thoughts between the cross and the empty tomb

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

a few things that came to mind today, of how great the glory of our God in His gospel is.

it is true that Christ died the death we deserved, but it is not true that He died the death we now deserve, because we are counted righteous in Him, and we are new creatures, and that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. so we no longer deserve that death, because it was paid for at calvary.

i would highly recommend that anyone with a free hour over the next few days listen to session 11 of the resolved conference last summer, in which c.j. mahaney addresses Christ's cry, the scream of the damned, from the cross. it is powerful.

i think i've mentioned this before, but i love some of the paradoxes of the Christian faith. some frustrate me, most confuse me, but there are some that make my heart leap for joy. the fact that we celebrate the wondrous cross on which our Savior died on a day we call good friday is further proof of great our God is, to take the awful and make it wonderful.

all this has pointed me to the idea that, though we ought to take time to look at the seriousness of our sin and the depth of our depravity, especially on good friday, we ought to celebrate it all the more because of the love of God poured out in it. we ought not get so caught up in our sin that we miss the love and grace of God which is displayed in the cross. though it is dark and gory and awful, at the same time the cross is wonderful, joyful, and glorious. and so let us celebrate the cross, rejoicing in it, because it truly is good news.

"in this the love of God was made manifest among us, tha God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. in this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

happy news

as of friday, casey and i are engaged!

praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him, all creatures here below;
praise Him above, ye heavenly host,
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! amen!

jumbled thoughts

"why is [love your neighbor as yourself] a summary of all that God calls me to? oh, get this truth: because it's only when i love God above all else that i'll ever love my neighbor as myself. it's only when God is in the rightful place in my life that i will treat you with the love that i have received from Him. brothers and sisters, hear this: you don't fix language problems, you don't fix communication problems, you don't fix word problems horizontally; you fix them vertically!" ~paul tripp, war of words: getting to the heart for God's sake, at desiring God national conference '08

"love your neigbor as yourself" doesn't just mean love them as you love yourself. here's another way of looking at it: love your neighbor as if he is part of you. treat him as a part of yourself. this is especially poignant if they are a Christian, because then you are truly a part of the same Body, namely, of Christ.

acts 4:34 & acts 6:7, people giving up houses and lands for people, and priests becoming believers. first, becoming homeless so the homeless aren't anymore makes no sense, because then they do the same and it's cyclic. so i would assume this means they lived more communally, or at least more simply, in smaller houses, because they realized they didn't need their luxury stuff as much as those in need needed what they could give from the sale of their stuff, because people are worth more than stuff.
secondly, if the priests became believers, and a large portion of what the priests did was offer sacrifices, and Christ is the great and final Sacrifice as the Lamb of God, then wouldn't a lot of them be out of work? what does this say about how we should see our jobs compared to being true to Christ?

a just man

matt. 1-
"And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things..."
joseph was hurt. the woman he loved, who he was to marry, was pregnant. as far as joseph knew, she had cheated on him. this was utter betrayal, that which breaks a heart beyond what it has ever known. joseph must have been in anguish, deeply depressed, that the woman who was to be his wife must have been with another.

yet we do not see what far too many consider the masculine response: he did not freak out, go on a rampage, and have her killed, which was his right by hebrew law. he doesn't let his pain and his rage get ahold of him. instead, we see that he "resolved to divorce her quietly." he made up his mind to be a better man, showing grace to one who had harmed him in a way no other could. he was "unwilling to put her to shame." why? because he was a "just man." oh, that God would raise up more of these in our day; that He would take broken men like me and raise us to be called just. let us aspire to this, men, and let women seek this out and encourage it in the men around them. that instead of going ballistic, joseph "considered these things." he thought things through, didn't let his emotions get the best of him. he wrestled through his grief, his anguish, and considered what his actions would do, desiring to not cause even more suffering. may God mold my heart to be like that of joseph, a type for his adopted Son, who begged for the forgiveness of His murderers even as they were nailing him to the cross. oh, what wondrous love is this, oh my soul. God is loving and gracious, praise be to His name! amen.

a wonderful paradox

Christianity is a religion of paradox. I've often felt at odds with songs that seemed upbeat while speaking of the horror of the murder of God. but we are a people which can sing of a great oxymoron, the wonderful cross. we rejoice that through betrayal, injustice, beatings, torture, disgrace, and lynching, God has brought about the salvation of His people. that He reconciled the world to Himself, pouring out His mercy on the sinners, the unjust, the ill-deserving, by pouring out the wrath and judgment that we have earned on His innocent, perfect Son. that Jesus would willingly and gladly bear it, scorning the shame of the cross for the glory of His name and the praise that would be bought with His precious blood. that "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". that "Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God." and so i will sing of the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, so that i might live with, through, and for Him. praise the Lord for His amazing grace! Amen.

a definition

love is finding your joy in someone else's joy.

i was trying to define what love truly is last week, and that's what i got. and it fits, as far as i can tell. we love God by finding our joy in His joy, which means we obey Him because it shows we care about Him and what He wants us to do. Jesus loves us by finding His joy (part of it) in our joy, and since it is most joyful for us to know Him and treasure Him and be in relationship with Him, Jesus came down and died to reconcile us to Him, so that He would have a people to enjoy Him and glorify Him forever. and we love other people by finding our joy in their joy so that we rejoice with those who rejoice, we mourn with those who mourn, because their joy or lack thereof influences our joy or lack thereof. ultimately, we love them most by helping them find their joy in Jesus above all things, because they will not be most joyful until they treasure Him over everything else. this is how paul writes "not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith" (2 corinthians 1:24), and it makes sense in the context of the next few verses, where paul talks about finding his joy in the joy of the corithian church. so our joy makes those who love us joyful, which makes us joyful because we love them, and so it's a great feedback loop of joy. it's all about joy, and specifically, joy in Jesus. this is Christian hedonism. this is love.