Lamentations 5:19-22
You, O LORD, remain forever;
Your throne from generation to generation.
Why do You forget us forever,
And forsake us for so long a time?
Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored;
Renew our days as of old,
Unless You have utterly rejected us,
And are very angry with us!
The Lord is Lord over all generations and from generation to generation He is true. He keeps His promises and reveals Himself to His people. He is in control and His sovereign will is accomplished day by day.
I find it interesting that Jeremiah laments that the Lord has forsaken His people. The reality is that the Lord never forgets His people however they often do forget Him to the point of gross disobedience and stubborn refusal to repent. This is why, as Jeremiah rightly laments, the Lord must "turn us back" to him. We are desperately in need of the Lord's intervention. It is only through His intervention that we are restored to our position of obedience and blessing.
No greater intervention has been accomplished than that of Jesus Christ on the cross. Were it not for such a substitution and sacrifice, we would still be forgetting God; from generation to generation. Yet, He intervenes.
How amazing it is that God intervenes in the affairs of men.
How gracious it is that God would interrupt my life to get my attention.
How merciful it is that God would reach out His hand to me.
How wonderful it is that God would send His Son to be the Savior of the world.
How unfathomable it is that God would take on flesh and dwell with us.
How precious it is that God would join us in our suffering.
How good it is that we should meditate on such intervention.
Jesus - thank you for breaking into my world, my life, my heart. Amen.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
hope is good.
Jeremiah 3:21-27
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“ Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
To hope in the Lord is good.
Hope in the Lord is not good because it brings about good or leads to good (though ultimately this is true) but because the hope itself is sufficient enough in any circumstance to bring contentment. Jeremiah was comforted by this hope because his hope was in the Lord. The Lord was his portion, all he had to hold onto; and it was enough... it was good. This hope in the Lord empowered him to focus on the character of God rather than his circumstances; to remember that the Lord's mercies are new every morning, His compassion does not fail and His faithfulness is truly great. These truths are the constant product of hope rather than the temporary good or relief we so often seek.
So where is my hope? Is my hope in my own ability? my own intelligence? even the promises of God rather than the Lord Himself? Am I waiting on a blessing, changes in my circumstances, justice or vengeance?... or am I waiting on the Lord alone? Hope is good. Hope in the Lord is sufficient. It is good that I should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lord - teach me to wait on You alone. Strengthen my hope in You. Amen.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“ Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
To hope in the Lord is good.
Hope in the Lord is not good because it brings about good or leads to good (though ultimately this is true) but because the hope itself is sufficient enough in any circumstance to bring contentment. Jeremiah was comforted by this hope because his hope was in the Lord. The Lord was his portion, all he had to hold onto; and it was enough... it was good. This hope in the Lord empowered him to focus on the character of God rather than his circumstances; to remember that the Lord's mercies are new every morning, His compassion does not fail and His faithfulness is truly great. These truths are the constant product of hope rather than the temporary good or relief we so often seek.
So where is my hope? Is my hope in my own ability? my own intelligence? even the promises of God rather than the Lord Himself? Am I waiting on a blessing, changes in my circumstances, justice or vengeance?... or am I waiting on the Lord alone? Hope is good. Hope in the Lord is sufficient. It is good that I should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lord - teach me to wait on You alone. Strengthen my hope in You. Amen.
Monday, April 4, 2011
no surprise
Lamentations 2:17
The LORD has done what He purposed;
He has fulfilled His word
Which He commanded in days of old.
He has thrown down and has not pitied,
And He has caused an enemy to rejoice over you;
He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.
God's wrath, punishment and discipline should never surprise us. He has clearly shown us what is required of us. I'm reminded of the words of Deuteronomy 11:26-28, "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known."
Yet the discipline of God is always such a surprise. (Blessing however is a different story. These should never cease to surprise.) For some reason we have grown accustomed to His mercy and come to expect his patience. We have taken for granted the longsuffering of God. Yet, such an allowance is not good. It causes us to grow calloused toward our sin and bitter toward our Heavenly Father. When the Father disciplines those He calls sons and daughters, (Heb. 12:6) it is a sign of favor and preservation. We should never be surprised by such faithfulness from our Heavenly Father. He is simply doing what He has promised and fulfilling the role He has already declared to us - one of loving Father. So when I sin and rebel, I can (and should) expect correction... with gratitude.
Lord - correct me and guide me. Discipline me and refine me. Remove sin and rebellion from my life and let my words, deeds and intentions honor You. Amen.
The LORD has done what He purposed;
He has fulfilled His word
Which He commanded in days of old.
He has thrown down and has not pitied,
And He has caused an enemy to rejoice over you;
He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.
God's wrath, punishment and discipline should never surprise us. He has clearly shown us what is required of us. I'm reminded of the words of Deuteronomy 11:26-28, "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known."
Yet the discipline of God is always such a surprise. (Blessing however is a different story. These should never cease to surprise.) For some reason we have grown accustomed to His mercy and come to expect his patience. We have taken for granted the longsuffering of God. Yet, such an allowance is not good. It causes us to grow calloused toward our sin and bitter toward our Heavenly Father. When the Father disciplines those He calls sons and daughters, (Heb. 12:6) it is a sign of favor and preservation. We should never be surprised by such faithfulness from our Heavenly Father. He is simply doing what He has promised and fulfilling the role He has already declared to us - one of loving Father. So when I sin and rebel, I can (and should) expect correction... with gratitude.
Lord - correct me and guide me. Discipline me and refine me. Remove sin and rebellion from my life and let my words, deeds and intentions honor You. Amen.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Revelation... in the midst of life
Jeremiah 51:15-16
He has made the earth by His power;
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
When He utters His voice—
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
“He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightnings for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
In the midst of Jeremiah's pronouncement of doom on Babylon we find these two verses, a beautiful reminder of God's power and sovereignty. The purpose of God's intervention in our world, whether blessing or cursing, is all about revealing His character and nature. However, when we get caught up in the details of life's circumstances and fail to look past our own pain or pleasure, we also fail to see God. We miss seeing our God of comfort, peace, power, provision, protection, justice, holiness, wrath, mercy, grace, love, truth, wisdom, life, etc.
The secret to life and faith is to slow down enough to look past the present and discover the presence of God. This is an intentional decision that we must make every day.
Father - give me eyes to see Your presence, a mind to understand Your will, a heart to receive Your plan for my life and faith to look past my own temporary circumstances to Your eternal desire for me. Amen.
He has made the earth by His power;
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
When He utters His voice—
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
“He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightnings for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
In the midst of Jeremiah's pronouncement of doom on Babylon we find these two verses, a beautiful reminder of God's power and sovereignty. The purpose of God's intervention in our world, whether blessing or cursing, is all about revealing His character and nature. However, when we get caught up in the details of life's circumstances and fail to look past our own pain or pleasure, we also fail to see God. We miss seeing our God of comfort, peace, power, provision, protection, justice, holiness, wrath, mercy, grace, love, truth, wisdom, life, etc.
The secret to life and faith is to slow down enough to look past the present and discover the presence of God. This is an intentional decision that we must make every day.
Father - give me eyes to see Your presence, a mind to understand Your will, a heart to receive Your plan for my life and faith to look past my own temporary circumstances to Your eternal desire for me. Amen.
Monday, March 28, 2011
His strength: all we need
Jeremiah 50:34
Their Redeemer is strong;
The LORD of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
Our Redeemer is strong.
This doesn't describe physical strength, mental toughness or the quality of His heart where we might ask, "Is He strong enough?" When the Lord thoroughly pleads the case for Israel, we understand that His strength is of inexhaustible resource and endless pursuit. The strength of the Lord is thorough and sufficient for the redemption of His people. He is all we need.
Have you come to the place where the strength of the Lord is all you need? Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when he received this word from the Lord, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul's strength was in the Lord and it was all he needed to endure the thorn in his flesh. Has the truth and comfort of the Lord's strength become a reality of faith and living in your life?
Father - teach me to know Your strength. Teach me to lean into You in times of trial and confusion. Teach me to boast in Your strength, sufficient for my weakness. Amen.
Their Redeemer is strong;
The LORD of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
Our Redeemer is strong.
This doesn't describe physical strength, mental toughness or the quality of His heart where we might ask, "Is He strong enough?" When the Lord thoroughly pleads the case for Israel, we understand that His strength is of inexhaustible resource and endless pursuit. The strength of the Lord is thorough and sufficient for the redemption of His people. He is all we need.
Have you come to the place where the strength of the Lord is all you need? Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when he received this word from the Lord, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul's strength was in the Lord and it was all he needed to endure the thorn in his flesh. Has the truth and comfort of the Lord's strength become a reality of faith and living in your life?
Father - teach me to know Your strength. Teach me to lean into You in times of trial and confusion. Teach me to boast in Your strength, sufficient for my weakness. Amen.
Friday, March 25, 2011
correction & consequences
Jeremiah 46:28
"Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the LORD,
“For I am with you;
For I will make a complete end of all the nations
To which I have driven you,
But I will not make a complete end of you.
I will rightly correct you,
For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”
Proverbs 3:12
For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Hebrews 12:6
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,And scourges every son whom He receives.”
I think too often we consider the negative consequences of our sin to be natural rather than paternal. Why do we tend to remove from our Heavenly Father the blessing of discipline? Why is it more palatable to think of negative results of sin as consequential rather than corrective, circumstantial rather than intentional? Our Heavenly Father loves us enough to bless and punish. He stands firm on His Word and expectation for His children. He is not like weak willed men who would rather his children like him than follow in his footsteps. He is not persuaded by corrupt flesh but persuades it to conform to His Spirit. This is a sign of God's deep love for us; yet we tend to avoid such a theology.
If I am still alive and able to receive correction, this is a sign of mercy and love. I will not reason my way around my pain but willingly accept it and let it do it's work of sanctification in my life.
Father - thank you for loving me enough to correct me. Amen.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
30 Things I wish someone told me before going into ministry
30 Things I wish someone told me before going into ministry
1. Be authentic. Nobody expects you to be perfect, to have all the answers or to be available all the time. Be willing to say things like, “I can’t,” “I don’t know,” and “I’m sorry.”
2. Learn to love God’s Word. MEMORIZE IT.
3. Know-it-alls make lousy pastors. “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up” – 1 Cor. 8:1
4. There are no “youth pastors” in the Bible… just pastors. Pastor the whole church, not just your target, friends, people of influence or those who are easy.
5. Teaching is not for the smart, eloquent or educated… but for the humble, authentic and pure. (James 3:1)
6. You’re never as smart or clever as you think you are. God’s word doesn’t need a new twist, a silly video, a pop song or a hip translation – just someone with the guts to teach it, live it and get out of the way.
7. Work hard, pray harder.
8. The devil hates you. Expect spiritual opposition, oppression and obstacles. This is a spiritual battle, not an intellectual, social, political or physical one.
9. Your family is your first ministry. Great husbands and fathers make great pastors; great pastors don’t always make great husbands or fathers. This is one of the top qualifications for pastoral ministry, (1 Tim. 3:4-5).
10. Take a day off and don’t let anyone rob you of your Sabbath. Even God took a break. If you fail to get this straight, you’ll be miserable, unfruitful and short-term.
11. Don’t get bogged down in administration, technology or politics. These are subtle time wasters. Lean on the strengths of others to do what you don’t have to. Focus on the three “P’s,” People, Prayer & Preaching.
12. You can’t make everyone happy – don’t even try. If you ever find that everyone in your ministry is happy, you’ve done something seriously wrong.
13. Ministry (like life) is messy. Don’t cover it up or clean it up.
14. Jesus is our model for life and ministry, not Andy Stanley, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Doug Fields or anybody else with a cool ministry, book or seminar.
15. Criticism is good meat… even bad criticism: don’t refuse it, chew on it, swallow what is good and don’t let anyone see you spit the fat out into your napkin.
16. Don’t compare ministries. Keep your eyes on your own field. The grass isn’t greener in any other field… if it is, there’s a reason – fertilizer. Be grateful for your own crap.
17. Ask for help as often as you can. Always ask the “4-P’s” - parents, pastors, professors and professionals.
18. READ!!!
19. Give people the benefit of the doubt… don’t assume the worst.
20. Set your bar high for leadership. Willingness and availability are NOT core characteristics of a good volunteer. Few saints in Scripture were actually willing when God called.
21. God will never ask you to do something you can do. If you feel up for the challenge, say no. Go sell cars, insurance or something else.
22. Never preach something you don’t practice. If you can’t learn to practice what you know you ought to preach… don’t preach.
23. Keep it simple. Things always take twice as much time, money and effort and will rob you of real opportunities with real people.
24. Leave room for interruptions and crisis. If you don’t need the time… pray.
25. Work hard to know the names of the people you serve. Pray by name.
26. Never point out a problem without providing a solution. If you don’t have a solution, shut up and pray.
27. Speak the truth in love. The wounds of a friend can be trusted but even friends need to be gentle.
28. Leave room for the work of the Holy Spirit. Know when to shut up, walk away and pray.
29. Pay extra attention to the quiet people. Contentment is a sign of spiritual maturity.
30. Be passionate about your own purity. Find a good accountability partner who is willing to go toe-to-toe and force you to do what’s right. Don’t lie to him or her… EVER.
(This isn't complete. I'm still learning... and relearning. Most of these are not from me, but to me from wiser men than me. Thank you to all the wise-guys in my life.)
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