Everlasting Abba

 

And he will be called… Everlasting Father.

—Isaiah 9:6

God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

—Galatians 4:6

What’s in a name? In the Bible, names take on a specific meaning for the individual. A person’s name offered a unique label for the person to whom it was given. This is much more true for the names given by God for Himself. The lovely name, “Abba,” holds a special place in Scripture as one of the very few Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic terms that scholars have not translated for us into English.

In 21st century Israel, the appellation “Abba” still holds much the same place as it did in ancient usage. This directly relates in the same way as the word “Daddy” does in our current American milieu. Little ones in ancient times also related to their fathers in this familiar way.

However, in New Testament times when referring to their fathers, the term “Abba” was used by adults equally as much as the term was used by children. In the spiritual world, the term “Abba” contained the sense of God as the Holy One, Revealer of Mysteries, Creator, and more, yet one who had a relationship with a devoted, obedient son or daughter. Thus, “Abba” became a more grown-up term of deep respect and honor with the affection of a personal relationship added into the meaning.

In her book, The Scars That Have Shaped Me, Vaneetha Rendall Risner¹ writes a chapter titled: “How to Pray When Life Falls Apart.” In this chapter, she looks at Jesus in His most agonizing moments and the way He teaches us to pray in our worst dilemmas. She quotes the verse from Mark 14:36:

“‘Abba,’ Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Here Jesus used the most intimate of familiar names for His Heavenly Father and called Him “Abba.” In this one word, Jesus testified, not only of His love for the Father, but of the love the Father had for Him.

When we come to God in prayer during our times of greatest anguish and pain, using the name, “Abba” for our Father reminds us of the relationship we have with Him as His dearly loved children. During these times of difficulty and distress, we need that relationship the most.

In many cases, fear accompanies the days when we experience trouble. In Romans 8:15, the Apostle Paul reminds Christians of an important fact:

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.”

In our pain, we must go to God. If we hold an intimate relationship with Him, we have every right to call Him “Abba.” Remember, that even Jesus, in His fear and agony, needed His “Abba,” too.

______________________

1 Risner, Vaneetha Rendall, The Scars That Have Shaped Me. Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2016. Pp.57-58.

 

 

Built for Thanksgiving

 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

—Psalm 100:4

In downtown Dallas, Texas, we can see a beautiful area named Thanksgiving Square. It has an interesting history:

Researchers and spiritual leaders discovered a long history of “giving and living thanks” in Dallas. Thanksgiving—gratitude in action—was recognized as a human universal, present in cultures and faith traditions around the world. The Thanks-Giving Foundation was chartered to create a public space in the heart of the city dedicated in gratitude to God and to the “most ancient and enduring of American traditions.”

Forming the first public-private venture in the city’s history, the Thanks-Giving Foundation worked with the City of Dallas to acquire land in 1968. Construction began in 1973. Designated as one of the region’s American Revolution Bicentennial Projects, the Chapel of Thanksgiving and the Bell Tower were dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1976. President Gerald Ford recognized Thanks-Giving Square as a “major national shrine.” The remainder of the grounds opened in 1977, two hundred years after General George Washington proclaimed the first national Day of Thanksgiving on request of the Continental Congress.

At the east end of Thanks-Giving Square stands the interfaith Chapel of Thanksgiving, a curving white structure symbolizing the ancient spiral of life and suggesting the infinite upward reach of the human spirit. A 100-foot-long bridge crosses the Great Fountain to arrive at the Chapel, which serves as a gathering place and a spiritual center for the daily life of the city. ¹

While we rejoice in the beauty of the architecture and the exquisite design of mosaics, stained glass, engraving, and graphic art of such a structure, we recognize that God looks at each of us and searches for the exquisite beauty of what He has made in us through the in-dwelling Holy Spirit. He planned and fashioned our bodies as temples of His Spirit. He asks us, through the lips of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

He reminds us that our lives were built for the purpose of worshiping Him. In Romans 12:1 we read these words of the Apostle Paul:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”

God looks for the work of His artistry in us. He looks for His sparkling glory in our countenances. He looks for the jewels of His carving. He looks for the engraving of His written Word on our hearts. He looks for the music of our praise. And, He looks for the ringing tones of His joy over us.

When we live our lives devoted to Him, giving ourselves to service and to continual thanksgiving, He uses us as a beautiful monument of His workmanship. Let us enjoy this time of national Thanksgiving by lifting our hearts and hands in gratitude to God for all that He has done in and through us. Let us thank Him for bringing us this far by faith. And, let us thank Him for His promises to love and keep us to the end. Hallelujah!

______________________

1 from the website of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, Dallas, TX

 

 

Meditate

 

May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

—Psalm 104:34

When we counsel fellow believers to spend time each day reading Scripture, we often use the additional encouragement to “meditate” on God’s written Word. Have you ever wondered what we mean by the word “meditate”?

The dictionary defines the word “meditate” as follows:

…think deeply or carefully about something; focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes, or as a method of relaxation.

So, when we encourage a fellow believer to spend time each day reading, studying, and meditating on God’s written Word, we intend to encourage that one to not only read very carefully and study intently the Scriptural text, we also seek to motivate that one to think deeply about what God desires to communicate with us through the text He has inspired the various biblical writers to share with us.

The Puritan writer, George Swinnock, has written often about the subject of what it means to “meditate.” For example, drawing from just one passage in the somewhat exhaustive five volume collection of Swinnock’s writings, we find this helpful passage: ¹

Meditation prepares the heart for prayer. Meditate on your sins and hunt them out of their lurking holes; this helps in our confession. Meditate on your needs, for God is fully able to supply them. Consider what you need—pardoning, mercy, strength for victory, power against sin—that you may entreat God to give them to you. Meditate upon His mercies to you from birth. Look at the dangers you have been delivered from, the journeys you have been protected in, the seasonable help He has sent you, the suitable support He has afforded you in distress, the counsel He has given you in doubts, and the comforts He has provided you in sorrow and darkness. These are present with you by meditation.

Every breath in your life is a gift of mercy. Do not forget the former favours bestowed on you and your family. An empty perfume bottle still smells when the perfume is gone. Then meditate upon your present mercies. How many do you enjoy—your house, family, body, and soul, are all fully of blessings! Think of them particularly. Spread them out like jewels to you view. Meditate on how freely they are bestowed, on their fullness and greatness.

But O, your soul’s mercies—the image of God, the blood of Christ, eternal life, and seasons of grace! Your whole life is a bundle of mercies. These stir us up to bless the Giver.

Then meditate on God to whom we pray. O how we are ashamed of our drops when we stand by this ocean! Meditate on His mercy and goodness. These like Moses’ strokes will fetch water our of a rock.

God delights to be sought and found. He delights to see men joyful in the house of prayer. God will not send you away sad. When you have by meditation put the wood in order upon the altar, you may by prayers set fire to it and offer up a sacrifice of sweet smelling savour.

As we move through the days ahead, let us determine to set aside time to read, study, and meditate on God’s precious written Word. As we allow the words of our God to wash over our beings, we will arise from our time with Him with minds and hearts refreshed and renewed.

______________________

1 Swinnock, George. Works of George Swinnock. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1992. Volume 1, Pp. 111-117.

 

 

Re-formation

 

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

—Jeremiah 18:4

Please look carefully at the photograph that begins this blog post. Notice the strength, skill, delicacy, and purposefulness that flows from the hands of the potter.

The potter must feel free when creating this art to know that if the pot comes out wrong, the potter can re-form it by simply adding a little water and starting over. However, the time to reshape and change the final look of the object does have a limit. Once the pot’s clay hardens, re-forming the pot becomes almost impossible.

The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah used the image of the potter and the clay that God gave the potter from the ground as a narrative to warn the nation of Israel about the danger prescribed by their hardened and rebellious hearts. The Lord literally cried out to His people to allow Him to re-form them as He pleased, in order to make them a nation He could use for His glory.

If you use your English dictionary to look up the meaning of the word “reform,” you will find descriptive words like:

“…to amend or improve by removal of faults; to put an end to an evil by enforcing or introducing a better course of action; to form again.”

How does a potter take a clay object and re-form it? First, and most importantly, the clay must remain soft and pliable. To correct the flaws in a piece of pottery, the potter can rub out the mistakes. The potter can even change the object for a use other than the use the potter first intended. This formation takes place within the potter’s hands. But, to truly form clay into something wholly worthwhile, it most often takes an artistic and a creative touch by someone who takes special care.

If the clay pot hardens before the process has finished, the potter can no longer re-form it. Instead the potter has to break it into pieces and begin again with a new slab of workable clay.

Similarly, the Prophet Jeremiah knew the hardness of the hearts of the people. In Chapter 19 of the book that bears Jeremiah’s name, the Lord tells him to use as an illustration a new clay jar. God instructs Jeremiah to break it into pieces while the people watch. And then, warn them that He will smash the nation of Israel in such a way that it can’t be repaired.

As followers of Jesus, God serves the role of our Potter. We become the clay in His creative and artistic hand. If we allow Him to hold us lovingly in His hands and to mold us into whatever shape He desires, God can more readily use us for His divine purposes.

But, in contrast, if we allow our hearts to harden and if we turn away from the Potter, He can only use us if He first breaks us. How much more easily the course of our lives will go, if we willingly allow the re-forming process by our Potter, the Great Artist.

I am reminded of the words to the hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” by Adelaide Pollard. ¹

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

As you consider these thoughts I’ve shared, I invite you to please pray this prayer with me:

Heavenly Potter, please mold us into the people You wish us to become. Re-form those of us who have pliable hearts and make us into useful vessels. Re-form our gifts and our energies for Your glory. Re-form our churches, our desires, and our plans. Help us to allow You the freedom to form us anew, according to Your good purpose and grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

______________________

1 Pollard, Adelaide. “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” A hymn in the Public Domain.

 

 

The Sharpest Knife

 

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

—Hebrews 4:12

Do you have a favorite kitchen knife? I do. Whenever I want to make quick work of cutting through meat, or bread, or pie, or just about anything, I go to the same knife. I must always keep it sharpened for the next job I require of it.

The writer of Hebrews states that God’s word, even sharper than a scalpel, penetrates and divides the very inner workings of our body and soul. Have you ever experienced that kind of inner surgery?

I remember a few times in my life when sin clearly came into focus through the written Word of God, or from faithful preaching of that written Word. I particularly remember the actual physical reaction I experienced, knowing that I had to confess my sin, or take some other bold step that God was asking me to take. This painful process changed me and brought healing to me.

In our study of the Bible, we can see the difference the word from God made in the life of the nation of Israel. In the time of King Josiah, the king determined to purify the land and the temple and set to repairing it. In the process, one of the priests found the Book of the Law and read it to the king. Beginning in 2 Chronicles 34:19, we read these words:

When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders… “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book”…

[This is what the Lord says:]… “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you,” declares the Lord.

Scripture tells another story of the cutting power of the word of God. All the people that had returned to Jerusalem after the exile had assembled and Ezra the scribe brought out the Book of the Law. Beginning in Nehemiah 8:5 we read the following words:

Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up… [the Levites] read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

We see here some of the sharp, effective results that God’s word had in the hearts of His people. Do we still hear God’s word that way when we read and study our Bibles?

I have a feeling that in our culture, so plentiful in podcasts and TED talks and conferences with inspiring speakers, God’s favorite knife may have gotten lost in some “drawer.” Maybe God is calling us back to the sacred Book, to the pure written Word of the Lord.

Let us pray that in this day of so many voices, we begin to hear again the word that cuts to the quick, that changes lives, that excises that which only God can see. Oh, Lord, help us to find that powerful “knife” that accomplishes the work that only You can do through Your word!

 

 

Sleeping in Church

 

“Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God… If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief.”

—Revelation 3:2, 3

I can remember my father and other farmers who sometimes fell asleep during church services. Most people excused such behavior because these men had arisen at 5:00 a.m. and spent hours milking cows and doing other necessary chores before they rushed in, changed their clothes, and headed out the doors of their homes on the Lord’s Day.

How do you think our God reacts to see His people not only sleeping in church, but unconsciously living each day in a kind of “sleep walk”? What might God have to say to those “sleep walkers”?

The Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and warned seven prominent churches of deadly habits that would keep God from using them. Most of those churches were pretty useless for the purposes He had created them. In the case of the church in Sardis, He stated that they had a wonderful reputation of wakefulness, of life, and of vigor.

However, like the farmers in my illustration, the Sardis Christians had fallen asleep and displayed only dead works. They were seemingly asleep to what God wanted to do with them. They needed a reawakening.

This letter from John should have stirred them back to their call to effectiveness. John called them to strengthen what remained of their glorious past and to stop slipping ever closer to a deadly sleep.

I like what the Puritan, William Gurnall, wrote about this condition:¹

The Christian is seldom worsted by his enemy unless he is negligent in his spiritual business and the enemy is upon him before he is thoroughly awake to draw his sword. The saint’s sleeping time is Satan’s tempting time…

Sampson was asleep, and Delilah cut his locks. Saul was asleep, and his spear was taken from his side. Noah was asleep, and his graceless son had opportunity to discover his father’s nakedness. Eutychus was asleep, and he fell from the third loft.

The Christian asleep in security may soon be surprised and lose much of his spiritual strength…

Sleep creeps upon the soul as it does on the body. Take heed that you do not indulge yourself in a lazy distemper, but stir up yourself to action, and stand up.

We get so comfortable that sleep comes easily. Yet, the “thief” is upon us. We need the wakeful, vigilant pose of Christians ready to act on behalf of the Savior in this world. God help us all!

Lord, Your church appears asleep, or at best, very drowsy. We have allowed our eyelids to get heavy, rather than standing tall to move at Your command.

Send us watchmen to warn us. Sound “Reveille” and reawaken Your church. Alert us to dangers that have intruded into our bed chambers and wait to kill us in our sleep.

Stir us up. As You awoke our churches in times past, come again and reawaken Your people for Your glory, through the power of Christ our Lord. Amen.

______________________

1 Gurnall, William (author) and Richard Rushing (editor). Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Reading. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 358.

 

 

Evaporating

 

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

—James 4:14

I used to teach the following folk round to my third and fourth graders:

Man’s life’s a vapor full of woes.
He cuts a caper, down he goes.
Down he, down he, down he, down he,
Down he goes.

                —Anonymous

Of course, along with the music, I also had to teach some vocabulary—words that they probably had not heard. I always wondered how many of them had ever been faced with the proposition of their own deaths, and how many people that I knew actually gave it much thought.

As I have moved into retirement, I acknowledge that the prospect of death is far too real. The very idea of death fills the minds of most people with a least a little bit of horrible apprehension. The unknown nature of death tends to do that.

As Christians, I would imagine that we have far less apprehension than our non-Christian peers. We know what Jesus has said in His written Word about the fact that He has gone to prepare a place for us. (John 14:2). We also know from His “High Priestly Prayer” that He wants us to live with Him in His glory. (John 17:24). If we have a strong desire to see our Lord in the afterlife, we have a much more healthy view of physical death, especially as it draws near.

I would also imagine that both non-Christians and Christians alike have the same desires to make the most of our lives in the later years. Knowing that the days evaporate before our eyes, we want to do and continue to become that which will count.

Non-Christian people may desire to spend more time with family, or travel, or put their minds to learning new things, or experience completing the items on their “bucket lists.”

However, Christians, beyond all such similar desires, have the foremost desire to allow God to use them and to sanctify them fully, in order to prepare them to live forever in His presence. This gives us a far different set of priorities.

During this COVID-19 pandemic have you felt, like I do, that “time is a-wasting”? We know what we would like to do for God and His church, but we feel that our hands seem tied at every turn.

Let me offer some ideas for ways in which we can still make the most of the days we spend during the pandemic. Though God never tells us how long a particular trial will last—and He certainly has not let us know about the length of this pandemic—He has given us specific ways that He expects us to serve Him. For example:

• How can we find a better time in which to pray for others than during this crisis?
  
  
• The written Word of God speaks to us about praying for those in authority, both civically and spiritually.
  
  
• The written Word of God speaks to us about loving others and giving generously.
  
  
• The written Word of God tells us to study God’s written Word, to meditate and encourage others with that Word.
  
  
• The written Word of God speaks often of sharing our faith with the next generation.
  
  
• The written Word of God also urges us to remember the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the widows, and the orphans.
  
  

Many of these activities may not appeal to our natural sense of accomplishment. But, in God’s eyes, these living acts of sharing God’s grace may hold a much more important place than we would normally give to them in our lives.

Let us remain faithful, doing those tasks nearby, searching and praying for ways in which the Lord would use us in these days. And, let us fervently pray that the Church will rise from this time of forced sleep with an energy that spurns us onward toward a much greater usefulness and power in the days to come.