He chose us in Him …. that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love

The Lord tells elsewhere, that we did not choose him but that he chose us. The full version of the above verse from Ephesians 1:4 is “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” These aspects of salvation are mysterious, since we also know that we have a choice, that He he will not force himself upon us. The only way I can get my head around this it is to think that when He, in advance, knew that I would choose Him, then He chose me.

But more important than trying to understand this mystery, is to notice that he has a purpose in choosing us, and His purpose is that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. He calls us saints, and then calls us to be saintly. I think it’s true to to say that all of us struggle at times in our relationship with Him. Sometimes we are more intentional in seeking to please Him and cooperate with him in the just mentioned purpose. And, at least in my own life, there are times when I am less than successful in this endeavour. At such times I thank him for his Mercy and Grace, and for His promise that when I confess my sins He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

Father, I thank You that you call me a saint, and You call me to be saintly. Thank you for the times that you forgive me when my life fails to live up to your high calling. Lord I want to respond to your love in a positive way. I know you don’t want me to strive, but to operate out of rest even in this. Thank you that Paul goes on in verse 6 of this same chapter to tell us that we are eternally accepted In Jesus. Amen

Let us therefore with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In this passage from Hebrews 4:16, the author has just been telling us of Jesus our high priest, who is not unable to sympathize with our weakness, but was in every respect tempted as we are, yet without sin. In particular He understands our weaknesses, and is ready and willing and able to give us the mercy that we need, and the grace, that is the wherewithal to help in time of need. So the therefore in this verse, connects it with this thought. In other words, it is for this reason that we can come with confidence before the throne of grace.

In a related verse we are told that when we come to Him, He will in no wise cast us out. God is not like us, He is willing to forgive over and over and over again. In fact this is the very reason the Father sent the Son. As the ancient hymn has it Jesus knows our every weakness. Of course in order to receive His mercy and His grace, we do need to admit that we have sinned, and we do need to repent and turn from it. When we do this we can come confidently, or boldly as another translation puts it , unto Him knowing that He will forgive us and that He will help.

Sometimes the greatest difficulty we have is in forgiving ourselves. The guilt and the shame can overpower us, and levers without relief, since we feel the need to punish ourselves by not forgiving ourselves. The problem is that this leaves us hurt an isolated. And it gives the accuser of the brethren, the opportunity to further kill and to steal and to destroy in our lives.

There is a sense in which it is false humility to refuse to forgive ourselves. This is because, whether we realize it or not, we are saying that the sacrifice of the perfect Son of God was not enough to cover my odious sin. And when we do this we disparage the incredible sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us on the cross. This is surely part of what it means to trample the blood of Jesus Christ under our foot (Hebrews 10:19). So we need to see our self unforgiveness as sin. I say this not to lay further condemnation on us, but rather to see that when we see this as sin, then the way is clear as to what we need to do. In particular that we need to repent and turn from the sin, that is we need to forgive ourselves. And then we need to come boldly before the throne of grace that we may receive mercy an grace to forgive ourselves and so begin the process of becoming whole.

Father I thank you this morning that your grace is greater than all my sin. I thank you that you have promised that when I confessed my sin, you are faithful and just to forgive me forgive me my sin, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Lord let me never ever take this for granted, let me ever come before you morning by morning in thankfulness. I receive again this morning your mercy, your grace and your life, and I choose to be thankful for all that you are, and all that you do in Jesus name. Amen

A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offence. Pr 19:11

There is something seductive about wanting to hang on to an offence. I mean, if I let go of it, he or she will get away with it. And if I hang onto it, I can show them clearly how I feel about them. At the very least, they deserve my punishing silences!

Well maybe, but many times they may have no idea why we are annoyed, and when we make decisions based on moments of deep hurt or anger, we can permanantly poison a relationship. I have been there and done that, and well probably we all have!

This is not to say that we should let people walk all over us. But I find that if I am wanting to give someone a piece of my mind, that I need to wait, to process it and to make sure my ultimate motive is to bring peace, and not just to show them that I am right and they are wrong!

It’s complicated, because there are certainly times when it is not good either for the other person, or for the relationship, to let them get away with things. This is especially true when the offence happens over and over. On the other hand, I sometimes find that my emotions want to overrule the command to, as much as lies within us to live at peace with all (Romans 12:18).

And this is where wisdom comes in. I find that when I surrender the offence to Him, get my will in neutral being willing to let go, or to gently and humbly bring it to the other person’s attention (Galatians 6:1), then the Lord always guides and leads me into what He wants me to do, and His solution is always the best one.

That’s not so say that it is easy, or that it might not end as we would wish it to. The point is there are some situations and relationships that, for whatever reason, are intransigent and immovable. And you know that if you bring the issue up it will not go well, at least in the short term. This does not mean it should not be brought up, we may need to do this for our own sanity. But if, in such circumstances, we do decide to go ahead, we need to be prepared for the pushback and be willing to accept the consequences. In all of this we need wisdom, but as the verse says when we decide to overlook the offence, and I would add, if we are not doing it out of cowardice, then is it to our glory.

This morning the Lord brought the verse of this heading to my attention. It was a word in season! In doing so, He clearly showed me what He wanted me to do in this instance. In my own human wisdom (and probably because of my hurt) I would likely have rationalized using Galatians 6:1, rather Proverbs 19:11. Clearly we can’t do both, but He will show us which principle to use if we ask Him.

Serenity prayer: Father grant me the serenity to accept those things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search them out (Pr. 25:2).

It is the glory the privilege and the right of God to conceal what he wishes to conceal. But why would He do this? In particular why does He hide himself from us? The counsels of God are mysterious. The Scripture tells us that His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts!

One aspect of this has to do with our responsibility to act on the knowledge that we have. I’m not saying that He necessarily excuses ignorance, especially willing ignorance, but it’s a relief to me to know that there are many things in my life that I am unaware of, and that need to be changed, and to know that he will deal graciously with me in these things.

Another aspect of why He conceals things, is that he actually wants us to seek and to search Him out. This is part of the great romance, as I have said in another post He hides for us, not from us.

The second line of this verse indicates that it is also the glory and the privilege the right, of kings to search out the mysteries of God. In the Old Testament the king would be the reigning monarch. In the new testament we are called kings and priests Revelation 1:6;5:10). In other words this applies to those of us who know Him, it is our glory to search for Him and for His wisdom.

God reveals to backsliding Israel in Jeremiah 29:13 that they would search for Him and find Him when they searched for Him with all of their hearts. It’s the same with us, whether we are backsliding, or living for him, there is always more. The picture in revelation of the twenty four elders constantly falling down and worshiping Him, is not a picture of boredom. But rather it is a picture of awe and wonder, as moment by moment new facets of the glory and beauty of our God are being revealed. So that they cry out over and over “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come.”

Father, Lord it is so easy for me to come to the place where I’ve heard it all before, where I think I have arrived, where I know what I believe and feel that my systematic theology has the answer to every question. But if and when I arrive at such a place, I need to be reminded of verses such as this, and to meditate on the fact that your glory is hidden for my protection but also for my provision, and that my provision, more often than not, comes in searching out your praise and your glory and your presence. Father give me a passion to know you more, increase my hunger. I need you to do this, because from the beginning to the end you are God, and whether I know it or not I have a desperate need for you. You have made me to be fulfilled only in fellowship with You. Father forgive me when I have allowed the things of earth to dim your beauty and your glory. Thank you for this verse this morning in Jesus name amen.

As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds in us by Christ. 2 Cor. 1:5.

Peter, in his epistles asks why we consider it such a strange thing that we find ourselves in various trials and temptations. In other words we should not be surprised by suffering. Paul is saying something different, something deeper. He is saying that when we allow our Christ into our suffering, that the comfort and consolation that we received from Him is directly proportional to the level of suffering.

In Philippines chapter 3 Paul talks about the fellowship of his suffering. The picture I have that I think best illustrates this, is of two buddies in a war. The friendships that are forged under such circumstances, are life long friendships. In the end these friendships can go so deep each of them is willing to die for the other.

So Jesus calls us his friends, and we are in a battle. Paul again, in Ephesians chapter 6, tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places. In other words the person or circumstances that are hurting us is not the enemy. Of course Satan uses other people, who more often than not are operating out of their own woundedness. What the Lord is impressing upon me this morning, is the verse that says that when He was reviled, he reviled not again. To put this another way, if somebody attacked Him or was mean to Him, he did not respond in kind, rather he responded with grace in love.

In other words He operated in the exact opposite spirit from that which he was receiving. It hurts of course when somebody is mean to us, or accuses us especially if it’s unjust. But we can turn this into the sufferings of Christ when we respond to such things as He responded. And when we do this, the second part of the verse in our heading kicks in. In particular, it draws us closer to Him in the same way that buddies are drawn close to each other in a war.

Father, I need your grace to respond in the opposite spirit. And I can’t do this unless I stay close to you. So Father please remind me when I am hurt, of this teaching. I remember Jesus when they drove cruel spikes into Your hands and Your feet, Your response was “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” This is more times than not, is not my reaction, I am not like you, but I want to be. I can’t do this with You Lord, but thank You that you have begun a good work in me and will bring to fullness and completion in the day of Jesus Christ. I give you praise and thanks in Your Holy and in Your precious name. Amen

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned Is 43:2

In my daily readings yesterday, this verse stood out to me. What I did not know was that an old emotional wound was going to be triggered by a small injustice. My emotional memory kicked in, and I found myself overwhelmed by hurts from the past. And I thought that that had healed!

As is my habit at times like this, I journaled. In psalm 142:2 David says “I poured out my complaints to the Lord.” As part of this journaling and as an attempt to get the obsessive thoughts out of my head I would write letters, and in fact I spent most of yesterday writing an email I would never send.

I often look at a daily prophetic word that comes automatically into my inbox, and this morning the word was “Breaking out of old thinking and habits will be necessary, but not necessarily easy.” I immediately wanted to apply this to my protagonist, but the Lord had other ideas. He was showing me that I was not pouring my complaint out to Him but to the one who had offended me (but they would never hear it). Long story short, had I poured out my complaint to Him and heard what He was trying to say to me in the verse He had brought to my attention, I would not have wasted so much time, energy and pain on email writing.

What He was wanting me to hear was “Yes this hurts Phil, but it will not harm you, it is a fire, but it will not burn you.”

There is a huge difference between hurt and harm. When we go to the dentist it can hurt, but the short term hurt brings long term relief. If we (I) say that we (I) truly believe that he is actively at work in all things for our good (Romans 8:28), then we (I) need to show this by choosing to trust him. When we (I) do this then though things hurt, they cannot ultimately harm us. In fact each trial has the capacity to grow our faith and strengthen us.

So His word to me, breaking this old habit is necessary, but not necessarily easy.

Father I choose to trust You, I choose to cast all my cares upon You. I know that You care for me, help me to do my part in strengthening the weak hands that hang down, so that I may bring honour and glory to Your Name. In Jesus name Amen!

We no longer see anyone according to the flesh

You have probably had the experience of doing ten things right, and one thing wrong. And what do people remember? The one thing wrong of course! When they and we do such things, we are seeing people according to the flesh.

So then if we don’t see people according to the flesh how are we supposed to see them? The answer is that we need to see them as God sees them. In fact we also need to see ourselves as God sees us. In other words the “anyone”, includes ourselves. If you are in Christ, then according to the Scriptures you are a saint! In other words if you are in Christ, God see you as a saint. Now you and I may not be saintly, our lives may not match what God calls us. But what He does is to call us to be what he says we are. In other words he calls us to be saintly.

The verse following the one quoted above is verse 17 of 1st Corinthians 5. It says “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”

This verse has been misapplied in many christian circles, it has been understood to be saying, that I don’t need to deal with the past, because all things are become new. But what the verse is saying when we take it in context, is rather than not needing to deal with the past, we need to deal with it in such a way that our future does not become our past. In other words he calls us into our new destiny as new creations in Christ.

So the admonition at the title of this post has to do with seeing others and ourselves as God sees them, us. And so we need to be looking for the treasure in others, and indeed in ourselves, rather than looking for the trash. It is not hard to find the trash, especially in others, but God calls us to see the treasure. The intent of course, is to call us into the high calling that each one of us has in Christ Jesus.

And we cannot do this without dealing with the past. In particular we cannot put off the old man, we cannot crucify the flesh, without dealing with it. He has given as many tools to do this in his Word. In particular, it cannot be done in isolation, it has to be done in community. For example we cannot confess our faults one to another in isolation. Most of our difficulties are relational, and it is His intention that we work through things in the furnace of our interactions. This is exactly what it means when he talks about iron sharpening iron. And and in the midst of this often difficult interaction, we are to continue to see the treasure in ourselves, (i.e. no beating ourselves up), and in others, (i.e. not putting them down). In other words bearing with each other and love one another, just as Christ has done for us.