04/06/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

To Glory in my Redeemer

While some people may argue that a song can have more impact than a sermon (probably none of those people are preachers!) I would say that it is only the extent to which God’s Word is at work in either a song or sermon that people’s hearts and minds will be transformed! This may sound rather complicated. Let me explain what got me thinking about this.

On Good Friday morning we sang the words of a beautiful song together, “I will Glory in My Redeemer” (click on the title to see the lyrics). As I was song leading that morning and trying to articulate something worthwhile in my introduction, the meaning of the title got me thinking. What does it mean to “glory in” my redeemer? And how can I explain that in two easy sentences? (Please pause here and have a go at it yourself!)

The song itself explains much about the saving work of our Redeemer: His blood has ransomed me, He has crushed the power of sin and death, He has bought my life, He crowns my life with lovingkindness, He waits for me at gates of gold! But how are we to “glory in” this? To say “I will glory in” something is not a very common expression these days. Looking up a dictionary I discovered that to “glory in” means to enjoy, to derive great pride, pleasure, amusement or satisfaction from something. What an amazing statement and challenge this song title holds! It prompts me to ask questions like: Am I glorying in my Redeemer? Is He my only boast? Am I satisfied in Him alone (as the song says) and does He really “own my love”?

To glory in my Redeemer is an action, something we can choose to do; in fact it is a daily decision to be made! We will enjoy Jesus when we turn daily (hourly? moment by moment?) from the things of ourselves, our abilities and our possessions and status in this world as a source of our glory, and instead we give the glory to Him. Rather than boasting in myself, my house, my children, or my ability to be organised and control the myriad of circumstances and concerns of each day, I must choose to boast in Christ alone! He must receive the glory from my life and circumstances. My ultimate delight should be in contemplating the saving work of my redeemer and the treasure of my relationship with Him.

The impact of this song lies in the way it so closely echoes the challenge of God’s Word. From Paul to the Philippians ” …everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.”(Philippians 3:8-9 NLT). And it is through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we think on God’s word, that our minds can be transformed: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)

So may I encourage you to examine your own hearts in light of this challenge, and turn to Him who alone deserves to be treasured in this world, whose glory is fading away. May we “glory in” our Redeemer alone!

01/06/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

Lessons from the tissue box

A friend who knows I’m sick at the moment has passed on a deep theological question, probably just to keep me busy and distracted from the headcold and sore throat. Here is the question: is God teaching us stuff in sickness always, or is sickness just bad stuff that happens as a result of being in a sin filled world, or is it both? Well I could just say ‘both ‘and be done with it! But let’s ponder for a little while.

It seems that we all have become convinced that the default setting of our body should be 100% health. We think that eternal youth is possible if we just eat well, sleep well, exercise and use the right face cream. From the moment we are born our bodies begin to visibly grow and blossom, but at the same time we are degrading! Skin cells die and flake off even on those cute little babies. And there are a thousand other processes of repair (and warfare) going on behind the scenes, minute by minute, day after day, year after year, that we are not even aware of.
Sciencemuseum.org.uk says: “A cell can die in many ways – through infection, poisoning, overheating or lack of oxygen. An uncontrolled death is messy: the cell swells up, and its contents leak away. This may damage surrounding cells. But there is another, tidier way to go – programmed self-destruction, or apoptosis. It seems that cells often choose to kill themselves. We now know that controlled cell death is crucial for normal human development and good health throughout life.”
Yet strangely it is only when this ‘cell death and repair’ process inconveniences us (or threatens our very existence) that we notice it and label it ‘sickness’. The pain in the throat, the headache and the runny nose all represent an unseen and amazing battle being fought in our bodies. They are simply doing what God designed them with the ability to do – fight off intruding viruses and other random elements. Now this is cheery isn’t it!

If sin had never entered the world through the first Adam, would people still have had to endure sickness? Probably? Their immortal bodies, that were NOT going to have to experience death, surely would have to repair themselves, and sometimes that fight to repair would mean ‘sickness’. (This is all supposition, please understand). Sickness is perhaps not so abnormal afterall, but a mechanism designed by God to sustain and repair us. And as it is part of normal life (though perhaps made more difficult by fall of man and the groanings of the imperfect world around us) it is something we must learn to be content with and glorify God in.

Paul’s words in Philippians 4 perhaps apply here: ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Being sick brings a greater need, for sleep, for relief from pain, for someone to go to the shops and buy more tissues and panadol. Yet this is just part of the normal daily challenge to look to God and see this world and ourselves from His gracious perspective. He IS teaching us everyday, but could we say especially in days of sickness we LEARN more? Perhaps we are more teachable when it is a greater challenge to be content in Him. We learn more because our self-reliance, on our own abilities and physical strength, is sorely challenged.
But in Christ, who gives us strength, we can be content even in sickness. It will be a battle, as we remind ourselves that we are in Him, and seek to rest on His strength, not ours.

Sickness also helps imprint in our hearts and minds this truth from Romans 8:28 (NLT)
“. . . God causes everything to work togetherfor the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them”.

Sickness teaches us to trust Him more – and rest in Him.

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31/05/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

Growing for God’s Splendor!

“And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12

It is an awesome thing when you realise that God is fully committed to us – and that he is willing to allow others to see our faults and mistakes, knowing that as he transforms us it will bring Him glory. It may also bring salvation to others. He changes us to show his splendour in our lives, to grow the character of his beloved Son in us. Why would we ever doubt his committment to this renovation project?
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
Such encouraging words are also found in this recent song by Christy and Nathan Nockels, reminding us of God’s work in us, which is for His glory, not ours:

‘For Your Splendor’

I’m so concerned with what I look like from the outside;
Will I blossom into what You hope I’ll be.
Yet You’re so patient just to help me see
The blooms come from a deeper seed that You planted in me.

Sometimes it’s hard to grow when everybody’s watching,
To have your heart pruned by the one who knows best
And though I’m bare and cold, I know my season’s coming
And I’ll spring up in Your endless faithfulness.

With my roots deep in You
I’ll grow the branch that bears the fruit
And though I’m small, I’ll still be standing in the storm,
‘Cause I am planted by the river
By Your streams of living water
And I’ll grow up strong and beautiful, all for Your splendor, Lord.

So with my arms stretched out, I’m swaying to Your heartbeat.
I’m growing with the sound of Your voice calling.
You’re bringing out the beauty that You have put in me.
For Your joy and for Your glory falling.

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18/05/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

Thinking about Psalm 73: What did Asaph find in the Sanctuary?

Many thanks to guest preacher Andrew Bain who invited us last Sunday (Mother’s Day) to consider our attitude to the prosperity of the ungodly in the world. In Psalm 73 Asaph expresses at length his bitter envy of ungodly prosperous people and he cries out to the Lord at this extreme injustice. Then midway through the Psalm he takes the time to visit God’s sanctuary (probably the temple, to pray and read God’s word). There he realises how seriously skewed was this envy and this cry of injustice! “I finally understood the destiny of the wicked” (v17). “I realised that my heart was bitter….I was foolish and ignorant” (v21-22). In the sanctuary Asaph gains renewed confidence in the goodness of God, and realises that it is the ungodly, not himself, who are on the “slippery slope” to ruin.

What a strange coincidence (God-incidence!) that this Psalm was explored on Mother’s Day, a day when some of the “unfair” aspects of motherhood are supposedly remedied, with gifts and much attention and thanks being showered on mothers. The world has been shouting at us for some time that motherhood is unfair, that our biology has put women at a disadvantage in a society where prosperity and material gain is the ultimate good (and god!). When we compare our opportunites with those of most men in the developed world, it can seem unfair that women must put their career and their bank balance on hold in order to bear children (in considerable agony). . . and then stay home with them, doing daily repetitive tasks which, though extremely valuable, are deigned unimportant in the eyes of the world. Even the alternative seems unfair: we put the children in day care, head back to work and then, exhausted, enjoy very little of our life as we juggle a thousand demands on our time and attention. We may even get to the point of envying non-Christian women, who sleep in on Sundays and don’t have to add church commitments, bible reading and prayer to their already full diaries! How unfair is it that women often must battle loneliness when at home with little ones, and again at the other end of life, lonely, widowed and apparently forgotten? How unfair is it that some women who want children have been deprived the opportunity, while the ungodly despise and dispose of their unborn children in great numbers?

So what do we do when these bitter thoughts creep in, settle down and discourage us? Like Asaph we need to turn to God. As Christians, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, He lives in us, yet we must take the time to “tune in” to God’s voice. The “sanctuary” is a place we must go to daily, as we turn away from the voices and attitudes of the world, and tune into God’s voice in His word and through prayer. Paul challenges us in the book of Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom 12:2). As we tune into God’s voice, in His word, the Spirit helps us understand and see things from a right perspective. God reminds us that the world we live in does not hold correct opinions about heavenly realities: who is King, who is in charge, what is right and wrong, and the ultimate purpose of mankind! God reminds us of the riches we have in Christ, which far surpass anything we could aspire to own or achieve in this “unfair” world. Let’s turn to God and restore our confidence in his goodness. He sent His own son, Jesus, to face extreme injustice, nailed to a cross for the sins of those who were his enemies (us!) and because of this we can draw close to God. Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. (Psalm 73)