An Open Letter

Dear Friend,

This past school year has been a good one.  Maybe someday all the things God is teaching me will be collected enough to blog about, but right now they're swimming around and won't be caught and organized.  Until then, here is a passage that ties together themes of identity in Christ and victory over sin.  (And speaking of sin, isn't it wonderful that God still loves us even when we mess up?)  The passage is quoted from the NIV, which isn't what I normally quote, but while working through the Exegesis of Colossians class, I liked the way the NIV handled the passage.  The passage reminds me of the precious truth that when God gives us new life, He sees us for who He re-made us to be instead seeing our sinful flesh

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?  These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.  Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."- Colossians 2:20-3:4, NIV

"If you’re a Christian, here’s the good news: Who you really are has nothing to do with you—how much you can accomplish, who you can become, your behavior (good or bad), your strengths, your weaknesses, your sordid past, your family background, your education, your looks, and so on. Your identity is firmly anchored in Christ’s accomplishment, not yours; his strength, not yours; his performance, not yours; his victory, not yours." - Tullian Tchividjian

Isn't it restful to know that God has given us everything necessary to live the Christian life through our identity in Christ?

Sincerely,

Celeste

God's Power and Us

"'Do you not fear me?' declares the LORD. 'Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.'" - Jeremiah 5:22

I found this verse this morning, and it really stuck out to me, so I went and read Jeremiah 5 to make sure it hadn't been taken out of context.  In Jeremiah 5, God uses this image of His greatness to remind His people that He is great enough to judge their wickedness.  Certainly, God' s power should should cause fear for those who are not His people, but what should God's power do to those who are His people?  Here are just a couple of ideas:

• His power should cause us to fear Him, both the respect kind of fear and the afraid kind of fear. 
• His power should create worship towards Him for His mighty acts.
• His power should compel us to tell the people around us about His greatness. 
• His power should strengthen our trust in Him because He is big enough to handle all of our problems.
• His power should re-assure us that we can rest in His sovereignty over us and our lives.

What has God's power done for you?

(Not) Understanding Theology

Do you remember times when you studied a Biblical passage and didn’t understand it?  Struggling to know what a passage means until you have a headache (usually above the right eye…).  Flipping through your Bible (or clicking through a computer program) to find cross-references that might clarify the passage.  And then, suddenly, it clicks.  Eureka!  Aha!  (Or whatever exclamation you use to designate a moment of discovery.)  Don’t you love those moments?

Over Easter this year, I noticed a verse from John that described an Aha! moment the disciples had:

“His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him” (John 12:16).

Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey in the Triumphal Entry.  The crowds were waving palm branches and calling out, “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”  Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 that said, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”  The disciples were seeing these things, and John notes that they didn’t understand what was happening until after Christ was glorified. 

Can you imagine what their Aha! moment must have been like?  Can you imagine witnessing Christ’s teaching and works, not understanding why Christ died (wasn’t He going to set up a physical kingdom and bring in a Jewish golden age?), and then have Christ’s work click in your mind?  Suddenly, Christ’s mission on earth makes sense!

Of course, I don’t understand everything Christ did in His earthly ministry.  His fulfillment of prophecy, His future role, and how all these things fit together theologically doesn’t make sense in my finite mind.  Trying to explain the infinite God and His plan into a finite theology to be understood by me is a hopeless task.  God is not obligated to explain Himself or His plan to me.  So, ultimately, my responsibility is to study very hard to understand what He has revealed about His plan, obey what I am commanded, and trust that in God’s mind His plan is consistent.

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

New Covenant Ministry

On Saturday, I was trundling all over the dining hall putting food on peoples' plates.  And it was the end of the semester.  And I had homework to do.  And I was tired.  And there were things on my mind.  And my legs were tired of trundling me all over for the last two hours.  Remember how your parents told you that when you memorize verses, the Holy Spirit can bring them to your mind when you need them?  Well, I can't claim that the Holy Spirit gave them these verses, but they came in my mind and helped me get through the rest of the dinner shift.

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

This reminded me of the strength that God gives to complete daily tasks.  Christ's strength is absolutely sufficient for every weakness.  We receive sufficiency from God so that we may be sufficient New Covenant ministers.  Sometimes, New Covenant ministry seems like a very spiritual/theological concept somewhat detached from the dining hall and my tired trundling feet.  But these verses remind me that even putting vegetables on peoples' plates is New Covenant ministry if my sufficiency comes from God.


P.S.  You know what else I learned this week?  Never let things (aka, graduation stuff) take up more focus that Christ. Nothing works properly when the focus is off.

The Potter

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.”

The message in chapel today was an object lesson. A potter brought his wheel into the chapel and showed us the metaphor God uses so often in Scripture. And it was very convicting. And comforting.

So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel.

And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand.

Sometimes, things in life look all messed up – like there was a mistake. Maybe my life got somebody else’s circumstances…:)

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.

God has a purpose for every single thing in my life. In fact, if it is in my life, He put it there. He gets more glory when people see that He is still worthy even when life looks messed up. And if He puts these things in my life, they are gifts from Him. And God never gives bad gifts. God only gives good gifts.

And he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Jeremiah 18:1-4, Romans 9:20-23, Romans 8:9

"Happy Are They Who Are Christ’s"

O God, Thou art very great,

My lot is to approach Thee with godly fear and humble confidence, for Thy condescension equals Thy grandeur, and Thy goodness is Thy glory.

I am unworthy, but Thou dost welcome; guilty, but Thou art merciful; indigent, but Thy riches are unsearchable.

Thou hast shown boundless compassion towards me by not sparing Thy Son, and by giving me freely all things in Him;

This is the foundation of my hope, the refuge of my safety, the new and living way to Thee, the means of that conviction of sin, brokenness of heart, and self-despair, which will endear to me the gospel.

Happy are they who are Christ’s, in Him at peace with Thee, justified from all things, delivered from coming wrath, made heirs of future glory;

Give me such deadness to the world, such love to the Saviour, such attachment to His house, such devotedness to His service, as proves me a subject of His salvation.

May every part of my character and conduct make a serious and amiable impression on others, and impel them to ask the way to the Master.

Let no incident of life, pleasing or painful, injure the prosperity of my soul, but rather increase it.

Send me Thy help, for Thine appointments are not meant to make me independent of Thee, and the best means will be vain without super-added blessings.

- "Confidence" from Valley of Vision

Confession and Worship

"I acknowledge and confess that all things come of thee - life, breath, happiness, advancement, sight, touch, hearing, goodness, truth, beauty - all that makes existence amiable.

In the spiritual world also I am dependent entirely upon Thee.

Give me grace to know more of my need of grace; show me my sinfulness that I may willingly confess it; reveal to me my weakness that I may know my strength in Thee.

I thank thee for any sign of penitence; give me more of it; my sins are black and deep, and rise from a stony, proud, self-righteous heart; help me to confess them with mourning , regret, self-loathing, with no pretence to merit or excuse;

I need healing, Good Physician, here is scope for Thee, come and manifest Thy power; I need faith; Thou who hast given it me, maintain, strength, increase it, centre it upon the Saviour's work, upon the majesty of the Father, upon the operations of the Spirit; work it in me now that I may never doubt Thee as the truthful, mighty, faithful God.

Then I can bring my heart to Thee full of love, gratitude, hope, joy.

May I lay at Thy feet these fruits grown in Thy garden, love Thee with a passion that can never cool, believe in Thee with a confidence that never staggers, hope in Thee with an expectation that can never be dim, delight in Thee with a rejoicing that cannot be stifled, glorify Thee with the highest of my powers, burning, blazing, glowing, radiating, as from Thy own glory."

- Valley of Vision

Security

"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.
I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let Your holy one see corruption.
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 16:5-11

It is a secure to know that God holds my lot. Life is not a pair of dice tossed on the table, six being Option A, and two being Option C. God planed the future.

It is secure to know that God gives counsel. To worry that I will deceive myself and miss God's will is foolish, because God's counsel is not hidden.

It is secure to know that God is at my right hand. It is impossible to miss the path when the Guide stands beside me. He loves me too much to allow the yielded heart to accidentally wander away. My job is to remain yielded (surprisingly difficult:), not to worry about the path.

It is secure to know that God will not abandon me. In a college student's life, very little is stable. Home changes every six months. People run into your life and they run out. Classes come and go. The stable core is very small. But God does not change with the semesters. He will never leave, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

It is secure to know that God shows the path of life. Not only is there security right now, the there is security in the future. The next phrase speaks of God's presence. God's path of life leads to the security of His presence.

It is secure to know that God gives fullness of joy. Happy times with God now are a taste of the fullness of joy in His presence later. Imagine! The best devotional times in the morning are a small appetizer for the fullness of joy in His presence