…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
Ephesians 1:11 (NASB95)
How big and how in control is God? Is there anything that occurs apart from His knowledge? His wisdom? His purpose?
The very thought causes my heart to race. The implications of the obvious answer cause my mind to race to the four corners of the earth! After all, God certainly causes the good things in life to happen (James 1:17). But His disciples were amazed that He even controlled the wind which ceased at His command (Mark 4:41). In these twin truths of God’s sovereignty over both good and bad we find security. God works everything according to His plan. But does He?
God works all things according to plan…His plan…for His glory.
True rest and genuine security are faithfully grounded in the firm reliance on the truth that God is never surprised. He is never overwhelmed. Not even an earthquake, or a pop-up storm, or cancer, or tragic incident of civil unrest exceeds His knowledge or ability. In fact, the Scripture says that each of these things are part of the all things that God uses to bring about His predetermined end of our Salvation and Sanctification according to the counsel of His own will/purpose.
So, what will you face today that God is not Lord over?
What will you face that He is unaware of or overwhelmed by?
What will you face that exceeds his purpose and that He will not use to bring about your inheritance?
Nothing! He works all things according to His purpose.
The position of faith and the foundation of peace is driving our anchor of faith deeply into the ground of this truth and then lashing our lives to it as we praise God for working the all things of this day in such a way that He brings about His good purpose which includes our inheritance in Him…having conformed us to the image of His Son so that His Son would be preeminent in all creation (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18).
Father, train my wandering heart to trust in your providence and rest in You today…not in circumstance, comfort, or condition, but You. Amen.
21“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 (NASB95)
In my morning reading, I was drawn into this verse and how this prophetic announcement to Joseph must have sounded. Here is a guy who just discovered that His fiancée is pregnant and he knows that it is not his. Everything about that seemed wrong and costly. If he dismissed her, everyone would still know that he was the guy that “Mary stepped out on.” If he moved forward with the marriage, everyone would think him a fool who Mary cheated on. What a choice for him!
But then the angel appeared and gave a good word. It would never be believed by others but for Joseph it was compelling (something we know since he changed the course of his decision about ending the engagement and chose to not only marry Mary but to keep her a virgin until Jesus was born.)
As amazing as these facts are, I want us to see the substance of the prophetic word regarding Jesus’ purpose… “He will save His people from their sins.” Yes, Jesus came to save. The Scriptures are unambiguous about this…but notice the cost (to us) of Salvation. Possession. He saves His people.
Growing up in the church culture that I did, salvation was often spoken of in terms of asking Jesus into my heart. He will be your Savior! He will forgive you. He will give you new life. He will start you over. All of this is true…but who does He save? Those who are His. Now, while some see this verse and others like it and discern that God capriciously (they might say sovereignly and according to His own wisdom and counsel) picks winners and losers, I see something different. Christ came to save those who would yield their lives to His total possession. [NOTE: Time and space won’t allow me to unpack all the theological implications here but let me affirm that from God’s perspective, there are no unknowns. He is not waiting to see who will act a certain way to determine how He will act. After all, He knows tomorrow, so today cannot be a surprise to Him in any regard. And, at the same time, Jesus invites people to follow Him, and they either choose to accept or reject that invitation. The Scriptures consistently record experiences of people choosing to follow Him…yielding control of their lives to Christ as their Lord! They are His, and He saves them.]
There is no salvation apart from Christ’s absolute possession of those He saves. And therein lies what I called the “stumbling block” of the Gospel. The loss of autonomy for the Christian. We may have agency (the ability to act according to our own will) but not autonomy (ownership and authority over our own lives).
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NASB95)
1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Romans 12:1 (NLT)
14who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2:14 (NASB95)
18“The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;
Deuteronomy 26:18 (NASB95)
Lord, today remind me and teach me to live as one who does not belong to myself but You. Amen.
I want to acknowledge up front that this thought on my heart today would not and will not make sense apart from a relationship with Jesus. For a person who denies the presence and providence of a Sovereign King, or a person with only religious practice to lean on, this will sound like a fairy tale (at worse) or some pop-motivational psychology (at best). For me, it is neither. It is, I believe, a precious gift of God’s grace.
41So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Acts 5:41 (NASB95)
This verse was on my heart today. It is part of the resolution of an act of injustice where Peter and John were arrested on orders of the ruling religious council and the high priest for the terrible crime of healing sickness and preaching Jesus (Acts 5:16-21). Peter’s popularity among the people was increasing at an alarming and exponential rate. The religious establishment, now only months after the crucifixion of Jesus at their order, is dealing with His followers the best way they know how.
When found in the Temple once again (rather than in the jail where they were supposed to be held), they were brought before their persecutors. Peter and John respond to their threats and beating (Acts 5:40) by rejoicing and praising the Lord that they (too) had been considered worthy by God to suffer shame for the Name of Jesus (Acts 5:41).
They are experiencing injustice.
For doing good and merciful acts.
For preaching hope in Jesus.
If this had taken place in modern times, I wonder if they would have praised God for counting them worthy to suffer injustice and shame. Why was their focus there?
I believe that this early band of followers who, like every follower of Jesus today, had been sovereignly saved by the work of Christ, were indwelt by the Person of the Holy Spirit Himself, and who wrestled with the same limits of human flesh in body and mind, CHOSE to focus on Jesus.
They saw their lives in light of Jesus. His work. His love. His Grace.
They considered their suffering in light of Jesus. His beating, mocking, and ultimate crucifixion.
They considered their honor in light of His honor.
They considered their life purpose in light of God’s ultimate purpose.
They considered their hope in light of His hope.
And they praised the Lord that they were considered worthy to suffer injustice for His name.
I wonder if our focus on our sufferings can veil God’s intent for our focus on His sovereignty. When we turn our gaze upon our trials, we lose sight of His triumph.
Jesus was being faithful. In Acts 4:29-31, God granted their request for boldness and courage. Now in the light of another beating, rather than focus on how hard it was, they gazed intently on an emblazoned image in their mind of their Messiah hanging on a cross suspended between heaven and earth and while writing in pain, praying for God’s mercy toward those who had nailed Him there. Then they praised God that they were considered worthy to suffer for His name.
Father, free us from the endless pursuit of our flesh for comfort and kindness among a world who lives in enmity with You. Attune our gaze to the suffering Savior that we might see our trials in light of His gracious gift of substitution. Graciously remind us that it is an honor to serve the Living God and those who would suffer for doing good according to your providence are blessed indeed. Amen.
54When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village.
Luke 9:54–56 (NASB95)
I’ve recently found myself on the receiving end of criticism. Not personally, but the church I serve. Perhaps that’s worse. The criticism is baseless and erupted into some false allegations being thrown around. It would be easy to become angry and want to set the record straight.
That’s where I found myself. As I listened to friends being maligned and the Church (big C) being slandered, there was something ugly that kept rising within me. I could try to rename it as “righteous indignation” or some “weak moment of human passion;” however, it was strong and did not just go away like a “weak moment. Truth be known, I wanted to act out. This is where the lesson from the Lord began.
I think it was important for the Lord to show me that my heart is a broken place. Sure, as a pastor, I would love to say that I just glide across the sea regardless of the tempest or the turbulence of the sea. But it simply is not true and that is important to see. The same anger and desire to “fix” injustice that provoked the critics resided in my heart as well.
Apparently, I am not alone. In the passage above, the “sons of thunder” as they were nicknamed…two of Jesus’ closest disciples saw the rejection of the Lord as an act of terrible dishonor. And to add insult to injury…by a bunch of “Samaritans” no less! How dare they? So, the disciples asked, “Should we call on God to destroy them with fire from heaven?”
When “the world” maligned Jesus…the disciples wanted to fight. They wanted to answer swiftly and strongly…in such a way that everyone would know that God had chosen against the Samaritans…but Jesus said He came to save rather than destroy.
Furthermore, Jesus said the very spirit that informed the disciple’s desires was not righteous indignation but ungodly and evil. Up from their heart rose the wickedness of sin…no matter how you dress it up. They were the embodiment of that which they purported to hate!
And that is the point. Jesus used the criticism to reveal the brokenness of my heart. The difference being…I have Jesus to lovingly do that and to graciously forgive. Many others…in fact most people…do not.
Lord, forgive my wickedness and soften my heart to reflect more of You. Thank you for graciously reminding me that compassion begins with an awareness that “but for the grace of God, there go I.” Amen.
Statement on The Supreme Court of the United States decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
June 24, 2022
Dear Church family:
Today the Supreme Court of the United States handed down an historic ruling that has incredible implications for Christ-followers throughout our nation. This historic ruling set right a terrible error of judgment of the same court nearly 50 years ago in the Roe and Casey decisions. The outcome of the Dobbs case is the answer to the prayers of millions who have interceded before God on behalf of all Americans.
As Christ-followers, let me suggest to you several things that I pray will be reflective in your life as I pray that they will also be in mine.
The millions of aborted children under the protections of Roe are a blight on the name of our nation and an afront before a Holy God who creates all mankind in His image. This calls for earnest repentance before the Lord.
The preborn person is not “potential life” as noted by the dissenting justices; rather, he or she is a person created in the Image of God and therefore possess inherent worth and dignity. We must recognize, celebrate, and continue to work to celebrate the Image of God in every person.
The concern of Christ-followers has always been the desire for flourishing of every person. That desire does not change now.
Let me challenge you to measure your speech and speak wisely in these days. While this historic ruling is an answer to prayer, it is not a sign of victory; rather, it is a call for the people of God to redouble our efforts to demonstrate love, grace, and help toward parents facing overwhelming choices when facing an unplanned pregnancy. The church has an amazing opportunity to help men and women experience God’s good design for human flourishing by coming alongside and helping to point them to Christ for peace, hope, and help…the same peace, hope and help that each of us as Christ-followers has experienced by grace from God.
Let us invest in helping parents navigate these anxious times by being the hands and feet of Jesus to them. Let us respond with compassion and humility as we act with tenacity to promote God’s good design.
God has given us a vision of being part of seeing 5,000 homes transformed by gospel of Jesus Christ. My home is one. I pray yours is as well. Let us continue to labor to see this vision fulfilled among thousands more in these coming days.
I love you and pray that we will together love those we will meet and serve in the days ahead who will need to know even more clearly of God’s grace toward them in these days ahead.
It is an honor to serve you in these important days,
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