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Eleven Days

Earlier today I came across a stirring sentence in Dt. 1:2. So that you may be aware of the context, let me explain that this is the beginning of Moses giving the law a second time.  Why is he giving it a second time? 

The Hebrew people had been wandering in the desert for 40 years.  The reason they had been wandering is their lack of faith.  After the Lord had, by His own power, miraculously delivered them from Egypt in a very mighty way, they failed to believe that He could do that again.

So, they wandered in the desert.  They went from here to there and ultimately just went in circles.

So, chapter 1 verse 1 says that they are now about to enter Canaan, then verse two adds this detail, “It is 11 days’ journey from Mt. Horeb to Kadesh-barnea.” 

At first reading this I laughed and then sighed because I saw myself in it.  This was a reality check passage.  They spent 40 years making an 11-day journey. 

I began to think about my own life. 

Seriously, think about this.  In a few moments I will be done speaking and I encourage you to meditate on this question: in your life have there been any 11-day journeys that took or is taking 40 years? 

Now, please understand that I am not talking about a literal 40 years.  In my case it was close to that.  It is not a negative for me to ponder my own faithlessness, but rather a joyful reality that a great burden has been lifted.  There is a realization that I can do ALL things through Christ, who gives me strength.

I encourage you to look at your life.  Consider how God has delivered you. And then ponder in what ways are you being faithless? In what ways is this faithlessness making an 11-day journey much longer?  This will serve as a starting point of prayer that you become less, and Christ becomes more.

SDG

Duck Sanctification

There was an artist who lived in Virginia whose name was Herbert G. Phipps.  Part of his art was sculpting and his work was exquisite. 

Someone asked him once how he made such beautiful sculptures.  He said, “It’s easy.  If I am trying to sculpt a duck out of a piece of wood, I look at the wood and I remove all the parts that do not look like a duck.”

Oh if it were that easy, right?

In our last visit together, we considered how as believers we are perfect.  It does not come by our personal performance but our perfection is being in Christ and his perfection becomes our perfection. 

But there is this thing called sanctification.

What is sanctification? It is being set aside for holy use.  For the believer it both instant and ongoing. 

1 Corinthians 6 shows that sanctification is instant in that as soon as you are a believer, you are sanctified and justified.

It is also an ongoing thing and this truth is all through Scripture but specifically in Hebrews 10:14  it says Christ has perfected us for all time and we are being sanctified.

What does this mean?  Like Herbert Phipps, we are being shaped.  Shaped into the image of Christ.  Becoming like Him.  As we grow in Christ, the things that do not look like Christ are removed.  We work this out as God works in us. 

So, yes, on our own we are not perfect, but we are both perfect and being perfected. 

S.D.G

Addition by Subtraction

I have a question for you.  What does success look like?  Does it look like better cars, better house or better clothes?  Better friends?

There was a television comedy in the 1980’s about a hard-working middle class family in NYC that had made it.  Through their hard work, they had become wealthy and, in this wealth, moved to a better part of town and in a much better home.  The theme song, as the show opened went, “we are moving on up, to the east side, in a deluxe apartment in the sky” and concluded with, “we finally got a piece of the pie”

There is nothing wrong with improving your station in life.  A better place to live or even being able to hire people to clean your house is a blessing from God and not morally wrong in anyway. It can even be argued this would fall under common grace in that God provides this blessing to all regardless if they believe or not.

But rarely do we see success as “emptying”, going backwards or DEMOTING.  But this is what the believer is called to do because it is what Jesus did.

Philippians 2, “Have this mind,” means think like this.  View life this way.  “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ. That although he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to hold on to but made himself nothing.” (GR: Kenosis – to empty)

This passage is on the incarnation of Christ and it is a very rich section of Scripture.  Too much for just 2 to 3 minutes.  Maybe we will revisit this in December during Advent.

Today, the focus is on serving.  The writer of Philippians here is not ONLY documenting that God became man but is giving us an example of how we are to replicate it.  Simply stated, being humble.  Serving.  Have this MIND in you.  Think this way. 

While it is not wrong for a believer to improve their lot and enjoy blessings God gives, it is worth noting that we should always serve and have the heart of serving.  Because Jesus did.

No Regrets?

First: No regrets?

Years ago, a statement made by a pastor one Sunday morning really stood out.  He said, “To the guests here, we are not a gathering of a people who have it all together.  We do not live perfectly.  This is the point for why we gather.  To praise the one who did live perfect and through Him we are made perfect.”

This is often missed by both, those who are Christians and those who are not.   It is quite easy for those who are outside the faith, to look at those in the faith, and accuse them of hypocrisy.  Because we are not perfect.  We sin, and Scripture confirms this very thing.

The New Testament writer Paul said, “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” 1 Tim 1:14-15

I have felt those words.  Some say, “I have no regrets.”  This is not me.  There are actions in my past that I hate.  There are things that I have done that I despise and at times still weep over them when they come to mind.  Paul’s words that he was the chief of sinners were only true because I had not yet been born.

Then there is that beautiful phrase, but Christ!  There is a gracious, patient and merciful love in Christ which cannot be described by words. 

For you those of us who are in the faith, we are perfect.  Not by our doing but because we are IN CHRIST.  It is your position in Christ.  He is the source of your perfection.  And He is worthy of our praise.

Until Next time S, D, G

John Denver is Calling: Monday October 7, 2024

John Denver was one music artist my sister greatly enjoyed.  Our family was acquainted with someone who was in the radio business.  While John was in town for a performance, this man had arranged for John to make a phone call and chat with my sister.

John Denver called, but no one was home.  This was before affordable answering machines or voice mail.  We only found out about the call when after some time had passed the family friend asked how the conversation had gone. That is when we realized the call had been missed.

On a few occasions through the years I have pondered this lost conversation.  What would have been said?  How nervous would my sister have been talking to John Denver?  No one will ever know, because the conversation did not happen. 

Deuteronomy 5:32 Moses warns the Hebrew people, do not turn to the right or the left of God’s word.

The key ingredient to this is knowing God’s word.  The only way to know what God’s word is, is to allow God to conversate with us.  He does this through Scripture. 

God’s word is the only word I have encountered that I can’t read it enough.  Why? Because I can read it 10 times and the 11th I will see something I missed before.  Nothing else is like this.  You can never wear out God’s word.  Never! You will always learn.  I can’t emphasize this enough.

So I say to you, God is calling you.  There is no voice mail.  There is no answering machine.  He wants to talk to you.  Please do not let it be a conversation that you miss.

Soli, Deo Gloria

Race Horse Blinders

Race horses are given blinders that keep them focused.  They are attached to the bridle and cover the sides of their eyes.  This keeps them looking straight ahead.  They can’t look to the right and they can’t look to the left – the blinders keep them focused so they can run the best race. No distractions

In Deuteronomy 5 we find that Moses is giving the ten commandments a second time.  That what that word Deuteronomy means, a repetition of the law.  Why is Moses giving it again?  Well, God’s people have been wandering for 40 years in the wilderness (desert).  It had been 40 years since the first giving of the Law.

After giving this law We find in verse 32 these words “You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you.  You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

At every waking moment of the day, there are hundreds of things competing for my attention.  People, things, devices, thoughts, ads,

I find that you and me are surrounded by countless things that want our attention.  I need a blinder.  Something to keep me looking straight forward.  What is meant by that?  Think of these two things: too much and too far.

The implication here isn’t that we read and pray and listen to sermons every moment you are awake.  Even Jesus did not do this.  It is when we spend TOO MUCH time away and rarely or never pray.  Also rarely or never read.  Or, as a believer rarely attend church.

The other side of this is when we have gone too far.  The temptations have turned into defeats and we go too far.

This is where blinders are good.  This is the teaching of Moses, don’t turn to the right and don’t turn to the left – keep focused.

We will return to this passage on Monday and ponder it further, so please come back.  Until then: Soli Deo Gloria

What If God Was One Of Us

Joan Osborn sang a song back in the 1990’s.  It did lean slightly irreverent however, it did bring up a good thought and point.  She pined, what if God was one of us?  Just a bum like one of us.  Just a stranger on the bus trying to make his way home.

In our last time together we referenced Jesus, leaving glory, and the creator becoming the created.  God was one of us.  He was not a bum, but he lived the day to day life and suffered as we do but was sinless.

This longing of the Osborn song was, God does not know what it is like to exist as we do.  The daily needs and sacrifices and losses.

But He does.  God has always pursued His people.  Think of the Tabernacle.  Instructions given to Moses were precise and the location of this tabernacle, this tent, was right in the middle of the people.  Not on the outskirts of town or on a mountain or city far away, but right in the middle.  Literally the people of God camped around this tabernacle, this tent.  God in the midst of the people. 

Which is exactly what Jesus did.  The tabernacle was a prefigure of Christ.  When John begins his gospel, he references the Word, Jesus.  Who was God in the beginning and created in the beginning.  And this word, John says, became Flesh and dwelt among us.

What does this word dwelt mean?  The literal translation of the word is tabernacled.  He built his tent among us.  Jesus in the midst of His people. 

So, the reply to that old song from Joan Osborn is, God was one of us.  Innocently and perfectly righteous, but God did take on human flesh and suffering. 

Now I Hear

This baby hears for the first time. Can you just image what is going through his head?

This reminds me of life for the believer. There was a time, or potentially like for me a series of moments, where the Word of God was heard. And it became LIFE. It became beautiful. God works in the life of the believer that way and takes those who are deaf and gives them hearing and His word becomes precious.

John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I will give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will ever snatch them out of my hand.”

Oh, what a beautiful set of promises and assurances.

i believe

I have not been one who follows the Royal Family in England yet there is one story that retains my attention.  This is not an in-depth interest but when I see a headline I will read it.  The story of which I am referring is Mr and Mrs. Prince Harry leaving the Royal family which happened a number of years ago.

When he and his wife left, they lost several things like titles, a place in the Royal Palace and they left a family with a net worth of $60 Billion.

They left this life in England to go to California and do podcasts, write a book and have occasional acting appearances, leaving behind all the financial security imaginable to be everyday working stiffs.

Think about this: They now have to make arrangements for internet service, pump gas, grocery shop, change oil in the car, arrange and plan for health and car insurance.

As a believer, did you ever consider this in terms of Jesus? 

The book of Hebrews begins:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Jesus left infinitely more in comparison to what Harry left. 

These opening words of Hebrews are deep but today consider just one thing.  Jesus, very creator God, enters the fallen creation to encounter hunger, thirst and fatigue. 

ALSO, for the saved, he faced death.  The wages of sin is death.  For those who are of the faith, He encountered this death, in our place.  On our behalf.  God FOR US!

Oh what a mighty Savior is Jesus my Lord. 

i believe