeds thinking it is luscious grass, not those seeing water from afar, only to approach it and find turbulent rapids seeking to destroy, not those sheep who hear a strange, yet alluring voice, leading them on to forbidden places of danger to the detriment of their souls.

If we are true sheep and not imposters, the Shepherd refuses to lose track of us. He is ever watching, watching, never letting us get too far from the flock, always seeing, though not always seen. He leads in paths of righteousness, the places in our hearts which please Him, as we are obedient to His Word.

When the hard things come to us, even the specter of possible death, the Shepherd is with us, relieving anxieties and tremblings. We feel His rod of correction in our hearts when we tend to stray, His shepherd’s crook around our necks returning us to His presence and safety. He is a good shepherd, giving us no cause to fear, unlike the hireling who has no vested interested in the sheep. When a wolf comes, he turns tail and runs, afraid for his own life, leaving the lambs to scatter and face peril. Our Shepherd is ever present, facing the lurking bear and wolf and lion, calling out our names with that lovely, familiar voice, calling us to the safety of His arms, never leaving us to scatter or be devoured. 

All the enemies of our souls sit there, watching, powerless, as we dine from the sumptuous bounty this great Shepherd has lovingly prepared for us from the Word, the Bread of Life. He blesses us in superlatives called goodness and mercy, and this chief Shepherd will grant His blood-bought sheep a crown of glory that never fades away as we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Dear sister, we would spare ourselves so much grief if we would refuse to tire of His voice, His call on our lives, His safe-keeping, His rest, His shade, His thirst-quenching water, His feast, even His chastening. It is in Him and Him alone where we find the tranquility of heart we so crave. Don’t resist His embrace.

Love in the Truth,

Cherry

Posted on

Psalm 23 ~ For You Are With Me

Dear Sister,

The past few months I have been learning about all the ways that God is not like us. Most recently, I learned about God’s omnipresence or his “all present-ness.”

Part of being God means that he is fully present everywhere – not just in space, but also in time: in the past, the present, and the future. He is not like us when we try to multi-task with our attentions divided; he is fully present everywhere that he is. He is just as much present with the persecuted church in China as he is with the constitutionally protected church in the US. He is there when life is brought into the world and he is there when it is snuffed out. He watches over everything in every place of his creation and there is nothing that happens that he is not an eye-witness of, which brings me to today’s passage. 

In Psalm 23, we learn that God is our shepherd. Thinking about the role of a shepherd we can know that God watches over us, protects us, and leads us (v. 3). When we wander, he seeks after us, finds us, and restores us (v. 2). When we are downtrodden or anxious, he comforts and calms us (v. 2, 4).

I love knowing that God is my Protector and my Comforter but my favorite part of this passage comes in verse 4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

The past two weeks I have felt God working in my heart in a special way. I know God is always working but sometimes it’s hard to see and we don’t always feel it. However, his current work in my life has become tangible in a way I haven’t experienced in quite some time.

Learning about how God is fully present everywhere all the time floored me. It made me cry to realize that God never has to ask me how my day was or how I slept because he has neverbeen away from me. He loves me – and you! – that much!

He loves us so much that even in the “valley of the shadow of death,” he is right there beside us. In the dark places that we don’t want to expose to anyone, he is there. In the struggle against cancer, he is there. In our most miserable – and most sinful – moments he is there. He neverleaves us and because he never leaves us, we no longer have to be afraid – not of man, not of tragedy, not of anything!

Psalm 23 is not the only place where we find that God is with us. Over and over again, God promises to be with his children, to never leave them or forsake them (see Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2, 5; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). God is so serious about this promise that he even intertwines it with one of the names of Jesus. In Matthew 1, it says “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us” (1:23).

So, dear sister, I hope this reminder renews your faith and increases your hope. I hope it motivates you to resist temptation, knowing that when we sin we do it in the sight of God. I hope it comforts you in your grief and strengthens you in your struggles. And most of all, I hope it brings you rest – knowing that your Shepherd cares for and protects you, casting out all fear. 

Walking with you,

Kayla

Posted on

Psalm 23: A Deeper Dependence

Dear sister,

I have been thinking much about dependence upon the Lord lately. It could be due to some difficult circumstances which have come about in the life of my family as of late. I find it both curious and comforting in times like these how the Word of God speaks louder and clearer to me. 

While consuming Psalm 23 this week my heart swelled with adoration for the majesty of God’s sovereignty in my life.  For the beauty of His perfect care and purposeful will, whether it be times of refreshment or times of refinement. His tender loving kindnesses are always there and He leads me into and out of all of them for His name sake, not my own. Meditating on all of this informs my heart and gives me strength to endure whatever comes my way.

However, in asking myself the “so what” question I found great conviction overtake my heart. While praising God for all of this is good and right and of utmost importance, so is how or what I do with these Truths. That is when I noticed the other side of the coin, so -to -speak, with regards to Psalm 23. 

Now that God has made me His own, like the sheep of our Good Shepherd, I no longer belong to myself. I belong to Him. I now am dependent upon Him. Just as He will never leave me or forsake me, I can do nothing apart from Him. This truth compels me to look deeper with the Spirit’s help and ask myself “Am I trusting (depending) upon the Lord, or have I somehow gotten really good at disguising my independence?” 

Does my day begin with immediate attention to the list I authored in my head the night before or does it begin with, “This is the day the LORD has made, I will be glad in it.”(Psalm 118:24) or “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy Name.” (Psalm 103:1) or “Search me O God, know my heart, try my anxious thoughts and see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in Your everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23-24) 

These are not just nice sentiments, they are to be the reality of every believer. The emphasis is upon the LORD and my subjection to Him as the giver of the day and all that it entails.  There is a purposeful leaning in to His sovereignty thus, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:4b) as well as “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”(Ps. 23:6) While the world screams INDEPENDENCE the Spirit of God kindly whispers FOLLOW ME and even more so LEAN ON ME!

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15)

I pray for you today dear sister that you will know to whom you belong, a Good and kind Shepherd whom you can depend to lead and guide you by His voice.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10: 27)

May you grow in deeper dependence followed by greater Peace as you trust in Him.

Your sister,

Susan