From My Inbox

Each day I receive a Daily Manna from the Net email with a portion of Scripture enclosed. This timely and encouraging reminder was today's post:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. --2 Peter 1:5-11

Faith.

Goodness.

Knowledge.

Self-Control.

Perseverance.

Godliness.

Brotherly Kindness.

Love.

In increasing measure.

Will keep you from being ... ineffective ... and unproductive ... in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Don't have these? You are:

... Nearsighted.

... Blind.

... Forgetful of the pit from which Christ dragged you.

Do have these? You will:

... Be ever more certain of God's work in your life.

... Never fall.

... Receive a rich welcome into Christ's eternal kingdom.

Thank you, Peter. I am applying all my might and resting in His transforming grace. I'll see you at the finish line.

See you there, too?

-J

Perspective

The images and data alone are worth digesting; but more, they will leave you with a truer sense of the v..a..s..t..n..e..s..s of our Creator's love.
Enjoy.
-J

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Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
He weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
"To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
--Isaiah 40:13-28, NIV

Rich In Mercy, Rich In Grace...

There's a passage of Scripture that moves me to almost-tears virtually every time I hear it. My response is so instantaneous and comes from the very deepest places in me that it catches me off guard almost every single time. I read it again this morning, with the same response, and so thought I would share it with you. Please allow me to walk you through my thought process...

...And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, Boy howdy, yes I was.
...in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, I was in allegiance with the world and with the devil.
...of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. That same spirit is still at work in those who don't know Jesus. Those poor people...
...Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, I absolutely did all of those same evil things; my life was completely about me and my desires.
...and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. I was under God's WRATH. I had earned 'enemy status' in relationship to God, and He was furious at my sin. This makes me tremble...
...But God, Oh HOW I LOVE these words. They are the interjection of God into humanity, of Christ into my life!
...being rich in mercy, Rich. Overflowing. Abundant. ...in MERCY. The withholding of what I have earned (God's wrath!)...
...because of His great love with which He loved us, What kind of love is this? Why would He bestow it on me? How very great it must be indeed!
...even when we were dead in our transgressions, D.E.A.D. Completely unable to help myself. Dead under that wrath, covered in the evidence of my guilt.
...made us alive WHA-HOO! I am ALIVE. Living, not dead. No longer helpless and without hope!
...together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, When Christ was raised, so was I. Though my life had not yet begun, yet it had already been redeemed. I was made alive with Christ!
...and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Where am I now? Well, physically I am on planet earth, awaiting my death or the return of my Savior. But positionally, I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies. That's how fully sure my life is. It is already confirmed as 'checked in' to heaven!
...so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. WHY? Why did God rescue me, give me life, pay my debt? WHY? To show off His grace. The riches of His grace. He demonstrates how full of grace He is through the kindness He showed me in Christ Jesus. When does all of this culminate in bringing Him glory? "In the ages to come..." There is so much more ahead of us! The best really IS yet to come!
...For by grace you have been saved God extended this gift though there was nothing, NOTHING about me that appealed to Him. In fact, everything about me was revolting, so fully steeped in sin was I. His gift was just favor, just an act of generosity on a level the world has never known.
...through faith; The door to heaven swings open on the hinges of faith. Grace draws us to the door and pulls us through!
...and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; It's not about me! NOT me! There is such freedom there! I can't earn it--even if one could, who could actually achieve such a thing? I can't lose it; I never again have to walk in fear for my life! It's not about me! I'm free!
...not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. I think He included this part just to keep me from missing the point when I start to do the good works He prepared in advance for me to do and start to get all "big-head" on Him. Those works are from Him and for Him, but they are NOT about my salvation. If I could earn even a part of my salvation, why would Jesus have had to die?!
(Ephesians 2:1-9, NIV)

I start crying right about the "But God" part. If I was speaking out loud, you'd hear me emphasize the words "rich" and "mercy." We have been given so very much, that words don't really cover it...But Paul made a pretty good start here in Ephesians, and I am so very, very glad!

Feeling the riches of His mercy and grace,
Rejoicing in His love,
-J

(c) 2008

On This, The Morning After...

So many opinions, so many emotions are flying around today, on both sides of the political landscape. I thought I'd weigh in with this, the place God brought my heart to rest this morning:

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. –Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NIV

That's it, ladies and gentlemen. God is on His throne; our mandate is the same. The earth hasn't shifted (for good or for ill) as much as everyone feels it has.

Resting, seeking, waiting,
-J

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. --Psalm 47:6-8, NIV

(c) 2008

An Arrow Finds It's Mark

The feeling has subsided but little, this feeling of being adrift. The picture I have in my mind is that of a boat tacking back and forth aimlessly, crisscrossing the waters, but without a destination in view. Or of a traveller, lost in the wilderness, stumbling this way and that, unsure which direction to point his nose. These are the pictures in my mind as I consider my own life. I am trying to move in the right direction, but that direction is not always clear to me.

Enter: Sunday worship. As part of our time of reflection (Scripture and songs), up on the screen pops a verse so familiar that for years I actually avoided it because it had ceased to have any meaning to me. I bet you know it too:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. --Proverbs 3:5-6

WHAM! Right.between.the.eyes! He...Will...Make...Your...Paths...Straight.

Uhh...How do I arrive at my destination? It is NOT by fixing my eyes on my destination. It is by fixing my eyes on Jesus and trusting and acknowledging HIM, and then HE makes my path straight...even if I don't have a clue where I'm going. Even if my path seems crazily skewed, it is the straightest path possible on God's map. (I knew this on some level, but this is hitting a whole new level... Don't know if I'm explaining this well...)

Do you remember that old adage, "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line"? I think I view life kinda like that. Maybe not the shortest distance part, but that the journey should be linear. I remember when my dad taught me to draw a straight line...by looking at where I wanted the line to end, my destination. But God's paths don't seem to work that way. In fact, I'm starting to think that God-journeys may be more geometric than I first imagined. And yet somehow, those are the straight paths.

All of this was brought to mind again today when I stopped by my friend Beth's website. She had this verse posted (on a lovely printable card, too, if you wanna stop by):
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth." -Psalm 46:10

What was my focus through that overwhelming decision-making process? God, what would bring you glory? But what does He say here? J, don't fret so much. I am God; don't lose sight of that. Rest in me. Don't worry; I am working out the 'exalted' part. I WILL be exalted (glorified). Really. You don't have to stress this one.

Exhale. Deep inhale and exhalation again. Not only am I on the straight path, but God is accomplishing the goal that He made my heart claim: His glory. How good He is, and how good He is to me. Pure grace. Such mercy.

It may take awhile yet for all parts of my heart and mind to grasp this--I am filled with uncharacteristic doubt right now--but the Truth has a way of always routing out the falsehood. And so I trust that at some point, even if my route seems circuitous, I will truly know that I am still on--and have never left--the straight path. And somehow, I'm guessing this is a tiny part of the glory He gets, at least in my little corner of the world.

Resting,
-J

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. --Hebrews 12:1-3

(c) 2008