CARRIED!

My, how quickly they grow! Seems like it was only yesterday I was carrying them. Now these strapping youths—my nephews: a college freshman and the other in high school—carry me with ease. There I am, at their mercy. And thankfully, mercy they had, for they didn’t deposit me on the floor to pay me back for the hard times I’d given them all these years! I trusted them to bear me without damaging my delicate structure. But those muscles of theirs, now bursting with vim, and those joints today bouncing with vigor will, alas, one day be felled by feebleness and fractured by frailty. In other words, they, too, will end up like me—old and decrepit, out of kilter, weak in constitution! We humans are programmed to end our earthly days in such ignominy. There is only One whose muscles and joints unnerved and unhinged never become. If you have ever wondered who will hold you without failing, take heart. This One declares:

Even to your old age
I will be the same,
and even to your graying years
I will bear you!
I have done it,
and I will carry you;
and I will bear you
and I will deliver you.
Isaiah 46:4

One may trust muscles and joints, wallets and banks, honor and reputation—but they will all, without fail, come to naught. Only the omnipotent God can bear us through these days of tumult and trauma—the Creator God who is never tired or taxed, stressed or strained. Instead He lends us His strength, His might, His power.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God,
the LORD, the Creator
of the ends of the earth
does not become weary or tired ….
He gives strength to the weary,
and to him who lacks might
He increases power.
Isaiah 40:28–29

Though bearing us through the turbulences of life and imbuing us with strength is cause for thanksgiving, let us never forget that this is a God who bore much more!

Surely our griefs
He Himself bore,
and our sorrows He carried;
yet we ourselves
esteemed Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through
for our transgressions,
He was crushed
for our iniquities;
the chastening
for our well-being
fell upon Him,
and by His scourging
we are healed.
… the LORD has caused
the iniquity of us all
to fall on Him.
… the Righteous One,
My Servant,
will justify the many,
as He will bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:4–6, 11

Yes, He did, our Lord Jesus Christ who …

… Himself bore our sins
in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness ….
1 Peter 2:24

And this God of love …

… who did not spare
His own Son,
but delivered Him over
for us all,
how will He not
also with Him
freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32

Ours is a God who can be trusted, as He reminded the Israelites.

The LORD your God
who goes before you
will Himself fight
on your behalf,
just as He did for you
in Egypt before your eyes,
and in the wilderness
where you saw how
the LORD your God carried you,
just as a man carries his son ….
Deuteronomy 1:30–31

Relax! This same God is carrying you.

Like a shepherd
He will tend His flock,
in His arm
He will gather the lambs
and carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead
the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 40:11

He’ll bear us through 2008. Happy New Year!

HEART!

After several years’ absence, I made it back to an old haunt—our fair city, Boston, the unofficial hub of New England. It was a delight to connect with church friends from my days in that metropolis as a dermatology resident about a decade ago. Brothers and sisters in Christ with whom I had the privilege of serving our great God: we were Bible Study members together, led worship and made music together, worked on leadership teams together, sat on a pastoral search committee together, laughed and cried and worked and played together. Those were fun days!

However, I question the sanity of one who chooses to venture into this part of the world in winter. I must be losing it—Vienna during Thanksgiving and now Boston around Christmas. Bostonians have already been through three major storms this year, one wicked nor’easter dropping over 24 inches of the detestable (at least to me) white stuff just days before my arrival. Consequently, our aircraft meandered in the skies above Boston’s Logan airport for the good part of an hour seeking to squeeze into the line of planes hoping to land on the only runway open. And the cold wind! Brrrrr ....

Yup, winter has arrived. I can fully identify with Christina Rossetti’s opening lines …

In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
Snow had fallen,
snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Just like this past week! But that less-than-desirable circumstance, long time ago, did not restrain our God.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Hardly what one would imagine as circumstances fitting for the arrival of the King of Kings.

Angels and archangels
may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
thronged the air;
But his mother only,
in her maiden bliss,
Worshiped the beloved
with a kiss.
Rossetti, 1872

Not only were His first days strange, this King’s last days on earth were equally incongruous—crucified on a cross. The King of Kings disregarded, disrespected, disbelieved, disobeyed.

The Gospels poignantly echo with the implied challenge: How will you, dear Christian Reader, respond to this King?

What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man,
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him:
give my heart.
Rossetti

All of us humans are called by God, firstly, to place our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior—“giving our heart.” This is to believe that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, paid the price for our sins, precluding, for those with faith in Gods’ provision of salvation, eternal punishment and separation from God forever.

For God so loved the world,
that He gave
His only begotten Son,
that whoever
believes in Him
shall not perish,
but have eternal life.
John 3:16

And, secondly, Christian responsibility now calls us believers to live lives marked by the love of God in Christ—“giving our hearts” to Him daily.

And you shall love
the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
Mark 12:30

May this Christmas be a reminder to us all that …

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Isaac Watts, 1707

TEACHER!

We celebrated a celebrity today. John, about two months younger than my father, turned 80 this week, and that was cause for festivities. Prof at Dallas Seminary now for over 35 years, this man is an institution in himself. He got his Ph.D. in communications when I was four years old—oh, about twenty years ago (not!)—and since then, has been teaching, preaching, pastoring, and administering. Church planter. Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at DTS. Retired chaplain (Lt. Col.) in the USAF Reserves. Chairman of the Department of Pastoral Ministries (where I serve) for fourteen years. This is the guy who grew up in a farm, and who, it is rumored, once said, “I got along really well with animals, it’s people that bothered me.”

The influence he has had on virtually every member of the PM Department at DTS and on many pastors and teachers outside the Seminary is legendary. He is everyone’s grandad and mentor! I’ve had the privilege to be his student, to benefit from his sage advice, to be cheered by his kind words, to have him on my ordination committee ….

He has taught us well. And not just homiletics and pastoral ministry, but also how to be a faithful husband for over five decades; how to survive the tragic loss of a daughter (about five years ago); how to shepherd grandchildren; how to encourage; how to be loyal; how to be positive. And the list goes on and on ….

We love him!

This is a man who has used his gifts—nay, his entire life—to portray to all who come into contact with him, the grace of his God.

As each one has received
a special gift,
employ it in serving one another
as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10

In whatever he does, God’s grace works through him.

Whoever speaks,
is to do so as one
who is speaking
the utterances of God;
whoever serves
is to do so as one
who is serving
by the strength
which God supplies.
1 Peter 4:11a

Speaking by God’s grace, and serving by God’s grace. John’s is a gracious God!

… so that in all things
God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs the glory
and dominion
forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11b

John has taught us well. He would never say this but, like Paul, such giants in the faith have reason to exhort …

The things you have learned
and received and heard
and seen in me,
practice these things,
and the God of peace
will be with you.
Philippians 4:9

Because John himself was imitating Christ.

Be imitators of me,
just as I also am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1

And, in turn, we, too, must be examples to others, just as the Thessalonians, who followed Paul, became models to other believers.

You also became imitators
of us and of the Lord …,
so that you became
an example to all the believers
in Macedonia and in Achaia.
1 Thessalonians 1:6–7

We think much of him.

But we request of you, brethren,
that you appreciate those
who diligently labor among you,
and have charge over you
in the Lord
and give you instruction,
and that you esteem them
very highly in love
because of their work.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13

And we could wish for nothing more for others than that every believer have a mentor like John, and that all of us, in turn, mentor others. For our great God’s glory!

COMFORT!

Somewhere during my peripatetic circumlocution in Europe. Berlin. The place has tons of coffeehouses and cafés; konditoreis and backereis galore dot the landscape. Lots of them mom-and-pop outfits. And the caffeine they furnish is outstanding, too. Yet, here I am sipping the good stuff at—of all places—Dunkin’ Donuts. Innumerable other institutions I could patronize, but I pick Dunkin’ Donuts. First store (still standing) opened in 1950 on 543 Southern Artery, Quincy, in ye olde state of MA. Dunkin’ Donuts—the quintessential American store (with a lot of franchises abroad, as well). And I chose that brand … in Berlin. Shame on me!

I like to stay within my comfort zone! And that cold spring morning, comfort meant Dunkin’ Donuts. Berlin or Boston, I couldn’t care less. As long as it was Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Nice feeling. Familiar décor. Recognizable styrofoam. Accustomed taste. Dunkin’ Donuts! Nope, I’m not the adventurous type! Gimme my comfort zone.

He was God, but he became a human embryo, a foetus, a neonate, a toddler, a child, an adolescent, and an adult. God became man and suffered hunger (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), and tiredness (John 4:6). Incredible! Deity in a distinctly “uncomfortable” zone. Jesus Christ …

… who, although He existed
in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself,
taking the form
of a bond-servant,
and being made
in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:6–7

Emmanuel—God with us!

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Charles Wesley, 1739

And all for our sake.

For you know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich,
yet for your sake
He became poor,
so that you through His poverty
might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

For our sake. To die for our sins. To save us.

He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds
you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

And canceling out the effects of sin for the believer, He brought us to God.

For Christ also died
for sins once for all,
the just for the unjust, so that
He might bring us to God ….
1 Peter 3:18

Deity took on humanity for me, to save me.

Being found in appearance
as a man,
He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient
to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8

The sinless One made sin. Out of His “comfort” zone. For us.

He made Him
who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

Absolute, perfect holiness of Deity, dwelling amongst the total depravity of humanity. And suffering and dying as man.

Surely our griefs
He Himself bore,
and our sorrows He carried;
yet we ourselves
esteemed Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through
for our transgressions,
He was crushed
for our iniquities;
the chastening
for our well-being
fell upon Him,
and by His scourging
we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4–5

And here I am ensconced in my little comfort zone imbibing Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

Have this attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5

Let’s step out of our comfort zones and live boldly for Christ. In the power of His strength, through His Spirit, let’s boldly live lives of holiness, humility, witness, and sacrifice. Even if it makes us “uncomfortable.”

COMING!

One of the great museums in Europe is the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, housing most of the imperial Hapsburg collections. Not only are its accumulations of art marvelous, the building itself, opened in 1891, is a magnificent structure in the style of the Italian Renaissance. I spent several happy hours in this home of art (away from the freezing temps outside!), thoroughly enjoying both “container” and “contents,” the latter ranging from Ancient Egyptian and Roman antiquities to Medieval Art to the splendor of the Renaissance and Baroque.

Among its fascinating permanent exhibits was a room dedicated to the Emperors of the Imperium Romanum (Roman Empire). Busts of sovereigns and their children fill the eerily lit room. Here you’ll find good ol’ Julius himself, as well as Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian, Constantine, and a host of others.

While for the most part the expansion of their reach to much of Europe, northern Africa, and parts of the Middle East, and the Pax Romana—the relative Roman peace in the land during the first and second centuries AD—were good things, these rather nefarious characters on the throne thought a bit too much of themselves. They named themselves Augustus (= majestic), Autocrator (= autocrat), Basileus (= sovereign), Imperator Destinatus (= destined to be emperor), Pontifex Maximus (= chief priest), etc. One of them, Domitian, even labeled himself Dominus et Deus (= Lord and god); this was the guy who supposedly condemned the apostle John to be boiled in oil. Coins of the period refer to him as the “father of the gods”!

And then there was this other King in the first century whose we celebrate this month. His names, though, are for real!

For a child will be born to us,
a son will be given to us;
and the government will
rest on His shoulders;
and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

The one who is truly Dominus et Deus.

And on His robe
and on His thigh
He has a name written,
“King of Kings,
and Lord of Lords.”
Revelation 19:16

To a world lost in darkness, to mankind stricken with the tragedy of sinfulness and stained by the trauma of sin, came this King. Today is the first Sunday of the season of Advent that celebrates His arrival.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Charles Wesley, 1745

Not only does Advent celebrate the First Coming of this King, but during this season, the church expectantly awaits His Second Coming as well. A remembrance and an anticipation. Looking both backwards and forwards. In Wesley's words ...

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

He’s coming again and soon! And for those who eagerly await his Advent, a special reward is promised.

In the future
there is laid up for me
the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord …
will award to me on that day;
and not only to me,
but also to all who have
loved His appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8

Even so, Lord Jesus, come!

REFRESHED!

Finally! The day rolled by and I graduated yesterday from the University of Aberdeen. Full of pomp and ceremony conducted in a pompous and ceremonial edifice, the second largest granite building in the world—Marischal College of the University of Aberdeen. Needless to say, the whole affair was in Latin, with subtitles in English, of course! “By the authority which the most high and mighty Princes have in the fullest measure bestowed on this beneficient University, I make you Doctor of Philosophy, as a sign of which I place this cap upon your head and pray to God, supreme in goodness and power, that this act may be blessed and of good augury,” proclaimed the Chancellor of the University as he tapped me on the head. I was then gowned by one of the sacrists at the ceremony in the toga rubra, the scarlet robe of doctoral graduates of the University, and awarded my degree. The John Knox cap, the traditional headgear for Scottish doctors, was a bonus. And so there I was, walking down the stairs from the podium, diploma in hand. Done!

Despite all the ostentation and parade of ritual—an ancient one in place in Aberdeen from about the 15th century—no bar was placed on cheering, of which there was much, for every student. In my cheering party were dear friends from High Church Hilton where I used to attend, during my sojourn in this fair city. I wish everyone had friends like these! Full of love and concern, abundantly overflowing in support and goodwill, these and the others who came later to a celebratory shindig, made my days in Aberdeen go by quickly, those dull, dark, dreary, and damp days. Their prayers sustained me, their care warmed me, their kindnesses refreshed me, their benevolence energized me. Brothers and sisters in Christ, indeed! What Paul requested of Philemon, was fulfilled for me through and by them.

Yes, brother, let me benefit
from you in the Lord;
refresh my heart in Christ.
Philemon 1:20

I was benefited and refreshed in Christ. And not only by these: I would add the many from lands far away, including family and those in the churches I’ve been a part of, without whose tangible love, verbal encouragement, and solicitous acts, this, my latest endeavor to obtain an education, would not have been successful. To all of them—Thank you!

I thank my God
in all my remembrance of you,
always offering prayer
with joy in my every prayer
for you all,
in view of your participation ….
Philippians 1:3–5

God’s grace has been superabundant, his blessings manifold, his mercies overflowing. And much of that through my fellow-believers in Christ. Through them I have seen Christ, time and again, as they obeyed the commandment to …

… be imitators of God,
as beloved children.
Ephesians 5:1

For those who have so depicted Christ, for those who have so demonstrated godliness, for those who have so manifested the fruit of the Spirit, the reward will be great.

For God is not unjust
so as to forget your work
and the love
which you have shown
toward His name,
in having ministered
and in still ministering
to the saints.
Hebrews 6:10

May we all, wherever we might be, find children of God being the arms and bearing the heart of Christ to us in word and deed.

Whoever speaks,
is to do so as one
who is speaking
the utterances of God;
whoever serves
is to do so as one
who is serving
by the strength
which God supplies;
so that in all things
God may be glorified ….
1 Peter 4:11

Amen!

BRRRR!

Vienna, Austria. Or Wien, Österreich, as the natives call this place. Got here Friday. From the frying pan into the freezer, one might say. Going from Texas to Austria felt like that yesterday. It’s a wintry 32°F here. Frigid. As usual, my luggage, with my winter stuff, didn’t arrive till the day after I got here! And so here I am unprotected, for the most part, and all that unwelcome white stuff is lying around, messing up the place, turning gray and unappetizing, getting in your shoes, drenching your socks. You can keep the snowballs. Gimme heat! And sweat! The real macho stuff.

This cold isn’t for me. Sub-zero. Slushy and sleety. Before I knew it, winter had arrived, or, rather, I had arrived in winter. And no means at hand to tackle those dreadfully dreary degrees and dismal days.

In a discussion with His disciples in Matthew 24–25, Jesus warns them to watch out for dangerous times and frigid temperatures. Be prepared, he exhorted.

“Watch out ….
See that
you are not frightened ….”
Matthew 24:4–6

All kinds of things, He alerted them, will be on the horizon towards the last days, as time draws to its end, as days wrap up their incessant movements, as Jesus prepares to return. Watch out. But many will be misled and succumb to devices and stratagems of the evil one to draw people away from the knowledge of God.

“At that time
many will fall away
and will betray one another
and hate one another.”
Matthew 24:10

What a sad chapter in human history. And temperatures, figuratively at least, will plummet.

“Because lawlessness is increased,
most people's love will grow cold.”
Matthew 24:12

I’m struck that we are warned of our love dissipating. Not that our faith would flag or our hope evaporate. Instead, the lulling of love. But we have been warned. Believers who, placing their trust in Christ have become the children of God, are to be prepared and alert and unsurprised; the last days are upon us, this final phase of earth’s history is imminent.

“For this reason
you also must be ready;
for the Son of Man is coming
at an hour when
you do not think He will.”
Matthew 24:44

We are to be alert in doing what we are supposed to be doing. Will our love become frozen? Our care for each other clammy, and concern for our fellow-believers chilled? Our community ice-capped? The church a glacier? It is not without reason that the writer of Hebrews urges us to …

… consider how to stimulate
one another to love
and good deeds,
not forsaking
our own assembling together,
as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see
the day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24–25

The end cometh. Watch out. Stay on the alert. Be prepared. Don’t be caught unawares. Let’s our love be warm, genuine, and fervent, unlike that of those whom Jesus described at the end of Matthew 25 with these incriminating accusations.

“I was hungry,
and you gave Me nothing
to eat;
I was thirsty,
and you gave Me nothing
to drink;
I was a stranger,
and you did not invite Me in;
naked, and you did not
clothe Me;
sick, and in prison,
and you did not visit Me. …
Truly I say to you,
to the extent that
you did not do it
to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to Me.”
Matthew 25:42–45

Stay away from the cold!

STANDARDS!

Overlooking the River Thames is the grand dame of time-keeping, The Royal Observatory in Greenwich. King Charles II commissioned the institution in 1675, creating the position of Astronomer Royal, and until the mid-fifties of this century, Greenwich Mean Time was based upon the time calculated at this observatory. The standard! The Royal Observatory was officially appointed as the bearer of the standard at the 1884 International Meridian Conference because most of the world’s charts and maps were already respecting Greenwich as the location of the Prime Meridian (longitude 0˚). The standard!

To help the rest of the world synchronize their watches and clocks to GMT, a “time ball” was installed in 1833; the globe still drops daily to pinpoint the exact instant that it turns 13:00 hours. The standard!

Advances in technology and the desire for a more stable and universal standard have led to the establishment of International Atomic Time (TAI, Temps Atomique International), a weighted average of the time kept by about 300 atomic clocks (mostly Cesium) in over 50 national laboratories across the world. We’ve got to have a standard! And the right one!

And that goes for more than time (or weight or length, for that matter). There are things in life that need precise definition, things more important than hours and kilos and miles. Things that have eternal value. The standard of measurement that discriminates between right and wrong, good and bad, holy and sinful.

There is only One. And He is God. And He doesn’t change. The standard of righteousness.

Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
Revelation 15:4

His is the standard God requires us to maintain!

Therefore you are to be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

An absolute impossibility for sinners—you and I and all mankind.

There is none righteous,
not even one;
there is none who understands,
there is none
who seeks for God;
all have turned aside …;
there is none who does good,
there is not even one.
… for all have sinned
and fall short
of the glory of God.
Romans 3:10–12, 23

What an indictment!

But, Oh! the grace of God.

God, being rich in mercy,
because of His great love
with which He loved us,
even when we were dead
in transgressions,
made us alive
together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved).
Ephesians 2:4–5

For the Lord Jesus Christ took our sins to the cross, becoming sin for us, that all who believe might be saved.

He made Him [Christ]
who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

So that we might “have” the righteousness that God demanded! The Great Exchange. So that we might be …

… justified [declared righteous]
as a gift by His grace
through the redemption
which is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:24

For the believer who has placed his/her trust in Christ as Savior, this exchange is complete. Standard met. Demand fulfilled. Salvation procured. Life assured. Praise God!

… thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

And now, again, God calls us to live lives of holiness in response to the incredible and awesome salvation that He has achieved for us.

… like the Holy One
who called you,
be holy yourselves also
in all your behavior;
because it is written,
“You shall be holy,
for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15–16

By His grace, in His strength, for His glory, we shall.

EIGHTY!

Dad turned 80 the other day. To celebrate the notable event were present his two children, daughter-in-law, his two grandkids, and several other relatives and well-wishers. We had a ball!

80! He’s proud of himself, too, for having beaten the Psalmist’s reckoning of human days.

As for the days of our life,
they contain seventy years,
or if due to strength,
eighty years.
Psalm 90:10

Yet, as Moses, who wrote the Psalm, continues, while we might make it to four score, those years on earth are fraught with the frailties and fragilities of sin—ours and everyone else’s. A full life of many years we may be given yet …

… their pride
is but labor and sorrow;
for soon it is gone
and we fly away.
Psalm 90:10

Labor and sorrow, my Dad has seen. God’s grace has brought this man through many tumults in life. He lost his wife, my mother, almost twenty-five years ago; not long afterwards, he had a heart attack; he also lost half of his lower jaw to cancer later, restricting him to a diet of overcooked and mushy foods.

But he’s still going strong. Walking his way through life … literally: at least five times a week, he’s out, by the dawn’s early light, getting his constitutional. A habit he has not neglected for more than a decade. And right now, he’s somewhere 36,000 feet in the air on his way to India for the next several months, in an attempt to escape winter and its pains.

And so, between the US and India, my father circumnavigates, spending a few months here and a few there, spacing out time between his loved ones, spreading good cheer wherever he goes.

Yet, as he often remarks, he’s ready to “go home”. The other day he mentioned how he was planning to convey, before long, all the good news of his family back “home” to his wife. He’s gearing up to go “home”—the REAL home.

Do return, O LORD;
how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.
O satisfy us in the morning
with Your lovingkindness,
that we may sing for joy
and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:13–14

That morning is coming—soon and very soon. Until then, until the appearance of that Son in the sky, …

… teach us
to number our days,
that we may present to You
a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

Taking care to spend our days wisely, for God’s glory, with everything we have.

Let the favor
of the Lord our God
be upon us;
and confirm for us
the work of our hands;
yes, confirm
the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

The work of that 80-year-old’s hands, God has confirmed in the legacy he has left behind. As Moses prayed, so did my father, and God answered him.

Let Your work appear
to Your servants
and Your majesty
to their children.
Psalm 90:16

The generations he leaves behind continue to gaze awestruck at the majesty of his God as they discover this great One for themselves.

Lord, You have been
our dwelling place
in all generations.
Psalm 90:1

Never aging, never changing, while we, suffering the brutal impact of time, change and age.

Before the mountains were born
or You gave birth
to the earth and the world,
even from everlasting
to everlasting,
You are God.
Psalm 90:1–2

As we serve this great God in the brevity of our earthly days, may we, too, be wise with our time. May God be glorified in our lives!

POSEUR!

Yesterday, I expended some heartbeats. Playing soccer with some of the more athletically minded (and “bodied”?) among the family members who had gathered in town to celebrate my father’s attaining octogenarian status. That included assorted nephews, brother, and a cousin’s wife, congregating in Exall Park across from my home to kick—mindlessly, in my opinion—a round, inflated object for no apparent purpose.

Yes, I played soccer. For those of you who are reaching for your nitroglycerin tablets, or—if you were consuming something while reading this—performing Heimlich maneuvers on yourselves, let me hasten to add an emendation: I kicked the ball two (TWO) times.

It was, I must confess, two times too many. After those mighty and complex feats of physical exertion that included, among other delicate gymnastic stratagems, tripping over the ball and falling flat on my face (that was when I touched the ball the second time—I rue the day!), I nearly died! Huffing and puffing, heaving, panting, wheezing, gasping, I lay where I’d firmly and with a resounding thud contacted terra firma (Lo! How the mighty are fallen!). That was the end of my contribution to the impromptu soccer game.

But I was quick to rise up and look briskly soccer-minded when the photographer (a cousin) arrived on the scene to document for posterity the day’s vigors. When, in the annals of the weekend’s activities, a soccer game is referred to, I wanted honorable mention. I posed for the picture, looking sharp and spiffy, with no hint of the torture I had just been subjected to (namely, the inordinate expenditure of energy attempting to navigate said round, inflated object, across a field against vile and virile opposition).

In one word, I was what they call a poseur (one who adopts a particular character, attitude, or manner, to impress others). Yup, that was me alright. Kicked the ball but twice—cluelessly both times—but displayed myself in the photograph as one deeply involved in the current manifestation of the harrowing torment that constitutes a soccer game. Poseur.

One of my students preached that Markan “sandwich story” (11:12–21) focusing on that same species of charlatans and humbugs—poseurs, whose shining externals, not matching their internal reality, produce no fruit.

A fruitless fig tree is cursed and a fruitless ritual is challenged.

And He [Jesus] entered the temple
and began to drive out
those who were buying
and selling in the temple,
and overturned
the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those
who were selling doves ….
And He began to teach
and say to them,
“Is it not written,
‘My house shall be called
a house of prayer
for all the nations’?
But you have made it
a robbers’ den.”

Mark 11:15–17

Poseurs pretending. Mountebanks masquerading. The consequences are not light; Jesus said …

“Every branch in Me
that does not bear fruit,
He [the Father] takes away….”

John 15:2

He came down hard on poseurs, hypocrites.

“You hypocrites, rightly did
Isaiah prophesy of you:
‘This people honors me
with their lips, but
their heart is far away from me’.”

Matthew 15:7–8

God desires of His children that they bear fruit. The disciple bears fruit.

“My Father is glorified by this,
that you bear much fruit,
and so prove to be My disciples.”

John 15:8

Therefore, Paul intercedes …

We have not ceased to pray
for you and to ask …
that you will walk in a
manner worthy of the Lord,
to please Him in all respects,
bearing fruit
in every good work
and increasing in
the knowledge of God.

Colossians 1:9–10

May we!

SERVANT!

You can’t see his face. He’s kneeling and he’s looking down. Locks of hair fall over his countenance as he stoops. You can see Peter’s face, though. Stunned? “What! You wash my feet?” Incomprehension? Resignation?

One of the bronze copies of Max Greiner’s sculpture, The Divine Servant, adorns the campus of Dallas Theological Seminary—a most appropriate image for an institution whose mission statement runs as follows: The mission of Dallas Theological Seminary as a professional, graduate-level school is to glorify God by equipping godly servant-leaders for the proclamation of His Word and the building up of the body of Christ worldwide. Training godly servant-leaders after the likeness of the Divine Servant, who …

… did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give His life
a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28

That is the One of whom Isaiah wrote, quoting God, several centuries before Jesus Christ, …

… the Righteous One,
My Servant,
will justify the many,
as He will bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:11

The Divine Servant. What a paradox!

Meekness and majesty, manhood and Deity,
In perfect harmony, the Man who is God.
Lord of eternity dwells in humanity;
Kneels in humility and washes our feet.

Wisdom unsearchable, God the invisible;
Love indestructible in frailty appears.
Lord of infinity, stooping so tenderly;
Lifts our humanity to the heights of His throne.

O what a mystery, meekness and majesty;
Bow down and worship, for this is your God.

Graham Kendrick, 1986

The Divine Servant. Not only our Savior, but also our example. Therefore, Paul exhorts:

Have this attitude
in yourselves which was
also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed
in the form of God,
did not regard
equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself,
taking the form
of a bond-servant, being made
in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient
to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5–8

Indeed, in the economy of God, in His Kingdom, this paradox is manifest through and through. God’s leaders are to be servants, servants to God’s people. Like the Divine Servant.

Jesus called [the disciples]
to Himself and said,
“You know that the rulers
of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and their great men
exercise authority over them.
It is not this way among you,
but whoever wishes
to become great among you
shall be your servant,
and whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be your slave;
just as the Son of Man
did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give His life
a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25–28

Called to Christlikeness. Being fashioned daily after His image. We, followers of this Divine Servant, are to be divinely appointed servants, serving in love.

… through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13

We know love by this,
that He laid down
His life for us;
and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren.
1 John 3:16

A life of servanthood after the manner of the Divine Servant which, the Bible promises, will yield its reward on the last day.

For God is not unjust
so as to forget your work
and the love which you have
shown toward His name,
in having ministered
and in still ministering
to the saints.
Hebrews 6:10

So let’s keep at it. Serving. In love. For His glory. Following the Divine Servant.

The Divine Servant. No, you can’t see His face … unless you kneel down.

IDENTITY!

I flew through John Wayne Airport, Orange County, last week on my way to a preaching conference at Talbot Seminary, near Los Angeles. A huge statue of its namesake greeted me in front of an American flag in the arrival lounge.

John Wayne. Quintessential American hero. Rugged. Individualistic. Drenched in testosterone. One of the “Greatest Male Stars” of all time (American Film Institute, 1999). An icon.

But all may not have been as they appeared. Apparently this guy who denounced those who refused to serve in Vietnam got out of serving in WWII. Apparently this star of innumerable Westerns hated horses. Garry Wills’ John Wayne’s America describes the making of the myth. In fact, this knight in chaps wearing a six-gun, was born in Iowa with the very unmacho name of Marion Morrison. One of his early directors, who had discovered John Wayne, thought up the stage name “Anthony Wayne.” The head of Fox Studios changed it to “John Wayne.” Indeed, Wayne himself was apparently not present at this conference that consigned that caption to his concocted character. So John Wayne he became! A fictional persona, an invented façade, created to project authority, autonomy, and almightiness. Designed to make John Wayne what he was not.

Identity crises of this sort are not uncommon. Making ourselves out to be what we are not. And, unfortunately, this true amongst us Christians, too. The egocentric power plays. The vying for position. Striving to be noticed. Struggling to get ahead. The buffing of image, often hollow. The polishing of achievements, often imagined.

In the body of Christ, among believers, this ought not to be the case.

Do nothing from selfishness
or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind
regard one another
as more important
than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3

There is a reason for such humility.

For who regards you as superior?
What do you have
that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it,
why do you boast
as if you had not received it?
1 Corinthians 4:7

What we have, what we are, what we have become, our talents, our gifts, our capacities, are all God-given, for specific purposes, to fulfill God’s plans for our lives and for the church, for the glory of God.

Now God has
placed the members,
each one of them,
in the body,
just as He desired.
To each one is given
the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:18, 7

Where then is boasting and the fabrication of false fronts?

For through the grace
given to me I say
to everyone among you
not to think more highly
of himself than he
ought to think;
but to think so as to have
sound judgment ….
For just as we have
many members in one body
and all the members
do not have the same function,
so we, who are many,
are one body in Christ,
and individually
members one of another.
Romans 12:3–5

In God’s wisdom and in the exercise of His sovereignty, He makes us who we are and enables our participation in the work of God, with God. But make no mistake, it is all His work. Of the different roles of those in God’s service, Paul says:

I planted, Apollos watered,
but God was causing the growth.
So then
neither the one who plants
nor the one who waters
is anything,
but God who causes the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:6–7

Let there be no more those sad superficialities. No more those dissimulating duplicities. Instead …

He who boasts
is to boast in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:17

May God get the glory, not we.

LEARNING!

In theory, I’m the teacher. By all accounts, I’m the one who’s just finished studying. In effect, I’m the dude with the “terminal” degree, teaching, in a graduate school, those who will become Masters of their subject. Prima facie, I’m the prof, professing expertise in my art. Ostensibly, I’m being paid for being such a proficient member of the guild. To all appearances, I’m controlling the learning of my students, ceremoniously unloading my “expertise”, and decreeing their grades as they struggle to grasp the field. On the face of it, I’m done learning; now I’m teaching.

Wrong!

While a Philosophiae Doctor I might have achieved, I ain’t done yet; I’m still learning. While a full-time job in a seminary I might have landed, I’m not just teaching; I’m also learning. And in the six plus weeks since the commencement of my first semester teaching full-time at Dallas Seminary, I’ve learnt much. The interaction with sharp minds in the classroom, the collegial intercourse with fellows on the faculty, the challenge of teaching—codifying, clarifying, communicating, coaching—all of these have been heady stimulants to my own learning. And I am learning, sharpening my thoughts, refining my positions, polishing my ideas. And all this after I—imagine that!—thought I was done with education.

One never is, is one? Especially when one is involved in the study of the deepest Subject of all—our God Himself.

Great are the works
of the LORD.
They are studied
by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:2

And we believers are to be engaged in that enterprise always; indeed, this is an undertaking that will probably continue throughout eternity.

Let the heart of those
who seek the LORD be glad.
Seek the LORD
and His strength.
Seek His face continually.
Remember His wonderful deeds
which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments
from His mouth.
1 Chronicles 16:10–12

And God Himself seeks those who seek Him.

The LORD has looked down
from heaven upon the sons of men
to see if there are any
who understand,
who seek after God.
Psalm 14:2

People of the ilk of Ezra who …

… set his heart
to study the law of the LORD
and to practice it,
and to teach His statutes
and ordinances ….
Ezra 7:10

This is nothing but an ordering of priorities, an adjustment of values, an estimation of what is really important—the things of God, not the things of man. This is an unvarying focus on those critical issues.

Set your mind
on the things above,
not on the things
that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2

And those embracing this commission to study and seek the Lord—that culminates, of course, in a life of obedience—are to …

… walk as children of Light,
… trying to learn
what is pleasing to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8, 10

Those who do so are, according to the Psalmist, blessed.

How blessed are those
who observe His testimonies,
who seek Him
with all their heart.
Psalm 119:2

The Scriptures go so far as to claim that seeking God is the highest good, with the greatest reward.

The young lions do lack
and suffer hunger.
But they who seek the LORD
shall not be in want
of any good thing.
Psalm 34:10

Rest for our souls, as we learn from Christ, of Christ. He reminded us:

“Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me,
for I am gentle
and humble in heart,
and you will find rest
for your souls.”
Matthew 11:29

Let’s find rest by never ceasing to learn!

COMMUNION!

In the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites are the Luther memorials at Wittenberg, where the Protestant Reformation officially commenced. The Stadtkirche (Town Church) at Wittenberg is one such prominent site, and there I am at one of its doors. This Late Gothic church dates back to the 13th century. One of the treasures in this church is a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1523) depicting the Lord’s Supper. The faces of Martin Luther and other Reformers are clearly recognized in the work, officiating and participating in the ordinance.

The subject of this painting is particularly striking for 16th century Christianity and especially for the Stadtkirche. Until the Reformation, in the Catholic tradition, only the bread was served to the public; the wine was withheld from the congregation, a position reaffirmed in the Catholic Council of Trent, 1545–1563. It was Luther who spearheaded the movement to restore to the people of God both the elements of the Lord’s Supper. And it was at the Stadtkirche at Wittenberg that, for the first time in over a millennium, believers in that part of the world partook of both the bread and the cup.

… the Lord Jesus
in the night in which
He was betrayed took bread;
and when He had given thanks,
He broke it, and said,
“This is My body,
which is for you;
do this in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way
He took the cup also,
after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant
in My blood;
do this, as often as
you drink it,
in remembrance of Me.”
1 Corinthians 11:23–25

This was a dramatic statement by Luther and his cohort, overturning what had been church dogma for centuries. This was a fresh reading of the New Testament. This was a demonstration of the Reformers’ willingness to challenge what they saw was unscriptural. This was a return to biblical forms of worship and church practice. This was an act of submission to the Word of God and the Spirit of God: a restoration and re-institution in its proper form of an essential practice of the Christian church—the Lord’s Supper, established by our Lord Himself.

“Do this in remembrance of Me.”
For as often
as you eat this bread
and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death
until He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:24, 26

This ancient ritual, an enacted sermon, gazes both back and forward. It is anamnestic (a recollection of the past): the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that paid for our sins, that saves all who believe.

But God demonstrates
His own love toward us,
in that while
we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

The Lord’s Supper is also proleptic (an anticipation of the future): the return of Jesus Christ, in Person, one day … soon.

For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven
with a shout, …
and the dead in Christ
will rise first.
Then we who are alive
and remain will be caught up
together with them
in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air,
and so we shall always be
with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

And we who live between those two points in history, in the “already … but not yet”, celebrate—yes, celebrate, with zest and gusto!—the Lord’s Supper. With thankfulness for what our God has already done in Christ. With assurance of what He is going to do in Christ. Salvation has “begun”; salvation will soon be “complete”. The Lord’s Supper underscores our conviction of those wonderful truths.

Partake with joy!

DISCIPLESHIP!

The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library) contains one of the most extensive collections of the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A friend and I were at that library a few months ago. (The picture is of a Bonhoeffer bust that was on display at there.)

The son of a prominent psychiatrist in Berlin, and uncle to the conductor, Christoph von Dohnányi, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) received his doctorate in theology at the age of 21. This German Lutheran pastor was strongly opposed to Nazism all along and was involved in establishing the Confessing Church, an alliance of resisting Christians. The Gestapo banned him, first from preaching, then from teaching, and finally from public speaking altogether. That, however, didn’t cause Bonhoeffer to balk or blink. In fact, he was part of a conspiracy involving several high-ranking military officers keen on overthrowing Hitler. For all his “insurrections”, including rendering aid to Jews in their escape from Germany, Bonhoeffer ended up at the concentration camp at Flossenbürg. There he was hanged by the direct order of Himmler, the ruthless head of the Gestapo, on April 9, 1945, just days before that camp was liberated by the Allied troops.

Few men of this century have understood better the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer wrote this memorable line in his book The Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come … and die!”

In one of the preaching classes I’m teaching this semester, students are required to preach portions of the Gospel of Mark. I found it remarkable how that Gospel echoes the sentiment voiced by Bonhoeffer. “Come … and die,” bids Christ. In fact, all of Mark is a journey that begins at Galilee and ends in Jerusalem. A death march! And Christ calls …

“Follow me!”
Mark 1:14

An entire section of Mark, from 2:1 to 3:6 outlines the escalating opposition sure to accompany such a journey of discipleship. This does not promise to be an easy hike for us: the believer is not called in order to experience a painless and pressure-less and thorn-less and trauma-less ride to heaven. We are, instead, asked to be in the will of God, faithful and fearless, in the face of all opposition.

“For whoever does
the will of God,
he is My brother
and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:35

And for the follower, the disciple, of Christ, the requirements are clear.

“If anyone wishes
to come after Me,
let him deny himself,
and take up his cross,
and follow Me.”
Mark 8:34

Mark’s Gospel takes pains to point us to the Savior who modeled this sacrificial life, as He, in servant fashion, paid for our sins.

“Whoever wishes to
become great among you
shall be your servant ….
For even the Son of Man
did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to
give His life
a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:43, 45

To our God, therefore, we owe all.

“Render to Caesar
the things that are Caesar’s
[that bear his image],
and to God
the things that are God’s
[that bear His image].
Mark 12:17

Our all.

“And you shall love
the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.”
Mark 12:30

And soon thereafter, in Mark, a poor widow gives to God all that she had, while another woman acknowledges the inestimable value of Christ by pouring out her all at Jesus feet (Mark 12:41–44; 14:1–9).

What will we disciples do? When Christ calls a man, a woman, He bids them come … and die!

WORKS!

Getreidegasse no. 9, in Salzburg, is where the Mozart family lived from 1747 to 1773. Wolfgang Amadeus, the most notable of that clan, was born here on January 27, 1756: Mozarts Geburtshaus. Today those rooms house the Mozart Museum, maintained and managed by the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum (International Mozart Foundation). Among the fascinating exhibits are Mozart’s violins, his clavichord, his pianoforte, numerous portraits, and the correspondence of the Mozart family. But what caught my attention was the massive pile of that eminent maestro’s works: every note he had inscribed was there—nicely bound, impressively stacked, securely protected. Every note. (All of which aforementioned notes can now also be located online here.) But an online assemblage of notes, while perhaps more useful, is not as impressive as the 6+ feet-tall anthology of his compositions. Sacred music, theatrical pieces, orchestral works, songs, concertos, chamber music, piano music, and on and on …. Prodigious. Prolific. Plentiful. That was one productive dude! And all in 35 years of life in the 18th century.

No question Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Amadeus (Theophilus) Mozart was one of a kind. No doubt his musical genius is not the common intellectual heft that most of us bear. Rarely, if ever, will that kind of productivity (and artistic quality) be matched. Nevertheless, that stack of volumes made me think.

I could not help but wonder what the assessment of the Divine Accountant auditing my earthly works would be when I stand before Him one day.

So then each one of us will give
an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:12

While there is no condemnation for those who have placed their trust in Christ as Savior, this accounting before God will be a necessary process for the disbursement of rewards, the Bible declares.

For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each one may be
recompensed for his deeds
in the body,
according to what he has done,
whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10

What those rewards will be, I care not to speculate. That there is some sort of testing and affirmation of the quality of our work on earth, it seems clear.

… the fire itself will test
the quality of each one’s work.
If any one’s work
which he has built on
[the foundation of Christ] remains,
he will receive a reward.
1 Corinthians 3:13

Perhaps the most joyful words subsequent to that inspection will be those from the parable Jesus taught. Will we hear Him say …

“Well done, good and faithful slave.
You were faithful with a few things,
I will put you in charge
of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.”
Matthew 25:23

This concept of rewards is, of course, not designed to induce mercenary motives in us. In fact, the good works we perform are those that God Himself prepared for us to undertake.

For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

And they are performed solely in the power of Christ through the Spirit. As Paul affirmed:

I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me.
Galatians 2:20

Nothing, therefore, to boast about in “our” works. Nonetheless, they are an incentive to serve God diligently and devotedly.

With good will render service,
as to the Lord, and not to men,
knowing that whatever
good thing each one does,
this he will receive back
from the Lord ….
Ephesians 6:7

May we be faithful!

STEADFAST!

From the days of King Henry VIII until 1837, St. James’s Palace in London was the official residence of the British monarch. Today, St. James’s continues to be a functional palace, the station of the Royal Court. The palace is not accessible to the public, but the main entrance off Pall Mall is. And therein lies the fascination of St. James’s. You see, while guards from the Queen’s Household Division—the country’s most elite and historically significant units that undertake ceremonial and protective functions directly associated with the Head of State—can be seen at three other official buildings, St. James’s is where they are the most approachable. You can see the changing of the guards, with its intricate and formalized rituals up close. You can even walk right up to the guards. Many do. I did.

Unlike most others, I didn’t make faces at those guards while posing for photos, or try to get them to smile or speak. (OK, I did say “Hi!” to the guy.) Short of making physical contact, for which you are liable to get arrested, you can try all you want to elicit a response. But you know what? No matter what you attempt to engage them in, those sentries on duty won’t even turn a hair or utter a word or even acknowledge your presence. If they weren’t blinking, they might as well have been borrowed for the guard shift from Madame Tussaud’s. Immovable. Unshakeable. Steadfast.

Believers, too, are also called to be as steadfast, in the face of all external trouble, turmoil, and tumult. Of the upright and righteous, it is said:

He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast,
trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 112:7

No, not even the wiles of the evil one, should cause consternation.

Though Satan should buffet,
Though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded
my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood
for my soul.
Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

And it is this salvation accomplished, yielding the hope and assurance of an eternity with Christ, that lends to us steadfastness.

This hope we have
as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast.
Hebrews 6:19

Rooted in Christ, we remain immovable, firm, and secure.

Therefore as you have received
Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk in Him,
having been firmly rooted
and now being built up in Him
and established in your faith ….
Colossians 2:6–7

And this steadfastness and rootedness—this walk of faith in the Lord—is the font of immeasurable peace.

The steadfast of mind
You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3

For this God is our refuge.

He only is my rock
and my salvation,
my stronghold;
I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psalm 62:2

Of course, this steadfastness is not torpid stagnation, nor this rootedness irresolute paralysis. It is an active immovability! Steadfast and immovable against all counterinfluences, and steadfast in, and immovable from, the work of the Lord.

… thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding
in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil
is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:57–58

Not in vain, for this steadfast and immovable labor will be rewarded one day. Christ promised:

“Behold, I am coming quickly,
and My reward is with Me,
to render to everyone
according to what he has done.”
Revelation 22:12

Stand fast. Steadfast!

CONTROL!

Sometime ago, I had the (ahem!) delight of driving on the Bundesautobahn (BAB) (Federal Motorway)—aka the Autobahn—in Germany. Driving a rental Mercedes to traipse round that country—twice!—remains one of the high points of my recent European sojourn.

The German autobahns are historically important for being the world’s first restricted-access, high-speed road network, opening in 1935 with an artery connecting Frankfurt to Darmstadt. With a total network length of about 7,500 miles, the BAB is the third longest in the world, behind the Interstate Highway System of the USA and the National Trunk Highway System of China. But unique—and fascinating for many!—is the fact that these German highways are the few of the public road systems in the world that do not have speed limits for cars and motorbikes.

Hence the photograph. But honestly, we weren’t going fast enough! Puttering along at a humble 128 mph, we were outzipped by intemperate Porsches and licentious Ferraris. Incidentally, a recent study by the German Interior Ministry demonstrated that the accident records of such roads were comparable with those of roads with speed limits. Be that as it may, 128 mph was good enough for me; beyond that, I lost my nerve. There was a tangible feeling that things were out of control around those speeds—at least for me.

I’m content with knowing that the earth (with me on it) is hurtling around the sun at about 67,000 mph. I am not compelled to floor the gas pedal of my car in addition. And at those speeds we are completely out of control. We can’t do a thing about our planetary motion. Our translocations in time and space are way beyond our ken and absolutely beyond our governance!

But not for God. Thankfully, He is in control.

In Him we live and move and exist ….
Acts 17:28

We subsist in Him, and God’s providence—His continual involvement with His creation— maintains all things in existence.

He is before all things,
and in Him
all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17

There is nothing outside the control of God’s sovereignty.

The LORD has established
His throne in the heavens,
and His sovereignty rules over all.
Psalm 103:19

Even the affairs of mankind.

The mind of a person
plans his way,
but the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Everything moves to fulfill His will.

He works all things
after the counsel of His will.
Ephesians 1:11

God’s council, none can overturn; His purposes, none can thwart.

For the LORD of hosts
has planned,
and who can frustrate it?
And as for His
stretched-out hand,
who can turn it back?
Isaiah 14:27

Indeed, without finitude to His power, without the limitations of time, space, or extent of any kind …

The counsel of the LORD
stands forever.
Psalms 33:11

He is the Pantocrator, the Almighty.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God,
“who is and who was
and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8

What a relief! When we lose our grip on things (often), when our frailties and incapacities threaten to overwhelm (daily), when we come face to face with our mortality (without fail, soon), there is One on the throne! And He is for us, for His children, believers in Christ Jesus.

If God is for us,
who is against us?
Romans 8:31

Praise God! The Almighty is in control!

For from Him and through Him
and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36

And “Amen!”

MINISTRY!

Room 317 on the third floor of Todd Building on Dallas Seminary’s Main Campus. And the Fall Semester begins this week. What a delight to be back in the teaching saddle! And the thrill of interaction with fellow-faculty members and students! A foretaste of these, at the Faculty Workshop and Student Orientation last week, whetted my appetite for more. And there will be more, God willing.

It is with a great deal of eagerness that I embark on the next phase of my spiritual pilgrimage. Yet another opportunity to serve God and His people with what He has entrusted me with. While I’m thankful for the special place I’m in and the unique community I’m now part of here at DTS, opportunities for all believers to serve God with our spiritual gifts, for the edification of the body of Christ, are constantly available. In some capacity or another, in some venue or another, we are called to exercise faithful stewardship of God’s gifts. Let us make use those opportunities enthusiastically.

As each one
has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another
as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God.
… so that in all things
God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs the glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:10–11

All for the glory of God. Indeed, whatever we do must seek to glorify God.

Whether, then, you eat or drink
or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

While the glory of God remains the ultimate goal, the proximal goal in the use of our gifts and talents is the building up of the church, the fellowship of believers in Christ. With all the different gifts operating, and as team members play their individual positions, together we all serve to strengthen and profit the community of God.

To each one is given
the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:7

For the good of all, for the benefit of all. There is obviously no place for boast or conceit in the distribution or exercise of gifts. They are all equally the manifestation of God’s Spirit. And all equally gifts, i.e., given to us, received by us.

For who regards you as superior?
What do you have
that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it,
why do you boast
as if you had not received it?
1 Corinthians 4:7

This is an act of God—His sovereign distribution of gifts, His sovereign placement of each unique individual in the body of Christ. Dallas Seminary’s Annual Faculty Workshop is highlighted by reports from those responsible for the many facets of the Seminary’s operation—finance, academic, information technology, etc. Obviously the logistics of running such an educational institution is clearly a team effort. So also is the functioning of the church, designed by God to operate as a team effort.

For just as we have
many members in one body
and all the members
do not have the same function,
so we, who are many,
are one body in Christ,
and individually members
one of another.
Romans 12:4–5

Body parts with different functions. It truly matters not what exactly the gift(s) is (are) that each of us has. What is important is our faithful exercise thereof for the glory of God and the edification of the church, for …

… it is required of stewards
that one be found trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 4:2

And so, let’s plunge in, giving of ourselves to God and His people, serving faithfully.