Exchanges

This post should actually be about reflections, not exchanges, because of this great photo. But what, after all, is a reflection but an exchange of one image for another? This is, in fact, the gospel, the exchange of my old image for that of Christ's image in me (Romans 8:29).

But that is not where we started. Psalm 106:20 reminds us that after all God had given to the Israelites (rescue, freedom, food, even indestructible shoes), "they exchanged the glory of God [which they had seen in all its magnificence!] for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things . . ." Who can read those words without aching over the stupidity and faithlessness of those creatures?

Aha, but not them only. The New Testament pegs us, too. Romans 1:21, 23: For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but . . . exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and etc. Who can bear to read on? This is me, this is every-man. Daily we choose to honor ourselves and forget to give thanks.

And this is where the gospel comes in, the greatest exchange of them all: For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Christ took our sin; we are now righteous. We don't have to live in ingratitude and self-honor. We can be free from ourselves by attaching ourselves every morning to him who had no sin. The exchange is ours to own, to live, to reflect. Live there . . . in Christ alone.

Dead-end Thoughts

Do you ever feel that God has forgotten you in certain areas? That some of your concerns are not His? That no matter how much you pray Biblically about a specific issue, there seems to be a cement wall between you and God, because He's not answering?

So, the other day, I whined. I mean, screechy-voiced whining. "Why aren't you caring like I do about this issue, God?" "Why do I feel more compassionate that you seem to be regarding thus-and-so?" It wasn't pretty, but it was honest. My skies were gray, and this problem seemed a little like Henry there (may he rest in peace), dead and buried as far as God was concerned.

And then John Calvin sauntered into my life and spoke thus: "And whenever God does not assist us according to our wish, but conceals his aid for a little time, it is a frequent stratagem of Satan, to allege that our hope was to no purpose, as if his promise had failed." (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. 17) Gulp.

And to think that just weeks ago in my devotions I was reminded that This God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord proves true. (Psalm 18:30) And this God has promised to never leave nor forsake me in Hebrews 13:5. And that he fulfills his purposes for me and others (Psalm 57:2). And that all of God's promises find their yes in [Christ]. We are free from our burdens because of Christ's death on the cross, who carried then and carries now our burdens for us.

So I need to stop whining and start believing that God is answering my prayers in his way and his time and for his glory. And remind myself again tomorrow . . . and next week.

Birthdays and Gratefulness

Happy birthday to the last of our brood, 18 tomorrow, a grown-up. What a sweet journey we have had with him. I am so grateful.

And in the spirit of birthdayhood, I look at one of my favorite Psalms: 103. What an amazing God this speaks of, who forgives all our iniquity, heals all our diseases, redeems our lives from the pit, crowns us with steadfast love and mercy, satisfies us with good, so that our youth is renewed like the eagle's. How can he, a just and perfectly holy creator God, do all of this for us, who deserve only wrath?

Because of the "one act of righteousness" (Romans 5:18) that Jesus Christ performed on our behalf: his death consuming God's wrath against us. That's it. That was God's plan all along, even as David penned Psalm 103. There was no other way for our forgiveness and pit-rescue to be accomplished.

Oh, let us "bless the Lord [Jesus Christ], and all that is within us, bless his holy name" this day.

Pleasures forevermore

Isn't this a most peaceful end-of-summer shot? As summer wanes, and the cooler temps help us to sleep better at night (or should, anyway), I think of these lines from Psalm 16:

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places:

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Do you ever feel that way? That you have a choice life, that you have been blessed in so many ways? Or is your life one of unmitigated stress and tragedy? I know women in both camps. Being in the former camp, I can easily quote these words and mean them.

Having known those in the latter camp that can also quote and mean them gives me pause. How can she say these words, that woman who lost three of her four children in young adulthood, that one who lived many years in an unhappy, abusive marriage, the one who has been a quadriplegic for over forty years? How can they say that they have a beautiful inheritance?

Only because the Lord is their chosen portion and their cup. They can say with David: I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. (v. 8)

I have seen more than one dear friend come out on the other side of intense pressure, still praising God, still hungering after the things he has for her, still wanting to honor him with her life. You have too, no doubt.

And this is why:

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (v. 11)

Look up today. Reside in his presence, where joy is. Lean into him and know his pleasures.

Psalm 2

Here's something interesting: Psalm 2, only 12 verses long, has four voices speaking in it. Maybe you knew that already. The picture has to do with verse 4: He who sits in the heavens laughs.

David narrates this psalm, so we have his voice throughout. Then the kings of the earth (and the rest of us) say this against God and his Anointed One: Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. That's when God laughs. Because we love to think we're in control. We love to think that when we build something, we are really amazing. We love to think that we can handle things without a creator of any kind. So God laughs. And then he speaks: As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.

Whoa, I can hear the kings sneering, so what? And then said King speaks of the inheritance he has as the Son of the Most High God, the rod of iron he will break the nations with, the dashing to pieces of his enemies.

David again: Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. We are wont to say: Well, I guess he told them! That'll teach 'em.

But we, too, are to kiss the Son, to fall at his feet in smallness, to bow at his throne. For we are the rulers that sneer, and take counsel against God, and try to break out of our boundaries. Daily we take the reins and do it our own way just because we want to.

I have a daughter who is famous for saying, "I'll do what I want!" But I am that daughter to my heavenly Father. Daily I take my stand against his will for me in a dozen ways. Maybe more. So I too must kiss the Son, my Savior, and hand over the reins. Psalm 2 reminds me finally, Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Amen, and amen.

Here is another reason I have been delinquent this summer in posting on the blog. Family! Here . . . and there, there being North Carolina and Tennessee. So good to be together, as you all know from your family times. It's such a blessing when three generations (and more!) can be in one place at the same time. Our summer was deeply satisfying in that way.

How about yours? What sorts of adventures/family times/trips did you enjoy this summer? Please share, and include your name so we can share more fully when we are together in person. Just click in as anonymous and share your summer story.

One More Word on Glory . . . I think

Don't you get such an amazing high from seeing blue sky through the green leaves? This alone explains my obsession with blues and greens in my home. Just in case you were wondering.

Here's something that I love about God's Word: It all ties together. Look at this: The heavens declare the glory of God (indeed!), and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

Now read this: Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man . . . and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30) The heavens have proclaimed his glory, continue to proclaim it, and one day will shout it with the trumpet. Those who haven't been listening will finally hear, with great horror at the lateness of the hour. Too late, really.

But for those who have been listening and waiting and bending their ear for that trumpet sound, those heavens will resound with great joy, and we will see glory like we've never imagined it: Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. . . . He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. (Revelation 19:11, 13) Jesus Christ is the glory that the heavens proclaim, because it is his robe that is dipped in blood and that proclaims the mercy of God once and for all.

And it will be us around the throne proclaiming back to him his glory, saying, Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15:3, 4)

Weights

Oh, I know these are spring flowers, and they were indeed a Mother's Day gift, but don't they speak of glory?

The glory of creation, color, form, function? They speak of an amazing Creator God, if we keep still long enough to listen. We are a bustling bunch, to be sure.

Isaiah says that the whole earth is full of his glory. How true that is. And yet, these flowers, those mountains, that relationship, are mere shadows of the things to come, things of beauty beyond our dreaming, eternity with our Redeemer God.

This, a mere shadow? How can that be? Our hearts will surely break with the weight of all that glory and beauty. This is probably the reason for the new bodies; these earthly bodies couldn't possibly bear the strain of it; the first glimpse of his face would slay us.

Paul speaks of this weight of glory to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:17): For this light (Really?? Is that what it is?) momentary (It feels like light years of pain, sometimes!) affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient (though seemingly permanent), but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The Bernhardt men sang so beautifully and movingly about these truths on Sunday, didn't they? One day the trumpet will sound for His coming, one day the skies with his glory will shine, wonderful day my beloved one bringing, My savior Jesus is mine. One day He's coming, oh glorious day. What a day that will be, a day full of glory and grace to those who know him. For then we will know the true weight of glory.

Yet More Glory

Glory. That's what we've been discussing. Especially the glory of God in the face of Christ. Scripture is full to overflowing with it. In fact, everywhere I turn to find a good verse, I find multiple good verses. Here's one: [God's Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds all things by the word of his power. (Hebrew 1:3)

And another: [God speaking], As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. (Psalm 2:6)

As for us? In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. (Ephesians 1:7-8a) Glory indeed!

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised in imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. (1 Corinthians 15:42, 43) This is our future, thanks to the redemption we have in Christ. Can anyone say Hallelujah?

Therefore, my beloved [sisters], be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) This is how we are to live because of the glory that has been shared with us. Keep in mind that in the midst of the imperatives in this verse (what we are to do), is that glorious, yes glorious!, indicative (what Christ has done for us): in the Lord. We labor in his strength, wisdom, power, and creativity, so that the only one that should get the glory, does get it.

Glory to God in the highest!

Glory without end. Amen.

Here's another thing that has kept me from the blog this summer: North Carolina and its stunning Blue Ridge Mountains and its residents, namely, our daughter Anne and her husband Owen. And yes, this is an actual sunset I saw from the deck of their home. Yes, this is their view every day. Yes, I am jealous.

However, I really posted this photo because I want to finish our June discussion of God's glory, and this seemed to capture that thought for me. As we look at what Jesus prayed at the Last Supper, in John 17, we see the word "glory" over and over again: the glory of God, the glory in Christ's death for us, the glory his disciples saw in his life, the glory in our unity as believers, and also the glory that we will realize when he returns. "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) Indeed, one day we will see him "coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30).

I know this is nothing new for us; it's something we've come to expect. But do we look to that day with high excitement? Jerram Barrs describes this glory like this: "It is the glory of his power and majesty as the Designer and Creator of this vast and magnificent universe. It is the glory of the One who was immediately worshiped and adored by the multitude of angels and the great host of heaven when he called them into existence. This is the glory of his eternal being." (The Heart of Prayer, p. 167)

These sunsets and mountains of ours are a mere foretaste of that day. Imagine the trumpet sound. Imagine the brightness of the clouds. Imagine seeing your Savior for the first time. That will be glory. Without end.

Yes, Lord Jesus, come.

Summertime!

Isn't he the cutest thing ever? His name is Mr. Knightley, and he's one of many reasons I have been absent for most of the summer. Little puppies take lots of time, you know. They need their tummies tickled, their ears massaged, toys thrown, balls rolled, and mostly they need snuggling. Lots of snuggling. That just doesn't leave much time to spend at the computer. Even as I write, he's curled up on my lap, and I am well-satisfied.

(I'm afraid I'm going to have to get Dennis a dog of his own. He keeps grabbing mine.)

Speaking of summer vacation pursuits, have any of you read any good books these last couple of months? Say, while laying on the beach or hammock, riding in the car to visit family, or whiling away the hours in a water craft? Please share any great reads you've enjoyed this summer. There's still a month left for the rest of us to catch up. And plenty of books at the public library. Trust me . . . I know.