“Venues of Humility"

"Venues of Humility"

     "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:13-17).

    God's pleasure and His Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus Christ after He humbled Himself to participate in the baptism of John.  While not a sinner, and having no personal need for immersion into the waters of repentance, the Lord Jesus nevertheless condescended to fulfill the righteousness of identifying Himself with those He came to save.  This pleased His Father, first as He beheld the character and nature of His Son, and then because the humility at the baptism foreshadowed the humility of the cross.

   "Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:8-9).

    God originally created the human race in His image for the purpose of revealing His character and nature in those who humble themselves to believe.  In Adam, we failed to do so, embracing the pride of Lucifer - "ye shall be as gods" - rather than expressing the humble heart of our Maker (Genesis 3:5).  The Lord Jesus did not fail in fulfilling the righteousness of serving as the "express image" of God - "the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared (revealed) Him" (Hebrews 1:3; John 1:18).  Thus, in Christ, God the Father saw a man who walked in the beauty of His unselfish and others-devoted Person.  This pleased the Father, even as we please Him when the character and nature of the Lord Jesus is revealed in us as we walk own path of humility.  "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:5-7).

   Let us expect in this day that the path will lie before us with many opportunities to humble ourselves before God and people.  The same Christ who walked the earth 2,000 years ago now lives in us by His Spirit.  As we trust and submit to Him, He will live the same quality of life in us that He lived so long ago when He humbled Himself in countless ways and means of loving self-sacrifice.  John's baptismal waters received the One who had no need for them.  Such venues of humility await us as we humble ourselves before God and humanity by the enabling of the Christ whose character now dwells in us.

"God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father."

(Galatians 4:6)

"Before honor is humility" (Proverbs 15:33). 

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

 (Hebrews 13:3).

     

  

"A Better Hope"

"A Better Hope"

     The 7th chapter of Romans contains the Apostle Paul's autobiographical account of a time in his Christian life when he succumbed to the temptation to return to a law-based means of relating to God, as opposed to the power of God's grace and truth in the Lord Jesus Christ.

    "I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died" (Romans 7:9).

    The death of which Paul writes involved not the loss of his relationship with God, but rather the vitality of the grace through faith dynamic whereby the indwelling life of Christ leads and enables us to consistently walk in faith and faithfulness.  The experience of Israel under the law of Moses revealed that human beings cannot successfully relate to our Lord in the context of rules, rituals, and regulations - "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight" (Romans 3:20).  The law rather kills us, that is, it exposes our complete inability to relate to God in and of ourselves (II Corinthians 3:6).  As was the case with many first century Jewish believers, Paul confesses that he responded to the allure of legalism at some point during his Christian life.  For a time, it nullified the living power of God in his experience and practice.  "To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not" (Romans 7:18).  Thankfully, he didn't permanently succumb to the paralyzing deception, returning to "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus", and thus to the God-enabled "how to perform" that constitutes our only hope for a life lived for our Lord's glory and will (Romans 8:2).

   We must constantly emphasize in our thoughts, beliefs, and convictions the relational nature of our walk with God.  He made us and redeemed us through Christ for living fellowship with Himself - "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent...I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:3; 26).  Even if we could somehow fulfill a rule, regulation, and ritual-based contract with God, He would never be satisfied with such a stark, barebones bond of obligation.  He rather made us for a Heart to heart fellowship of love, as birthed and maintained in us by the grace of the Lord Jesus received by faith.  Only such a personal relationship pleases our Heavenly Father.  And only such personal relationship fills our hearts and leads to the "how to perform" power of God whereby we genuinely trust and obey Him.  "The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, whereby we draw nigh unto God" (Hebrews 7:19).

    "Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under that law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14).  As Paul discovered, problems with obedience to God originate in problems regarding His grace in the Lord Jesus.  That is, we do not know God's freely given favor and enabling in Christ well enough to avail ourselves of its overcoming power.  Thus, we seek to heed the Apostle Peter's command - "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).  Only thereby will we so personally relate to God that His character, nature, and way manifests itself in our own (II Corinthians 3:18).  Again, our Heavenly Father will not be satisfied with anything less than the living and personal fellowship with us for which He sacrificed the life of His Son.  Let us join Him in the same dissatisfaction with anything less than this bond of love , and…

"Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear."

(Hebrews 12:28)

"The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

(Romans 8:2-4)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

 (Hebrews 13:3).

     

  

“A Beautiful Sight of Christ"

"A Beautiful Sight of Christ"

"Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters.  She was fruitful and full of branches by  reason of many waters."

(Ezekiel 19:10)

     I have lived my life with two mothers, first my own Mom, and then the mother of my children, Frances.  I do not begin to have the words to describe the beauty I have witnessed in their hearts and lives as they have exemplified everything that motherdom represents.  Devotion, caring, nurturing, teaching, tenderness, discipline, and most of all, loving self-sacrifice - I have lived my entire lifetime in the presence of these two women who have given so much for me and for my children (excuse me for a moment while I get down on my knees to give thanks…).

    I arise to simply affirm that I have seen the Lord Jesus Christ in my mother, and in Frances' mothering of our children.  The light of His nature, character, and way has illuminated every day of my life.  I didn't know what I was seeing as I grew up with my mother.  And I haven't seen it clearly enough as I have beheld Frances's mothering (and now her grandmothering).  But I do see it at least a bit more clearly now, and I marvel in memory of my mother, and in present moments of viewing the Lord's glory in Frances's relationship with her children and grandchildren.  It has been and it is a beautiful sight to behold, a beautiful sight of Christ.

    I know without question than many times in both their lives, Frances and my mother sought the Lord's grace to enable the mothering of their children.  He faithfully answered, over and over and over again.  Thus, my children, grandchildren and I have been privileged to see, hear, and touch the very heart of God as it has reflected from the hearts of these two women who have looked to Him in faith.  He receives all the glory, as my mother and Frances would strongly direct me to declare.  So I declare it: all glory, praise, and thanks to the God who must be wonderful beyond imagining to have so revealed His goodness in the hearts and lives of these two vines in our blood, these two mothers who have been for me and for my children the beautiful lamps of Christ's beautiful Light.

"A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

(Proverbs 31:30)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Little children, keep yourselves from idols.  Amen.

 (I John 5:21)