First Steps in the New Year
Psalm 111 ~ Holy and Awesome is His Name
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. Psalm 111:10
The psalmist records the penultimate bit of wisdom in the closing stanza of this psalm, immortalizing it and placing it in a context that one would find difficult to challenge. Has God not displayed miraculous works? Is His righteousness in question? Has He provided redemption for those who love Him? Without question the answers to these musings direct us to the same conclusion as the psalmist; love and obedience of the Lord is the foundation upon which wisdom is built.
The proverbial saying is not found in isolation. A survey finds that the Spirit had provided this nugget to many authors:
And he said to man, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” Job 28:28
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7
Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” Genesis 20:11
Many are the interpersonal relationships that are marked with tension because we fail to give them the consideration that Abraham does. It is impossible to find balance if one party does not share the love of God that grips the other. Those who do not know God will default to self satisfaction rather than the self sacrifice of the follower of Jesus. Peace is found through the removal of assumptions and an extra measure of grace.
Grace and peace to your spirit..
image Gin Fizz
A Closer Walk with Thee
Living Close to God by Gene Edwards
Never forget that even those among us who are spiritually dense have a wonderful chance of knowing Christ in the depths.
Author Gene Edwards saves this pithy promise until the very end of the brief guide, though it would have served well in the introductory pages. In an everyman’s spiritual disciplines guide, Edwards attempts to remove the layers of challenge and mysticism that often accompany the Christian’s attempt to deepen the bond between Savior and self. On many levels Living Close to God succeeds in this objective, but on others the authors suggested practices don’t seem to bear fruit.
Edwards strives first to change the nature of a core spiritual practice, prayer. Laying a foundation that paints the average prayer as a one-way list of petitions, the author transforms the 23rd psalm from a memory exercise to a personal communiqué to God. He suggests that by personalizing the words we transform our prayer from impersonal to personal and feeling the presence of Christ in the words and, by extension, in real conversation with us. Nothing complicated, nothing too mystical. The simplicity of Edwards ideas is immediately applicable and can be beneficial for Christians who have tried other, more complex methods of deepening their faith.
Each of the tools that the author includes has but a single objective, a greater awareness of the presence of God. Much like Brother Lawrence, Edwards is rooted in reality of a workaday life. He strives to find “hooks” throughout the day which serve as reminders of God’s intimate immediacy and ways in which the spiritually aware Christian can partake of that communion. These tools are packed into a short book that can be read quickly. The organization could stand some improvement as the chapters that are only a few pages in length seem more like random thoughts that the author wanted to include rather than parts of a cohesive whole.
I am grateful to Waterbrook Press who provided this book for review.
Psalm 110 ~ Sit at My Right Hand
He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook beside way; therefore he will lift up his head. Psalm 110:6-7
Certainly not a psalm that will find its way into worship very often, the psalter includes oracles such as this as Israel looked forward to the coming of the Messianic King-Priest. The imagery of bloodshed and the defeat of enemies make modern ears cringe, living as we do in the era of the Prince of Peace. This is a clue to our reading though, as the spirit-inspired psalmist points forward to the True King.
Psalm 110 is the most quoted of the psalms in the New Testament. As the Pharisees made a feeble attempt to trap Him with trick questions, Christ responded with a question that they could not answer. Saying that David must be the father of the Christ, Jesus confronts them with the very words of David in the first verse of the psalm. They are quieted. Including the gospel parallels to this event, the psalm is quoted or alluded to 27 times. It is the greatest of the Messianic psalms.
You see, what is often read as words for the coronation of an earthly, human king are were, in fact, David extolling the coming of The Son. The Messiah’s followers will offer their lives as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). The four stanzas divided in the NIV point to four aspects of the Lordship of Christ: His might reign (v1), His spiritual reign (vv. 2-3), His priestly reign (v4) and His judicial reign (vv. 5-7). Here in the season of Advent, as we ponder the babe in the manger, we gain a new perspective of all that was anticipated from the innocent child.
And we worship Him from the distance of time.
Grace and peace to you..
image by Andy Grellmann
An Unclear Mission
The Jesus Mission by Steven K. Scott
Despite the warning that we should not judge a book by its cover, in the case of The Jesus Mission we are left with few other options. The title insinuates that the four missions that Christ assigns to you and me will be outlined such that we can take them up. Unfortunately, when the reader turns the pages of the Steven Scott’s book, the premise fails to materialize. The author relates story after miraculous story in the lives of people that the author knows but never comes to a point in the poorly organized text.
Author Scott is a rags-to-riches promoter who claims more than once that his monetary and business success is a result of reading the book of Proverbs. In the introductory pages, Scott points out that we as Christians can partner with Christ to pursue four lifelong missions, answering the question “what does God want from me.” The four missions are to become more intimate with God, accelerate your personal growth, empower other believers to better follow Christ and to impact the lives of nonbelievers. The pages devoted to these missions amounts to a scant 22 percent of the entire book, causing Scott to delve into myriad other areas in order to fill out the book.
Digging further into book, the reader is left to wonder who the target audience is. Part three, for example, is entitled What You Never Knew About Jesus That Will Change Your Life. Turning the page to the chapters that follow once again finds the author floundering in fulfillment of his premise. There is nothing in the pages that is wrong, but there is also nothing that growing Christians do not already know. Was this section of the book intended to underpin the ‘missions’ section? If so, the reader would have been better served to have this supporting material interspersed throughout the missions and task lists giving encouragement and edification.
Discovering one’s calling in Christ requires prayer, study and meditation on the scriptures. You can begin by turning to Matthew 28:18-20, committing your life to the words of the Savior therein and then allowing the Holy Spirit to guide your steps going forward. Simple. Sadly, the complexity and organization The Jesus Mission is anything but.
I am grateful to Waterbrook Press who provided this copy for review.
Prayer 101 ~ ACT/Supplication
As we arrive at the last phase of the ACTS prayer structure, we discover that our prayers are at their normal starting point. The upside-down nature of the ACTS framework becomes most apparent when the pray-er arrives at a time of petition. Only after observing our proper position before God, rehearsing our fallen state and giving thanks for his manifold blessings do we lift our concerns and requests to our Father. The benefit of approaching the throne in this manner is most directly realized now; after the preparatory steps, the nature of our petitions develops a new gravity.
…in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
When the mind is conformed to the holiness of God and recognition of our position at the foot of the throne, we are more likely to consider our requests more carefully. Blessings that we might have once breezily demanded are already seen in our life. Wisdom in forming petitions is requested (James 1:5) as we search for the proper words to express a desire to conform to God’s will rather than striking out on our own. In all things, the emphasis that we have placed on God—as opposed to self—provides a better than average chance that will we be looking for His will in our lives rather than asking Him to align with ours.
Be blessed..
Rolling in The Deep
Going Deep by Gordon MacDonald
“The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”
― Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
Returning to the fictitious church he first introduced in Who Stole My Church?, Gordon MacDonald unfurls the story of a group of Christians returning to discipleship as a priority in their lives. The discipleship is not solely for their own spiritual edification, as the modern interpretation has formed it, but for the purpose of leading others into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Rather than intelligent people with a faith in the brain, MacDonald emphasizes the growth of leaders who have a depth of heart, a weight that enables them to lead others to an ever deepening faith.
As he did with the previously noted book, MacDonald uses the parable format to teach the importance and process of dreaming, forming and implementing an intentional leadership process. While the topic certainly lends itself to a step-by-step, factual format, the use of story allows for a greater depth of discussion. For example, MacDonald could point out that some of those mentored would fail and then rehearse a process of discipline and restoration. By embedding the failure in hockey devotee Damon Marsh on the other hand, the entire sequence of prayerful selection, invitation, meeting, mentoring and failure enables the reader to see it happening, perhaps even seeing a potential disciple in front of us. The same things that make the narrative of the Bible so effective in teaching us the ways of God make Going Deep especially useful for those leaders who want to take their bodies deeper.
Church leaders and potential leaders will find much to apply in MacDonald’s book. The story carries the principles along without the need for bullet points or a study guide. Coming to the conclusion of the story, the reader who is interested in implementing the idea are left with many questions. I think this is evidence of MacDonald’s wisdom as it requires that the reader ‘go deep’ themselves in order to localize and discern the answers on their own. Even if the book is read simply for your personal application, you will come to end not being satisfied with the shallow waters near the shore any longer.
I’m grateful to Thomas Nelson who provided this copy for review.
Prayer 101 ~ AC/ Thanksgiving /S
Prayer does not require an outline or a structure of any sort to be effective. On the other hand, considering an ordered approach to many prayers has the beneficial effect of framing the relationship and dialog with an appropriate perspective. Adoration and confession that precede the remainder of ones prayer reminds us that we are the created and not the creator. We approach the throne recognizing God as the Almighty and our fallen nature. We partake of the promise of righteousness-restoration (1 John 1:9) as we confess sin and receive forgiveness. Building upon this foundation we turn our thoughts to giving thanks.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
We will often whisper a thanks to God when we avoid disaster or receive a windfall, but so many of the blessings that rain down upon us go unnoted. Giving thanks as a part of our prayer life furthers the foundation lain by adoration and confession by drawing our minds upward and outward. We are forced to recognize answers to prayer, large and small, as well as those which have been lifted but not yet resolved. An attitude of thanksgiving also carries over to the burdens we are called to bear. As our attitude shifts, burdens that we once prayed to be removed are now realized as blessings. In giving thanks for trouble, discipline and infirmities our perspective is enlarged, seeing these things as the testimony that they are. An enlarged perspective sees the larger expanding picture of how God is working in the world. We may see how our struggles play a role in the bigger mission and turn from complaint to gratefulness.
Grace and peace to your spirit…
image simple-pleasure
Prayer 101 ~ A/Confession/TS
Countless prayers will be lifted heavenward this hour that stream from the hearts and consciousness of God’s people. The Father does not demand liturgical precision in our petitions, but He does expect them to arise from a right heart and a proper attitude. The ACTS organizational device prompts us to humble the heart, profess our thankfulness and verbalize our manifest sins. As Christ taught His disciples [then and now], approaching the altar is not to be done casually.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:8-9
The C in ACTS stands for confession. In many churches we are taught to bundle our sin into a nameless group, offering them with a repentant heart. While not technically wrong, this approach is a tool that enables us to avoid the raw details of our broken hearts. One of the things that the sacrificial system of the Old Testament raised was the specifics of one’s sin. It was necessary that the sacrifice offered match the sin, and so it was required that one enumerate in detail their failings.
Confession brings humility which brings the proper heart before the altar. Know that our sins are forgiven, better yet, forgotten (Psalm 103:12), frees us from the bondage in which we continually entangle ourselves. The burden on your conscience is lifted and the realization that you are being honest with God enables a new boldness in your prayers. To know that He continues to listen and respond to our repentance encourages us to return to our knees.
Grace and peace to you.
image lawrence OP
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 