War

This is war. Life is not a game created by sadistic gods; a meaningless endeavor to make sense of a senseless world. Nor is it meant solely for pleasure, "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die".

It is war. The sovereign God of the universe unfolding His plan with every stroke of the writer's pen and the warrior's sword. Intricately woven in the fabic of time, we are merely threads, each contributing to the Master's plan. He directs every move, all things happening "according to the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11). He does what He pleases in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath (Psalm 115:3). Yahweh alone is King.

The realization sinks in, sits, unsettled. But this is a different story. The unthinkable has already happened. The Master has entered His plan, disrupted all logic, and died in this war. Our role in this masterpiece matters little; in the end, we all win.

We are fighting the wrong enemy. Is it because we don't understand? "Conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your exile" .. do we consider this world our home? "Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance"... are we enslaved to the patterns of this world? (1 Peter 1:14,17)

We fight in desperation against the enemies we can see, the struggles we feel, the fear we can taste. A myriad of potential threats lies before us, all threatening to take the life we know, or dream to have. So we lash out, each in his own way, to protect and keep the reality and the distant dream alive.

But the real battle is inside. The real war is written on the pages of scripture, our orders clear: "Prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded, and set your hope fully on the grace to be revealed... be holy as I am holy" (1 Peter 1:13).

We were not "ransomed from our futile ways with perishable things... but with the precious blood of Christ". Our lives are worthy of so much more than a fixation on the world's futility! We have been redeemed, as a measure of grace, "for obedience" and so that our faith may be found "to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:18).

What are you fighting? Is it worth the life you have been given?

He is coming again. The Kingdom is near.

"You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light so that you may proclaim His praises" (1 Peter 2:9)

Oh the wonder...

Does life ever make you smile? I am convinced that our God delights in hiding His unfathomable humor in the most intriguing ways. Once revealed, we can only look up, shake our head, and smile, for "how unsearchable His judgements, His ways past finding out!" (Romans 8:33)

When we ask for strength, He makes us weak. We look for love, and all is stripped away. We cling to life, only to realize it is "when we lose our lives, for His sake" do we actually find it. "Oh God, make us grow!" we cry with our hearts... and then stand stunned as He painfully humbles us, to bring us low.

Yet, how else, could we learn of His love? If He should show us the path that must be trod, that hard road beaten down with the blood of the saints, would our hearts faint and shudder away? If we knew what lay before us, would we have the courage to step ahead?

"My grace is sufficient", always sufficient. I strain my eyes to see, hoping for a glimpse at what the future holds. But it is not to be, for one step is all He asks of me. Oh, there are days, yes I will admit, when all that is in me cries, "run ahead!" Yet His voice ever follows, and calls out to me, "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".

I think myself wise, then consider the birds and remember His words. "Look at the birds, for they neither sow nor reap... yet your heavenly Father feeds them". So why, O my soul, do you carry on so? Does His grace He ever give, for the trials up ahead?

"In all your ways, acknowledge Him", that is all we are asked to do. Does it make you feel small?

Do I dare to say, only then will He be all?

A little study on Angels..

An Angel’s Prerogative

An Angel is a “Messenger”, created by God (Neh 9:6) to do His will and glorify His Name!

I.             Characteristics

a.    Stronger than men, but not omnipotent (2 Peter 2:11)

b.    More knowledgeable than man, but not omniscient (2 Sam 14:20, Matt 24:36)

c.     Wiser than man, but not omnipresent (Dan 9:21-23)

II.           Purpose and Work of Angels

a.    Worship and Praise God (Isaiah 6:1-3)

b.    Messengers to communicate God’s will to men (Passage above, Dan 9:21-23)

                                         i.    Guiding men, giving instruction (Matthew 1:20, Acts 8:26, Acts 10:1-8)

c.     Providing – food for Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-6)

d.    Delivering men from danger, released apostles from prison in Acts 5:17-20 etc

e.    Answering prayer – Acts 12:1-17

f.     Cares for believers at moment of death – Lazarus (Luke 16:22)

III.         How many angels are there?

a.    Myriads of Angels

                                         i.    Dan 7:10

                                        ii.    2 Kings 6:17 (cool story to read if you have time!)

IV.         How do they appear?

a.    Can appear as Men or  full of glory

                                         i.    Glory – men shake with fear (Matt 28:2-4)

                                        ii.    Ordinary man (Heb 13:2; Gen 18:1-2)

More

I want more. I find my heart crying out, "God is this really it? Is this all you have for me?". The tree of the knowledge of good and evil beckons me on, the legacy of the garden embedded on my soul.

Life is a bleeding, ugly, mess and yet You still call yourself "good"?

 

Here I am.

Doubting His goodness, distrusting His intent, discontented with what He's given.

I cover it up, smile and tell the world of His goodness. Why? I know it to be true. Only my heart cannot agree.

Everywhere I look, I see holes - black voids of sin and despair. Is this the world that You have created?

Or is this the world that I have created.

I hunger for filling, but look in a world that is starved.

But i know better, the answer is not here. Up above I look, where else can I hope?

Oh God, where are you in this pain, in this confusion of my soul?

Even He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Vision is found in the valleys.

 

I long to be conformed to the image of His Son, do I know what that means?

He took up His cross, and followed; became a servant, and gave up His life.

Will I take up mine to be found in Him?

Oh why must He ask for everything?!

How else could He give me His all.

Fighting, straining, I pry my hands open. 

"God here I am". 

 

Is He enough?

He is all that I have.

Yet I still want more, more of Him.

What of this mystery? This life I cannot comprehend?

The mystery is this - we are taken and changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

We shall see Him face to face.

 

Once i was without purpose or reason to live.

A stranger of promise. An enemy of God.

Now I am His own special people.

Called by His grace, covered in His love. 

A chosen generation. A holy priesthood. 

Daring to truly live. 

Here.

Now.

1 Peter 1:10-12

"As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven - things into which angels long to look"

The message of salvation has come to us. What a blessed reality! Today, I invite you to look with me at the four agents God has used to bring this salvation to us: The OT prophets, Holy Spirit, Apostles, and the Angels.

The prophets were God's spokesmen that prophesied "of the grace that would come". These men spoke wonders they didn't understand, and spent their lives searching the truth of their words! They died, not knowing the fulfillment of their promises - the Messiah that was to come. These "all died in faith, not having recieved the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them" (Heb 11:15). The words of the prophets paved the way for the Messiah, keeping the nation of Israel in anticipation of their Savior and delineating the circumstances surrounding His life.

The Holy Spirit was the agent behind the prophet's words. His inspiration revealed that this Savior would suffer, but that the glory He would reveal would far surpass the pain involved. In the New Testament period, the apostles wrote by the "Spirit that was within them" (Rom 8:9). It was this gospel that the apostles took to the ends of the earth. The men that had cowered and betrayed Jesus were transformed by the Spirit to endure all kinds of persecution for the gospel's sake! Paul came to the Corinthians "in demonstration of the Spirit and power" (1 Cor 2:5). The Spirit testified of the Messiah to come, and He is the one who gives us the power to understand.

Yet it is not man alone who is curious of this salvation. The angels also desire and "long to look" into this plan of salvation. I can only imagine what wonder they must experience, as they see the perfect Son of God slain upon a cross for sinful man. They are employed in the word of divine service, and live to glorify God by perfectly serving Him. It was angels who announced Christ's birth, ministered to Him in the desert, and stood by His grave when He arose - testifying of the time to come when He ascended. At the end of all days, they will sing "Worthy is the Lamb.. for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God...Worthy are You to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!!" (Rev 5:7-12).

Are you humbled and blessed by these truths? For centuries the prophets inquired, the angels longed to see, and the apostles testified of this truth - that grace and salvation has come to the sons of men! How blessed are we among the peoples of this earth to know and understand?

By His Spirit, this "God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6)

Praise to our King for this grace in which we now stand!

1 Peter 1:8,9

“And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls”

I realized that I am taking this study far too slowly, and at this pace, I might never finish 1 Peter!  Yet I cannot help but stop at every word, ponder, and gaze anew at the glories of His promises! They are truly new every morning… and so I’ve decided to spend a whole post on two verses!

I love Peter’s perspective. Out of all the disciples, Peter arguably spent the most time with Jesus. Yet he denied Christ 3 times, and was asked by Jesus, “Do you love me?” For him to write these verses “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him” is significant to say the least!

It is Peter’s humility in this passage, his encouragement that is so uplifting. Though they had not seen Jesus, they believed in Him and greatly rejoiced because of this belief! How many people did Peter see reject Jesus on earth?

The unshakable confidence that these people had in a God that they could not see was remarkable, and Peter wanted them to recognize it – intending to spur them on in their faith and not lose hope.

Love-Belief-Joy. Those who love Christ cannot help but believe His promises. A true faith and love in Him results in a joy inexpressible! What a marvelous truth! The deeper we study His character and more intimately we know Him, the stronger our love for Him grows. Yet how can we respond otherwise?

There are no faults in Him, no mask that hides His sin. Therefore, the fuller our understanding, the more beautiful His character, the more wonderful His grace and love to us. Has He not “freely given us ALL things? (Romans 8:32).

Our joy is inexpressible because the “outcome of our faith is the salvation of our souls”. We are constantly, presently delivered from the penalty and power of sin – from its guilt, condemnation, and wrath.  It is our deliverance and fellowship with this Savior that enables us to have a joy inexpressible!

1:5a-7

a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,  so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

“savlation ready to be revealed in the last time” – the rescue and deliverance from sin and self will reach its culmination in heaven. There, believers will become like Christ “for we shall see Him face to face” in the final state of sanctification (i.e. glorification).

“in this you greatly rejoice” – joy is the mark of all true believers, whatever state they are in. In light of the promise of eternal salvation, of course we rejoice! For we know that He is sovereign over every circumstance in our life… even the trials. Therefore, we can endure all things with patience and joy, knowing that our heavenly Father knows and rules over all – for our good! This joy is neither brief nor shallow, but is permanent and penetrates every aspect of life.  It is a joy that comes from a deep-seated confidence in this protected inheritance, and it derives from the comfort of having a personal relationship with Christ.

“ even for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials” – The truth is, troubles are transitory.  They are but a “momentary, light affliction” (2 Cor 4:17). Trials may be momentary, but their impact is eternal. They serve a purpose in our lives: to humble us, tear us away from worldly things, to teach us the value of relationship with Christ, enable us to help others, chastens us for sins, and helps to strengthen us spiritually.  

The reason for trials? “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes, though tested by fire” -  a new perspective on trials! Standing firm amidst trials solidifies our commitment to this faith we claim. We find confidence and joy in trouble, knowing that our faith is real and it is in a proven God.  This is more valuable than gold that perishes!  Trials refine us, prove to us what is really worthy of our lives, and remind us that we depend solely on the Lord for everything, so cling to Him!

So that this faith “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” – this is incredible. Believers who honor God in this life, can by their faithfulness in trials elicit praise for the Lord in the life to come.  The glory that was the Son’s becomes in part, our own glory. When we see Him face to face, we shall become like Him.

One day, we shall be perfect and complete. Until then, we find grace for every trial in the shelter of His wings. His love could not want anything less than for us to find utter satisfaction in Him alone. There is nothing else worthy. So with every trial, we press on, for we live not for the temporary, but for the eternal!