NOW READ THIS!

This year, 2010, I read through the Bible entirely on my Blackberry. I've worn out a fair number of Bibles in my lifetime, but after a year of reading, the Blackberry has no dog-eared pages, no marks, no highlights and no notes scrawled in the margins . . . and I think I miss that. Well, I have been able to mark up my other "work horse" Bibles during study and sermon prep, so I didn't miss out completely on interacting with my text in that way.

At any rate, I'm on the verge of purchasing a new phone with a different platform, one that will support a Kindle app, and I'm looking forward to downloading the Scriptures and having a go at a "cover to cover" read next year with some more options for digitally highlighting and notating.

"Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things in Your law." Psalm 119:18

Dumbstruck

The following is of no spiritual or inspirational significance whatsoever (unless you're really creative). I recommend duct taping your jaw so that it doesn't hit the floor in the seconds following the 1:20 mark...

Longfellow On Christmas

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Historical Note: This hymn was writ­ten dur­ing the Amer­i­can civil war, as re­flect­ed by the sense of des­pair in the next to last stan­za. Stan­zas 4-5 speak of the bat­tle, and are usual­ly omit­ted from hymn­als:

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Go Ahead and Jump

When my second son Jack (he's the fella featured in my blog header, btw) was small, he would jump from the top of the stairs in our home to where I stood on the landing with outstretched arms. He never once balked, and would always be smiling and often close his eyes in blissful freedom as he flew, spread eagle, towards my secure embrace. I have never in my life seen a more vivid demonstration of trust: that little guy not giving his blind leap a second thought, but trusting without hesitation that I would catch him. And I always did.

So today, remember how faithful God is.

ZIP! POW!

LEFT JAB - "For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:14, NLT

It sends you reeling!

Here's the right cross from the ESV:

"For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

That's the power of justification! Christ's perfection, applied to believers, makes them perfect, not in practice (sanctification must do its work) but in position and eventually in the full realization of redemption. It is mind-blowingly awesome.

Our salvation is very great indeed, stronger and more profound than I've ever imagined. Just when I think I've got my mind wrapped around what Jesus did, more wonder is revealed.

I'm so thankful that Christ is the kind of high priest we need: forever interceding, guaranteeing, saving forever and saving completely.

8:33

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies." Romans 8:33

Wow.

This isn't a picture of Al Capone with some bottom feeding attorney getting him off the hook, just so he can get back to doing his mob business again. This is the common thief and murderer, poor and pitiful, the one justly sentenced, that finds a pardon has been granted and his death sentence repealed. A life of imprisonment has dissolved, dreamlike, into a life of freedom. The impossibly high and barred gate swings open into the sunshine.

And who hands down this clemency? None other than the judge Himself! The criminal doesn't even expect it. This judge is just, he hears. That can't be good news. But there IS good news . . . strange news . . . the judge Himself has actually made sure justice was served - in the death of His own Son.

Imagine: there you stand in the dock, guilty and accused, when the judge declares that YOU have been pardoned. He chose you to be so.

He's already handed down the sentence on His Son, and that's final. You can't argue it. No one can. It's the Judge who justifies. There simply are no more charges to bring, no more sentence to be served.

What this does to my soul!

God visited the punishment for our crimes upon His Son, the Christ, not wistfully hoping someone would believe and be saved, but He did it with intention, with a specific mission: to save those called "elect." Who are these? They are those of whom it is said, "whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" and Jesus' death has purchased their pardon, salvation and freedom, and no one will bring any charges again. Ever.

Wow.

That's it. I want to be done with sin. That's what freedom does; it doesn't (shouldn't) foster a sense of license to sin even more. I want nothing more than to please my dear Savior. Nonetheless, sin is still a part of my life. It grieves me, and enough of it grieves the Holy Spirit with whom I've been sealed. But my heart's desire is to be done with it and live in the glorious freedom of the children of God, and rejoice in my freedom.

Evolution Is Preposterousness

"You can't make a chicken from soup." Thus, the fatal flaws of evolutionary theory are summed up by my distant relative Alan Root.

Alan is a rock-musicianary to tweens (what an awesome title!). He's a lovely fella, and has written some great material for teaching young tweeners. Check him out, buy his stuff, use it. And when you click on his mug below, you'll be taken to his home page where you can hear the song "You Can't Make A Chicken From Soup!"