Please keep reminding me!

I continually forget how radical God’s grace is. It’s like the thick haze of my own regrets makes it difficult to see clearly as I squint amidst the clutter of my own bad attitudes and blunders. God’s grace just doesn’t compute in such circumstances. That’s why I need regular reminders of how amazing it is!

So consider this… When writing to the believers in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul prayed that Jesus would establish their hearts as “blameless in holiness before our God and Father” (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Literally “blameless in holiness”! Remember, Paul is writing about the human species here – about people much like you and I, who fail daily, or even hourly, or even… I actually have no idea how prevalent some of my most stubborn sinful thought-patterns are! The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). But Paul wrote that when we come before God, he wants us to be assured that because of what the Lord Jesus has done for us on the cross, an infinitely Pure and Holy God will see us as blameless rather than as sinful – and as holy (meaning, set apart for Him) rather than as tainted by this world!

And because I’ve accepted by faith what Jesus did for me on the cross, when God now looks at me, He isn’t staring at my sin, because He literally took away my sin, and the righteousness of Jesus is now credited to me (check out Romans 4:22-25)! He’s not frowning at my flaws, but is smiling at my sinlessness after having nailed to the cross that “certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us” (Colossians 2:14). Paul takes his terminology even further in his letter to the Colossians as he explains how Jesus presents us before God as “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Colossians 1:22). Imagine that... Whatever we’re struggling with in our walk with God, we should consider ourselves totally out of reach from the clutching claws of reproach (which includes self-reproach!).

Thank you, Lord Jesus! That is what I continually need reminding of, and is why we have reason to be confident and joyful every time we approach God’s Glorious Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16)!

© 2019 by Ken Peters

Who's Steering this Ship?

Do you ever wonder if you could do a better job of running this tumultuous world than God is doing? Or if that seems too vast, perhaps simply your own life? I definitely have moments when I struggle to believe that God is as concerned as I am about some of the more difficult details of my life.

Of course, in our more objective moments, we can easily recognize that these jobs are far too big for us, but I still can't help but wonder why God doesn't sometimes do what I personally think would be best. I can be tempted to believe that this world, or particular details of my life, are spinning out of control, as if God has been negligent in looking after them.

But then I remember how big God is; that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

God is not oblivious to our circumstances, nor is He negligent in His Lordship. He is not ignoring us and nor are we hidden from Him. God Himself asks us, "'Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:24a). Then God answers Himself with a rhetorical question: "'Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:24b). In other words, we aren't hidden from God, and nor has He missed any of the latest news headlines, for God's presence fills the earth as well as the entire universe!

Not only that, but the Bible assures us that God has complete authority throughout the earth. Psalm 82:8 says "Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations." And Psalm 83:1-2, 17-18 appeals for God to act on that authority in response to His enemies, "O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate you have exalted themselves... Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, and let them be humiliated and perish, that they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth."

This tells us that God:

• fills all the earth,
• possesses all the earth, and 
• is presiding as the Lord over all the earth.

And each of those great truths apply to every single happening and heartache in our lives, because we are residents of this earth that the Most High God rules over.

So in light of that, do I still feel tempted to think that this world – or any aspects of my life – are spinning out of control as if God has been negligent in looking after things? Do I still wonder if I could do a better job than Him?

John Newton, the author of the famous hymn, Amazing Grace, once wrote, "If it were possible for me to alter any part of His plan, I could only spoil it." God knows what He's doing, and will ably steer us and this world into His will as His wise and sovereign plans unfold. And as He does so, He invites us to pray and obey rather than to complain and interfere.

Yes, God knows what He's doing, and quite honestly, we as stumbling sinners don't. So every day, I must choose to trust Him as I call out to Him to perform His perfect will in all the situations that trouble me in my life and in this complicated world. And every day, I must follow the leading of His Spirit in how I respond to those situations, because God knows exactly how every situation is meant to work out. As our "enemies make an uproar," that is the only way we will be able to respond with perfect peace.

© 2017 by Ken Peters

New Covenant Drama

As a young boy, I was always fascinated with the painting of the Last Supper that was hung on a wall at the First Baptist Church of Royal Oak. I remember that I used to sometimes stand and stare at it for quite a while. There were so many expressions, so many gestures, and then there was that terrible Judas selfishly clutching his money bag. I was very concerned about that. The whole scene seemed so dramatic. And so it was.

But later in life, as I read the story in the Gospels, it seemed dramatic for a different reason. Amidst all those expressions and gestures, Jesus said something earth-shattering as he served the Passover meal: "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood" (Luke 22:20). A new covenant? What did that mean to his Jewish disciples 1,300 long years after the old Mosaic covenant had been established by God at Mount Sinai? A "new covenant" with God meant that something dramatic was happening before their very eyes!

Jeremiah had spoken of this day over 600 years earlier when he wrote, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31). What does this "new covenant" with God mean? I invite you to quickly read through this list of some of the many treasures God intends for us to enjoy in this "new covenant" each and every day! It will encourage your spirit.

1. God makes us His people and puts His words in our hearts (Jer. 31:33; 1 Pet. 2:9).
2. We are born again, as new creations (John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17).
3. God reveals His mysteries to us, hidden from ages past (Col.1:26).
4. God is for us (Romans 8:31)!
5. God forgives all our sins, and declares us to be holy, blameless and beyond reproach (Eph. 1:7-8; Heb. 9:14-15; Col. 1:22).
6. We can enjoy God's abundant grace (Rom. 5:15, 17, 20-21; Eph. 2:7)
7. God fills us with His love so that we can love others with His love (1 John 4:7-12).
8. God fills us with His joy (John 15:11).
9. God fills us with His peace (John 14:27; Phil. 4:7).
10. God gives us heavenly wisdom (James 1:5; 3:17).
11. We have direct access to God rather than through a mediator (Heb. 4:14-16).
12. God invites us to ask of Him in Jesus' name like never before (John 16:23-24).
13. Nothing can separate us from God (Romans 8:35).
14. Jesus becomes our friend as He becomes our Lord (John 15:15).
15. God's Holy Spirit lives in us to comfort, guide and strengthen us (John 14:26; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:16, 22-23).
16. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).
17. We are children of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:15-17).
18. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3).
19. We're given everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
20. God sanctifies us by helping us to grow mature (2 Thess. 2:13).
21. God gives each of us spiritual gifts for works of service (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:7).
22. God prepares good works for us to do for Him (Eph. 2:10).
23. We are included on a mission of eternal significance (Matt. 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).
24. We become God's partners in His work (1 Cor. 3:9).
25. We will live with Jesus for eternity (John 14:1-4)!

We're meant to enjoy every promise on that list every day. And that is just the beginning of all that we can enjoy in God's new covenant with us!

© 2015 by Ken Peters

No Other Option

What do you do when a big-time need gets worse and worse as you pray for years and years? Is there ever a time to stop asking God about it? Is it possible that God wants the fact that He hasn't answered "Yes" to such prayers to be understood as a "No" and that we should should stop asking Him further about it?

My short answer to that is: there sometimes are such times, but each person needs the Holy Spirit to make that very clear to them.

My longer answer is: the only verses in the Bible that I can think of in which someone is told to stop praying is God telling Jeremiah not to pray for a people whom God had already decided to judge for their sins (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14). In those cases, God knew that His fatherly discipline was what was clearly needed in the situation and there was no point praying for an alternative approach. God made that very clear to Jeremiah (see short answer above).

But it's a big Bible, and I can't see that happening anywhere else in Scripture. What I see more of is God's call to keep on praying and to not give up!

I see Samuel saying, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23).

I see David saying, "As for me, I will call upon God... Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:16-17).

I see Jesus saying, "Keep on asking for something to be given and it shall be given to you" (Matthew 7:7, Kenneth Wuest's "Expanded Translation").

I see Paul saying, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And I see Paul giving us a wonderful glimpse in Colossians of his convictions regarding persistent prayer.

The overwhelming message of the Bible is that we must not give up asking, even if an answer is slow in coming. In fact, Jesus went out of His way to make sure that we knew what to do when answers didn't come quickly. Luke tells us that "He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1) and then proceeded to tell them a story about a widow who had to persist in prayer because an answer was slow in coming. Jesus was basically warning us, as if to say, "This happens sometimes, so don't give up when it does."

So until I get a clear word from God telling me otherwise, I've got to persist! No matter how I feel about the delays or the circumstances, I've got no other option except to pray and keep on praying when answers don't come. Giving up is not an option.

"And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him?" (Luke 18:7). That's something we can count on.

© 2014 by Ken Peters

Do not say...

You got fears? I got fears. I shrink back from things all the time. What's up with that? I serve a God far bigger than anything I'll ever face, and yet I keep getting scared of the challenges God sets before me.

Jeremiah did too. God said to him, "I have appointed you a prophet to the nation (Jeremiah 1:5). Big job. So understandably, Jeremiah responds with, "Alas, Lord God! I don't know how to speak, because I'm a youth" (Jer. 1:6). But God doesn't back down and His response to Jeremiah is firm: "Do not say, 'I am a youth'" (Jer. 1:7). In other words, "Your objection is all about you. Do not object based on who you are, but remember who appointed you." Because the next thing God said was, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you" (Jer. 1:8).

So what has God asked of me that's left me nervous and objecting? And what's my objection typically focused on? "Alas, Lord God! I'm too insecure. I'm not clever enough. I'm too socially clumsy. (etc.)" Every objection is all about me, and oblivious to who God is. And God's response to me is the same as His response to Jeremiah: "Do not say, 'I'm too insecure' or 'I'm not clever enough.'" If Almighty God promises to be with me, then what is there to fear? Do I trust Him to provide for my security (which is in Christ)? Do I trust Him to give me His wisdom when I ask for it (which He promises to do)? Do I trust Him to help me when I choose to follow Him (which He'll do because He's always with me)?

The choice is clear: I can worry about who I am -- because I've forgotten who I am in Christ -- or trust God for who He is -- because I've remembered what He did for me at the cross. "For He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things!" (Romans 8:32)

© 2010 by Ken Peters

The Significance of Obedience (church bulletin cover)

Obedience to God is not just some Old Testament emphasis that's been replaced by an emphasis on grace in the New Testament. That's why Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). That's why Paul said, amidst a discourse on grace, "How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:2). So when God sums things up in Jeremiah 7:23 by saying, "But this command I gave them: Obey My voice, and I will be your God", I need to heed that.

I'm quite sure that God speaks to me, directs me, counsels me, or simply commands me regularly. Daily. Many times a day. But am I listening? Or am I blithely carrying on in my own familiarity with all my routines, comfortable with my own momentum, feeling certain that I know what to do with my days? Jesus said, "You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am" (John 13:13). So does that mean I'm carefully listening to my Teacher each and every day, ready to obey Him as Lord? It may be that I often do that when the "big" things in life come up, but not necessarily with the "little" things.

But if I truly want to treat Jesus as my Teacher and Lord, and to obey His commands, then I ought to aim to be so sensitive to His voice that I can hear Him even amidst my ordinary routines, and so alert that I obey His voice even when He asks a very little thing of me. That's the way I can express that He is my God. And isn't it wonderful that immediately after Jesus explains that those who love Him ought to obey Him, He then says, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper [His Holy Spirit], to be with you forever" (John 14:16). The obedience God asks for is not something He leaves us to do by our own strength, but God helps us every step of the way!

So with such wonderful promises as that, it is wise to daily remind ourselves of what God said next in Jeremiah 7:23 -- "And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you." Obedience is never outdated.

© 2009 by Ken Peters