My husband works with a great encourager. John has told me many times of how this friend, Javier, has helped to lift his head during tough times at the office -- and has even been nicknamed "The Saint" by one of the cameraman. Well, last night we went to a band concert directed by this encourager, a concert performed by mentally and physically handicapped musicians. This talented group played songs like "La Bamba" and "For Once in My Life" -- songs full of life and spirit, delivered with professionalism and passion. Nearly all the songs played were secular, yet the performance filled my heart with worship for the God who created these individuals. While the world overlooks or mocks such people, the only One whose opinion matters obviously has a purpose for them. His Word is as true for them as for any of His people: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph. 2:9-11) Bless this kind teacher/conductor who has been patient and loving enough to help them find their unique place in God's story.
While the clip is not overtly Christian, my husband said that Javier has shared the Gospel with all 28 members of the band over the years and believes every member to be saved. His references on stage to the Lord and the excited response of the musicians is evidence of the spiritual training he is doing. Praise God for His work in and through this group.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Feeding on the Covenant Love of God
My battle lately has been against my own thoughts, foolish fleeting thoughts, thoughts so thinly conceived that analyzing them for even a moment reveals their absurdity -- but thoughts that somehow have been stirring up discontentment, insecurity, second-guessing and fear. Comfort came rushing in on waves from the preaching of John Piper. "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." (Psalm 94:19) The love of God is an overwhelming flood; the love of God is effective; the love of God is utterly sufficient.
"To all who are beloved of God in Rome..." (Romans 1:7)
Doesn't this sound like [Paul] is saying, "Among all the people who live in Rome, I am writing to the ones loved by God"? In other words, doesn't it sound like he is saying that those who are called by God to belong to Jesus Christ are loved by God in a special way, not that they are loved because everybody else in Rome is also loved by God? If I write a letter to Noel and say, "I write you, my beloved Noel, be strong and be encouraged by the grace of God," would anybody really say, the reason he calls her "beloved" is because he loves every woman the way a Christian should, and, since Noel is a woman, she too is loved by Pastor John, because he loves all women? No. Nobody would say that. Rather, if I write, "To my beloved Noel," everybody would assume there is a special love that I have for Noel.
I don't think Paul wants us to miss this in Romans 1:7. I don't think he wants you, Christian, to say, "God calls me 'beloved' because he loves everybody the same, and, since I am part of everybody, I am also beloved." That's not what verse 7 means. Paul says, I write "to all who are beloved of God in Rome." But he does not mean everybody in Rome. He is writing to those who are "the called of Jesus Christ." So the love that he has in mind here must be different from the love that God has for everybody in Rome – just like I would have in mind a different love when I say, "to my beloved Noel." I don't mean that there is no love in my heart for other people. I mean I have a special love for Noel. I have a covenant love for Noel. I chose Noel to be my wife. And I made a covenant with her. And we sealed it with sacred vows. And God sealed it in heaven (Matthew 19:6). And now the love between Noel and me is utterly different from the love I have for any other woman or man. Even though there are others I would die for. ...
In the Old Testament, God promised that someday he would make what he called a "new covenant" with his people (Jeremiah 31:31), an everlasting covenant. And the wonder of this covenant is that in it the love of God does not just offer safety to people, but promises to keep them safe from destruction. So, for example, in Jeremiah 32:40 God promises, "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me."
Do you see what kind of love this is? This is more than the general love of invitation and offer. This is a love that "puts the fear of God in the heart" (similar to 2 Corinthians 4:6). This is the kind of love that works powerfully "so that [we] will not turn from God." This is not a general love for all. It is a special love that puts the fear of God in our hearts and keeps us from turning away. This is the new covenant.
Now when Jesus comes into the world, he comes to die and purchase the privileges of this new covenant for us with his blood. So in Luke 22:20, Jesus says, at the Last Supper, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." So the blood of Jesus, in a very special way, was poured out to secure the promises of Jeremiah 32:40 – that God will put the fear of him in our hearts and keep us from turning away from him. This is a very special and precious love. This is what you should feed on daily. This is sweet and this is strong. To know that you are loved in this way is the very heart of Christian assurance. That God has called me, that he has shone in my heart to give the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, that he will work omnipotently to keep me, and bring me to everlasting glory – this is what it means to be "the beloved of God."
"To all who are beloved of God in Rome..." (Romans 1:7)
Doesn't this sound like [Paul] is saying, "Among all the people who live in Rome, I am writing to the ones loved by God"? In other words, doesn't it sound like he is saying that those who are called by God to belong to Jesus Christ are loved by God in a special way, not that they are loved because everybody else in Rome is also loved by God? If I write a letter to Noel and say, "I write you, my beloved Noel, be strong and be encouraged by the grace of God," would anybody really say, the reason he calls her "beloved" is because he loves every woman the way a Christian should, and, since Noel is a woman, she too is loved by Pastor John, because he loves all women? No. Nobody would say that. Rather, if I write, "To my beloved Noel," everybody would assume there is a special love that I have for Noel.
I don't think Paul wants us to miss this in Romans 1:7. I don't think he wants you, Christian, to say, "God calls me 'beloved' because he loves everybody the same, and, since I am part of everybody, I am also beloved." That's not what verse 7 means. Paul says, I write "to all who are beloved of God in Rome." But he does not mean everybody in Rome. He is writing to those who are "the called of Jesus Christ." So the love that he has in mind here must be different from the love that God has for everybody in Rome – just like I would have in mind a different love when I say, "to my beloved Noel." I don't mean that there is no love in my heart for other people. I mean I have a special love for Noel. I have a covenant love for Noel. I chose Noel to be my wife. And I made a covenant with her. And we sealed it with sacred vows. And God sealed it in heaven (Matthew 19:6). And now the love between Noel and me is utterly different from the love I have for any other woman or man. Even though there are others I would die for. ...
In the Old Testament, God promised that someday he would make what he called a "new covenant" with his people (Jeremiah 31:31), an everlasting covenant. And the wonder of this covenant is that in it the love of God does not just offer safety to people, but promises to keep them safe from destruction. So, for example, in Jeremiah 32:40 God promises, "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me."
Do you see what kind of love this is? This is more than the general love of invitation and offer. This is a love that "puts the fear of God in the heart" (similar to 2 Corinthians 4:6). This is the kind of love that works powerfully "so that [we] will not turn from God." This is not a general love for all. It is a special love that puts the fear of God in our hearts and keeps us from turning away. This is the new covenant.
Now when Jesus comes into the world, he comes to die and purchase the privileges of this new covenant for us with his blood. So in Luke 22:20, Jesus says, at the Last Supper, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." So the blood of Jesus, in a very special way, was poured out to secure the promises of Jeremiah 32:40 – that God will put the fear of him in our hearts and keep us from turning away from him. This is a very special and precious love. This is what you should feed on daily. This is sweet and this is strong. To know that you are loved in this way is the very heart of Christian assurance. That God has called me, that he has shone in my heart to give the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, that he will work omnipotently to keep me, and bring me to everlasting glory – this is what it means to be "the beloved of God."
Friday, August 22, 2008
Under Hostile Fire
So we need to remember that any idea of getting beyond conflict, outward or inward, in our pursuit of holiness in this world is an escapist dream that can only have disillusioning and demoralizing effects on us as our waking experience daily disproves it. Any real holiness in us will be under hostile fire all the time, just as our Lord's was. ... Therefore, we should lay to heart Jesus' words to the disciples who slept in Gethesmane: Watch [be awake, alert, on guard] and pray that you may not enter into temptation [which will surely come]; the spirit [the renewed you] is willing, but the flesh [here meaning not indwelling sin as such, but human nature, through which indwelling sin works] is weak" (Matt. 26.4) It is as certain as anything can be that without watchful prayer and a prayerful watch, we shall not be able to stand firm against the world, indwelling sin and the evil one but will fall victim to their wiles and blandishments instead.
--J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit
--J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit
Saturday, August 02, 2008
I Really Love My Odd Family
How I pity all those other mothers, sitting through long and boring band concerts or perhaps enduring the hard bleachers and wondering when to cheer at track meets --("How many laps does it take to make 2 miles, and which one are we on?") -- all in the name of encouraging perseverance and excellence in their children. I can offer encouragement to John and Leah by pulling up my computer chair and ... genuinely laughing. They made this video on "Odd Food Combinations" for an online contest, hired a pricey voice man to do the narration (and won.) Ah, another victory for homeschooling.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
My Favorite Founding Father
Having read and loved David McCullough's biography John Adams, my husband and I were very excited to watch the HBO version when it came out on DVD. We were not disappointed. John Adams is one of my favorite historical figures, and this series does him credit. What is it about John and Abigail Adams that I love so much? Author McCullough said it best in a televised interview with Charlie Rose: It's the caliber of these people. John Adams is brilliant and so very honest, a man of the utmost integrity, and his relationship with his wife is delightful. She is wise, and she truly helps him to be great.
Director Tom Hanks remains true to McCullough's excellent historical research. The author told Rose how Hanks gained his confidence: At their first meeting, Hanks produced a dog-eared copy of the biography, numerous bookmarks fringing the top and notes and underlining marring most pages. This thoroughness is evident in the vividness of the scenes and attention to detail in the film. (Although some details were too graphically portrayed for my taste, such as a man being stripped, then tarred and feathered; some gruesome knife shots of vaccinations being performed; and what appears to modern eyes as a barbaric operation on the Adamses' daughter.)
Especially well-done is the portrayal of Adams' role as the defense attorney for the British soldiers who had killed five Americans in the "Boston Massacre." Adams was not a popular man in America after he agreed to defend the Redcoats who had fired on a menacing mob. But he agreed that it was important for the colony of Massachusetts to uphold English law by making sure these soldiers were given a legal trial, and he skillfully and wholeheartedly pled their case. This indeed is an important point, showing that the colonists were willing to do for England what they wanted England to do for them: to abide by the legal system already put in place by the Mother Country herself.
The portion of the series set in France contains some of my favorite scenes. Adams meets with Franklin there after being sent to help negotiate a treaty with that country. The trip across the Atlantic is harrowing, and Adams has risked not only his life but that of his young son, John Quincy. Understandably, Adams is disgusted to find that the treaty has already been signed by the time he gets there. "But, Father, the treaty is a good thing, isn't it?" asks John Quincy. "Yes, yes, yes, yes..." mutters his father. Adams' ardor for independence can never be in doubt, but he is clearly irritated that he has been cut out of the treaty process and that his expertise has not been taken into account -- not to mention that he has braved the seas for nothing. The film, like the book, does not shy away from painting all the complexities of Adams' character. Is this pride or selfish ambition rearing its ugly head? Or is it a reaction that can be justified by legitimate concern over the details of the treaty? Or, more likely, a little of both.
His blunt personality does not always win him friends, especially in France. Adams is repelled by Franklin's immorality and his appearance of idleness. Yet Franklin is beloved and embraced by the French. (At a dinner party, Adams lifts up his plate to stare at the profile of Ben Franklin -- to his evident disgust.) Indeed, God used Ben Franklin to charm this country and forge an alliance, even while the man appeared to be doing absolutely nothing. But for Adams to play a similar game is not even a possibility. He charges forth, demanding to hammer out the specifics of the treaty, pointing out that not nearly enough French ships have been committed to help the American cause. He says what he thinks -- while Franklin plays coy, adjusts to French ways and ultimately gets his own way. Adams' dogged impatience, so imperative to making things happen back in the colonies, is an utter flop in France, and it only makes us love him more.
It is so easy for historians to caricature John Adams as ambitious or vain or bitter. I have read several biographies that characterize him in this light. But his story, told best in his well-known letters to his wife, his "Dearest Friend", shows that of an extremely honest sinner, fighting to mortify the indwelling sin while pressing on. This is the kind of man I most admire.
John Adams spoke his mind, and when a man does that, he tends to make some enemies along the way. (You always have to wonder about the person whom everyone love: "Woe to you when all people speak well of you." Luke 6:26) But God used John Adams and while his praise among men may be overshadowed by other Founding Fathers, such as Jefferson or Franklin, great is his reward in heaven.
Director Tom Hanks remains true to McCullough's excellent historical research. The author told Rose how Hanks gained his confidence: At their first meeting, Hanks produced a dog-eared copy of the biography, numerous bookmarks fringing the top and notes and underlining marring most pages. This thoroughness is evident in the vividness of the scenes and attention to detail in the film. (Although some details were too graphically portrayed for my taste, such as a man being stripped, then tarred and feathered; some gruesome knife shots of vaccinations being performed; and what appears to modern eyes as a barbaric operation on the Adamses' daughter.)
Especially well-done is the portrayal of Adams' role as the defense attorney for the British soldiers who had killed five Americans in the "Boston Massacre." Adams was not a popular man in America after he agreed to defend the Redcoats who had fired on a menacing mob. But he agreed that it was important for the colony of Massachusetts to uphold English law by making sure these soldiers were given a legal trial, and he skillfully and wholeheartedly pled their case. This indeed is an important point, showing that the colonists were willing to do for England what they wanted England to do for them: to abide by the legal system already put in place by the Mother Country herself.
The portion of the series set in France contains some of my favorite scenes. Adams meets with Franklin there after being sent to help negotiate a treaty with that country. The trip across the Atlantic is harrowing, and Adams has risked not only his life but that of his young son, John Quincy. Understandably, Adams is disgusted to find that the treaty has already been signed by the time he gets there. "But, Father, the treaty is a good thing, isn't it?" asks John Quincy. "Yes, yes, yes, yes..." mutters his father. Adams' ardor for independence can never be in doubt, but he is clearly irritated that he has been cut out of the treaty process and that his expertise has not been taken into account -- not to mention that he has braved the seas for nothing. The film, like the book, does not shy away from painting all the complexities of Adams' character. Is this pride or selfish ambition rearing its ugly head? Or is it a reaction that can be justified by legitimate concern over the details of the treaty? Or, more likely, a little of both.
His blunt personality does not always win him friends, especially in France. Adams is repelled by Franklin's immorality and his appearance of idleness. Yet Franklin is beloved and embraced by the French. (At a dinner party, Adams lifts up his plate to stare at the profile of Ben Franklin -- to his evident disgust.) Indeed, God used Ben Franklin to charm this country and forge an alliance, even while the man appeared to be doing absolutely nothing. But for Adams to play a similar game is not even a possibility. He charges forth, demanding to hammer out the specifics of the treaty, pointing out that not nearly enough French ships have been committed to help the American cause. He says what he thinks -- while Franklin plays coy, adjusts to French ways and ultimately gets his own way. Adams' dogged impatience, so imperative to making things happen back in the colonies, is an utter flop in France, and it only makes us love him more.
It is so easy for historians to caricature John Adams as ambitious or vain or bitter. I have read several biographies that characterize him in this light. But his story, told best in his well-known letters to his wife, his "Dearest Friend", shows that of an extremely honest sinner, fighting to mortify the indwelling sin while pressing on. This is the kind of man I most admire.
John Adams spoke his mind, and when a man does that, he tends to make some enemies along the way. (You always have to wonder about the person whom everyone love: "Woe to you when all people speak well of you." Luke 6:26) But God used John Adams and while his praise among men may be overshadowed by other Founding Fathers, such as Jefferson or Franklin, great is his reward in heaven.
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