Beautiful - by Mercy Me

A toothbrush experience

Some time ago, I was at a fun ladies evening that involved, among other things, chocolate and a panel of four very funny women. I don't even remember what the panel's topic was that evening but at some point, one of the panel members began extolling the virtues of ... her toothbrush. In this particular setting, is was just part of the fun even though she had no particular point to make about the toothbrush except that she REALLY liked it. Quirky, but cute.

I thought of her toothbrush a few times over the next few days. Not because I was thinking of trying the toothbrush but mostly because it struck me as a funny thing to get so excited over. I've been brushing my teeth for many, many years and never had a toothbrush that I felt the need to mention to anyone. It got the job done and that was enough.

Until my dentist gave me one of "her" toothbrushes at my next semi-annual check up. Again, without much though I went home and switched the new toothbrush for my old one. But the next morning, I got a surprise. Everything she had said about this toothbrush was true! It really was a unique sensation to use it and it did a spectacular job. It has become my favorite toothbrush, too!

Oddly enough, her toothbrush also came to mind as I sat in a conference about the Holy Spirit. There was no hype, no over emotionalism, but as the speaker began to share the experience of the Holy Spirit and the Biblical truths of the Spirit, I kept thinking about that toothbrush.

Why?

Because many, many Christians feel the same way about the Holy Spirit as I did about that lady's toothbrush. I thought I had shared the same experience, I thought I understood what she was talking about and I didn't see the reason for the excitement. So I went on with life until the day I really experienced her brand of toothbrush. Not just the usual, run-of-the-mill toothbrush, but one with a truly unique design and application.

So often, we think our experience of the Holy Spirit is the same as everyone else's. We think we understand His work in our life. And when someone has a different experience, we don't get it. It seems unwarranted, or, even worse, un-Biblical. We think they're just experiencing "the tingles." And we walk away, content to live in our run-of-the-mill understanding of the Holy Spirit's work and presence in our lives.

Now, I know the toothbrush comparison is a fanciful one. I'm sure most people will get through life just fine without knowing about this particular brand of toothbrush and will still have teeth left to smile with. And I'm sure, too, that most people in life will get through not missing a personal, real time experience of the Holy Spirit. Or content to let the God-in-us relationship will remain a nodding acquaintance instead of a dynamic partnership.

But maybe we need to be open to the idea that there's something more that's actually worth getting excited about. Maybe, just maybe, the unique role of the Holy Spirit is something we've been missing. I'd encourage you to start digging around and see what God's Word has to say about this part of his character.

I suspect it will become something truly unique and worth getting excited about.

Symmetry in the Psalms

I was reading last night in the Psalms and came across an absolute delight of literary construction. The Psalms are special that way - they are a unique collection of what might be called journal entries - songs and snippets, with some "diary days" thrown in where the psalmist simply opens his heart and spills it all out. But there are a special few that are a delight because the very purposeful structure adds additional layers to the message. Psalm 132 is one of these "purposeful poems".

Psalm 132

A song of ascents.

O LORD, remember David
and all the hardships he endured.

He swore an oath to the LORD
and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
"I will not enter my house or go to my bed-
I will allow no sleep to my eyes,
no slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."

We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
"Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool-
arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests be clothed with righteousness;
may your saints sing for joy."
For the sake of David your servant,
do not reject your anointed one.

The LORD swore an oath to David,
a sure oath that he will not revoke:
"One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne-

if your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever."

For the LORD has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling

"This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it-

I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.

I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy.

"Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown on his head will be resplendent."

Watch what happens when you divide this poem and sit the first and second half side by side.

This psalm becomes a conversation between David and God. In verse 2, it says "He [David] swore an oath to the Lord..." and verse 11 responds, "The Lord swore an oath to David..."

Verse 5 speaks of David's search for "a place for the Lord" and verse 13 assures him "the LORD has chosen Zion ..."

Verse 8 invites God to come to his resting place and verse 14 answers "This is my resting place for ever and ever..."

Verse 9 expresses David's hope for God's home "May your priests be clothed with righteousness, may your saints sing for joy" and God answers "I will clothe her priests with salvation and her saints will ever sing for joy."

Verse 10 asks for God to remember David; Verse 17 assures him the promises God made to him will be filled.


What does this psalm demonstrate to us? Through its form and through its theme, it is a reminder to us that will we are asking, hoping and praying for God's will in our lives, He is also at work to fill the many promises he has made us.

Psalm 132 is undeniably a thing of beauty.

A thought for the day(s)

Saw this in a friend's tag line and loved it:

Love Generously,
Care Deeply,
Speak Kindly

& Leave the Rest to God

In a nutshell

Sometimes we make faith complicated. But there are two simple principles that can govern every action, every thought, every motive of our every day lives. It's this:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. One these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37

That's it. Easy to do? No. Not if I hold every thought, every action, every motive up to this standard. But it's hard to say I don't understand when it's been made this simple, isn't it?

Freedom in Christ

Living in America we hear a lot about freedom. Being thankful for freedom, fighting for freedom, honoring those who paid the price for our freedom. It's a freedom that sometimes we celebrate while forgetting the price that was paid for it. And one of the ironies of that freedom is how many people take it as license to do many things that run contrary to the freedom they enjoy. They live the freedom but they won't acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it.

Christians too, talk about freedom. Freedom through grace. Freedom from the penalties of sin. Freedom from the law (of the Old Testament). It's a freedom that should be celebrated. Christ's death and resurrection on the cross paid the ultimate price so that we could be free from sin and back in a relationship with the God that created and loves us.

But the price of that freedom isn't simply a license to carry on with no consequences. Paul says in Acts 6:1, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

My concern sometimes is that we, as Christ followers, forget that we still have the responsibility that comes with freedom. But it's not always black and white. Our behavior, our choices still carry some eternal consequences even though we may have the freedom in Christ to do them. While we have no law that forbids them, they can still be sin. And we have the responsibility of being an example to others even while we live in freedom.

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?" (1 Corinthians 8:9-10)

Paul is addressing a specific action here but what if we substitute some other choices?

For if anyone sees you _________, won't he be convinced he can __________? (lose your temper, sit in a bar, talk negatively about your pastor, watch an R-rated movie, ...)

Why is this a problem?

"... So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ." (1 Corinthians 8:11-12, emphasis mine)

Ouch.

Let's keep in mind that our freedom in Christ, just like our freedom as citizens of free countries, still carries with it a responsibility to point people to Christ. Let's exercise our freedom accordingly.

Succeeding (on God's terms)

I was able to visit a favorite church of mine recently and the pastor was speaking on the life of Joseph. As part of the service, we got to this verse:

"... the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did." (Genesis 39:23b)

Well, isn't that nice for Joseph.

But stop for a minute and look at where Joseph is experiencing this success.

He's in jail. He has grown up in a highly dysfunctional family, been sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused of attacking his boss's wife and now sits in jail, working for the warden. He had been responsible and trustworthy and given great responsibilities. But even then, every time it looked like things might be leveling out for Joseph - WHAM! Life smacked him again.

Had Joseph done anything wrong? No. Perhaps he'd been foolish about a few things (see Genesis 37: 5-11) but he hadn't sinned. And yet he still found himself destitute, working for a jail warden, with nothing and no one to rely on but God.

And this was God's idea of success for Joseph.

What can Joseph's story mean for us? Sometimes we feel like we are just getting smacked around by circumstances. It's one blow after another and we don't see how God could possibly be working. (Or we just wish He'd pick another way.) But I would encourage you to have hope. God is still with you as he was always with Joseph (Genesis 39:21). Your very reliance on him counts as success.

If you read on in Joseph's story, God was uniquely positioning Joseph and preparing him to lead the entire country of Egypt, along with its neighbors, through a long period of famine. Joseph's position let him save his family (the future tribes of Israel) by being able to provide for them, and let him be reunited with them.

Who knows? God may be preparing you for your greatest achievements yet. Trust Him to have your success in His hands.

Joseph's family story is a fascinating one, with all the twists and turns you could imagine from any afternoon soap opera. If you want to dig further, read Genesis 27-37 & 39-47. Whew! That was a family that knew drama!