The Truth is, We're United

I've been doing a lot of thinking about unity recently. How could I not? A daily perusal of Drudge headlines is all you need to have ample proof that we live in a world of strife and disunity. Ferguson, the abortion debate, conservative vs. liberal, class envy of the so-called "one-percenters", amnesty for illegals, FOX News vs the MSM . . . the list seems inexhaustible and a culture of "choosing sides" inescapable. For all the good lip service to "crossing the aisle" does (that's none, by the way), we are told to embrace shades of gray in a world that is ultimately black and white.

Even on that point I'm sure people will disagree. "The world is not black and white!" they would say.  "What is true for you for you is not true for me." But there is inaccuracy in that. An inaccuracy which leads to all sorts of problems because it starts our conversation from a false premise. A more accurate way to express the sentiment is "You believe things that I do not."

The reality is there is Truth—absolute Truth that stands, immutable, on its own regardless of anyone's affirmation or denial of it. When the light of Truth illuminates our questions and disagreements, that which is false becomes obvious. You might say, "as obvious as black and white."

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1, 4-5). The world (aka secular culture) is trapped in darkness. Christians, however, see the black because we also see the light. Jesus is the Word. We abide in Him when we abide in His word. We abide in the light not only for ourselves, but also to shine the light of Truth, the light of Christ, into a world in darkness. Why? Because that's what disciples do. Jesus told us, "'If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free'" (John 8:31b-32). Notice it's not abiding in His word so we obey the rules of first importance. It's not abiding in His word so we have the knowledge to judge others. It's abiding in His word to be true disciples who know truth and are set free! Galatians 5:1 restates Christ's hope and plan for each of us, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery."

Listening to a sermon in the days after the chaos and discord that emanated from the 2014 GA of the PC (USA) as a result of the vote to open the door for homosexuality within the denomination, I was stuck by the universal call for unity within our fellowship. On an issue where there is no gray, where there is no middle ground, how can we make our way to unity?

I started feeling overwhelmed and a bit frightened as I started to think of the long days of debate that lie in wait as we sort through the GA vote and formulate our local church's response and stance. Conflict gives me hives. Even on the edges of it all, as a congregant, I dreaded knowing that our elders would be wrestling with culture and Truth.

As I started to nurse my worry, I remembered John 8:31-32 and began to feel a bit of hope well up in my heart and mind. Jesus promised, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine..." While we face opposition and discord from those who corrupt God's word, there are disciples in our church, in our denomination, all over the world who abide in God's word and we are united! There is unity in the church, there is hope for His bride! The issue suddenly turned around in my mind. For me, it's no longer an issue of acquiescing to tolerance, it's an issue of discipleship. We've allowed the un-discipled to instruct us and error has flowed in. Scripture (the word) is very clear. But that clarity muddles into gray when we listen to the voices of those who do not abide in the word. We've been asked to "dialogue", but when Scripture speaks, there is no room for opinion, only obedience.

Billy Sunday, a well-known evangelist from the turn of the 20th century, said, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” He knew something we've forgotten. Somewhere along the way, we Christians lost our way by seeking numbers instead of disciples. In the last years of the last century we deteriorated even further and we started just seeking. Seeking individually, within the context of the community of church, but not to be part of a body as much as to be a better self. We were looking for things like our purpose, our happiness, our comfort, our peace, our prosperity. It's not like any of those things are intrinsically bad or are things that God doesn't want us to have. The problem is, He wants us to have so much more! 

We've allowed generations of people to sit in a pew, fill out the roll call, check the right boxes, and call themselves Christians (when they choose to)—all the while allowing them to miss out on discipleship and the Truth that would truly set them free! How tragic. We've fitted the yoke of slavery with pretty decorations and makeshift padding . . . but Christ came to set us free!

I realized the issue isn't "the issue" (fill in the blank with any current social problem). The issue is belonging to and following Christ. Jesus said, "You are My friends, if you do what I command you" (John 15:14). We often hear "But God loves everyone" used in support of whatever pet sin is being defended. Yes, God is love. Yes, God does love everyone. But, let's back up a couple of verses and see how God defines His love. "'This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you'" (John 15:12-14). Wow. Anyone looking for their own comfort see that coming? Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us, isn't calling us to a life of ease, He's calling us to a life of sacrifice, of others-serving, of self-LESS-ness. He's calling us to life in Him. He's calling us to a life that is real and robust, full of hope and joy. There may be seasons of plenty when we sense our purpose, are happy, are comfortable, enjoy peace—even prosperity. But, there will be seasons when the cold wind howls and all of those things go missing. In those seasons, Christians still have reason to sing for joy because we abide in His word, we are His disciples, we are His friends. We have His promise to remain with us in His final command to us, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age'" (Matthew 28:18b-20).

Sadly, we have not done a good job of keeping this command. In that sense, we have not been Christ's friends. The issue of not having "unity" in the church is a failure of discipleship. We have not completed the work of Matthew 28:18-20. We have not made disciples.

Unity as an end will always come from one side being willing to "agree to disagree". That kind of "unity" is a false peace soon to deteriorate into discord again. However, unity as a by-product of embracing Truth—that is a unity that will stand to the end.

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1, italics mine).

Love. Perfect.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 4-7, 8a).

"God is love" (1 John 4:8).

"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Love is eternal. God is love.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11, italics mine).

He has come into our hearts by His grace through faith in Christ. We are washed in the waters of baptism to die to self and be raised to new life in Christ. We live the restored life of a heart transplant recipient...we trade ours for His, disease for vitality, stone for flesh.

Love is life-giving. God is love.

I recently reread 1 John 4:18, "...perfect love drives out fear..." and it dawned on me in a new way. I realized I shouldn't fear betrayal, loss, rejection, isolation, or any kind of calamity. These kinds of fear feed on a desire for self-preservation. The more we focus on what they might take away, the more self-absorbed and fearful we become. Incased in this type of fear we can't possibly have the love, and thereby grace or strength, required to overcome. But, there is a singular fear that, if embraced, will lead us to God. 

Psalm 111:10a tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." We're not talking about fearing a tempestuous god with an itchy trigger finger on the "smite button". We're talking about a fear born of the realization that we have all fallen short of His glory and have sinned against Him. We are the guilty defendants. He is the righteous Judge reviewing the air-tight case against us. Fearing His justice and flinging ourselves on His mercy—that sounds like wisdom. With wisdom comes understanding, with understanding comes gratitude, and with gratitude comes love. Real, vibrant, trusting, tested love. 

Love is the strength to overcome. God is love.

As I contemplate all of this, I realize that God is with me and should everything I fear come to pass, even then, God remains. 

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39).

I gave an accounting of the things I fear and in the final equation, the only thing I truly fear is separation from God. That's the only thing I could not endure in this life or the next—existing apart from Him.

And with that final thought, fearful tears turn to tears of joy. "The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).

God is love. Love wins!

Covered in Christ, we do not have to fear the worst. Instead, we can trust God to bring about His best.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28 KJV).

God is love. Perfect love.

All unmarked scripture references taken from the New International Version
"New International Version” and “NIV” are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc.®.

Liberalism. Inconceivable! (original post 2/27/09)

Today I attended my first protest rally and it got me thinking. Conservatives—Patriots—have once again become the revolutionaries challenging the ruling class. What were we protesting? In the words of Rush Limbaugh, “The porkulus plan.”
So, I thought, if this is what Conservatives do, what about the other side of the equation? I decided it’s inconceivable!

Liberalism.

Liberalism protests for peace (think about that for even just a minute). Who does it protest against? Those willing to sacrifice everything to defeat tyranny.

Liberalism is "anti-establishment". What does it seek? A governmental nanny state.

Liberalism avows separation of church and state. Where does it turn for aid? To a state that has usurped the gifts of the church.

Liberalism demands tolerance (again, Selah (Hebrew word for, “Pause. And calmly think of that)). When is tolerance applied? Only when people with whom liberalism agrees are speaking.

Liberalism celebrates diversity. What does diversity create? A world where everyone is different making unity impossible.

Peace borrowed from a willful ignorance of an enemy of liberty's actions is false peace and will soon enough demand payment in full with interest. Pretending that a tyrant is not so is like pretending a tiger is a house cat.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." —Gerald R. Ford. The irony of the anti-establishment crowd seeking to create the largest apparatus of establishment in American history is rich...and very, very impoverished indeed.

Taxes are for infrastructure. For things like roads, schools, parks, law enforcement, and a ready defense. Taxes are not for things like medical care, retirement, after school programs, and food. Those gifts are the church's to give precisely because they are impotent in transforming the life of the recipient without the power of receiving such gifts in the name of Jesus Christ. The government has no moral authority to demand accountability, has no hope of better things (save the assurance that one may stay in his or her condition of need indefinitely), and has no community to offer guidance, correction, and love.

Tolerance defined is essentially agreeing to disagree. But, as revisionist
re-definers are wont to do, the word has been re-tooled to mean, "I will tolerate (agree with) all who do not directly challenge (disagree with) me." All challengers are subject to slander, abuse, and final judgment. By the way, "Judge not lest ye be judged"? Seriously? Right back atchya. And, by the way, love is not a synonym for tolerance. Tolerance perceives error and says "ah well, live and let live." Love sees error and says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Real love is ready, willing, and able to do the difficult things. Love never turns a bind eye in favor of comfort, but even so, love “is patient and kind...does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
“Love never fails.” Read that description of love in full in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, then read John 3:16-17. Don’t accept mere tolerance, receive grace.

Diversity is akin to tolerance. Recognizing differences is one thing. Recognizing differences and not having prejudice against someone who is different is still another. But focusing solely on a difference and demanding primary allegiance to that difference—a difference that necessarily makes one group exclusive to another—is something else. And that brand of diversity is at the heart of the disunity and us/them culture we find ourselves in. Only in Christ can all of mankind be united. We may be many things individually, but collectively we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Christ is the only solution to the universal need for redemption and grace. Christ alone has the ability to unify us as He is reconciling all believers to Himself.

Liberalism. Supposedly the bastion of total freedom, love, and acceptance. But, in the words of The Princess Bride’s Inigo Montoya, "I do no think that word mean what you think it mean." It’s inconceivable...if you think about it.

Wash, Rinse, Spin, Repeat (original post 10/8/09)

First called a “bailout”, then (presumably because it sounds more heroic) a “rescue”, the 700 Billion spent from the taxpayers’ account today is supposed to save paradise. If that’s the case, one wonders if it’s big enough.




I spent $700 BILLION today. What’s new with you?

As October surprises go, this one surely will go down as the most expensive in history. But, as October surprises go, this one will surely go down as the least surprising.

The stunning lack of
A) response to the warnings of many (Conservative/Republican) voices for at least the past four years;
B) accountability of the many (Democrat) perpetrators that caused the crisis and;
C) media interest in reporting on the leftist leadership and interest groups that were the holes of this boat
is nothing short of, well, TWELVE digits.

The feeling of lament I have for my country at this moment brings to mind the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 1:8-10:
All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.

Closed ears to ample warning? Check. (see Noah/Ark)
Leadership casting blame and condescending any accusers, all the while pocketing ill-got gain? Check. (see Pharisees)
Greedy philistines doing whatever does themselves good without regard to society? Check and check. (see Merriam-Webster definition: “a person who is guided by materialism and is usually disdainful of intellectual or artistic values” supported by any number of Biblical Philistine encounters)
So, with a heavy sigh, the agonizingly perennial truth comes to bear again today. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). I have a feeling we are only beginning to see how deeply and broadly this root has taken hold in America.
Lest we simply move on from here only to pass “Go” and collect $700,000,000,000 again—and just in case someone not already in the choir is reading—make note of this , “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
It’s a mad, mad world because its destiny is repetition. The good news is, in Christ, we are washed, rinsed and released from the cycles of spin and repeat. “Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16).

Words mean things. BUT, you complete me.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin…" - Martin Luther King Jr. August 28, 1963

I have heard MLK’s quote many times and each time have been inspired by the ideal of humans not being judged by the color of their skin. However, as I sat in the coffee shop with friends this morning talking politics and looking at our favorite blogs, I read The Heritage Foundation’s Morning Bell which included portions of Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech. As I reread the familiar lines, I noticed something. We’ve been led to believe the thesis of King’s statement is that judgment should cease. But that’s because we’ve been fed an incomplete sentence. Dr. King, as a Christian, as a human, as a thinking man, knew that judgement between right and wrong is a necessity of life. If we can’t judge something, what are we dreaming about? That is to say, how would it be possible to judge and condemn those who refused the full rights of United States citizenship to some Americans if judgment itself were in error?

It seems the dreams of some include a total elimination of judgment. That’s in sync with the idea of tolerance I suppose. But, if you think about it, tolerance is a decision to “put up with” any idea or action of another that you judge to be incorrect or in conflict with your own. Tolerance itself requires being judgmental. A beef I’ve had with tolerance ever since it came into vogue during the Clinton-era’s age of political correctness was that it, usually awkwardly, forces a focus on what makes us different as opposed to what makes us the most remarkable “e pluribus unum” history has ever known.

BUT, I digress. My main thought today is emphasizing King’s completion of his. That day in August, 1963 Dr. King's full statement was, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin BUT by the content of their character." (all caps, mine.) King knew his children would be judged—and I suspect he taught them to make wise judgements as well. He would not, otherwise, so willingly put the “content of their character” on the table.
This is the soaring ideal that King dreamed of realizing for the generations to come. As the writer of this morning’s Heritage Foundation’s Morning Bell put it,

“Dr. King did not think that the principle of equality meant that everyone should be treated the same. He sought equality of rights and equality before the law, not equality of outcomes or equality as a result. For Dr. King, justice was when a person is judged ‘by the content of their character’ rather than by arbitrary considerations such as skin color.  Dr. King did not mean that we should treat people of good character and bad character the same. Actual equality is achieved when arbitrary standards are replaced by meaningful criteria such as talent and virtue. A just country, in Dr. King’s vision, is one in which people are rewarded for acting well.”

We celebrate today a man who was brave enough to stand against those who wanted to alter the vision of our Founding Fathers and the First Principles they established. How fitting, then, in today’s climate of bailouts, handouts, and our massive lurch to the left that Dr. King again reminds us, “the content of [a person’s] character” is the thing to rightly judge.

BUT, all I can hope is that these the words of Dr. King will, once again, ring loud and clear today.

Easy, Feel-good, Good-times, Rock'n'Roll Religion

Since when did feeling good overtake being good? And when did substance begin to pale to polish? When did the gospel start needing labels like "mega", "emergent" or "inclusive" to qualify it as relevant? Why does discriminating no longer mean discernment and sound judgment but instead screams "bigot!" Arriving on the other side of Easter, I wonder...

Coming into Eastertide, I suppose the pain and suffering of Jesus on our behalf is easy to gloss over with so much as a shiny, plastic egg. But, even just a quick glance over my shoulder and I see them there—John and Mary, Christ's mother, with Mary Magdelene holding the giver of life's lifeless form. It's the gruesome reality of the ravages of sin and the gut-wrenching realization that the one who bore it all was, himself, sinless. The depth of the love of Jesus, the supremacy of his power to overcome sin and death, and the offer of his sacrifice as grace to us all is the force of Eastertide. It's the reason we can move beyond the pinned-down hellishness of Good Friday to the uncontainable joy now set before us. It's a very costly freedom, and oh how quickly we forget.

In my observation of the American church of late, it appears we prefer to forget the passion that brought us to the party. We want it all—except for the in the trenches messy stuff. Please don't misunderstand, church is a place to feel good. I have had many moments of deepest comfort and joy in church. But, church is also a place to get your hands dirty. It is the place from which we are sent to both tend the fields and bear fruit in keeping with repentance. I don't know about you, but I have never seen a gardener with clean fingernails.

Not long ago, Tulsa's own Carlton Pearson rebranded his theology with a "Doctrine of Inclusion." Simply put, it cuts the gospel off at the knees to give everyone a free pass into heaven. No muss. No fuss. No repentance necessary. God has not only paid the bill, he's paid the cover charge. Just one question sir, "What, then, is the point?" Pack it up and stay home Mr. Pearson. Spare us the hefty carbon footprint of your facilities, and save the electricity used to broadcast your services on NPR.

But, don't order yet! There's more! In addition to being saved without even really thinking about it, you can have "Your Most Abundant Life Now!" Joel Osteen preaches in an easy, breezy, bff way with just enough "bless me Jesus" to make it sound like a real sermon. Sorry Joel, to single you out. In reality, the name it and claim it crowd has been around for a while. Google "prosperity gospel" and you'll see a roll call of the usual suspects, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and don't forget, Paul and Jan Crouch. The premise is that I can will God's abundance to myself, because if I say it and believe it, God is bound to me to do it. Pastor Gary E. Gilley writes of this movement, "In Word Faith religion, the believer is told to use God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite, God uses the believer. Word Faith or prosperity theology sees the Holy Spirit as a power to put to use for whatever the believer wills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person who enables the believer to do God's will."(1)

Don't call just yet! We'll also include a gospel so comfortable, you probably won't even know you're hearing the Word of God. The emergent church has a lot of interesting possibilities, but when I read Donald Miller quoted lauding Ann Lamott for being "...like the only Christian writer who can just drop an F-bomb every few pages, and no one notices"(2) I wonder what the congregation is emerging from (or to) exactly. If you're reading about spiritual regeneration and you don't notice the "f-bomb", perhaps it's because the percussion of the mortar obliterated your discernment. I suppose it's the logical extension of the seeker-friendly movement of the '90s. Now, here in the new century it's all about the seeking and not so much what can be found.

A lack of imagination? A lack of courage? To address our deepest needs we must get past our own wants and remember the Kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom. I wish I could remember what I was reading to attribute the quote, but I once read, "Our experience on earth is the closest a Christian will ever get to hell. And it's the closest the non-believer will ever come to heaven." Confusion about destination. I think that's a part of the problem. That, and, forgetting that I am not the central figure of the gospel message—Jesus Christ is.

My pastor, Dr. Miller, recently preached from Mark 10. He spoke of James and John making their audacious request in verse 35, "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. 'Teacher,' they said, 'we want you to do for us whatever we ask.'"

But Jesus, wants them to get specific about their need, "'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked" (Mark 10:36).

Dr. Miller went on to describe the scene, "The divine vending machine was full of tasty treats but they knew just what they wanted, 'They replied, 'Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory'" (Mark 10:37). This response indicates they caught at least a little bit of what Jesus had just said about the event of his suffering that was quickly approaching.

And here it comes (italics mine): "'You don't know what you are asking', Jesus said. 'Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?'" (Mark 10:38).

Turns out, they named it, claimed it—and eventually got it—the part about the cup and baptism that is, "'We can,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared'" (Mark 10:39-40).

The psalmist wove the opposing forces of pain and joy together in Psalm 51 when he wrote,

"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

"Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

"Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity." —Psalm 51:7-9

No one wants to be crushed. No one, who is mentally healthy, invites pain. Jesus himself was so burdened by his obedience to the cross that he sweat drops of blood as he pleaded with God for another way. But, our reality is this: we all must be broken by the cross. Mark 20:18 presents the two options available to us, "Everyone who falls on that stone [Jesus] will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

There are easier religions. There are easier versions of Christianity. But there is no other way to eternal life in the presence of God than through Jesus.

So we can join the crowd around the cross on Good Friday and shout to Jesus, "Get down from there and we will believe" or "How can you save us if you can't save yourself?" "Save yourself then, and we will follow!" All the while missing the boat entirely. Missing the fact that for Jesus to do what we ask would negate the sacrifice and the power of it. It would be spectacular. And empty.

Emptiness belongs to death and the tomb. Death, that silent bell that no longer rings, its mouth cracked and its clapper gone missing.

No, Jesus stayed. He remained faithful to his Father and his mission and his love. He knew to save us, to generate belief, resurrection, not rebellion was needed and necessary. Surely getting off that cross on Friday would have made Jesus happy. But his eye was on the prize. His eye was on the joy of heaven.

Obedience to Christ might not always feel good (just ask a prophet) but God will always be good.

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." —2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Pouring out

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. —John 12:3

No need to put a pint of myrrh (nard) on someone—unless they are dead.

Not only was this anointing a foreshadow of the death-bound tomb Jesus was on the verge of entering, it was a visual allegory of why Jesus had come.

The act was beautiful in its depth of love. It was an expression of sacrifice on Mary's part. She gave something to Jesus that was deeply personal and precious to her, something worth a year's wages, something that represented her identity as a prostitute, something that was earned by her sin, something she knew only Jesus could bear, something she knew only Jesus could transform, something she didn't want anymore.

The wages of sin is death. Mary poured the sin and death of her life out on Jesus at that banquet table. And he received it. He welcomed it because his perspective was like none other, he was able to see the joy set before him—the joy beyond the grave.

In repentance as we pour out our hearts, each one black and sin filled—regardless of how beautiful and alabaster white they appear to be on the outside, Christ transforms the stench of death into sweet perfume before the Father.

The disciples, notably Judas, were shocked by the "waste." And to be sure, pouring one's heart out on anyone or anything else would be waste. Excess given to loss. But, in pouring your heart out to Jesus, repentance is transformed into thanksgiving, shame to honor, and mourning to praise.

As we enter Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, remember Christ and his sacrifice. An act beautiful in its depth of love. An expression of completed sacrifice. God gave something to us that was precious to him; something worth all eternity; something that represented His own identity, Emmanuel, God with us;His Begotten, His One and only Son.

Only Jesus, through the power of God, can transform death into life.

Gracious Fury

If God were truly good, then why...?

It's an old question—and a frequently asked one. "How could God allow...?" "Why didn't God punish...?" "How could a loving God permit...?" Almost a year ago, I was asking the question again too.

And God answered me through the book of Job.

Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?

Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer me (Job 38:2-3).

I was trying to fall asleep with images of a terrible news story in my head. It was a story about the murder of a teenage girl. The convicted man had piles of porn in his home. Not just Hustler trash, it was child pornography depicting horrific abuses to very small children. It sickened me to the point of being physically ill.

The memories have come back to mind because my husband just returned from a photo assignment in Cambodia. He went with a film crew from Christ In Youth who were shooting a documentary and photo essay about the sex slave trade and human trafficking. Girls as young as five years old are being sold for as little as $500 to men who, twisted by lust and self-gratification, take not only their virginity, but their innocence, childhood, and many times their hope of a future as well.

In Romania, where we minister, more and more stories of the same kind are appearing in the press. Children are snatched up or—even worse—sold by their own parents to be used for sex, for begging, or for thieving—whatever will bring in the most money for the "new owner."

Confronted with all of this evil, how can we not ask God that same old question? I mean, after all, we are talking about children here. The innocent ones. The ones with no defenses and no one to defend them.

How does God restrain Himself? I find it hard to understand how the hope of men coming to know Him can hold Him to His throne. Especially as the evidence of our determination toward sin and ever greater degrees of depravity is overwhelming and inescapable.

God spoke into my questions as I read further in Job 38.

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-

while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,

when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,

when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,

when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt' (Job 38:4-11)?

Then, starting in verse 22, the Spirit began to help me understand,

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,

which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?...

...From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?

These verses called to mind the passages in Jeremiah and Psalms that speak of the storehouses of lightning, wind and rain. And His whisper of understanding came. Our God is good. Our God is gracious. Our God is a loving God. His anger does burn.

God's anger against these atrocities burns with an intensity and a fury that I can not comprehend. The fire was sparked when satan invented rebellion. The fire grew when other angels followed in the quest to usurp God. And through the ages, the fire has continued to grow as man follows in his sin nature instead of his creator's image.

I had never considered God's holy anger in this way—as the fuel for hell's fire.

In grace, God created a place—far from us—to warehouse His fury against sin. The storehouse of His fury, His perfect judgment and justice, waits with doors shut by grace, until the appropriate time when satan, and all those who choose rebellion, will be finally flung, finally destroyed, finally finished.

The scriptures speak of God's treasuries of snow and hail. They speak of His storehouses of wind, rain, and lightning. I believe now that hell is God's storehouse of His holy anger, burning against sin. And our rebellion continues to fuel it.

Shakespeare wrote, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." But hell is fury. It is God's fury against men who would violate the innocence of children in unspeakable ways. It is God's fury against lusts and greediness, against every fruit of rebellion.

There is some comfort though. Because if we hope, as the Father does, that men will come to know Him, to repent at the cross of Christ, and follow Christ in real discipleship, grace will abound.

The Apostle Paul says that as we repent, God's grace is sufficient to cover a multitude of sin (2 Corinthians 12:9). So, even as God's holy anger is being stored up for that final day, justice is His second choice. God always prefers grace. God never ceases to first love.

This is not to say God's nature is to prefer blindly glossing over sin. He is also faithful. In love He disciplines us to bring us to repentance that we might be brought ever more fully into His grace. And this is the hope that holds Him to His sovereign throne.

Thank you Father, for Your grace. Thank You that You are patient and merciful. Thank You that You will set all things right—including things seemingly left undone—even as you hold out mercy while we have time to grasp it.

Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. —Acts 20:32