God Out of the Box

"All you nations, praise the Lord. All you people, extol him because the Lord loves us very much—great is his loyalty/love toward us—and his truth/faithfulness is everlasting. Praise the Lord!"—Psalm 117, Expanded

Not surprisingly, God knew Twitter long before Twitter was invented. The evidence is here in these two verses. (OK, maybe a bit over the 140-character limit, but who’s going to argue?) It's His eternal Genesis to Revelation love song to us—the simple Gospel boiled down to the shortest psalm of them all, even the shortest chapter in the entire Bible:

• “My unfailing love for you is more powerful than anything you can ever conceive." (verse 1)

• “My faithfulness in that love and in the promises I have made never has and never will quit on you.” (verse 2)

You mean, that's it? Yes, and it's more than enough!

While it's true that there are endless depths and riches of God to be explored and enjoyed so that we can know Him even more, if Psalm 117 had a hash tag regarding our Walk, in addition to expressing our praise extravagantly and often, it would be: #keepitsimple

And like this psalm, that includes ditching the unnecessarily complicated boxes we try to put both Him and ourselves in along the Journey:

Yes, God loves digging deep into us through long, meaty sermons and probing study.

But God also loves getting to the point quickly, with an exclamation mark or two beating fast in our hearts.

Yes, God loves it when we take a chunk of time to sing and pray our hearts out.

But God also loves our heart-felt, conversational, on-the-go sound bites, like “thank you!” and “help!” 

Yes, God really loves it when we can hang out with Him for hours at a time.

But God also knows that some days are, well, simply two-verse kind of days.

“Trying to figure out God," says author/pastor Matt Chandler, "is like trying to catch a fish in the Pacific Ocean with an inch of dental floss.” But the #keepitsimple, box-busting, rooftop-shouting, simple Gospel truth of the shortest Bible chapter ever written is this: Whether deep and wide or in "tweet" format, God loves to love us. And love deeply, and continually. Not from a galaxy far, far away either, but smack dab in the midst of wherever life's circumstances has us on any given day so that we, in turn, can learn to walk this way:

"So I give you a new command: Love each other deeply and fully. Remember the ways that I have loved you, and demonstrate your love for others in those same ways."

(John 13:34, The Voice)

"And I reach out, and You find me in the dust; You say no amount of untruths can separate us. I will rejoice in the simple Gospel, I will rejoice in You, Lord!"— Will Reagan and Brock Human, United Pursuit

Even in Winter

“…for wherever this water flows everything will come alive!“ – Ezekiel 47:9

You can take the same route to work, the same walk in your neighborhood, the same hiking path time after time, and suddenly the familiar seems to jump from the background into an explosion of awareness. God seems to love to continually communicate to us about Himself through His creation...and He's doing it all the time, 24/7, even when we aren't paying attention, with every change of color and cloud shape in an evening sunset, with every fragrant breeze, with every shadow and sunbeam dancing and forever changing the appearance of a familiar mountain vista. It makes you wonder if He's saying: "Hey, look at this! Check this out! Hey! ...HEY! I want to show you something more about Me for a sec, if you'll just stop doing what you're doing and stop thinking and worrying yourself silly."

It's true that in the opening verses of Genesis, when all of His creation had been created and in place, "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely." But that was just the beginning of The Beginning. As the New England preacher and revivalist Jonathan Edwards once wrote, "We have seen that the Son of God created the world for this very end: to communicate Himself in an image of His own excellency."

This is what is happening in Ezekiel 47. God communicates Himself as a river — that His very presence is like a non-stop, life-giving flow into our world that cannot be contained, diverted, or roadblocked by life's obstacles, questions, and circumstances. God's presence is so powerful, so wonderful, that it brings life to dead things, and fuels those all along its banks who choose to dig their roots down deep — they thrive and live abundant, fruitful lives. And the very essence of it all, says Ezekiel, is meant to bring healing to the nations.

Yes, but that all seems to be happening in a warm, sunny atmosphere. And Ezekiel has obviously never been to New England in the winter. Rivers freeze over. Trees shiver in the brutal breeze. You know His presence is still real and at work, but especially on "one of those days," there seems little evidence of it  — everything seems to have gone underground. Until...You can take the same route to work, the same walk in your neighborhood, the same hiking path time after time, and suddenly the familiar seems to jump from the background into an explosion of awareness.

 

Last week, while on one of those familiar walks after a few days of rain, I was especially aware of the river. What's this? It was no longer silent and underground, and it was loud, and cause for dancing (well, almost)...

...Lord, thanks for the incredible communication of a rushing river even in the midst of a frigid New England winter day — a reminder that Your presence is always flowing and ready to roar, rise, and break through in places and situations and seasons which, in the natural, may seem "dead" and cold. And most of all, thank You for always communicating Yourself to us even when we're not paying attention, because that's what You do and that's what You want — a relationship, not a religion.

"Even in the wilderness, through confusion and barrenness You are beautiful, God. Even in my brokenness, through this pain I will confess You are always good. Deserts will bloom in the Light of Your love; valleys make room for the river of God...You never run dry!..." — Housefires 

Immense with Love

"Still, when God saw the trouble they were in and heard their cries for help, He remembered his Covenant with them, and, immense with love, took them by the hand. He poured out his mercy on them while their captors looked on, amazed. Save us, God, our God! Gather us back out of exile so we can give thanks to your holy name and join in the glory when you are praised! Blessed be God, Israel’s God! Bless now, bless always! Oh! Let everyone say Amen! Hallelujah!"  

— Psalm 106: 44-48, Message

The long and winding adventure of the set-free children of Israel, out of the bondage, oppression and hopelessness of Egypt and toward the land where everything that flows is abundant and good, is the soundtrack of our Walk. Better still, it is the new song for another new year and another leg of this incredible journey...

God has fantastic promises, plans, and destinations ahead.

I will undoubtedly wander even as I follow.

Yet, He will remain faithful.

I will move forward, and even when it feels like I'm going backwards,

He will remain faithful.

I will, no doubt, be tempted to whine when the going gets especially tough.

Immense with Love, He will reach down and listen, in spite of myself.

Because what He promised, He promised.

He remains faithful.

Always.

My faith, my hope, my pursuit of Him may get shaky during certain stretches.

And yet even "If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself."

As in all the years before, I will ask for help, for guidance, for provision time and again.

And as in all the years before, immense with Love, He will provide...

In His way, His timing.

And often, far beyond all I could imagine or think.

Since this world cannot satisfy,
I will regularly get desperate for refreshing of mind, body, and spirit,

And He will remind me of this:

"He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert."

Say it again: God has fantastic promises, plans, and destinations ahead!

No straight line, for sure, but there is great joy in this adventure

Because He formed me for this,

And knows me by name, and loves me

With an amazing Love that would willingly pay such a price,
Even if I was the only pilgrim on the highway of holiness.

How deep and wide and high it is.

My God is immense with Love!

Over the next 363 days, let my praise, my worship, my life never get sucked in to "whatever."

And even though life happens, with all its goodness mixed with trials and doubts,

This is another year, another beautiful gift given to press on, and in, and through

For what everything within strangely knows is the only thing ultimately worth pursuing,

Being reminded every step along the way:

Immense with Love, He will remain faithful.

"Old things have passed away
Your love has stayed the same
Your constant grace remains the cornerstone...
For all that you’ve done we will pour out our love
This will be our anthem song..."

Unlikely World Changers

"At night, some shepherds were living out in the fields in that region watching their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord surrounded them, and they became very frightened. The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid because I am bringing you good news that will bring great joy to all the people.'" — Luke 2:8-10, Expanded

Maybe these guys wouldn’t have been our first choice to announce the arrival of the Savior of mankind. But just maybe, God was beginning to lay a foundation to the Gospel message, even before one word was spoken or before one miracle was performed as evidence and simply out of Love. A timeless foundation, and reminder, for even the 52nd week of another year quickly flown by:

This world is not our home, so make every day count while we're here.

Because the angelic announcement was made to home-less shepherds, about a home-less Savior who came to ransom the homeless of heart so that they (and we) would be sent back to the “fields” of the day-to-day to repeat the sounding joy...

...Sometimes with words, sometimes with deeds and by example, often both. And always, like the shepherds and the Child born in a manger — as unlikely world-changers — living each day with an understanding (and even with a sense of urgency) that this is all merely our transitional shelter. 

“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that He didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.” — Francis Chan

[ADAPTED FROM 12-22-13]

O Come Let Us...

"And after entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, after opening their treasure chests, they presented to Him gifts fit for a king..."—Matthew 2:11

There is absolutely nothing wimpy or cute about the word "adore."

Three (or quite possibly more) very wise men's men were among the first to put it into action. Adore is far more than a reasonable facsimile for "love" or "worship." It is shocking in its against-the-grain invitation to actually linger awhile instead of hurrying on to the next thing, or the next latest-and-greatest. In fact, adore is such a rugged word, its depth reaches to the point of being an expression of something that, considering the Subject, really can't be put into the right words.

It blows "wow!" and "woah!" out of the water.

Adore may not be found in the most authentic bible translations, but nevertheless, its call is on nearly every page, and embedded in every breath of a Creator who desires nothing more than daily relationship with His created kids.

Which, of course, is why He came in the first place.

And so, in the whirlwind of the season, it's good to take a deep breath this morning and sing like never before:

O come, let us…

Love and respect deeply

Cherish

Love dearly

Be devoted to

Prize

Treasure

Think the world of

Love in the highest degree

Put off shoes that stand on holy ground

Approach joyfully and yet in an attitude of reverent face-downness

And there, and only there, find perfect peace and rest...

...adore Him, Christ the LORD.

The ancient carol may take longer to sing that way, but this is not the week for wimping out on what really matters...remembering, celebrating, embracing, and learning to live out the greatest Gift ever given.

"Worship is life. Every breath. Every word. Every thought. Every deed. In public. In private. Everything. Everywhere..."

—Jeff Deyo, "Awakening Pure Worship"

A Joyfully Shocking Response

 
"An angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid...'" — Matthew 1:20

His head has been spinning over how his wife somehow got pregnant without being with a man (yeah, right), never mind him. He loves his wife deeply and wants to believe her, but... He's stressed over what his family will think and say, and whether they might even disown him, and what might happen to his carpentry trade. He has no answers that make any sense to give anyone, including himself. And that's only the immediate issues. If Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly dad to Jesus, only knew what was ahead: no warm and comfortable place for his wife to give birth, the unspeakable fear of a terrorist-type king wanting to kill his son and all others in his age group, running for their very lives, and in the dark, to a strange place where they know no one, and then more running back home, well sort of, due to one more fear-inspired detour, this time to Nazareth where they would finally, finally settle down...

Joseph may not get all the attention the songwriters have given to Mary, the shepherds (and even their sheep), and wise men bearing unusual holiday gifts. But it's hard to imagine where we would be right now without Joseph's hard-to-swallow "Yes, Lord" response to several angelic visitations. He could have said, "I just can't do this." But God must have known something about what drove Joseph when the pressure is on, and so He stuck with him. In fact, Joseph is like that seemingly minor character at the beginning of the movie on whom the plot later turns, resulting in a fantastic ending for all that few saw coming:

"When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him...he took his wife,  but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.
 And he called his name Jesus."

How does a guy get to "Yes" when everything within him was screaming "No way!" ? The clue to Joseph's joyfully shocking response, and our own hope in the midst of life's stresses, may be in which identity he chose to believe most about himself. In the flesh, as Matthew noted a few verses earlier, he is the son of Jacob — a presumably much-loved dad, but, like all others before and after, didn't hit it out of the park every single time, try as he might. The angel, however, spoke something even better into Joseph's life: he reminded him of his perfect identity as a son of a King's lineage and of a child of a perfect God who makes promises that cannot be broken. And so just maybe, when all was spinning and nothing was making sense, Joseph remembered this as the angel called him by his new ID:

"Once for all I have sworn by my holiness — and I will not lie to David — that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before Me like the sun; it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky." — Psalm 89:35-37

And to every one of us facing our own pressures and decisions of life more than 2,000 years later, the timeless angelic message of trust and true identity that was spoken into the life of an under-appreciated Nativity character repeats the sounding joy:

"Others might, in fact, others will, but I haven't failed yet, nor will I ever. Nothing may make sense right now. But trust Me on this one, and on all of the ones to come. I've got this. Better still, I've got you. And the safest move you can ever make is to stand on My unshakeable promises.... So, what do you say?"

Binder Upper

"...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted." — Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18-19

On HGTV's popular show "Fixer Upper," Chip and Joanna Gaines open each episode with a variation on "we take the worst houses in the best neighborhoods — diamonds in the rough — and turn them into something special." More than just a great motto for home improvement, here, too, is the Christmas story:

Jesus came to turn the broken hearts of sinful mankind, on this beautiful planet He created for His and our good pleasure, into a new, everlasting creation built for fullness of joy and His glory.

"Hallelujah!" never seemed so appropriate.

But not only that, just as the Gaines don't transform dead houses into masterpieces by just slapping on a coat of paint here and there, Jesus doesn't do band-aids when it comes to healing and transforming our hearts. In fact, the moment we said, "Lord, You alone have the words of eternal life — You are our only hope," our irregular, misdirected heartbeat became brand new and pure in His eyes. And for all the scars from arrows of word and deed we've accumulated since childhood, the Binder Upper is right there still in the midst of the brokenness, providing around-the-clock care, assurance, and protection.

While some of those scars are miraculously healed, others can seem healed one minute but then flare up again the next, triggered by an accuser who is constantly trying to rip open those old wounds in our minds, and almost always along the lines of: "God doesn't really like you all that much."

It's pretty easy to rip open a band-aid that has been slapped on and left alone. Instead, Jesus is the Binder Upper who works completely and thoroughly, always for our good. He is the Warrior Lover who guards the vulnerable spots with His very presence, and with Words of assurance that trump the adversary's lies every single time:

"See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would be permitted to be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are!" 

It is a compassionate, patient, attentive process designed to cultivate Father-son/daughter relationship and trust. One where words of positive identity are increasingly absorbed and thrown in the face of the accuser. And along the way, in the goodness of the healing and the fight, the One who came from heaven to earth has an uncanny way of continually arranging Divine appointments with others whose heart-busted wounds may be similar to ours...to encourage, to stand by, and to run with.

This is the magnificent power and love of the Binder Upper born in a manger. Tidings of comfort and joy, all around.

"A Christian is not simply a person who is forgiven and goes to heaven. A Christian, in terms of his or her deepest identity, is a saint, a spiritually born child of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven." - Neil T. Anderson