I Act the Miracle

I found a very helpful devotional on John Piper's blog today. It's something I very much needed to hear, as it seemed to relate very well to what I'd just recently posted to my own blog, and I plan to listen to the longer version for which a link is provided below. Check it out, and perhaps you'll also find it a helpful insight!...

When it comes to killing my sin I don’t wait for the miracle, I Act the Miracle.

Acting a miracle is different from working a miracle. If Jesus tells a paralyzed man to get up, and he gets up, Jesus works a miracle. But if I am the paralyzed man and Jesus tells me to get up, and I obey and get up, I act the miracle. If I am dead Lazarus and Jesus commands me to get up, and I obey, Jesus works the miracle, I act the miracle.

So when it comes to killing my sin, I don’t wait passively for the miracle of sin-killing to be worked on me, I act the miracle.

For example, Paul says, “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13).

So he tells me to put my sin to death. I should not wait for God to kill it while I remain passive. But he tells me to kill it “by the Spirit." Sin-killing is a miracle of the Spirit. But I do not wait passively, I act the miracle.

Again Paul says, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

So Paul works hard to kill the sins of lethargy and distraction in his ministry. “I worked harder than any of them.” But the decisive animation of that work is the grace of God. It is a miracle. But Paul does not wait passively, he acts the miracle.

Or consider Philippians 2:12-13. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).

Paul commands me to work out my salvation, because God is the one who works this in me. My willing and working is God’s willing and working. It is a miracle. But I do not wait passively, I act the miracle.

I spoke to the Bethlehem College and Seminary Chapel about this crucial act of miraculous sin-killing in my own life. These are lessons I learned afresh on my leave of absence. They feel very fresh, very important and very powerful in my life right now. It is a very personal message.

I invite you to listen or watch “I Act the Miracle.”

© 2011 by Ken Peters

I am truly blessed!

King David said it with such straightforward certainty:  "For You, O Lord God, have spoken, and with Your blessing shall the house of Your servant be blessed forever" (2 Samuel 7:29).  David had just heard through the prophet Nathan of the Lord's plans to bless his family line.  And with no clue regarding the global and eternal implications of that messianic prophetic word, David responded with a no-nonsense, matter-of-fact confidence in God's perpetual blessing on his family.  He took the gift of God's extravagant blessing at face value with a "You said it, I believe it" kind of certainty.

Well, if David could be so unwaveringly sure of such significant blessings after a single prophetic word from Nathan the prophet, then, by God's grace, I ought to be able to walk in a state of continual and absolute certainty of God's promised blessings for my family based on the great work Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross and on all that we know about God from His Word (not to mention all the prophetic words we've received as well)!

Think of it.  I could say, For you, O Lord, have spoken!  Your Word tells me that all of God's promises find their Yes in You, Lord Jesus! (2 Corinthians 1:20).  And that God has rescued me from sin's hold on me, forgiving me for all my wrongs, because every one of them was nailed to the cross on which You died! (Colossians 1:13-14; 2:13-14). And Your Word tells me that because the grave couldn't hold You, You caused me to come alive with You -- to be born again as a new creation! (1 Corinthians 15:22-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17).  And You've promised that God's Spirit will dwell in me as the Spirit of adoption, making me God's son (Romans 8:15) -- "chosen of God, holy and beloved"! (Colossians 3:12).  And that same God has blessed me in You with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).  In fact, Your divine power has provided me with everything I need for life and godliness! (2 Peter 1:3).  Your Word even tells me that God has raised me up with You and seated me with You in heavenly places!  All this so that in the ages to come, God can show me the infinite riches of His grace and kindness that He has expressed through You, Lord Jesus! (Ephesians 2:6-7).  In other words, I should be able to say with David, "with your blessing shall the house of Your servant be blessed forever!"

God has spoken.  It's the truth.  And I believe it.

I realize that the mistake we sometimes make is to make these blessings our focus in place of seeking the loving God who has given them to us.  But to be clear, I believe that "if we don't want God above all things [including "redemption, forgiveness, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven"], we have not been converted by the Gospel." (John Piper, "God is the Gospel").  But when we, like King David, are people who seek after God's own heart above all else (1 Samuel 13:14), all these promises simply become the myriad of blessings that we're meant to walk in as children of God!  And that's meant to encourage us.  That's why they're called blessings!  Such promises ought to impact how we well we can face the challenges that come our way, as we remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross and realize what living a life of confidence in Him accomplishes in our hearts.

© 2010 by Ken Peters

Devotions aren't Magic

Jon Bloom is the Executive Director of Desiring God, an excellent ministry that seeks to share God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper. I’ve been encouraged by a great deal of what I’ve read by John Piper and by much of what I’ve discovered on his website. The following post from Jon Bloom's blog was no exception...

Devotions Aren’t Magic

We know that – for the most part.  But still, we can be tempted to think that if we just figure out the secret formula – the right mixture of Bible meditation and prayer – we will experience euphoric moments of rapturous communion with the Lord.  And if that doesn’t happen, our formula must be wrong.

The danger of this misconception is that it can produce chronic disappointment and discouragement.  Cynicism sets in and we give up because devotions don’t seem to work for us.

The longing for intimate communion with God is God-given.  He will satisfy it fully some day.  And the Spirit gives us occasional tastes.  But God has other purposes for us in our daily Bible meditation and prayer.  Here are a few:

1. Soul Exercise (1 Corinthians 9:24, Romans 15:4):  We exercise our bodies to increase strength, endurance, promote general health, and keep unnecessary weight off.  Devotions are like exercise for our souls.  They force our attention off of self-indulgent distractions and pursuits and on to God’s purposes and promises.  If we neglect this exercise we will go to pot.

2. Soul Shaping (Romans 12:2):  The body will generally take the shape of how we exercise it.  Running shapes one way, weight training shapes another way.  The same is true for the soul.  It will conform to how we exercise (or don’t exercise) it. 

3. Bible Copiousness (Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:97, Proverbs 23:12):  A thorough, repeated soaking in the Bible over the course of years increases our body of biblical knowledge, providing fuel for the fire of worship and increasing our ability to draw from all parts of the Bible in applying God’s wisdom to life. 

4. Fight Training (Ephesians 6:10-17):  Marines undergo rigorous training in order to so ingrain their weapons knowledge that when suddenly faced with the chaos of combat they instinctively know what to do.  Similarly, devotions make us more skilled warriors. 

5. Delight Cultivation (Psalm 37:3-4, James 4:8, Psalm 130:5):  When a couple falls in love there are hormonal fireworks.  But in marriage they must cultivate delight in one another.  It is the consistent, persistent, faithful, intentional, affectionate pursuit of one another during better and worse, richer and poorer, sickness and healthy times that cultivates a capacity for delight in each other far deeper and richer than the fireworks phase.  Similarly, devotions are one of the ways we cultivate delight in God.  Many days it may seem mundane.  But we will be surprised at the cumulative power they have to deepen our love for and awareness of Him.

To be owned or on my own: Postures for a new decade (part 3)

A brief series of personal reflections on how I feel God has been posturing me for this new decade. Nothing profound. Just an honest and vulnerable look at where I'm at and who God is revealing Himself to be to me.

I recently noticed that a friend of mine describes his religious views on Facebook in a unique way: "Jesus owns me." Wow. I've never really thought of summing up my religious views like that. But having seen it now, I'm stirred by that three-word description. And I think it touches something in my soul that I want it to touch. Because as this new year begins, I too want to be that sold out to Jesus.

Ownership has its implications. If I own something, then I have the final say regarding what that something is to be used for. With ownership comes authority. And 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that God owns me. This is a little more extreme than simply being a soldier under orders (as in 2 Timothy 2:3-4). This is the idea of being a slave. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:20 that I was "bought with a price." I've heard that phrase used in reference to a person who is on the slave blocks being redeemed by someone else who has paid a price for that person to be freed. But that's not what that phrase is about in this passage, because it immediately follows another phrase -- "You are not your own." It seems to me that this passage is more about the ownership of a slave rather than the redemption of a slave. And with ownership of that slave comes authority over that slave.

This all sounds so familiar. Is this any different than simply calling Jesus my Lord? No, it's the same. But what makes it stand out in my mind is that I feel more accustomed to calling Jesus my Lord than calling myself Jesus' slave. That's because I'm much more familiar with thinking of myself as Jesus' friend or as God's son, which are also true of who I am. But if I'm a Christian, then it's worth remembering that God actually owns me. And if He owns me, then He has the final say over what I do with my life and my day, and I'm not meant to argue. I'm His. I'm not my own.

That's totally applicable to what I do in response to His Word, to daily decisions I face, and to what I do with my future. A slave must die to his or her own preferences or plans. As a slave, my future is no longer mine. Today is no longer mine. And if I don't like that, the only alternative is to be on that slave block, unredeemed and on my own, destined to be owned by my sins until I die in them (Romans 6:16). I don't want that, and it's knowing that the One who bought me is also the One who adopts me (Romans 8:15) that makes me eager to be owned by such a wonderful God!

The Apostle Paul sometimes introduced himself as a slave of Christ at the beginning of his New Testament letters. And I know that he understood the implications of ownership. And if I'm to be as eager to embrace God's will for my life as Paul was, I too need to understand that there's more joy to be found as God's slave than in trying to find satisfaction in the freedom of pursuing my own preferences.

© 2010 by Ken Peters

Lists to Live by

When we make a list, we're making note of things that matter to us -- we're listing things we'd rather not forget. And with about three-quarters of a million words in the Bible, wouldn't it be handy if God just cut to the quick sometimes and used some clear concise lists to tell us precisely what matters to Him? Well, if you haven't noticed, God does do that. From the ten commandments in Exodus 20 to the eight fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, He uses many lists throughout the Bible to highlight what He truly values!

God uses lists to tell us what we should pursue and what we should avoid. He uses lists to tell us what He requires of us as well as what we need in order to be fruitful. If God offered you a list of character traits and told you, "If these qualities are yours and are increasing, they'll keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful", would you pay attention? And what if He told you of that list that, "If you practice these qualities, you'll never fall"? That'd be an important list to have! Well, there is such a list, and others like it. And personally, I think we ought to remember what God puts on such lists, because they provide an easy way to recall what matters to Him. Let's look at a few, beginning with the shortest list, but also the most important!

Jesus lists in Matthew 22:35-40 what the two greatest commands are in all the Bible... a) Love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and b) Love your neighbour as yourself.

In 1 Timothy 6:11, we find a helpful list of what every man or woman of God should pursue...

• righteousness
• godliness
• faith
• love
• perseverance
• gentleness

Micah 6:8 provides a brief but invaluable list of what God calls "good" and what "the Lord requires of us"...

• doing justice
• loving kindness
• walking humbly with God

And Peter is the one who gives us the list of qualities that will keep us from falling! (2 Peter 1:5-9)...

• faith
• virtue
• knowledge
• self-control
• perseverance
• godliness
• kindness
• love

Those are things God values. And those are things He lists for us so that we'll be sure to notice them. Perhaps they should be on our fridge by our grocery list or in the workshop by our to-do list. And if you want to look up some other valuable lists, see Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9; Ephesians 6:13-18; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:12-14; 1 Timothy 4:12 and 2 Timothy 2:22.

God makes it very easy for us to see what matters to Him. Just check the lists. And be encouraged that the rich wealth of words before and after each list tell us how God provides us with all we need to live these lists every day!

© 2009 by Ken Peters

Issues of Existence

Spring break is upon us and the kids are home from school for a week. And since I'm able to take some time off from work, I've been wondering what we'll do. It's a great opportunity for some family time, and yet I know how easy it'll be for each of us to get lost in our own pursuits.

I can see it now... I'm in the dining room grinding my teeth as I do the taxes, Fiona is curled up on the couch in the living room enjoying a good book, Nick is in the family room intently focused on some game on the kids' computer, Amy's down in my office texting someone on Facebook, and Becky hasn't appeared yet -- she's still in her room sleeping.

And as I thought about how we could be sure to spend some quality time together as a family, I wondered about the many choices we each make that revolve around our own personal lives. I could also see in my own life that so much of my life revolves around me: my interests and my appetites; my need for rest and my desire for fun; my diversions and my collections. I could go on and on. Sure, I'd like to believe that as a Christian, I aim to base my choices in life on what God wants me to do, but I wonder what percentage of both my pursuits and my possessions are more about me than about God.

I recently read how plainly Paul puts things when he says, "for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we exist" (1 Corinthians 8:6). Paul couldn't get more basic in his focus here -- these are simple issues of existence. We exist for the Father and we exist through Jesus. So this means that without the Lordship of Jesus, I wouldn't even have another heartbeat nor take another breath. I can't exist without Him and His all-encompassing Lordship. And without my heavenly Father, I'd have absolutely no eternally meaningful purpose to live for. I exist for what He sovereignly determines to be my purpose on this earth, and I'm to seek Him to discover it.

The thought that this leaves me with is that my life ought to revolve much more around the supreme God of all things than it does. If the truth is that I only exist through God and for God, then I have to ask how much of what I presently pursue and possess reflects that kind of God-centeredness? I want to begin examining my life with this in mind -- each choice, each purchase, each challenge -- is this why God gave me breath? Is this what I exist to spend my time at? And as I ask such foundational questions about my very existence on any given day, I hope that an ever-increasing percentage of my life will be focused on the awesome God who gave me life.

And I trust that what I do with spring break will reflect that!

© 2009 by Ken Peters

Facing the Facts! Rejoicing in the Truth! (church bulletin cover)

A rock moved away. An empty tomb. These are historical events that are as central to our faith in Christ as the cross on which He died. For as Paul said, “if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-17). And in a society largely convinced that truth is simply whatever you personally believe to be true, the resurrection of Jesus is an historical fact (that is, a truth) that people need to grapple with. We have a vast mass of literature claiming that Jesus was confirmed by Roman authorities to be dead, the tomb in which He was laid was covered by a stone of great weight, guarded by disciplined Roman soldiers, and sealed according to Roman authority to warn away any who desired to tamper with this tomb. Yet on that wonderful Sunday, the tomb was empty. Christ’s enemies could not deny it was empty because they could not produce the body. They blamed the disciples. But how and why would 11 frightened and disillusioned disciples defy a Roman seal, get past a Roman guard and move the stone? And how would such a scam result in their transformed lives which they were later willing to lay on the line for their conviction that Jesus was alive? The literature of the day, the many witnesses, the transformed lives — it is all credible historic evidence that cries out for a verdict. Jesus’ tomb is empty and He offers the same resurrection life to all who call out to Him. What is your response?

© 2008 by Ken Peters