WHY DO WE NEED A SAVIOR?

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:11–14).

Some of the most familiar and happy words of Christmas are these . . ” “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.” 

Why do we need a savior? A Savior. If you have ever sinned against God you need a Savior. The angel said that Jesus came to "save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "It is appointed to man once to die and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). We will give an account to God for our lives. Jesus Christ came and suffered and died and rose again from the dead to pay the price for our sins. The angel told Joseph “Jesus… will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) and the shepherds “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”(Luke 2:10-11) .When we trust him as Lord and Savior of our lives we have peace with God, our sins are forgiven, and there is no more condemnation (Romans 5:1; 8:1; Ephesians 2:13-16).Jesus is God's inexpressible gift to meet this need

The Bible teaches us that God -- our perfectly holy and righteous God -- cannot tolerate sin. From his very nature, he cannot tolerate sin. Furthermore, God is just, meaning that he will right every wrong; he will apply just punishment to every wrongdoer. We like to hear this when we have been wronged, when we have been the victim – but the problem is that each of us has wronged others, we are victimizers as well, so each of us deserves punishment. So Jesus had to die because of my sin. Sin! We don't like this word. We don't mind talking about our foibles, or our weaknesses, or our failures -- but sin! No, we don't like to admit that we are sinners.

What is sin? One definition: Sin is both disobedience to the law of God and sin is missing the mark of God’s law. This definition shows that God is the one who defines sin. God, our Creator, has the absolute authority to dictate to us the terms and conditions of our being able to enter His presence. Sin is nothing more or less than cosmic treason and human ineptitude: the refusal to recognize and submit to God’s authority in any and every area of our lives and the complete inability to conform to God’s standards on our own.

In these days there is much confusion concerning this word, "sin." Many people try to dumb down this idea of sin, to take away its meaning by redefining it, rationalizing it, minimizing it, or justifying it. In short, sin today really is not so bad. But the fact is from God’s view; sin is deadly serious. So serious in fact that: “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…The wages of sin is death” (Romans 1:18; 6:23).

Remember how Jesus summarized the Law of God? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . . Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). Do we live up to those? No. I don't, you don't. That is why the bible tells us that the consequence of sin is that we are debtors to God; enemies of God; and guilty criminals, lawbreakers, before a righteous and Holy God. Paul in Romans 3 makes it absolutely clear that without Christ's death, all of us are under the just condemnation of God. Listen to these words: “We have already charged just that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:9-12,23). In Romans 5, Pal describes us as godless, wicked, and enemies of God. It is for these that Jesus came. Paul tells us that every single person, every person  is a sinner; every person deserves an eternity of separation from our holy and perfect God.

Into the dark dungeon of sin, where we followed our desperately sick, sinful desires, came Jesus.

Here is what is amazing and meant to elicit awe at Christmas:

.Our Creator knew everything about us — every sinful thought we’ve had, every sinful word we’ve said, and every sinful, despicable thing we’ve done — and came anyway to rescue us from our hearts by taking the full punishment for our sin and our unholy shame on himself, and offering us his cleanness and holiness instead.

And when he did, Jesus made a door — he became the door (John 10:9) — in the wall of our sin dungeon leading to eternal guilt-free, sin-free, joyful freedom. He became the light in our darkness, our salvation from damnation and sin’s slavery, our refuge from divine judgment, removing all real reason for fear (Psalm 27:1–2).

In Christ, God, who is the most fearsome adversary of the sinner, who has the power to throw us into hell, becomes our one safe place free from all condemnation and fear (Romans 8:1). Jesus the savior offers us safe escape out of the dungeon.

I  think that the most loving thing I can do for you this Advent season is to help you remember and feel your need for a Savior, so that as he approaches, your heart will leap for joy.

This Christmas God makes us an offer:

But this offer — an offer made to both non-Christians and professing Christians — is made to those who will confess their sin, repent of it, and follow Jesus. This offer is made to all sinners who need a savior. The full price for sin has been paid; full justice has been done. Therefore, full forgiveness and full freedom is yours, if you’ll take it.

Do not wait any longer. Stop listening to the tyrannical threats of sin and Satan. Jesus offers this gift today. Today is the day to walk out the door. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15). “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). If you wait longer, your heart may be “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin,” and the door may close (Hebrews 3:13).

God can turn a day of reckoning into a day of amnesty. But he’s calling today. Come out of the dungeon, let this truly be a day where you can shout; Merry Christmas, a Savior has been born!

CALLING ALL THE BROKEN

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17 ESV 

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. " 2 Corinthians 4:7 

What makes for a strong Christian? What is the secret of being mightily used of God? What kind of person does God use? Too many people say, "I'm so ordinary, so average and undistinguished. I can't do anything significant." 2 Corinthians 4:7 shows that this argument is wrong and why. It says, "We have this treasure in jars of clay(or clay pots!) to show us that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 

God's concept of ministry is so different from the world's concept. The world stresses the classy container. It emphasizes power and strength that come from physical beauty, brains, success, togetherness, acquired wealth, accomplishments,popularity, reputation, admiration, education,and brilliance; but God sees His glory in human weakness. God's purpose is to make sure that we see that the surpassing power belongs to Him and not to us. How does he do it? He puts the treasure of His grace, power, gifts,and His gospel in fragile, damaged, imperfect, broken, and cracked clay pots like you and me. 

Your ordinariness,weakness, and brokenness is not a liability; it is an asset, if you really want God to get the glory in your life. No one is too poor, too weak, too shy, too inarticulate, too disabled, too sinful, and too broken tout do what God wants you to do with you and through you. 

For Paul, weakness was his badge of apostleship and authority from God. Listen to his words: 

"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. " (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ESV) 

Paul argues for the authenticity of his ministry by appealing, not to his visions and revelations nor to his successes and gifts, but instead to his weakness! He attributed all of his ministry to his brokenness, neediness, and weakness. That is the ground by which the power and glory of Jesus flowed through him. It was in that lowly place of utter dependency that God moved in his life. 

I have discovered that brokenness is the design and will of God for our lives. The Psalmist writes that "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17 ESV). God finds pleasure in us when we are in the place of brokenness, humility, poverty of spirit, and neediness. These places of brokenness and weakness are not desired in this world. Nobody wants to be known as weak, needy, poor, or inadequate. Paul sure didn't! He asked the Lord repeatedly to take away whatever it was that handicapped him.He did not want to have to live and serve God in this lowly state. The Lord, refused."Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

Paul came to see that this weakness, this brokenness, this neediness was indeed a precious gift from God. This was the place that released the true flow of God's power, strength, and grace in his life and ministry and it will be the same for you. God knows where His power and glory thrive and where it is diminished. 

What are your weaknesses and handicaps that God has given you? Every one of us is united in this reality whether we realize it or not. In my own life I have struggled with fear, insecurity, drivenness, loneliness, depression, and relational difficulties. I am coming to see that God wants to have me serve him out of those. He is not looking for a few good men. He is looking for broken, humble, and contrite clay pots to fill with His heavenly treasure. 

Paul's growth as a Christian is remarkable in that his growth increased as his own sense of his weakness and sinfulness increased. In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul calls himself "the least of the apostles." Five years later, in Ephesians 3:8 he calls himself "the least of all God's people." Finally, two years before his he calls himself after walking with Jesus for thirty years, "The worst of all sinners" in 1 Timothy 1:15. For Paul, the way up in God's kingdom was down! The less he saw of Himself, the more he saw of Christ. The greater awareness of his brokeneness and sinfulness before God, the more he was amazed by God's gift of grace towards someone like him. He became stronger by becoming weaker. He became rich by becoming poor. He became successful by becoming a failure. Oh dear reader, do not despise those gifts. 

That is what Paul boasted about in his life. He was not afraid to speak truth about himself and truth about Jesus. I will boast about my failings, weaknesses, struggles, and inadequacies because when I am weak I am strong. We are great sinners and Jesus is a great savior! No wonder why Peter tells us that the key to ministry is speaking the oracles of God and serving in the strength that God provides so that in all things GOD GETS THE GLORY! (1 Peter 4;10-11). 

I encourage all of you to begin living at the foot of the cross and seeing yourself in truth as sinners, broken, poor, helpless, and needy before God. Then receive His sufficient grace and love for every weakness as a gift that He takes pleasure in giving to you. In the light of that truth, be willing to freely share with other Christians your weakness and speak often of God's love, grace, and mercy. Watch what begins happening among you when you are all free to be ordinary, flawed, and broken together instead of pretending to be what you are not. There will be such freedom, such transparency, such honesty and openness, such safety and security, and such healing when all are humbly living together out of failure and pain at the foot of the cross of Jesus. There you will begin to see the healing power of the Holy Spirit work as God takes weak people like you and me, clay pots, and then fills them up with His strength and the gift of his heavenly treasure, adequately equipped by Him for His use and glory. 

The only kind of people who God uses are those who depend not on their own gifts and resources. You can only become a strong Christian when you finally admit to the fact that you are weak. You can only become whole by being broken and vulnerable before God and others. Let this prayer encourage you my fellow broken ones. 

“I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. 

I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. 

I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. 

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. 

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. 

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. 

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Broken,

Padtor Boll

Thoughts on Death: 59 in Las Vegas, Tom Petty, and my Own

Yesterday was a very difficult day in America. Over 59 people‘s last day earth was yesterday in Las Vegas as they were brutally gunned down. On another note, beloved rock singer Tom Petty died at 66 of a sudden heart attack. I think more people were shaken by his sudden death than the 59 in Vegas. But, that’s not what my posting is about. Days like yesterday, can cause some of us to have a deep wake up call to a sense of our own mortality. I myself am 64 years old and I have outlived many of my heroes. I’ve also seen my own younger brother die at 21 and have lost several dear friends who died suddenly while others died slowly and agonizingly prematurely. 

  Yesterday has made me realize the closeness of death like never before. Death snatches us all. In Hebrews 9:27 we are told, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” In Ecclesiastes 7:2 Solomon wrote, “For death is the destiny of every man.”

How do you feel about your death? Are you prepared for your own inevitable last day of your life?  Jonathan Edwards.lived his life by 70 resolutions to help focus his thinking. Several were in regards to thinking about his own death:

#7 Resolved, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

#9 Resolved, To think much, on all occasions, of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

#17 Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

#19 Resolved, Never to do anything which I would be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.

An entry in his diary reads: Monday, Feb 24, 1724. Let everything have the value now which it will have on a sick bed; and frequently, in my pursuits, of whatever kind, let this question come into my mind, How shall I value this on my deathbed? “   Jonathan Edwards lived with an awareness of his death. I’m asking myself I do this. I wonder if you live aware of your death as well? Does this affect your daily actions?

I have had a reality check, that has caused me to do some real thinking about my life. Listen to the insight God gave to Moses. Standing on THE SHORES OF THE Jordan River. Moses looks over the Promised Land and cries “Lord teach us to number our days!”  “Let me be aware of  the limitations of my life. Let me have a outlook on my death and my life. Let me remember.

“Teach us to number our days”  Moses paints a picture of life being like a book. Each day is a new page. Each night another page is turned. We don’t know when the final page will be turned. Moses says, “You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man!... You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers… The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” (Verses 3,5,-6,10) 

Moses concludes: “Teach us to number our day’s.” Little children don’t number their days; they don’t think about the reality that they will die. Most teenagers don’t either; rather they are indestructible and immortal.  When someone close to us dies we are shocked, especially if they are our age or younger. Every day someone dies. We sneak a peak at the obituaries, we hear the news, we see it on T.V.. Yet we still deny it will happen to us. Though we deny it, it means nothing to it, since death doesn’t have to ask for our permission. Death is coming and everyday is someone’s last.  In spite of the prevalence of death, we prefer not to talk about it. Most of us recognize that we will eventually die, but this recognition is reserved for a distant event decades from now, not today, not this week, not this month, not this year.  Death is a foreigner, not a close neighbor.

William Law wrote that the living world's brilliance blinds us from eternity and the reality of death.  "The health of our bodies, the passions of our minds, the noise and hurry and pleasures and business of the world, lead us on with eyes that see not and ears that hear not."'

It is this unexpectedness of death like took place yesterday that should encourage us to take a second look, to reconsider our pleasant denial, to admit that, yes, death might visit us as early as this week. 

Jesus tells a story that illustrates this. Luke 12:15-21, “Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

The reality is none of us know when it’s her time. Did those 59 in Las Vegas know that it was going to be the last day of their life, Tom Petty know that he was going to have a massive heart attack he and that would be the last day of his life?

Thomas A Kempis urged, “Thou oughtest so to order thyself in all thy thoughts and actions, as if today thou were about to die. What ways shall I wish that I had taken when I am leaving this world?”’

When confronted with the reality of death, it is amazing how we begin to see what is really important in life.  That is why young people give little thought to the significance of their lives, while the elderly think about it all the time.  In the face of the end of life, questions about its significance loom large.  There comes a time when we stop denying our death and start numbering our days.  Do you?

Moses goes on and writes, “that we may get a heart of wisdom.”  What is a heart of wisdom? Let’s look at the opposite. It is one who does not number his days aright. The fool who lives in denial of death! “The heart of wisdom is the one who lives his or her life in view of the reality of their death.”  I want to challenge us to look death in the face, to seize its reality, and make it the very tool that inspires us to live.

Deuteronomy 32:29, “If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!”  Psalm 39:4,  “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”  Ecclesiastes 9:10, “ Whatever your hand finds to do, do  with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”  Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” What happens when we reflect on our death?

1. Reflecting on our death refocuses our perspective 

Remembering my death is acting like a filter, helping me to hold onto what is essential and to let go of what is trivial. Why let trivial things capture our hearts?  When we forget death we lose perspective. 

Eternity turns everything around.  On judgement day I suspect, the things that bother us now, that force us out of our agenda's and schedules-taking the time to help someone, reading our bibles-will be the very things we deem most important.  We may not remember the t.v. show we skipped, the surf session we missed to do God's will, but in eternity we'll be so g!ad we did.

A group of 50 elderly people over 95 years old were asked one question: “If you could live your live over again, what would you do differently?” The three most dominant answers were: I would reflect more, I would risk more, I would do more things that would live on after I am dead. When confronted with the reality of death, it is amazing how we begin to see what is really important in life. 

2. Reflecting on our death filters our passions and priorities

What person in his right mind would continue contemplating an affair if he knew he wasn't going to wake up the next morning?  What person would risk eternity in a drunken stupor? What fool would ignore his loved ones and his God for one last night so he could make an extra thousand bucks just before he died? "Death is the best rule which we can make for all of our actions and undertakings.” Fenelon

 When we schedule our priorities and follow our passions without regard to eternity we are essentially looking out of the wrong end of the telescope.  Instead of seeing things clearly, our vision gets distorted.  We miss the big picture.  It will cause us to continue rebelling against God thinking later on we'll set things right, then death comes and surprises us, because we soon forgot we were presuming.

Remember Jonathan Edwards 17th resolution? "Resolved that will live so, as wish I'd done when come to die." Paul exhorts Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5-8, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and discharge all the duties of your ministry.  For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 

Jesus teaches us in the parable of the talents that each person's perspective affected how they lived.  "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew  25:21-30) John Maxwell says, "In order to hear well done from the Lord, we have to well do for the Lord.  John Mason says, “Do today what you would postpone until tomorrow.”  The only thing that comes to a procrastinator is death. Do it now! Start living for God, start serving Him and His people. Find out His will and do it.

How to keep death alive-“Remember”

When my dad died three years ago  it reminded me in a way that nothing ever had that one day my body, my bones will be lying in a casket.  My work on earth will be done.  What will matter than?  What should matter now? What should matter in the light of my future death?  I would encourage you all to remember,

1. Remember in reflecting on those who have lived and died before you

Hebrews 12:1-4, “ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.   In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

We are here for such a limited time, and it may be shorter than I think.  What did their life mean?  What does my life mean? Paul said,

Philippians  1:20-21, "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Acts 20:24,  "But I do not count my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

2. Remember Jesus death. 

John 19:30, “ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

 What is your "it"?  What must you accomplish so that, like Jesus, at the Hour of your death you can look up to heaven and say.  "I've been faithful."?   

3. Remember we glorify the Lord by our death 

"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" (John 21:18-19)  

Jesus told Peter about the fact that he would die in his service. It was indirect, but Peter probably got the message. And who knows what look was on Jesus' face when he said it. But such is the price of following Jesus Christ. This isn't so different from what he predicts for each of us. "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate . . . his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal" (John 12:25). "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). "They will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name" (Luke 21:16-17). 

 John said Peter's death was to glorify God, "This He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God." The way John said this seems to show that he considers all our deaths as appointed for the glory of God. The difference is: with what kind of death will we glorify God?  Are you ready for this? Will you show God great in the way you die? Will you say like Paul, "To live is Christ and to die is gain"? Will you call this ugly, defeated, torturing enemy sweet names? Will the loss of all your earthly family, friends, and possessions fade at the prospect of seeing and being with Christ?

Are you ready for the end of your time? Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. ”  Ecclesiastes 7:2 "Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart" 

It’s been said, “When you were born,' he said, you alone were crying and everybody else was happy.  Live your life in such a way that when you die you alone going to be happy, leaving everybody else crying. ?  

Jonathan Edwards resolved, “Resolved to live with all my might while I live!”

Are you ready for the day of your death?

A Prayer

Oh Father in heaven, giver of life and ordainer of our death. Give us a view of life that would change our view of death. Teach us to number our days aright so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Cause us like Paul to be able to say and believe from the depths of our heart, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Cause us to live each day in remembrance of our death. Make us ready to die well by helping us to live well. Let us never forget how precious life is. Whether we live long lives or short lives, help us to live with all our might while we live. We long, oh Lord, that on the day of our death to be able to face you with joy and hear the words from Your lips to us, “Well done, My good and My faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” Oh what gain that will be! In Jesus name. AMEN

Captivated By Beauty!

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple."

Psalm 27:4

"On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate."

Psalm 145:5

“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” 

Psalm 16:11

Two of my favorite places in the world and the most beautiful places I have ever been are Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai and in Kings Canyon National Park by  Boyden Cave. Oh how many days I have surfed at Hanaleiand and sat out in the water looking out over the panorama all across the western horizon with beautiful waterfall cascades throughout the majestic green mountains of the North Shore of Kauai coupled with the beautiful perfect waves of Hanalei Bay and all the sea life. Many times I would sit on my surfboard out in the water with a smile on my face and just breathe it all in and take it all in all the colors and the  life and the feeling of being so alive. 

The other place is on the Boydon Cave trail in Kings Canyon National Park. When hiking there you pass the cave and walk about 2 miles through this narrow canyon full of cascading pools each a little higher than the next that lead to a beautiful waterfall. It used to be the highlight of all the retreats I took youth groups, college groups, singles groups, and my church for 33 years. I'd lead the group to hike up to these pools and we'd spend the day there. Sometimes the trail was overgrown with poison ivy and it was always an adventure to get there but it was well worth it. Once we reached the main pool where people would sun, dive, and swim I would always spend precious and unforgettable time observing the majestic surroundings al around the pool. As I observed the forest and the majestic mountains that surrounded and created the hidden solitude of these pools, I  cannot explain the affect that taking this all in had upon me. I would often be left breathless by the splendor of those mountains and trees and pools surrounding me and my vision. It's as though I'd been granted a brief glimpse of the splendor of the new earth would look like in the ages to come. The best description I could say of what would happen to me was that I was captivated by such beauty. No matter how many times I spent at those pools I never stopped being drawn and moved by such beauty. 

There are many things viewed by our eyes that have the power to evoke delight in our hearts. We could say the same thing about things we hear such as a beautiful song. There is also the beauty of a scent such as that of a flower, perfume, or the fragrance of the ocean when you know you are close to it. 

What makes something beautiful? Sam Storms defines it this way:

"Whatever is done is that surprises and takes our breath away; whether it is the golden  glow of a lingering sunset, the cavernous  depths of the Grand Canyon, or the inaugural steps of a firstborn child. Beauty is whatever causes our hearts to beat with increasing repeatedly and sends chills down our spines or causes goosebumps to rise on our arms. Beauty is whatever stirs up worth in the human Spirit and  enables us to feel the dignity of self in the hope of tomorrow."

But  beauty can also be acts of courage, compassion, kindness, virtue, generosity, or self-sacrifice. But what of God? Can we speak of him as beautiful?

To me God is beauty itself, the source of all beauty. Augustine put it this way: "God is my father, supremely good, beauty of all things beautiful." 

Our response to a beautiful sunset, an inspiring action, the grandeur of the mountains, or a captivating song stir in me the realization that God desires no less, and indeed far more, from all of us in our relationship with him. God's revelatory manifestation of himself in creation, providence, in scripture, and preeminently in the face of his son, Jesus Christ, is designed to evoke within our souls the  breathtaking delight and incomparable joy to which God alone is worthy. Beauty is that in God which makes him eminently desirable and attractive and quickens in our soul a realization that it was made for a different world.

God, the source of all beauty, suddenly pulled back the curtain on his glory, which is his beauty made manifest. He has disclosed Himself into the creation and redemption in order that we might stand full of wonder in his presence, beholding the sweet symmetry of his attributes, pondering the unfathomable depths of his greatness, amazed by the wisdom of his deeds, and awestruck by the limitless extent of his goodness. This is his beauty!

God's beauty is perfect, absolute, and independent. All other beauty is is a derivative of the creators beauty. Therefore,as beautiful as it is, it is only beautiful in a secondary sense and only to the degree that it reflects the excellencies of God and fulfills the purpose but which he made what is beautiful. The Spirit of God communicates God's beauty to this world through creation. 

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard."

Psalm 19:1-3

But whatever beauty we see now is what I feed echo of the invisible realm from which it came, a dim fortaste in anticipation of the beauty of the world to come. Fourth century church father, Gregory of nicer put it this way:

"Hope always draws the soul from the beauty which is seen to what is beyond, always kills the desire for the hidden to what is constantly perceived. Therefore, the ardent lover of beauty, although receiving what is always visible as an image of what he desires, he longs to be filled with a very stamp of the arch type. And the bold request which goes up the mountains of desire asks this: to enjoy the beauty not in mirrors and reflections, but face to face."

It was never God's plan for me to worship Kings Canyon, Hanalei Bay, or anything that he has made; but to see in and through all these things a glimpse of the glory that yet awaits me.

CS Lewis reminds us that, 

"the books are the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things, the beauty, the memory of our own past, are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistakes for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshipers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of the tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never visited."

When we encounter divine beauty, it is more than merely enjoyable, it is profoundly transforming. The apostle Paul says that this encounter of seeing Christ is the very means a change or is John piper put it be holding is the way of becoming. Paul alluded to this in 2 Corinthian's 3:18  when he says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 

His point is that what we see is what we be! When you see the beauty of Christ his beauty takes hold of is and awakens us to the reality of it being whode beauty we are being called to and conformed to by his gracious initiative. God's beauty has the power to dislodge from our hearts all that is ugly and unattractive and awakens us to embrace all that is beautiful, lovely, and God like. God's beauty has the power to dislodge from our hearts the grip of all moral and spiritual ugliness. When we engage with heavenly beauty it elicits love and forges us new affections that  no earthly power can ever overcome. Light of Christ beauty also exposes all those things that once captivated our hearts but we find out our incomparable to the beauty that we find in him. Not only that we discover the destructive powers of all those lesser beauties that once captured the desires of our hearts.

King David's passion was to see and behold this beauty. I am not trying to take away the joy and delight that you have in seeing, hearing, and sensing beautiful things. What I'm challenging you to do this is to see that the essence of Christianity is raising your eyes to the source of all beauty the beautiful one Jesus Christ!

Jonathan Edwards said it this way, 

"there is a very great delight the Christian enjoys in the sight he has of the glory and excellency of God. How many arts and contrivances have men to delight the eye of the body. Men take the light in the beholding a great cities, splendid buildings, and stately palaces. And what delight is often taken in the beholding of a beautiful face. May we not well conclude that great delights may also be taking in pleasing the eye of the mind in seeing the most beautiful, most glorious, the most wonderful being in the world? 

The answer is YES! That sort of true happiness and sin killing spiritual delight rises from the sight or apprehension of the most beautiful being in the universe who is preeminently excellent.

 To be continued...

Content or Discontent, Which "Tent" Do You Live In?

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:11-13

What makes you happy? Is it physical comfort? Six-figure salary? Emotional stability? The absence of conflict? Sexual gratification? Any earthly or  temporal achievement? What if these are all absent from your life? Are you therefore unhappy? 

God has destined you to a state of soul in which we experience and express optimum happiness in God. True happiness is your whole soul resting in God and rejoicing that  so beautiful and glorious a being as God  is ours. God has so loved us and given us the privilege to  be able to enjoy making much of him forever. It is there where true happiness lies.

Another word use by the apostle Paul for happiness is contentment. Which tent do you live in contentment or dis-contentment?

The apostle Paul in Philippines 4:11 says that he had to learn to be content. Contentment does not come naturally for us. We are all discontent by nature because though we think things on earth will bring contentment, the fact is that nothing on this earth can bring true happiness and contentment to us. So we have to learn the secret of happiness. 

The lie we must fight is the frantic effort to think that money, drugs, chocolate, and a full equipped SUV can do for us with God cannot.

Contentment and discontentment is all a matter where you look or who you love or who's offer of pleasure you'll accept. If you look for anything in the world to find your happiness and joy you will inevitably become discontent. I have said many times that virtually everything you find on this earth that brings you happiness will one day make you sad. First, because nothing on this earth lasts. Secondly because the way God made your soul is so that nothing can satisfy your soul on this earth, therefore, you will always end up discontented in life if you think you can find your contentment here on earth. 

Augustine said it best, 

"Oh Lord you have made us for yourself and our hearts find no rest unless we find it in you."

You were made to find your greatest joy and greatest happiness and greatest contentment at the display of God's glory in Jesus Christ. Jonathan Edwards put it this way:

"The pleasures of loving and obeying,loving and adoring, blessing and praising the infinite being, the best of beings, the eternal Jehovah; the pleasures of trusting in Jesus Christ, in contemplating his beauties, excellencies, and glories; in contemplating his love to mankind and to us, in contemplating his infinite goodness and astonishing loving kindness; the pleasures of the communion of the Holy Spirit in conversing with God, the maker and governor of the world; the pleasure that results from the doing of our duty, and acting worthily and excellently; these are the pleasures that are worthy of so noble a creature as a man is."

So how do we learn contentment? We must endeavor to increase our spiritual appetites by meditating on spiritual objects. Every time I surrender my mind to meditate on base and sordid objects  their grip on my life will be intensified. The apostle Paul tells us that these are the things that will elevate and deepen your joy to daily meditate on:

Finally, brothers, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is honorable, whatever is just, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is commendable, 

if there is any excellence, 

if there is anything worthy of praise, 

think about these things. - Philippians 4:8

Paul is challenging us to actually think about these things, ponder them, pour over them, and become vulnerable to the power of God is invested in them to transform our values of happiness and feelings of happiness and to energize our wills.

Perhaps no one was more diligent on meditating on spiritual objects than David, king of Israel. I'm reminded of three statements in particular, which express the intensity and single-mindedness of his devotion.

"I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."  Psalm 16:2

"I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." Psalm 16:8

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

David was so diligent to avert his eyes from all lesser beauty. His resolve was to set the Lord before him, to concentrate his attentions and the energies of a sore on the majesty and power of the one who alone who would sustain him when all else is shaking. This was not just in frequent or occasional choice or one he reverted to in times of crisis,but was in orientation of life to which he was always committed.

Like David that was Paul's orientation in life. That is why he was able to say that no matter what state of life he was in abasing or abounding. He was a contented man. His happiness, his joy, his contentment, the color of his life, was bound not on anything in this world whether good or bad, rich or poor, not on any circumstances good or bad, not with whether life was going good or life was extremely difficult; no, Paul's contentment was rooted in God and God alone and is it no wonder why Paul can say things like "rejoice in the Lord always"(Philippians 3:1; 4:4)

One of my great heroes, Jonathan Edwards tasted this kind of contentment in the midst of the most bitter experience of us really life. After 24 years faithfully pastoring his church in North Hampton, Massachusetts, he wasn't just the fired by an overwhelming vote of the Mail membership of his church. But like Paul, he seemed to live above earth and hell, out of reach of everything here below, so that he looked in all the rage and torment of men with a kind of holy indifference and undisturbed tranquility. How did he do it? One church member sympathetic to Jonathan Edwards described in which reaction to being fired:

"That faithful witness received the shock, unshaken. I never saw the least symptoms of displeasure in his countenance the whole week, but he appeared like a man of God, who is happiness was out of the reach of his enemies and his treasure was not only a future but a present good, over balancing all imaginable ills of life, even to the astonishment of many who could not be at rest without his dismission."

I love this, "out of reach of his enemies and his treasure was not only a future but a present good."

That is the contentment that Paul learned and spoke about. That is the contentment that David knew. 

Have you been living in the tent of discontentment? Oh dear reader order your in such away life so that you can be easily enticed by the beauty of Christ. Make it easy on your soul by exposing yourself to the things that will awaken your desire and deep in your holy longings. Ask God to become the epicenter of your life, joy, and as a result, to help you like Paul learned the secret of contentment: 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 2:13)

Whether you are  abased or abounding  may you become a contented person because your joy, your happiness, and your life is routed not on this earth but I'm Jesus Christ.