Meditations on Psalm 37:11
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Meek is a word that is totally misunderstood in our culture. Meekness has developed this connotation that there is weakness involved or some sort of willingness to be walked over.
Here in this context, it simply means full awareness of our need and inability. Other scriptures translate this as humble.
I think about Mia, my 5 year old, and how she wants nothing to do with a swimming pool unless I am with her or how she wants nothing to do with going to our basement unless her big brother goes with her. It is not so much about fear of the pool or the basement as much as it is about trust in her dad and big brother. She is completely at peace when we are there with her.
When we are aware of our own brokenness and need and aware of the protection and complete perfection of God and run to him in all circumstances we are meek. When we are meek we live in abundant peace.
Peace in this verse is welfare, contentment, completeness. We have these things in excess in Christ. We have more peace than we need, we have extravagant welfare in Christ.
Difficult circumstances are not be feared or cause us dismay, they serve us in that they push into the arms of the giver of abundant peace. When Mia and I are in the pool she clings to and learns to trust in her dad who would give his life to protect and provide for her.
Meek is a word that is totally misunderstood in our culture. Meekness has developed this connotation that there is weakness involved or some sort of willingness to be walked over.
Here in this context, it simply means full awareness of our need and inability. Other scriptures translate this as humble.
I think about Mia, my 5 year old, and how she wants nothing to do with a swimming pool unless I am with her or how she wants nothing to do with going to our basement unless her big brother goes with her. It is not so much about fear of the pool or the basement as much as it is about trust in her dad and big brother. She is completely at peace when we are there with her.
When we are aware of our own brokenness and need and aware of the protection and complete perfection of God and run to him in all circumstances we are meek. When we are meek we live in abundant peace.
Peace in this verse is welfare, contentment, completeness. We have these things in excess in Christ. We have more peace than we need, we have extravagant welfare in Christ.
Difficult circumstances are not be feared or cause us dismay, they serve us in that they push into the arms of the giver of abundant peace. When Mia and I are in the pool she clings to and learns to trust in her dad who would give his life to protect and provide for her.
The Gospel in Life
The tag line for our series "The Gospel in Life" is, "Grace changes everything". As we are the beginning of the series, let's look the word grace and how it affects us and in turn how that ought to affect how we affect the world.
From the NAS Greek Lexicon, the word Grace (Charis) is a noun defined as::
favor of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection.
The root of this Greek word is verb that simply means to be glad. So grace is that quality possessed by God and given without external provocation to you and I. It is delivered to us through the work of Christ and our surrender to it.
Grace changes everything.
I want to explain what I mean when I see without external provocation. Grace rests within God. God gives that favor (see above definition) without regard to anyone deserving it. When I look at my wife and see her eyes and I say to her, "you have beautiful eyes." The actual beauty of her eyes is an external factor that has stirred up affection in me and caused me to tell her that her eyes are beautiful. When one of my kids does something sweet or funny, I am stirred to action by telling them they are cute or smart or funny or a superstar. Those are external provocations.
God giving us his grace was unprovoked, unmerited, unearned in anyway. When we realize that we have been rescued from a broken world and been redeemed from our own brokenness and when we realize that we have been rescued purpose and deep interacting love; it must change everything.
Join us in this series (sermons, blog, community groups, vimeo) as we breathe in deeply how grace changes the way we look and and interact at work, in our cities, in our families and everything about us. We are broken, but through the grace of God, we have been redeemed. That should motivate us to live in a broken and bring redemption to it.
Praying for Gospel in Life
We are about to officially kick off our series "The Gospel in Life". It is an eight week series with a couple of breaks thrown in. The intent of the series is to look closely into the gospel and press it into the core of who we are in such a way that it takes root and begins to dictate how we interact with our world.
We will engage this series on Sunday mornings in service, in community groups and with a home study. All are invited to any and all of the settings.
As we prepare for the first sermon in the series this Sunday, I want to give us all something to pray through and ask God to prepare us.
Pray that God would lead you to his truth. Read and pray John 16:13. This verse says that the Holy Spirit will guide you to truth. Pray with vigor that you would lay hold of the truth of the gospel. Pray that he would bury his truth deep into your soul.
Pray that God would allow you to live this truth. Read and pray Eph 4:1. This verse urges us to live lives worthy of our calling. This word worthy means of equal weight. This calling is the gospel. So our prayer is that God would change us in such a way that the life we live would reflect the gospel that we have engaged.
I am praying these things for us all. I hope to see you Sunday. Thanks for reading!
The Gospel in Life
This Sunday we begin our series "The Gospel in Life" with an intro message. Throughout this series,on Sunday mornings, in Community Groups and in your private study, we will strive to see the world through the lens of the gospel. You may not even know what that looks like, you may not know what I am even talking about when I use the world gospel.
Let me say two things about that. First, when we see the world through the lens of the gospel, life looks and tastes better. Second, the gospel is a churchy word that means when we were unworthy and repulsive to God, Jesus gave away all that he was to make us worthy and attractive to God.
Come join us on Sunday mornings, in Community Groups or in home study as we go through this series. All three facets of the series can stand alone. But we want to invite you to engage with us fully in this.
Engaging, My Enemy My Hope
I wrote this poem at 5:30 in the morning one morning last week when I could not sleep. It is rooted in place that God has been taking my soul in the last few weeks and I am currently there. What God was teaching me that resulted in this poem is the foundation for my sermon last week.
Here is the deal with it. This is a really frustrating thing about the Christian Condition, we never ever get there. We will always and forever be wrestling with our flesh. Paul says in Romans 7, "I do not do what I want but I do what I hate." Can I be completely honest and say that I absolutely hate that?
I know what I want to do, but I do not do it. That drives me crazy. More than anything in the world I want to have a deep intimacy with God, I want to be everything in the world to by bride that God is calling me to, I want to be everything in the world to my kids that God is calling me to be and I want to be the sort of pastor that God is calling me to be for North Church.
But I do not do what I want but I do what I hate.
What is the take away from this for you who are reading this? I think that it is two things. First, if you are not aware of the battle that rages within you for the affection of your soul then you really need to wake up and pay attention. Second, if you are aware of it and it paralyzes you or makes you walk around this life melancholy; know that you are no different that me or the apostle Paul or any other Christian to walk this earth.
So I offer this poem that God gave to me again. Read it and know that it is true and will always be true.
Like a wandering soul in the night, looking for light, looking for happiness, looking for peace.
Like a wandering soul in the night; searching in the darkness for light where there is no light to be found.
Like a wandering soul in the night; looking for light and unaware of enemies to my quest.
Like a wandering soul in the night, walking back into the same pit, falling again and again.
I look to things that cannot hold light, only reflect it.
I look to things that reflect light as my enemies.
I engage in battles with them.
My enemy laughs at my ignorance and glories in my torment.
But I call to mind your truth and hope returns.
Like a lost friend long forgotten.
Like a lost slipper whose form remains.
Like a warm bed on a cold night.
Like a soft lover after time away.
You oh Lord are my hope, Satan is my enemy.
You offer peace and community.
You inclined your ear and heard my cry.
Your thoughts to me and your deeds never failed.
Satan glories in my torment.
He laughs at my loneliness.
He plots my pain in moments.
He seeks after the temporary.
Fleeting are his deeds,
Given is his power,
Taken is his glory,
Empty is his reality.
Real is my pain, but only for the moment,
for the Lord is the victor.
Here is the deal with it. This is a really frustrating thing about the Christian Condition, we never ever get there. We will always and forever be wrestling with our flesh. Paul says in Romans 7, "I do not do what I want but I do what I hate." Can I be completely honest and say that I absolutely hate that?
I know what I want to do, but I do not do it. That drives me crazy. More than anything in the world I want to have a deep intimacy with God, I want to be everything in the world to by bride that God is calling me to, I want to be everything in the world to my kids that God is calling me to be and I want to be the sort of pastor that God is calling me to be for North Church.
But I do not do what I want but I do what I hate.
What is the take away from this for you who are reading this? I think that it is two things. First, if you are not aware of the battle that rages within you for the affection of your soul then you really need to wake up and pay attention. Second, if you are aware of it and it paralyzes you or makes you walk around this life melancholy; know that you are no different that me or the apostle Paul or any other Christian to walk this earth.
So I offer this poem that God gave to me again. Read it and know that it is true and will always be true.
Like a wandering soul in the night, looking for light, looking for happiness, looking for peace.
Like a wandering soul in the night; searching in the darkness for light where there is no light to be found.
Like a wandering soul in the night; looking for light and unaware of enemies to my quest.
Like a wandering soul in the night, walking back into the same pit, falling again and again.
I look to things that cannot hold light, only reflect it.
I look to things that reflect light as my enemies.
I engage in battles with them.
My enemy laughs at my ignorance and glories in my torment.
But I call to mind your truth and hope returns.
Like a lost friend long forgotten.
Like a lost slipper whose form remains.
Like a warm bed on a cold night.
Like a soft lover after time away.
You oh Lord are my hope, Satan is my enemy.
You offer peace and community.
You inclined your ear and heard my cry.
Your thoughts to me and your deeds never failed.
Satan glories in my torment.
He laughs at my loneliness.
He plots my pain in moments.
He seeks after the temporary.
Fleeting are his deeds,
Given is his power,
Taken is his glory,
Empty is his reality.
Real is my pain, but only for the moment,
for the Lord is the victor.
