Jesus Christ has true excellency, and so great an excellency,
that when you come to truly see him, you look no further,
but your mind rests there.
There is a transcendent glory and an
ineffable sweetness in Christ.
You see that you had been pursuing shadows,
but now you have found the substance.
You realize that you had been seeking happiness in the stream,
but now you have found the ocean.
The excellency of Christ is an object adequate to the natural
cravings of the soul, and is sufficient to fill its capacity.
Christ has an infinite excellency, such as the mind desires,
in which it can find no bounds; and the more the mind
contemplates Him, the more excellent does He appear.
Each new discovery of Christ makes His beauty appear more
ravishing, and the mind can see no end to His excellency.
There is room enough for the mind to go deeper and deeper,
and never come to the bottom.
Christ’s excellency is always fresh and new, and will as much
delight us, after we have beheld Him a thousand, or ten thousand
years, as when we have seen him the first moment.
The soul is exceedingly ravished when
it first looks on the beauty of Christ.
It is never weary of Him.
“And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly” – Luke 22:44
I love how in every aspect of the life of Jesus, we see a model of how to do things right. As Jesus faces the ultimate conclusion of His time here on earth, He retreats into the garden of Gethsemane for some time in prayer. How can we even imagine the intensity of what He felt in those moments? And as the intensity of His agony increased, so did the intensity of His prayer.
I face some intense moments. We all do. Although they pale in comparison to what Jesus faced, they are still difficult. Agony comes in a variety of flavors.
If I were to rewrite this verse to refer to myself, it would read something like this:
“and being in great agony, she raised her voice and complained.”
“and being in great agony, she became frustrated and hopeless.”
“and being in great agony, she felt distant from God and didn’t pray.”
“and being in great agony, she felt exceedingly sorry for herself.”
“and being in great agony, she pouted and felt that life had treated her very unfairly.”
I know that in my most difficult moments that I should run to God immediately, but often I don’t do that.
A few moments to wallow in self-pity, a few moments to garner the sympathy of others, a few moments to determine how I’m going to fix things. And the agony only increases and I am no closer to God.
How true are the words of this famous hymn:
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer
Lord, in the various agonies of life, help me to immediately draw near to You.
“All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.” Numbers 6:4
Under the old covenant, a person could take the vow of a Nazarite and separate themselves to God for a period of time. There were some people that were Nazirites from birth. Samson and John the Baptist are examples. But it seems for the most part to be a vow that was taken voluntarily.
Numbers 6:2 gives us the purpose for this vow – “to separate themselves unto the Lord.”
Separation – this is a word that fascinates me. My attention has been intensely riveted on this concept for many months. It is clearly a Biblical concept, demonstrated in the Old Testament by God choosing Israel as His own people from among the nations and then in the New Testament by Christ calling His own people from out of the world. In neither case was there a physical separation from the world, but there was a clear expectation that there would be such a profound difference in the manner of life, that a distinction would be noticeable.
This separation of belonging to Christ is to be radical and all encompassing. Just as the Nazarite ate no part of the grape, from seed to skin, we are to be radically separated from the world. Our interests, our priorities, our conversations – these should not follow the pattern of those who do not name Christ. From the innermost hidden recesses of our hearts to the outer person we present to the world, we should be different. From seed to skin.
But God forbid that we should merely take on the external forms of religion. How does God receive any glory from one who separates himself only to becomes a Pharisee, glorying in his separation, too holy to associate with “lesser beings”?? We do not turn away from the pleasures this world has to offer to follow a system of rules. But we have discovered what Thomas Chalmers calls “the expulsive power of a new affection”. We are not only separated from, but we are separated to. Separated to this Christ, this Saviour who has so mercifully redeemed us. All else pales in comparison and the world’s entertainments and amusements seem dull and lifeless after a glimpse of the glory of the eternal Lord.
I will close with these words from Mr. Chalmers
The love of the world cannot be expunged by a mere demonstration of the world’s worthlessness. But may it not be supplanted by the love of that which is more worthy than itself? The heart cannot be prevailed upon to part with the world, by a simple act of resignation. But may not the heart be prevailed upon to admit into its preference another, who shall subordinate the world, and bring it down from its wonted ascendancy? If the throne which is placed there must have an occupier, and the tyrant that now reigns has occupied it wrongfully, he may not leave a bosom which would rather detain him than be left in desolation. But may he not give way to the lawful sovereign, appearing with every charm that can secure His willing admittance, and taking unto himself His great power to subdue the moral nature of man, and to reign over it? In a word, if the way to disengage the heart from the positive love of one great and ascendant object, is to fasten it in positive love to another, then it is not by exposing the worthlessness of the former, but by addressing to the mental eye the worth and excellence of the latter, that all old things are to be done away and all things are to become new.
“What has stripped the seeming beauty from these idols of the earth? Not the sense of right or duty, but the sight of Nobler Birth.
Not the crushing of those idols, with its bitter pain and smart,
but the beaming of His Beauty, the unveiling of His Heart.
‘Tis the look that melted Peter, ‘tis the face that Stephen saw,
‘tis the heart that wept with Mary, can alone from idols draw.
Draw, and win, and fill completely till the cup o’erflow the brim;
What have we to do with idols, who have companied with Him?”
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
It’s amazing how indestructible we can feel. 70, 80, 90 years does seem like an awfully long time to a finite mind. But the Bible says it is a vapor. A puff of smoke that you see for a moment and then it disappears. As we get older, I think some of this reality begins to dawn on us. So, as we become more settled in life, successful in career, we realize that now is the time to go for the gusto, grab life by the horns, eat, drink and be merry. At some point even 90 years doesn’t seem so terribly long and we begin trying to pack as much life into those few years as possible.
I know people who seem to live to accumulate more and better stuff. To them, that is life.
I know people who seem to live to stay intoxicated in some form as often as possible. To them, that is life.
I know some people who seem to live for that next relationship. To them, that is life.
I know people who seem to live to succeed in business. To them, that is life.
For those who don’t know Jesus, these drives are understandable. I am sad for them and long for them to know Jesus. But I understand why they chase after these other things. But oh how my heart breaks when those who name the name of Christ pursue these things.
In Christ, we have all things that pertain to life and godliness. These other things can NEVER give life, and certainly not abundant, eternal life. How sad to see those to whom grace has been extended, choose earthly delights instead of delighting in Christ.
Life is too short to almost live.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
The gospel of John records that when the disciples went to the tomb after the crucifixion and discovered that Jesus was not there, that the burial face cloth was still there, by itself, folded.
As I thought about the face cloth, I remembered the story of Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the law (the Old Covenant), his face shining so brightly that he had to cover it with a veil. And there was a veil in the tabernacle/temple that kept the place of the presence of God separated from the rest of the sanctuary.
The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. Exodus 26:33
Each year sacrifices were offered and sin was covered, but there was no provision made to allow the people behind the veil, into the presence of God. The veil symbolized the separation that still existed between God and the people, even in the keeping of the law.
But in the initiation of the New Covenant, the face cloth (a word also translated veil) is folded and set aside as something no longer needed. There is now no more divider between us and the presence of God. Christ has entered into that most holy place with His own blood, once for all time. He has cleansed us from our sin and brought us near to God.
Oh, if we only knew, if we could only grasp the privilege we have been given! Those who have called on the name of Jesus for forgiveness of sin have been washed clean, clothed with His righteousness and given access into a fellowship with God that was never before available. It is almost scandalous to think that the holy God allows us to come and commune with Him. But He made a way!!
So let us not be guilty of erecting our own veils of laziness and complacency that keep us from entering this glorious reality. As a bride’s veil is removed when she is given to the groom, let us also remove the veils of separation that we have allowed to stop us from fellowshipping with our God. And then, with unveiled face, let us behold the glory of the Lord.
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” Ephesians 4:28
Most people work to pay their bills and to acquire more stuff. This is the motivation to spend 40 hours (or more) at our workplace each week. And we work even harder so we can make more money so we can buy even more stuff. It’s the American way, right?
Maybe so, but it’s certainly not the way of Jesus. His teachings were full of words like “serve” and “give”. Sometimes as believers, we have to shake ourselves and realize that the American dream is in direct opposition to the Bible. Nowhere in Scripture are we told to acquire more goods for ourselves and hoard up possessions and money. On the contrary, Jesus told a story about a man who had to build a bigger place to store all his stuff – and Jesus called him a fool.
I do have bills that I need to pay. I do require certain necessities to survive. But I desire to be free from the mentality of excess that society flaunts before me. How can I justify the purchase of another pair of black shoes or another purse, when there are people who are in desperate need, not knowing where their next meal will come from? How could I justify the expense of a manicure when there are men and women on the mission field who have left everything to serve Christ and could be helped by that money?
Jesus said that there will always be poor people among us. This is just the nature of things in a fallen world. But should it be that the poor are among us because we are too greedy to share and give? Oh Lord, let it not be!
Oh, the freedom of a simple life that abounds in generosity to others. I want this life. To be free of the desire for stuff and more stuff, and to have a heart that delights in giving.
Not working to prosper; not working to accumulate wealth; but working to give. Seems to me, this would be a very blessed life.
“So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites………..But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried on their shoulders.” Numbers 7:6,9
The people of Israel were a mobile people during this period of their history. They moved frequently from one place to the next as God directed. This must have become tiresome, as they were continuously taking apart, packing up, carrying, unpacking and setting back up. Over and over and over.
In addition to their own households, the Levites also had the responsibility of moving the tabernacle. The three divisions, Gershon, Merari and Kohath, were each assigned specific areas of the tabernacle that they were responsible for. Kohath was responsible for the contents – the holy items. Nobody else was allowed to draw so near to the furniture and utensils of the tabernacle. And not even the Kohathites could come near until these things were covered with a blue cloth and a covering of badger skins. But once the coverings were in place, the Kohathites handled the holy things until they reached the next destination. I wonder if there was a sense of awe accompanying this charge.
The tabernacle furnishings had been fashioned with rings on the corners so that pole could be inserted. This allowed for the furnishings to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites as the Israelites travelled.
When the leaders of Israel felt moved to make an offering to the Lord of carts and oxen, the Lord instructed Moses to give these to the Levites. The sons of Gershon were given carts and oxen, and the sons of Merari were given carts and oxen. But the sons of Kohath were not given carts or oxen. Reason would tell us that since theirs was the most important part of the tabernacle that they should have been the first to receive carts and oxen. Why did they receive nothing?
I wonder if the Lord wanted them to continually be reminded of the weighty responsibility of handling the holy things, lest they should become careless or thoughtless in the handling of them.
We are entrusted with holy things as well. God has given us His Word and His Spirit. How are we handling these? Have we just tossed them into a cart to be hauled around, requiring nothing from us? Oh, but God has desired us to feel the weightiness. It is a weightiness that is not wearisome, but serves as a reminder of how very holy these holy things are.
I enjoy waking up early when everything is quiet. The chaos of life hasn’t had an opportunity to interject itself into my thoughts yet and my mind seems like still waters. No ripples of worry, no fretting over tasks to be accomplished. Just a blank slate waiting to be written upon.
One of my first activities of the morning is to spend some time reading the Bible. Once I begin preparing for work, I find that my mind continues to ponder the morning’s reading.
Recently, my morning’s reading included this phrase – “love your enemies”. I found that phrase rolling around in my thoughts that morning. It was quickly followed by 1 Corinthians 13.
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (v. 4-7)
As I thought on these two passages I realized how radical this was, and how far short I had fallen in living this. I had considered that if I tolerated those who were unkind to me, which sometimes amounted to nothing more than ignoring them, that I had fulfilled the command to love my enemies. But this type of treatment would not even reach the standard of what in previous generations had been considered mere common civility.
I have turned the command of the Lord, which is a command of action, into a passive command. Matthew 5:44 gives these instructions:
Love your enemies
Bless those who curse you
Do good to those who hate you
Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
So it seems to me that this passage, along with 1 Corinthians 13, gives us a comprehensive love plan. Matthew 5 tells us what our outward, active response should be, and 1 Corinthians 13 instructs us as to a proper attitude of the heart.
The Lord, as usual, has covered all the bases. Now all that remains is for me to obey.
“So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.” Mark 3:9-10
Repeatedly in the gospels we read the accounts of Jesus being thronged or pressed by the crowds. He gained quite a reputation as a miracle worker and there were many in Israel that needed a miracle. Most places He went there were large crowds and all of them were trying to get near Him….because they needed something from Him.
Yes, we are very needy. And God knows we are very needy. He has promised to meet those needs and has told us we can come and ask. What a wonderful privilege. But our coming to Him is not restricted to presenting our needs.
I am learning to be wary in my life of this tendency to come to Jesus only when I have a need. He is so much infinitely more than the One who meets my needs, but sometimes I lose sight of this. The needs in my life, which often give me a new revelation of just how not in control I am, magnify my need for Him. But my need for Him is never less just because life isn’t spinning chaotically out of control.
Oh God, please help me remember this…..
Many will press against Him to get their needs met, but who will press against Him only to know Him? Whose need for His Presence is desperate enough that it drives them to pursue Him relentlessly and recklessly?
He is my Delight 