Category: Worship

The Gift of God

Posted on by scott

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” – John 4:10

Christmas Season

Christmas season is in full swing.  The Christmas tree is up and decorated.  The wrapping paper is out and ready for service.  Some gifts are actually wrapped and will soon make their way under the tree to tempt the grandchildren.  Christmas music is playing basically every waking hour.  The Christmas cards are coming in and being displayed.  There is snow on the ground and a fire in the hearth and the mantel is serving as the manger for the nativity scene.  In honor of the season, I am writing about John chapter four, the most famous Christmas passage.  Okay, so it isn’t exactly Luke chapter 2, but it is a great reminder of the meaning of Christmas.

35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” – Acts 20:35

Christmas Visions

Remember the excitement that the Christmas season held for you as a child?  We could hardly contain ourselves as December 25th slowly approached.  What would “Santa” bring this year?  What latest toy or game would satisfy the longing of our little hearts?   Hearts that could barely contain the blissful anticipation as we greedily tore open our presents.  As soon as one gift was unwrapped it was set aside to free our hands for the next.  The first “proverb” every child knows is, “the more the merrier”.  Isn’t “more” the true meaning of Christmas?  But, how soon did life return back to “normal” once the final gift was unwrapped and the floor was covered with torn wrapping paper?  A letdown was inevitable as we realized that reality did not match our expectations.  Toys break.  Game pieces get lost.  Puzzle pieces disappear with as much certainty as socks.  But December 25th will roll around again and visions of more gifts will dance in our heads.  Too bad Santa and the Christmas tree too often compete with the baby in the manger.

Three Wise Men

Guided by a star, the three wise men were led to a young Christ.  Although just a baby, they wanted to show Him the reverence He alone was worthy of.  Upon seeing Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him.  In humility they gave Him valuable gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh.  As God in the flesh, Christ was not in need of their material possessions.  Accordingly, the wise men were not giving to meet Christ’s need, but rather to fulfill their own.  By giving such valuable gifts they were proclaiming their willingness to forego all earthly possessions that might compete with their devotion to Christ.  In Christ, they had found the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:45-46).  The only source of real joy.  How could gold, frankincense and myrrh compete with Him?

One Sinful Woman

Guided by a penitent heart, the sinful woman was led to a “dying” Christ.  Despite the social taboos, she wanted to show Jesus the worship He was worthy of.  Despite her perceived unworthiness, the sinful woman boldly entered the home of a Pharisee and anointed the feet of Jesus with an alabaster flask of ointment.  It is possible that this ointment was her most valuable possession, but the value of the ointment was irrelevant to her.  She could not bear the weight of her sins any longer.  While others were condemning her, Jesus offered forgiveness.  With a friend like Jesus, what did it matter what others thought of her?  With tears of joy she cleaned the feet of her Savior who cleansed her soul with His blood.  In Christ, she had found her hidden treasure (Matt. 13:44).  How could a flask of ointment compete with Him?

Gift of God

Guided by the will of His Father, Jesus entered the realm of the enemy.  When Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well she is desperate.    Five men have come and gone in her carousel life.  Born into the “wrong” race, born the “wrong” sex, worshiping the wrong way, she is carrying a jar that reflects her soul.  Empty.  The Samaritan woman is all around us.

How many people will celebrate Christmas without recognizing, much less celebrating Christ?  They want the latest toys and games to satisfy the longing of their empty hearts.  As the carousel goes around they try to find fulfillment in various ways, but the result is always the same.  Disappointment.  Reality does not match expectations.  With greedy hands they vigorously unwrap life’s presents repeating the childhood proverb, “the more the merrier”.  But instead of joy they keep going back to the well with an empty jar.  As their lives spin out of control, Jesus simply says, “If you knew the gift of God.”

Accept the Gift

As we look around us this Christmas season, we need to learn a lesson from the wise men and the sinful woman.  Decorations are nice.  Music is enjoyable.  Exchanging gifts is fun.  But instead of focusing on the gifts under the Christmas tree, take a long look at the manger scene.  The baby wrapped in swaddling cloths is truly the reason for the season.  He is the Gift of God.  He alone is worthy of our worship.  He doesn’t want our gifts.  He desires and deserves us and our reverence.  He is the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure that will fill our hearts with joy and never disappoint.  When we accept the gift of God, we will see that reality exceeds expectation.  How can anything this world has to offer compete with Him?

Do you know the gift of God?  Jesus laid down His life so that we might have abundant life.  In His life and death He modeled, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.  From the Samaritan woman we can also learn a valuable lesson.  It is wise to accept the Gift God offers!!

Merry Christmas.

15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! – 2 Corinthians 9:15

The Wisdom of God

Posted on by scott

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. – 1 Corinthians 1:20-25

Christ Crucified

It’s that simple.  It is often said that the death of Christ on a Roman cross is both the greatest manifestation of the wrath and the love of God.  I certainly cannot argue either point.  But Paul adds to the wonder of the cross.  Not only is it where the wrath and love of God collided, but the cross also wonderfully displays the power and wisdom of God.

The Messiah dying on a cross was unthinkable to many Jews.  God on a cross being mocked during His execution was utter foolishness to many Gentiles.  Scriptures seem so obvious in pointing to the death of Christ as man’s only hope for salvation.  But many are too intelligent or logical (in their own eyes) to accept this truth.  We know that in reality they are blinded.  Their pride does not allow them to embrace a humble God.  Man’s unmet expectations don’t alter the Truth.  Christ crucified, though not the sign the Jews demanded or the wisdom the Greeks sought, is evidence of God’s infinite wisdom.

The Fall

We are all familiar with Genesis chapter three; when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, desiring to know what God knows.  We refer to their sin as the Fall, but do we really understand the depths to which humanity plummeted because of their disobedience?  Can we grasp the fellowship with God that was foregone because of their lust for the fruit?  As their descendants, are we really aware just how dangerous the enemy of our souls is when he begins to appeal to our pride?

Satan may be the great deceiver, but he is not the only one practicing the art.  Take an honest look in a mirror.  We share not only in the sin of Adam and Eve, but in their faults and weaknesses as well.  The family resemblance is strong.  The quest for wisdom apart from God is not only futile, it is foolish.  A foolishness with great consequences.

Clothed

How can fallen man be reconciled with God?  How can sin and perfect Holiness commune?  How can pure light look on tainted darkness?  By covering them!  Along with their deed, Adam and Eve were exposed.  Beauty became shame.  Innocence became death.  The innocent died so the guilty could be covered.  Unable to help themselves, God had to intervene.

21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. – Genesis 3:21

Eternal Wisdom

God was not surprised by the Fall.  He knows the weakness of men.  He knows the consequences of giving men the will to choose.  Before He had Adam name the animals, He knew Adam would need to be covered by their skins.  And He knew the sacrifice that would be necessary; and who would have to make it.  The wisdom of God preceded the Fall, and it preceded creation.

7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. – 1 Corinthians 2:7

As Paul discusses the wisdom of God, he tells us that God’s wisdom is eternal.  It is unlimited.  It lifts people from darkness to light.  It is the source of salvation and glory.  Those who deemed themselves to be wise in their own eyes merely carried out the plan of God for salvation by crucifying Christ.

8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. – 1 Corinthians 2:8

Christ Crucified

How else could God’s wrath be appeased?  How else could the law be fulfilled?  How else could God’s holiness be uncrompromised?  How else could the pride of man be circumvented?  How else could man’s weakness become moot?  Who but God, would decree before the ages, the crucifixion of the Lord of glory for our glory?  A God who knew that the only way for man to be lifted from his Fall was to come down and lift him up.  With a cross.  Christ crucified.  The Innocent died so the guilty could be covered.  With His righteousness.

Revealed Wisdom

Who can embrace the wisdom of God?  As Paul points out, the worldly wise, the scribes and the debaters of this age never will.  At least; not on their own.  The wisdom of God is not only eternal and limitless; it is also a secret; a mystery.  In other words, left to ourselves we would never discover or discern it.  Rather, God must reveal it to us.  And He does so through the Holy Spirit.

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. – 1 Corinthians 2:10-13

Worldly wisdom feeds the flesh.  It appeals to our pride.  It leads to self promotion.  It is foolish.  It belongs to a realm God has rescued us from by lifting us out.  Thank God we can now share in His wisdom.  True wisdom.

God Alone

Only God can comprehend His holiness.  Only God can truly understand the consequences of the Fall.  Only God in His infinite wisdom had a perfect plan of salvation.  He alone knew before the ages the sacrifice that would have to be made.  He alone knew who would have to make it.  To Him alone belongs all the glory.  God, in His wisdom, has given us His Spirit.  God in His mercy, has given us the mind of Christ. May we, like Paul, promote the wisdom of our Father.

2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Omnipotence of God

Posted on by scott

 

 

2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”- Job 42:2

Job’s Perspective

If only we all had the same perspective of God that Job did after his confrontation with his Creator.  Despite the creation account of Genesis and the “redemption” account of Exodus, followed by numerous other displays of the mighty power of God, His power is often questioned.  When a natural catastrophe occurs, many assume that God, if He exists at all, was powerless to stop it.  Certainly, we are told, He is no match for Mother Nature.  When a loved one succumbs to a terrible disease, the same charges are leveled.  If we see “innocent” young children suffering, God is accused of being either unloving or unable to intervene.  Does the fact that God is all powerful obligate Him to exercise His power according to our desires?

God’s Power & Character

God is able to “do all things”, provided those “all things” are consistent with who He is.  His power is tempered by His holiness, wisdom, perfect love, etc.  In other words, the only limitation on the power of God is His perfect character.  He can create the heavens and earth and fill them with men and beasts, stars and planets; but He cannot sin.  He can mold the mountains, carve out the canyons, and set the boundaries for the oceans and seas; but He cannot change.  Speaking light into darkness; no problem.  Bringing vegetation out of the soil; no sweat.  Breaking a promise; impossible.  God can do all things that are in accordance with His will.

Man & Creation

It was the will of God to have fellowship with man.  Accordingly, God spoke creation into existence in six days.  The light and the vegetation and the gases in the atmosphere are all in accordance with the requirements for His apex of creation to thrive.  The intricacy of the human body, the complexity of the eyes and brain, the marvel of the data in DNA, all reflect the wisdom of the Creator.  And He started with dust (in Adam’s case).  Amazing how He shapes such clay, only to have the clay question and doubt Him.

Seeing that it was not good for man to be alone, God created a helpmate out of a rib.  When sin became rampant, God flooded the entire world.  When He promised never to do so again, He put the rainbow in the sky.  He confused the plans of tower builders, He destroyed wicked cities with fire and brimstone, and He opened old and barren wombs.  He turned a sea to dry ground, brought water from a rock, and brought dry bones to life.  This is just a sampling of the power of God, a power whose evidence speaks to us every day.

24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself. – Isaiah 44:24

Mountain Peaks & Ocean Bottoms

Both the stars on a clear night and the clouds on an overcast day reveal the power of God.  We look up and see either in the sky above and take them for granted, but a study of the composition of either would give us a new appreciation.  Consider the size and heat of a star and try not to be impressed the next time you lift your eyes to heaven and see the sky filled with them.  As the clouds drift over us blocking out the light of the sun stop and consider how God has taken water and suspended it in space only to tell it where to drop its rain.  As God “spread out the earth by Himself”, He chose to give us majestic mountains and rolling hills.  He gave us oceans of salt water and lakes and streams of fresh water.  He made the mountain goats to ascend to the mountain peaks, and the lanternfish to plumb the depth of the sea.  He adorned the mountains with edelweiss and the seas with a giant plumose anemone.  The next time you stop to smell a rose, consider who gave it its beauty and fragrance.

A Newborn

As awe-inspiring as nature is, nothing compares with a newborn child in my book.  The same God who suspends great burning balls of gases in space and floats masses of condensed water vapors in the atmosphere knits human life in the womb.  What does He start with?  One cell from dust and one from the rib of dust.  God takes these two cells and makes a new creation.  One bearing His image.  As we hold a newborn baby and look into its eyes, we see a reflection of the incredible “power” of God.  Don’t let the little fingers and toes deceive you.  Despite its size, the child in our arms is not only special, it is extremely intricate.  The stars and oceans may remind us of the majesty of their Creator, but only the offspring of Adam and Eve, formed in the womb, can bear His image, and house His Spirit.  In fact, God Himself,  became a newborn, to show us His greatest power.

Man & Recreation

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. -Romans 1:16

I don’t understand all of the details of stars or clouds.  I have not had the vantage point of the mountain goat or lanternfish.  The human body is too complex for my comprehension.  But I have experienced the power of God for salvation, and someday will experience His resurrection power.  Not because of my intelligence, understanding or comprehension, but because of my belief.  I believe I am a sinner in need of a Savior.  I believe that Christ, as the second person of the Trinity, became a baby in a manger.  I believe that Jesus lived a perfect life; fulfilling the Law.  Further, I believe He died for my sins on the cross and three days later rose from the dead according to Scriptures.  In short, I believe the Gospel; the power of God for salvation.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. – 1 Corinthians 14:3-4

Abundant in Power

God used a star to lead the wise men to the Christ child.  He used the clouds to hide the sun when Christ hung on the cross.  He used an earthquake to release the saints from their tombs and to accompany an angel to roll away the stone.  God’s power is in accordance with His will.  His will is that all might be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).  God’s power is still being displayed on a daily basis.  God may not stop every catastrophe or every “premature” death according to our wishes, but He does offer hope for our greatest need.  And only He has the power to secure it.  Instead of questioning the power of God, why don’t you put your faith in it and experience it for yourself?  The cross and the empty tomb beckon you.

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save. – Isaiah 59;1 

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure. – Psalm 147:5

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. – Jude verses 24 & 25

Thanksgiving

Posted on by scott

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name! – Psalm 100:4

Be Thankful

I woke up at 4:00 this morning and panicked.  Today is Thanksgiving day and I am not prepared.  I knew it was coming.  It’s on the calendar.  My employer gave me a box of food.  I have the day off work.  The island in the kitchen is covered with pies and cookies.  Tables and chairs are all taken care of.  So what is there left to do?  Be thankful.

No Shortage

Is it only me, or are most of us in our society “spoiled”?  Christ tells us to pray for our daily bread, but do we do it in faith and gratitude when we have a refrigerator and multiple freezers full of food?  Daily bread?  We’re stockpiled for a zombie apocalypse.  No shortage of bread here.

My closet is in competition with my freezers.  It is crammed with clothes.  If I can’t decide what to wear it is because of excess, not lack.  The only shortage in the closet is hangers and hooks.  No shortage of clothes.

How about shelter?  Most of us have plenty of room to spare.  If necessary, we could accommodate upwards of fifty people in our homes.  They wouldn’t all have a cozy bed but we could keep them warm and dry in a crisis.  And that is only our residence.  How about that cottage or second home?  No shortage of housing.

How about transportation?  I remember when most families had one car.  If you had two, you were wealthy.  Now, it seems there are more cars in the driveway than drivers in the house.  We are a society on the go and our plethora of autos reflects such.  Like our clothes, our dilemma is which auto to drive today.  No shortage of transportation.

How about Bibles?  We’ve got them in King James, New King James, New American Standard, NIV, and ESV.  Those are only the translations, how about the niche bibles?  Bibles for students, teens, grandparents, etc.  I’m having a hard time locating my bible for CPA’s with blue eyes, but I know it is around here somewhere.  If I can’t locate it soon, I’ll just order the bible for blind CPA’s over 50 years old.  No shortage of Bibles.

Excess Danger

Why do I talk about excess on Thanksgiving?  For the obvious reason, that excess can rob us of our thankfulness.  If our excess doesn’t, our greed will.  Let’s face it, we struggle with both.  Thanksgiving has evolved from a special day set aside to recognize our dependence upon God, to a speed bump on the road to Christmas, to an afterthought, steamrolled by the new “spirit” of Christmas.  As if we don’t already have enough possessions, Black Friday “begins” well before we prepare our Thanksgiving meals.

See why I woke up in a panic?  We need to look in our mirrors.  Are we truly thankful?  I am not saying that having material things is wrong, but ingratitude is.  Excess and thankfulness are not mutually exclusive, but they aren’t exactly Siamese twins.  It takes a mature Christian, and I personally have not yet arrived.  I’m spoiled, but at least I recognize it.  Which means, there is hope.

Simplify & Share

I have resolved to simplify my life.  The guns I haven’t shot for years are going.  Same with the clothes I haven’t worn since who knows when.  As I have thought about this issue, I have come to the conclusion that it is better to share my excess, when possible, rather than giving it away.  When I share my possessions, I share myself as well.  I know this is a wise plan because it is what God has done with His wealth.

When God looks at us, he sees lack, not excess.  Spiritual zombies walking in darkness totally unable to save ourselves.  God did not send a legion of angels to save us, rather He came and shared in our flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14).  He gave of Himself.  He didn’t just reach down, He reached out.  He shared in our flesh and blood, so we could share in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Excess In Christ

Want to talk about excess?  God has given us the body of Christ as our bread and wine.  Through faith in His sacrifice, we will never have an unsatiated spiritual hunger or thirst.  We will have food to nourish us that the world doesn’t comprehend.

As children of God, we have been clothed with the Righteousness of Christ.  According to Colossians chapter three, our closet now contains clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

As children of God, Christ has promised us a heavenly dwelling.  In fact, He is preparing it for us right now.  Until He calls us home, He has turned our hearts into temples and taken up residence in us.

As children of God, we have been transported into the Heavenly places with Christ.  We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)!!   As citizens of Heaven, we can now store our treasures there where they will await our arrival.  Never will they be subject to decay.

As children of God, our fellowship is with the incarnate Word.  Obviously, He speaks to us through His written Word, but with the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we now have the ability to understand any translation of the Bible and have the Word speak to our souls and not just our minds.

Thanksgiving Reminders

Don’t let your material excess blind you of your spiritual wealth.  God has blessed you beyond comprehension.  He loves you with an everlasting love.  His mercies are new every morning.  When you were dead in your sins, He offered you eternal life.  The list is endless.  James tells us that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from God, Himself (James 1:17).

This Thanksgiving may your material excess remind you of your spiritual blessings.  Might your Thanksgiving cornucopia proclaim the generosity of God.  I challenge you to look for someone to share your blessings and by extension, yourself with.  Use your blessings to bless others.  More importantly, take time to come into God’s presence with a thankful heart and praise on your lips.  He didn’t save you from being a spiritual zombie to see you become an ungrateful child.  As the Psalmist says, we are to thank Him and praise His name.

Thanksgiving day is just another reminder.

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Omniscient

Posted on by scott

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. – Psalm 139:1-4

Daunting Task

It is rather daunting for the finite to write about the infinite, for the sinful to write about the sinless, and the ignorant to write about the all knowing, but such is the case when men try to communicate the attributes of God.  As I try to work my way through (some of) the attributes of God, I have found this attempt to express God’s omniscience, pushed to the back burner.  I touched on the subject briefly when we looked at the fact that the “secret things” belong to God, yet there is so much more to say.  Obviously it is a topic we could never exhaust.  Fortunately that is not my goal.  Rather, my hope in writing about the attributes of God is to remove any frames you might have in your mental pictures of God.  None can contain Him.  Any delusions that we can comprehend God is not only a path down the trail of idolatry, it is flirting with blasphemy.  Such is an attempt to reduce God to the level of man.

All Knowing

When we look at today’s text, we see that David did not attribute human limitations to God or His knowledge.  According to David, God not only knew every move he made but also every thought he had.  Before a word could even cross David’s lips God already knew it.  Do we believe the same things?  Is David wrong or is he not to be taken literally?

39 Then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind) – 1 Kings 8:39

So prayed Solomon, the son of David.  According to Solomon, God, and only God, knows the hearts of all the children of mankind.  Is this possible? Jeremiah writes that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?  God, Himself, answers the question, 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10).  The greatest enigma is no challenge for an all-knowing God.  The heart of man may be deceitful, but God sees it clearly.

Like Father, Like Son

This ability to know every action and thought of man was also evident in Christ.  Before He ever met Philip, Jesus saw him under the fig tree.  Before He ever conversed with the woman at the well, He knew about her life history.  Furthermore, Jesus knew of the death of Lazarus before the news could reach Him.  Before the last supper, He described to His disciples in detail the person they were to meet to make arrangements.  When His audience had evil thoughts (Matthew 9:4), Jesus confronted them.  When the Pharisees had blasphemous thoughts (Matthew 12:25), He challenged them with a parable.  When the scribes entertained thoughts that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy (Mark 2:6-8), He corrected them.  When the scribes and Pharisees vindictively thought that they might be able to level an accusation against Jesus (Luke 6:6-11), He exposed their hypocrisy.

Number of Stars

Not impressed?  Let’s look at another Psalm.  4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;  his understanding is beyond measure. (Psalm 147:4-5).  From what I have read, an Australian study claims that the number of stars we can see is 70,000 million, million, million (70 followed by 22 zeros).  I have not verified that number due to a shortage of fingers and toes, but the number is not staggering to God.  He has not only created the stars, but has named each one.  God knows the way to the dwelling of light, and the place of darkness (Job 38:19).  He knows when the mountain goats give birth (Job 39:1) and when a sparrow falls (Matthew 10:29). 

Before Creation

Before Adam and Eve were created, much less ate from the forbidden fruit, God had a plan of redemption (1 Peter 1:20).  A plan which God revealed years before it’s fruition (Isaiah 7:14).   God also revealed to Isaiah His plans for Cyrus, a century before Cyrus was even born.  Likewise, Christ could see into the future.  Events such as Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal were known in advance to Jesus.  Same with the destruction of the Temple.  God’s knowledge has no limits.  He knows every detail of His creation, He knows our every move and thought, and He knows the future.  

Do I understand the omniscience of God?  Absolutely not.  When God challenged Job, Job’s response was classic.  He repented and covered his mouth.  The attributes of God should have the same effect on us.  God is so much above us, that all we can do is to be amazed.  While we can not grasp the knowledge of God, we can find comfort in it.

He Knows & Cares

Our omniscient God not only knows about every detail of your life; He is concerned about them.  He cares about you.  He knitted you in your mother’s womb and is cognizant of every breath you take and every beat of your heart.  Not because you are great, but because He is.  Christ tells us that our Heavenly Father knows the number of the hairs on our head to impress upon us just how intimately God knows each and every one of His children.  God is not just some piece of automation that stores a lot of information; rather, He is the intimate Being who created us for a personal relationship with Himself.  Rather than being intimidated by God’s perfect knowledge of us, we should recognize that we can approach Him just as we are.  We can have confidence that He understands our struggles and weaknesses.  He knows our cares and our doubts.  God knows we are finite, sinful and ignorant, but He loves us regardless.  He knows our deceitful hearts and offers us new ones.

I concur with Elihu.

“He does great things that we cannot comprehend.” – Job 37:5b

God’s Omnipresence

Posted on by scott

23 “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord – Jeremiah 23:23-24

Want to get away?

You’ve seen the commercials.  Someone commits a gaffe one moment, and the next moment they are boarding a plane to remove themselves from the embarrassment that is the just desert for their blunder.  But what if you want to get away, and everyplace Southwest Airlines flies those you are trying to escape from are there to greet you?   Sound far-fetched?  Not if you are trying to hide from God.  Such was the lesson the false prophets of Jeremiah’s time had to learn.  They were preaching a message of peace that did not come from God.  Not only were they spreading lies, but apparently they thought God would not be aware of their message.  They could not have been more wrong.  Being Spirit, and not material, God is not subject to man’s limitations.  Our eternal God who does not wear the manacles of time is likewise unfettered by the chains of space.  Hence He reminds us, “Do I not fill heaven and earth?”

Omnipresent

The omnipresence of God implies that God is everywhere, every moment, in all of His fullness.  And you thought the eternality of God was difficult to comprehend.  Apparently Solomon, in all of his wisdom was able to comprehend this truth.  Or so it appears.  His was the privilege of building the Temple, but he knew even it could not contain God, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).  The Temple may have been spacious and ornate, but:

Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
    and what is the place of my rest?” – Isaiah 66:1

No Escape

Isaiah 57 tells us that God inhabits eternity.  So how do we escape His presence?  Adam and Eve were unable to hide from Him.  Jonah was unable to flee from Him.  David knew how futile such an attempt was.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you. – Psalm 139:7-12

Never Alone

The omnipresence of God may be a truth that makes His enemies shudder as they realize there are no secret places where they can hide where God cannot see them.  But what a comfort this truth can be to His children.  Think of David’s comforting words in the 23rd Psalm.  Whether we are beside still waters, walking through the valley of the shadow of death, or in the presence of our enemies, God is there with us.  He is faithful to lead us, comfort us, and anoint us until our cups overflow.  God’s omnipresence doesn’t mean that He is always obligated to manifest Himself to us, but He is there none the less.  While His visage may not be visible to us, we can be certain that His eyes are upon us.  As David pointed out, neither an abundance of light or complete absence of it makes any difference to God.  Light is as irrelevant to God’s vision as space is to His presence.

Constant Awareness

I don’t know what you are going through today.  Most people I know live with constant struggles.  So much so that we often comment that everybody needs counseling.  Certainly, life has its fill of difficulties. While it is tempting to board the plane to flee from our trials, it is no long-term solution.   Regardless of where you board a Southwest plane, the destination is always the same:  planet earth and its trials.  Rather than fleeing, we need to come to grips with the reality of God’s omnipresence.  We need to live our lives with a constant awareness of the reality of God’s presence every moment of our lives.  Solomon’s Temple could not contain (or constrain) God and neither can the walls of your church building.  He is with you in your car when you drive home from church.  He is with you in the kitchen as you prepare lunch and roast your pastor.  He is in your living room as you watch television.  He is in your den as you pick up your book to read.  He is in your office at work.  He is in your classroom.  He is in the gymnasium and stadium as you watch a sporting event.  You cannot hide from God.  Everyplace you can possibly go, He is already there.  His desire is constant.  Fellowship with you.

Practicing His Presence

I don’t want to make theology about us, but we need to recognize what it means to be a child of God.  The attributes of God are unique and foundational to our faith.  They are not derived from any other source.  Many of them are incommunicable, they belong only to Him and cannot be shared with creation.  For instance, you and I are not infinite, immutable, or omnipresent.  But think of what it means to us that God possesses these attributes.  The confidence we can have because God is eternal.  The peace we can have because God will never change.  The joy we can have because we are always in the presence of God.  Our short time on earth needs to be spent learning about the character and attributes of God and appropriating these truths to our daily lives.  Getting away from God is not an option, but “practicing” His presence is a constant opportunity.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. – Psalm 16:11

The Eternality of God

Posted on by scott

 

90 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust
    and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night. – Psalm 90:1-4

Your Dash

For today’s devotion, you are going to have to pick up your dash and a time remote.  Don’t know what your dash is?  Look at your tombstone.  It is that little line between your date of birth and date of death.  Don’t have a tombstone yet?  Then you are still working on your dash.  We are going to take our dashes and lay them down on that red line.  Which red line?  The one that goes as far to the left and to the right as your eyes can see.  We will call the point at which we laid down our dashes the present.  In order to stop the present from becoming the past, we are going to use our remotes to stop time.  Didn’t think it was possible, did you?  Now we are going to walk back in time (to the left, it is always backward).

Milestones

As we walk we see the events that have shaped our lives.  Some we want to bypass, others we want to stop and relive. We all have those milestones or time markers we reference when we talk about our past.  The year we graduated, the year we were married, the years our children were born, and the years loved ones passed away.  Personally, I would like to revisit early 2010 and hold my daughter one more time before the grave took her.  You may have a similar longing, but as we review our dash, there are no d0-overs.  Only memories and reminiscing.  Those of us that were alive when President Reagan was shot know where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news.  Same for those who were alive when President Kennedy was shot.  We have witnessed wars, political upheavals, and natural catastrophes.  We have celebrated birthdays, holidays, and sporting events.  As we get to the end of our dash (which is actually our beginning), our journey takes us from the realm of personal experience to the realm of history.  Now we get to observe the dashes of others.

Historical Dashes

Wouldn’t it be nice to stop and listen to Spurgeon preach in the Metropolitan Tabernacle, or to hear Whitefield preach to thousands in the open air with no amplification?  Perhaps we could drop in and speak with President Lincoln or President Washington.  But we have to keep walking.  It is amazing to see the different ways people have influenced the world with their dashes.  Some have left their mark with military prowess, others with pen and ink.  Some have been great orators, others have possessed great business acumen.  History has been replete with powerful politicians and gifted athletes.  There has certainly been no shortage of great artists and musicians.  Many lives have been touched by those who perform on the stage, and many have been inspired by those who preach behind a pulpit.  But as our text says, all will return to dust.  Their dashes are done.

Our walk ends where time began.  We stand in the Garden and look into an expanse.  Men’s dashes end, but the red line continues into the expanse.  What is out there is a mystery.  All we know is that it is occupied by the Trinity.  Before there was creation, there was no “time”.

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

El Olam

In Genesis chapter 21, Abraham referred to God as El Olam, “The everlasting God” or “Eternal God”,  Hard for us to grasp the eternality of God.  He existed before time.  He exists outside of time.  Yet, He entered into time.  As we stand in the Garden in the cool of the day, Jesus joins us.  As God walked with Adam and Eve, Jesus walks with us.  As we turn around and walk back to the present, He converses with us as he did with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  As the dashes of humanity lay on the red line of eternity, Christ gives us a His story lesson.  From the fall in the Garden and the ensuing promise of a deliverer, Jesus tells us how everything points to Him.  Moses, the prophets, the law and the feasts, they all pointed to Christ.  As Jesus talks about the manger, a smile comes to His face.  As He talks about Gethsemane, He sheds a tear.  As He recounts Calvary, we shed some tears.  By the time He discusses the resurrection, our hearts are burning.  As Jesus shares His story and opens the scriptures, the dashes become less relevant and the red line of eternity more prominent in our eyes.  Hearing from the mouth of Jesus about the sacrifice that was made and the blood that was shed for us, gives us a greater understanding of and appreciation for eternity.

As He brings us back to the present, we look ahead to the future.  Eternity’s red line still extends as far as the eyes can see.  Like the expanse we looked into before “time” began, the future is a mystery.  We don’t know what lies ahead, but we know it is occupied by the Trinity.  This fact alone makes it a little less intimidating.

Your Dash & El Olam

It is time to pick up the remote and hit the play button.  We can’t pause time forever.  But before you hit that button to resume time, ask yourself this question:  What are you going to do with the remainder of your dash before it is etched in stone?  A lot of people will try to influence your decision.  Some of their arguments will be pretty appealing.  But ultimately, they will return to dust.  The wisest thing we can do with our dash is to surrender it to the one who stepped out of eternity, so we can spend eternity with El Olam.  He who is from everlasting to everlasting.  It is what Jesus has prayed for before your dash began.

4 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. – John 17:24

 

The Immutability of God

Posted on by scott

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” – Malachi 3:6

Seasons & Change

The Preacher once said, “For everything there is a season, and a time to every matter under heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).  With each passing year, life’s “seasons” seem to pick up speed.  I suppose that is inevitable for those of us who are “over the hill” (maybe there is more for gravity to work with).  For whatever reason, the descent is certainly more rapid than the climb up.  Along the way, we seem to become much more acquainted with the times of “deaths” and “pluckings” than those of “births” and “plantings”.  Yesterday’s visits to the maternity ward have become today’s hospice visits.  To everything, there is a season.  Every season brings change.

Think of the seeds planted with great hopes that only yielded weeds.  How many peace treaties give way to wars.  How often do promising business ventures end up as bankruptcies?  More often than not, the starry-eyed “I do’s” end up in teary-eyed divorces.  I don’t mean to sound pessimistic or cynical, but experience teaches us that despite our “Pollyanna” naivetés, everything under the sun is subject to change; which is another way of saying, capable of failing, abandoning, and disappointing us.  Such is life in a fallen world.  But God offers us a hope, “I the Lord do not change.”

Immutable

Years ago I gave a devotion on this text from Malachi during a prayer meeting.  Ironically, it happened to be my birthday.  As the calendar was reminding me that I was another year older, I was encouraging my audience with the truth that God is immutable.  He never changes.  No gray hairs, no balding, no wrinkles.  Ever.  Many in the audience that night have since passed into eternity.  They are now witnessing first hand the fact that God is the great, I Am.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Unchanging Essence

Being spirit, and not flesh and blood, God’s essence will never be subject to change.  As finite beings surrounded by constant change, this is difficult for us to grasp.  We like to say that change is the only constant in life.  Everything we come in contact with is changing.  Granted the rate of change may be different, but the consequences of sin and death in our world has made change a given.  But the Creator is not like His creation (Psalm 102:25-27).  God is beyond the reach of sin.  His purity will never be tarnished.  An ethereal spirit, He has no “beachhead” that time or sin can touch.  While change may be a constant for us, it is nothing God will “experience”.  With Him, there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17).

Unchanging Attributes

Like the essence of God, His attributes are also unchangeable.  His power will never weaken; His arm will never shorten.  He will always remain omnipotent.  His knowledge will never diminish; His wisdom will never fail.  He will always remain omniscient.  His grace and mercy will not lessen.  He will always be perfectly holy; He will always be just.  He will always be absolute truth; He will always love with a perfect everlasting love.  God has always been perfect.  By definition, He cannot change and remain perfect.  He cannot become more; he cannot become less.  “I am the Lord, I change not.”

Unchanging Plans

“But he is unchangeable, and who can turn Him back?  What He desires, that He does.  For He will complete what He appoints for me…” (Job 23:13-14a).  The unchangeableness of God pertains not only to His essence and attributes but also to His plans.  God is not reactionary.  There is nothing unseen that will surprise Him necessitating a change in plans.  The wisdom behind His plans is infinite.  The resources to carry out His plans are unlimited.  Being eternal, He will never run out of time to see His plans come to fruition.  What are a thousand years to God?  If God decrees something, who has the power to alter His plans?  God’s plans reflect His perfect nature.  Why should He change them?

Unchanging Promises

We like to cling to the promises of God.  And rightly so.  But what value would they be if they were subject to change?  Of course, they are not.  God’s promises will never be revoked.  His mercies will always be new every morning; those who call upon the name of the Lord will always be saved.  As heirs of the promise, we have this hope, “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).  Cling to the promises of God.  They will never change.

Unchanging Threats

As much as we like to claim the promises of God, we would often prefer to ignore His threats.  But that is foolish.  Just as God’s promises are unchanging, so are His threats.  God’s justice demands it.  Sin must be punished.  There is a literal hell for those that do not believe.  God’s plan of salvation is perfect.  God’s plan of salvation is exclusive.  To reject it has eternal consequences.  There is great comfort in the immutability of God unless one is His enemy.  Heed God’s warnings.  They are as unchangeable as His promises.

Real Change

I am not implying that all change is bad.  Nor can I promote change for the sake of change.  Instead, I believe we have to recognize that our only hope for “real” change comes from our unchanging God who makes all things new.  He gives us a new heart.  He gives us a new spirit.  He gives us a new name.  He gives us a new body.  He gives us a new home.  He gives a new life.  He gives us a new song.  As Malachi wrote, our salvation is contingent upon the fact that God doesn’t change.  As the seasons of life carry us closer to the grave, it is comforting to have the only true constant to cling to!  Every seed of hope that He plants will produce fruit.

I’ll take the “changes” of an immutable God over those of a fallen world any day.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

A Broken and Contrite Heart

Posted on by scott

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. – Psalm 51:17

A Broken Heart

Have you ever honestly asked yourself, “What does a broken heart look like?”  I am not talking about the teenager who is in the dumps because the love of their life (however they define that) broke up with them after two weeks of dating.  Nor am I talking about the widow who just buried the love of her life after sixty years of marriage as sad as that is.  We will all experience difficulties.  We will all bury loved ones.  As much as these things will pain our hearts and make us grieve and leave us heart broken, they are not the same as being broken hearted.  This type of grief is a natural emotional reaction to external circumstances.  When we are heart broken, we often see ourselves as victims of circumstances.  Not so the person with the broken heart.

Humbled

We live in an age of incredible pride.  With our chests sticking out and our heads held high and our fists raised towards heaven we demand our rights.  The world owes us and we are going to make sure we get what we have coming to us.  It is not a matter of what we have earned, but instead it is a matter of entitlement.  This is what I too often see.  This is why I ask the question, “What does a broken heart look like?”  We are so busy scanning the horizon to make sure we don’t miss out on what we want, that we don’t take the time to look deep within ourselves to recognize what we are missing.  In this regard I am afraid that most of us are more like Lot than Abraham.  When it came time for them to separate, in his pride, Lot lifted up his eyes and chose the land that appealed to him.  Abraham, by contrast, in his humility had his eyes lifted up by God and God chose for him.  Like Abraham’s, a broken and contrite heart is humble.

Repentant

When David penned the fifty-first Psalm, he was broken hearted.  He had terribly sinned against God.  He committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed.  If that wasn’t bad enough, he tried to cover up his sins.  Never works.  God used Nathan to call David out, and David was forced to confront his sin.  He did not make excuses.  He did not make denials.  Nor did he blame anyone else.  He admitted his guilt, and sought out forgiveness from God. Look at David’s plea.  This is no insincere confession.  These are the words of a man who is devastated.  David is crushed by the weight of his sin.  His sins are a stench to God and he knows it.  A broken and contrite heart is greatly sobered by the guilt of sin and is repentant.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.

Sacrifice

Along with a broken spirit, David says a broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice of God.  Through David’s writing, God is contrasting the sacrifice He will delight in with one He will not.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

I am sure as David penned these words his mind went back to his predecessor, King Saul.  Saul had been instructed to completely wipe out the Amalekites but did not obey.  Instead he spared King Agag and the best of the livestock.  When confronted with his disobedience, Saul justified his actions by saying he wanted to save these spoils to sacrifice to God.  God wasn’t impressed.

22 Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.” – 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Obedient

God doesn’t want our sacrifice if He doesn’t have our heart.  He doesn’t need our money.  God doesn’t need our talents.  He wants US and our obedience.  He despised the sacrifice of Saul and his rationalizations.  What God wants is our hearts, broken and contrite.  A broken and contrite heart fears God and is obedient to His Word.

The world will never exalt the broken hearted, but God will.  While the proud raise their fists heavenward demanding their rights, may we humbly confess our wrongs.  While the proud vehemently fight for what they want, might we humbly thank God He doesn’t give us what we deserve.  While the proud are making excuses for their behavior, might we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.  While the proud are selfishly scanning the horizon for more worldly possessions, might we have the wisdom to look inside ourselves and purge the world from our hearts.

Prepared

What does a broken heart look like?  It is a heart that is prepared for the presence and power of God.  It is the heart God looks for.  It is the heart God favors.  May he find such a heart in you and I!!

 66 Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
    and what is the place of my rest?
2 All these things my hand has made,
    and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit
    and trembles at my word. – Isaiah 66:1-2

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite. – Isaiah 57:15

A Godly Exchange

Posted on by scott

“…emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant…” – Philippians 2:7a

Seeing Clearly

We have spent the last couple of studies looking at the glory of God, discussing the fact that nothing on earth is more “valuable”.  We also looked at the foolishness of exchanging God’s glory when nothing can compare to it.  I wanted to write the prior two studies as a means of putting todays into perspective.  The better grasp we have of the glory of God, the more clearly we will understand the sacrifice Christ made.  The more clearly we understand the sacrifice Christ made, the less likely we will exchange the glory of God.

Glory Concealed

Philippians chapter two gives us Christ’s example of humility.  We are told, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in the human form,  he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4-8).  In contrast to man, who exchanges the glory of God for an image, the Son of God empties himself and takes on the form of a servant!  In other words, Christ “covered” His glory with flesh and blood.

Jesus did not lay aside His deity, but in a sense He willingly restricted it.  Like a strong man that ties one arm behind his back.  He doesn’t have less strength, he just restricts the strength he has.  So it was when Christ became a man.  He yoked His deity with humanity.  For thirty years his flesh “hid” His glory.  During the last three years of His life, the radiance began to break through more frequently.  On the Mount of Transfiguration, the inner circle was given a glimpse of what the flesh was covering for a season. “And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2).

Why?

Why did Jesus “hide” His glory for a season?  So we could enjoy it for eternity.  Jesus temporarily “exchanged” His glory for servanthood because He loves us.  More importantly, because He loves the Father.  “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Jesus is jealous for the glory of God.  Jesus knows nothing is more precious.  Therefore, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.”  Rather than clinging to what was rightfully his with a clenched fist, He emptied Himself with open hands praying, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42b).  A lesson in humility indeed.  “Have this mind among yourselves.”

Our Savior sweat drops of blood.  Our Creator carried a cross.  Our God will be glorified.  Sin has consequences.  Especially for the sinless Savior.  No one was more familiar with sin’s consequences than Jesus.  No one was more familiar with the sacrifice that had to be made to atone for sin than the Lamb of God.  Looking around Heaven for someone to fix man’s dilemma wasn’t an option.  Waiting for mankind to solve their problem wasn’t going to work either.  Man’s only hope was God in the flesh.  Deity yoked with humanity.

Glory Revealed

In the manger, Our Savior was born in “the likeness of men.”  On the cross, He hung in “human form.”  The flesh could only conceal the glory for so long.  Mary covered Jesus’ humanity with “swaddling cloth and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7a).  God revealed Jesus deity by rolling away the stone and raising Him from the grave.  The grave cloths were left behind.  A resurrected Savior doesn’t need burial cloths.  God’s glory never again needs to be covered.  Before His prayer of submission in the garden, Jesus offered up another prayer, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify Me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:4-5).

Rewarding Exchange

Jesus exchanged His glory for servanthood.  He died for our sins.  He glorified the Father by accomplishing the work the Father gave Him to do.  Jesus is now glorified in the presence of the Father with the glory He had with Him before the world existed.  May we learn from the humility of Christ.  May our desire be to glorify the Father on earth by accomplishing the work He has given us to do.  It will often require laying aside our pride and taking on the form of a servant.  For the child of God, it may be the most rewarding exchange.

“I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” – John 17:26

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11