"In all toil there is a profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty" (Prov. 14:23).
The world is full of opportunity for those who seize the moment. However, many people never reach for the "brass ring," as I have heard it called, because they are afraid they will never reach it. But is never reaching the brass ring really such a terrible thing? I mean, the reality is that by not attempting to reach it, one has already accepted defeat, and thus, guaranteed that he will never reach it.
Fear of failure is a terrible master. It continually berates its servants for thinking that they can accomplish anything, pounds hope from their hearts and heads, and then leaves them immersed in their phobia. By not doing anything, one has already failed. Is living with the regret of what could have been easier than living with the regret of what wasn't? Is there not some consolation in having tried that doesn't exist for those who never tried?
This proverb reminds us that all toil is profitable. It isn't just that when we work we get money, but that in effort there is reward. Sometimes, it is success in the shape of attaining a dream. Sometimes, the reward is a lesson on patience or perseverance. Wish and wanting and talking are not rewarding. They're empty. Proverbs 14:23 informs us that it is worth the effort to pursue a dream with hard work and determination.
Let us not settle for "what could have been," without first giving everything we have to see could be with a little more effort, another call, one more letter. When every avenue of hope has been exhausted, when only answer to our persistent praying is no, when every door is shut tight in our face, then, and only then, should we consider moving on. Until then we need to toil with all our might trusting God will reward us in the way he deems best.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sermon Review 4-12-09
Sunrise: We looked at 1 Corinthians 15:1-9 to remind us of the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Easter should be a time of jubilant celebration and solemn reflection for all that Christ has done on our behalf.
Morning: We concluded our seven sayings of the cross series by looking at John 19:30 where Jesus states, "It is finished." The statement leaves us asking the question, what is finished. In one respect Jesus is expressing that the prophecies concerning his death and resurrection were complete. His suffering and humiliation were over. In another respect, he was pronouncing that his mission was over.
Jesus' mission was to seek and save the lost. It was to give his life a ransom for many. His mission was completed on the cross. Thus, through faith in his death and resurrection, we can enter into the Father's presence fully accepted and loved by God. His death has "finished" our sin. He has paid the price for our redemption and has purchased life for us. He has "finished" our alienation from God and brought us to the Father. He has finished our "guilt" and "shame" and made us new creatures with new natures and new futures.
Morning: We concluded our seven sayings of the cross series by looking at John 19:30 where Jesus states, "It is finished." The statement leaves us asking the question, what is finished. In one respect Jesus is expressing that the prophecies concerning his death and resurrection were complete. His suffering and humiliation were over. In another respect, he was pronouncing that his mission was over.
Jesus' mission was to seek and save the lost. It was to give his life a ransom for many. His mission was completed on the cross. Thus, through faith in his death and resurrection, we can enter into the Father's presence fully accepted and loved by God. His death has "finished" our sin. He has paid the price for our redemption and has purchased life for us. He has "finished" our alienation from God and brought us to the Father. He has finished our "guilt" and "shame" and made us new creatures with new natures and new futures.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter
I hope you have a joyous and glorious Resurrection Day celebration. Remember that Jesus accomplished redemption for us on the cross. As the author of Hebrews said,
Have a great day celebrating the reality of the resurrection. If you are in Christ then you are truly forgiven and free. He has taken away your sin. He has brought you his life. God bless and have wonderful day.
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:11-14).
Have a great day celebrating the reality of the resurrection. If you are in Christ then you are truly forgiven and free. He has taken away your sin. He has brought you his life. God bless and have wonderful day.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Easter Eve
It is the eve of Resurrection Sunday. I am thinking about the sunrise service. I'm thinking about that journey to an empty tomb nearly two thousand years ago. I'm thinking about the implications of an empty tomb. He is alive. Jesus is alive. He is alive!
I fear at times we stop short at the fact that Jesus died. We think of the cross as a finality. Death is something with which we are familiar. We fully comprehend the death and burial of Jesus as events even if we don't fully comprehend their significance. But, the resurrection is something foreign to us. We have not stood at the grave and saw death defeated. Yet, death is defeated.
Jesus is alive! At this moment he is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the king on high. All things are being brought under him. He is exalted to the highest place, he has a name that is above every name. And because he is alive, we can have life. Those who trust in him have life. His life. We are alive, because he is alive.
Lord willing, Monticello will gather in the morning the watch the sunrise and to be reminded of that first day when the proclamation came, "He is not here, he is risen." We will gather and talk about the resurrection with awe, wonder, and longing. And we will remind ourselves that we are looking to the day when the Son will come for his church. Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come.
I fear at times we stop short at the fact that Jesus died. We think of the cross as a finality. Death is something with which we are familiar. We fully comprehend the death and burial of Jesus as events even if we don't fully comprehend their significance. But, the resurrection is something foreign to us. We have not stood at the grave and saw death defeated. Yet, death is defeated.
Jesus is alive! At this moment he is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the king on high. All things are being brought under him. He is exalted to the highest place, he has a name that is above every name. And because he is alive, we can have life. Those who trust in him have life. His life. We are alive, because he is alive.
Lord willing, Monticello will gather in the morning the watch the sunrise and to be reminded of that first day when the proclamation came, "He is not here, he is risen." We will gather and talk about the resurrection with awe, wonder, and longing. And we will remind ourselves that we are looking to the day when the Son will come for his church. Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Reminders of the Fall
I was looking out the window this morning and noticed a new dent on my truck. Apparently, a limb or something landed a rather hard blow to the roof. I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but it grieved me a little to see the dent. Not that there aren't other dents on the truck. There was one on it when I bought it--the only flaw in an otherwise flawless vehicle. Since I bought it, someone has dented the front passenger's side fender, I dented the front driver's side fender by running over a post in the front yard, and during the ice storm a limb ripped off the driver's side mirror. Then on top of all of those things, there have been mechanical problems and rusting.
Looking at my truck this morning in its diminishing glory made me long for better days. I wanted to turn back the clock or at least halt the steady crawl into ruin. As I stood there looking out the window mourning a dent in my truck, a thought occurred to me: it's a machine. It doesn't know me, it doesn't love me, it couldn't care less if I praise it or curse it. It is a lifeless object designed to serve one purpose: transportation. It is only a thing, and yet, I care about it.
A Scripture came to mind as I stared out the window, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (Matt. 6:19). As I thought about this passage, I couldn't help but be reminded of two facts. First, this world is in a fallen condition. Adam's sin has subjected this world to bondage. Second, this world and its conditional are passing away. Somehow I doubt I'll be driving a glorified version of my truck in the new earth.
The slow (and emotionally painful) decay of my truck is only a symptom of a greater tragedy. Paul stated, "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Rom. 8:22-23). There is within all of us the knowledge that the way things are isn't the way they are supposed to be.
But thank God, better things are coming. Sin, hell, and death have been defeated. One day, by faith, we shall see the new heavens and the new earth. All of the decay that reflects the fallenness of creation will be gone. As Jesus said, "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). As I think about the significance of the death and resurrection of Christ, a new dent in my truck seems like a trivial distraction. But, it does remind me that my soul, which was marred by sin and corruption, was redeemed. By the grace of God, I was not consigned to the junk heep. God the Father sent his Son into the world to redeem a people for his glory. Jesus, the Son, in his infinite mercy purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree. The Holy Spirit in his gracious kindness enabled me to trust in Jesus' work on the cross.
Unlike my truck, I'm being renewed day by day. Unlike my truck, I care what the One who owns me thinks about me. I desire his praise; I fear his curse. I stand amazed at the fact that Jesus bore the curse for me. Paul informs us, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Gal. 3:13). The cross changes everything. When one truly understands the cross it causes a radical shifting of priorities. This world and its trinkets no longer have a hold on us. Let us turn our attention to the cross and find in Christ the hope of renewal.
Looking at my truck this morning in its diminishing glory made me long for better days. I wanted to turn back the clock or at least halt the steady crawl into ruin. As I stood there looking out the window mourning a dent in my truck, a thought occurred to me: it's a machine. It doesn't know me, it doesn't love me, it couldn't care less if I praise it or curse it. It is a lifeless object designed to serve one purpose: transportation. It is only a thing, and yet, I care about it.
A Scripture came to mind as I stared out the window, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (Matt. 6:19). As I thought about this passage, I couldn't help but be reminded of two facts. First, this world is in a fallen condition. Adam's sin has subjected this world to bondage. Second, this world and its conditional are passing away. Somehow I doubt I'll be driving a glorified version of my truck in the new earth.
The slow (and emotionally painful) decay of my truck is only a symptom of a greater tragedy. Paul stated, "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Rom. 8:22-23). There is within all of us the knowledge that the way things are isn't the way they are supposed to be.
But thank God, better things are coming. Sin, hell, and death have been defeated. One day, by faith, we shall see the new heavens and the new earth. All of the decay that reflects the fallenness of creation will be gone. As Jesus said, "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). As I think about the significance of the death and resurrection of Christ, a new dent in my truck seems like a trivial distraction. But, it does remind me that my soul, which was marred by sin and corruption, was redeemed. By the grace of God, I was not consigned to the junk heep. God the Father sent his Son into the world to redeem a people for his glory. Jesus, the Son, in his infinite mercy purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree. The Holy Spirit in his gracious kindness enabled me to trust in Jesus' work on the cross.
Unlike my truck, I'm being renewed day by day. Unlike my truck, I care what the One who owns me thinks about me. I desire his praise; I fear his curse. I stand amazed at the fact that Jesus bore the curse for me. Paul informs us, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Gal. 3:13). The cross changes everything. When one truly understands the cross it causes a radical shifting of priorities. This world and its trinkets no longer have a hold on us. Let us turn our attention to the cross and find in Christ the hope of renewal.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Consider Him
"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted" (Hebrews 12:3).
We are called as Jesus' followers to continually meditate on his accomplished work. We look to Jesus as more than an example. It goes farther than What Would Jesus Do? We needed his work to cleanse us from our unrighteousness, and we continue to need his work to sustain us. This verse isn't suggesting we look to Jesus to see how to pattern our life, it is telling us to look to Jesus and remember that he has paid the penalty for our sin, so now, we are free from sin.
Considering what Jesus suffered, on our behalf, has the power to encourage the heart. When we remember that Jesus accomplished his work on the cross, before we knew him, before we loved him, and before we even knew we need a Savior, we are freed to live in the confidence that his love will never fail. What he endured to bring us to him will never be undone.
No amount of hardship can separate us from his love, in fact, the author of Hebrews reminds us that hardship is to be endured as discipline. He also tells us that discipline reminds us that we are beloved children, objects of the Father's care. As we consider what Christ has suffered and what he has purchased in his death we know that, through him, we are acceptable to the Father.
As another passage so eloquently puts it, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
We are called as Jesus' followers to continually meditate on his accomplished work. We look to Jesus as more than an example. It goes farther than What Would Jesus Do? We needed his work to cleanse us from our unrighteousness, and we continue to need his work to sustain us. This verse isn't suggesting we look to Jesus to see how to pattern our life, it is telling us to look to Jesus and remember that he has paid the penalty for our sin, so now, we are free from sin.
Considering what Jesus suffered, on our behalf, has the power to encourage the heart. When we remember that Jesus accomplished his work on the cross, before we knew him, before we loved him, and before we even knew we need a Savior, we are freed to live in the confidence that his love will never fail. What he endured to bring us to him will never be undone.
No amount of hardship can separate us from his love, in fact, the author of Hebrews reminds us that hardship is to be endured as discipline. He also tells us that discipline reminds us that we are beloved children, objects of the Father's care. As we consider what Christ has suffered and what he has purchased in his death we know that, through him, we are acceptable to the Father.
As another passage so eloquently puts it, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Music Listening Site
Serendipity can be defined as the gift of finding valuable things for which one has not searched. It also describes the discovery of lala.com. A couple of days ago, Dr. Moore mentioned a song, unfamiliar to me, on his blog. The next day, Justin Taylor posted a link to that song on lala. Lala.com is a great place to find music (they have all kinds). You can listen to any song or album once for free. If you sign up for the service (which is free) they give you 50 credits. You can find how it works here. Downloads are inexpensive and are compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player. So far I have been able to listen to some pretty good music. You might want to try it out.
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