Providence + Purpose

Repetition in Leviticus that I love:
"(for) I am the LORD (your) God."

"...keep all my commands by putting them into practice."

"I am the LORD who makes [you] holy."

"You must be holy because, I the LORD, am holy."

"I have set you apart from all other people to very my very own."

*His purpose in everything is clear...His holiness + glory!

The last two days in reading I exalt You, O God have been so great. I'll just let Jerry Bridges do all the "talking":

"If creation is the theater in which God displays His glorious wisdom, and if the various outworkings of providence represent the drama played out, then the redemptive mission of Christ is the climactic act. God's intention, Paul wrote, "was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:10-11).

The church, as the object of Christ's redemptive work, is intended to display God's manifold wisdom. This word manifold has the idea of a multicolored or iridescent, producing a rainbowlike effect. It calls attention to the infinite diversity and sparkling beauty of God's wisdom as displayed in the entire drama of Christ's life, death, and resurrection and the consequent ingathering of people from all nations and all stations of life into one body of Christ.

It is only in Christ and His work that we see God's justice reconciled with mercy, His law reconciled with grace, Hist holiness with His love, and His power with His compassion. It is only in Christ that unworthy people are both humbled and exalted, and that formerly hostile Jews and Gentiles are reconciled and brought together into one body.

In our Lord's crucifixion, the momentous event in all history, God displayed in a special way His glorious wisdom in using the acts of sinful men to carry out His plan. The disciples acknowledged this in their prayer recorded in Acts 4:27-28.

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the

Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire

against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They

did what your power and will had decided beforehand

should happen.

They all did what God decided beforehand should happen. The roman government and the Jewish leaders conspired together. They thought they were getting rid of a religious troublemaker. Instead they were simply stagehands in the world's greatest drama: the redemption of a people for God from every tribe and language and nation.

But the drama doesn't end at the Cross or even with the Resurrection. Christ's redemptive work must be applied to people's hearts. Throughout the centuries God has been calling them to salvation through an infinite diversity of ways and circumstances, all displaying His wisdom...

Now through His Spirit - and in a way we cannot understand - Christ dwells in us and we in Him. All this is from God and the outworking of His wisdom: "it is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from god - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30)."

------

"Now look again at God's providence as it applies to His people. Earlier I defined God's providence as 'His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation, directing all things to their appointed end for His own glory.' It's appropriate now to add a final phrase: 'and for the good of His people.' God's providence is both for His glory and for the good of His people. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together.

This grand truth gives substance to that bedrock promise in Romans 8:28 -"God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (NASB). This takes us back again to the mystery of God's providence. How can God cause all things - the good and the bad, the big things and the little things - to work together for our good?

The good mentioned in Romans 8:28 is explained in the next verse as conformity to the likeness of Christ (For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren). We have our own idea of what good is, and it seldom includes difficulties and heartaches. But the psalmist said, 'It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees' (Psalm 119:71). And the writer of Hebrews said, 'God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness (12:10). God causes all of life's circumstances and events, including discipline and affliction, to work together for our good - to conform us to Christ.

Consider the sheer breadth of God's wisdom in bringing this about. Every event of your life - everything you do, everything that happens to you - is somehow woven together into a fabric that is making you more Christlike. There are millions of evens in your life each year, and God orchestrates them all for your good.

But you're just one person. No one knows how many true Christians there are in the world, but let's just assume about one billion (out of six billion people). Multiply that number by the millions of events occurring in each believer's life every year and you see the sheer magnitude of God's work. Only an infinite mind - and I truly mean infinite - is sufficient for such a task.

Consider the depth of God's wisdom in conforming us to Christ. We're all desperately sinful. In the words of the venerable J.C. Ryle, our best deeds are no more than splendid sins. We might say God has a big job to do in each of us. But he who named a hundred billion time a hundred billion stars and keeps them all in their respective courses can also cause everything in my life and in yours to conform us to Christ."

"Ah, Sovereign LORD...Nothing is to hard for you." How amazingly true is it that "your eyes are open to all the ways of men." And in your perfect awareness of all things, You perfectly control all circumstances, including the myriad details of my life. "Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare." Jeremiah 32:17, 19; Psalm 40:5

Purified in the LORD's Presence

Currently reading through Leviticus. Basically there's a lot of blood, cutting up of animals, directions on how to deal with diseases/uncleanliness, festivals, high priests, and instructions on sacrifices & being made pure from all our sin in the LORD's presence.

I love how in my One Year Bible (that I've talked about before here), I read about the Israelites dependence on high priests, blood/laying of hands on animal sacrifices, and instructions on diseases; and then in the same day, I read about Jesus walking the earth, healing people with the same diseases talked about in Leviticus, and ultimately, being himself the ultimate sacrifice, thus doing away with the need for human high priests and animal sacrifices. He himself is forever our one and only great high priest and sacrifice, making us forever pure in God's presence! I can never do His word justice, so here's what I'm reading that I love:

"In future generations, the purification ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garments and purify the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire congregation. This is the permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the LORD...for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible." - Leviticus 16:32-34, 17:11

In future generations, Jesus became the ultimate anointed and ordained one (Messiah: "the anointed one") to serve as the high priest. The very God who created and sustains everything put on human flesh to purify the place of worship and His people for Himself, making them right with Him! For the only way for this to be done was with blood. Life exchanged for blood in order to purify a broken and sinful people who had no other way to be in relationship with the God who made them and loved them. It is the ultimate, one time exchange of Jesus' blood that makes purification possible for us! No longer does God's presence dwell in the form of a cloud over the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38) or on the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:13-14), but since Jesus is our forever Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16), we have His presence dwelling in us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)! That seriously blows my mind. I don't merely open the Bible to a "dusty" old God who used to do crazy things like dwell with His people in the form of a cloud or walk the earth to die for sin, but I relate with a great High Priest who always goes before me, presenting me as pure to Himself through Himself and his work on the cross. I'm made right with him, not by anything I've done or any animals or blood that I've sacrificed. He is the God of Israel who lives from everlasting to everlasting! (Psalm 41:13). He is the same God I can relate with today because He has made a way! He has made the way!

God, deepen my understanding! Your ways and thoughts truly are mysterious and beyond my understanding, but calm my heart. Allow me to be still and know that you are God. Teach me more of your ways + character! Give me a humble and teachable heart. All for the purpose of brining You glory and honor and fame.

"...(for) I am the LORD." (constantly repeated in Leviticus)

"spiritual prostitution" (Lev. 20:5,6)

"set yourselves apart to be holy, for i am the LORD your God...I am the LORD who makes you holy." (Lev. 20:7,8)

"Keep my decrees...by putting them into practice. I am the LORD." (Lev. 19:37, 20:8)

"Instantly. Immediately." (a word used often in the Gospels explaining the timeliness of Jesus' healings/provisions)

"I feel sorry for this people..." + "Jesus saw the huge crowd...and he had compassion on them" (Mark 8:2 + Mark 6:34).

God's Providence & Loftiness

"God's providence is His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation, directing all things to their appointed end for His own glory. Note that His providence embraces two activities: caring for his creation and governing it. Both have His glory as their goal, and in both we see His wisdom."

"...practical wisdom in every field of endeavor comes from God. It may come by way of parents, teachers, or mentors, but it all originated ultimately with God. He is not only infinite in His widsom, but He is the source of all the finite wisdom we posses. Endowing mankind with all manner of skills and practical wisdom for living on this earth is a part of God's care for the world."

"God's rule is universal and absolute. No one can act outside of God's will or against it. Nothing is too large or small to escape His governing hand. A sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His will (Matthew 10:29); not one drop of rain falls without His command (Amos 4:7). The mighty Babylonian Empire falls in one night because of God's rule over creation, Calvin says, 'He directs everything by his incomprehensible wisdom and disposes it to his own end.'"

"A classic example of God's using unwitting instruments to fulfill His purpose is the action of Joseph's brothers in selling him into slavery (Genesis 37:12-36)...The sinful brothers intended one thing; God intended another. Both accomplished their purposes, but God used the brothers' sinful actions to save many lives. God's invisible hand is guided by unerring wisdom and ingenious plans."

"One reason we may not recognize God's wisdom in providence (reminder: His care + rule of creation) is because He often works in ways contrary to how we would...He tells us that our thoughts and ways simply are not His, and adds, 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts' (Isaiah 55:8-9). The implication in this passage, writes Edward J. Young,

is that just as the heavens are so high above the earth that

by human standards their height cannot be measured, so

also are God's ways and thoughts so above those of man that

they cannot be grasped by man in their fullness. In other

words, the ways and thoughts of God are incomprehensible

to man. Even though God reveals them to man, he cannot

fully understand them; to him they are incomprehensible."

"Humility should be a hallmark of those who fear and worship God. To accept that God's ways are often mysterious, that His wisdom is infinite and ours only finite, is an important expression of humility. Then we can say with David, 'My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful to me.' (Psalm 131:1)"

-Excerpts from I Exalt You, O God by Jerry Bridges

Glory Deserved

"The best possible end of all God's actions is His own glory. Everything God does or allows in all His creation must ultimately serve His glory. There is no end higher than that because there's nothing or no one higher than God. 'For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen' " (Romans 11:36).

The concept of God's glory embraces much mystery that we cannot fully comprehend. We do know, however, that it includes the exaltation of His person and the display of all His splendor and wondrous perfections, including the perfection of His wisdom as we discover it in His creation, in His providence, and in His redemption of lost men and women."

-from I Exalt You, O God  by Jerry Bridges

His word, my delight!

There are some times when spending time in God's word is more an act of discipline and obedience. Then there are some days when I am reading and with every page I turn (from Old Testament, to the Psalms/Proverbs, to the New Testament), I am aware of how truly alive and active God's word is. I'm humbled and amazed. Every word is life. Today was one of those days. 


As I read through The One Year Bible (NLT version), I love to see God's perfect plan for Redemption throughout all time as I currently read and am encouraged by Moses' relationship with God, see this Holy God relate with the sinful Israelites; I relate with the Psalmist as I see my sin, God's character, and my need for Him/to praise Him; and finally the prophecy's of a coming Savior being fulfilled, seen in the life of Jesus - currently being betrayed by His followers & confirming prophecy as He remains silent before His accusers. We are sinful people who, like the Israelites, become impatient when we don't have clear guidance and resort to idol worship, yet because of Christ's finished work on the Christ - the ultimate act of Redemption, we, the same sinful people, can have a relationship with the God who "merely spoke and the heavens were created" (Psalm 33:6-9), the God who formed us in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-16), the God who because of His great love for us, sent His Son (John 3:16-17), the very image of Himself, to live a sinless life and die an undeserving death to bring the very people who sold themselves to sin and idolatry to Himself. This God who related with Moses is the same God whom the Psalmist sings/cries about; He is the same God who walked our earth, was betrayed, and is the same God who relates with us today He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and His word is living, active, and trustworthy:

Exodus | The Sabbath

The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses: “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you...It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’” Exodus 31:12-14a,17

Exodus | God relating with Moses

As [Moses] went into the [Tent of Meeting], the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses...Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend...One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.” The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”
The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose." Exodus 33:8, 11a, 12-19


Psalm 32
Oh, what joy for those
      whose disobedience is forgiven,
      whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those
      whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
      whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin,
      my body wasted away,
      and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
      My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
                         Interlude
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
      and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
   I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
      And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
                         Interlude
Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
      that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
For you are my hiding place;
      you protect me from trouble.
      You surround me with songs of victory.
                         Interlude
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
      I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
      that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
Many sorrows come to the wicked,
      but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
      Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! 


Psalm 33

Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
      it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
      make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing a new song of praise to him;
      play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
For the word of the Lord holds true,
      and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
      the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
The Lord merely spoke,
      and the heavens were created.
   He breathed the word,
      and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries
      and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the Lord,
      and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began!
      It appeared at his command.
The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
      and thwarts all their schemes.
But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
      his intentions can never be shaken.
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
      whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
The Lord looks down from heaven
      and sees the whole human race.
From his throne he observes
      all who live on the earth.
He made their hearts,
      so he understands everything they do.
The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
      nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
      for all its strength, it cannot save you.
But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
      those who rely on his unfailing love.
He rescues them from death
      and keeps them alive in times of famine.
We put our hope in the Lord.
      He is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
      for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
      for our hope is in you alone.


Proverbs 8:27-36

"I was there when he set the heavens in place,
   when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 
 when he established the clouds above
   and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when he gave the sea its boundary
   so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
 Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
   rejoicing always in his presence,
 rejoicing in his whole world
   and delighting in mankind.
 “Now then, my children, listen to me;
   blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise;
   do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me,
   watching daily at my doors,
   waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life
   and receive favor from the LORD.
But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
   all who hate me love death.”

('I' - wisdom - was there...the Holy Spirit...see John 1)

I'm speechless. I merely delight in His word!

"I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul." (Psalm 31:7)

"You must serve only the LORD your God." (Exodus 23:25)

"Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring 'Look, this blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving these instructions. Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!" (Exodus 24:8-11)

" 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'...'To those who use what what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance.' " (Matthew 25:23, 29)

The fear of God should work it's way out in our lives in the vigorous pursuit of holiness. "Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1, NASB). We are to be holy because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16)...We are not holy, but we can and must take stesps to pursue holiness, to separates ourselves from sinful habits and practices.

Because God is holy, we also need to practice humility...On this earth we aren't likely to have a sudden overwhelming encounter with the holiness of God as Isaiah did, but God is no less holy today than He was when Isaiah saw Him in the temple. Deep humility is the only proper response as we see our sin in the light of His holiness.

Nothing produces humility in a Christian as much as an abiding sense of one's own sinfulness...As we seriously pursue holiness we'll grow in humility, for we discover, as Calvin said, that 'our nature, wicked and deformed, is always opposing his uprightness; and our capacity, weak and feeble to do good, lies far from his perfection." Consider God's encouragement to those who seek humility:

"For this is what the high and lofty One says--

he who lives forever, whose name is holy:

"I live in a high and lofty place,

but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite." (Isaiah 57:15)

Prayer as a Way of Walking in Love

Just listened to this talk on prayer by Francis Chan: http://bit.ly/ib6W4j. I admire his passion for both the God who listens to Him and for the people he's sharing with, that they may experience such an intimate relationship with God.

How is your prayer life? Mine. Not so good. But how great it is to be reminded, that prayer doesn't require a formula, a feeling, or training. It's simply taking all our worship, adoration, cares + concerns, fears, insecurities, happiness, etc to the One who hears.

I'm really convicted. Here are some things I jotted down while Chan was sharing...

Prayer differentiates us from the rest of the world. Our God listens to us.

Dwell in the house of the Lord. Abide in Him. Walk in love.

Are you about Him? And are people seeing that in your life?

How’s your prayer life?

Gaze upon Him. His glory. His beauty. He is amazing.

What do we have to be afraid of? We’re talking to you right now.

Stir our affections for You.

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek. What does my life reflect this 'one thing' is? Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of things vying for that 'one' position. Approval. Attention. Acceptance. A job. Money. New attire. A relationship. Friends. A life seeking seeking the presence of the Lord and His beauty is truly radical. Wow.

In Christ Alone.

I'm not much of a dancer. Besides swing or line dancing, I'm not one to bust a move. BUT whenever I hear this version of "In Christ Alone", I get really excited and actually want to dance. It's so fun to think that the excitement I have during those short 2-3 minutes is just a glimpse of what I'll experience in heaven for all of eternity, being in the Lord's presence forever!

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

Displays of His Glory.

Blizzards. Riots in Egypt. Unemployment. Hunger.

I'm currently reading through Exodus, and being reminded what my pastor said a few weeks ago in regards to the second book of the Pentateuch: "The purpose for which God does EVERYTHING is so the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord." Exodus isn't just stories about heroes, but about a God who faithfully pursues sinful people + provides a substitution for us!

As I watch the news, all I've heard about today is our local weather condition. The worst winter storm in over 50 years. The state of Missouri has declared a "state of emergency." This storm is literally being call a 'blizzard.' The main interstate highway connecting Kansas City to St. Louis is closed. Some areas are receiving close to 24" of snow, with layers of ice beneath...and Kansas City isn't even the worst! While it may seem that God has lost control in this chaos, the purpose for which He sends devastating weather is so that the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord!

Then I hear about the riots in Egypt. The estimated 1 million people that were to gather in the streets in protest of the unemployment/food famine today blows my mind! I can't even imagine the hopelessness these people are feeling...yet the purpose for which God is doing these things in Egypt is so that the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord!

I read this today and found it quite appropriate with the current happenings in Egypt: "I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians...My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops...When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!" (Exodus 14:17-18).

This winter storm also reminds me of God's glory being displayed in the Great Flood. By destroying the earth by covering it with water, He displayed His glory, so that the world could see His glory & know that He is the Lord...even in their death. Weather we come to know, believe, and receive it here on earth or not, everyone will have the opportunity to truly see God's glory...unfortunately for some it will be too late.

The other week, my dear Texan friend, Rachel, called. God had brought a of hers to mind in a dream. This friend of hers has heard the Gospel, but has yet to receive it. We talked for close to an hour about the urgency to share Christ with our friends. Does God need us? His glory displays Himself already ("For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20), yet He calls us His ambassadors, and still chooses to use broken people like us to display His glory to a broken world.

"The purpose for which God does EVERYTHING is so the world may know about His glory & know that He is Lord." Oh that I wouldn't just know this, but treasure it!

Whew. Still processing through all of this. And always will be. His glory is beyond understanding!