The Cup

 

“This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.”

—Isaiah 51:22

Often in our culture, we lift the cup in celebration. That use of the cup signifies light-hearted camaraderie. Not so the cup in Scripture. Here, most often, the cup represents suffering arising from the wrath of God.

In Matthew 20:20-22, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John, came to Jesus asking if He would grant her the honor of having her sons sit on either side of Him in His kingdom. His response:

“You don’t know what you are asking.” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, we read in Matthew 26:39:

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

The cup indicates the retribution for sin that God needed to “pour out” on Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. He, the perfect Lamb, obeyed God’s plan and drank that cup for us.

In our Christian tradition, we pass the cup to one another during the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. We are part of the Body of Christ and need each other in the suffering of discipleship.

From Seek Treasures in Small Fields by Joan Puls, ¹ I read the following:

Draining the cup of suffering is the final test of our sincerity in claiming discipleship. We can expect no right or left hand seats of honor, no prerogatives of power or monopoly on truth, no thrones, no outsiders. But we can have the privilege of holding one another, broken and bruised, in the embrace of our circle, of keeping watch with the dying or keeping vigil with the condemned, of walking alongside the exiled and the weary, of standing at the foot of the cross, not in despair or in bitterness, but open to the miracle of the pending resurrection.

Because Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath for us, in the presence of our community of faith, we can drink our own cup of suffering that relates us to Him.

This Lenten season, when you take the cup as part of the Lord’s Supper, feast upon His obedience for our sake, and commit yourself to accept the cup He has for you as part of the fellowship of His sufferings.

May we be able to say with Paul, as he wrote in Philippians 3:10:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

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1 Quoted in Shawchuck, Norman and Rueben P. Job. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God. Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books, 2003.

 

 

Through Christ our Lord… 1

 

“Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)

What does it mean when we acknowledge all of the above requests we make in prayer to God by using the phrase “through Christ our Lord?” And, what impact does this acknowledgement have on our daily walk of obedience with Him?

Jesus told his disciples in John 14:6:

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In these few words, the Lord Jesus Christ declares Himself the sole means by which we connect with God. The use of the definite article, “the,” leaves room for no other way to God. Jesus is the way!

As bold as this declaration may seem, and as disappointing as it may appear to followers of all other religions, the Son of God declares Himself the definitive point of contact. In the reality of our daily lives, this confirms that—as we strive to obediently follow the pathway God has laid out for us—everything we do, everything we say, everything we accomplish, in fact, everthing we are comes through Jesus. He becomes the enabling pathway.

In John 14:26, Jesus declares:

²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So, God gives believers in Jesus the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and to become an internal counselor who will strive with us as we seek to enter into all things through the Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter what kind of trial or difficulty we may have to face, our sustaining encouragement and our exit strategy comes through Jesus. He is the One who enables us to draw sustenance from Him to face the time of trial. He is the One who directs our pathway along the road of obedience to His will and His Word. He is the One who will protect us from the onslaught of our enemies and confirm for us the support of our friends.

And, part of the beauty of His Abiding Presence is the reality that He fulfills, moment-by-moment, His promise from John 15:5-8:

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

We must remain in Him. We must move through Him. We must experience through Him. We must enjoy through Him. We must love through Him. We must obey through Him.

God accomplishes His will and purpose in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, we accomplish God's perfect will for us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. All that we have and all the we are comes as a precious gift from God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

To walk the pathway of obedience, we must follow the writer of Hebrews' instruction in Hebrews 12:1-3:

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, 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. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Join me, won’t you, in living this day in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Allow the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to carry you along the pathway of true obedience that God has laid out before you. Release every obstacle that arises into the protective arms of Jesus. And, experience the joy of His peace.

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1 adapted from Wilson, Dean K. Blog: “Suppressing-the-Fire” dated April 11, 2011. Copyright ©2011. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Consider My Sighing 1

 

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

—Psalm 5:1-3

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting, and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is based on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, as recorded in Luke 4:1-14. When faced with repentance, one of the more common emotional expressions is the sigh. Do you find yourself sighing during Lent?

The sigh is one of the most effective and most annoying forms of non-verbal communications. The very nature of the vocal mechanics that produce a sigh virtually guarantees that the sigh will call attention to itself.

“What’s the matter?”

“What? Why?”

“You sighed—a big one. What’s wrong?”

Sound familiar? Especially between married couples, or close friends, or workplace colleagues, the sigh holds a potency that almost defies measurement.

Throughout the course of our daily lives, we sigh many times. Sometimes the sigh comes from frustration. Sometimes it comes from annoyance. Sometimes it comes from heartache or despair. Sometimes the sigh represents failure, depression, or even grief.

Whatever purpose any particular sigh may have in your life, or in mine, a sigh certainly had a place of honor in the life of King David.

In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, David prays earnestly and fervently to God. He asks God to make His ears available to hear the words David intends to speak. He asks God to “consider my sighing…” and to “…listen to my cry for help…” David knew that God willingly offered to bend His ear so that He could hear the soft whisper of that potent non-verbal sigh.

How do you suppose you would react when you sighed if, in the inner voice of your mind and heart, you heard God respond, “Yes, my dearly loved child. I hear your sigh”?

I imagine His answer would startle you. But I also suspect that when you thought about it for a while, the very fact that God answered your sighing would give you comfort and even joy.

The God who created us—the One who chose us before the foundation of the earth to belong to Him—does indeed “consider our sighing.” He watches over us with even greater attention than the very best loving and caring guardian. He longs to receive our communications. And, He remains eager to speak to us, to have a conversation with us.

That’s why it is so important to set aside a specific period of time each day to read God’s Word and pray. Making room in our daily schedule to build on the foundation of our relationship with the God who loves us is always time well spent.

No matter what trial, temptation, discouragement, or concern you may face today, please remember you do not have to greet that trouble alone. God is with you. If you belong to Him, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. God waits patiently so that He may “consider your sighing.”

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1 adapted from Wilson, Dean K. Blog: "Suppressing-the-Fire" dated March 26, 2012. Copyright ©2012. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Alert!

 

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

—1 Peter 5:8-

The naive join our churches and even sit on our boards. Often these people have grown up in Christian families—or at least church-attending families—and stay within the bounds of like-minded friendships throughout their lives. They know sin is “out there” but think very little about it.

Oh, they certainly would have to leave the world we live in not to know that rapes and murders and robberies and evil dictators exist, but they haven’t yet comprehended the closeness of very real evil to their personal existence. They certainly don’t often consider the sin that may have found its way into their own lives.

Asleep Christians don’t recognize the Tempter when he shows his subtle wares. Most times, the “small” sins that tempt them go unnoticed until they develop into full-blown scandalous desires and actions. Scripture warns us to “be alert.”

Revelation 12:10 names Satan as the “Accuser of the Brothers.” He beguiles us into sin and then stands back and accuses us when we fall, making us feel as though God could never forgive us.

Satan also trips up Christians in their naivety by planting seeds of deadly poison in church congregations. These sinful plots will lead to the destruction of Christian discipleship, fellowship, and even whole churches.

While we shouldn’t seek to find Satan under every pew and look skeptically at all with whom we worship, we must realize that Christ wants mature and discerning followers who recognize sin before it has a chance to grow and flourish in our churches. Scripture warns us to be “alert.”

In Matthew 10:16 Jesus Himself warned his disciples to be “shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.” We do have an enemy who desires to destroy us. Therefore, we pray with Christ, “Deliver us from the Evil One.”

As my friend, Dr. David Mains, once preached: “Satan’s desire is to destroy. God’s desire is to equip. And, our opportunity is to overcome.” If we stay alert to sin, and alert to God’s ability to equip us with His grace and insight, we can overcome the temptations that come into our own hearts and minds. Furthermore, we can also serve Him within our churches by watching and working against destructive forces.

Rejoice in the overcoming nature of God’s Holy Spirit and be grateful for the weapons He provides against our deadly foe!

 

 

Clinging

 

“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

—Psalm 63:7-8

It has always been my theory that those who stay close to God, who maintain open lines of communication with Him, who do everything possible to avoid missing church services, these ones will live in the place of blessing. I think Scripture teaches this, too.

In John 15:7 (KJV), we read:

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Abiding means, sticking around, remaining with Christ at all times, continually clinging to His every word.

Here’s what Charles Spurgeon says about this verse:

All true believers abide in Christ in a sense; but there is a higher meaning, and this we must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne. “Ask what ye will” is for Enochs who walk with God, for Johns who lie in the Lord’s bosom, for those whose union with Christ leads to constant communion. ¹

Like a child who can’t leave his mother’s side, who clings whenever he thinks she will leave him, we should stick close to Christ. The place of answered prayer, blessed communion, even miracles of God’s grace all belong to these people.

When Lazarus died, as is recorded in John 11:32, Mary was rightly upset because Jesus had not come and prevented his death. When Jesus finally did come, and Mary met Him:

“…she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’”

In this situation, it seemed to her that she had tried to cling to Him, but He had left these friends alone in their hour a need.

Yet, the very fact that Jesus came, called for Mary, wept with her and ultimately brought back her brother Lazarus back to life, speaks of her reward for “abiding” or “clinging” to Him.

I like what 18th century commentator, Matthew Henry, wrote about this verse:

“Those that in a day of peace place themselves at Christ’s feet, [as Mary did in Luke 10:39] to receive instructions from him, may with comfort and confidence in a day of trouble cast themselves at his feet with hope to find favor with him.” ²

Thus we see that true friends of Christ stay close to Him in good times as well as bad. Those He knows best, and who know Him best, live in the path of rich blessings, magnificent fellowship, and answered prayer.

May we all draw near to Him in faith and enjoy His peace!

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1 Spurgeon, Charles H. Faith’s Checkbook. Chicago: Moody Press, (no copyright date available).

2 Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. London: MacDonald Publishing Co., (no copyright date available). Vol. V. Pg. 1053

 

 

Spring Cleaning

 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

—Psalm 139:23-24

After a long winter of road sand tracked into the house and the build up of dust and grime that hides in the darker days of winter, the time comes for a good spring cleaning. My mother and grandmothers pulled everything out of pantries and cupboards, wiped down walls, and scrubbed floors. They laundered bed linens and window curtains, polished silver and swept away cobwebs.

Similarly, but more strictly, the Jewish people prepare for a full month before Passover by thoroughly cleansing their homes from all “chametz” or leavening products. Just after the Israelites left Egypt and took with them unleavened bread, God prescribed for their celebration in Exodus 12:15 that they were to:

…remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

Even today, Orthodox Jews search for bread crumbs under the cushions of sofas and chairs. They look in the pockets of jackets and slacks and remove every trace of leaven. The kitchen appliances get a complete cleaning. Once they finish cleaning the rooms, no one is allowed to eat in them until the celebration of Passover has ended.

Jesus referred to “leaven” as belief in the wrong thinking of the Scribes and Pharisees. The Apostle Paul, referring to sin in believers’ lives in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 wrote:

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The leaven represents to us anything that corrupts and keeps our inner lives from being the temple where the Lord God may dwell through the Holy Spirit. In these days, we need to doggedly search out every trace of sin that would keep us from following Christ with our whole beings.

Puritan writer, John Gibbon preached these words ¹:

Do not be a stranger to yourself. Unlock your bosom, and ransack every corner of your heart. Make a diligent search. Feel the pulse of your soul. Don’t let any region of your mind be undiscovered. Watch how the tempter has taken advantage of you in the past. Make these searches daily and compare them to the eternal law of God. These considerations will greatly help in the prevention and cure for the sins which so easily beset us.

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1 From “Puritan Sermons,” by John Gibbon as quoted in Rushing, Richard, editor. Voices from the Past. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009.

 

 

Cruise Control

 

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

—Proverbs 3:6

I know people who like using the cruise control in their cars. Not me! There’s something about trusting myself and my passengers to a machine that maintains a constant speed as we rocket down the highway that makes me very uncomfortable. I would much rather control my own pace from moment to moment.

My attitude towards cruise control makes me think about my life, as I travel with God “at the wheel,” so to speak. I often feel uncomfortable giving Him the controls, too. Yet, there comes a time when He asks all of us to trust Him with the steering wheel, the accelerator, the brake, and all other “controls” we may have over our lives—especially when the road isn’t clear and visibility seems especially poor!

I think of Abraham. In Hebrews 11:8 we read:

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Now that’s giving up control! The Bible tells us of other times in Abraham’s life when he trusted God’s leading even though it must have made more sense to do something else.

We see the reason why we call Abraham the “Father of our Faith.” His faith in God controlled his actions time and again. And, because of that, Abraham saw magnificent acts of God’s power and love.

We also clearly see when we read the account of Abraham’s life that those times when he did not choose to obediently take his hands off the wheel of his life and surrender to God’s control were the times that he faltered. The consequences of those few times when Abraham pushed God’s hands out of the way and all-too-eagerly grasped the wheel for himself have reverberated down through the pages of history, right up to the present day.

It always helps to remember Who controls the wheel. While good driving for me may mean disengaging the cruise control, good faith means putting all we see and can’t see through the windshield totally in the control of our God. We can rely on His vision, His hearing, His wisdom, His reflexes, and, of course, His unfailing love.

Join me in learning to “cruise” through this life giving up the control to the One who loves us best and Who can always see what’s around the corner of the road ahead. There are no accidents on the road He chooses for us. And, though it may seem rough, narrow, steep, and dangerous at times, it is always in our very best interest to leave the driving of our lives to Him!