My latest, most favorite song. I cannot hear this without tears. Oh, the riches of His glorious grace!
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great high Priest whose Name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!
Can We Articulate It?
Grace. There is a "grace speak" that can only come after long acquaintence with the gospel of Christ. For example, I can hear a phrase in Spanish and I can make those sounds ,while not understanding a word I am saying. But those who speak the language can tell the difference.
On the other hand, if I immerse myself in Spanish culture....ah, that is entirely different. Fluency in the language comes. I can begin to pick up on inflection, nuance, and cadence.
There was a time in my life when I could make grace-sounds. After all...I had heard about grace, through some messages here and there in my short life. "By grace I am saved through faith, and that not of myself. It is the gift of God."
I had to have been not more than ten years old when I memorized that Bible verse. Therefore, as a grown woman, I thought I understood grace, and could speak about grace...what was there not to understand? I'd heard the "song" enough times before, I felt sure I could sing it.
Here is how I may have sounded:
On the other hand, if I immerse myself in Spanish culture....ah, that is entirely different. Fluency in the language comes. I can begin to pick up on inflection, nuance, and cadence.
There was a time in my life when I could make grace-sounds. After all...I had heard about grace, through some messages here and there in my short life. "By grace I am saved through faith, and that not of myself. It is the gift of God."
I had to have been not more than ten years old when I memorized that Bible verse. Therefore, as a grown woman, I thought I understood grace, and could speak about grace...what was there not to understand? I'd heard the "song" enough times before, I felt sure I could sing it.
Here is how I may have sounded:
English sounds, in a way, but no real words, and obviously no understanding. Likewise, I used to make grace- sounds...I could speak gospel syllables...but with no immersion in the truth, there was no clarity, no real personal impact beyond my own assurance of heaven, and behavioral modification.
Gentle reader, I am no Mariah Carey, but let me tell you. Today ~ I can sing the wonderous love of Jesus. I can sing His mercy and His grace. My language is effortless, passionate, and clear. I've been immersed in the gospel of Jesus - grace besotted, fluent and confident in all Christ has done...and consequently the old dialect of law, which distorts the language of grace whenever you try to mix them together, that old dialect of law has nearly disappeared altogether.
I speak native grace.
Now, when I speak about grace, the words and the phrases and the stories I tell all reveal immersion in the concept. I'm living it, not just repeating sermons I may have heard about it. Not just parroting doctrine. Not just singing songs that have no passionate and personal meaning to me.
No more "Ken leeeeeeee tulibu dibu douchoo."
Hallelujah-wahoojah!
Summer Breeze, Makes Me Feel Fine...
...the sun shines, a now-and-again breeze blows, as butterflies make their unpredictable trek across my back yard. Here in the 'burbs, we have "yards", and I couldn't be more proud or content with that reality. Come sit awhile at my table, under the shade of the umbrella, opened to its full width, sheltering you and I - you look like you could use a cold drink.
Settle back, and accept the heat and even the humidity. There is comfort in accepting some things exactly as they are. Relax into it, don't fight it, don't dislike it, because it just "is". You are in my back yard with me, at June's end, here in the luscious, luminous, languid South.
As soon as you begin to unwind, you'll start hearing all the tranquil layers of sound that surround us...the soft strains of a worship song carried by the outdoor speaker...my son and his friends playing in the pool in our neighbor's back yard....deep voices, laughter and splashing...birds singing...the breeze that makes the branches of the huge oak tree breathe, whisper, and do ballet...you will hear the windchimes. No one sound overpowers another; it all blends into a soft, watercolor sound-palette, no harsh edges.
I'm taking painting classes this summer, and with each new lesson, I am more and more in love with words. See, my mind is always making cross-applications. I'm the type of person who can watch an infomercial, and be smacked side-ways with a revelation into the ekklasia (the community of the called-out ones).
Words are my first love, in terms of art-form. I love their every nuance, cadence, and shade of color. I am compelled to trick-out my days with words, accessorizing my experiences, maximizing the joy. In more than one way, I am defined by the words I use.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks....words. Words spoken aloud, words spoken silently, they both equally will express and reveal what I truly believe, and what I believe will ultimately define who I am. A good woman, out of the good treasure of her heart, will speak good words. The things she says, even inside her head, will be good. Thus, the things that come out of her mouth will be good.
That Greek word for "treasure" (found in Matthew 12) is....well, you won't believe what it is. I just learned this today. That Greek word is....thesauros. Does that not just knock you out? Is that not crazy-delightful? Yup, we get our English word "thesaurus" from this Greek word, found in Matthew 12.
My heart is a treasury of words. As the Psalmist said, "my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."
I'll be quiet now. Sorry. I got carried away. I need to take my youngest son to work, now, but you just sit and relax. Make yourself at home - my back yard is your back yard...there is nothing better than summer in the south.
Settle back, and accept the heat and even the humidity. There is comfort in accepting some things exactly as they are. Relax into it, don't fight it, don't dislike it, because it just "is". You are in my back yard with me, at June's end, here in the luscious, luminous, languid South.
As soon as you begin to unwind, you'll start hearing all the tranquil layers of sound that surround us...the soft strains of a worship song carried by the outdoor speaker...my son and his friends playing in the pool in our neighbor's back yard....deep voices, laughter and splashing...birds singing...the breeze that makes the branches of the huge oak tree breathe, whisper, and do ballet...you will hear the windchimes. No one sound overpowers another; it all blends into a soft, watercolor sound-palette, no harsh edges.
I'm taking painting classes this summer, and with each new lesson, I am more and more in love with words. See, my mind is always making cross-applications. I'm the type of person who can watch an infomercial, and be smacked side-ways with a revelation into the ekklasia (the community of the called-out ones).
Words are my first love, in terms of art-form. I love their every nuance, cadence, and shade of color. I am compelled to trick-out my days with words, accessorizing my experiences, maximizing the joy. In more than one way, I am defined by the words I use.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks....words. Words spoken aloud, words spoken silently, they both equally will express and reveal what I truly believe, and what I believe will ultimately define who I am. A good woman, out of the good treasure of her heart, will speak good words. The things she says, even inside her head, will be good. Thus, the things that come out of her mouth will be good.
That Greek word for "treasure" (found in Matthew 12) is....well, you won't believe what it is. I just learned this today. That Greek word is....thesauros. Does that not just knock you out? Is that not crazy-delightful? Yup, we get our English word "thesaurus" from this Greek word, found in Matthew 12.
My heart is a treasury of words. As the Psalmist said, "my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."
I'll be quiet now. Sorry. I got carried away. I need to take my youngest son to work, now, but you just sit and relax. Make yourself at home - my back yard is your back yard...there is nothing better than summer in the south.
And a Very Happy Blog-Birthday to Me!
my very first picture, on my very first blog, last year. it took me forever to figure out how to do it! opening the door of my heart to the world was an unforgettable experience.
One year ago, this month, I plunged into the blog world. You can't quite call me "cutting edge" can you? I was a late comer to the blog scene, but that is just fine with me because I have a life to live, otherwise there ain't nothin' to blog about. I had been limping along for years with a used and always crashing laptop, and busy with life in general.
Last year, on Father's Day, Tim secretly got ME a new laptop. That was "his" 2008 Father's Day present. He's like that....and yes, I am blessed to be the most cherished wife in the world. Don't think I don't know. I am profoundly grateful every single day. I couldn't help but think about my husband, my laptop, and the birthday of my blog this past Sunday - Father's Day 2009.
I'll never forget clicking the icon "create blog". I'll never forget saying my first words. It felt like (timidly) opening the door to the world, and inviting them in for June peaches and pound cake.
And you came. You visited me! You like me! (How lame is it, to say that? I can't help it...) Lydia, Jamie, Ursula, Joel, Caryn, Chris and Christine, Dan, Jul, Ann, Donna Jean, Kim, Robyn - and so many more, along with my church family (who have indulged my passion for the computer keyboard, and borne with my need to write above and beyond the call of duty or friendship).
I have shared my passions, my home, my church, my children, a son's high school graduation, a daughter's wedding, birthdays and anniversaries, my heart and my thoughts and even a few of my secrets in this place, over the last twelve months. Blogging has been one of the sweeter blessings of my life, this past year. I am looking forward to my second year of seeing the world through the eyes of a writer - and more than that, through the eyes of a blogger. I hope I have been as gracious a guest on all of your blogs as you have been on mine.
Time is precious. Your time is most precious of all. I count it a joy and a privilege that you would spend even a minute or two with me here. Please come back and say hello when you can.
A toast: to blogging. Ain't it fun?
Collateral Repair
We've all heard the term "collateral damage". The term is defined as "inadvertent destruction." Often, collateral damages are the unintended consequence of war.
Months ago, my pastor-husband began teaching on grace in a way he has never taught it before. He's taught it before, he's counseled people in and inTO the grace of God for years, but very suddenly of late, he has latched onto the doctrines of grace, and began trumpeting and teaching them from the pulpit as if everything depended on God's people getting it. He has not let up for weeks and weeks and weeks. It has been work.
My hero.
And it has been a war of sorts. Only...this war has had much collateral repair. There has been many an instance of collateral healing - both physically (in small ways, so far) and emotionally.
Just today, after our time of corporate worship, a dear friend and sister in the faith came to me and shared in detail about a huge emotional healing that has taken place in her life....one that she wasn't actively seeking. In fact, she pretty much woke up, and realized she has been healed from a deep emotional wound she has carried for two decades.
No one "taught to" her issue. No seminars. No list of "steps to emotional healing". No one telling her to grow up and get on with it. (She's tried that before.) She told me that it has been the emphasis on the grace of God that has brought this amazing collateral healing into her life. This is her analysis, not mine. I witness with it mightily in the Spirit.
Inadvertent, life altering blessing. Collateral repair.
Keep preaching it, beloved pastor-husband of mine! Happy Father's Day. Our God is on the move.
Months ago, my pastor-husband began teaching on grace in a way he has never taught it before. He's taught it before, he's counseled people in and inTO the grace of God for years, but very suddenly of late, he has latched onto the doctrines of grace, and began trumpeting and teaching them from the pulpit as if everything depended on God's people getting it. He has not let up for weeks and weeks and weeks. It has been work.
My hero.
And it has been a war of sorts. Only...this war has had much collateral repair. There has been many an instance of collateral healing - both physically (in small ways, so far) and emotionally.
Just today, after our time of corporate worship, a dear friend and sister in the faith came to me and shared in detail about a huge emotional healing that has taken place in her life....one that she wasn't actively seeking. In fact, she pretty much woke up, and realized she has been healed from a deep emotional wound she has carried for two decades.
No one "taught to" her issue. No seminars. No list of "steps to emotional healing". No one telling her to grow up and get on with it. (She's tried that before.) She told me that it has been the emphasis on the grace of God that has brought this amazing collateral healing into her life. This is her analysis, not mine. I witness with it mightily in the Spirit.
Inadvertent, life altering blessing. Collateral repair.
Keep preaching it, beloved pastor-husband of mine! Happy Father's Day. Our God is on the move.
Grace
Grace is the unmerited smile of God. If glory is the dance of humans with God, grace is the ballroom – wide and free because there is much room. Grace is not a tiny little dance with thin music and stingy steps. This dance is large and free. It never constricts us. It is never set to measure how wrong the dancer or how foolish his elation. Grace saves with celestial music and redeems us, never pointing out to us the end we might have had, if we had not chosen Christ as our life partner. ~Calvin Miller
Stolen Snapshot
Stolen from Kelly's Blog, "Conformed To His Image" (see blogroll to the left...).
(L-R) Amy, me, Kelly, Lisa, Megan, Rhonda, Sarah, Angela, and our nurseLinda kneeling. Hannah took the picture, so she's not in this one.
I saw the best fanny -pack. Fanny- pack, not fanny. Ahem. Far be it from me, typically, to ever want or wear a fanny-pack. Even at forty-something, I am still slightly conscious of my "cool". I, who hiked without one, discovered they are the best things for a semi-long hike. I saw one with TWO waterbottles, one on each side, and the usual compartment in the middle. It looked very outdoorsy...sporty...I could work a fanny pack like that. I could make it look like the coolest fanny pack ever, and all middle aged women everywhere, who have previously avoided fanny packs as much as they have avoided "mom jeans", would want one.
I just might actually have to walk into a Gander Mountain store, and get one. I, who only darken the doors of the girly places like Ann Taylor - unfortunately to covet, never to actually shop - may actually search out a cool fanny pack. Someone please stop me, though, if you see me trying on the back packs with the weird-y ski poles.
A Saturday Spent With Friends
Ingredients for a Perfect Day ~
Take a moss covered tree, a 6 mile hike, with lots of time for conversation...
Add a gorgeous, tumbling river, the sound of which gets into your soul, bringing deep restoration....
Toss in ten women, each with an acute sense of humor, along with the prospect of LUNCH - stir vigorously...
The culmination of The Perfect Day. (By this time, we were absolutely starving.) See the river in the background? And the dollar bills on the wall? We signed our own dollar bill, and added it to the collection.
Harvest Women. Nothin' and no one in this world like 'em. They will fill you with shock and awe, make you laugh, and bless you so big you can't even begin to understand the lifestyle until you've lived it.
I love you girls! I wish each and every one of you could have come.
A Bit of Dark Humor
Yesterday, my daughter Hannah got her lovely, long brunette hair cut short, and she came by the house to show me her new hairdo. Adorable! Her new husband Justin thought it looked very cute. And I couldn't wait for her twin sister Sarah to get home.
Because before Hannah left, she put a gift on her sister's bed. Sarah had no idea.
Oh, I was howling and cackling. Sorry for the horrible mixing of metaphors (I picture a chicken with fangs...) but truly, I laughed until I hurt and the tears rolled.
Here is what Sarah came home to, neatly arranged in a tiny gift bag, complete with matching tissue paper and a card:
The card, which Sarah read before opening the gift of course, said, "Dear Sarah, I miss you so much! I got you a gift for those days when you miss me too. You can put it anywhere you want...under your pillow...hang it from the rear view mirror of your car...enjoy!"
Yup. Sarah, who adores getting presents, put her hand in the gift bag, and excitedly pulled out her "gift".
She. Freaked. Out. She threw it across the room, in a confused panic.
Hannah, posing with her old ponytail...
The evil plot is hatched...
Gleefully preparing her "gift"...
I don't know WHERE she gets the dark sense of humor. ::sniff:: Ahem. Oh, and by the way, the cut portion is gorgeous and shiny and bouncy, and is being donated to "Locks of Love". Well, that is, if we can convince Sarah to take it out from under her pillow....
Because before Hannah left, she put a gift on her sister's bed. Sarah had no idea.
Oh, I was howling and cackling. Sorry for the horrible mixing of metaphors (I picture a chicken with fangs...) but truly, I laughed until I hurt and the tears rolled.
Here is what Sarah came home to, neatly arranged in a tiny gift bag, complete with matching tissue paper and a card:
The card, which Sarah read before opening the gift of course, said, "Dear Sarah, I miss you so much! I got you a gift for those days when you miss me too. You can put it anywhere you want...under your pillow...hang it from the rear view mirror of your car...enjoy!"
Yup. Sarah, who adores getting presents, put her hand in the gift bag, and excitedly pulled out her "gift".
She. Freaked. Out. She threw it across the room, in a confused panic.
Hannah, posing with her old ponytail...
The evil plot is hatched...
Gleefully preparing her "gift"...I don't know WHERE she gets the dark sense of humor. ::sniff:: Ahem. Oh, and by the way, the cut portion is gorgeous and shiny and bouncy, and is being donated to "Locks of Love". Well, that is, if we can convince Sarah to take it out from under her pillow....
What's New and Different These Days... In Pictures
Two generations of married couples...Tim and I on the left, Hannah and Justin, right.
Hannah's old room is now your guest room...when you come stay with us, here is where you'll be. Please pardon my treadmill, but I love having it in front of the window facing our pond!
No longer "the boys' room", now that Josiah has moved out, this is Isaac's room, with new-to-him drums, and TV (for video games only - this TV won't pick up channels.)
Tim got me roses this past week..."just because".
My Mother's Day gift from Tim...an orchid. (Jamie Weeks - how do I keep this beauty alive?)
Just 6 weeks ago, this was a table for 6. Tonight, my heart finally caught up with reality, and I re-set it for 4. Soon, this will be a table for 2.
Snapped just now, in my back yard...
The butterfly garden is beginning to blossom.
Some new additions! (Foxglove)Final Picture, I Promise (maybe...)
I think it is funny how Tim, Hannah, and I are looking three different directions. It was understandable! We had our dear friend Lesa as designated photographer...and there were friends, grandparents, aunties, and who knows who else also snapping pictures. You should see the short video clip on my Facebook page, recording the moment Justin and Hannah arrived at the reception. The cameras flashing made it look like some sort of red carpet event! Hannah was a rock star...Wordless (Almost) Wednesday
My daughter Sarah, maid of honor (in the background) and her twin sister, Hannah, who is now Mrs. McConnell.At least a half dozen people, besides the family, have emailed, called, or told me face to face that it was the most beautiful wedding, and most delightful reception they had ever seen or been part of. There might be more who have told me this, but I can tic off a half dozen names off the top of my head. The presence of the Lord, and the fellowship of the saints, was most manifest and precious.
My Jesus. My church. Both, the best.
We, the Atchleys, could have never pulled this once-in-a-lifetime event off properly by ourselves. Truly, it is "not him who wills or him who runs", not by might nor by power, the race is not to the swift...some trust in chariots some in horses but we will remember the name of our God.
We, by our own efforts and our own resources, could not have made Hannah's wedding day what it was! Had we had the "average" $25,000 budget, we could not have made it what it was. Jesus was there, figuratively turning water to wine, making the sweetness that was in the atmosphere.
He, alone, is Maker.
Identity Issues...
No, I cannot "make myself" as God. I cannot make anything, in fact. I can only imitate, never originate. If there is anything good in me, anything good in my life, it originated from the only Maker there is.
Yet I can claim, with total confidence, that God is my Father. This means, through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, and through the indwelling Holy Spirit, I share certain characteristics with Dad. And I want to be like Him.
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1
What was this former ignorance? I believe we can be ignorant of the gospel, either having never heard it, or having been indoctrinated with works-based churchianity instead. I believe we can be ignorant of who we are, in Christ. Passions can only change with a change in identity. Identity determines conformity.
This is proven, end over end, in areas such as our sexual identity, or our identity with a socio-economic group. From homosexual to heterosexual, from gangster to street person to social snob, we act like what or who we identify with. We never rise above what or who we identify with.
All the self-sown fig leaves in the world can't cover me (see previous post), if all I can identify with is my sin. I can work hard to be holy till the cows come home, yet I will never be able to "make myself".
But I can imitate what God originates. I can identify with His fatherhood, and my sonship.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as (in the same way) God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as (in the same way) Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (end of Eph. 3, beginning of 4)
Identity matters. To closely imitate someone, we must first closely identify with them. You identify first, then imitate next....not attempt to imitate first, then identify next.
Yes, it matters. The order matters. The relationship between first and second things matters.
Yet I can claim, with total confidence, that God is my Father. This means, through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, and through the indwelling Holy Spirit, I share certain characteristics with Dad. And I want to be like Him.
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1
What was this former ignorance? I believe we can be ignorant of the gospel, either having never heard it, or having been indoctrinated with works-based churchianity instead. I believe we can be ignorant of who we are, in Christ. Passions can only change with a change in identity. Identity determines conformity.
This is proven, end over end, in areas such as our sexual identity, or our identity with a socio-economic group. From homosexual to heterosexual, from gangster to street person to social snob, we act like what or who we identify with. We never rise above what or who we identify with.
All the self-sown fig leaves in the world can't cover me (see previous post), if all I can identify with is my sin. I can work hard to be holy till the cows come home, yet I will never be able to "make myself".
But I can imitate what God originates. I can identify with His fatherhood, and my sonship.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as (in the same way) God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as (in the same way) Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (end of Eph. 3, beginning of 4)
Identity matters. To closely imitate someone, we must first closely identify with them. You identify first, then imitate next....not attempt to imitate first, then identify next.
Yes, it matters. The order matters. The relationship between first and second things matters.
The Lord, Our Maker
"In the beginning, God made..."
And He is still making today, and in fact is the only One who can make. God was the only one in the business of making, all the way back before time began. The first couple of chapters in Genesis are full of the phrase, "God made."
We find the first instance of anything "man made" in Genesis 3:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
And look who else tried to "make himself":
"(Lucifer said) I will make myself like the most High." (Isaiah 14:14)
Friends, there is only one Maker. The moment you and I try to make ourselves anything, we are fallen. Just as Adam and Eve fell, just as Lucifer was seen falling from heaven. My righteousness is that of Another. God has made for me a final covering for every sin, past, present and future. I no longer need to make a covering for myself. And I certainly cannot, by any sort of sheer willpower, make myself holy...as holy as God. How satanic!
You cannot make yourself successful. You cannot make yourself acceptable. You cannot make yourself righteous. You cannot make yourself a living. You cannot make yourself safe. You cannot make yourself strong. You cannot make yourself wise or "educated". You have nothing you were not given by THE Maker. There are no self made men or women in God's house. Of yourself, you can do nothing. He, Himself, and by Himself makes all things.
Let I Corinthians 1:30 permeate your thinking, as you ponder the Lord, who is the only Maker:
"but of God are you in Christ Jesus, who is made for us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord!"
And He is still making today, and in fact is the only One who can make. God was the only one in the business of making, all the way back before time began. The first couple of chapters in Genesis are full of the phrase, "God made."
We find the first instance of anything "man made" in Genesis 3:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
And look who else tried to "make himself":
"(Lucifer said) I will make myself like the most High." (Isaiah 14:14)
Friends, there is only one Maker. The moment you and I try to make ourselves anything, we are fallen. Just as Adam and Eve fell, just as Lucifer was seen falling from heaven. My righteousness is that of Another. God has made for me a final covering for every sin, past, present and future. I no longer need to make a covering for myself. And I certainly cannot, by any sort of sheer willpower, make myself holy...as holy as God. How satanic!
You cannot make yourself successful. You cannot make yourself acceptable. You cannot make yourself righteous. You cannot make yourself a living. You cannot make yourself safe. You cannot make yourself strong. You cannot make yourself wise or "educated". You have nothing you were not given by THE Maker. There are no self made men or women in God's house. Of yourself, you can do nothing. He, Himself, and by Himself makes all things.
Let I Corinthians 1:30 permeate your thinking, as you ponder the Lord, who is the only Maker:
"but of God are you in Christ Jesus, who is made for us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord!"
The Prince of Preachers...
C. H. Spurgeon has been called the "prince of preachers". When you read this, you might see why:
Let us think of his greatness; it will be really praising him if we thus think of him. You need not speak, but just ponder, weigh, consider, contemplate, meditate on the character of the Most High.
Begin with his mercy if you cannot begin with his holiness, but take his attributes one by one and think about them. As you think of any one of them, it will delight you and carry you away.
You will be lost in wonder, love, and praise as you consider it; you will be astonished and amazed as you plunge into its wondrous depths, and everything else will vanish from your vision.
That is one way of making God great—by often thinking about him.
The next way to make God great is by often drinking him into yourself. The lilies stand and worship God simply by being beautiful – by drinking in the sunlight and dewdrops. Stand before the Lord and drink him in; you understand what I mean by this expression?
You go down to the seaside when you are sickly; there is a delightful breeze coming up from the sea; you feel as it came in at every pore of your body and you seem to be drinking in health at every breath you breathe.
Do just like that in a spiritual sense with God; go down to the great sea of Godhead; magnify it by thinking how great it is, and then take it into your very soul.
God cannot be greater than he is, but he can be greater in you than he is at present. He cannot increase; there cannot be more of God than there is, but there may be more of God in you.
Therefore, make him great in that respect.
~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Let us think of his greatness; it will be really praising him if we thus think of him. You need not speak, but just ponder, weigh, consider, contemplate, meditate on the character of the Most High.
Begin with his mercy if you cannot begin with his holiness, but take his attributes one by one and think about them. As you think of any one of them, it will delight you and carry you away.
You will be lost in wonder, love, and praise as you consider it; you will be astonished and amazed as you plunge into its wondrous depths, and everything else will vanish from your vision.
That is one way of making God great—by often thinking about him.
The next way to make God great is by often drinking him into yourself. The lilies stand and worship God simply by being beautiful – by drinking in the sunlight and dewdrops. Stand before the Lord and drink him in; you understand what I mean by this expression?
You go down to the seaside when you are sickly; there is a delightful breeze coming up from the sea; you feel as it came in at every pore of your body and you seem to be drinking in health at every breath you breathe.
Do just like that in a spiritual sense with God; go down to the great sea of Godhead; magnify it by thinking how great it is, and then take it into your very soul.
God cannot be greater than he is, but he can be greater in you than he is at present. He cannot increase; there cannot be more of God than there is, but there may be more of God in you.
Therefore, make him great in that respect.
~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
When It's All Been Said and Done...
A ballet dance, to the song "When It's All Been Said and Done", in honor of the bride and groom, at the wedding reception. These Harvest girls are gifted dancers....
When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?
When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I have done
For love's reward
Will stand the test of time
Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
That you found purest gold in miry clay
Turning sinners into saints
I will always sing your praise
Here on earth and in heaven after
For you've joined me at my true home
When it's all been said and done
You're my life when life is gone...
One Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
There simply are no words to describe. Yet.
It was a fairy tale sort of evening....
Of Friends and Memories
Hannah, getting her hair done...We held the wedding rehearsal tonight, and due to the prayers of my online community, and the saints of Harvest Church, it went stunningly well. We were in and out in about an hour and a half, and after the rehearsal, all twenty-something of us had delicious meals at the Macaroni Grill, a local Italian restaurant. I am so grateful to Mark and Beverly McConnell for their generous gift. It was a lovely evening.
Tim and I left the restaurant, only to discover that I'd left my purse at the church. So we drove all the way back to the church, and in the stillness, I snapped a few pictures.
The sanctuary, quietly waits for the big day...
A Picture Within a Picture
Decorating the porch rails....
And now, this mom will fall into bed, dreaming of those evenings when my girls would snuggle up beside me as I read them poems and stories. This is our Hannah's last night at home ~ her final evening spent as an Atchley. This time tomorrow, she will be a McConnell.
Thoughts, the Day Before My Daughter's Wedding
I don’t know how many of you have come to the kind of watershed moment, when you realize, “My life’s work is in front of me. Here. Right here, right now.”
Last night, I left the barn, where the wedding reception will be held, and went by the church to drop minutiae off and load yet more minutiae back into my van to take back to the barn tomorrow.
All was still, dark, and quiet. When I finished the tasks, it was about 10 PM, and I realized: I will not have another quiet, alone moment until after the wedding. This was it.
This was my time.
I turned out all the lights, and lit the candles in the sanctuary and laid on the floor at the altar. Quiet. Still. Absorbing all that is about to happen to our family. Then I turned over on my back and, arms laid wide on the floor, stared up at the ceiling….vanilla sweetly scenting the air. It was then, I realized…I was looking at the beginning of the culmination of the first half of my LIFE’S WORK….and it is GOOD!
IT. IS. GOOD.
Let me tell you, it does not get sweeter than this.
There I was, lying on the floor of the church. I remembered when we bought that little building. I remembered all the labor and tears and laughter that has gone into planting this church called Harvest. My oldest (by 30 seconds) daughter is about to get married in that little sanctuary, to a man of God, with an apostolic calling. (He’ll be a lifetime coming into something that profound. Ask me how I know. ) The wedding will take place in less than two days, at the very altar where I lay. Holy ground! Many Harvest members remember getting married there!
I thought of all the work everyone has put into ALL the weddings that have taken place in Harvest….Hannah’s included. And I began to weep aloud. A spirit of prayer and thanksgiving came upon me and my inner being just mightily magnified the Lord. I asked Him fervently to bless each Harvester with HIS BEST. This is community…this is church family….at its sweetest and finest.
Prophetically, Sarah is “30 seconds away” from her sister. There will be one more wedding. Then one more. Then one more.
I know that someday I will hold grandchildren, and will begin to get a glimpse of the second half of my life’s work. It will seem stunningly wonderful and impossibly daunting, all at the same time, I am sure. I will plant whole households, as each of my children marries….and plant whole churches. Spiritual children, coming of age. Spiritual grandchildren will be next.
All of it rolled over me last night. “Deep calls to deep, all Your waves and breakers have gone over me…” the Psalmist declared. For the first time, I know…I mean, I really know….what he meant. They are refreshing, these waves, in this season of my life. Tingly and sweet and perfumey and misty and mellow. The Lord is good.
Last night, I left the barn, where the wedding reception will be held, and went by the church to drop minutiae off and load yet more minutiae back into my van to take back to the barn tomorrow.
All was still, dark, and quiet. When I finished the tasks, it was about 10 PM, and I realized: I will not have another quiet, alone moment until after the wedding. This was it.
This was my time.
I turned out all the lights, and lit the candles in the sanctuary and laid on the floor at the altar. Quiet. Still. Absorbing all that is about to happen to our family. Then I turned over on my back and, arms laid wide on the floor, stared up at the ceiling….vanilla sweetly scenting the air. It was then, I realized…I was looking at the beginning of the culmination of the first half of my LIFE’S WORK….and it is GOOD!
IT. IS. GOOD.
Let me tell you, it does not get sweeter than this.
There I was, lying on the floor of the church. I remembered when we bought that little building. I remembered all the labor and tears and laughter that has gone into planting this church called Harvest. My oldest (by 30 seconds) daughter is about to get married in that little sanctuary, to a man of God, with an apostolic calling. (He’ll be a lifetime coming into something that profound. Ask me how I know. ) The wedding will take place in less than two days, at the very altar where I lay. Holy ground! Many Harvest members remember getting married there!
I thought of all the work everyone has put into ALL the weddings that have taken place in Harvest….Hannah’s included. And I began to weep aloud. A spirit of prayer and thanksgiving came upon me and my inner being just mightily magnified the Lord. I asked Him fervently to bless each Harvester with HIS BEST. This is community…this is church family….at its sweetest and finest.
Prophetically, Sarah is “30 seconds away” from her sister. There will be one more wedding. Then one more. Then one more.
I know that someday I will hold grandchildren, and will begin to get a glimpse of the second half of my life’s work. It will seem stunningly wonderful and impossibly daunting, all at the same time, I am sure. I will plant whole households, as each of my children marries….and plant whole churches. Spiritual children, coming of age. Spiritual grandchildren will be next.
All of it rolled over me last night. “Deep calls to deep, all Your waves and breakers have gone over me…” the Psalmist declared. For the first time, I know…I mean, I really know….what he meant. They are refreshing, these waves, in this season of my life. Tingly and sweet and perfumey and misty and mellow. The Lord is good.
Quotable Quotes
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts,blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Psalm 84:11-12
Jehovah is bounteous in His nature--to give is His delight. His gifts are precious beyond measure, and are as freely given as the light of the sun!
...The little conjunction "and" in this verse is the diamond rivet binding the present with the future! Grace and glory always go together. God has married them--and none can divorce them! The Lord will never deny a soul eternal glory--to whom He has freely given His saving grace.
Indeed, glory is nothing more than grace in its heavenly dress; grace in full bloom; grace like autumn fruit--mellow and perfected....
...Oh, rare promise of a faithful God! Two golden links of one celestial chain! Whoever has grace--shall surely gain glory!
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Jehovah is bounteous in His nature--to give is His delight. His gifts are precious beyond measure, and are as freely given as the light of the sun!
...The little conjunction "and" in this verse is the diamond rivet binding the present with the future! Grace and glory always go together. God has married them--and none can divorce them! The Lord will never deny a soul eternal glory--to whom He has freely given His saving grace.
Indeed, glory is nothing more than grace in its heavenly dress; grace in full bloom; grace like autumn fruit--mellow and perfected....
...Oh, rare promise of a faithful God! Two golden links of one celestial chain! Whoever has grace--shall surely gain glory!
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"I'll Show You My Faith By My Works"
"Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2)
I have proof that preaching grace doesn't produce passive Christianity. Two words: Harvest Church.
Nope, neither Harvest's pastor, nor his wife worry that the message of "Sola Gracia" (the "Grace Alone", history-rending cry of Martin Luther) will cause people to be without evidence of their faith. The people of Harvest Church, though they are told Sunday in and Sunday out that they have no righteousness of their own, persist and insist on abounding in righteous works. Go figure!
In my church, I cannot think of a single member who is not actively involved in the lives of others. I mean that. Not. One.
Those are darn good statistics for "one of those grace churches."
Every single day, the saints are caring for the sick, serving little children, repairing each other's automobiles, counseling the confused, pulling off whole weddings and funerals, cooking meals for others, paying bills for those out of work, giving gifts, babysitting each other's children, clothing the poor and homeless, and preaching the gospel without regard to reward or fear of man. The people of Harvest are ever about the business of life: playing their music, painting their paintings, producing their television broadcasts, practicing their medicine, dancing their dances, singing their songs....and yeah....answering e-mails with an enthusiasm that is sincere, and writing blog entries with grace infused passion. All of it "works of righteousness".
People in whom there is no guile. That's my church, for the most part. They don't treat relationships like a game of chess - always analyzing the other person, attempting to stay "one move ahead". Their love is sincere. They won't try to impress you. They don't try to be righteous. They don't try to do righteous things. They've been taught better than that. They simply are righteous.
Tim and I do not even conceive of a life that does not abound in what Eugene Peterson paraphrases, in James, "...a seamless unity of believing and doing." Um...to us, in our personal lives, the "doing" literally often goes without saying. Our finest doings happen when we are unconscious of them. And the members of Harvest out-do us all the time.
We love to have it so. They are our letters of commendation - commending not us, but the gospel of Christ, and the message of grace.
You see, Paul said it like this: "Not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according to His mercy He saved me."
Righteous works? Paul says, "Been there. Done that. Still doing." And the big deal is....? The big deal is the mercy of God. What Paul accomplished, through grace, meant not near as much to Paul as the grace that enabled him. The works themselves really are not the big deal. They are the evidence of a reality far, far greater.
Here is another thing Tim and I cannot conceive of: Not being Tim. Not being Sheila. Tim can't be Barack Obama or John Travolta. I can't work the works of Laura Bush or Angelina Jolie.
So...when we say we are the righteousness of God in Christ, and that it is "not I, but Christ who lives in me"...we mean that the things we do, every day, become acts of righteousness. Tim and I have been made righteous. We can't be anything but righteous, just like John Travolta can't be anything but.....you know. John.
My home, its atmosphere and hospitality, is an ongoing act of righteousness. I can't help it. I am righteous. The cookies I bake are an act of righteousness, because a righteous woman created them. Our old cars...the repairs Tim makes to them are acts of righteousness, done by a righteous man, for the good of his family. When he takes his boy canoeing, it is an act of righteousness.
No one needs a mandate to just "be" who they are, in Christ.
The grace of God sets us free to abound in all the good works we were created new creatures in Christ to do. That might mean organizing an entire wedding reception for someone else, or that might mean traveling to Cambodia.
I can find you lots of people in my church who do either one or both, every chance they get, and all of it is as natural to them as breathing.
They know who they are, in Christ. They can't help but act like who they are.
Really! To them, it is no big deal.
I have proof that preaching grace doesn't produce passive Christianity. Two words: Harvest Church.
Nope, neither Harvest's pastor, nor his wife worry that the message of "Sola Gracia" (the "Grace Alone", history-rending cry of Martin Luther) will cause people to be without evidence of their faith. The people of Harvest Church, though they are told Sunday in and Sunday out that they have no righteousness of their own, persist and insist on abounding in righteous works. Go figure!
In my church, I cannot think of a single member who is not actively involved in the lives of others. I mean that. Not. One.
Those are darn good statistics for "one of those grace churches."
Every single day, the saints are caring for the sick, serving little children, repairing each other's automobiles, counseling the confused, pulling off whole weddings and funerals, cooking meals for others, paying bills for those out of work, giving gifts, babysitting each other's children, clothing the poor and homeless, and preaching the gospel without regard to reward or fear of man. The people of Harvest are ever about the business of life: playing their music, painting their paintings, producing their television broadcasts, practicing their medicine, dancing their dances, singing their songs....and yeah....answering e-mails with an enthusiasm that is sincere, and writing blog entries with grace infused passion. All of it "works of righteousness".
People in whom there is no guile. That's my church, for the most part. They don't treat relationships like a game of chess - always analyzing the other person, attempting to stay "one move ahead". Their love is sincere. They won't try to impress you. They don't try to be righteous. They don't try to do righteous things. They've been taught better than that. They simply are righteous.
Tim and I do not even conceive of a life that does not abound in what Eugene Peterson paraphrases, in James, "...a seamless unity of believing and doing." Um...to us, in our personal lives, the "doing" literally often goes without saying. Our finest doings happen when we are unconscious of them. And the members of Harvest out-do us all the time.
We love to have it so. They are our letters of commendation - commending not us, but the gospel of Christ, and the message of grace.
You see, Paul said it like this: "Not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according to His mercy He saved me."
Righteous works? Paul says, "Been there. Done that. Still doing." And the big deal is....? The big deal is the mercy of God. What Paul accomplished, through grace, meant not near as much to Paul as the grace that enabled him. The works themselves really are not the big deal. They are the evidence of a reality far, far greater.
Here is another thing Tim and I cannot conceive of: Not being Tim. Not being Sheila. Tim can't be Barack Obama or John Travolta. I can't work the works of Laura Bush or Angelina Jolie.
So...when we say we are the righteousness of God in Christ, and that it is "not I, but Christ who lives in me"...we mean that the things we do, every day, become acts of righteousness. Tim and I have been made righteous. We can't be anything but righteous, just like John Travolta can't be anything but.....you know. John.
My home, its atmosphere and hospitality, is an ongoing act of righteousness. I can't help it. I am righteous. The cookies I bake are an act of righteousness, because a righteous woman created them. Our old cars...the repairs Tim makes to them are acts of righteousness, done by a righteous man, for the good of his family. When he takes his boy canoeing, it is an act of righteousness.
No one needs a mandate to just "be" who they are, in Christ.
The grace of God sets us free to abound in all the good works we were created new creatures in Christ to do. That might mean organizing an entire wedding reception for someone else, or that might mean traveling to Cambodia.
I can find you lots of people in my church who do either one or both, every chance they get, and all of it is as natural to them as breathing.
They know who they are, in Christ. They can't help but act like who they are.
Really! To them, it is no big deal.
This Is My Righteousness
Contrast these words spoken by God's people, who were under the law...
"And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us." (Deut. 6)
...with these words, penned by a saint with a revelation of Christ and the New Covenant...
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Now by this I’ll overcome
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
Now by this I’ll reach my home
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Glory! Glory! This I sing
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
That Darn Veil
For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.
Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.
But when (and only when) one (Greek: he) turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And we, now with unveiled face (having turned to Christ as our only righteousness), beholding the glory of the Lord, (or "reflecting His glory") are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
II Cor. 3
You cannot experience true transformation without the veil being removed. The veil is only removed by letting go of self righteousness. Self effort is/was the essence of the law....read Deuteronomy chapter 6! The children of Israel said, in direct reference to the moral code, "And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us."
And to this day, the same veil remains...clouding the understanding of all who cling to self righteousness by the law. They truly do not see the big deal about grace, they do not see what others are so excited about, and can even become suspicious of the preaching of the true gospel! (Which illustrates how seldom the pure gospel is preached. The larger percentage of believers have not been grounded in it. Their foundation is either a Catholic or denominational or charismatic system of works...a code of behavioral modification, justified by Scripture often taken out of context.)
That darn veil.
It is only removed one way! And only by the removal of the veil do we experience real, inner change. Everything, all my perceived "righteousness" up to the point of the removal of the veil was, in reality, a mere exercise in self modification. And some are better at the modification of the flesh than others. I was pretty good at it, which made me live a veiled life for longer than I might otherwise have had to.
After the removal of the veil, everything becomes an exercise of wonder, love and praise....an exercise of the Spirit, who is a far more potent change-agent. He produces His fruit in my life.
That is, once the veil is finally lifted, and I see Christ in His all-sufficient glory...
Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.
But when (and only when) one (Greek: he) turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And we, now with unveiled face (having turned to Christ as our only righteousness), beholding the glory of the Lord, (or "reflecting His glory") are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
II Cor. 3
You cannot experience true transformation without the veil being removed. The veil is only removed by letting go of self righteousness. Self effort is/was the essence of the law....read Deuteronomy chapter 6! The children of Israel said, in direct reference to the moral code, "And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us."
And to this day, the same veil remains...clouding the understanding of all who cling to self righteousness by the law. They truly do not see the big deal about grace, they do not see what others are so excited about, and can even become suspicious of the preaching of the true gospel! (Which illustrates how seldom the pure gospel is preached. The larger percentage of believers have not been grounded in it. Their foundation is either a Catholic or denominational or charismatic system of works...a code of behavioral modification, justified by Scripture often taken out of context.)
That darn veil.
It is only removed one way! And only by the removal of the veil do we experience real, inner change. Everything, all my perceived "righteousness" up to the point of the removal of the veil was, in reality, a mere exercise in self modification. And some are better at the modification of the flesh than others. I was pretty good at it, which made me live a veiled life for longer than I might otherwise have had to.
After the removal of the veil, everything becomes an exercise of wonder, love and praise....an exercise of the Spirit, who is a far more potent change-agent. He produces His fruit in my life.
That is, once the veil is finally lifted, and I see Christ in His all-sufficient glory...
Quotable Quote
Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!
-Andre Gide, author, Nobel laureate (1869-1951)
...reminds me of a worship song by Kelanie Gloekler (and God bless Jamie at Finished Work, for introducing me to this incredible young worship leader, who sings only of the gospel of grace!) ~
VERSE 1:
Holy Spirit, overshadow me
Take me by the corners of my soul and shake me
What a love,
You’ve been waiting to
Break me wide open to carry Your heart
VERSE 2:
Oh my Jesus, draw near to me
Take me to the center of the flame, consume me
I surrender to this holy burn
Break me wide open to carry Your heart
CHANNEL:
All I wanna do is lose myself in You
Lean back in Your arms and just let go (repeat)
CHORUS:
Let it be to me according to Your Word
Your ways are higher than mine
Let it be to me according to Your Word
Your ways are higher than mine
BRIDGE:
I let go…
Your kingdom come
In my life…
Your will be done
I let go!
"Gotta put yourself smack dab in it..."
Pastor Tim's Favorite Song ~
(not really, but it is a great song...sounds a lot like his messages of recent weeks. Feel free to turn your speakers way up and hit the "play" button on the YouTube screen. You won't regret it. )
Freedom - keep walkin'
Keep on your toes and don't stop talkin' 'bout
Freedom - get goin'
Lots to be learned and lots to be knowin' 'bout
People - gotta reach 'em
Sit 'em right down and then you gotta teach 'em 'bout
Freedom - gotta win it
Gotta put yourself smack dab in it
Hey tomorrow
Now don't you go away
'Cause freedom
Just might come your way
Freedom - keep tryin'
People stay alive and people keep dyin' for
Freedom - so don't lose it
Ya gotta understand ya just can't abuse it
Freedom - get movin'
Never gonna stop till everybody's groovin' on
Love for - one another
Callin' some friend and callin' some brother
Hey tomorrow
You're not so far away
Freedom!
We'll know you well someday...
(not really, but it is a great song...sounds a lot like his messages of recent weeks. Feel free to turn your speakers way up and hit the "play" button on the YouTube screen. You won't regret it. )
Freedom - keep walkin'
Keep on your toes and don't stop talkin' 'bout
Freedom - get goin'
Lots to be learned and lots to be knowin' 'bout
People - gotta reach 'em
Sit 'em right down and then you gotta teach 'em 'bout
Freedom - gotta win it
Gotta put yourself smack dab in it
Hey tomorrow
Now don't you go away
'Cause freedom
Just might come your way
Freedom - keep tryin'
People stay alive and people keep dyin' for
Freedom - so don't lose it
Ya gotta understand ya just can't abuse it
Freedom - get movin'
Never gonna stop till everybody's groovin' on
Love for - one another
Callin' some friend and callin' some brother
Hey tomorrow
You're not so far away
Freedom!
We'll know you well someday...
Paul Prayed What?
And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (Paul, in Philippians 1)
So, Paul doesn't pray that I will find a supernatural ability to keep the ten commandments better?
Nope.
So, Paul isn't praying that I will increase more and more in my personal excellence, work ethic, honesty, integrity, and morality?
Nope.
If not, why not?
Well, because Paul chooses not to pray for secondary things. Paul, as a wise apostle with the heart of a true pastor, prays for first things. Remember, if you focus on secondary things, you lose both first and second things; but if you focus on first things, secondary issues get tossed in, seemingly for free.
Paul prays that my relationships be blessed to overflowing, as a direct result of both my intellect and my emotions being deeply affected by the power of the gospel of grace.
"But Sheila...Paul said '..that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgement.' " That's what I just said. Love is a moot point outside the context of relationship. Without relationship, love does not exist. The knowledge of what Christ accomplished on my behalf contains enough doctrine to keep my intellect busy for an eternity, and it also infuses my heart with wonder, awe, and praise...love and adoration. The knowledge of what Christ accomplished on your behalf causes me to so urgently desire that you personally experience this great salvation, that I'd lay my life down to see you "get it". If I would lay my life down, I would certainly do anything else for you - anything necessary to your revelation of Christ. If that isn't loving you, what would loving you look like?
When first things are put in their proper place, what is the result? What is the result of abounding love-relationships, relationship with God and with people, relationships overflowing in a knowledge and experience of the gospel?
Answer: everything following the word "that". When Paul's first request, the one for abounding love, is answered, the other requests will also be answered - this he knew!
THAT I would discern the things that are excellent. (Not that I would have an ability to find fault. Ahem.)
THAT I would be sincere and untroubled by sin-consciousness until the day Jesus Christ returns, or I go to be with Him. That is what the phrase "without offense" means! It means to be untroubled by sin-consciousness....uh, probably because I'm too busy approving the things that are excellent, to become jaded by your mistakes. Or my own mistakes. Or the mistakes of my present or former church leaders. (Oh, this is huge! I have met people all over the world, who have been hurt in their church experience...)
I want very much to dig into what being "sincere" really means, but that will have to be another blog post for another day. Suffice it to say, being sincere is the opposite of being critical and jaded. The Lord is showing me that sincerity of faith is almost non existent in spiritual leadership today. Those who have managed to guard their sincerity are the cream of the crop.
If you know a leader who is sincere, as opposed to sophisticated or cynical, please give him or her a (sincere) tender embrace, and then pray for that person every day. I promise you, they and their heart of sincerity are the prime target of satan. The devil is out to rob them of their honest and childlike belief in the simple power of the gospel, as proclaimed through the foolishness of preaching it. And since misery loves company, every jaded person in the church wants to darken the heart of the sincere with their quasi-spiritual perspective.
In Paul's own words, the consequence of putting first things first (putting the focus on an abounding love for God and love for the saints) is that I am filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ.
Those are better results, by far, than I would get by adherence to anywhere from ten to six hundred plus commandments.
Wise man, that Paul. A true leader.
So, Paul doesn't pray that I will find a supernatural ability to keep the ten commandments better?
Nope.
So, Paul isn't praying that I will increase more and more in my personal excellence, work ethic, honesty, integrity, and morality?
Nope.
If not, why not?
Well, because Paul chooses not to pray for secondary things. Paul, as a wise apostle with the heart of a true pastor, prays for first things. Remember, if you focus on secondary things, you lose both first and second things; but if you focus on first things, secondary issues get tossed in, seemingly for free.
Paul prays that my relationships be blessed to overflowing, as a direct result of both my intellect and my emotions being deeply affected by the power of the gospel of grace.
"But Sheila...Paul said '..that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgement.' " That's what I just said. Love is a moot point outside the context of relationship. Without relationship, love does not exist. The knowledge of what Christ accomplished on my behalf contains enough doctrine to keep my intellect busy for an eternity, and it also infuses my heart with wonder, awe, and praise...love and adoration. The knowledge of what Christ accomplished on your behalf causes me to so urgently desire that you personally experience this great salvation, that I'd lay my life down to see you "get it". If I would lay my life down, I would certainly do anything else for you - anything necessary to your revelation of Christ. If that isn't loving you, what would loving you look like?
When first things are put in their proper place, what is the result? What is the result of abounding love-relationships, relationship with God and with people, relationships overflowing in a knowledge and experience of the gospel?
Answer: everything following the word "that". When Paul's first request, the one for abounding love, is answered, the other requests will also be answered - this he knew!
THAT I would discern the things that are excellent. (Not that I would have an ability to find fault. Ahem.)
THAT I would be sincere and untroubled by sin-consciousness until the day Jesus Christ returns, or I go to be with Him. That is what the phrase "without offense" means! It means to be untroubled by sin-consciousness....uh, probably because I'm too busy approving the things that are excellent, to become jaded by your mistakes. Or my own mistakes. Or the mistakes of my present or former church leaders. (Oh, this is huge! I have met people all over the world, who have been hurt in their church experience...)
I want very much to dig into what being "sincere" really means, but that will have to be another blog post for another day. Suffice it to say, being sincere is the opposite of being critical and jaded. The Lord is showing me that sincerity of faith is almost non existent in spiritual leadership today. Those who have managed to guard their sincerity are the cream of the crop.
If you know a leader who is sincere, as opposed to sophisticated or cynical, please give him or her a (sincere) tender embrace, and then pray for that person every day. I promise you, they and their heart of sincerity are the prime target of satan. The devil is out to rob them of their honest and childlike belief in the simple power of the gospel, as proclaimed through the foolishness of preaching it. And since misery loves company, every jaded person in the church wants to darken the heart of the sincere with their quasi-spiritual perspective.
In Paul's own words, the consequence of putting first things first (putting the focus on an abounding love for God and love for the saints) is that I am filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ.
Those are better results, by far, than I would get by adherence to anywhere from ten to six hundred plus commandments.
Wise man, that Paul. A true leader.
Wordless (Not Really) Wednesday
Pictures from my daughter Hannah's bridal shower, held this past Saturday, and hosted by my sister Lynn..."the hostess with the mostest"....who I could never, ever, thank enough for such beautiful, life long memories. Hannah and I were so blessed...
Pillars, dripping with fragrant wisteria, at the Avalon Clubhouse, on a storybook April morning...
...and a pile of presents. I mean, a pile!
Our Hannah, with Katie in the background to her right...
Hannah, Katie, and my gorgeous sister, Lynn...(who got all the "great hair genes" in my family genepool. Whoever said life was fair??)
Hannah, reading her hand made card from Katie...
Hannah and her "Wendy Basket"....
I wish I still had a piece of this cake right now...it was that good.
This is part, of just one of the food tables - each one loaded down with delectable things to eat, and lovingly and beautifully appointed with photographs and fresh roses...
A picture of Hannah and her man, on one of the tables...
It was the sort of bridal shower every girl (and her mother) dreams of. I was surrounded by life long friends, my Harvest Church family...plus my beautiful and supportive and loving mother, sister, and aunt...the sun was shining...there was an air of abundance...the fragrance of wisteria perfuming the breezes through the open doors leading to the balcony...and did I mention the veritable pile of presents?
"Father, I thank you..." My heart is so full. Thank you, dear online friends, for sharing these moments with me, via my blog!
Pillars, dripping with fragrant wisteria, at the Avalon Clubhouse, on a storybook April morning...
...and a pile of presents. I mean, a pile!
Our Hannah, with Katie in the background to her right...
Hannah, Katie, and my gorgeous sister, Lynn...(who got all the "great hair genes" in my family genepool. Whoever said life was fair??)
Hannah, reading her hand made card from Katie...
Hannah and her "Wendy Basket"....
I wish I still had a piece of this cake right now...it was that good.
This is part, of just one of the food tables - each one loaded down with delectable things to eat, and lovingly and beautifully appointed with photographs and fresh roses...
A picture of Hannah and her man, on one of the tables...It was the sort of bridal shower every girl (and her mother) dreams of. I was surrounded by life long friends, my Harvest Church family...plus my beautiful and supportive and loving mother, sister, and aunt...the sun was shining...there was an air of abundance...the fragrance of wisteria perfuming the breezes through the open doors leading to the balcony...and did I mention the veritable pile of presents?
"Father, I thank you..." My heart is so full. Thank you, dear online friends, for sharing these moments with me, via my blog!
Seek and Ye Shall Find
You and I are not to pursue “righteousness”. We submit to the gift of righteousness, that came from and through Christ alone. If you want to pursue something, to make yourself feel alive or somehow spiritual, then seek peace with people. Pursue right relationships. Ah…that is Biblical!!!
We do not pursue right standing with God. We submit to what has been done. We say, “I give up. I will never be able to bring anything to this covenant. God is always right. He is the only one righteous, and He has removed the law from me, nailing it to the cross forever.”
Romans 10: 13 ~ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
“Ignorant” does not mean stupid. If you are “ignorant” of God’s righteousness, it might mean that you simply have not been thoroughly taught. Perhaps you came up in a denominational or charismatic church that never spent significant time establishing you in grace. Again – we would do well to thank God, if He has placed us in a church where this “full gospel” of grace is being hammered and taught and preached and spoken of - a church where, consistently, with maddening repetitiveness, the gospel is loved and esteemed.
Some will say, “Oh, but I want to live in the blessings spoken of in Deuteronomy that come with obeying the law!” Please. Please, please. You still don’t get it! (I say it in humility, because neither did I"get it"...not for many years!!!) If you insist on hugging Deuteronomy to your breast like a treasure, then you are under a curse.
There. I said it.
Anyone who does not FULLY obey “all these commands I give to you this day”, then ALL the curses come upon you. Read your Deuteronomy. Then read your New Testament. Those who are under the law (choosing to relate to God through their own ‘acts of righteousness’) are under a curse. But you don’t have to be. Christ became a curse FOR us. So that we could inherit the blessing of Abraham. (Not the blessing of Moses….the big “IF, THEN” blessing… “if you obey the law, then all these blessings will overtake you…”)
So stop seeking “righteousness” for the sake of righteousness. Instead, seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all you could possibly need will be added to you. He who spared not His own Son, shall He not, WITH HIM, freely give us all things? I'm blessed.
Seek peace. Seek God’s face. Seek those things which are above. Set your affections on things above, where CHRIST SITS at the right hand of God. If you are IN CHRIST, you sit at the right hand of blessing….period. Stop seeking righteousness, and submit to the gift.
We do not pursue right standing with God. We submit to what has been done. We say, “I give up. I will never be able to bring anything to this covenant. God is always right. He is the only one righteous, and He has removed the law from me, nailing it to the cross forever.”
Romans 10: 13 ~ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
“Ignorant” does not mean stupid. If you are “ignorant” of God’s righteousness, it might mean that you simply have not been thoroughly taught. Perhaps you came up in a denominational or charismatic church that never spent significant time establishing you in grace. Again – we would do well to thank God, if He has placed us in a church where this “full gospel” of grace is being hammered and taught and preached and spoken of - a church where, consistently, with maddening repetitiveness, the gospel is loved and esteemed.
Some will say, “Oh, but I want to live in the blessings spoken of in Deuteronomy that come with obeying the law!” Please. Please, please. You still don’t get it! (I say it in humility, because neither did I"get it"...not for many years!!!) If you insist on hugging Deuteronomy to your breast like a treasure, then you are under a curse.
There. I said it.
Anyone who does not FULLY obey “all these commands I give to you this day”, then ALL the curses come upon you. Read your Deuteronomy. Then read your New Testament. Those who are under the law (choosing to relate to God through their own ‘acts of righteousness’) are under a curse. But you don’t have to be. Christ became a curse FOR us. So that we could inherit the blessing of Abraham. (Not the blessing of Moses….the big “IF, THEN” blessing… “if you obey the law, then all these blessings will overtake you…”)
So stop seeking “righteousness” for the sake of righteousness. Instead, seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all you could possibly need will be added to you. He who spared not His own Son, shall He not, WITH HIM, freely give us all things? I'm blessed.
Seek peace. Seek God’s face. Seek those things which are above. Set your affections on things above, where CHRIST SITS at the right hand of God. If you are IN CHRIST, you sit at the right hand of blessing….period. Stop seeking righteousness, and submit to the gift.
Oh Dear...
I wasn't good at multitasking before wedding plans were underway. Now, one month before the Big Day (my daughter's Big Day), I am much worse than ever.
This past Sunday, after church, I was driving home when I realized...I'd been chewing on the same piece of minty gum since before I got there, that morning. I was instantly obsessed with the notion of getting rid of it.
As I motored along, I rooted about my console for the tiny ice-blue wrapper the piece of gum came in - or any wrapper, for that matter. Nothing. Not even a piece of paper, anywhere, from which a small corner could be sacrificed, and the no-longer-minty gum deposited in the fragment, then stuffed into my ashtray, which obviously is not ever used for ashes. (It is full of tiny wads of chewed gum, scrupulously wrapped in the tiny paper each piece came in. I can't bring myself to divest of my used gum in any other manner.)
Where is this going? Steel yourselves, my friends. This is psychotic.
No wrappers, no paper. What to do? I planned that at the next stop light, I would roll down my window, and very forcefully eject said piece of gum onto the grassy median to my immediate left. Unladylike, but necessary. Besides, no one ever walks there, I promise. As I neared the stop light, I rolled down my window. The light went from green to yellow. "HOO-rah." thought I. "This'll be an easy spit. From a stopped car."
As I came to a stop, with perfect timing, my cell phone rang. From my purse.
Ooooh, you can't make this stuff up.
I took a deep cleansing breath....iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin through the nose.....and pulled my purse onto my lap, unzipping it and opening it wide.
I. Almost. Did it.
I came within a split second of hocking that wad of gum into my purse, just as hard as I could. But I didn't. My inner alarm sounded: RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! My face froze into what had to have been a shocking expression of horror.
That phone call never got answered. I giggled till the tears came, very nearly (and gleefully) losing my mind in the process.
Ever since Sunday, the memory returns to me at the most inopportune times, robbing me of all dignity.
This past Sunday, after church, I was driving home when I realized...I'd been chewing on the same piece of minty gum since before I got there, that morning. I was instantly obsessed with the notion of getting rid of it.
As I motored along, I rooted about my console for the tiny ice-blue wrapper the piece of gum came in - or any wrapper, for that matter. Nothing. Not even a piece of paper, anywhere, from which a small corner could be sacrificed, and the no-longer-minty gum deposited in the fragment, then stuffed into my ashtray, which obviously is not ever used for ashes. (It is full of tiny wads of chewed gum, scrupulously wrapped in the tiny paper each piece came in. I can't bring myself to divest of my used gum in any other manner.)
Where is this going? Steel yourselves, my friends. This is psychotic.
No wrappers, no paper. What to do? I planned that at the next stop light, I would roll down my window, and very forcefully eject said piece of gum onto the grassy median to my immediate left. Unladylike, but necessary. Besides, no one ever walks there, I promise. As I neared the stop light, I rolled down my window. The light went from green to yellow. "HOO-rah." thought I. "This'll be an easy spit. From a stopped car."
As I came to a stop, with perfect timing, my cell phone rang. From my purse.
Ooooh, you can't make this stuff up.
I took a deep cleansing breath....iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin through the nose.....and pulled my purse onto my lap, unzipping it and opening it wide.
I. Almost. Did it.
I came within a split second of hocking that wad of gum into my purse, just as hard as I could. But I didn't. My inner alarm sounded: RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! My face froze into what had to have been a shocking expression of horror.
That phone call never got answered. I giggled till the tears came, very nearly (and gleefully) losing my mind in the process.
Ever since Sunday, the memory returns to me at the most inopportune times, robbing me of all dignity.
PS.
In celebration of the inauguration of the New Covenant, nullifying the 600+ ordinances that were formerly in force...
...it seems wildly appropriate that I will be putting a big, spiral sliced, honey baked ham in the oven, tomorrow morning. ::cheers, confetti::
What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Hmmmmm. God has cleansed ME. Guess that makes me sanctified...uncommon...
...it seems wildly appropriate that I will be putting a big, spiral sliced, honey baked ham in the oven, tomorrow morning. ::cheers, confetti::
What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Hmmmmm. God has cleansed ME. Guess that makes me sanctified...uncommon...
Have A Blessed Resurrection Sunday!
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hosea 6)
Blatant New Covenant truth, up there, found smack dab in the Old Testament...grace is all over the place, from Genesis to Malachi, from the first Messianic prophecy, and the blood sacrifice to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, to the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing in His wings.
But what reaches out and grabs me by the throat in these verses in Hosea is the phrase, "Then shall we know, IF we follow on to know the Lord..."
Some things pertaining to the Lord, I only get when I pursue them, persist in them, persevere in the quest. Follow on to know. I will not follow on to know with any sincerity if I think I already know all there is. And in my limited experience, the manifold grace of God is one of the aspects of the gospel that I have had to follow on to know. It has been a stunning journey, so far.
There is much more about the Lord that I will need to follow on to know. I plan to search for all of Him, as for hidden treasure, a priceless pearl concealed away in a field. Because, you see, I don't know. I know nothing as I should know it - there is always more to be discovered.
I'm so glad. What sort of God would He be if even one aspect of His nature could be comprehended in a glance?
Blatant New Covenant truth, up there, found smack dab in the Old Testament...grace is all over the place, from Genesis to Malachi, from the first Messianic prophecy, and the blood sacrifice to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, to the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing in His wings.
But what reaches out and grabs me by the throat in these verses in Hosea is the phrase, "Then shall we know, IF we follow on to know the Lord..."
Some things pertaining to the Lord, I only get when I pursue them, persist in them, persevere in the quest. Follow on to know. I will not follow on to know with any sincerity if I think I already know all there is. And in my limited experience, the manifold grace of God is one of the aspects of the gospel that I have had to follow on to know. It has been a stunning journey, so far.
There is much more about the Lord that I will need to follow on to know. I plan to search for all of Him, as for hidden treasure, a priceless pearl concealed away in a field. Because, you see, I don't know. I know nothing as I should know it - there is always more to be discovered.
I'm so glad. What sort of God would He be if even one aspect of His nature could be comprehended in a glance?
C.S. Lewis
~C.S. Lewis, on his conversion …
You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.
That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me.
In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in, and admitted that God was God: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.
I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms.
The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet.
But who can duly adore the Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape?
The words compelle itrare - compel them to come in - have been so abused; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy.
The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and his compulsion is our liberation.
- C.S. Lewis
"Oh Lord, do not speak of me as you did those Pharisees, when you said, "Let them alone. They are blind leaders..." Bother me, Lord! Keep compelling me further and further into your gracious Self, keep forcing me to see You as You have always been...not as other men have presented You to me in the past, based on their own human understanding. Keep convincing me of how little I have known, and how much more is yet to be gained. Compel me to come into a better understanding. Be thus kind to me, Lord!"
You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.
That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me.
In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in, and admitted that God was God: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.
I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms.
The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet.
But who can duly adore the Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape?
The words compelle itrare - compel them to come in - have been so abused; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy.
The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and his compulsion is our liberation.
- C.S. Lewis
"Oh Lord, do not speak of me as you did those Pharisees, when you said, "Let them alone. They are blind leaders..." Bother me, Lord! Keep compelling me further and further into your gracious Self, keep forcing me to see You as You have always been...not as other men have presented You to me in the past, based on their own human understanding. Keep convincing me of how little I have known, and how much more is yet to be gained. Compel me to come into a better understanding. Be thus kind to me, Lord!"
Wake Up, People!
"Don't be deceived. Unbelieving companions corrupt your faith. Awake to righteousness, and don't sin! Some don't know God..." I Cor. 15
I love the conversations my husband and I have. Tonight, I found myself laughing out loud at Paul's wit and sarcasm, when he said, in the same chapter 15 as the above verses, "If after the manner of men, I fought with beasts at Ephesus..." In other words, "I'm not talking about literal lions and tigers and bears, oh my, I am referencing certain people in Ephesus ..."
Hoo boy. Paul, Paul, Paul! I laughed loudly, thinking I was alone. Tim, who, unbeknownst to me was in the closet, came out the door, putting his pajamas on, and asked "What is so funny?"
I smiled at him over the tops of my 1.5 fashionably blue-rimmed readers, and said, "Oh, just Paul's sarcastic humor."
Tim honestly asked me, "What's he done this time?"
As though Paul were alive to us both, right now, this moment. In a way, he is. I mean, you have no idea. I Corinthians 15. Paul is alive, in heaven, this very moment. We love that Paul...so much. We can't wait to meet him in glory, someday.
I then read to him the above passage from I Corinthians. A bit further down, Paul basically declares, "Somebody, somewhere is going to ask such-and-such a stupid question about bodily resurrection." I know Paul thought the inevitable question was stupid, not because it would be an honest question, but because he knew it would be a cloak for cynical argument. I also know he thought it would be a stupid question, because he answers it by saying, "You idiot..."
Yup. Read it for yourself. Paul, Paul, Paul.
But what stood out to me was Paul's passionate and brilliant defense of the finished work of Christ. As with any humble and Godly man, Paul says some things as asides that are in reality quite huge. He tosses profound statements out there as though they were a minor detail, a mere supporting argument to the greater issue of the completeness of our salvation - all the way down to the raising of the dead.
The "aside"? Oh, just this: "Awake to righteousness, and sin not." Or, you could reason, "If you wake up to the gift of righteousness that is in Christ, if you really know God like you think you do, you won't keep sinning through your unbelief and ignorance of His grace and power."
And you certainly won't keep company with those who are merely religious, who don't actually believe God saves to the absolute uttermost. If one aspect of our salvation - including bodily resurrection - has not been fully accomplished by Jesus Christ, by himself, without us having a thing to do with it....in the words of Paul, same chapter, "Let's party, because tomorrow we die."
"Neither is there salvation in any other..."
I love the conversations my husband and I have. Tonight, I found myself laughing out loud at Paul's wit and sarcasm, when he said, in the same chapter 15 as the above verses, "If after the manner of men, I fought with beasts at Ephesus..." In other words, "I'm not talking about literal lions and tigers and bears, oh my, I am referencing certain people in Ephesus ..."
Hoo boy. Paul, Paul, Paul! I laughed loudly, thinking I was alone. Tim, who, unbeknownst to me was in the closet, came out the door, putting his pajamas on, and asked "What is so funny?"
I smiled at him over the tops of my 1.5 fashionably blue-rimmed readers, and said, "Oh, just Paul's sarcastic humor."
Tim honestly asked me, "What's he done this time?"
As though Paul were alive to us both, right now, this moment. In a way, he is. I mean, you have no idea. I Corinthians 15. Paul is alive, in heaven, this very moment. We love that Paul...so much. We can't wait to meet him in glory, someday.
I then read to him the above passage from I Corinthians. A bit further down, Paul basically declares, "Somebody, somewhere is going to ask such-and-such a stupid question about bodily resurrection." I know Paul thought the inevitable question was stupid, not because it would be an honest question, but because he knew it would be a cloak for cynical argument. I also know he thought it would be a stupid question, because he answers it by saying, "You idiot..."
Yup. Read it for yourself. Paul, Paul, Paul.
But what stood out to me was Paul's passionate and brilliant defense of the finished work of Christ. As with any humble and Godly man, Paul says some things as asides that are in reality quite huge. He tosses profound statements out there as though they were a minor detail, a mere supporting argument to the greater issue of the completeness of our salvation - all the way down to the raising of the dead.
The "aside"? Oh, just this: "Awake to righteousness, and sin not." Or, you could reason, "If you wake up to the gift of righteousness that is in Christ, if you really know God like you think you do, you won't keep sinning through your unbelief and ignorance of His grace and power."
And you certainly won't keep company with those who are merely religious, who don't actually believe God saves to the absolute uttermost. If one aspect of our salvation - including bodily resurrection - has not been fully accomplished by Jesus Christ, by himself, without us having a thing to do with it....in the words of Paul, same chapter, "Let's party, because tomorrow we die."
"Neither is there salvation in any other..."
Oh, the Love of God!
But now, God's message:
The God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You are mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end -
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.
So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
~Isaiah 43:1-5a in "The Message"
Someone (a friend who does not attend Harvest Church) said to me yesterday, "The grace of God is the gospel!" I agree. With all my heart, I agree. You can't separate God from His grace. You can't separate grace from the gospel, or the gospel from grace. You can't compartmentalize the atonement, justification, or the truth about the power of the Holy Spirit doing the works of God in and through the believer...it is all the gospel.
Because the gospel is many faceted, and the grace of God is, in Peter's words, "manifold", God raises up pastors and teachers who spend their lives for it...explaining it, living it, reminding everyone of it, at every opportunity.
Just because a limited, finite human vessel (like a pastor or teacher) has 45 minutes to an hour, once a week, to instruct and illustrate manifold "grace", does not mean grace has somehow been separated from the person of Jesus, or isolated from the other aspects of His nature. I'm sure there have been heretical antinomians who've done that, but I don't know them by name.
The "first things" that CS Lewis referred to? (see blog entitled "First Things") They are always all-of-a-piece. First things, (like the love of God), have no power apart from their source. You cannot slice and dice the Godhead. They dwell in an eternal, unchangeable state of unity amongst diversity. God is love. God is justice. God is wisdom and peace. God is grace. God is truth. Grace is the truth about God, and the truth about God is His grace.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (I Cor. 1: 30, 31)
Because of God, we are in Christ Jesus, who because of God is our imputed wisdom, our imputed righteousness, our imputed (and ongoing) sanctification, and our complete redemption. That pretty much covers it all. The entire Trinity has conspired to make sure Jesus is our entire substitute, so that all we can take credit for is His Finished Work.
To focus on any aspect of this gospel, such as grace, using Scripture as your authority - what seems like a singular focus will automatically put you in the rip-tide of the Holy Ghost. You will be pulled, inexorably, into all God is; you will be drawn into the depths of all that Christ has accomplished on your behalf. Why? Because "Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one God." You might begin with grace, and you still end up with....GOD!
But until it becomes personal, until it becomes something we realize we desperately need, it is mere creed. The only thing that takes the gospel from creed to need is a constant exposure to The Message. More than a one-time "prayer of salvation", more than a doctrine; the more you see God, the more you become aware of your stark need of Him - his power, grace, and love.
Grace is the gospel. The atonement is the gospel. Righteousness is the gospel. The love of God is the gospel. He'd "sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you."
The God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You are mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end -
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.
So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
~Isaiah 43:1-5a in "The Message"
Someone (a friend who does not attend Harvest Church) said to me yesterday, "The grace of God is the gospel!" I agree. With all my heart, I agree. You can't separate God from His grace. You can't separate grace from the gospel, or the gospel from grace. You can't compartmentalize the atonement, justification, or the truth about the power of the Holy Spirit doing the works of God in and through the believer...it is all the gospel.
Because the gospel is many faceted, and the grace of God is, in Peter's words, "manifold", God raises up pastors and teachers who spend their lives for it...explaining it, living it, reminding everyone of it, at every opportunity.
Just because a limited, finite human vessel (like a pastor or teacher) has 45 minutes to an hour, once a week, to instruct and illustrate manifold "grace", does not mean grace has somehow been separated from the person of Jesus, or isolated from the other aspects of His nature. I'm sure there have been heretical antinomians who've done that, but I don't know them by name.
The "first things" that CS Lewis referred to? (see blog entitled "First Things") They are always all-of-a-piece. First things, (like the love of God), have no power apart from their source. You cannot slice and dice the Godhead. They dwell in an eternal, unchangeable state of unity amongst diversity. God is love. God is justice. God is wisdom and peace. God is grace. God is truth. Grace is the truth about God, and the truth about God is His grace.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (I Cor. 1: 30, 31)
Because of God, we are in Christ Jesus, who because of God is our imputed wisdom, our imputed righteousness, our imputed (and ongoing) sanctification, and our complete redemption. That pretty much covers it all. The entire Trinity has conspired to make sure Jesus is our entire substitute, so that all we can take credit for is His Finished Work.
To focus on any aspect of this gospel, such as grace, using Scripture as your authority - what seems like a singular focus will automatically put you in the rip-tide of the Holy Ghost. You will be pulled, inexorably, into all God is; you will be drawn into the depths of all that Christ has accomplished on your behalf. Why? Because "Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one God." You might begin with grace, and you still end up with....GOD!
But until it becomes personal, until it becomes something we realize we desperately need, it is mere creed. The only thing that takes the gospel from creed to need is a constant exposure to The Message. More than a one-time "prayer of salvation", more than a doctrine; the more you see God, the more you become aware of your stark need of Him - his power, grace, and love.
Grace is the gospel. The atonement is the gospel. Righteousness is the gospel. The love of God is the gospel. He'd "sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you."
Simply Come...
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow’r.
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies;
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?
Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Joseph Hart, 1759
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am; Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
~Charlotte Elliot, 1800's
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow’r.
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies;
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?
Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Joseph Hart, 1759
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am; Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
~Charlotte Elliot, 1800's
First Things
CS Lewis said, "Put first things first and second things are thrown in. Put second things first and you lose both first and second things."
Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God - (pursue the right standing with God that comes through Jesus Christ, His favor, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ) and all these things will be added to you."
The church, in general, has been preoccupied with second things. Whole conferences, books, and programs are geared to groom, adjust, and "fix" the second things. Consequently, we are without affect, without power, in both first and second things. Since we may not be presently encountering the God of all grace, in His majestic fullness, we get preoccupied or satisfied with lesser agendas. Or, worse, we become bored and slightly annoyed with life.
A. W. Tozer said, "The only healthy emotions are those aroused by great ideas."
We are stewards of the greatest Plan, the greatest Mystery, the greatest Idea in the history of this earth. The gospel is the First Thing. It not only changes your destiny, it can deeply affect your day. The holy passion that the gospel can give us, cannot exist apart from the New Covenant.
Second things have to be managed...watched...worried over. First things can only be received and celebrated. Second things become successful through God-given human ability, first things are successful no matter what. First things are the gift of God. Amazingly, first things have a way of making sure second things prosper by the same grace.
Jesus, the First and Last. The Beginning and the End. When He, Himself, and all He is and can give, becomes our "first thing", suddenly everything, from A to Z takes its proper place. Finances. Relationships. Health. No secondary thing becomes the first thing - so we are not devastated when the inevitable problems arise. The Word of God suddenly becomes the Primary Thing, as we read that No Thing...no, nothing...can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Nagging fears, niggling irritations, all our stuff" begins to be pushed farther and farther down the list of priorities. It isn't that a First Things Person minimizes sin - rather, they maximize grace. A First Things Person is completely sold on the idea of overcoming evil with good. We turn our eyes upon Jesus, and the things of this world, the good, the bad, and the indifferent, become all alike so strangely dim.
He didn't save me to make me better, more educated, respectably socialized, or well spoken. He saved me because He set His great love upon me, and is intent on forming His Son in me, by first making me the righteousness of God in Christ. He didn't save me to make everything in my life serve my purposes. He didn't save me to make me someones wife, or someones mother.
He saved me because He wants a people for His glory. He wants my life to be a reflection of His beauty, and He is determined to enable me to be a carrier of His care, concern, and power to anyone and everyone who is needy.
You wouldn't believe all the "second things" He throws in, free of charge.
Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God - (pursue the right standing with God that comes through Jesus Christ, His favor, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ) and all these things will be added to you."
The church, in general, has been preoccupied with second things. Whole conferences, books, and programs are geared to groom, adjust, and "fix" the second things. Consequently, we are without affect, without power, in both first and second things. Since we may not be presently encountering the God of all grace, in His majestic fullness, we get preoccupied or satisfied with lesser agendas. Or, worse, we become bored and slightly annoyed with life.
A. W. Tozer said, "The only healthy emotions are those aroused by great ideas."
We are stewards of the greatest Plan, the greatest Mystery, the greatest Idea in the history of this earth. The gospel is the First Thing. It not only changes your destiny, it can deeply affect your day. The holy passion that the gospel can give us, cannot exist apart from the New Covenant.
Second things have to be managed...watched...worried over. First things can only be received and celebrated. Second things become successful through God-given human ability, first things are successful no matter what. First things are the gift of God. Amazingly, first things have a way of making sure second things prosper by the same grace.
Jesus, the First and Last. The Beginning and the End. When He, Himself, and all He is and can give, becomes our "first thing", suddenly everything, from A to Z takes its proper place. Finances. Relationships. Health. No secondary thing becomes the first thing - so we are not devastated when the inevitable problems arise. The Word of God suddenly becomes the Primary Thing, as we read that No Thing...no, nothing...can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Nagging fears, niggling irritations, all our stuff" begins to be pushed farther and farther down the list of priorities. It isn't that a First Things Person minimizes sin - rather, they maximize grace. A First Things Person is completely sold on the idea of overcoming evil with good. We turn our eyes upon Jesus, and the things of this world, the good, the bad, and the indifferent, become all alike so strangely dim.
He didn't save me to make me better, more educated, respectably socialized, or well spoken. He saved me because He set His great love upon me, and is intent on forming His Son in me, by first making me the righteousness of God in Christ. He didn't save me to make everything in my life serve my purposes. He didn't save me to make me someones wife, or someones mother.
He saved me because He wants a people for His glory. He wants my life to be a reflection of His beauty, and He is determined to enable me to be a carrier of His care, concern, and power to anyone and everyone who is needy.
You wouldn't believe all the "second things" He throws in, free of charge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)