Are you rich?

Several months ago Adam and I visited another church in Louisville (no, we're not thinking about transferring). It was a great church and, although I had to leave early because Katie freaked out in the nursery, I was really impacted by the twenty minutes I spent in their Sunday School class on Ministries of Mercy. The pastor was teaching on 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (Paul's command to the rich). Before he began explaining the text, however, he set out to show us that, while we may be far from making Forbes' Richest list, we are incredibly wealthy. I think all middle class Americans have a vague understanding that we're well-off, but this pastor reminded us of some incredible statistics that made me aware of exactly how wealthy I actually am.

I am actually the 429,712,644th richest person in the world. That means I am richer than almost 93% of the world.

Thus, I have no excuse not to take seriously Paul's words in 1 Timothy, for I am most definitely one of those who is rich in this present world:

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

Want to know how rich you really are? http://globalrichlist.com/

God is the Gospel

The question I posed yesterday was not original with me. In fact, I completely hijacked it. It is actually the central question posed by John Piper in his book God is the Gospel.

I was reminded of this book this summer when some friends from church and I were meeting with some Chinese friends to discuss the gospel. That night we were discussing heaven and hell, and we tried to explain why heaven is such a desirable place (as opposed to annihilation or an endless cycle of death and rebirth). We spoke of the absence of sin, pain, sorrow, sickness, and death. We spoke of beauty, eternity, peace, and rest. While these characteristics of heaven are wonderful and true, they are not what make heaven heaven. GOD is what makes heaven heaven. It is because HE is there that we want to be there.

Piper's book God is the Gospel was what first alerted me to the importance of making clear that GOD Himself is the point of Christianity. So often we describe the Gospel in terms of forgiveness, atonement, justification, freedom from sin and death, eternal life, etc. To be sure, all of these are essential to the gospel. But the only reason that any of these things are good news is because they get us to God!

I urge you, Christian and non-Christian, to read this book. You can read it online here or you can purchase it here. Or you can listen to this sermon that was the basis for the book.

I'll leave you with these quotes for your consideration:

"When I say that 'God Is the gospel,' I mean that the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gifts would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment."

"The saving love of God is God’s commitment to do everything necessary to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying, namely himself."

Would you be happy in heaven if Jesus were not there?

Imagine heaven. No pain. No sickness. No sorrow. No death. No sin. Glorious beauty. Eternal life. Reunion with loved ones.

What if you could have all of that, without Jesus being there? Would you still want to go?

I encourage you think hard about your answer to this question. If your answer is 'yes' and you believe yourself to be a Christian, may I gently challenge that you may be missing the whole point of Christianity.

This question cuts with laser precision to the heart of what the Bible teaches about heaven, about salvation, about God. It is the question that John Piper asks in his excellent book God is the Gospel, which I'll talk more about tomorrow.

Until then, I pray that this question provokes you--both Christian and non-Christian alike.

"Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow"

This line from the third verse of "Great is Thy Faithfulness" was echoing in my mind as I got up from my quiet time this morning.

I'm beginning a study with a friend on 2 Corinthians, so I had just read through chapter 1. There are many awesome promises and truths in that chapter, but what stuck out to me this morning was verses 10-11. In verses 8-9 Paul describes how a recent affliction had caused him to "despair of life itself" yet God had used this trial to teach him to rely on God and not himself. In the first part of verse 10, Paul reports that God had delivered him from the "deadly peril."

What he says next is what caught my attention this morning: "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again."

Scripture often comforts those in affliction by exhorting them to put their hope in heaven, in eternity, in our sure salvation, and in Christ's return. Just last Sunday, for example, our new pastor(!!!!) preached a great sermon on 1 Peter 1 in which Peter comforts persecuted Christians by reminding them of their "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" inheritance, kept for them in heaven.

In 2 Corinthians 1:10, however, Paul says that he has hope in God's ability to deliver him in this life. I know that Christians are not promised deliverance or "happy endings" in this world, but it was very encouraging for me to see this testimony that we can have hope for God to deliver and redeem in this life as well.

Verse 11 also adds an interesting element to Paul's hope: "You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." Here we see the crucial importance of intercessory prayer. God has ordained prayer as a means of calling forth God's deliverance SO THAT thanksgiving to God will result.

I pray that in whatever circumstance you find yourself in today, you will set your hope fully on God and in his ability to save us in this life and the next.

Beautiful truth

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

On "Quiet times"

For the third year in a row, I am attempting to read the Bible in one year. I'm ashamed to admit that in the 16 years I've been a Christian, I've never read the Bible all the way through. I really think I'm going to make it all the way this year; by God's grace I've already persevered longer than the previous two years and I think my past failures have strengthened my commitment this third time around.

There are several different plans for reading the Bible in one year. I've opted for The One Year Bible. I was inspired to use this plan by my friend Jenny...who ended up marrying the guy that suggested they read the One Year Bible together! How's that for motivation? "Read the Bible in one year and get a husband!" I love you, Jenny and Mark!

I like the One Year Bible because it takes you once through the OT, once through the NT, and twice through Psalms and Proverbs. Each day's reading is laid out by date. For example, yesterday I read 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23, John 8:1-20, Psalm 110:1-7, and Proverbs 15:8-10.

After I read, I try to make a few comments on each thing I read and then meditate on one verse that stuck out to me. (Note: Christian meditation is a completely different animal than Eastern meditation. Hopefully a future post will discuss this.) I also try to integrate what I read into my prayer time. So, yesterday I meditated on Proverbs 15:8-10:

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

The Lord detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

It's neat how sometimes the different Bible passages relate to each other. In 1 Samuel, God took his Spirit away from Saul after Saul totally disobeyed the Lord. "To obey is better than sacrifice," Samuel told Saul. Then to read this same truth in the Proverbs! After meditating on these verses, I incorporated them into my prayer time, asking God's forgiveness for times I attempt to offer him my own sacrifice of self-righteousness instead of approaching Him trusting in Christ's righteousness. I thanked Him that Jesus' upright prayer pleases him and praised Him for His constant intercession for me. I acknowledged to God that He detests wickedness and that, were it not for Christ, I would be worthy of his rejecetion because of my own unrighteousness. I thanked Him that He loves his children enough to discipline them when they leave the path and prayed that I would be open to His correction. I prayed for Katie that she would not despise correction but would have a humble, teachable spirit and so find life in Christ. You get the picture.

All that happens, however, only if I wake up when I'm supposed to. If I get up late or am falling asleep, I just read the psalm and then try to read the other passages before I go to bed that night.

So that's my plan. Some days it works out better than others. The good news is that my success or failure in no way affects my acceptance before God! Praise God for a righteousness that comes from God and not myself!

Encouragement from the Psalms

For whatever reason, the past week or so has been very difficult, spiritually. In the midst of discouragement, however, the Lord encouraged me this morning through Psalm 102:12a.

"But You, O Lord, sit enthroned forever..."

But- One of the most important words in the Bible. I love this word because it does not invalidate whatever was stated before it yet it also says, "That's not the whole story." In this psalm, this psalmist has just finished describing his miserable state: his days vanish like smoke, his bones burn within him, he can't eat, he can't sleep, his heart is withered, he cries all the time, he is cursed by his enemies, and he feels that God has thrown him down in anger. It is out of such a state that the psalmist now says the awesome word, "But."

You- I love that the words "but" and "you" occur so often together in Scripture, with the "you" referring to God. "I am ____ but You are ___." I think this is a good pattern to model our thoughts after. I also love that the Psalmist is not simply saying this to himself, but is actually talking to God. He's not saying, "I am ___ but He is ___." No, he's telling God, "I am ___, but YOU are ____." It is a prayer.

LORD- Not just any god, but YHWH. He uses the personal name of God. This is not just any God--this is the God of Israel. Just think of all the images and characteristics attached to this name throughout Scripture: the God who delivers, the God who makes promises, the Holy God, the Jealous God, the Kind and Merciful God, righteous, just, loving, faithful, patient, powerful, majestic, gracious, compassionate. "But You, YHWH..."

The anticipation builds! To what specific truth about YHWH is the psalmist about to appeal?

"...sit enthroned forever."

Sit- an image of establishment, rest, completion, security, confidence. This God is not pacing the floor in anxiety or fear. He is unrivaled and totally secure.

Enthroned- He is King, He rules over all. He is majestic, deserving all respect, honor, and fear. He is in total control of his domain.

Forever- And his rule is not ending soon. In fact, it's never going to end. He is not concerned about being overthrown at some future point. His throne is eternal, unchanging, not moving. I am ____ but You, YHWH, sit enthroned forever. God, I am falling apart, but You are not. You are in control. I am weak, but You define strength.

The Psalmist is deliberately contrasting his frail state with the immovable state of God. He turns from focusing on himself and his circumstances to focusing on God. He turns from seeking hope in himself to basing his hope on the character of God.

Yes, a simple, basic, obvious principle of Christian living...but one that was revealed afresh to me this morning in an hour of great need. Oh, that I might remember this as the day goes on!