A Story to Tell

Little white cross by the side of the road
Tells a story
Of grief observed
Of woe absorbed
Of life lived short
There they met great pain and loss
There they paid unspeakable cost
Little white cross.

Blood-stained Cross on a faraway hill
Tells a bigger story
Eternal Word made flesh who dwelt
Sovereign Savior in time and space
Suffering grief, woe, pain and loss
Taking wrath that spelled my death
Sinless sentenced in my place
Blood-stained Cross.

They choose a cross to mark great loss
He chose the Cross to mark great gain
Holiness, mercy, grace on display
Evil, enemy, imposter put on notice
Numbered days
He will return
As He said He would
The Cross His glory and my good.

The Soul's Repose

Social networking encourages and emboldens people to express themselves. It's an electronic shout out to whoever may be tuned in: "Hey, I exist and I have something to say. Listen up and acknowlegde my existence." Whose nod are we angling for and craving? Too often I'm seeking yours.

We need God, His Word, and interaction with people, but no approval but God's (2 Tim. 2:15). Question for my soul: Are you enough with Jesus and no other props?

That question leads to others: On whom do I set my hopes? Is my soul at rest in Jesus? Where does my soul find its sweetest repose? My soul finds rest in God alone, my Rock and my Salvation.

Saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, revealed in God's Word alone, for God's glory alone.

Justice Served

God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ. At the cross Jesus Christ took the punishment my sins deserved. His substitutionary death appeased God's just wrath. His mercy alleviates the misery brought on by sin. His grace gives undeserved blessings. God pronounces sin's former prisoners righteous, on the basis of faith in Christ's finished work. Justice served.

Preaching my Sermon, Part 2...Monday's Take on Sunday

As I have been processing what I preached yesterday morning and applying it in my life today, I've been thinking through to clarity on the ideas of responding to unbelief in ways that honor Jesus most. It helps me to think through the main points. Matthew 13:53-58 shows how unbelief responds to Jesus and how Jesus responds to unbelief.

Unbelief rejects God's ways, confuses God's identity, refuses God's rule and forfeits Gid's blessings. Jesus' response was to keep preaching and teaching God's Word; He listened and refocused on truth; He answered gently and humbly; and excercised compassion. In Christ's response we find our marching orders for similar engagement as we interact with people everyday.

With those who reject God's ways we must persistently preach and teach God's Word, keeping the gospel central. When Jesus is central, the gospel is central. With those who confuse God's identity, claiming untrue things about Him, we must intently listen and refocus them on biblical truth. With those who refuse God's rule we must lovingly answer gently and humbly, putting a life yielded to Christ's lordship on display. And with those who are forfeiting God's blessings, we must uncondemningly respond compassionately in hopes that they would experience God's mercy and enter into the joy of life in Christ.

My Prayer

To preach the Word with power and glory,
To speak boldly and tell the story,
To be on fire with God's own flame,
Freely honoring His holy Name.

Have You Been There?

So I get into this elevator, and there is a mom in there with her screaming son. He is screaming at the top of his lungs. He's about 5 years old and he's lost his other shoe or something like that. And it is echoing. Shrill. Ear-piercing screams. This elderly man gets on the elevator. The frazzled mom and crazed son exit. I stay. Elderly man turns to me and says, "been there, done that", and I figure he means he has been through similar situations with his kids long ago. But my mind can't resist the image of him screaming bloody murder in an elevator while his mom frantically tries to calm him down.

What I think he really meant was to be gracious, to say I understand her predicament, I've been through similar situations and lived to tell of it. I feel for her, I empathize, I have sympathy. In a word: compassion. That is Jesus-like.

I think this can be applied to many life situations. Especially appropriate to our response to those who are actively kicking and screaming in resisting surrendering their lives to Jesus, those who need a firm and loving compassion from those who are in their right minds so to speak.