Entirely New
Friday, March 19th, 2010 | Lent Meditations | No Comments
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price… -1 Cor 6:19-20
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you know that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of–throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself!” -C.S. Lewis, Counting the Cost
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God… -2 Cor 5:17-18
God wants to re-create us, to make us a new creation in Christ. We are like clay being shaped by the Potter (Is 64:8). We are like silver or gold refined in a fire until it is pure (Zech 13:9, Job 23:10). Each of these metaphors is not only constructive, but also destructive. For something to be re-created, it must first be destroyed. For clay to be shaped, it must be pounded. For gold to be refined, it must be melted and purified by fire.
To continue the refining gold analogy: We don’t need a little polishing; we need a complete melting and recasting. What things does God want to purify out of you? As He reshapes you, what do you think He wants the end result to look like? (If you’re not sure, check out Romans 8:29.)
The most beautiful part of all of this is that God is reshaping us so that we are ready to be His temple, His home. As Lewis said, He intends to come and live in us Himself!
Father God, please help me today to submit to your reshaping work in my life, even when the process is painful. Thank you for preparing me so that I can be your home.
A Larger Life
Thursday, March 18th, 2010 | Lent Meditations | No Comments
“The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self–all your wishes and precautions–to Christ. Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked–the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours.’” -C.S. Lewis, Counting the Cost
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” -Paul, Ephesians 2:20
“Are there no other stories in the world except yours; and are all men busy with your business? … How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it…! …How much happier you would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God could smash your small cosmos, scattering the stars like spangles, and leave you in the open, free like other men to look up as well as down!” -G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
Father, help me to believe what is true: that You are the source of all joy and the path to real life. Show me what it would mean for me to live richly in Your life instead of living for self. When You show me the next step, please give me the courage and grace boldly to take it. Amen.
God Is For Us
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 | Lent Meditations | No Comments
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
[...]
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. -Romans 8:1-2,30-34
Ephesians 2:3 says that before God made us alive, we were “objects of wrath”. We were the rightful recipients of God’s judgment and anger. We were all about ourselves and fulfilling our own lusts & desires, and we pitted ourselves against God whenever His plans got in the way of ours.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)” -Eph 2:4
Before, we were God’s enemies. Now, because He made us completely new people by His mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice, He is no longer against us. God is for us. He allowed His own Son to suffer and die in His enemies’ stead and, astonishingly, adopted them as His sons and daughters. We do not live in a world where God is angry and out to get us. God is for us. He is our Father, our Friend, our King, our Advocate, and our Great Reward. God is for you. He causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him. God is for you. How would this change the way you think, act, and relate to God if you believed it to your core?
The Foolishness That Shamed the Wise
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 | Lent Meditations | No Comments
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God…. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” -1 Cor 1:18,25-31
Most people who don’t understand the full story of the cross would consider it a catastrophic failure for Jesus. They would say that he must not have been strong enough, wise enough, or convincing enough. A strong leader would have raised an army and overpowered his enemies. A wise politician would have used alliances and intrigue to put together a more loyal group of followers. A powerful orator would have convinced everyone to see things his way. If Jesus was so great, they might say, how could his crucifixion have happened? When Paul was writing the scripture above, he must have known many people who argued that Jesus’ death on a cross was a foolish waste—because they were stuck thinking only from the perspective of human strength and success. They couldn’t possibly understand the beauty and power of this great Love that conquered death itself.
To those who believe, the cross is the mighty expression of God’s saving power for us! Our hope is not in the world’s definition of strength, wisdom, or influence. It is in God’s surpassing greatness. God promises that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9) and that we can do all things through Christ’s strength (Phil 4:13). In His power, we are able to accompish whatever He calls us to. Not a hair on our heads can be touched without His knowledge and permission. The world may call us foolish for giving up everything to follow a crucified King, yet ultimately God will use weak and foolish things like us to “bring to nothing what the world considers important.”
What situation do you need God’s strength for today? Would you take a moment to ask God to help you look at this situation from Jesus’ perspective?
Prayer for Enemies
Monday, March 15th, 2010 | Lent Meditations, Spiritual Disciplines | No Comments
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” -Matthew 5:43-46
In yesterday’s meditation, we read the story of Jesus’ betrayal in order to prepare for worship. Imagine what it would feel like to be betrayed as He was. Yet on the cross, He prayed that God would forgive the people who crucified Him.
Today, we pray a difficult prayer, one that follows Jesus’ example. It is a portion of a longer prayer written by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, who was a Serbian bishop who spoke out against Naziism, was arrested, and taken to Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp. Like Jesus, Nikolai had many reasons to hate and curse his enemies, but he chose instead to pray this prayer for them.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth; enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world.
Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless and do not curse them.
They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world. They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself. They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments. They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself. They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Amen.
When Betrayal Meets Extravagant Love
Sunday, March 14th, 2010 | Lent Meditations | No Comments
As we continue our sermon series on The Road To Revolution, we are looking at the events of Jesus’ final week. Today’s passage is difficult, and even dark. But as you meditate on these verses, be careful not to miss the beauty that is also there—Jesus’ sovereign knowledge of what Judas was about to do, His compassionate healing of one of the men who came to arrest Him, His confidence in His Father, and His determination to carry out what was foretold in Scripture. Even in this situation, He shows Himself to be Lord and King.
Take a few moments of quietness to wait on God. What does He want to show you this morning?
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Edit: The sermon mentioned above is available online at our sermon blog
Prayer: Praying Scripture
Saturday, March 13th, 2010 | Lent Meditations, Spiritual Disciplines | No Comments
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
-Isaiah 55:10-11
Praying God’s word is powerful. His word always accomplishes what He desires, and it will accomplish His work in us, too!
The apostle Paul prayed the following prayer for people at a church in the city of Ephesus (which is in modern-day Turkey). Some of the pronouns (his, your) have been changed to make the prayer a personal conversation between you and God; the unchanged version can be found here. If you would like to pray this prayer for other people, simply click the link above and replace “your” in the passage with a person’s name.
For this reason I kneel before You, the Father, from whom Your whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to You, who are able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within me, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Church Home Page
