Lent Day 30: Lordship

On this thirtieth lenten morning, the psalmist gives us a very important and timely charge in Psalms 100:2, 

“Worship the Lord with gladness.” 

"I worship You, Almighty God,

There is none like You.

I worship You, O Prince of Peace,

That is what I long to do.

I give You praise, for You are my righteousness.

I worship You, Almighty God;

There is none like You."

"Worship the Lord with gladness."

"There is none like You.

No one else can touch my heart like You do.

I could search for all eternity long and find there is none like You."

“Worship the Lord with gladness.”

"He is Lord; He is Lord.

He is risen from the dead and He is Lord!

Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Indeed, "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:11, NIV) and we are to worship Him with gladness.

A short imperative, the above charge impels us to recognize three significant blessings housed in Christ Jesus:

-                Our purpose (worship)

-                Our position (servants of the Lord),

-                Our perception (gladness, joy, gratitude, etc.)

Can we honestly say that we live with worship as our main purpose?

Can we genuinely affirm that our position or stance is that of a servant of the Lord?

Can we truthfully claim gladness, joy, and gratitude as our first response to Christ's Lordship?

Often, an earthbound perception poisons our hearts (replacing the gladness Christ richly provides with a discontent that begets grumbling), prevents us from acknowledging our God-given position (seeking to serve our own selfish desires), and presents to us an erroneous purpose that discards the worship of Christ but elevates worthless idols. 

This lenten journey aims to take you and me to a place where we will learn to rend our self-governing bent and submit to the Lordship of Christ.

Christ is the boss!

Christ calls the shots!

Christ rules in our hearts!

He is Lord when life is rosy; He is Lord when life is black like tar. 

He is Lord when friends are loving; He is Lord when friends betray and forsake.

He is Lord when bills are paid; He is Lord when there is too much month at the end of the money.

He is Lord!

He is Lord!

He is Lord!

Today, let us be reminded that, despite what we may have on our plate, we have a Lord who is watching over us. He is our light and our salvation—whom shall we fear indeed?

The oft-encountered “Fear not” command beckons us to ponder Christ’s Lordship. Is He truly our Lord and Master? Do we worship Him or do we worry over the trials and headaches found on our plate? Do we seek to handle most of our decisions on our own strength and only go to Him for the really big ones? Do our lifestyle and perception back up the all-too-familiar “Lord Jesus” statement?

Regarding this topic, it is only fitting that Paul shares the following words from his heart, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Col. 2:6-7). Paul’s exhortation paints a new Lenten stroke—we need to turn away from a blasé and all-too-common use of the word “Lord” and embrace a lifestyle of steady growth, total surrender, and complete submission to the ways of Christ.

Let us pray:

Precious Jesus, 

we acknowledge that You reign above all else. 

You are the Anointed, the wise God, 

the Ruler of the kings of the Earth—You are Lord. 

We confess that there are many areas in our lives 

that we have kept under our own grip; 

we have not submitted them to You. 

We do not always mean it fully when we call You Lord. 

We do not submit all our relationships, our finances, 

and the use of our time under Your Lordship. 

Teach our hearts and tongues to be grateful for Your Lordship 

especially when our every inclination is otherwise bent. 

Thank You for loving us anyway 

and for seeking our hearts 

in order to bridge the gap which separates us from You. 

Keep us desirous of Your Lordship today 

and for the rest of our lives. 

It is in the name of our Lord Jesus we pray. 

Amen.

Lent Day 29: Thornbushes

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, 

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." 

Habakkuk 3:17-18, NIV

I woke up early, too early, it seems, on this twenty-ninth lenten morning. As soon as I opened my eyes, my mind began running like the fastest race cars featured on TV because of hardships that have lumbered through my door. And, despite the many miles God has walked with me on this journey of faith, I could feel my heart slowly drifting this morning from the path of faith to a place of fear.

Fear.
Bona fide fear.
As in . . . will God get me through this? How is He going to get me through this?

Fear began its crippling effect on me because I allowed myself to focus too much on the immediate crises facing me. I failed to realize the spiritual resources granted to me in Christ Jesus. I forgot to rehearse in my heart and mind that "the One in me is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Then, just like that, the Holy Spirit prompted me to remember a passage I read last night before slipping under the covers:

"I will give thanks to You,

O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to You among the nations.

For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let Your glory be over all the earth!"

Psalm 108:3-5, NIV

What, Lord? 
You want me to thank You instead of embracing fear? 
You want me to sing of Your steadfast love, faithfulness, and glory instead of doubting Your hand?

Exactly.

Friend, I know you've been there. 
You hear a clear message to look through the lens of faith and yet persist on seeing through physical eyes. 

As followers of Christ, you and I are encouraged to remind ourselves that present circumstances are but two-dimensional and flat—we only see them though our earthly eyes. In the natural world, our sight feeds our mind, which then leads to action. With no buds on trees, as we read above in Habakkuk, we can conclude that the Israelites might have embraced fear -- thinking that there was no hope for a good crop, no possibilities of fruitful seasons in the future, no provision to carry them through the winter months, no clothing for their bodies, no shelter for the homeless, “no nuthin” as some say.

In Habakkuk’s time, figs, grapes, and olives were such needed assets in Israel that a failed crop would severely cripple the economy and the wellbeing of the people. In other words, looking at the unproductive gardens was akin to our watching the news and hearing the anchorman predict financial doom for America. Yet, in spite of that bleak prediction based on human wisdom, Habakkuk chose to rejoice in the divine wisdom of our Creator. 

How was that possible? 

Like the apostle Paul, Habakkuk learned the secret to joy and contentment—“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). In other words, Habakkuk realized that he could endure the harshest of circumstances as long as he kept his eyes on the Source of his strength and joy. In fact, Habakkuk further states, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer, He enables me to go on the heights” (3:19). 

King David understood that concept also when he penned Psalm 30:5a, “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” At the end of his Psalm, David wrote some encouraging words on this topic: “You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give You thanks forever” (Ps. 30:11-12).

Joy.
Strength.
Gratitude.
Confidence.
Thanksgiving.

All of these can replace the fear that seeks to cripple you and me when facing seemingly insurmountable trials because of God's benevolent hand. As I meditated further on God's grace, Hosea 2:6-7 brought more divine illumination to my heart,

"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;

I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;

she will look for them but not find them.

then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband as at first.' "

As we pray, might we ask God to illumine our hearts to view seemingly insurmountable trials as thornbushes blocking our straying from the path of faith? Might we pray for strength to exercise faith with boldness—delighting in God, following His ways, obeying His precepts, and thanking Him for His grace and wisdom? Might we pray for the assurance that our loving and almighty God will restore us to wholeness no matter how broken we are presently? Might we ask God to open our eyes to see that true joy does not come from health, wealth, spouse, love interest, family, friendship, paycheck, business, or stuff but from the wonder-working power of the gospel? 

Wall us in, Lord! The path that leads to fear and death is too wide and alluring for us. Before we stray too far, please have Your thornbushes ready to block our path so that we may follow the narrow way of life. May we feel the sting of Your training and the rod of Your correction! May our ears be attentive and our hearts submissive so we can walk with You in Your way, Your truth, and Your life, O Christ!

Lent Day 28: Purity

On this twenty-eighth lenten morning, the Holy Spirit draws me to reflect upon the Father's summons to white-hot purity inherent in Lent -- white as the beautiful petals below.

“Purity of heart is to will one thing.”

Søren Kierkegaard

What is purity?

This morning, my lenten journey leads me to a rest stop that enables me to see purity as the truest, undiluted, most potent form of an entity or concept. It is the quality of staying true, unwavering, and determined in following one and only one path regardless of external pressures or enticements. It is the ability to ward off contaminants and defects from a specific substance. It is the stability of the mind to remain alert, sharp, and focused on the right thing. It is the commitment to be loyal to one Lord and Master.

Purity is an oft-neglected concept in group discussions because of the hot-button issues it unearths. Topics such as divorce, extramarital affairs, homosexuality, bisexuality, teen pregnancy, abortion, and the like are some of the concerns which have triggered oodles of noodle-like dissensions among people causing much wreckage in the body of Christ. 

Often, when the word purity is brought up in Christian circles, most automatically imply sexual purity -- the idea of keeping sexual goings-on within the confines of marriage. Numerous materials dealing with this question are readily available and, to be honest, such valuable biblical teaching is most needed in our time.

However, when pondering purity in depth, my mind is confronted with this truth -- the purity to which God calls His children goes far deeper than sexual or even physical purity. In fact, its presence or lack thereof influences and governs every area of life.

We bathe, brush our teeth, scrub our floors, and clean our dishes. We air out linens that have stayed in closets all winter long and disinfect kitchen countertops after chopping, dicing, and slicing meat. Health specialists promote the idea that humans need pure drinking water to remain alive and healthy. We launder whites separate from other types of clothing in order to preserve their pristine quality. We wash our cars, vacuum carpeted floors, and dust the furniture. We value the signs we see in public restrooms urging employees to clean their hands with soap and water because of health safety reasons. We recognize the importance of sanitizing needles and other medical tools because of the threat of death their infected versions would pose to patients. We proofread our writing and eliminate (as much as possible) typographical and grammatical errors. We value ethical practices in the corporate world and those who are involved in embezzlement are justly punished -- as The Wall Street Journal eagerly informs the public.

In short, we want things to be untainted and just so.

Or, do we?

Why, then, is there so much focus on purifying things while most individuals are either disinterested in developing personal purity or offended that anyone might suggest their need for it? 

The answer is simpler than one might think at first glance. It is one that goes to the core of the human heart -- people have a great desire to control everything that is outside of them while rejecting the idea of self-control. This rejection is the neglect, or rather, the suppression of their need for personal truth, discipline, and conviction. 

The denial of the above three elements stems from the fact that all three demand of individuals to face their flaws head on and call for a decision one way or another at the purity crossroads, a decision they are not always ready or willing to make.

This morning, my heart is convicted.

My flaws are unmistakably before my face.

I have a decision to make at this crossroads: Do I head South and descend to the pit of impurity or do I go North and embrace the purity that I inherit through the finished work of Christ's righteousness?

The purity of lenten thought insists on prodding me to become intentional about the direction I take on my journey since said direction, instead of the words I merely utter, will more accurately testify to the truth of my rending to my Lord. 

Thus, purity is the proof that Christ's cleansing has taken place in me. It is the public declaration that I am surrendering every ounce of willpower to Christ who alone can maintain or preserve my purity through His righteousness.

So, Lent calls you and me to pause and see that there is much at stake when impurity is the pattern of the life of a professed follower of Christ. My prayer is that you and I will continue on this journey to discover and partake of the numerous blessings granted to us in Christ, the perfect Husbandman. Lent beckons us to recognize and acknowledge Christ’s position vis-à-vis His creation and our position in regard to His—He is Lord and Master whereas we are His sheep, the people of His pasture. This acknowledgment necessitates submission, surrender, release, and let go.

Why should we let go of our “need” to be in control of our lives? 

Paul proclaims that such is the response the Father desires from those who believe in His Son. In fact, in Colossians 2:6-7, he exhorts, 

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, 

continue to live in Him, 

rooted and built up in Him, 

strengthened in the faith as you were taught, 

and overflowing with thankfulness.” 

In other words, it is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord” and fail to relate to Christ as the Lord of our lives. God seeks from us not nice words, but intimate relationship, even and especially when that relationship is being refined in the fire of adversity.

Adversity is a concept that is clearly mentioned in the book of Daniel. When the King of Babylon threatened the three Hebrew men, they responded in purity: 

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if He does not, we want you to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

That, indeed, was the kind of faith that is the prerogative of purity—a faith that is unmixed, undiluted, untainted. Regardless of momentary rewards, tantalizing appeals, initial sweetness, risk-free boasts, powerful threats, our God yearns for us to have a faith that identifies and helps avoid the idols (affections and commitments) that are potentially lethal to our spiritual health.

O Lord, 

we yearn for purity of heart;

we yearn for spiritual renewal. 

Thank You for giving us, in Christ, 

a new heart and a new spirit 

as You promised through the prophet Ezekiel—

the heart and Spirit of Jesus—

so that we may live holy and surrendered lives. 

We pray that the sins of our past 

will become appalling to us 

and that we will recoil from ever committing them again. 

Most of all, we pray that you will remove 

any disgrace we have brought upon Your name. 

Bring us to understand and cling to the blessedness of Your forgiveness, Lord, 

and renew our minds to grasp Your grace more fully. 

And may Your holiness be made known to the world 

through Your great acts of mercy to us. 

In Christ alone, we pray. 

Amen!