“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of this father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’
‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’
The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.’
’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” --Luke 1:26-38
I’ve always been amazed at Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message. She receives this crazy news that she's going to be pregnant before she's married, and, after some brief confusion about how exactly this is possible, she simply says Yes. Yes, because she's the Lord’s servant. Yes, because He is the master and knows what is best. But what, exactly, is she saying Yes to? It's true that ultimately she is saying yes to the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, but what is she saying yes to in the immediate future? We don’t know a lot about Mary and Joseph and their marriage, but Luke does say that when Mary and Joseph were on their way to Bethlehem, Mary was still “pledged to be married” to him. In other words, Gabriel’s news meant that Mary had a baby before she was married, and I’m pretty sure that was not socially acceptable in the Jewish community of the day. So in the short run, it is very likely that Mary was saying “yes” to shame. She said “yes” to disgrace in the eyes of men.
There is also something else remarkable about Mary's encounter with Gabriel. Twice Gabriel tells Mary that she is favored by God. She is “highly favored,” and yet God’s plans for her involve her shame in the eyes of men. Mary must have known this, and yet she does not complain to God that this makes no sense, that if she was really favored, He would make her path more pleasant. Instead, in saying “yes” to God’s plan for her, she simply shows that she regards the favor of God to be of more value than the favor of man. What a “Yes,” and what faith!
The kind of humble obedience Mary displays is magnified many times over in the person of Christ, “who, for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2b). The path that God the Father laid out for Christ was full of much deeper shame and suffering than the cup that Mary drank. Not only was he condemned to die among criminals, he died a death that the Jews considered cursed, for “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” (Gal 3:13). And not only did he die looking like a cursed failure, but he endured all the terrible wrath of a just God against sin. This was the path that God chose for his “beloved Son” (Matt 3:17). Though it ended with a throne, it was full of suffering. In contrast, the way to dominion that Satan offered Jesus (Matt 4:1-11) involved no suffering, but it required Jesus to renounce God as the only one worthy of worship. But Jesus chose the Father’s plan, with all the included suffering, rather than rebellion and Satan’s painless short cut.
This is so often the way of it: the way of the Lord involves suffering while the way of the world is pleasant. And why shouldn’t it be this way? When we choose God’s way over the world’s way, we have chosen to rebel against the world, and we know that rebellion is always punished. The world punishes us by rejecting us, but we take heart because it rejected him first. And Jesus knew, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, that the joy set before him was much greater than the shame of the cross. Paul likewise writes that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).
If we believe the Author, we need never be afraid to say, like Mary, “Be it unto me, according to your word,” because we know that the victory is won, and our troubles are “light and momentary” (2 Cor 4:17). If we believe the Author, we will rebel against the world daily and follow Christ. The cost is great. Indeed, we must die to ourselves. But that is no loss since our real selves are hidden with Christ in God. We cannot lose. There is but one work that matters, and that is the work of God. It looks like foolishness to the world, and it can feel like suffering and shame to us, but it is achieving for us a glory that far outweighs all trouble. Thanks be to God for his ways that are higher than ours!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Streams of Living Water
“1 The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side. …
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
--Ezekiel 47:1-2, 6b-12
Ezekiel 47 paints a picture of a river flowing out of the sanctuary of the Lord. And it is no ordinary river, for “where the river flows everything will live” (v. 9). This water makes a dead sea teem with fish. It nourishes trees that produce fruit for food and leaves for healing. This water brings life. Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit in terms of living water when he says:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him”(John 7:37b-38).
And Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians:
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
If God’s Spirit lives in us as the Glory of the Lord dwelt in the temple in Ezekiel’s vision, and if the Holy Spirit flows from within us as the river flowed out of the sanctuary in Ezekiel, can we draw a parallel about how the river in Ezekiel brings life, nourishment, and healing and how the Holy Spirit should be made manifest in our lives?
One of the things the river in Ezekiel does is bring nourishment. The fruit trees on the banks of the river bear fruit every month, and the “fruit will serve for food” (v. 12). Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 12:7 , Paul tells believers that, “to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” In other words, we’re all given spiritual gifts to be used to build up the body of Christ. Some are prophets, some teachers, some have discernment, but in every case, the gift is to be used to nourish the body of Christ.
The Ezekiel river also brings life and healing. The Hebrew literally says that the river water “heals” the salt water by making it fresh, and verse 7 talks about the leaves on the trees of the riverbanks bringing healing. There is no greater healing than a man who is dead in his sins being made alive in Christ. Jesus tells his disciples in Acts 1 to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then once they receive the Spirit, they will go out and proclaim the gospel of Christ among the nations. The image of the temple and the river in Ezekiel is beautiful because not only does the Glory of the Lord dwell within the temple, but there is a river that flows from the temple to bring the goodness of God to all the surrounding country. It’s a reminder for us that our salvation doesn’t stop in us alone, but that God has “appointed [us] to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
However, while this is a good reminder, it’s easy to take this idea and say to ourselves: Go out and do more. Minister more. Use your gifts for the kingdom. Maybe these are things that we should do, but Jesus doesn’t say in John, “Pump streams of living water from your own heart.” He says “come to me and drink.” The only way we can be sources of healing, nourishment, and encouragement—ambassadors of Christ—is to come to the Savior and drink deeply, to abide in him. We ourselves are not responsible for the miracle of living water. It is not the gifts the Lord gives that are the living water, but the Holy Spirit himself. We are but jars of clay, full of all-surpassing power that is from God and not from us (2 Corinthians 4:7). So let us rejoice in the ministry that God has given us! But let us rejoice all the more that this ministry is not of our own creation, because if it were, it would undoubtedly be flawed, sinners that we are. It is only by the blood of Christ that the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts at all, and it is he that causes streams of living water to flow from us, for his glory, and his glory alone.
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
--Ezekiel 47:1-2, 6b-12
Ezekiel 47 paints a picture of a river flowing out of the sanctuary of the Lord. And it is no ordinary river, for “where the river flows everything will live” (v. 9). This water makes a dead sea teem with fish. It nourishes trees that produce fruit for food and leaves for healing. This water brings life. Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit in terms of living water when he says:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him”(John 7:37b-38).
And Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians:
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
If God’s Spirit lives in us as the Glory of the Lord dwelt in the temple in Ezekiel’s vision, and if the Holy Spirit flows from within us as the river flowed out of the sanctuary in Ezekiel, can we draw a parallel about how the river in Ezekiel brings life, nourishment, and healing and how the Holy Spirit should be made manifest in our lives?
One of the things the river in Ezekiel does is bring nourishment. The fruit trees on the banks of the river bear fruit every month, and the “fruit will serve for food” (v. 12). Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 12:7 , Paul tells believers that, “to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” In other words, we’re all given spiritual gifts to be used to build up the body of Christ. Some are prophets, some teachers, some have discernment, but in every case, the gift is to be used to nourish the body of Christ.
The Ezekiel river also brings life and healing. The Hebrew literally says that the river water “heals” the salt water by making it fresh, and verse 7 talks about the leaves on the trees of the riverbanks bringing healing. There is no greater healing than a man who is dead in his sins being made alive in Christ. Jesus tells his disciples in Acts 1 to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then once they receive the Spirit, they will go out and proclaim the gospel of Christ among the nations. The image of the temple and the river in Ezekiel is beautiful because not only does the Glory of the Lord dwell within the temple, but there is a river that flows from the temple to bring the goodness of God to all the surrounding country. It’s a reminder for us that our salvation doesn’t stop in us alone, but that God has “appointed [us] to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
However, while this is a good reminder, it’s easy to take this idea and say to ourselves: Go out and do more. Minister more. Use your gifts for the kingdom. Maybe these are things that we should do, but Jesus doesn’t say in John, “Pump streams of living water from your own heart.” He says “come to me and drink.” The only way we can be sources of healing, nourishment, and encouragement—ambassadors of Christ—is to come to the Savior and drink deeply, to abide in him. We ourselves are not responsible for the miracle of living water. It is not the gifts the Lord gives that are the living water, but the Holy Spirit himself. We are but jars of clay, full of all-surpassing power that is from God and not from us (2 Corinthians 4:7). So let us rejoice in the ministry that God has given us! But let us rejoice all the more that this ministry is not of our own creation, because if it were, it would undoubtedly be flawed, sinners that we are. It is only by the blood of Christ that the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts at all, and it is he that causes streams of living water to flow from us, for his glory, and his glory alone.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Un
We are failures, one and all, but He has succeeded.
Un (Spring 2010)
Un-diligent am I
Unreliable
Unfaithful.
Unable to keep promises;
I just can’t follow through.
Untrustworthy am I
Unloving
Ungracious.
I tell you that I love you
but don’t act as if I do.
Unhappy am I.
Why can’t I be better?
Why can’t I be better?
Why?
Unlovely was He.
Unattractive
Un-respected.
but unending is His love
in the midst of his great pain.
Undaunted was He
as he died for the unlovely
as he died for the unfaithful
as he carried all my burdens
as he took what was my due.
Un-guilty am I
as I make him Lord and Master.
Un-anguished am I
as he takes my by the hand.
Unshackled am I
as he leads me in his victory
Lord, happy am I
when I am not me, but you!
Un (Spring 2010)
Un-diligent am I
Unreliable
Unfaithful.
Unable to keep promises;
I just can’t follow through.
Untrustworthy am I
Unloving
Ungracious.
I tell you that I love you
but don’t act as if I do.
Unhappy am I.
Why can’t I be better?
Why can’t I be better?
Why?
Unlovely was He.
Unattractive
Un-respected.
but unending is His love
in the midst of his great pain.
Undaunted was He
as he died for the unlovely
as he died for the unfaithful
as he carried all my burdens
as he took what was my due.
Un-guilty am I
as I make him Lord and Master.
Un-anguished am I
as he takes my by the hand.
Unshackled am I
as he leads me in his victory
Lord, happy am I
when I am not me, but you!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Free!
"The death he [Christ] died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ... For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law but under grace." --Romans 6:10-11, 14
God hit me between the eyes with this truth during my freshman year of college. I had been struggling with a particular sin for several years, often almost completely crushed by guilt, but I thought that was just the way it was. In this life, there are certain things you struggle with--besetting sins, if you will--that you just can't get free of until Heaven. But then we studied Romans 6 in our bible study, and everything changed. Then I dared to believe that scripture was true and that Paul wasn't kidding when he said that we are dead to sin. If you are dead to something, it no longer has control over you. When we're really tired and say we're "dead to the world," we usually mean that our surroundings (the world) have no impact on us and no influence. Likewise, since we are dead to sin, sin no longer has any necessary influence over us because we died and rose with Jesus. Seriously, this is a life changing truth!
Nevertheless, I forgot it.
For a while now I've been in a season where I feel like I'm just not growing in my walk with the Lord. I'm not really spending much time with the Lord because I often think I only want to read the word and become a woman of prayer just so I can feel good about myself. When someone asks about my summer, I want to be able to tell them all about how God is working in my life and feel that I have done what I was supposed to do. I am being crushed under the weight of rotten motives that I feel like I cannot escape.
Did you catch that? "I feel like I cannot escape." That is the lie. Are my motives sinful? Yes. Did Jesus die so I could be free from my rotten motives? Thanks be to God, Yes! I have succumbed to my sinful nature by letting this particular sin of bad motives control my life and my walk with the Lord. The truth is that I am dead to these motives. They have no control over me unless I give it to them. In Christ, I am free to confess my wrong motives and then continue to walk with the Lord!
We can say with Paul, "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it" (Rom. 8:12). Rather, we are able to run in the path of His commands, for he has set our hearts free! (Psalm 119:32)
God hit me between the eyes with this truth during my freshman year of college. I had been struggling with a particular sin for several years, often almost completely crushed by guilt, but I thought that was just the way it was. In this life, there are certain things you struggle with--besetting sins, if you will--that you just can't get free of until Heaven. But then we studied Romans 6 in our bible study, and everything changed. Then I dared to believe that scripture was true and that Paul wasn't kidding when he said that we are dead to sin. If you are dead to something, it no longer has control over you. When we're really tired and say we're "dead to the world," we usually mean that our surroundings (the world) have no impact on us and no influence. Likewise, since we are dead to sin, sin no longer has any necessary influence over us because we died and rose with Jesus. Seriously, this is a life changing truth!
Nevertheless, I forgot it.
For a while now I've been in a season where I feel like I'm just not growing in my walk with the Lord. I'm not really spending much time with the Lord because I often think I only want to read the word and become a woman of prayer just so I can feel good about myself. When someone asks about my summer, I want to be able to tell them all about how God is working in my life and feel that I have done what I was supposed to do. I am being crushed under the weight of rotten motives that I feel like I cannot escape.
Did you catch that? "I feel like I cannot escape." That is the lie. Are my motives sinful? Yes. Did Jesus die so I could be free from my rotten motives? Thanks be to God, Yes! I have succumbed to my sinful nature by letting this particular sin of bad motives control my life and my walk with the Lord. The truth is that I am dead to these motives. They have no control over me unless I give it to them. In Christ, I am free to confess my wrong motives and then continue to walk with the Lord!
We can say with Paul, "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it" (Rom. 8:12). Rather, we are able to run in the path of His commands, for he has set our hearts free! (Psalm 119:32)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Altars
The Lord delivered Noah and his family from the flood, and when Noah got off the ark, he built an altar to the Lord.
The Lord called Abram out of his homeland, away from his father's household. He promised to make Abram a great nation, a nation that would be a blessing to all other nations. Abram left, and along his way through the wilderness, he built altars and called on the name of the Lord.
The Lord led Joshua and the nation of Israel across the Jordan into the promised land. He gave them the victory over their enemies at Jericho and Ai. Then Joshua built an altar and all of Israel renewed the covenant with the Lord.
The pattern is familiar: The call of God. A step out onto the path in faith and obedience. Stops along the way to praise the Lord, to call to Him for help, to learn and to remember what He has done for us.
As pilgrims, called out of our former way of life to follow Jesus, let us also stop often along our journey to build altars and monuments, so we and those who come after us may not forget the faithfulness of the Lord our God!
It is my hope that this blog, if it continues, will be a place to stop and build altars.
The Lord called Abram out of his homeland, away from his father's household. He promised to make Abram a great nation, a nation that would be a blessing to all other nations. Abram left, and along his way through the wilderness, he built altars and called on the name of the Lord.
The Lord led Joshua and the nation of Israel across the Jordan into the promised land. He gave them the victory over their enemies at Jericho and Ai. Then Joshua built an altar and all of Israel renewed the covenant with the Lord.
The pattern is familiar: The call of God. A step out onto the path in faith and obedience. Stops along the way to praise the Lord, to call to Him for help, to learn and to remember what He has done for us.
As pilgrims, called out of our former way of life to follow Jesus, let us also stop often along our journey to build altars and monuments, so we and those who come after us may not forget the faithfulness of the Lord our God!
It is my hope that this blog, if it continues, will be a place to stop and build altars.
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