If God be for Us, Who can be Against Us?

This morning I was reading in Numbers 23 and 24. There recorded are the 4 oracles of Balaam to Balak. Balak sought a curse from God upon the Children of Israel. He feared becoming yet another notch in the belt of Israel during It's conquest of the land that God had promised to them. Each time Balaam is commissioned to pronounce the curse from God upon Israel he comes with a proclamation and affirmation of God's blessing instead. Interesting...

In John 16 Jesus tells the disciples that the day is coming in which men will seek to destroy them for their faith and that they will do so under the misguided presupposition that God is pleased by it. That was fearful prophecy from the Savior's lips. But he goes on to say in verse 33, "I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you may have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

It was the Apostle Paul (who ironically enough was one of those who zealously sought the destruction of Christ's followers in the name of God) that said in his epistle to the Romans,"...If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Lord, let me rest in the promise of your victory and serve faithfully by your promise of the wonderful kingdom to come.

Upstaged by the Lamb of God

John the Baptist was a guy I would love to have known. He was a man that seems to me to have been a little on the eccentric side. A guy who cared little about what people thought of him personally. A man with eclectic tastes in fashion and cuisine. Unique and individual indeed, but also a man with a singular passion - the proclamation of the coming Messiah - the son of God, Jesus Christ. And he was enthusiastic about it. The mission which he undertook was the presentation of the Savior to the world around him. When questioned by the religious leadership regarding his own identity, John was quick to point out that he was not the Christ but merely the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord!" He goes on to emphasize that, although John had baptized many with water, this One, this Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

In chapter 3 of John's Gospel, the followers of John the Baptist came to him and said, "This one to whom you bore witness - He is baptizing. And all are going to Him!" It is as if they were saying to John the Baptist, "Jesus is stealing your audience." What a tremendous example for us is found in John's reply. He said, "My joy is complete." Complete in that he was witness now to the gathering of the people to the One whom he had so passionately proclaimed. He goes onto to encapsulate his thoughts with these words; "He must increase, but I must decrease."

What a challenge to us as ones that God has commissioned to make disciples. One of the most important principles in the making of disciples (or learners as the word means) is that the function of the disciple maker is to point a learner to Christ. It is so easy to try to win and persuade people to be followers of something other than Jesus - a philosophy or psychology, a dynamic leader, an ideal about which people can become passionate. But how is God glorified in that?

"Lord, as I serve, may you ever increase above all things."

God's Best

John records for us in the second chapter of his gospel the account of Jesus' first miracle. It takes place at a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Thirsty guests have apparently consumed all of the wine available and Mary comes to Jesus with a measure of panic and desperation. You can imagine... it might be something akin to running out of punch or cake or nuts or worse yet, those tasty little butter mints at a modern day wedding reception. It would certainly have created an environment that was awkward at best and a situation that must have been embarrassing for the hosts. But Jesus is there and He takes advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate His power and authority as God. The Bible says that he has the servants of the house fill large jars with water to the brim. He then asks them to fill a cup and present it to the master of the feast who makes an interesting observation. He says to the Bridegroom, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now."

I cannot think why I would expect anything different from Jesus. Practically, I have cause at this point to stop and to think about all of the miraculous workings of God in my life personally - each one of them His very best for me. I may not always see it as such, but God in His sovereignty knows what is best, and not only knows it but desires it for me as well, that I might be a vessel through which His glory is poured before the world who is thirsting.

"Lord, please continue to pour your best into me and through me that those within the circle of my influence might drink and know that indeed 'this is the good wine' that has been reserved for them ..."

Grace Upon Grace

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth..., and from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace." ~ John 1:14-16 ESV

As I read this I am struck by two thoughts. First, God's fullness. I have to admit, I have read through this passage probably hundreds of times without stopping to muse upon the fullness of God. You might ask as did I, "Full of what?" Well, two things mentioned specifically in John's gospel - grace and truth. The more I think of God's fullness the more I am aware of the implications of it. It is not that God merely has more than I have in the grace and truth department. He is not simply less empty than I am. No - He is FULL. He embodies all truth and all grace. Grace and truth do not exist without Him. That is a concept that I want to allow to grip me. The second thought that captivates me is this idea of God's giving and my receiving of grace upon grace. If grace belongs exclusively to God then why is He compelled to give even a little of it to me? A perplexing question. And the fact of the matter is that I have not received but a little! Rather, grace compounded - grace upon grace! God has chosen to pour His fullness into my emptiness that His matchless grace might be showcased before a world that is lost in its emptiness.

"Lord, may my life be to those around me a brilliant reflection of the fullness of your grace and truth. Amen!"

Redeemed

I was privileged to read two tremendous passages of scripture this morning. I began my reading in the last few chapters of the book of Leviticus. There is a lot of very intriguing stuff in these chapters. The sort of stuff that makes me extremely grateful to be living in this age of grace. It is interesting nonetheless. The Year of Jubilee is of particular interest. It was a year of great liberty for the Children of Israel - a year for redeeming that which had been lost. A year also when those who had been enslaved got to drink from the sweet springs of freedom. The last several verses of chapter 25 relate to us the misfortune of a man who, because of his poverty, must sell himself as a slave. What a sad scenario to consider. What hopelessness and desperation such a man must surely have felt. But the law goes on to state that after the man has been purchased as a slave he can be redeemed by a kinsman - a brother or perhaps an uncle. His freedom can once again be enjoyed at the expense of one who loves him. My second reading of this morning took me to the closing chapters of the book of Luke where the picture given in Leviticus is fleshed out in a very practical and personal sense for me. I was once shackled because of my abject poverty - my sin and unrighteousness which is utterly repulsive to a holy God. Helpless? Completely. Hopeless? Seemingly - until, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, because He loved me, willingly layed His life down as the price of redemption that had to be paid for my freedom. So now I enjoy liberty - the complete freedom to worship and to serve my God. Praise Him. He has REDEEMED me.

Caution: Scribe Crossing

Jesus is amazing. Luke chapter 20 captures and communicates for us the indisputable words of Christ spoken in refutation of the ridiculously feeble attempts to catch Him in a moment of weak logic and reason. Incredible is the obvious hatred of Christ by the religious elite, but not surprising because untruth never looks fondly upon nor deals cordially with truth. It is just amazing to observe the authority and power mingled with grace which which Jesus categorically breaks the hypocrites down. And, as is His consistent mode of operation, Jesus takes opportunity at the end of the chapter to draw his disciples to a point of application of all that they had just been witness to. He says... "Beware of the Scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." The obvious application for me is that God reaches beyond the mere observation of my doing to demonstrate a crystal clear understanding of my being. That is, while he sees what I do He knows also why I do it. And why I do what I do matters more to Him than what it is that I do. To bask in the vanity of my own sense of religious accomplishment brings nothing but condemnation. It is not the religion that saves and sanctifies me but rather the sweetness of my relationship with Christ...

Publicans and Sinners

I was reading in Luke 18 and came across the familiar story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The one (the Pharisee) was the perfect picture of selfish pride as he prayed and thanked God for the fact that he was so much better than the publicans and sinners. The other, to the contrary, was the beautiful manifestation of humility as his prayer was comprised of a plea to God for mercy in the light of his own sinfulness. It is too easy for us to lose sight of who we are in God’s grand scheme and to allow ourselves to be flattered by falsely inflated opinions that we permit to grow out of control in our own minds. This is a challenge to me… to be certain that what I am magnifying in my life is the beautiful character of God and not the things that I would have others to believe are accomplishments and character traits of my own invention… "God, be merciful to me, a sinner..." Luke 18:13b