Revealed

I was talking with a friend this Sunday at church and he asked me how I was doing. I told him that it had been a really rough week. He then proceeded to ask me, "How has God revealed His grace to you this week." What a great questions. This really got me thinking later. I started thinking about how much grace there is in my life and how much of it I'm unaware of. I like the question because it made me think that the grace was always there I was just unawares. It's not like God started being gracious and I was aware of it from that point, but that God has always been and is and always will be gracious and He is continuously seeking ways to show it to us. I answered my friend's question, I believe true to the nature that he was looking for (my answer is for another entry hopefully soon), but he made me look at my response to, "How was your week," in a different light. What a great question though. I think it would do us all a great service if we had that kind of perspective on life. When we're talking with others or when we're talking with God. Seeking to know how God has revealed His grace to us, whether it be through the revealing of sin or us being encouraged by something we read in His Word. This is all grace, it is all from God and through faith in His Son that we have any of it. I would encourage you to have this perspective when talking with people, trying to find grace in their lives. Also we should be seeking ways to help others understand ways in which God has revealed grace to them as well. My friend had this perspective Sunday and I was greatly encouraged by it, so maybe I can also encourage someone by posing this question to them in the future.

Compassion,

Well I've been learning about compassion a lot lately, well the lack of it in my life mainly. I'm dating this girl right now and we were talking about ways in which we complement one another. Her answer was something to the effect that I'm more on the blunt side and she's more understanding of where people are coming from. There is a time for bluntness, but not at the expense of the needs of the person I'm talking with. Kala, my girlfriend, is a compassionate girl, she rejoices with those who rejoice and she weeps with those who weep. I believe I can rejoice with those who rejoice, but the weeping with those who weep, well that's another story.

I believe that my problem is that I'm more concerned with what I think the person needs as opposed to seeking them out and learning what they need with wisdom and understanding, you know love them. I would do whatever I do in the name of loving them, but when it's not what they need how loving am I really being. If I go up to someone and they're going through some kind of issue how am I going to be able to serve them if I pay no attention to what they need and give them what I think they need. My whole life is that, I'm freely giving to all, but I'm freely giving them what I think they need. Instead I should be going through life really listening to whatever it is that people are saying to me. Then from what they tell me or I observe I give them what God has enabled me through His wisdom and the Holy Spirit to give them. I mean seriously how often does someone really need to hear the words, "Get over it," which is my normal tendency. I know that if we went through life really listening to others we'd be more than equipped to serve them to whatever capacity that they'd need to be served. Whether or not we serve them, well that's a whole other entry to this blog. I have noticed over the years about how much more compassionate I am, the more I grow closer to Christ the more compassionate I am. I know that now that I recognize this deficiency in my life I can seek more ways to be as compassionate as Christ, who died and gave Himself up for me.

Light

II Corinthians 4:6-7 "For 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. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

Paul is talking about how the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing and that Satan blinds them to the "light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ" (vs. 3-4). But God has shone this light in our hearts so that we would have this knowledge and to show that the "surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (vs. 6) It's encouraging to me that I have this "treasure," to be reminded of the fact that it is a treasure (vs. 7). We are persecuted, but we persevere and this is all for the sake of Jesus and for our sake, but so that we would be thankful bringing glory to God (vs 8-12). Also so that we would be prepared for eternity and the glory that awaits us there, which would bring about thanksgiving beyond our comprehension which would also give glory to God even further than in this life (vs. 13-15). That's my summary of chapter 4, I like the way Paul words it better though, so take his word not mine (of course his word is God's word through him, so take God's Word and not mine).

Just in case I haven't explained it yet, whenever I find a promise in the Bible I like to write in KABITPOG, it stands for Knowing and Believing In the Promises of God. I write that in my Bible because of a sermon I heard from John Piper once. He was giving an illustration about another sermon that he gave once in where he was discussing what is necessary to become a Christian. His summary statement of his sermon was in order to be a Christian you need to know and believe in the promises of God. A lady came up to him after his sermon and asked him what was necessary to do in life to live as a Christian. John's response to her is something that I try to model in life, "In order to live the Christian life you need to know and believe in the promises of God." So whenever I see a promise I write KABITPOG for short to remind me of what I need to believe in, in order to life the life I want to. With that being said, on with what Paul is teaching us in II Corinthians 4...

Our treasure is that Christ would be glorified, and then He will in turn give us glory (KABITPOG), which will instill in us thanksgiving to God, which glorifies Him. All of this is because God has shone in our hearts "the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ." It's kind of cool that the Corinthians get to hear this stuff too, they weren't ready for it in I Corinthians, but this is the heart of the Gospel and to know why everything is going on. To know that we're here for God's purposes and that whatever His purposes are they are good (Romans 8:28). I find it awesome when I realize that all of this, that the Christian life is for the glory of God, and He in turn blesses me for being thankful to Him. This is what glorifies God, being thankful for what He has done for us, whether it be His Son's death or getting us through the day, because He's the one that causes all of these things to happen. Another John Piper quote is, "God is most satisfied in us when we are most satisfied in Him." This is something that we get to see as what are lives are suppose to look like. If we desire for God to be glorified by us or satisfied in us then we need to be satisfied in and by Him, to be thankful for His greatness. This also gets back to knowing that He's the one that deserves the glory, so to know that He's using me to glorify Himself, is well, really cool. What more could we ask for, if we truly do believe that God is the one that deserves all the glory, then we'll not want the glory because we know we don't deserve it and we'll also know that what glory we think we receive is useless. We also know that all glory comes from God and He gives it according to His will.

Glory

II Corinthians 3:7-11 "Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of the condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory."

I was utterly amazed today by this passage this morning, especially where Paul was talking about the Law, and how it brings death. With the knowledge of the Law comes sin and death. This ministry came with glory though, this ministry which brings sin, death, and is being brought to an end still came with glory. Paul's painting this bleak picture of the letter of the Law to show the contrast between the Law and the New Covenant, which is the Gospel. Christ has freed us from the death that comes with the knowledge of the Law, Paul's point being how much more glory will come with this new ministry, the ministry of the Spirit, righteousness, and Christ. This ministry's glory far exceeds the glory of the Law even to the point that it removes the glory of the Law. I think I would say that what glory once was with the Law is now with Christ, transferred might be the right word. Christ fulfilled every last requirement of the Law bringing it and all of it's requirements to an end.

He has done this once and for all. Christ is permanent, how much more will His glory be. The Law brought death and Christ brings life, how much more will His glory be. The Law condemns and Christ brings righteousness, how much more will His glory be.

It is truly amazing to see how God has accomplished revealing His glory to us through giving us the Law and then fulfilling it's requirement all by Himself (one more aspect of truth that shows God independence of all things). This is also more evidence to show that God's purpose for us being here is for us to see His glory. We can't do anything to add to His glory, He is glory, and He's as glorious as He'll ever be. He has to do everything in order to show us His glory. We can't find it, He has to reveal His glory to us, so we will know that He is the Lord.

Earnest Desire

Paul's command to us in I Corinthians 14:1 that we "pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts" makes me wonder if I really desire these gifts. My spiritual gifts are exhortation and wisdom, I believe, and I look for occasion in which I can use these gifts, but I don't pray for God to give me more wisdom or for any ability in exhorting one another. I'm not earnestly desiring them, I'm not praying for them, I'm not praying for other's spiritual gifts, and I'm not pursuing them the way I should be. This has really taught me how to pray for myself and others.

It Never Ends

After reading I Corinthians 13 I was really impacted by how love never ends. Paul's talking about spiritual gifts and moves into chapter 13 explaining that if you do these things but don't have love your works are worthless. Then he moves on describing what true Biblical love is, but ends it by saying, "Love never ends." How awesome is it to consider the fact that we won't need so many things after this life, but we'll still need love. More importantly we'll still have love, but it will be perfect love.

Tremble.

I was reading in Truth Matters by John Macarthur this morning and hew as talking about God's holiness and man's response to being in the His presence. He talked about Isaiah and other's who's response was to fall on their face and tremble before a holy God. I saw that stuff coming, but I haven't ever thought about this attribute belonging to Christ (at least not in the same sense). I had never thought about anyone recognizing the fact that Christ is God and in turn trembling before Him. The instances he gave were the woman who touched His garments and was healed and Peter after they were fishing and Christ almost sank their boats with the amount of fish that they hauled in. It makes me think about how often I recognize my sinfulness and tremble before a holy God. I am redeemed by His blood, but I still sin against this holy God. Isaiah was a prophet chosen by God and he fell on his face before this holy God. It makes me realize that I'll never know the magnitude of my sin until I see God as being as holy as He is.