Loving Should Be Like Breathing

O, the Joys of High School Graduation

My brother graudated from high school last Sunday.  It was such a glorious day…and the ceremony was nice, too.

The Bible Is Not *Just* Our Foundation

If the Bible is merely foundational in our lives, then we will read it as a guide to a better, healthier, safer, and more moral life.  On the other hand, if the Bible is the one thing that saturates our lives, then we will read it as the primary way to know and love our great God and Savior and it will fuel our desires to pray, worship, evangelize, and disciple. 

In 1 Peter 2:2, Peter writes, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation.” He isn’t saying that these Christians are like “newborn infants.” Instead, the focus is on the longing they should have to know God’s word. How important is it to long for the truth of God’s word? He says “by it” we will grow up to salvation. This doesn’t mean we get saved by reading the Bible, but it means that we grow in our relationship with Jesus after we are saved when we know what he teaches us in the Bible.  It means that when we are saturated with the pure and basic and deep truths of the Bible, we will begin to see God more for who he is in all his glory. 

Don’t make the Bible foundational. Blanket yourself with it. Filter every thought, action, and attitude through it.  Don’t stand on the Bible as your foundation.  Let the Bible richly saturate every facet of your life. 

This is How I Always Saw My Math Teachers in School

Reflection on the Disasters in Myanmar and China

An earthquake killed 12,000 people in Chengdu, China, yesterday.  There are another 62,000 dead or missing in Myanmar, according to their government, from a cyclone May 3.  The UN predicts that there could be more than 100,000 dead.  The UN has has also reported that possibly up to 40% of those killed in Myanmar were children.

I have friends who are students at the University of Nebraska, who are from Chengdu and whose families still live and work there.  As far as I know, their families are okay.  How sobering it was to hear my friend tell me yesterday, “I called all my relatives.  No one answered.  I was so scared.”  It turned out that his family members were okay.  Just think, though, if that were to happen to your hometown.  It’s a bone-chilling thought, isn’t it?

Through it all, I can’t help but wonder how many people are asking, “Where is God?”  The question is not “Where is God?”  I believe that God is in their midst, mourning with them the loss of loved ones.  He is in their midst, wooing certain persons to himself.  The question we should ask is, “What is God doing in a disaster like this?”  (I wrote on this subject a while ago –  you might find it helpful.)  But if we think about those questions, we cannot ask the first one.  If our foundation is the Bible, then God never leaves room for the question, “Where is God?”  The Bible makes it clear: He alone is Sovereign and he ordained these events to happen.  He did it for his glory, according to his secret will. 

Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?  Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? (Lam. 3:37-39)

Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?  Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? (Amos 3:6)

I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things (Is. 45:7).

And from the mouth of our Lord Jesus himself:

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

It’s clear that God has not simply “allowed” these disasters.  He, in his infinite, mysterious will, has caused them to happen.  And he didn’t do it because the people were “worse sinners.”  God did it to show his power; to display his mighty glory; to show how imperfect the world is; to show his great mercy on those who survived — or on us who are unaffected; and to draw our attention to himself, that we might embrace the only thing that will never die, flood, break, rust, or rot, namely Jesus. 

When disaster strikes, turn to Jesus and be astonished that though you are a great sinner, calamity has not fallen upon your head yet.  Be amazed at the mercy of God that you are still hanging by the thread of sovereign grace that God provides.  When disaster strikes, fall on your face, worship and repent before the great God who ordains everything in the universe to come to pass. 

Come to me all who labor and are heavey laden.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus Died to Show the Wealth of His Grace

I have heard it said, “God didn’t die for frogs.  So he was responding to our value as humans.”  This turns grace on its head.  We are worse off than frogs.  They have not sinned.  They have not rebelled and treated God with the contempt of being inconsequential in their lives.  God did not have to die for frogs.  They aren’t bad enough.  We are.  Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay for it.

- John Piper, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

Love One Another Earnestly From a Pure Heart

In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter writers, “Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

This “purifying” is not initial saving faith. The New Testament never speaks of people playing an active role in their conversion. The Greek word for “purified” is hagnizo which means “moral cleansing.” Peter already assumes that these people are converted (vv. 1, 3, 10, 18, 19, 21), so it is more likely that this purification is simply sanctification. Christians play a much more active role in sanctification (cf. James 4:8; 1 John 3:3). As Christians, we are more and more sanctified when we are obedient to the truth. When this happens, we are becoming more like Christ.

Now, the phrase “for a sincere brotherly love” may lead us to think that the purpose of sanctification is to sincerely love people. Sincere brotherly love is more a result of sanctification than a goal. The goal of sanctification is Christlikeness, and brotherly love is certainly a component of that.  However, if that were the goal of sanctification, there would no doubt be many private sins that never harm others that would not inhibit sanctification.  But we know that this certainly is not the case in our Christian journey. 

Since we have been born again (vv. 1-21), are now joining God in the sanctification process (v. 22a), and understand how to have sincere brotherly love (v. 22b), we are to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (v. 22c).  Romans 12:10 says, “Love one another with brotherly affection.”  Hebrews 13:1 says, “Let brotherly love continue.” We are to love with earnest from a pure heart. The word “earnest” in Greek is ektenos that comes from a verb which means to “stretch out the hand,” thus it means to be stretched out — earnest, resolute, tense. We are to be intentional, bold, and heartfelt with others. We are to be the stiff, strong arm that reaches for someone to hold on to in hard times.  We are to be the stalwart rock for people, like Jesus is for us, so they can see that Jesus is the true rock of defense when they are in dire straits.

I want to love people like this.  Lord, help me. 

On Joy and Sanctification

Joy in God and sanctification go hand-in-hand.  When we enjoy God, we become more sanctified (more Christ-like).  Why?  The more we enjoy God, the more we become like him because God is the greatest enjoyer of God in the universe.  God is completely God-centered.  For him to be something-else-centered would make that thing God.  If God were enjoying something greater than himself, then we should strive to enjoy that thing. 

God Tends to Use Failures to show His Greatness

God is so merciful and gracious to provide his Son Jesus as the atonement for our sins.  Certainly, God could have written us a Bible with one statement that said, “It’s your fault you are sinners, so get back on your feet by yourself.”  I’m so thankful he doesn’t say that.  For those who have faith in Christ as the payment for their sin, they are perfectly accepted by the Father.  Romans 8 says that “nothing in all creation” can separate us from God’s love if have been justified by Jesus’ death. 

The body of Christ is made up of people who fail all the time, in order that God’s grace may be praised all the more.  I love the Switchfoot song “Beautiful Letdown” that reminds us this: “[We are] the church of the dropouts, the losers, the sinners, the failures, and the fools.  We are a beautiful letdown.”  Sadly, so many people still try to do good things and earn acceptance through hard work, religion, or managing sin.  Some of these people call themselves “Christians” and say, “I read my Bible.”  I wonder, though, do they actually pay close attention to the people in the Scriptures they are “reading” about?

Had God wished to communicate to us that our acceptance hinges on our goodness, he would have chosen another sort of person than those he most typically uses in the Bible to reveal the basis for our faith. But then he would have revealed himself to be a different kind of God.

- Bryan Chapell, Christ Centered Preaching

Another Thought on Suicide

The world is not impressed when Christians experience a suicide and have their ultimate joy depleted in sake of living in sorrow and using God as a teddy bear for comfort.  The world is impressed when Christians experience a suicide and say, “Jesus is enough.  He is my shelter.  He will give me hope.  I will cling to him.  And even in tragedy and despair,  he is utterly satisfing and I will rejoice, for he is good.”