Step into the Light

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

One day last week, I stepped out of a dimly lit room into the sunlight. Immediately, I became aware of the need for my eyes to adjust to the light. Our eyes are one of God’s greatest gifts to the human body. When we move from darkness to light (or from light to darkness) our pupils automatically adjust to control the amount of light that passes through the lens to the photoreceptors in the retina. As I know from past experience, we cannot see color or details when light cannot reach the retina. In our spiritual lives, God calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Only when we move into the light are we able to see clearly. God’s marvelous light changes everything. Peter gives us a picture of what the light reveals. First, we see ourselves differently. God’s light clarifies our identity. We are “chosen”. We are “royal priests”. We are “holy”. We are cherished by the Creator of the universe. Second, our mission is illuminated. As “royal priests”, we exist to declare His praises and make Him known to the world around us. Thank God for the light. If we try to see ourselves or our world without the light that God provides today, then our vision will be distorted. I don’t want to miss the brilliant color and detail of God’s plan for our lives.

Living Stones

As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4,5

It seems a subtle detail, but I think it matters a great deal. I’m referring to the fact that Peter reminds us that Jesus is a “living” Stone and we are “living” stones. Although Peter knew Jesus had ascended into heaven and he was present when Jesus disappeared, he knew that the vitality of His relationship with Jesus had not changed. Likewise, Peter knew the teachings of Jesus are not static. They are as dynamic as our relationship with the living Savior. Earlier in this passage Peter taught us that our development as followers of Jesus depends on the nourishment we receive from the Word of God. Like "newborn babies" we are to crave the nourishment that God's Word provides. Studying the Bible is important. But, “how” we read the Bible is very important. God’s word is alive. Eugene Peterson highlights the difference. Peterson writes that we must transition from reading the Word of God as a kind of reading that is “dead” to a way of reading that is “alive”. He compares reading the Bible to being with a “company of friends who are listening to, accompanying and following Jesus alive”. We need to recover the fact that Almighty God is speaking to us. When we do so, God’s master design is evident in our lives. The living Word impacts our lives. We, as living stones are shaped into the likeness of Jesus.

Craving

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Hundreds of years after this Psalm was born, Peter encouraged the early Christians to "crave" spiritual nourishment like a baby craves milk. (1 Peter 2:2). Although it's been a while since Nick was a baby, my memories are still pretty fresh. In fact, for the first 14 years of his life, he has always been very good at letting us know when he is hungry. As a baby, he would cry to let us know he was craving nourishment. The image that Peter provides is a great reminder that each of us has a cry inside of us. Our hearts yearn for nourishment. There is a craving inside of us that demands satisfaction. Often the problem is not the craving, it is the various places we turn to remedy the craving. The Greek text of 1 Peter 2:2 provides a descriptor for our nourishment. It is "pure". The Word of God, the nourishment that God provides for us is "pure". There is nothing like it. We crave peace. We crave acceptance. We crave healing. We crave hope. We crave belonging. Where can we find these things? There is no substitute for the pure nourishment that comes from God. Indeed, our souls pant for God like a deer thirsts for water. But how will we answer the craving today? The question of the Psalmist need not go unanswered. Where can I go to meet with God today? Why not meet with God by turning to His Word. Spend some time with God today drinking in the truth of His Word. Feed your heart with His Word.

Credibility

Organizations don't act; individuals do. Organizations don't save lives; individuals do. Organizations don't defraud; individuals do. It's important to make this distinction, because ultimately every one of us must take personal responsibility for what we do. Actions have consequences, and we all have to account for our own. What organizations do is create cultures. Culture is the organizational equivalent of a person's character. The behavior that is modeled becomes the behavior that is followed...It really does matter what you choose to believe in.James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

I first read Kouzes and Posner over a decade ago. Their research and writing about "credibility" is strong. The relationship between individual action and organizational culture is worth considering. Over and over again I have observed this relationship played out in terms of an individual member of the body of Christ and the Church. Although Kouzes and Posner were not writing about churches, the relevance is clear. We cannot depend on the "Church" to take action apart from our own willingness to act. Likewise, we cannot expect the "Church" to be pure apart from our own commitment to holiness. When we break it down on the local level, it reminds us that organizations do create culture. Cultures are created through the behaviors of the individual members. Love is evident in the culture of a "Church" when the members are actively extending themselves as the hands and feet of Christ. Grace and Hope are evident when the members model the heart and mind of Christ in daily life.

Destiny

Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words
Be careful of your words, for your words become your deeds
Be careful of your deeds, for your deeds become your habits
Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character
Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny
Anonymous

I ran across this old poem today and it made me think. We do not become who we become by accident. I hear the word “random” used in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it is just a sarcastic way to describe what we can’t explain about life. When I turn to God for perspective, I discover that the development of my character is anything but random. I’m not saying that I have a grip on everything that happens or affects me. But, I am saying that my thoughts, my words, my deeds and my habits have a cumulative effect on the person I become. Destiny is another word that gets tossed around a lot. God’s plan for our destiny has never been in doubt. In fact, I can describe it in one word. Home.

Worst Deal Ever

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. (Matthew 24:15-16)

As we approach Good Friday this week, I will revisit the betrayal of Jesus. Judas accepted 30 pieces of sliver in exchange for "handing Jesus over" to His enemies. No matter how many times we read about it, it's very difficult to believe. How could Judas do it? Matthew makes it clear that Judas was filled with regret and attempted to return the silver (Matthew 27:3) when he saw that Jesus was condemned. What seemed like a good deal was clearly a mistake. The Bible is filled with "bad exchanges". Esau exchanged his birthright blessing for some bread and stew (Genesis 25:34). Making decisions based upon what satisfies us in the moment is seldom a good idea. It's a good week to ponder what it means to choose to follow Jesus. It's not a short term decision. It's not a decision we make based upon some momentary benefit. The consequences are eternal. In order to choose Jesus, it is helpful to weigh the competition wisely. Do we really think we will be better off following something or someone other than Jesus? While pondering his fate in the belly of a fish, Jonah yields some wise counsel. "Those who cling to idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs" (Jonah 2:8).

Palm Sunday

This Sunday we will celebrate. Many people will turn to Matthew 21:9 and read about the shouts of "Hosanna" from the crowd as they laid their cloaks on the road when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. What a contrast. The scene in Matthew is one of excitement, anticipation and revolutionary expectation. Yet, this mighty revolutionary leader was riding on a donkey. As I have studied for my "Palm Sunday" message, I turned back and looked at a old passage in 2 Kings 9. It's a description of the anointing of Jehu as King of Israel. After Jehu was anointed with a flask of oil by the prophet of God and proclaimed to be the next king, his fellow officers spread their cloaks out before him and blew a trumpet and shouted "Jehu is king!". It's a good cultural reference to what we see in Matthew 21:9. In the remainder of 2 Kings 9, Jehu does some damage. Kings are slaughtered and a Queen is thrown from a window and eaten by dogs. Perhaps that is the kind of revolution that the people in Jerusalem expected. But, Jesus was not the leader they "wanted", Jesus was the leader they "needed". Jesus was on His way to the cross. His revolution is far reaching. Jesus did more than damage His enemies. In the words of Paul, Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave. It's a victory he shares with us. It's a great reminder: Jesus may not provide "victories" the way we want, but He continues to provide the "victories" that we need the most.