I think we all suffer from it, some more acutely than others. The “I will be happy when…” disposition. It is a common ladder to be on. I would argue, it is our default.
Business coach Robert Holden in his book Authentic Success warns of what he calls…“Destination Addiction—a preoccupation with the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job, or with the next partner. Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.”
Holden suggests that our eyes are looking in the wrong place.
Jerry Bridges, in his book, Respectable Sins, shows us that our hearts are in the wrong place. “Discontentment is sin” says Bridges. A tolerable sin, an acceptable sin, yes, even a respectable sin, but a sin nonetheless.
“But my ambitions are good!” one might argue. And indeed they may well be. But as Dave Harvey wisely points out in his book Rescuing Ambition, “If ambition defines me, it will never fulfill me.”
Harvey expounds: ‘Contentment means being satisfied and at peace with God’s will in all situations. It’s a state of the soul where your desires conform to wherever you find yourself.’
He continues: “In Philippians we discover something that marks the life of every believer. On the one hand, we’re called to ‘strain forward to what lies ahead’ and ‘press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ (3:13-14). But we’re also given Paul’s example of learning ‘in whatever situation I am to be content’ (4:11). Is Paul confused? He seems to be saying, ‘Hunger for more’ in one chapter, and ‘Be happy with where you are’ in the next. Exactly. Since Paul’s ambitions were not selfish, he could live with them unfulfilled. Sure, he had dreams and desires—but they were God-focused, not Paul-focused. If they remained unsatisfied, that was God’s business.”
God focused ambition. That is what we are to be about. So stop, take a look. What ladder are you on? If on the ladder that is full of self, take your observation as a grace of God to show you that there is a better one.
His flying was limited to the short duration of World War II. Mine, though later and longer, was far less remarkable.
My dad was a fighter pilot. A Navy fighter pilot. And he flew in one of the first night-fighter squadrons in the Pacific. His flying skills not only included landing on an aircraft carrier …at night, but in finding the aircraft carrier …at night. After he departed the carrier to begin a mission, the carrier continued to proceed in that vast ocean. Upon his return, my dad had to locate the carrier in its new location using a combination of celestial navigation, rudimentary radio equipment, and … math. Math that included the actual, real-life math word problems of “if you leave the aircraft carrier at 1800 hours, and you were gone for 2:30 hours, and the aircraft carrier was traveling at 5 knots on a heading of 030 degrees, where would the aircraft carrier be when you returned? And oh, by the way, how much fuel would you have left in case you had trouble finding the carrier?
Yes, that was remarkable.
My dad passed away when I was a young man and one of the possessions I inherited was his Navy ring displaying the Navy wings.
It is quite the heirloom. One, because of whose it was, but two because those who earn the right to Navy wings belong to a distinct group, a family of Navy pilots.
From time to time, I will wear the ring. I feel sheepish doing so in public. Though I am a pilot and have earned my wings, I have not earned those wings. I often wonder what Navy pilots would say to my donning. Like I said…I am self-conscious about putting it on.
That is an intriguing story Rod, but what is the point?
Though the Navy ring is significant, there is something far more notable that I wear. Something else that I have not earned, yet is always with me. And unlike the ring, it conveys to me rights, it grants privileges, as if I had earned them all, though I have earned none.
What is this, you ask? It is the grant of perfect righteousness. I did have my own righteousness, but it was a self-righteousness, and a worthless one at that.
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; (Isaiah 64:6a)
Yes, I had a filthy righteousness, if you could call it a righteousness at all.
as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
Yes, not even one…not even me…not even you. Neither you nor I is the exception.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
I needed a perfect righteousness. A righteousness that would allow me to enter where Perfection dwells, Heaven itself, to be with God Himself.
Jesus Christ had a righteousness that He could impart. By His life perfectly lived, death on a cross, followed by burial, then resurrection, and through my repentance of sin and faith in this act of Christ, my sins were placed on Christ and he was treated on the cross as if he had lived my sinful life. This granted that, in exchange, I could be treated as if I had lived his perfect life.
An exchange. A wonderful exchange. A Great Exchange.
As the Apostle Paul states …
[God] made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in [Christ]. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Just like that? Just like that…
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
I cannot boast in having earned righteousness, just as I cannot boast in having earned Navy Wings. In truth, the only thing we had to offer in this exchange for perfect righteousness was our sin that made the exchange necessary.
As for the ring, I do still wear it from time to time. In fact, I have it on now as I type. And I am sure that I will wear it again in the future, while all the time knowing that I have been granted no rights to what it represents.
But better still, is the grant of the better prize of Christ’s righteousness. I do wear it always, having been clothed in it by God, and granted all the rights and privileges, including heaven itself, with no need for shame.
As Paul wrote: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
Christ’s righteousness is quite the gift. One, because of whose it is, but two because those who have it belong to a distinct group, a member of the family of God. And that is a family to which there is an ongoing open invitation to join. Christ is still granting righteousness to those who acknowledge that they have none, and who repent and believe the gospel.
Rod S.D.G. – 19
Photos ~ McCrae Haider Bible verses ~ New American Standard Bible 95
It was a gray and low overcast day. Ceilings just above legal limits and a good day to fly with a friend shooting instrument approaches at a couple of airports.
We had just completed an approach and taken off again, entering into the low overcast when <BANG> the aircraft starts violently shaking…
Not knowing what was wrong, we did for certain know we were in trouble.
A declaration of “Mayday” allowed us to deviate from our assigned heading and turn back toward the airport, seeking the sweet spot of visibility just below the clouds and just above the treetops. After prayerfully looking for the airport, while nursing an airplane that seemed determined to hurt us, we saw the runway and landed without further incident, other than greeted by the airport firetrucks that dutifully rolled after our declaration.
Once stopped, we discovered the cause…approximately six inches of one of the propeller blade tips was missing. This had created blade imbalance in the propeller, the disparity magnified when spinning at 2500 revolutions per minute. Usually such imbalance rips the engine out of its mounts and off the aircraft. Should this occur, the absence of the weight of the engine moves the center of gravity of the airplane far aft, leaving the plane uncontrollable.
Now in a rented car for our return, my friend and I nervously chatted about the event. I was pleased to be able to tell him of my faith and trust in Christ, of my comfort and assurance that following my death, I would be forever with my Lord.
However, some time later, I began to struggle when thinking about the flight. Not that I was concerned about the next flight. In fact, I had already flown many times since. I was still concerned about THAT flight. Rethinking it. Rehearsing it. Re-fearing it. The fact that the motor should have left the airplane, left me unsettled.
Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint exactly what moves us into right thinking. But there is nothing like sound theology to bring perspective to one’s soul.
General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson once penned: “My religious beliefs teach me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time of my death. I do not concern myself with that, but to be always ready whenever it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and all men would be equally brave.
National Parks Service photo
Jackson’s religious beliefs were grounded in Scripture.
David, the shepherd, military leader, then King of Israel had written:
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:16 (NASB95)
And Job of old before him declared:
“Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one! “Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass. Job 14:4–5 (NASB95)
I began to meditate on and grasp the fact that because I did not die that day, in sovereignty, I could not have died that day. And that day, and its remembrance, became no different for me than other days. Other than I had quite a “There I Was” pilot story to tell. To paraphrase Stonewall, I was as safe that day in the plane as if I had been in bed. And conversely, if that was the day the Lord had ordained for my death, there would have not been anything I could have done to make it not so.
So with Jackson, trusting God’s ordained timing, let us move through each day without fear, and together “…be equally brave.”
We are all guilty of it…singing hymns at church without connecting our thoughts with the author’s intent. And like eating cotton candy, getting taste without nutrients, so goes our singing without comprehending. Thoughtless thoughts…and praiseless praise.
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.”
We tend to wander out of tune with the Lord.
It was time to buy a set of strings for the second octave of our harp. Having received them (thanks UPS) I went about changing them. Having removed the old, the process then began of threading each new string through the sound board, up to and through the pedal discs, and then connecting and wrapping onto the tuning pins. Using a tuning fork (okay, I used my iPhone) I then tuned each string to proper pitch.
Then the wandering began.
New strings take a while to gain their muscle memory. It takes 2-3 days for a new string to begin to retain a close resemblance of its proper pitch. So for 3 days, it is a matter of tightening, tuning, waiting, tightening, tuning, waiting, tightening…
Like strings that drift out of pitch, the author of Come, Thou Font of Every Blessing knew the wayfaring tendency of the human heart. And when he penned “tune my heart to sing Thy praise”, he thoughtfully admonished himself, and us, to stop the drift.
We have to purposefully tune our hearts to the things of the Lord. Nobody drifts toward holiness. Our meander is always towards the yonder.
David also showed that he understood this tendency of the heart when he penned…
Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. Psalm 86:11 (NASB95)
And why would the heart need to be united? Because it is not. The interests of the heart are disjoined. Yes, prone to wander.
So, next time we gather to sing corporately, let us engage. Add intentionality to our praise, and comprehensive to our vocals. Yes, let us tune our hearts, unite our hearts,…and sing His praise. Both in song, and in our daily living.
Rod
S.D.G – 17
Verse 1 Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the Mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of God’s unchanging love.
Verse 2 Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His Precious Blood.
Verse 3 O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
Verse 4 O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy Lovely Face; Robed then in blood wash-ed linen How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace; Come, my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away; Gather with Your arms and carry Me to joys of endless day
Come, Though Fount of Every Blessing Robert Robinson
The drive from Dallas to Los Angeles is a long one. And for most of it, a desolate one. And hours and hours of it take place in Texas.
I have often heard that the Dallas to El Paso leg is longer than the El Paso to LA. Over half way there and still in Texas?! That is hard to believe I know. I had even opened up my laptop to write about this very thing. Glad I fact-checked it to be sure. Turns out it is not true. Dallas to El Pass is 635 miles. El Paso to LA, 801. No wonder it is hard to believe. I will chalk it up to Texas bravado and swagger as to why the story has traction. But nonetheless, 635 miles from Dallas to El Paso is still quite an expanse. And that is not even starting from the eastern Texas state line, which BTW (quick goggle check) is 812 miles to El Paso. Hmmm…perhaps that is how the story is originally told.
There is another expanse I like to consider. That is in the distances in the heavens. I often get lost contemplating the universe. And mesmerized in considering the ease in which God made it.
Regarding the stars, Genesis 1:16 says:
God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night;
He made the stars also.
Seemingly casually mentioned, as if an afterthought, God made the stars…also.
And the effort to do so?
David wrote:
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers… Psalm 8:3a
It is of interest to me that star-making is light duty for our Lord. David does not describe the strength of a hand, nor the heft of an arm. Simply finger work.
But let us now turn our attention to one particular group of stars…the constellation Orion. It is one of the few specifically mentioned in Scripture.
Job in 9:9
Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
The prophet Amos wrote…
He who made the Pleiades and Orion …
…The Lord is His name. Amos 5:8
I have been enjoying gazing at Orion in the early mornings before the ever brightening dawn turns down the dimmer switch of the celestial. Orion is easy to spot with its distinctive “belt” of three prominent stars, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. Based on their visibility to the naked eye, I have always assumed that the three stars of the belt were roughly the same distance from earth. That is another distance on which I have not been correct.
The star on the left of the belt is Alnitak, and is approximately 740 light-years from earth. Alnilam, in the middle, is roughly 2,000 light-years.** So… just as when you arrive in El Paso you are not half way to LA, when you get to Alnitak, you are not yet halfway to Alnilam.
Try to fathom the immensity of that…
And you are right, we cannot.
Nor could David…
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1
Indeed, let us…
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty … expanse. Psalm 150:1
I’m not a big reader of poetry, but I came across a piece recently that caused me pause.
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.
The Uses of Sorrow | Mary Oliver
Darkness as a gift?
I was left to wonder exactly what the author meant… ”Darkness as a gift?”
Unquestionably, in life there is darkness. Certainly, there are hard times. Trials.
Job understood this:
For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward. Job 5:7
Jesus knew this:
“In the world you have tribulation,.…” John 16:33b
Indeed, troublesome days are a given. It is a universal truth. An across the board reality.
It has been said that you are either about to enter into a trial, in a trial, or coming out of a trial.
The same poet also penned… “It is a serious thing / just to be alive / on this fresh morning / in this broken world.” Invitation.
Yet in these rather discouraging words, I note perhaps a hint of author’s hope.
But can hope be a sure thing in a broken world? For followers of Christ Jesus*, it can. In fact, it is.
Though Jesus said…
“In the world you have tribulation.…”
He concluded…
“…but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
And this One who has overcome the world, He is outside of the darkness…
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
We have hope because trials and tribulation, though dark to us, are governed by Christ, and thus serve with purpose. Deep purpose. Essential purpose. A refining purpose.
Refining? Like in heating metals such that the impurities come to the top and can be skimmed off?
Yes, like that…
The Psalmist understood refining…
For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. Psalm 66:10
And Peter…
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7
It was said of David…
“David’s pen never wrote more sweetly than when dipped in the ink of affliction. And never did his harp send forth deeper, richer melody than when the breath of sadness swept its strings. This has been the uniform testimony of the saints of God in every age. ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted; for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept your law.” —Octavius Winslow (Psalm 119:67)
Dipped in dark “ink of affliction.” Discipline. Training. Correction. In love.
In love?
Yes, in love. The author of Hebrews writes…
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives… but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. Hebrews 12:5b-6,10
Did you catch it? See it? Discipline that we may share God’s holiness.
Paul wrote that…
…we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5
But just how long does affliction and trials last? Well, as long as necessary, in the wisdom of our God.
Thomas Watson wrote: “Affliction may be lasting, but it is not everlasting.”
Beloved, affliction, even chronic affliction, is for but a season. And its outcome? Glorious…
As James encourages us…
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
And Paul reminds us…
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:17
“An eternal weight of glory.” Now that is a gift from darkness that is bright indeed.
* By repentance and faith in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of one’s sins. “…repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15b
“Hi. I am just checking in. How is your heart today?”
I heard this question recently to ask someone who is recovering from a broken heart. Now the context I am sure was a dating relationship gone south. But it is a good question in the broader context of everyday life. You know, to someone living the “For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward”* kind of everyday life.
How is your heart today?
Is it overwhelmed by grief or disappointment? Has it been rent by hateful words from those who should love you? Is it fearful?
David has counsel for you… and me…
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NASB95)
And the Psalmist states…
He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
Can God really do this? Does He possess the kind of power to deal with our hearts?
It should not be overlooked that the Psalmist continues…
He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Psalm 147:4
How is your heart today?
Do you suppose the One who counts the stars and has labeled them as His own is powerful enough to tenderly care for your heart issues? Not only is He powerful enough, but as David expressed, He is near enough.
But…let us ask a different question. Are we speaking to our hearts? Better, are we preaching to our hearts? Our hearts have plenty to say to us, and they are often screaming at us from pain, or fright. And Beloved, our fears and pain have poor theology. “God can’t”, or “God won’t”.
So rather than listening to our hearts, let us instead preach to our hearts.
Remind our hearts that ..
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43:2–3 (NASB95)
And prompt our hearts to…
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4–7 (NASB95)
So…I’m just checking in with you…and with me. Not, “how are our hearts today”, but rather “have we preached to our hearts today?” There is much great truth upon which our hearts should muse, and to rest upon.
It was a boat ride I had been waiting to take since my fascination began…
Speaking of boats…
A friend was telling me that he races boats.
He must be a very fast swimmer.
and
What do you call a boat full of dentists?
A tooth ferry
…
It was indeed a ferry that took me out to the monument. The USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor.
I have been a student of the War in the Pacific since childhood. My father, though only a senior in high school when Pearl Harbor was attacked, quickly thereafter earned his Navy wings and flew Grumman F6F Hellcats off of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier against Japanese forces.
Though I was interested in learning about the path of my father’s engagements, this event at Pearl, which brought the US into the Second World War, was a centerpiece of my fascination. And the centerpiece of the centerpiece was the bombing and sinking of the Arizona.
Sitting on the bottom of the harbor, just below the water’s surface, the ship is a watery tomb for approximately 1,100 sailers. Single drops of oil continue to “drip” from the ship, floating upward to color the water’s surface in a slow steady beat of reminder of the solemnity of the place and the event that deposited the ship at the harbor’s bottom.
As our ferry approached the memorial I was readying to give honor. To pay tribute. To be silent before them, above them, as I peered from the memorial toward the ship below.
I was ready…but they weren’t…”they” being the majority of my fellow visitors. What I had anticipated would be a shared “ceremony” of hushed whispers, silent reflection, somber viewing of everything present, was highjacked, commandeered, stolen…
The vacuum of silence I anticipated was instead replaced with loud voices, jovial chatter, and a general oblivion to any solemnity the place should have inspired. If I closed my eyes I could have just as easily envisioned the disinterest of a group who somehow had been misdirected onto a tour of say, old farm implements.
Do they not know where they are? Do they not understand what happened here?
Following my paying respect at the memorial, I sat discouraged on the return ferry, feeling I had been robbed of being able to experience the “experience.” Half a century wait for a once in a lifetime event…still meaningful, but not all that I had hoped.
…
That is interesting and, yes, disappointing Rod, but what is your point?
Over the span since my visit, I continue to be struck with how cavalier the majority of the visitors had been. To visit a solemn place, yet unprepared to do so.
But perhaps I am not guiltless of my own irreverences. In fact, I know I am not. It is one thing to act disrespectfully at a memorial for the dead. But what about somewhere much more solemn. Holy. Thrice Holy. I confess that I often, in prayer, approach the throne of the Living One* with my own attitude of disrespect.
I show up unprepared to be there
I show up irrelevant to the place I’ve entered
I show up disinterested
And it is of the highest offense.
James warns…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:8-10
Or consider this warning from the author of Hebrews…
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29
Reverence and awe. It is what our God is due. It is what we owe.
We all fail before this standard of reverence. But we need not despair…
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
So what is the point? It is to remind us to be mindful of Where we are and Who we are worshipping. And remember too, the Holy One is the gracious One as well.
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Yes, let us be eager to confidentially approach our God, through the work of His Son Jesus Christ, but let us do so thoughtfully, and solemnly.
Where is a basketball player’s favorite place to eat?
Dunkin’ Donuts.
Why did Cinderella fail at basketball?
Because she ran away from the ball
Why can’t basketball players go on vacation?
They aren’t allowed to travel.
…
We had not been long off the team bus when word began to spread that there was a problem. We had arrived at the freshman basketball tournament, having been told by Coach to pack our white uniforms. Turns out, the team that we were scheduled to play, brought, and were warming up in, their whites. Coach had made a colossal mistake. Rumor of our having to forfeit the game was beginning to spread. My 14-year-old mind could not contemplate anything worse.
Coach disappeared leaving us to grumble among ourselves. After a bit, he returned with an armful of sweaty purple jerseys. I now had something worse to contemplate. I was wide eyed, just as you are now in reading this. The idea of wearing purple jerseys, from a team that had just played in the tourney, with our white shorts trimmed in red, was so… unthinkable. The further thought of putting on the sweaty, smelly garment of another, was taking my early teenage experiences to a new level of gross.
I slowly and hesitantly put on the wet, stinking, and now cold jersey under duress. What else could I and my teammates do?
…
Interesting story Rod, but what is the point?
The point is this. In those borrowed, perspiration-drenched jerseys, we put on the muck sweat of fellow humanity.
After letting that set in a moment, now imagine putting on humanity itself.
We are so used to humanity, that that doesn’t sound like too big of a deal.
But imagine if you stepped down from perfection to do so.
Try to imagine leaving the heavenly realm to be born among animals, leaving behind receiving the worship of angels and creation to gird yourself with a towel to perform one of the lowest human tasks.
Try to imagine putting on flesh, and then spending 33 sinless years living among the sin-filled stench of humanity, then allowing yourself to be executed by the very ones you had created, dying as if you had committed every sin of every human who would ever believe in you.
Yes, Perfection put on a humanity-soaked jersey…
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NASB95)
And he did it willingly…
…Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5–8 (NASB95)
That wintery day so many years ago, we involuntarily put on jerseys that we did not want to wear, so that we could have the opportunity to try to win a basketball game.
Two thousand years ago, Christ voluntarily put on flesh, so He could redeem a people for Himself, to the glory of the Father.
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB95)
Yes,
…the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Praise Jesus Christ that He was willing to put on flesh, and live among the gross.
My friend promised me he was going to the camouflage convention
But I never saw him there
Do all fairytales start with “once upon a time”?
No, some start with “if I’m elected, I promise…”
…
In our current days, promises are easily made…and seemingly easier still to forsake.
But I’ve been struck of late by this promise of Jesus, made before his ascension.
…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20
On this promise missionary David Livingstone stated: “It is the word of a Gentleman of the most sacred and strictest honor.”
Unlike many who make promises, our Lord as the omnipotent, all-powerful, one, “can” keep his promise. And because He is incapable of a lie, or a broken pledge, will.
And what a privilege to have a God and friend make such a promise to us.
As Joseph Scriven penned so many years ago…
(And give this a slow-rolling muse)
What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, There will be no need for prayer— Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus Josehph M. Scriven, 1855 Public Domain
Too good to be true? As the author of Hebrews penned…
In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:17–18
Beloved, rest in these truths today. Take it from the word of THE Gentleman of the most sacred honor.
Rod S.D.G. – 12
PS: Thought this rendition of the beloved hymn would help cement our muse 🙂
Musings of Milton 