Father and Son

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The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. I John 5:10

How well did you relate to your earthly father? To the degree it was dysfunctional, there will be levels of impairment when you approach Abba, Father. In my thirties and forties, I had to work through many distortions about God, the Father. My eyeglasses were foggy.

Jesus related to His Father in a way that teaches each of us how to function in the relationship.

• Jesus was completely submissive to His Father. He waited for the timing of His call into ministry. He did not reveal His identity until God nudged Him to disclose it. Jesus surprises us in some of His other choices. He choose to heal only one man at the at pool of Bethesda though many wanted it. The rich young ruler went away from Him sad, embracing unbelief, yet Jesus didn’t go after him. He honored the man’s free will to choose.

Jesus made no autonomous decisions. The Son is able to do nothing of His own accord; but the Son is able to do only what He sees His Father doing. John 5:19

• Jesus destiny of the cross never eroded His trust in His Father.

Did Jesus have memory of His intimacy with the Father? Did He remember the Garden and the fall? Did he feel the urgency of the ages in needing to redeem mankind? Or did God subject his mind and memory to finite time and space? Jesus probably did not have all the details about his coming crucifixion but He knew in part. He had studied Isaiah 53 and other prophetic passages? He probably thought, “This is talking about me. This will all happen to me.”

Jesus was clear that there will be times we stumble over what He asks of us. We shrink back from what seems too much to process. But He did not waver in his destiny.

Submission without stumbling. I see how un-like You I am, still. Forgive me and enable me by the power of Your Spirit. Amen

Jesus and His Arch-Enemy

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For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. I John 3:8

Wait, didn’t Jesus come to die to redeem mankind? Yes. But God’s over-arching mission was that the works of the devil would be destroyed through Jesus’ incarnation, through His survival as a toddler under Herod’s murderous rampage, through the crucifixion of the innocent Lamb, and through His resurrection unto glory. Throughout His ministry, Jesus didn’t ignore His enemy. He engaged him.  He imposed limits on his freedom. (“Do this, not that.  Go here, not there.”) He engaged him, too, by relentlessly delivering people from sickness and demon oppression.

In Luke 4, Jesus engaged Satan in the desert, giving us a template for how to handle temptation. He looked behind Satan’s smokescreen, identified the real intent, and quoted scripture strategically to shut down Satan’s specific agenda.

  • Satan said, “If you are the son of God, turn this stone to bread.” Behind the smokescreen was this ~ “Prove you are God and fill your stomach now.” The issue was not hunger but getting Jesus to do something God didn’t tell him to do.
  • Satan said, “I’ll give you all this authority and its glory.” Behind the smokescreen was ~ “Waiting is hard and I’ll give you kingly rule early if you worship me.” Satan’s desire for worship was what originally caused him to defect from his place in heaven.
  • Satan said, “Throw yourself down and see if angels will take care of you.” Behind the smokescreen ~ “Let’s just see if God takes care of you.” This time it was Satan who quoted scripture, “For He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11 Jesus was savvy and quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 back at him. “You shall not test the Lord your God.”

There are numerous ways for me to deal with my enemy as well. When I rise up to use conferred authority, with scripture, and in Jesus’ name, limits are placed on Satan’s activity. When I ask God for the spiritual eyesight to see behind the smokescreen of every temptation, the Holy Spirit equips me with strategy and the courage to apply specific arrows of scripture.  Our loving Father does not leave His children defenseless but we must press in to become savvy children-warriors.

Lord, our enemy is not acting like a defeated foe. But he is. He acts like he has all power. But he doesn’t. With Your Word, make my mouth a sharp sword. Amen

Jesus and Family Issues

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When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told Him, “They don’t have any wine.”  “What has this concern of yours to do with Me,woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.” John 2:3-4

Jesus and His mother were guests at a wedding and the host ran out of wine.  Mary knew Jesus could do something and presumed upon His divinity.  But Jesus exalts his sonship to His Father above his sonship to his mother. He felt it necessary to make the point that no physical relationship on earth would control him and His family would have no special advantage. 

How about James,the half-brother of Jesus?  He grew up in the same household yet failed to recognize his brother’s divinity.  Family ties and sibling issues obscured his vision.  (Often, what is right under our noses is veiled to us.)  I’m sure that as James grew older, he was haunted by a certain conversation he had with Jesus’ as his brother’s public ministry was about to begin.  “If you want to be known publicly,” James said, “then go to Jerusalem to the Feast of Booths.  Do your works there so that your notoriety grows.”  The undertone of slick marketing was not lost on the Son of God. It wasn’t until after Jesus death and resurrection that James’ spiritual eyes were opened.  

Jesus had to work against the assumption of His day that His family of origin had an inside track of influence.  Recall the time in Luke 11 that a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Jesus. ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Then, there’s this. In Mark 3, the people called out to him while he was speaking in a house: “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.’  And he answered them,‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’  And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!’  Followers, not family, have a saving relationship with Jesus.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:26  (Hate means preference.) 

But this is not an easy way to live.  Families struggle with issues of loyalty where faith is concerned.  There’s no friction like kingdom friction.  It can bring about declared war inside the family unit because the only One who has ultimate rights to my life is the One who created me. 

There has been friction and there will always be. Help me through it and give me grace to heal. Amen

Relating To A Disciple

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Follow me. Matthew 4:19

How does Jesus think of me in relation to Himself? What can I anticipate in this sacred relationship?  Jesus ~

  • Calls me to something for which I’m unqualified. Four fishermen became evangelists and teachers. One was a tax collector.  My calling is always God-sized because no skill set can achieve supernatural results.
  • Builds the relationship on love and promises of faithfulness. My relationship with Him began with forgiveness, love and acceptance, followed by promises that won’t ever be broken. This love has turned into fuel and His promises give me boldness.
  • Centers the teaching on faith-growing and character development. Each life lesson at the feet of Jesus grows my faith and makes me more like Him. When I’ve mastered one skill, there are always bigger ones to come. The faith tests get more difficult but infinitely more rewarding.
  • Requires of me a good faith effort, not perfection. As Kevin DeYoung reminded an audience recently, Jesus is aware of my present maturation level and is pleased with my best at whatever stage I am in my journey.
  • Extends mercy before I sin. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times. When Peter was visibly shaken, Jesus told him not to be worried and upset but to believe God. There was mercy before the sin. I am forgiven in the past, in the present, and in the future.
  • Forgives without reservation. I will have times of failure in the relationship. That’s inevitable. Jesus forgives no matter how many times I say I’m sorry.
  • Allows testing to reveal our flaws. Jesus was tested in the wilderness. His disciples are tested, too. It equips me with strategies in my use of the scriptures.
  • Is always out front ~ showing me the way home. I’m in the yoke with Jesus. He’s right there, a little in front, bearing the weight and responsibility for my needs.

Disciple me – all the way home. Amen

 

 

When He Points His Finger In My Face

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And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Rev. 12:10

Satan goes to God to make accusations against me. First, He tempts me to sin, and when I give in, he has material to work with. He entices, then he prosecutes. He reports my sin and demands that the sentence of the Law be carried out. Oh, how he dreams of justice without mercy!

But when Satan arrives in heaven to accuse me, He meets Jesus. He is clothed in righteousness, standing in the presence of His Father on my behalf. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” Hebrews 4:14

Jesus is ready with my defense. He does not deny that I have sinned. He answers with something greater. He lifts His wounded hands and says, “She’s forgiven. She’s justified. She is Mine.”  This is the moment when the accuser loses his footing.

Having lost  his legal case against me, he’ll then come directly to me to make the same accusations.  If I forget my defense, I become vulnerable to condemnation. Satan is cunning. He knows how to mimic the voice of my conscience. He knows I want to please Jesus. He knows I take sin seriously. So he slips in and speaks in tones that sound almost righteous, as if shame is a holy thing.

Conviction and condemnation are not the same things. The Spirit convicts in order to restore. Satan condemns in order to crush. But the blood has spoken, once and for all, at the cross.  So what is my strategy when the accuser comes?  I do not answer Satan with my feelings, because my feelings fail me. I answer him with this ~  I have been bought, cleansed, pardoned, and declared righteous before God.  Be gone!

Jesus, Your mercy is stronger than my failure, and Your righteousness is my covering.  Amen

He Loves Even The Arrogant

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God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. I Cor. 1:27

There are people who say, in response to everything said to them, “I know it!”   It’s a poor relational skill as it kills any desire to have a conversation with them. Their need to know it all drives their behavior in every single relationship. This person is usually very vocal in meetings and controlling within a committee. It doesn’t take long for him/her to get under everyone’s skin. The shy person withdraws and avoids them if possible. The extrovert might fall into the temptation to argue and correct them. Neither response is productive nor is it like Jesus.

Jesus did not avoid arrogant people. The Pharisees get a bad wrap for collectively being on Jesus’ bad list. Not true. I can forget that Jesus grew up in synagogues and was constantly in the company of Pharisees. When He was twelve, He stayed in the temple to be in their company. And when He was in active ministry for the last three years of His life, He usually went where they were. Many were close-minded but some believed. Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. John 9:16

To those who rejected Him, Jesus ~

Exposed their hearts.  The strongest language Jesus ever used was directed against them. He said they were hypocrites not practicing what they preached.   The Pharisees tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.Matthew 23:4

Recited the scriptures.  He told them they didn’t know God.  So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.  John 7:28

Extended an invitation to his enemies to believe.  “If anyone, any Pharisee, any chief priest, any officer trying to arrest me, any offended person—if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”  John 7:37

Do you remember when Jesus lamented?  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!”  Matt. 23:37    Jesus loved them. Even the spiteful, hateful, and arrogant.  He came to serve even the Pharisees rather than be served. 

Give me Your steady heart, humble enough to serve, strong enough to speak truth, and free enough to love without needing to defend myself. Amen

Jesus Meets Those Who are Ashamed

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Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10

How does Jesus relate to someone weighed down with shame? He intentionally seeks them out and moves toward them with honor.

He expects intermittent eye contact. He expects to see someone braced, hidden in fear, expecting contempt instead of love. He invites them to come out of the shadows. He always has. Remember the lengths he went to just to reach one woman? He entered Samaria on a mission. He defied racial lines, gender lines, and moral lines to sit beside a women steeped in shame. He believed she was worth His time.

He did the same for a woman caught in adultery. Her accusers wanted a public stoning. Jesus intervened. He stooped to the ground, fingered the dust, and made room for a very awkward silence. Stones dropped. Mercy stood up and prevailed. He did not ignore, nor deny, her sin, but neither did He deepen her shame. He gave her truth wrapped in honor.

Anyone who struggles with shame will retreat further if I come at them with an air of superiority. They will not be drawn to Jesus if I preach to them from a place above them, trying to fix them before I have loved them. It is love that woos. And it is love that gives me the credibility to move to a place of words.

So who near me is afraid to lift their eyes? Who has already concluded they are unlovable, unworthy, and disqualified from a future? I must ask Jesus for His heart and His wisdom. He will ask me to approach with respect. He may suggest I lower my pace. He may ask me to keep my words to a minimum. Friendship first. Honor first. Building a bridge strong enough to support the truth.

Jesus, make me a place where wounded souls do not feel smaller, but safe. Let Your mercy rule me so that so that I see others through the tenderness of the cross.Amen

What Would Jesus Do?

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To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

Do you remember The Newlywed Game? Couples were asked questions that revealed how well they really knew one another. And, not just facts, but instincts. What will he do in this situation? What would he prefer given these two choices? Etc.

It makes me wonder ~ how well do I really know Jesus? Not just being able to recall the events of His life or the doctrines I affirm, but His ways. His tone. His instincts. The movements of His heart. How did He look at people? What stirred His compassion? What awakened His anger? How did He carry Himself in the presence of weakness, shame, sorrow, and betrayal?

This matters because we become like the One we love. The One that moves our heart the most shapes us. If I worship a Christ I barely know, my transformation will remain vague and shallow. But if I walk with Him slowly enough to really watch Him, sanctification begins to feel less like strain and more like surrender. I put off the old self as I fall in love with the new.

So for the next week, we’ll take a long look at Jesus.

How did He relate to those who lived with shame?
How did He handle the weakness of His disciples?
How did He navigate the relationship with His Father?
How did He face the devil without losing peace?

And what will happen to us as we watch Him?

I do not think we will come away untouched. I think we will love Him more. I think we will be comforted, convicted, and surprised by His beauty. We might even stumble momentarily. But I think we will also see more clearly where we are unlike Him. But that too will be grace.

Jesus, give us grace to stay near enough to You to be changed. Amen

No Longer On Speaking Terms

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I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly. Psalm 40:9-10

What do you do when the person you were counting on lets you down? You reach out for help in your hour of need, and they are nowhere to be found. You start asking questions. “What happened? I thought you loved me.” But when your words do not move them, something in you starts to hide. Silence begins to feel safer.

There have been times I have prayed for what seemed desperate. I reasoned that since God loved me, He would surely provide it. But then nothing happened. So I prayed harder. I tried to stir up more faith. Outwardly, I said the right things about God. I defended Him to others. But inwardly, the first threads of disillusionment had already begun to unravel. My testimony sounded thin, even to me.

That is why these verses arrest me. At first glance, David sounds as though he has just come down from some mountaintop. He speaks so openly of God’s faithfulness and we might assume that the breakthrough has already happened. But the rest of the psalm tells a different story. David is still in trouble. He is waiting. His soul is ragged. But he is still talking.

Faith is not only praising God after the answer comes. Faith is continuing to speak of His love while the ache still hurts. It is refusing to let sorrow tarnish His character. It is choosing to say that He is faithful, while part of me still waits for visible proof.

This is the kind of faith I cannot manufacture on my own. It must be born of God. In my need, I am still commanded to speak of His faithfulness. Not because my emotions are always aligned, but because the foundation beneath my life is stronger than my present feelings. His promises are not invalidated by my confusion.

Lament and praise can live in the same heart. I can tell Him that I am hurt, confused, and weary, while still refusing to conceal His goodness from those around me.

Give me grace to speak of Your faithfulness even while I wait. AmenSave

Tethered

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And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”  Genesis 22:7

Can you feel this pivotal moment between Isaac and Abraham?  Isaac knows there’s going to be some kind of sacrifice.  The wood is ready, but where is the lamb?   With this question on his mind, he turns to ask his father.  Was it a casual inquiry or was he beginning to probe the unthinkable?

These kinds of moments are awful to live through.  Our gut knows that something is dreadfully wrong and we look to someone wise to tell us that this isn’t what we fear it is.  We feel like a child.  And we are.  We turn to the only wise Father to voice our questions.  Like Abraham, He welcomes us.  He understands our frame.  We are safe to need Him.

To live childlike with Him, even on good days, is to secure a posture that prepares us for the hard moments when we will cry out, “Abba, Daddy!”  We know it won’t feel awkward on our tongues.  With the right theology, it will be instinctive to run home for strength. 

The world says that maturity is becoming independent.  God says that maturity is to become more childlike.  The cynicism and fear that comes with age begs us to move us away from dependence on anyone.  We must intentionally cultivate childlike faith.  Life may seem like it is unraveling but God holds the threads. 

It’s possible, and necessary, to be tethered to the Rock of Ages.  How strong the cords of Love that held us fast! 

I need nothing, and no one, more than I need You, Lord.  Amen