Pray for President Obama today as he receives his daily security and economic briefings with key advisors. Pray also for President and Mrs. Obama as this evening they host an evening celebrating poetry, music and the spoken word in the East Room of the White House. Pray for God's presence and for grace to surround the family...
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise.
David "expresses his persuasion that nothing less than a miracle could effect his reformation, and emphatically declares that repentance is the gift of God. He acknowledges that we are indebted entirely to the grace of God, both for our first regeneration, and, in the event of our falling, for subsequent restoration."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"The Gospel of God's Glory"
1 Timothy 1:11
in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
We're still discussing the use and abuse of the Law as given in the Old Testament, or the Torah, as it is known by the Jews. It must be seen in the light of the gospel, because the gospel gives us life. The Mosaic Law alone, cannot make us "spiritually well." The proper usage of the Law is to confront sin and point to Jesus. The gospel is the solution to the problem that the Law identifies. "If the Mosaic law is used for speculation or preached as a way to earn the Lord's favor, it is not rightly read in light of the good news of God's salvation."
Then a bold statement is made. "Our individual redemption, while a gift of the gospel, is not the final goal of the gospel."
What???? That sure doesn't agree with most modern-day evangelical preaching, does it? But it is a true statement. Read it again.
"Our individual redemption, while a gift of the gospel, is not the final goal of the gospel."
The glory of God is the ultimate goal of the good news. The glory of God is the ultimate goal of everything.
Matthew Henry wrote this: "Much of the glory of God appears in the works of creation and providence, but much more in the gospel, where it shines in the face of Jesus Christ." The writers of Tabletalk continue: "True preaching of the gospel must include news of the Lord's holiness, justice, and grace, and if any of these are left out, then the glory of God is obscured because His character is not fully declared." Wow! Yes! I agree with this 100%.
The gospel is not about us. It is about God.
Week 4/Tuesday "Conduct and Character"
Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Repetition of actions over time, otherwise known as "conduct," produces character. But character also determines action. "What we do, we become; what we are, we do."
Ouch.
When Paul was shipwrecked on Malta, the natives built a fire for the refugees. Paul gathered some wood for the first, and in the process, got snakebit. Why was Paul gathering wood for a fire built by someone else? It was in his character to serve.
"Because conduct determines character, and character determines conduct, it's vitally important--extremely necessary--that we practice godliness every day."
"Every day that we're not practicing godliness we're being conformed to the world of ungodliness around us."
Ouch again.
Jesus discusses what defiles a person in Mark 7:16-23. He essentially declares all foods to be clean by declaring that nothing that goes into a man can make him clean or unclean. Rather it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
At the end of chapter 8, Jesus basically defines discipleship. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life?"
These are some of the most difficult sayings of Jesus. Verse 34 is probably the hardest thing Jesus ever said. "Deny yourself." "Take up your cross and follow me." What is a "cross?" I'll tell you what it is not. It is not an illness or infirmity. It is not something over which you have no control. I've heard it said, "That's just my cross to bear," about things that are out of people's control. No. It isn't. My cross is that which I can choose to pick up. I am never forced to carry a cross. I must make a conscious effort to first deny myself, THEN take up my cross and follow Jesus.
I confess that I have done a pretty poor job of this.
There's a humorous story in chapter 9. In verses 33-37, they come back to Capernaum, and Jesus asks the disciples what they were talking about. They wouldn't answer. I can picture rather sheepish looks on their faces, not wanting to look Jesus in the eyes. Why? Because they were arguing amongst themselves over who was the greatest! Obviously, they have NOT been paying attention, eh? At this point, Jesus utters those famous words, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." Then he gets a child, takes him in his arms and says, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
Also, in chapter 9, is a statement of Jesus that is rarely heard in a sermon. In verses 38-41, the disciples tell Jesus that they saw someone else casting out demons in his name! *gasp* They tried to stop them from doing so. But Jesus says these words: "...the one who is not against us is for us." You always hear the opposite of that preached. "He who is not for us is against us." But seldom do we hear this one preached. Wonder why?
What can I learn from these readings?
First, that it is not what I eat or drink that makes me clean or unclean. It is what comes out of my heart. My thoughts, my words, attitudes that drive my actions.
If I want to be a disciple of Jesus, I must deny myself. I must make a conscious choice to carry my cross, whatever that may turn out to be. In many cases, I believe that the "cross" can be something as simple as being identified with Jesus. That is getting more and more difficult as time goes by.
Children are important to Jesus. He made this clear several times. And if we want to be "first," we'd better take care of them. We'd better be having a servants heart and be about being "last."
Finally, just because someone doesn't believe exactly the way I do, doesn't make them not a Christian. This is, perhaps, one of the most important points of the day. We Christians tend to be very bad about wounding our own soldiers with "friendly fire." Brothers and sisters, that should not be. It's tragic.
Help me to deny myself. I'm such a self-seeking person. I can't even come up with words at this point.
Help me find my cross again, Jesus.
I think I laid it down somewhere...
Grace and peace, friends...