Short Reflections

Starling Murmuration

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“The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” -Psalm 19:1

Currently my son is learning about birds for science. A few days ago we (and I mean we, because homeschool has been my second education) learned about starling birds. Mostly they are a nuisance because of how rapidly their population has grown, but there is one interesting fact. Starlings will group in large numbers and do a type of dance in the sky around dusk. I looked at a number of videos to make sure this wasn’t AI, because their graceful swirls seem almost unbelievable. Here’s a video to see:

If the God of the Universe designed one type of bird to display His glory this way, then how much more does He care for us, created in His image? More than that, how much more are we the beloved Church precious to the One True Living God? I think our understanding of who God is and His love is very limited, but He does give us glimpses in His creation, the church body, the Bible, and in the sacrificial gift of His Son Jesus. God is sovereign over all, which means He knows all about you. Your trials and joys have not escaped Him. He isn’t scrambling for a plan B because He “messed up your life”. The God of Heaven with all glory and power knows those who are His, perfectly loving you every step of the way.

Grace upon grace,

April

God Knows

‘God knows

all about

the boats,’

said an older

missionary

to the younger.

Fretting

over its late

arrival

and missed opportunities

was not on

the older’s agenda-

it was on

God’s.

He knows all about

your trials,

dreams and

circumstances too.

We don’t give

God enough credit

sometimes.

If He perpetually

orders the skies,

commands a blazing

star

to rise by day

and set for

sleep,

if He calls

trees to grow,

birds to gather

flowers to bloom,

is He not

watching over your

every moment too?

If the lioness

hunts for food

as He provides

for the hummingbird

and ladybug,

is He not providing

and protecting

you,

a soul He

fashioned from

nothing?

Give Him glory

for His wisdom

and power,

love and attention

to such a lowly

and favored creature

that is Man.

Life Enjoyed

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“It’s not what happens to you in life that matters… it’s how you handle it that determines your character.” -Chuck Colson

Wisdom is living by preparing to die.

Enjoying life

is not wasteful.

Finding joy

in the little things

is to live

life on purpose.

Practicing joy

leads to

wonder

in the grand,

awe

in the miniscule.

Fighting for joy

creates a heart

of worship,

a mind continually

renewed in what is

good, beautiful and true.

God is the Giver of all

good things.

Be a gracious

receiver

with eyes wide open

to the thousands of blessings

poured upon you

every day.

Take joy

by giving back

a grateful heart.

Live for joy

because this is

God’s good design

for His chosen people.

It is wisdom lived out.

“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” -Westminster Shorter Catechism

On That Day

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It is such a short time

that we live on

this blessed earth,

when we move and breathe.

God ordains down to the year

and day we enter

Chaos

and when we leave it.

It is all in His Hands,

the wonder and heartache,

beauty and ashes.

What will you and I

leave behind?

What have we built

our lives upon?

Christ the Redeemer

turned everything

upside down,

showing us

the Kingdom Way.

A legacy of faith

by God’s grace,

is the crown jewel

which will one day

overtake the saints

with everlasting joy

and gladness.

On that day

sorrow and sighing

will flee away

banished into eternal

darkness.

Dear Christian,

persevere with joy

in the reality

of your eternal future.

The not yet

will soon

be declared,

“fulfilled.”

Consider His lovingkindness

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Consider the lovingkindness of the Lord today.

What has God’s strong arm accomplished for you? Eternal salvation. Praise Him!

Who is at God’s right hand interceding on your behalf? Jesus Christ. Praise Him!

How is God at work in your life this moment? Daily sanctification. Praise Him!

When will you behold the face of God, faith becoming sight? In earthly death. Praise Him!

Where is the Holy Spirit? In my heart forevermore. Praise Him!

Not by our merit, but of His great mercy.

Even if God were to strip away every temporal blessing He has given you and me, like Job, we would still have the Lord. The Lord is my Shepherd, He is all I’ll ever need.

The Lord “watches over the way of His saints.” -Proverbs 2:8

Grace upon grace,

April

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

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“He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives.” -Isaiah 61:1

Jesus chose these words from Isaiah to read publicly in the synagogue. After the Lord read Isaiah 61:1-2 He said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21). Jesus has come and is coming again. Living in the in-between is difficult as we are not likely to be swept up into Heaven like Enoch or Elijah. No, most of us will taste death first if the Lord tarries. Yet it will be light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory we see in the distance.

We must also patiently endure our individual means of sanctification for a time on earth. It is not without purpose. God has seen fit to give us physical birth at an appointed time in history, to live where you live, to be in the family you have (or don’t have), to be surrounded by people, circumstances and events which may seem wearisome at the time, yet can serve as our good, in how we respond. Dear Christian, you are being made, crafted after His likeness, because your position in Christ already affirms this (Hebrews 10:14).

The grace of God allows sandpaper to refine our own hearts, smooth the rough places, transforming a heart of sin into one of eternal beauty. God makes this so. One day soon and very soon, the tension of the “already and not yet” will be laid to rest in sweet glorification. Until then Jesus calls you and I to walk worthy, obey His commands, stay faithful.

While we wait in hopeful, confident expectation, we can sing ‘Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus’, a hymn written by Charles Wesley. I hope you and your family enjoy a restful and joyful Christmas celebration this year. Jesus is King. Satan may win a battle, but God has won the war.

Grace upon grace,

April

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, Born a Child, and yet a King.

Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit, Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.”

-written by Charles Wesley

Judgment to Restoration

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Exodus 21:22-23:13; Psalm 29; Proverbs 7:6-23; Matthew 24:1-28

 

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” -Romans 8:22-23

Along with the Ten Commandments, God instituted a standard of living among the Israelites. Like today, we’ve been given commands for how to act with integrity toward each other and abstain from spiritual adultery. “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips” (Exodus 23:13). God alone is to be worshipped.

It’s interesting to observe the contrast in God’s will for us versus the natural bent we have toward sin. Moses wrote down the Lord’s system of order and peace. In the end, a life outside His will leads not only to our own destruction but the breakdown of society. Where moral corruption exists, divine judgement follows. Deception of false Christs, blind leaders, wars, famine, abortion, earthquakes, open hostility and persecution are the norm- for now. Jesus Christ rules and will judge everything.

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One day His final judgment will undo the tangled knot of sorrow. Sin does not triumph. The world and the relationships God had in mind for us in Eden will be made true again. Jesus has already conquered death, yet we wait in the “already and not yet” season as God fulfills future promises. In the meantime, the Bible speaks of our weariness and groaning, along with creation, for everything to be made right because deep down we know it isn’t supposed to be this way. We see the devastation sin has done to the world and our lives. Take heart because this is not the end of our Story. Believers look forward to the most wonderful Day when we receive our resurrected bodies no longer tainted by sickness, sin or death. As we live in the middle of the Fall, between Genesis 3 and Revelation 21, God promises to “[give] strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11). Jesus will restore, making all things new, but first God must refine, judging the dross. If you are in Christ, the Lord is on your side. Who can be against you?

 

Grace upon grace,

April

God’s Way

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Exodus 19:16-21:21; Psalm 28; Proverbs 7:1-5; Matthew 23:13-39

 

“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come […] So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” -Galatians 3:19; 24

 

There has to be a reason I repeatedly teach my 9 year old not to whine or argue. One, I just don’t like hearing it. But more importantly, I’m parenting for obedience. The lessons I lay out for him now will hopefully change into a habitual behavior. My hope is one day he will want to walk in obedience on his own without me reminding him! I can only assist in modifying actions I know please God, but He has to transform the heart.

In a similar way, God gave us His law not to go through the motions but to promote heart change. Through the law God demonstrates His standard of holiness and how we always fall short because of our sin nature (Romans 3:23). Following the law cannot save us but reveals our need for the Savior. God’s commands are right and good. They keep us from grievous sins against Himself and others. Even the cultural laws for Israel were beneficial to the people as they learned to operate as a set apart nation governed by God.

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When we reduce the Lord’s decrees to playing church on Sunday we are no better than the outwardly pious legalists Jesus condemned during His earthly ministry. God says He desires mercy, not sacrifice. So what does that mean? Jesus cares more about the motivation of our hearts than how we appear before others. Is our focus to look “holy” with lengthy superficial prayers, checking the church box, or visible acts of service? Or are we more concerned with what the God of this Universe thinks? Our Father inspects the fruit of the heart.

The Israelites trembled before the Lord in reverence and wonder. They couldn’t bear to have God speak directly to them in all His Glory.  In Psalm 28, David cries out for God to hear his prayer and deliver him from those who defy God’s ways. Our response should be a combination of these two reactions.

As God’s beloved sons and daughters we have the family privilege to boldly approach His  throne of grace. We can cry out to Him in our need, in our thanksgiving, even asking Him to defend us, and He will hear you. Yet this is done with a heart of humility and reverence toward the One who created you. I’m always awe-struck with fear when a storm blows through the area I live in, known for it’s tornadoes. There is such power in the wind and lightning. God is the source of this fierceness. Do you know this kind of God?

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When the Lord comes again He will meet us not only as our Shepherd, but as the Great Warrior He is. He will come to end the final war that has raged since the Fall (Genesis 3). His Name is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11-16). This should bring us to our knees and worship. One day, all will bow the knee before King Jesus and confess Him as Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).

As we seek God, He will fashion our hearts after His own. Over time our desire will be to obey Him more and more as our love for the Lord grows deeper. We won’t be as concerned with what the world thinks of us. We are either being fit for heaven or fit for hell through our obedience or rebellion. Knowing Christ is the one solid anchor we have to hold onto- everything else is shifting sand.

Follow God’s perfect way today. When you realize this isn’t possible to do on your own, go to the One who made our righteousness possible. Jesus fulfilled God’s ways because we never could. Walk with Jesus.

 

Grace upon grace,

April

Wholly Loved

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Exodus 19:1-15; Psalm 27:7-14; Matthew 22:34-23:12

 

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

God calls His Bride, the Church, to be set apart, as a holy people. We are to “conduct [ourselves] in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). How can we live perfectly holy before an Awesome God? Well, we can’t. This is actually good news for us. It is exactly why Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross to make a way for wayward people like you and me. We cannot clean ourselves up or ever be good enough- there’s a hole in our holiness. Even if we reform the outside, our hearts are dead apart from God. We are no more than a whitewashed tomb.

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In our Exodus passage, God commands Moses to tell the people of Israel to prepare themselves before entering the Lord’s presence. They were to wash their clothes and consecrate themselves so by the third day they would be ready. Under the New Covenant we have Christ’s Presence always with us as His children. He did the work of making us righteous and presentable before a Holy God.

Jesus does not denounce our lack, weaknesses, or limitations. He tenderly tells those who belong to Him they are condemned no more. The indwelling Holy Spirit patiently teaches us how to live in holiness, as we learn to operate out of God’s power and not our flesh. Our Father promises to not give up on what He’s started in you and me, to make us more like Christ (Philippians 1:6). We can be confident we will see Jesus face to face one day in the land of those who’ve really lived. You are His treasure, holy and loved, wholly loved.

 

Grace upon grace,

April

Long-suffering Mercy

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Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” -2 Peter 3:8-9
How do we handle the sins of others against us? When we’ve been deceived, betrayed, lied about, or mistreated? How does God deal with sin? How has He dealt with my sin?
We are all unrighteous before the Lord yet He freely offers grace for those who recognize their need for Him. Jesus has prepared a place for such people. Some respond to the invitation of the Gospel with apathy, others openly rebel in opposition to God’s gift. The kingdom of Heaven is not for them. So the Lord chooses an array of people from every nation, tribe, and language to serve His Name, delighting in His feast. He is mercifully long-suffering.
Moses cried out to God when the Israelites complained of hunger and thirst. The Lord heard him and miraculously provided in the desert, meeting their physical needs. Water from a rock, meat in the evening and manna in the morning- for forty years! He is mercifully long-suffering.
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In His earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus addressed the religious leaders intent on destroying His reputation and credibility. Jesus knew their hearts better than they did. He responds to the attacks to trap Him with patient wisdom, demonstrating His authoritative knowledge over the ways of men and Scripture. He is mercifully longsuffering.
Sometimes the word ‘long-suffering’ seem to fit better than ‘patient’. Long-suffering gives an image of endurance, perseverance, love bearing all things. This is exactly what Jesus did and does for you and me. In any of these examples God could have annihilated anyone questioning His provision, goodness or authority. But He didn’t. The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love not wishing any should eternally perish. Think of His response during the mock trials, insults, beatings, and ultimately, His crucifixion (Isaiah 53:7-11). He is mercifully long-suffering. Jesus has invested His life in all the elect, knowing we would not walk perfectly, knowing there would be days you and I completely fail.
But His mercies are new each day.
In light of how the Good Savior treats us, eventually sacrificing Himself for our eternal good, we can respond with mercy and patience when we are sinned against. Because I hope someone would extend the same grace to me when I sin against them. Cry out to God when you feel wronged, be sober-minded with self-control, quick to forgive, slow to anger. Because this is what Jesus did for you. This is what God loves.
Grace upon grace,
April

The Great Deliverer

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Exodus 13:17-15:18; Psalm 26; Proverbs 6:16-19; Matthew 21:23-46

 

“In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.” -Exodus 15:13

 

The character traits outlined in our Proverbs passage describe what God hates: pride, liars, murder, deceitfulness, divisiveness, and hatred. Examples of this nature are seen in Pharaoh and his army as well as the Pharisees who challenge Jesus’ authority. The nature of man apart from God does not change. How the Lord addresses our sin may vary. Meaning, the Egyptians experienced immediate consequences as they were drowned in the Red Sea. Their wickedness brought about their own ruin, but God’s glory.

On the other hand, the Pharisees’ rebellion against Jesus does not receive prompt judgment. It looks like they’ve won as Jesus is crucified and they triumph over His death. But this isn’t where the Story ends. Death did not hold Christ. The One murdered on the cross will judge the hearts of men at the end of Time. Like the Pharisees, all who remain unrepentant in their sins will be held accountable on Judgement Day. This is the worst consequence of all.

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The righteous pray for God’s salvation over them. As David does in Psalm 26, we can seek the Lord without fear as He no longer sees our former nature. We boldly come before His Throne and appeal to the Lord. He has covered us in the righteousness of Jesus and our sins no longer condemn us (Romans 8:1). Our love for the Father grows and deepens hope. The desire to live in holiness is His gift to us and the mark of genuine faith.

El Shaddai delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. Then in His perfect wisdom and time, the Lord came in the person of Jesus Christ to be our Great Deliverer. Rest in God’s wisdom today. He will watch over you and be your Help for those who know their need of Him and seek His Face.

 

Grace upon grace,

April