I absolutely love this from Tim Keller. May we all recognize that the entirety of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is about our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Rest in Jesus,
Andy
Is a Thirsty Soul God’s Desire?
Psalm 42:1-2 – As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (ESV)
Throughout David’s psalms we read of an inward turmoil. It honestly borders schizophrenia at times. He is often tossed to and fro by circumstances. This wrestling is recorded, I believe, because God knows we often deal with this inner turmoil.
Psalm 42 in particular is one that I believe I have misinterpreted. As I read verses 1-2 above this morning they were underlined and highlighted in my Bible. I often have viewed this “panting” and desperate thirst as something truly dedicated followers of Christ possess. If you are truly committed then your thirst for God should be constant. However, as I read this psalm in its entirety this morning, I discovered something new. READ MORE »
The Beauty of the Gospel
Colossians 2:13-14 – And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (ESV)
O the beauty of the Gospel! To understand all that God has done on our behalf by sacrificing His own Son is to see the depth of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness offered to everyone who repents and believes. I have been confronted again lately with the scandalous truth of the Gospel. It makes zero human sense that God would do such things for sinful man. Yet this does not change the fact that He has done it. READ MORE »
Reflections on the Resurrection
During Holy Week and on Easter Morning I read through each of the Resurrection accounts contained in the four gospels to reflect upon what we celebrated just a few days ago. It is just as amazing today as it was that quiet Sunday morning. It astounds me that in every account, those who witness the Risen Lord have a hard time believing it is true. It is hard to put ourselves in their shoes because they had walked with Him, witnessed his miracles, and ultimately seen Him die. Now they are confronted with the unfathomable…He’s ALIVE!!! In all accounts there are doubts from the disciples. But, in all accounts, Jesus appears to dispel those doubts. I don’t think their doubting was an indication of weakness, I just believe this news was “too good to be true” for most. What can we learn from the doubters? READ MORE »
Jehovah Shammah – God is There!
Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (ESV)
Nearing the end of Moses’ life, Joshua is given the charge to lead the Israelites into the promised land. However, as he leads them, the man who has been his leader will not be making the trip. Joshua was there as Moses met with God face to face in the tent of meeting. (Exodus 33:11) Joshua was Moses’ faithful servant. Moses had made tremendous investment in Joshua’s life. Now, the time has come for Moses to depart and for Joshua to take over as the leader. I can only assume there must have been some level of anxiety in Joshua as this task lay before him. However, in the midst of the charge of God on Joshua’s life, we see this promise…”it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave your or forsake you.”
Yes, Joshua was losing his earthly leader and mentor, but in this promise, he is reminded that God is constantly with him. Such a word of encouragement allowed Joshua to lead the nation into the promised land against all odds and overthrow the nations that inhabited their possession. Something that was humanly impossible was accomplished because God was with them.
This is a word for us today. The same God who overthrew nations and gave Joshua the courage to lead the nation is the same God who walks with us on a daily basis. No matter your difficulty or struggle, the reminder to Joshua stands for us today. “Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is with you, and He will never leave your or forsake you.”
Rest in Jesus,
Andy
An Often Needed Reminder
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
I was reminded again this morning of something that I must be constantly reminded of. God is calling me to be still before Him in my recognition that HE is God. I so easily slip into the place where I find myself trying to do a work that only God can do. It doesn’t matter how much I want everyone to love Jesus. That is not something I can make happen. I recently heard a preacher say, “For me to ‘save someone’ is as easy as going to the local cemetery and calling the dead to rise.” Obviously this is an impossibility, but no more impossible than it is for me to transform someone’s life.
This isn’t just a salvation issue. I often find myself placing a lot of responsibility upon myself that I cannot possibly own. As the discipleship pastor of Colonial Heights Baptist Church, I find myself agonizing over what I can do next to help our people grow closer to Christ. That’s called sanctification, and again, is a work that only the Spirit of God can do. Yet, here I find myself trying to do something that only He can do.
I am convinced that Satan is the author of this mindset. He knows if he can get us to believe that it is up to us, then when we fail miserably (and we will), he knows we will feel like a failure and eventually give up. He is doing everything he can to frustrate our efforts. But that is just the problem. These are “our efforts”.
We must be reminded and return to the place of understanding that God is the only one that can accomplish anything of eternal significance. You cannot imagine how freeing it is to live in this reality. As I sit here typing this post, I am three days away from preaching on Sunday morning. God has set me free this morning by reminding me that it isn’t up to my witty illustrations or presentation techniques for someone’s life to be changed. God has simply given me a message to deliver. He is the one who must take and empower it to transform lives.
As a Christian, if you find yourself frustrated because all of your efforts seem to be hitting a dead end wall, let this be a reminder to you that God is the only one who can do what you have been attempting in your strength.
What does this mean for us? Does it mean we throw our hands in the air and say, “That’s God’s Work, I quit”? By no means. The beauty of the Christian life is that we are allowed to serve as the conduit through which God brings about these works. When he saved us, he already had prepared for us the works that He wants to do through us.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
It is not a matter of us stopping what we are doing, but it is a matter of us understanding that the results of what He has called us to do are up to Him. Therefore, when the enemy comes at you with the accusation that you somehow “failed”, just remember that you are simply called to be faithful to the Holy Spirit’s leading. The results are not in your hands. That is God’s work.
So, today in the midst of all your activity and efforts, I remind you as the Psalmist reminded me today, “Be still and know that HE IS GOD”…not you!
Rest in Jesus
Andy
Establishing an Eternal Heritage
Psalm 37:18 – The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; (ESV)
As I read this verse the two words that stood out to me were “heritage” and “forever”. Obviously, the heritage we possess as children of God who have repented of their sins and by faith trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior will indeed remain forever. Yes, this is probably a more correct context for this verse. However, these two words caused me to pause and consider how this could be true from a discipleship standpoint. READ MORE »
Meet with Your Father and Friend
Exodus 33:11 – Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. (ESV)
Moses, as the leader of the Jewish nation, would construct a tent just outside the camp and call it the Tent of Meeting. He would erect the tent, and spend time there meeting with God “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend”.
This is such a beautiful picture for each of us to reflect upon today. Here we have the God of the Universe meeting with a man and speaking with him as His friend. I have read this hundreds of times, and each time I read it, it still strikes me as incredible.
But, here is what is even more incredible. By God’s grace through our faith in the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18, Rom. 5:10) As a result of this reconciliation, we become children of God (1 John 3:1) and as His children, we enjoy the privilege of having free access to our Heavenly Father. We are free to talk with Him and meet with Him “as a man speaking with his friend”. We don’t have to erect some special tent or make a special trip. Talk with Him right where you are, because He is there! This gives me great comfort.
As awesome as Exodus 33′s description of the Tent of Meeting can be, by God’s grace we can experience something even greater!
Rest in Jesus,
Andy
Starting Now, I’m Looking Out for THE ONE!
Often, we find ourselves facing difficulties, and almost always, our immediate response is asking God to remove the hardship. Exodus 32 and the story of Israel and the golden calf paints a picture of the heart of Moses that should help us understand that instead of “looking out for number one” we should be looking out for THE ONE! READ MORE »
The Breaking of a Man
The Early Life of Moses (Exodus 2-4)
As I have been reading Exodus for the last few days, it is clear that God had a tremendous plan for the life of Moses. However, there was a great deal of breaking that needed to take place to prepare Moses for the work ahead.
The familiar life of Moses begins with him being born and hidden from Pharaoh’s plan to destroy all the Hebrew boys who were born. However, after a time, it become difficult for him to be hidden and therefore he is placed in a basket and set in the Nile river. There, he is discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter the princess of Egypt. He is brought into the palace, cared for by his own mother as a nurse, and then continues his life as an adopted prince of Egypt. As you read this, you may be thinking, “Where is this breaking you are talking about Andy?” It is about to become very clear! READ MORE »