Better is One Day

This morning I busted out my guitar after breakfast and sang a few songs with the fam. One of the songs I played was Better is One Day. It’s based on Psalm 84:10 which says, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”

As I was explaining that song to a 4 and 5 year old I was convicted myself about the implications of the words. The chorus goes, “better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere.” Do I really believe that one day in the presence of the Lord, worshipping and glorifying Him is better than 1,000 days doing some of my favorite activities. Would I give up 1,000 days of trout fishing or exercising or napping, some of my favorite activities, in order to spend just 1 day in the presence of the Lord. Most days I have to confess that I wouldn’t.

As I look over Psalm 84 and see things like “no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” and “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” I am reminded and challenged to fix my eyes heavenward and not on the things of this world. It’s so easy to get caught up in trivial things here that only please for a moment. 1,000 days of the most fun things I can think of on this earth will really only provide about 1 day of actual pleasure while 1 day of delighting in God provides 1,000 days worth of pleasure. Lord help me to get this and to live it!!

Parenting with Hope in the Worst of Times :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

Last night Lindsey and I watched this sermon together from Dr. Piper. It's some amazing insight into a passage of Scripture in a part of Scripture that I haven't spent much time, the book of Micah. This isn't really a "how to" on parenting, but he discusses the depth of our depravity and riches of God's mercy. As he says in the beginning, this isn't just a message for parents. I would really encourage you to grab a spouse, friend or coworker and 50 free minutes to be challenged by what he has to share!

Parenting with Hope in the Worst of Times :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

Saved Children

Tedd Tripp's Shepherding a Child's Heart is a must read for any parent who struggles to bring their children up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). It is also for those of us who desire to be used by the Lord to not just raise well-behaved kids, but those who will understand and live out the truth that "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever."

Something in chapter 5, titled "Examining Your Goals," caught my attention. I've discussed this issue with a lot of people and this is the first time I've read something that clearly articulated what I believe about it. I think you'll figure out after reading this where I stand on this :). I'd love to get some feedback on this.

Saved Children

     I have met many parents whose preoccupation is getting their children saved. They focus on getting their children to pray "the sinner's prayer." They want him to ask Jesus to come into his heart. They take Johnny to Child Evangelism Fellowship functions, Good News Clubs, summer camps or anywhere else where someone will bring him to decision to trust Christ.

     They think that if their child would get saved, all the problems of living would be solved. Sometimes parents feel this way because, in their own experience, getting saved was a spiritual watershed. They want their child to have that experience too.

     This is a sensitive issue that must be tempered by two facts: 1) You can never know with absolute certainty whether your child is saved. Many passages such as the "Lord, Lord" passage at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:21-23) indicate that false faith can carry someone a long way. The heart can even deceive itself. Thus the Bible warns about the dangers of being self-deceived and exhorts you to test yourself to see whether you are in the faith. 2) A child's profession of faith in Christ does not change the basic issues of childrearing. The parent's goals are the same. The things the child is called to are the same. He requires the same training he required before. He will have times of tenderness and times of spiritual coldness. The parent's task does not change when the child makes a decision.

     There are many passages that teach the need to shepherd, to train, to instruct, and to discipline your children. None of these passages has getting a child to pray the "sinner's prayer" as its focus. 

Godly Sex

It's been a while since I've posted something so I thought I'd write something attention grabbing.

Something that is not attention grabbing for most people is the book of Leviticus. Filled with laws about worship and cleanliness in a time and place far removed from us, the modern reader often chooses to read something more "practical" for his or her life. Leviticus is mostly about a God who instructs His people how to be holy in their worship of Him because He is holy. Living holy lives before a holy God should affect every area of our lives, especially our sexuality.

Buried in the middle of this overly neglected book, in the 18th chapter, are some guidelines concerning unlawful sexual relations. But what is often overlooked is verses 3-4 which gives the real reason for these restrictions. Contrary to popular opinion, God is not trying to take away of our fun or control us. He is telling us these things for our protection.  These verses also contain some vital truths that should change our perspective on how we view God's law:

You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them; I am the LORD.

Check out the emphasis here. It is to not do as they did in the place where they were slaves. For New Testament believers, this obviously parallels our old life as slaves to sin. They are also told to not do as they do in the promised land of Canaan to which God was bringing them. Again, for us today the parallel is the still the ungodly world around us that we've been redeemed out of.

The Ten Commandments were given in this context at Mount Sinai. They were given after God called Israel to be faithful to his covenant and reminded them that they are his people, his treasured possession. The law came after slavery as a reminder not to go back to it and before being surrounded by rampant idolatry as a warning not to succumb to it. Without this understanding, the law of God, particularly those concerning unlawful sexual relations in Leviticus 18 make little sense.

God's plan and design for sex is 1 man and 1 woman in 1 monogamous relationship for 1 lifetime. The unbelieving world obviously has a huge problem with this. But God's word says that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Prov. 9:10). God's commands are for our protection and our benefit. If we will open our eyes and our hearts to rightly see this by fearing the Lord, then he will give us wisdom and insight to understand these truths.

Walk With God and Live!

I'm taking a class right now on the Old Testament books Genesis - Joshua. In the lecture on Genesis chapters 4-11 titled "The Outworking of Sin" my professor pointed out something that I have never noticed before. Chapter 5 of Genesis lists the generations from Adam to Noah, using a set pattern for each individual. The pattern goes: When (name) had lived (#) years, he fathered (son). (Name) lived after he fathered (son) (#) years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of (name) were (#) years, and he died.

After 6 of these repetitions it is understandable to want to just skip the rest because they all say the same thing. The only problem is, they don't all say the same thing. When we get to the 7th repetition we read,

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Gen. 5:21-24).

The rhythm of death is broken with Enoch and therefore death no longer has the final word. This glimmer of hope is included in a story that is sandwiched between some pretty grim chapters in the history of mankind. Walking with God leads to breaking of the curse of death. The author of Hebrews picks up on the story of Enoch in the famous chapter on faith and even adds a bit of his own insight that Christians would do well to heed,

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:5-6). 

With the curse of death now broken through our Savior's substitutionary death, let us walk by faith and not by sight, expecting to be reward by the One we seek.

Brothers and sisters, let us walk with God and live! 

My Birthday - No April Fool's Joke!

10 years ago, a punk college student was wasting his life and his brain cells engaging in some serious tomfoolery. On April Fool's Day night after returning from some crazy partying, a friend sat him down and talked about the One who came to rescue him from sin and exchange the fool's filth for the Savior's righteousness. That night, a fool who was throwing away his life became a fool for Christ!

I praise God for these last 10 years and for all that he has done in my life. I have an amazing family that I don't deserve and a life that I wouldn't trade for anything.

When I got home today I had some great surprises waiting for me! Lily wrapped up a bunch of things, mostly from her kitchen set and gave them to me. This cake was also waiting for me, though the everyone was little too excited to be able to keep it a surprise. Lindsey accidentally let it slip, but her slip wasn't as funny as Lily's. Lily said to me, "Dad, when we say close your eyes you have to because we're going to surprise you with a cake!" Ha! Kids :).

On another note, this morning before class I was reading through Deuteronomy and came across three reminders that Moses wrote to the people of Israel, reminding them of their slavery in Egypt (15:15; 16:3, 12). While I don't want to dwell on past sins and stumble by thinking too much about that time in my life, I would do well to "remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God has redeemed you" (15:15). Obviously I was not a slave in Egypt. But I was a slave to sin, bound up and held captive by my own wickedness and fleshly desires.

With Easter Sunday a few days away, what better reminder that I have been redeemed from a life of slavery to sin! In Romans 6:17-18 the Apostle Paul writes:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

It is certainly a battle to daily kill sin and to live as a slave of righteousness. Praise be to God for His redemption and His Spirit that dwells in us, giving us the power to press on and fight the good fight of faith!

Killing Sin - Part 2

Sin never stops whispering in our ears. As a matter of fact, sometimes is shouts! And as God told Cain, “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7).

John Owen, the 17th century Puritan pastor and theologian may have said it best in his classic work, Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers. Commenting on Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live,” Owen pens this challenge to the believer:

                          Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work;
                          be always at it while you live;
                          cease not a day from this work;
                          be killing sin or it will be killing you.

Is this our habit, to daily without ceasing battle against our flesh, by the Spirit, so we may kill sin before it kills us? Brothers and sisters, sin is always crouching at the door and whispering to our hearts. It is always ready to jump out and control us or to speak deceitfully and trick us. Don’t be fooled! Pray that the indwelling Spirit of Almighty God would help you to be killing sin before it kills you!

Killing Sin - Part 1

What do you think of when you hear the word sin? For many in the West who have grown up within a Judeo-Christian framework, sin is usually associated with the Ten Commandments. Christians specifically may point to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for an even deeper understanding of sin. These two passages are certainly important for those who want to fight sin and walk in the ways of the Lord. Unfortunately, sin is often reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts, allowing us to justify ourselves by comparing our do’s to others’ don’ts.

The concept of sin in China is quite different. It is only associated with civil law and not moral law. Therefore, when a Chinese person hears, “you are a sinner” they hear “you are a criminal.” Though many in the West won’t deny that they are sinners, like those in China, they have an equally inadequate view of sin. We need to have a biblically informed and defined view of sin if we are to make any sense of this.

I was delighted today to see that John Piper’s sermon from March 10th at Mars Hill Church in Seattle is available for download. I would commend this message to you, titled “Be Killing Sin or it Will be Killing You” and another one of Dr. Piper’s called “The Importance of Knowing Our Sin.” If you want a deeper understanding of the devastation of sin and the beauty of God’s power to conquer it by His grace, then I would encourage you to download them, chew on the Scriptures that he uses and ask the Lord to help you “kill sin” in your life before it “kills you!”

And please stop by soon for some more thoughts in Part 2!

Be Careful What You Wish For: a lesson in contentment from Numbers 11 & 12

I just finished reading the Book of Numbers today. Among the many practical insights and lessons that can be learned from a people and culture very distant from ours today, this one stood out to me the most.

In Numbers 11:4-6 the people of Israel are grumbling that they only have manna to eat saying, “Oh that we had meat to eat” while lamenting the fact that their life in Egypt was “better” because of the abundance of meat. It’s amazing that the desire for meat seems to completely erase from their memory the harsh conditions of slavery that they faced in Egypt.

The people’s complaining causes grief to their leader Moses, forcing him to go before the Lord and ask where all of this meat is going to come from. He even asks for the Lord to kill him rather than make him carry the heavy burden of a complaining people. The Lord in his kindness does not give Moses the easy way out, but calls him to action. He is told to gather 70 elders who then call the people consecrate themselves.

The Lord promises to give the people what they want - meat! However, He tells them that they will eat it “until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ‘Why did we come out of Egypt?’” Probably not the response the people were expecting!

Moses questions the Lord’s wisdom and asks how on His green earth He is going to provide meat for 600,000+ people for an entire month. The Lord’s answer is the knockout punch in this whole narrative. He asks Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened?” and then says, “now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”

Of course God is going to keep His word. He delivers good on His promise as usual and the people get quail piled up 3 feet high, a day’s journey on each side of the camp. After they gather it and as they are eating it the Lord sends a plague that strikes many of the people down. The name of the place where this narrative occurs is called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means graves of craving).

I think there is a lot to be learned from this series of events. First, God has redeemed us from slavery to sin (Egypt) and we should by faith receive and be content with our daily bread (manna) that He faithfully provides. Second, our cravings for more and better things can be dangerous. God knows our needs and what is best for us. Aligning our wills to His requires sacrifice, patience and endurance. Lastly, be careful what you wish for because God just might give it to you. The desire and craving for meat and a return to pre-redemptive living actually lead to eventual destruction and death for the people of Israel. Let us live as those who have been redeemed and with wholehearted devotion continue to trust the Lord to supply our daily bread!

My Wonderful Family

I am dedicating this new blog to my wonderful family. God has richly blessed me in so many ways that I don’t deserve. I hope to share thoughts here on life, family & theology. I hope that it can be a blessing and encouragement to all who “stop by”.

In my office I have a picture of my lovely wife with Proverbs 18:22 written beside it, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” I don’t know where I would be be without the good thing...or should I say best thing that the Lord has given me. Lindsey, thank you for being an excellent wife who truly fears the Lord and walks in His ways!

The theme of this blog comes from Psalm 127:4-5a, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!” The verse before it says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” There are days when we are exhausted and overwhelmed when it is hard to believe this, but we know it is true. I praise God for each one of my children and how He has uniquely made them.

Lily, a.k.a. “Silly Lily” is my firstborn and full of the funniest faces I have ever seen. There’s something about the camera that forces her tongue to exit her mouth. I think I know where she gets that from! It’s a blessing to see a 5 year old full of so much energy and with such a desire to learn. Lord, make Lily a sharp arrow for your glory!

Caedmon, a.k.a. “Cades Bud” is my only son and so much like his dad...a little sensitive but pretty daring. He loves wrestling and trying to jump off of anything he can find. An adventuresome 4 year old who is full of spunk! He also thinks shaving like dad is pretty cool. Lord, make Caedmon a straight arrow who fears you and walks in your ways!

Hadassah, a.k.a. “Dassah Bean” is my little trouble maker. The look on her face in this picture says it all! She definitely has an independent personality and likes exploring everything. She loves following her big siblings around and learning from them. It's fun to hear her start to say some more words and be able to communicate better. I think she'll be one who has a lot to say :). Lord, make Hadassah a bold and strong arrow for your service!

Vivianna hasn’t earned her nickname yet. She is just a cute little peanut who makes me smile every time I look at her. It is so fun to see such innocence and realize what a great responsibility it is from the Lord to be entrusted with teaching them to walk in His ways. Lord, make Vivianna a bright shining arrow in Your world!

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Lord, unless you build my family I will labor in vain. Unless you watch over them I will stay awake in vain. They belong to You Lord. Help me be faithful to love and serve my wife and children whom you have entrusted me with.

And may every word I type on this blog be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer!