Presence

 

But when the time came for the kindness and love of God our Savior to appear, then he saved us—not because we were good enough to be saved but because of his kindness and pity—by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit…

—Titus 3:4-5 TLB

I remember it so clearly. As a college student, I was so blown away by the kindness of my uncle and aunt, who drove from Delaware to Houghton, New York, in order to attend my senior piano recital. They had already shaped my life in so many ways. My focus on music certainly came from their influence. In those days, it seemed to me like a very long way to drive, and a huge sacrifice of time. I remember the impact of their visit more than any other kindness on that night. To me, their presence meant deep love and caring. It revealed their sensibility and kindness.

I suppose Jesus could have stayed in heaven, sent new messages to new prophets, provided a new means of sacrifice for sins with the creation of new animals, or some other sacred rites, in order to satisfy the holiness of His Father and bring salvation to mankind. Instead, Jesus willingly came the very long way from Heaven. In so doing, He expressed to us His enormous love and unfailing kindness in a way that we could see, feel, hear, and experience, especially because we knew how unworthy we are to receive His mercy, grace, and love.

Certainly, my uncle and aunt could have attended a far superior piano concert in Washington D.C., or in Philadelphia—both cities much closer to their home in Delaware. Instead, they chose to come to a run-of-the-mill student senior recital, knowing the importance of the event to me.

Somehow, God’s coming to earth through His precious one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, lets us know that in His eyes we have inestimable value. God values us enough to sacrifice His Son to provide us a way to salvation. God obviously wanted to give us a living demonstration of His eternal love. He knew that through His Son, God’s presence would express His love like no other means could possibly express it.

Jesus’ very name means “presence.” To Joseph, the angel came in a kind and surprising visit to calm his fears and explain the strange happenings about to transpire. Matthew 1:23, re-quoting Isaiah 7:14, tells us the angel spoke these words:

“The virgin will be with child and will birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, ‘God with us.’”

Not only did Jesus come to us that first Christmas, but He still lives and loves and shows His kindness to us through His living presence in our lives by means of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit. In this year of lonely, toned-down celebration because of the pandemic restrictions, let us rejoice again. Yes, let us rejoice that not only did Jesus care enough to come that first Christmas, but He continues to show His love and caring in that He lives for us, prays for us, and brings His presence beside us in all sorts of ways we may never have expected.

Indeed, let us rejoice as we continue to await the kindness and love of our Savior this Christmas. He will give us His divine presence in new ways for our messed up, dark, and lonely world this Christmas Season of 2020.

 

 

Who is the Fairest?

 

He must increase, but I must decrease.

—John 3:30

We all can likely recall the wicked queen in the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, when she stands before a magic mirror and asks the question, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” hoping for the answer, “You, O Queen, are fairer than Snow White.”

This kind of jealousy has plagued the human race far before this Snow White story—published by Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and his brother, Wilhelm Carl Grimm—ever appeared in print. In fact, the first murder in the Bible concerns two brothers vying over which of their sacrifices should receive the most favor from God (please see Genesis 4).

We find this temptation to murder, even if only hidden in the hearts of men and women, throughout history. When Saul served as king of Israel and heard the crowds shouting that “Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands,” Saul set in motion the murderous plots to rid the world of this rival (please see 1 Samuel 18).

In the Christmas story, the Magi had followed the star they had seen in the sky. They had come to Jerusalem seeking the new King of Israel. Thinking that the present king might know the whereabouts of this future ruler, they stopped in the city to visit Herod and ask for a specific route.

I like the way that Angela Hunt, in her The Nativity Story, portrays the encounter between the Magi and the evil King Herod. Of course, we can’t know exactly the conversation and further discussions of the men from the East. But, Hunt’s description gives us a mental picture of the encounters. This comes from the story after their visit to the Christ Child. ¹

Melchior stroked his beard and considered Herod’s marble city. Perhaps God was warning him through the stars, or perhaps this conjunction [of stars] meant nothing. But an uneasiness moved at the core of his being, and he hadn’t liked the look of cunning he’d glimpsed in Herod’s eye.

Last night he’d seen that same look in a dream he had while dozing next to some talkative shepherd… “The one they call Herod the Great has murdered two sons and a wife,” Melchior said, picking up his reins. “I do not think he’d hesitate to kill an innocent child of Bethlehem, do you?”

Neither Gaspar nor Balthazar answered, but neither did they protest when Melchior turned his camel away from Herod’s city. They would take the road from Bethlehem to Jericho, heading east without returning to Jerusalem.

As it turned out, murderous Herod, after learning the biblical prophecy of a child, probably under two years old, had all the babies that age murdered in Bethlehem. Fortunately, as directed by God, Joseph, Mary, and the young child Jesus, had escaped to Egypt.

This sin of murderous jealousy, this wanting to be rid of our enemies, comes at us in so many tempting ways, even some that sound practically reasonable to us in our minds. Why not try to get rid of that school principal who constantly gives us a hard time? Why not get rid of my boss, in order to explain why I should get that achievement award above others? Why not exaggerate the troubles I’ve had from this or that person, so that I can look better in the eyes of my friends?

The Bible also has plenty of men and women who, because of their supernatural life of grace through Christ, have taken the route of humility, obedience, and submission to unfair suffering. John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest man to ever live, came introducing our Lord. John the Baptist lived humbly and prepared the people for the Greater One, Jesus. John the Baptist spoke the words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

During this Christmas season, let us contrast these two men and their reaction to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Herod on one hand—jealous, unhappy, murderous—and John the Baptist on the other hand—humble, obedient and submissive. How would our Lord have us live in our time, so that others see Him above our selfishness?

______________________

1 Hunt, Angela. The Nativity Story. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2006. Pp.177-178.

 

 

Revealed

 

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

—Isaiah 40:5

The verb “reveal” comes from the Latin word revelar meaning “to unveil.” It also means “to uncover” or “to make something that has been hidden known,” and also “to make a display of something.”

Certainly, God revealed Himself in a more understandable manner through the coming of the Babe in Bethlehem. Indicative of the blackness of the spiritual world, because of the silence of God’s prophets for 400 years, the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ came in the dark of night.

According to Luke 2, the shepherds—a rag-tag bunch of smelly animal herders—were the first to hear the announcement of the birth. On a dark hillside, it was revealed to them that a Savior had been born who would save them and save all mankind.

To accompany this revelation, the glory of the Lord came and shone from the heavens, accompanied by a enormous host of angels. God was revealing Himself to the world in a way that He had never done before.

We read in Daniel 2:28 that:

…there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, God revealed Himself to His people. In Jesus’ final hours, before He gave His life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world, in a prayer to His Father, Jesus told God that He had brought Him glory by completing His work and by revealing God to those to whom He was given.

The revelation of God’s means of salvation had come to Jesus’ followers through His preaching and teaching ministry, and through the use of the Old Testament Scriptures, many of which He openly displayed as never before.

It certainly stands to reason that the last Book of the Bible—the Book of Revelation—is named for the opening of our eyes to the future. To most of us, the mysteries of God’s plan do not stand out clearly, but are revealed as if behind a veil.

Yet, we have enough light to know that this same Jesus still has more to reveal to His people. We know from God’s written Word that Jesus will come back for His people, and will reveal Himself fully to us in a New Heaven and a New Earth.

During this Season of Advent, let us open our hearts, our minds, and our eyes to see all that our Lord wishes to reveal to us now. May we spend time in His presence, looking at the promises of His written Word and seeking Him.

Let us also pray that He would use us to help reveal His glory to the dark world around us. We can pray this verse from an Advent hymn: ¹

Redeemer, come!
     I open wide my heart to Thee:
     here, Lord, abide!
Let me Thy inner presence feel:
     Thy grace and love in us reveal.

______________________

1 Weissel, Georg. “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates.” Hymn in the Public Domain.

 

 

What if...?

 

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

—Matthew 1:20

Fears come to all of us. For this reason, Joseph and Mary certainly must have had tremendous apprehension after both of them had visitations from the angel of the Lord. They no doubt felt, in the depths of their spirits, one of the most common thoughts that we have as humans: “What if…?”

Joseph must have considered:

• “What if my reputation is ruined
  
  
• “What if I can no longer make a living in this town to support my wife and child?”
  
  
• “What if I am the only one to help Mary deliver her baby?”
  
  

Teen-age Mary must have questioned many things and wondered:

• “What if my parents don’t believe the word the angel gave to me?”
  
  
• “What if the baby comes while we are on the way to Bethlehem?”
  
  
• “What if there is no place where we can stay when we get there?”
  
  
• “What if robbers overpower us and take all we have?”
  
  
• “What if I have trouble in childbirth?”
  
  

Vaneetha Risner, in her book, The Scars That Have Shaped Me, develops this theme in one of the chapters. She reminds us: ¹

People in the Bible were unsettled by what-if questions, too. When he was told to lead the Israelites, Moses asked God, “What if they don’t believe me?” Abraham’s servant asked about Isaac’s future wife, “What if the young woman refuses to come with me?” Joseph’s brothers asked, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us?”

In the development of her book chapter, Risner wonders if instead of asking: “What if…?” we should declare: “Even if…” because we can be assured God will be there with us. As a positive example of this, she uses the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were not guaranteed deliverance from the fiery furnace.

Faced with imminent death, just before King Nebuchadnezzar sentence them to be placed into the fiery furnace, these three men replied to the King, as recorded in Daniel 3:17-18:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it… But even if he does not, we want you to know… that we will not serve your gods.”

Risner sums up their change of thinking with these words: ²

Even if. Those two simple words can take the fear out of life. Replacing “what if” with “even if” in our mental vocabulary is one of the most liberating exchanges we can ever make. We trade our irrational fears of an uncertain future for the loving assurance of an unchanging God. We see that even if the very worst happens, God will carry us. He will still be good. And he will never leave us.

Job came to a similar conclusion. In Job 13:15, the Patriarch states about God:

“Though [even if] he slay me, yet will I hope in him;”

We get a hint that the virgin Mary must have had this mindset, too. Though she didn’t share the words “What if…?” or “Even if…,” she did express her faith by speaking to the angel these words recorded in Luke 1:38:

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

As we live through frightening days and we ponder scary thoughts, we hear within our minds, these words:

Let us decide to trust in the God who will keep us even if our worst case scenarios happen.

May we stretch our faith in His power and love by holding very tightly to His mercy and grace. Amen.

______________________

1 Risner, Vaneetha Rendall. The Scars that Have Shaped Me. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Desiring God, 2016. Pp. 115-116.

2 Ibid. p. 118.

 

 

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.