King David: A Faith That Grows

This weeks devotion is entitled” A Longer Stride and Larger Embrace” and is written by Eugene Peterson. It is an excerpt from his book, Leap Over the Wall. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

A LONGER STRIDE AND A LARGER EMBRACE

In wrapping up the story of the capture of Jerusalem and its establishment as the City of David, 2 Samuel offers this wonderful phrase: "And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him" (2 Sam. 5:10). Another way to translate the Hebrew phrase halok 'gado/ is that David proceeded from that moment with "a longer stride and a larger embrace."

The phrase "greater and greater" signals David's maturity. The David story isn't a mere accumulation of incidents, one after the other, isolated anecdotes shaped by whatever circumstances prevailed at the time. No, it's a story of growth, each detail of the story assimilated into the next, David more David now than ever. This doesn't always happen, of course-either to David or to us. In fact, it sometimes seems that it doesn't happen very often. Change can diminish us; it can cut us off from our roots; it can panic us so that we abandon our past. Why is it that so many look back on childhood and youth as the best years? Why do so many try to perpetuate the infantile and the adolescent in their bodies and dress and actions?

But change can also be a catalyst for growth. It can stimulate developing, deepening, lengthening, enlarging our lives becoming more, not less. And that's what the narrator calls attention to in David at this moment. Not David embittered by the long hostility of Saul; not David narrowed into an obsessive paranoia against the Philistines; not David reduced to a compulsive regard for his own interests; not David lazily living off the reputation of his youthful achievements; not David sidetracked into wilderness love affairs. No. Rather, all that conflict and hostility, all those blessings and wonders, all that hate and love metabolized into a holy life, a life robust in God and prayer and obedience. He lengthened his stride; he enlarged his embrace.

He lengthened his stride. He did the unexpected when he took Jerusalem. This was avoided territory. No one else ventured into this den of superstition and ghost stories. Nobody had seen Jerusalem as a strategic site. But David did. He also saw the evil parodies of his faith and the cruel mockeries of the disabled as a blemish on the landscape of the promised land, the holy land. In indignation he took a giant step into Jerusalem and destroyed the caricatures of his ancestors Jacob and Isaac rigged up on the walls of Jerusalem. Instead of mincing around these abominations, David confronted them. As often happens, the very thing that reduces immaturity to neurotic timidity is exposed by maturity as Wizard-of-Oz fakery.

And David enlarged his embrace. He included more and more people under his rule and in his love. He gathered all God's children, not just those who had been on his side, helping him out through the difficult years. Maturity translated into generosity, into reaching out to make peace with the northern tribes. David didn't use his newly acquired strength and authority to destroy or denigrate others. He gathered and integrated and led.

When we grow, in contrast to merely change, we venture into new territory and include more people in our lives serve more and love more. Our culture is filled with change; it's poor in growth. New things, models, developments, opportunities are announced, breathlessly, every hour. But instead of becoming ingredients in a long and wise growth, they simply replace. The previous is discarded and the immediate stuck in--until, bored by the novelty, we run after the next fad. Men and women drawn always to the new never grow up. God's way is growth, not change. Organic is a key image. Nothing from our past is thrown out with the garbage; it's all composted and assimilated into a growing life. And nothing--no "moral," no "principle"- is tacked on from the outside. David at thirty-seven was more than he was at seventeen-more praise, saner counsel, deeper love. More himself. More his God-given and God-glorifying humanity. A longer stride, a larger embrace.

King David: Listening to God

Today’s devotion is called “Abigail: An Old Testament Type-of-Christ” and is written by Heather Celoria. Heather is an ordained minister and Master of Divinity student at Asbury Theological Seminary. Her work in ministry flows from a deep desire for transformative intimacy with God and others, and includes healing prayer and mentoring for those seeking to develop their spiritual gifts and callings.

In our meeting last night, we read the story of Abigail in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 25. As it was being read I was struck by something I had never noticed. Abigail is a type and shadow of Christ in this story. 

This story is one of my favorites as an example of women who were honored in the Old Testament. Often, the church peddles a romanticized and chivalrous ideal (which has no foundation in Scripture) to encourage women to be submissive, quiet, dependent, and careful not to make waves. Particularly within a marriage, many churches teach that women should submit to the decisions of their husbands, even if the husband is making very wrong decisions. Women are encouraged that if they will submit and pray, God will honor this and intervene on their behalf. God may, of course, but often this type of response leads to more problems including domestic violence and abuse.

In contrast to what the world’s cultures may say—and in the Old Testament where women lived in a world that had far less equality than exists today—Scripture honors women who were anything but quiet, fearful, submissive, or weak when it comes to discerning the will of God and obeying Him. God consistently honors their boldness, not in being aggressive toward men or others, but in their wisdom and obedience to God.

In this story, Abigail is a wife of a man named Nabal who is foolish (his name actually means fool) and whose rash behavior has caused David to come with 400 men to destroy his household. When a servant tells Abigail what is happening, she immediately goes into action without consulting or telling Nabal, who we learn is most likely too drunk to think clearly. Her efforts saved the household from destruction because she understands the ways of God more than Nabal does. She so impresses God and David that her evil husband becomes ill and dies, and David makes her his wife.

In fact, David praises her for her good judgment. Her actions not only honor God and save her own household, but David recognizes that her wisdom saved him from spilling blood in revenge. He realizes this would have led to negative consequences for him as well.

I encourage you to read this story, because it is a great message to women who may be suffering domestic violence or other abuse. Women need to understand that God can and does honor them for their courage in doing the right thing for their households.

But, back to the main news here that Abigail seems to be an Old Testament type of Christ. As the story was read, I kept seeing images that I had never noticed before:

– Abigail comes riding a donkey

– She presents an offering for Nabal’s trespass (sin sacrifice)

– She asks David to let the blame for the offense fall on her alone (substitutionary guilt)

– She prophecies about David’s reign (declaring the kingdom)

– She is a peacemaker

– She washes the feet of David’s servants

I’d never noticed this before and thought it was really interesting to see that God included a woman in scripture as a type of Christ. I’ll be looking in other stories of women to see if there are more images like this. I was encouraged that, once again, God includes and honors women in His redemptive plans.

King David: Anger and Fear

The devotion today is an excerpt from the book The Making of a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David by Alan Redpath (link to the book listed below in the weekly resources. We hope this encourages your faith.

“David is now looking at God through the threatening clouds of opposition and trouble, instead of looking down at circumstances through the rainbow of God’s love. It is very easy to lose 20-20 spiritual vision. It is easy to develop a spiritual squint, to see things in the wrong perspective, and to start to panic. But how does it all begin? How do you think it began in David’s life?

I would apply New Testament truth to this Old Testament picture. It is not enough to receive the anointing of the Spirit of God once; He must abide. “The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you…abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have [not fear] confidence” (1 John 2:27–28). When the Lord Jesus was baptized the Spirit descended and remained on Him, we read in John 1:33.

What was the cause of this man’s panic when he was in the will of God, but surrounded by bewildering circumstances? Could it have been the same as ours is so often in similar surroundings, that we have relied too much on past experience? Have you neglected the daily renewal of God’s grace and power in your life? When God thrusts us out into some uncertainty and problem to test our faith, do you think that is why faith is overcome by fear and begins to shrivel up? Do you ask Him daily with hunger of heart and soul for a new anointing of the Spirit for the needs of the day? Does the Lord look down and see you deeply in love with your heavenly Father, deeply concerned that day by day you might do His will, or are you relying upon the experience of bygone days?

Has God heard from you the cry of a hungry soul that recognizes its need for daily grace? Or are you teaching, preaching, witnessing, serving, and banking upon the experience of twenty years ago when you met God for the first time? Oh, what emptiness of heart there is today in so many Christians! No wonder fear comes in through the door and faith goes out through the window!.

Reliance upon past blessings is not enough. Coming to the house of God for comfort, without being willing to face up to doubts and fears and unbelief and admitting them to be sin, is not enough. If God has put you into some dark places and into some trials, it is not to drive you into sin, but to deliver you by your daily, repeated surrender and commitment to His will as you abide in Him. He wants to be your living Savior today, not merely the God who met you years and years ago.

When you are living by faith through the darkness of circumstances, other people become aware of the radiance and sweetness of your life, and they are truly blessed.

David changed his behavior, but in spite of it his heart was fixed upon God. In the awful anguish of those hours that took him from Gibeah to Nob, from Nob to Gath, from Gath to feigned insanity, when he thought that the torch of his life was going out and the purpose of God was frustrated forever, he just stretched out a feeble hand and caught hold of the hand of his God. Here, in effect, is his testimony, pleading to us out of the darkness of his own experience, “I beg of you, from what I have proved, taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Ps. 34:8).

Isn’t the patience and mercy of God toward His people beyond our understanding? If you have allowed fears and doubts to overcome your faith because you have relied on past experience, then just lift up the hands of faith to God. With a hungry heart look up to Him, for if you cry to the Lord now, He will save you out of all your fears.

King David: Depending on God

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Timothy Tennet entitled, “Great David’s Greater Son, Jesus Christ.” Timothy C. Tennent is the President of Asbury Theological Seminary and a Professor of Global Christianity. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

David Represents God’s True Kingship

Throughout the Old Testament, characters had to make a number of important choices which the people of God had to make as well: Adam’s choice to obey God’s voice and submit to God’s rule or to take of the fruit, assert his own rule, and try to be like God; Abraham’s choice to follow in the pattern of the world, settle down, and make a name for himself, or to become a pilgrim for the Lord and let God make his name great; Moses’ choice to attempt deliverance in his own strength or to wait on God to equip him. Likewise for Israel, Saul and David became symbols of two very different types. Saul is the anti-king, representing all the ways we assert our own rule over God’s rule; David represents the true kingship of God’s righteous rule and reign. Saul represents human strength; he was literally a head taller than any of the other men, handsome, physically strong, self-confident, and impressive to look at. David was the picture of human frailty; the youngest in his family, small, a child, and a shepherd. Saul trusted in his own strength rather than in God. He directly disobeyed God’s command to destroy the Amalekites completely and kept some of their animals for a sacrifice. When he got impatient waiting for Samuel to come, he made the sacrifice himself in direct disobedience to the separation of kingly and priestly functions. David, by contrast, knew his own weakness and therefore trusted in the Lord. Saul did not have a repentant heart that was sensitive to the Lord’s rebuke. Even after Samuel confronted him, he cared only for maintaining his image before the elders of Israel (1 Sam. 15:30). David, meanwhile, was a man after God’s own heart who, even in his sinful mistakes, was quick to repent and ask forgiveness.

When Samuel anoints David as king, we notice that he is from Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah. He is chosen from among his seven older brothers, to the astonishment of his father, Jesse, and the prophet Samuel. Rejecting the tall, physically impressive sons, God reminds Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height. . . . The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). David is chosen for that heart which God desired and for that character which would set him apart as Israel’s greatest king.

Early on, David’s character is revealed in a way that dramatically contrasts with Saul. Saul was interested in settling down, making his own name great, and building his own kingdom. David, in contrast, when confronted by Goliath, revealed his trust in God’s word and God’s faithfulness. Throughout the encounter, he was more interested in God’s honor and God’s glory than his own name or honor.

Remember that it took Moses forty years in the wilderness of Midian to learn that his greatest provision was God’s name (“I Am” has sent you), God’s authority (staff), and God’s word (God gave him the words to speak). David, it seems, understood those basic lessons even as a young person. He declared to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Sam. 17:45). David exemplifies one who trusts in God’s name, God’s authority, and God’s word.

After David consolidated his rule over Israel, and the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem, the Lord spoke to David, saying, “The Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. . . . Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Sam. 7:11b–12, 16). From this promise developed the messianic expectation that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah, and specifically from the line of David and the town of Bethlehem. This becomes part of Israel’s hope, as demonstrated in texts such as Psalm 132:11, Micah 5:2, and Isaiah 9:6–7. Even in the midst of judgment and exile, when the lofty cedars of Lebanon were felled and the forests cut low, Isaiah reminded the people that a shoot would come up from the stump of Jesse. When Gabriel appears to Mary in Luke 1:32–33, he says of Jesus: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

This is why one of the most important titles of Jesus in the New Testament is “Son of David.” Jesus Christ is great David’s greater Son. In Psalm 110, David even recognized that his son would be greater than he was by calling his son “Lord.” David ruled an earthly throne; Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. David won many earthly battles; Jesus won the cosmic battle against the powers of Satan. David was but a reflection of God’s kingly rule; Jesus is the embodiment of the kingdom. David was a man after God’s own heart; Jesus is the very heart of God Himself. Jesus is the perfect embodiment of the righteous rule and reign of God. Today, we can praise Him and proclaim Him King. We can declare that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10–11)! We can prophetically see that one day, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever (Rev. 11:15). One of the great joys we have as Christians is that we can look in the back of the book and know who wins! We know the final outcome! Jesus is Lord. The Lion of the tribe of Judah rules and reigns over the universe. To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. Hallelujah!

David, royal king who led God’s people to great vict’ries won;
Jesus, sovereign King of all kings—Hail, great David’s greater Son!

Relentless Joy: Pastor Holly Moe

This week’s devotion is from J.D. Walt and is entitled Mondays and the Will of God. J.D. Walt is the founder of Seedbed and the former Dean of Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

1 Kings 17:7–11 (NIV)

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

CONSIDER THIS

Elijah is having a real Monday here in the Karith Ravine. 

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

So God sent him to the ravine to drink from the brook and the brook dried up. Here’s another interesting feature of the word ravine. Ravine comes from a French word which means a violent rush of water. It seems a far cry from a dried up brook. This Karith Ravine is like a river bed with no river. Remembering our last journey, it seems a far cry from our declaration concerning  Ezekiel’s river: Everywhere the river flows everything will live. (see Ezekiel 47). 

Isn’t that the nature of this life—one season the river is flooding its banks and the next it’s a dried up ravine? There is a deep lesson to be discerned from this. Paul shows us the shape of it when he says, 

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12–13)

This is the way—from glory to glory—from the rushing river to the dried up ravine. 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I appreciate the shift in translation here. This verse has typically been rendered to say, “I can do all things.” This enabled the text to be hitched up to all manner of personal success and prosperity agendas. Jesus is not interested in helping us do “all things.” He is interested in us becoming the kind of people who can do “all this.” “All this,” of course, means learning to flourish in doing the will of God regardless of external circumstances. 

This is the way—from glory to glory—whereby we become weaned off of all other inferior sources of strength, ranging from ego strength to substance abuse. Great souls are only forged in the fires of hardship, struggle, and suffering. And here’s the bottom line: hardship, struggle, and suffering will come to everyone at one time or another in life. How you handle them determines who you become. Will we navigate them “through him who gives me strength,” or through other sources that give us strength that turns out not to be strength at all? Remember this. What got you here won’t get you there. 

Keep in mind, we are not looking at a day in the life of Elijah here. This is more than a bad Monday. We are looking at a span of years. This drought went on for three years. More than that, however, we are looking at a complex movement of the delivering judgment and mercy of almighty God for an entire nation. Though one would never imagine it if they dropped in on this Monday, Elijah is playing a key part in this unfolding drama. And it must seem very discouraging to him to wake up to a dried up brook. There is, though, a bit of good news. 

Then the word of the Lord came to him:

If you can call this good news:

“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

He must have thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” First ravens. Now a widow! What is this? Elijah does not know where this is headed. He does not know the end result. He does not know the bigger plan. He only knows the next step. Most importantly, he knows God and he has learned to hear God’s voice. That’s what we are after, knowing Jesus more and learning to hear his voice. 

This is the way—from glory to glory. 

THE PRAYER

Abba Father, we are weary of building the strengths that are not really strength. We are weary of self reliance. We are also weary of a cynical stoicism that just grits our teeth and bears it. We want the deep contentment of soul no matter the circumstances. It is the dried up brook on Monday morning and the presentation of a widow as the solution that puzzles us. Holy Spirit, train our spirits to lean in anyway, to just do it, because we have already said yes to you. We thank you for this wilderness training even though we didn’t really sign up for it. And we trust the bigger plan and how you are making us part of something we cannot yet even comprehend. Praying in Jesus’ name, amen. 

THE QUESTION

How are you interpreting your circumstances at this point in your life? How are you dealing with them? Are you running out of the old strength? How are you learning to hear from Jesus? 

For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

Resources:

Relentless Joy: Guest Speaker - Pastor Kevin Austin

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor Kevin Austin. Pastor Kevin serves Director of the Set Free Movement. The Set Free Movement works to mobilize faith communities, financial partners, and all segments of society towards ending human trafficking and creating new futures through community-based action. You can find out more information about The Set Free Movement by clicking here.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Relentless Joy: Guest Speaker - Pastor Mark Morrison

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor Mark Morrison. Pastor Mark serves as the director of Shepherd Ministries. You can find out more information about Shepherd Ministries here.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Relentless Joy: Humility and Joy

This weeks devotion is an excerpt from “With Jesus in the Upper Room” by Maxie Dunnam. Maxie D. Dunnam is the former president and chancellor of Asbury Theological Seminary. He is now Senior Pastor Emeritus and Executive Director of CCGlobal at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis.

CONSIDER THIS

There is true humility and there is affected humility. Look at the contrast between Jesus and Peter. When Jesus came to Peter to wash his feet, Peter resisted: “Lord, do not wash my feet” (author’s paraphrase). I’m sure there was real sincerity in that. But sincerity and humility are not the same.

Peter was struggling in his relationship with Jesus, struggling with his own life, struggling with what was going on because things were not turning out as he thought they might when he left his fishing boat and followed this itinerant preacher. And he certainly didn’t understand what Jesus was doing. He couldn’t understand why Jesus was deliberately taking the position of a servant, so he acted humbly and backed away from Jesus because he didn’t want his leader washing his feet. It was a kind of affected humility.

But not the humility expressed by Jesus. The humble know who they are. Jesus knew who He was; Peter did not yet know who he was. In our culture, it is easy to have distorted notions about humility. We think of it as a kind of cowering, taking a backseat kind of style. In our most mistaken notions, we stereotype the humble person as being without strength, allowing people to take advantage of them, and staying in the shadow. That’s not true humility.

A father made this confession. Every night he would bring work home from the office;
lots of work, work he would begin doing right after the evening meal. One night his son
asked him why he brought all this work home. He explained, probably too adult-like, that
he was a very busy person, his job was demanding, and he just had more work to do than
he could get done at the office.

I like what the little boy said. From his world, and the way they did it at school, he asked, “Well, in that case, why don’t they put you in a slower group?”

Is anything more needed—to know who we are and, thus, to be genuinely humble? This means knowing our weaknesses, as well as our strengths. Perhaps more than anything else the humble not only know they are vulnerable, they know their Source of power. They live from the inside out, not the outside in. The humble have power, but the power is not so much in them as through them.

I’m not a baseball fan, but I relish sports stories of perspective and power, of humility and greatness. One of my favorite stories speaks to this issue of humility, of living from the inside out, not the outside in.

After the Dodgers won the Pennant in 1988, they gave their star pitcher, Orel Hershiser, a three-year contract for 7.7 million dollars. Though I have real problems with that sort of price tag on sports stars, it does say that Hershiser was a phenomenal player.

In Game Two of that series, Hershiser was pitching. He got two doubles and a single at bat, as many hits and more total bases than he allowed the competing team. He ran the bases like Jackie Robinson, and shut out Oakland 6–0.

Then came the fifth and final game. Folks wondered if Hershiser was going to make it again. He had to talk his manager into letting him stay in when he got into trouble in the eighth inning. He went on to win the series by winning that final game 5–2.

What fans remembered for a long time, though, was watching Hershiser on television on the bench in the top half of an inning, leaning back, mouth wide open, singing to himself that last night. It wasn’t until later on that we learned exactly what he was doing.

He was singing to himself two songs: The Doxology—“Praise God from whom all blessings flow . . .”—and a contemporary Christian tune by the late Keith Green called “Rushing Wind.” A line in that song goes: “Rushing wind, blow through this temple, blowing out the dust within.”1

Hershiser said he wanted to cleanse his mind of all the clutter of the world in that moment, to block out the pressure, and concentrate on the game at hand. This was a convincing picture of living from the inside out, not the outside in. As with Jesus, so with Hershiser and us, when we know who we are, we know our Source of power.

Relentless Joy: Suffering and Joy

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Casey Page Culbreth entitled, “Suffering and Hope.” Casey Page Culbreth is a worship pastor at Grace Church in Cape Coral, Florida.

CONSIDER THIS

My dad has dementia. My family found out about it three years ago and we have been walking together through the progression of this disease ever since. I’m an only child and my biggest fear has always been losing my parents. I’m watching my greatest fear come true with my dad, little bit by little bit.

This past year we had to have a conversation with dad about the need for him not to drive anymore. I was surprised to find myself leading the conversation. I was the one to ask my father, my authority, to give away the last vestige of his independence.

I tried to be positive throughout the conversation and dad was also trying to handle it with grace. The only one crying was my mother. But afterwards, when I said goodbye and hit the end button (we were talking on Skype since I live far away), this numb mix of sadness, anger, and disbelief came over me. I walked like a zombie to my bedroom and got ready for bed.

It wasn’t until later, as I was trying to go to sleep, that the tears came. I began to heave deep groans that I couldn’t stop. I started to yell at the empty room, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

In that moment, I desperately needed to feel God’s presence. I needed to hear him tell me that he was here, that there was hope for my dad and for my family. But I felt nothing and heard nothing. The lack of that felt assurance that my Abba was with me hurt just as much as the reality of slowly losing my father.

Our sufferings bend us low with our faces hard pressed toward the ground.

We all have leprous sores somewhere that give us such pain.

We cry out to God with the Israelites,

Oh that you would burst from the heavens and come down!

These kinds of cries are Advent cries. Advent is the season to allow ourselves to heave, to scream, to cry over our own lives and in solidarity with the screams and cries of the world.

The leper in the Gospel of Luke was near death, simply existing in the last stages of his disease. Perhaps he had lost the assurance that God was with him like I had as I cried over my father.

But that wasn’t the end of his story . . . and it’s not the end of mine…and it’s not the end of yours.

God did come down…and he walked with his own dusty feet into this man’s valley of death.

Oh, that you would burst through the heavens and come down!

Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”

I don’t always feel that God is with me. I can often despair that perhaps he is not. At the same time, there are moments when I encounter such sparks of unexpected beauty. In these moments, exultant joy overflows within me as I remember that I am the beloved and that God is truly here.

Relentless Joy: A Foundation For Joy

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Matt LeRoy entitled, “Joy to the World (Or How to Write a Better Song).” Matt LeRoy is the co-pastor of Love Chapel Hill Church. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

Philippians 2:6-11
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

CONSIDER THIS

One of the first songs of this season is the anthem, “Joy to the World.” Originally intended to be a song about the Second Coming of Jesus, subsequent generations adopted it as the theme song of his first coming at Christmas. This classic was penned by the prolific hymn writer Isaac Watts, one of more than 700 works created by Watts in worship of Jesus. When he was a young man, he frequently complained about the music he was experiencing in church. He called it boring, hard to sing, and lacking true heart-level zeal. Finally, his father challenged him to stop complaining and do something about it. If you don’t like it, change it. Write a better song.

And indeed he did. 700 times over.

While “Joy to the World” is one of the first songs of this season, scholars believe that today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of the first songs of the Church. It is quoted in this letter as if it is a hymn or poem familiar to the hearers, an early form of liturgy expressing worship of the Word made flesh. Notice the pattern carved out in the lines. They begin with Jesus in the highest possible place, naming him as being in very nature God. Then, he steps into our story, making his descent into flesh and cross and grave. Then the grand pivot as he is raised up once again in resurrection and exalted glory above all things. This is the Great Reversal of humanity’s story. On the one hand, we knew harmony with God in the Garden, but that wasn’t enough. We grasped after equality with him. Jesus, on the other hand, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. We were convinced to make something of ourselves. Jesus made himself nothing. While our sin follows a trajectory of fall and brokenness and death, his death pioneers resurrection and healing and life.

In the Garden, sin silenced the melody.
In Advent, Jesus writes a better song.

And we get swept up in it. We hear the Lord himself rejoicing and singing over us, and we start to pick up the melody again, learning the rhythm, feeling out our part. We join the better song and sing out the anthem of the first Advent and the Advent yet to come, “Joy to world! The Lord is Come. Let Earth receive her King.”

AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND MADE HIS DWELLING AMONG US.

Summer Psalms 2022: The Final Word

This week we want to share with you a devotion from Seedbed entitled, “Like A Mustard Seed”. Seedbed is a twenty-first century movement and media platform whose mission is to gather, connect, and resource the people of God to sow for a great awakening. You can learn more about Seedbed here. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

TEXT

Matthew 13:31-35

He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

NASB

COMMENT

A mustard seed—small and insignificant, but growing to encompass the garden.  Yeast—small and insignificant, but enabling the whole loaf to rise.  But when we hear “kingdom,” we do not think small and insignificant.  We want a mighty kingdom, a quick fix, a strong and sure redemption that makes all things new right now.  But the kingdom of heaven is more subtle.  The kingdom of heaven moves more slowly, starts more trivially, seems nondescript and irrelevant and altogether unimportant.  But the transformation it brings is no less sure, no less complete, no less magnificent.  The King of this kingdom is more than able to bring it to pass; he is its Maker, Keeper, and Lover.  To him, everything existing is no more than a mustard seed; he is more than able to bring his kingdom subtly.

READING

Also He showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball.  I looked thereupon with my mind’s-eye, and thought, “What may this be?”  And I received the answer, “It is all that is made.”  I marveled how it might last, for I thought it was so small it might suddenly disappear.  And I received the answer, “It lasts, and ever shall last, because God loves it.”  And so Everything has its Being by the love of God.

In this Little Thing I saw three properties.  The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, and the third that God keeps it.  But what He is who is the Maker, the Keeper, and the Lover, I cannot tell; for until I am fully united to Him, I may never have full rest nor true bliss.  That is to say, till I be so fastened to Him, that there is nothing created betwixt my God and me.

—St. Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)

Resources:

Summer Psalms 2022: The Two Greatest Books

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Richard J. Foster entitled, “Understanding Study”. Richard J. Foster is the founder and past president of Renovaré, has served as a pastor and teacher, and is a prolific writer. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

Study is the process whereby our minds take on an order conforming to the order of whatever we concentrate upon. Garbage in, garbage out; or conversely, beauty in, beauty out. It really is as simple as that. This is why the wise old apostle Paul urged us to set our minds on ​“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable.”

What makes study a Christian spiritual discipline is the content of our study as well as the spirit by which we engage in our study. 

The content of our study consists in all those things that lead to the glory of God. For the Christian, our study focuses primarily upon two great ​“books”: Scripture and ​“the book of nature.” With regard to Scripture, we begin by quieting ourselves until we can be attentive to the Word in Scripture. Then: We read. We reflect. We absorb. We allow Scripture to read us. We apply Scripture to our living. With regard to nature, the process is much the same, except that our ​“reading” comes by way of observing and listening. Then: We reflect. We absorb. We allow nature to read us. We apply the lessons of nature to our living. 

The spirit in which we engage in our study is an overall spirit of humility. We come with open hands and open heart. We become subject to the subject matter. We come as student, not teacher. We come as wholehearted learners. We stand under the text of Scripture, under the book of nature. Without this pervasive spirit of humility, study will only produce arrogance in us. A haughty spirit undermines humility of heart. Arrogance and a teachable spirit are mutually exclusive. 

There are four well-recognized steps in study. The first is repetition. Repetition regularly channels our minds in a specific direction, thus ingraining habits of thought. Ingrained habits of thought can be formed by repetition alone, thus changing behavior, even if we do not understand what is being repeated. 

The second step in study is concentration. Concentration centers our minds. It clears away the clutter of a thousand stimuli and forces us to focus on one thing only. This focus allows us to be truly present where we are. 

Comprehension is the third step in the discipline of study. All of us have had the experience of reading something over and over and then, all of a sudden, we understand what it means. This ​“eureka” experience of understanding catapults us to a new level of growth and freedom. It brings insight and discernment. 

The final step in study is reflection. While comprehension defines what we are studying, reflection defines the significance of what we are studying. Reflection allows us to see things from God’s perspective. 

Study produces joy. Like any novice, we will find it hard work in the beginning. But as our proficiency grows, so will our joy. Study is a discipline ordained by God for the training of the mind in ​“righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Resources:

Summer Psalms 2022: God's Presence in Scripture

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Timothy Tennet entitled, “God, the Mighty Fortress: Psalm 48. ” Timothy C. Tennent is the President of Asbury Theological Seminary and a Professor of Global Christianity. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

CONSIDER THIS

This is a psalm of praise for the mighty fortress in Jerusalem, which was the pride of every Jew. Not only was it built on a high place, but its towers, ramparts, and citadels were extolled for the security they promised. The psalm challenges the people of God to “walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation” (vv. 12–13).

At first glance this may seem like a psalm completely irrelevant for a Christian worshipper. However, it is important to notice a small detail in this psalm that makes it a pointer to something far greater. As a point of fact, the temple being referred to in Psalm 48 was not built on Mount Zion. Originally, Mount Zion referred to a Jebusite fortress attacked and seized by David on the eastern hill, whereas the temple was built on the western hill. However, the name Mount Zion carried so many associations with the Jews that it was gradually applied to what is today the Temple Mount. In other words, the term “Mount Zion” became a type or symbol for the fortress of God. Later, in the New Testament, “Mount Zion” refers to the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 14:1).

The symbolic use of words like Jerusalem and Mount Zion is important for us. When we celebrate Mount Zion, we are celebrating the impregnable fortress of God himself. All the references in the Psalms to Jerusalem, the temple, Mount Zion, and so forth are, at the deepest level, longings for the presence of God. The New Jerusalem does not even contain a temple. You may recall that in John’s vision he says, “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Rev. 21:22 ESV, italics added). This psalm points to that which is beyond stones or citadels. Indeed, Jesus told his disciples as they were admiring the temple, with its massive stones and towering citadels, that “there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2 ESV). This psalm points us to God himself, the ultimate citadel of strength and protection.

Summer Psalms 2022: The Oldest Psalm

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by J.D. Walt entitled, “How the Psalms Work More like Orange Juice Concentrate than Simply Orange” J.D. Walt is the Executive Director of Seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

CONSIDER THIS

Growing up, we didn’t have the present-day luxury of bottled juices such as Simply Orange. We actually got those little cans out of the freezer, often thawing them overnight, and mixed the contents with water to make our orange juice. The cans contained an ingredient known as concentrate, a thick, syrupy, profoundly orange substance. I used to love prying the lid off early before breakfast and sneaking a small spoonful of the stuff into my mouth. It produced a bit of a mouth-explosion effect of goodness. But who could take more than a spoonful? The taste vividly remains with me.

That’s what the Psalms are like and how they work. They gather up all of the glorious details from Scripture of the character of God and all of the dastardly depths of the human condition and combine them into a powerful concentrate. We can only take about a spoonful at a time. And that’s okay, because over time they mingle with the water that is our lives and result in something unexpectedly good. At times the concentrate is so strong that it’s bitter; at other times it tastes pleasantly sweet.

Song 90 gives us a massively concentrated contrast between the incomprehensible infiniteness of God and the frail finiteness of human beings:

Before the mountains came to be,
or earth sprang from Your word; 
From everlasting to the same,
You, only You, are God.

You turn men back to dust and say, 
“Return, O sons of men”;
For dust we are, to dust return; 
we go to dust again.

We need this concentrated reminder. As for me, “dust, dust, dust, dust. You, only You, are God.”

Something about actually singing these songs brings out the fullness of their taste. And, yes, it is a bit of an acquired taste. It will take time. Just sing this one today.

Summer Psalms 2022: God is Dependable

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Timothy Tennet entitled, “Starting the Day on the Right Path: Psalm 5.” Timothy C. Tennent is the President of Asbury Theological Seminary and a Professor of Global Christianity. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

CONSIDER THIS

If Psalm 4 (last week’s daily text) sets forth the basic framework for evening prayer, Psalm 5 is the pattern for morning prayer: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” (v. 3). Morning prayer is essential for setting ourselves on the path of the way of righteousness. As the day begins, we draw the line and put ourselves on the right side of righteousness. Before the day begins to unfold and we have even the first opportunity to squander our time, engage in evil thoughts and conversations, do any evil deed, or, in general, lose our moral courage to stand in the way of righteousness, this morning prayer sets us on the right path. We remind ourselves at the outset that God takes no “pleasure in evil” (v. 4). He does not dwell with the wicked, and in the end, the “arrogant cannot stand in [his] presence” (v. 5).

Today, Christians are inundated with a domesticated, overly sentimentalized view of God. This psalm shakes us awake and calls us to realign our thinking about God according to Scripture, not popular sentiments and cultural trends that can easily crowd out a biblical perspective on life. One of the biggest surprises comes in verse 5, where the psalmist declares that God hates “all who do wrong.” It is important to remember that when the Bible refers to love and hate, it does not correspond particularly well with the ways those two words are used today. For example, the word hate does not refer to any kind of angry emotion God has toward someone, as might be reflected in the phrase, “I hate you.” Rather, when the Bible says God “hates” something, it means that he stands covenantally opposed to it. He stands with a drawn sword in the way of sin; he does not go along with it. To “hate” all those who do wrong is to “stand against” all those who oppose God’s righteous reign and rule in the world.

We need this daily reminder that God will someday return to judge the world and establish his reign. Indeed, Psalm 5 is one of the key passages that Paul quotes in Romans 3 to establish the captivating sinfulness of the world: “Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit” (v. 9; see Rom. 3:13). The only hope we have of escaping God’s righteous judgment is to “take refuge” in the Lord (v. 11). The “shield” (v. 12), which the psalmist promises will protect the people of God, is in fact brought back to us in the book of Ephesians. Paul tells us to “take up the shield of faith,” which is to cast ourselves upon the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. This, in turn, enables us to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). It is through Christ that we are finally established as the people of righteousness.

Colossians: All Of Us

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by J.D. Walt entitled, “The Highlight Reel” J.D. Walt is the Executive Director of Seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

CONSIDER THIS

And so it ends. Colossians is in the books. Before we leave it behind, I wanted to revisit a few of my favorite highlights. Let’s tip these dominoes one more time.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Col. 1:1–2 NRSV) 

The issue is not whether we will live in Colossae or not. We must live there or Cincinnati or Centerville or wherever it is we have been appointed to live. The question is whether we will live in Christ or not. Will I become a bona-fide in-Christ-one? This is the awakening we must have. This begins to happen when my attention turns from my disgruntlement with the insanity around me to my discontent with the incongruity within me. When this awakening becomes greater and greater within us it leads to the awakening becoming greater and greater around us.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. (Col. 1:3–6 NRSV)

To be sure, the gospel is the message of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, but in a far greater sense, the gospel is who Jesus Christ is to us and in us and through us for the world. The gospel is not a body of knowledge about who God is and what God has done. It is actually knowing God.

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:11–14 NRSV)

I think I used to think I didn’t need to be rescued, that I wasn’t one of those kinds of people. Sure, I knew I was a sinner, but not that bad. I just needed a little Sunday school-esque straightening of the collar. Now I know better. The kind of sinner I thought I was is actually the worst kind of sinner because we think since we didn’t ride the Titanic to the bottom of the ocean we somehow don’t need as much grace as the ones who did. Now I recognize this as a lie from the pit of hell. The dominion of darkness is oh-so-deceptive. We all must be rescued, especially me. In fact, I will never become a real Christian until I know I am a real sinner.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Col. 1:15–16)

We must see Jesus. We were made to behold him. His life, not in general but in a thousand specifics, must become our vision. His preexistence, preeminence, conception, birth, life, words, deeds, miracles, relationships, signs, sermons, parables, prayers, suffering, passion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, return, and eternal reign must become our holy obsession. This is the message Paul offers the Colossians and the Columbians, the Americans and the Africans, and everyone else. We must see Jesus. We must fix our gaze upon him.

I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col. 2:2–3)

The way is together. Here’s the part that is not apparent to those of us who happen to be twenty-first-century Americans. When Paul identifies the mystery as “Christ in you,” what he really means is “Christ in y’all.” The you, as is the case so often in the New Testament, is plural. The New Testament rarely addresses me as an isolated, individuated, privatized person. To be sure, God addresses me personally, but my identity is not primarily as an individual. In fact, this is more a sign of my brokenness. I simply cannot know who I am outside of my relationship with God. And here’s the kicker: I can’t know God apart from other people. That’s where we want to push back.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Col. 3:5). 

What would it mean to walk that last mile, escorting my sins to the death chamber? How many times have you walked your sins to the death chamber only to walk them back to the cell again?

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col. 3:12)

Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience aren’t virtues to which we must aspire. No, they are our uniform. Think of them as the pads a football player wears in order to play the game. Mustn’t this be what Paul means when he says, “clothe yourselves”?

The dominoes keep on tipping. May they never stop.

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Colossians: New Clothes

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by Dallas Willard entitled, “Acknowledging God In All We Do.” Dallas Willard Dal­las was an ordained min­is­ter who spoke at church­es and Chris­t­ian orga­ni­za­tions world­wide. He was a found­ing mem­ber of Ren­o­varé. He wrote, among oth­ers, Ren­o­va­tion of the Heart, Hear­ing God, and Know­ing Christ Today. Dal­las is sur­vived by his wife Jane, son John, daugh­ter and son-in-law Becky and Bill Heat­ley, and grand­daugh­ter Laris­sa, who con­tin­ue his lega­cy and work. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don’t put your con­fi­dence in your own under­stand­ing. In all your ways acknowl­edge him, and he will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5 – 6

“What ever you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giv­ing thanks to God and the Father by Him.” Colos­sians 3:17

It is very impor­tant to under­stand that these vers­es rep­re­sent the gospel of the king­dom of God. They rep­re­sent the invi­ta­tion to take our whole life into the king­dom of God and learn how to live the life God has giv­en us in the pow­er of God. When I under­take all my activ­i­ties, I am not doing them on my own, I am doing them in con­fi­dence, vision, and expec­ta­tion in the spir­it and char­ac­ter of Christ. If I am writ­ing a paper or prepar­ing for a con­fer­ence or out­lin­ing a course, I don’t just do that look­ing to myself, I do that in expec­ta­tion that God will act with me.

The gospel of the king­dom of God which Jesus preached, ​“Repent for the king­dom of heav­en is at hand,” is pre­cise­ly the good news that, in every­thing I am and do, God invites me to invite him to be my co-work­er. He invites me to look to him, to act and move in tan­gi­ble ways no mat­ter what it is.

Go back to that verse in Proverbs, ​“In all your ways acknowl­edge him.” What does that mean? It means that we rec­og­nize he is God, and we acknowl­edge his author­i­ty in what we are doing. When I set up a course, or when I under­take to trans­late some­thing from Ger­man into Eng­lish, or what­ev­er I am doing, writ­ing a paper, com­pos­ing a book, I expect God to direct me. I expect there to be a move­ment in my life that is more than me.

Now that won’t hap­pen if I don’t acknowl­edge him. I have to acknowl­edge him; I have to rec­og­nize him. Take the verse in Colos­sians 3:17, ​“What­so­ev­er you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the name of …” What does that mean, ​“do it in the name of” — say the name as I do it? No. It means that I do it in behalf of him. I do it in place of him. So when I walk into a room to give a lec­ture, I say to myself, ​“How would Jesus do this?” And I do it on his behalf.

Dis­ci­ple­ship means learn­ing to acknowl­edge God in all we do — and it takes a lot of learn­ing. You actu­al­ly nev­er get done learn­ing because you are always learn­ing, and increas­ing­ly you are able to acknowl­edge him in all of your ways. You are able to do every­thing you do in word or deed on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you do that, among oth­er things, your fear and anx­i­ety dis­ap­pear because you aren’t out there on the limb by your­self. You are actu­al­ly watch­ing God in action in your life. You stop sec­ond guess­ing your­self and lam­bast­ing your­self because you did­n’t do it right.

You have now heard the gospel that you are accept­ed by God where you are, that he put you there. You’re in your world to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth — and it is God who makes that pos­si­ble. You accept the fact that you are finite, that you make mis­takes, that you’re not per­fect. And in so doing you get on with the work that God has appoint­ed to flow through your life as you become the per­son he intend­ed you to be.

You see, God has very high aims for you and me. His aim is that each one of us becomes the kind of per­son he can empow­er to do what we want. I am going to say that again. You and I are being trained and cul­ti­vat­ed and grown to the point where God can empow­er us to do what we want. Now you rec­og­nize that a lot of work has to be done on our ​“wan­ter” before that can hap­pen. But that is what life is about. And that’s what we are learn­ing to do as dis­ci­ples of Jesus Christ.

Special Guest - Seth Van Tifflin

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Seth Van Tifflin. Seth serves as the Executive Director of In Better Hands and is part of the Free Methodist World Missions team in Asia. Seth is an incredible leader and In Better Hands is doing important work in Asia. You can find out more information about Seth and In Better Hands in the links below.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Colossians: Fully Living

This week we want to share with you a devotion written by J.D. Walt entitled, “Are You Filled with the Fullness of God?” J.D. Walt is the Executive Director of Seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages your faith.

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

CONSIDER THIS

I can’t believe I left it out. Somehow I managed to write a devotional comment on Ephesians 3:19 and failed to mention the most earth shattering part of the verse. Here it is again—v.19b.

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

It’s the point of the whole prayer—of being strengthened with power through his Spirit in our inner being so Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith—SO WE COULD BE ROOTED AND ESTABLISHED IN LOVE, so we could grasp, together with God’s people, how high and deep and long and wide is the love of Christ—SO WE COULD KNOW THIS LOVE THAT SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE, and all to the glorious end. . .

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God

I’ve said it before. I will say it again. It’s either not true, or we aren’t getting it. Either Jesus got it wrong or we’ve missed the point. And we know Jesus got it right. So where does that leave us?

Today’s text draws out a very critical distinction. We see it between v.20a and v.20b. See if you can spot it.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 

We don’t struggle so much with v.20a. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think[.] God can do anything. Nothing is impossible with God. Further, Paul notes, when it comes to God’s ability, our asking and thinking is way too small. Note the three words Paul strings together to make the point: far more abundantly. There is no limit to God’s ability.

The problem comes in v.20b. “according to the power at work within us[.] Here is where we miss the point. I said this a few verses back, but it bears repeating. If you were to listen to most of my prayers you might come to the conclusion that I believe God mostly works outside of, around and even in spite of people. I pray for God to   give us a great awakening. I ask God to help people in need, to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, to deliver the oppressed and so on. For all practical purposes I am asking God to work beyond or outside of human agency.

Today’s text challenges not only this way of praying but this overall way of understanding the relationship between God and people. God can do it all right, but he chooses to do his work according to the power at work within us[.] We pray so often for God to “show up” in our gatherings and in the midst of our impossible situations with little regard for the fact that God’s primary and preferred way of doing far more abundantly than all that we ask or think is according to the power at work within us[.]

When God comes to save the world he comes as a person in Jesus of Nazareth. When God sends the Holy Spirit, the Spirit visibly anoints, fills, marks and seals twelve people. The Spirit is not working in some kind of spiritually “at large” dimension in the air. The Spirit works directly, humanly yet supernaturally through men and women.

This text and so much of the rest of the New Testament has me asking a lot of questions about how we speak and sing of God’s presence and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We sing of God filling places, spaces and rooms; even atmospheres and certainly we have biblical precedent for this—in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. But people of God, where is the Temple now? Two words: within us. Where is Jesus now? Two words: within us. Where is the Holy Spirit now? Two words: within us. 

So why are we missing this? Is it that we are afraid of it somehow becoming about us and not about God? We are so prone to this either-or way of thinking. It is either God or us, as though there is only so much to go around and we could somehow “rob” God of his glory. Either God gets the glory or we do? What if this entire way of thinking is wrong? What if, in fact, all glory is God’s glory and what if there is no limit to God’s glory, and what if it is within God’s divine prerogative to share his glory with people? What if that is the whole point of the Church—to be a community of human beings who together carry, embody, demonstrate, and exude the glorious presence of God in the world.

Isn’t that the point of v.21?

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.