Who has called me?

1 Timothy 1:1 ESV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

Paul's calling was from God. It didn't come from an earthly authority, a communal expectation or a vocational obligation. His obedience was not to a church, denomination, creed, or council. At the end if the day, Paul didn't answer to elders, congregants, members or opinionated parents. Paul was under the authority and approval of One. Of this he was clear.
It's important to keep straight who has called us and who we have been called to. If we confuse those we are called to with the One who has called (our authority)... we will only speak what itching ears want to hear, for the approval of men.
However, if we keep our ears sharp to the voice of God and keep our eyes focused on Him as our authority and humanity as our audience, we will not wander from our calling. The Gospel of God will be powerful and effective and lives will be changed through obedience to that Gospel.

Father, keep my ears sharp for your voice and my eyes focused on You. Let Your Word dwell in my heart and fill my mind. Guard me from the persuasions and flattery of men and let my joy and approval come from only You. Help me keep my calling clear. Amen.

By Command of God...

1 Timothy 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope"

Paul was commanded in a vision by Jesus Christ to be His tool for building His church (Acts 9). His calling was direct and clear. His encounter on the road to Damascus was so real and so profound that it he never wavered from his calling. While Paul felt compelled to remind his readers of his calling as an apostle and the authority given him by Jesus Himself, I believe he was equally reminding himself; to set the tone and direction for his ministry.
As a pastor, as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it's important to remind myself regularly of my calling; the reason I jumped into ministry at first. Over time, my calling has been strengthened by innumerable experiences but my initial calling (like Paul's and every other pastor) is uniquely powerful. It was my love for God's Word and people that first set my heart in the direction of full time church work.
As a high school student I was energized by reading my Bible each morning and sharing what I read later in the day with friends at school, church or work. (I find that even today when I wander away from that habit I lose my momentum and/or passion for ministry.) God's calling came through many godly people in my life who identified the unique ways that God was using me and directed me toward honing my gifts and employing them in the church.
So, along with Paul, I need to remind myself of my calling and who it is that has called me. "Pete, a pastor of Jesus Christ my the calling of God."

Father, teach me to be a better pastor. Remind me of my calling and who it is that has called me. Keep me focused on You and the ones You have entrusted to me. Amen.

King Jesus

Jesus entered this world and left this world under the proclamation of Him as King. Both proclamations instigated violent reaction. The wise men approached Jerusalem and King Herod looking for a king and it produces a small genocide in Bethlehem. Pilot approached Jesus with the accusation given to him by the Jews, "are you King of the Jews?" The charge would later be hung over Jesus' head as He hung on the cross.
Most people like the idea of Jesus as savior, teacher, healer, provider, counselor, etc. However, when Jesus is proclaimed King, Sovereign Lord over our lives, many react just as violently as Herod and Pilot.
Jesus is not a King in the line of Herod, ruthlessly guarding His throne. He is not a governor in the line of Pilot, indifferent and easily swayed. He is not a king in the line of Caesar, disengaged and indulgent. Jesus is a King filled with confidence, courage, compassion, generosity, grace, mercy, wisdom, truth and life. He is a King who will accomplish His will not by force or manipulation, but by self-sacrifice, love and justice. He is not a King to be suspicious of; but one to be submitted to.

Is Jesus your King?

Are you ready for Christmas?

How many times have you been asked this question recently? It seems like the question of the season. When asked, typically my mind turns to preparations and presents. I rarely have my Christmas cards out, my presents purchased or my home decked out. In the past I've longed for a few extra days to prepare.

This year however my heart is yearning for Christmas. I have disciplined myself to read for Advent and celebrate through carols and hymns. This Christmas I am ready. The cards, presents and decorations are still unfinished but my heart is ready to celebrate the coming of my Savior.

What have you done to prepare for His arrival?

Zealous for His name

Ezekiel 39:25
“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name."

What does it mean that God is "zealous" for His name? Another translation says that He is "jealous" for His name. What does this mean?
In the context of Ezekiel, God is saying that He will prove to Israel and the nations exactly who He is. In His omnipotence He will act. In His justice He will divide. In His wrath He will punish the wicked. In His mercy He will gather what was scattered. In His compassion He will bind up the wounded. In His wisdom He will establish His people. In His omnipresence He will guard His holy mountain. In His grace He will proclaim His way. In His goodness He will bless. In His love He will discipline. In His generosity He will pour out His Holy Spirit. In His sovereignty He will secure His own. In His Glory He will restore what was lost.
God is not silent. He does act and His actions are proclamations of His character. To say that God is good does not describe His actions or His attribute but His very nature. God is not good because of what He does. What God does is good because He is the definition of good. And He is passionate about the proclamation of His nature, His character, His name. All that He does is so that He, in all His glory, might be known and renowned.
So what would it look like if I was jealous and zealous for the name of the Lord? How would my actions, words and thoughts change if my goal in life was to bring glory to the One who is truly glorious and worthy of glory? What would it look like to remove me from the spotlight of my life and turn my efforts toward shining a light on God?

Lord - teach me to be zealous for Your name. Amen.

Breathing life into hopeless situations

Ezekiel 37:3-6
He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

While I know this passage is truly about the regeneration and restoration of Israel, I was challenged by a question that came to me while applying it to my life.
What are the dry bones in my life? What are the things that I've given up on, believing that even God could not fix or restore them?
Are there people that I've given up on? Are there dreams I've abandoned? Are there habits or devotions that I've let lie?
To Ezekiel God says, "prophesy." Through Ezekiel the Lord commands, "Hear the Word of the Lord."
The dry bones in my life also need to hear the Word of the Lord. I need to be bold enough to open my mouth and speak truth into desperate situations. Yet, first I need to believe the truth of God's Word and the Gospel message of reconciliation. I need to believe that God is able and willing to restore what is according to His will yet dry and lifeless. What I see as hopeless is not.
Am I willing to believe this and speak God's Truth into my life's situations?


Father guard me against hopelessness and make be believe that you can breathe new life into the dry bones of my life. Make be bold to prophesy and speak these Words of Life to those I've given up on, to what I've walked away from and to what I've let lie. Bring new life that all may know that You are the Lord. Amen

A tender heart toward God....

Ezekiel 36:24-31
“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
²⁸ You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.
³⁰ I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.
³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices."

What beautiful words!
I sat for a long time just meditating on these words this morning.
If I was to outline this in a sermon I might say...
Here, progressively, God says to His people:
I will redeem you.
I will regenerate you.
I will recreate you.
I will reside in you.
I will proclaim you.
I will protect you.
I will provide for you.
I will promote you.

I am especially touched by verses 26 and 27,
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

The sign of a soft and tender heart is obedience. Many may raise their hands in worship, weep in prayer, nod to Scripture and even give generously. But a tender heart, filled with the Spirit of God will be moved to obedience in every way.
Is my heart tender toward God? There is only one test for this... obedience.
In this regard, there are many spots within my heart that are tender toward God, soft to His touch and ready to be moved. Yet, there are far too many hard areas where I do not let the Lord move me, where I am hard and stony. That's where the Spirit of God plays the largest role in my life. There, as He resides in my heart, He begins to identify those stony areas and pick at them with conviction of what must change in me and reminders of what I used to be. There, in the quiet of my heart, God promotes in me a desire to change... or at least a desire to not stay the same.
The key to responding to the Spirit's work is to sit still long enough each day to feel the pick, to hear His voice, to sense His touch. This is why I sit daily with the Word of God.

Lord, soften my heart. Make me tender to recognize your touch and ready to be moved by you. Remove the stony areas from within me and replace them with a tender heart. Move me to obedience that I might live a fruitful life that proclaims Your faithfulness to all those around me. Amen.