Pure Grace

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What thankfulness can do

Old Testament 1 exam now completed. Very thankful for what I’ve learned; also thankful for the break from study. Now I can get back to the blogging!

Just sharing today a short list of 5 benefits of gratitude, which a fellow blogger posted over at “Revelling in the Overflowing Grace of God”. While most Americans are celebrating their Thanksgiving Day it is worth stopping to consider why we should build gratitude into our lives every day.

“Gratitude, the act of giving thanks, can:
1. Refocus our attention… Our lives are filled with distractions. Perhaps if we began our day with gratitude, we would not get up with the weight of the world on our shoulders.
2. Relieve anxiety… Most of us know Philippians 4:6-7. … do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Thanksgiving shoves aside anxiety and replaces it with peace, not just any peace, but the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding!”
3. Refresh our relationship… When I’m showing gratitude, it keeps me from thinking that it’s all about me and my needs. I’m focused on God instead of me. That one’s a little tricky, because I’m giving thanks for things that are important to me. Still, I’m giving glory to God for those things.
4. Reinforce our faith… Remembering God’s past faithfulness boosts confidence in his present and future grace.
5. Rejoice our spirit… “Thanksgiving is the best way to dig ourselves out of the doldrums of discouragement.”

Colossians 2:6-7 has some relevant words of encouragement to add here on the source of thankfulness:

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving! (I’ve never said that before.)

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You are “I AM”

Things have been pretty quiet for the last week or so at Sevennotes. I’m studying for an exam in “Old Testament 1” (through Moore College External Studies). This subject focuses on the Pentateuch (first five books) and has been such an eye-opening journey, informing my understanding of everything else I read in the Bible. So I’ll call this ‘studying’ and share with you a few things I have been learning. The concepts are also refered to in a great song I heard today (for the first time), YOU ARE ‘I AM’ by Mercy Me. (You can listen at the end).

“I AM” is the name by which God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush.
“I AM who I am” . . .”I AM has sent me to you” . . .”This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered”. (Exodus 3:14-15)
The Hebrew form of this name is Yahweh (seen in our English bibles as “LORD” in small capitals). This name expresses God’s character as the dependable, faithful God who desires the full trust of his people. In John 8:58-59 Jesus applied this name to Himself. Here are some other significant things I’ve learned about the name:
1. Giving the name established a relationship with the Israelites and made worship possible. The name was exclusively given to Israel, the name by which God would be known and worshipped.
2. In giving His name, God gave Himself. Yahweh established a new personal relationship with Moses – this was extended to the Israelites when they received his name in the Sinai covenant (Exodus 19) before the 10 Commandments were given. Note that God redeemed Israel and brough them into the covenant relationship before the law was given (ie. The Law can’t save).
3. The “I AM” name reminds us of God’s faithful and unchanging nature.
4. Faith included a personal response to God – Moses responded to God’s revelation of His name, in faith. This is how the Israelites were to respond. (This is how we must respond.)
5. To call on the new covenant name ‘Yahweh’ was to appeal to the covenant relationship which the giving of the name established.

God’s faithfulness to his own promises is what we must rely on! We draw on his faithfulness when we call on his name. For me this has really changed the significance those opening words of our prayers: “Dear God”. We are calling on all that He has done and all He is. The song below reminds us of all He is, and all we are in relation to the One who is “I AM”. (Thanks for studying with me!)

YOU ARE I AM
I’ve been the one to shake with fear
And wonder if You’re even here
I’ve been the one to doubt Your love
I’ve told myself You’re not enough

I’ve been the one to try and say
I’ll overcome by my own strength
I’ve been the one to fall apart
And to start to question who You are

You’re the one who conquers giants
You’re the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You’re the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan’s hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

I’ve been the one held down in chains
Beneath the weight of all my shame
I’ve been the one to believe
That where I am You cannot reach

You’re the one who conquers giants
You’re the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You’re the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan’s hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

The veil is torn
And now I live with the Spirit inside
The same one, the very same one
who brought the Son back to life

Hallelujah, He lives in me (x4)

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“It’s always a good time”

Sometimes when I go to the gym in an attempt to work the knots out of my muscles, I feel rather out of place. It doesn’t bother me that I don’t fit in with the gym junkies, in the pink fluoro outfits and expensive running shoes. It is more the music film clips on the big screens all around that make me feel rather awkward. There is something about staring at women, in what equates to their swimming costumes (or less), singing and dancing rather erotically in front of my eyes that just doesn’t seem right. Images that would have been classified as pornography 40 years ago are now the stock standard of the gym environment.

Anyway, let me get to the point. In the midst of all these rather alarming images I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a film clip where the people were fully clothed (though the shorts are quite short!). They were not making “out” together, and the activities they participated in during the unfolding narrative looked more like a youth group camping trip than the events at a strip club. This is a good thing. They even cooked marshmallows on the fire, but there was no singing of Kum Ba Yah. . . . Instead they were singing their new “party anthem”  – “It’s Always a Good time” with Owl City’s Adam Young with Carly Rae Jepsen. (How clever was he, to enlist the “Call me maybe” girl in his latest hit!) Now I must warn you if you listen to this song, it may get stuck in your head for hours, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on your reaction.

If you are not aware of Owl City (from #1 songs like Fireflies and Vanilla Twilight – the ultimate “what is that in the sky” situation) he is a rather unconventional performer/composer/musician who comes across as a home grown good guy from Minnesota. He also happens to be a Christian. And despite all the references to the carefree Gen Y lifestyle (the phone, the ATM, the sleeping all day to get up at twilight) there is a clear and simple acknowledgement in this song that we have been blessed with a good life.

“We don’t even have to try, it’s always a good time.” is the catch phrase of the song.

Absolutely! We can move, sing, shout, enjoy friendships, eat, laugh – there’s so much good stuff to enjoy, simple things. We don’t even have to try that hard to enjoy this life – because it is good! We don’t need to alter our minds with drugs or alcohol to experience good things. God’s creation is good. Yes it is a creation marred by our rebellion, but God’s grace to us is that we don’t have to live out our days in misery. (Perhaps it is often our own ungrateful or entitled attitudes that make us think life is all bad!)

Yes, Adam Young, life is good.
It’s even better if you have peace with your Creator and the hope of eternal life through Christ.

You can also check out Owl City’s version of ‘In Christ Alone’ here.

And if you are interested, here is a little more on Owl City which I’m borrowing from Wikipedia (with good references!):
“Owl City’s music is described as indietronica and synthpop and is often described as belonging under the “electronic music” label.  Young has stated that he is inspired by disco and European electronic music, as well as instrumental genres such as drone, ambient, and post-rock. He cites his biggest influences as Johnathon Ford of Unwed Sailor and Thomas Newman. Young also incorporates a large amount of his Christian faith into his music, since he is a vocal Christian. Young’s faith is evident on the album, “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, especially in “Galaxies”. Explaining why the faith-filled song was added to the mix, he said, “I feel like if I were ever to hide the fact that that’s what’s so important to me, it would be a crime, that I should probably be put in jail for that.”

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Fullness of grace in man’s human frailty

I have been dusting off all my Christmas CDs in anticipation of that most wonderful time of the year. A song I’ve enjoyed for quite a while (on the Christmas album NEW IRISH HYMNS 3: INCARNATION) has just been re-released on the newest Getty album: Joy – An Irish Christmas. The song is called “Fullness of Grace.” It effectively captures how the Incarnation event, when God became Man in Christ, is all about Jesus’ willing choice to wrap himself in our frail human form – an embodiment of the grace of God. Though he was despised and rejected he was obedient to the Cross, that we might be forgiven. This is such a simple message, yet so many miss the grace of Jesus Christ. Might we be faithful in focusing on and carrying this message of grace throughout the Christmas season. (You can listen to the new or old versions of the songs, with different singers, by clicking on the title/link to that album, or watch the clip at the end.)

Fullness of grace in man’s human frailty
This is the wonder of Jesus
Laying aside His power and glory
Humbly He entered our world
Chose the path of meanest worth
Scandal of a virgin’s birth
Born in stable cold and rejected
Here lies the hope of the world

Fullness of grace the love of Father
Shown in the face of Jesus
Stooping to bear the weight of humanity
Walking the Calvary road
Christ the Holy Innocent
Took our sin and punishment
Fullness of God, despised and rejected
Crushed for the sins of the world

Fullness of hope in Christ we had longed for
Promise of God in Jesus
Through His obedience we are forgiven
Opening the floodgates of heaven
All our hope and dreams we bring
Gladly as an offering
Fullness of life and joy unspeakable
God’s gift in love to the world

You may also enjoy:

Great Christmas music
to ease your planning stress                                       Why wouldn’t we remember Christmas?
ChristmasSheetMusicdec 25

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No wonder there is no wonder

Yesterday I found these words scrawled on an old crumbly piece of paper in the bottom of my filing cabinet: (from Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace – 1996, p15.)
“The loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty
The more we know the less we believe.
No wonder there is no wonder.
We think we have figured it all out.
Strange, don’t you think?
Knowledge of the workings shouldn’t negate the wonder.
Knowledge should stir wonder.
Who has more reason to worship than the astronomer who has seen the stars?
Than the surgeon who has held a heart?
Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths”.

Now there was a reason I copied those words by hand from Lucado’s book quite a while ago. I was probably wanting to be reminded that the heavens declare the glory of God, that day after day creation pours forth speech about our Maker (Psalm 19). I wanted to be challenged not to allow my understanding of the universe, by virtue of my education, to deny me the pleasure of “wondering” at God’s ultimate creativity.

But the reason I am sharing them today is slightly different. Since I’ve being doing a few theological subjects lately, these words got me thinking about the wonder of our salvation, and the “danger” of theological study. When approached as a purely academic exercise, Bible students can easily lose some of the wonder of the Cross. The greatness of God, and the immensity of His grace to us in Christ, can become smaller in our eyes because we think we understand it! Worse still we can become proud of our ability to wrap our brains around the mystery of Christ. In some ways this is also the lot of a composer or professional musician who cannot enjoy the wonder of the symphony for their awareness of all the notes!

Then as I was thinking these thoughts, and preparing to wrestle with revising Numbers and Deuteronomy today, I read a great post on this very dilemma over at Mere Inkling (where C.S. Lewis’ thoughts are explored regularly) a post entitled Theological Training.

Here is how it begins: “I’m proud I graduated from a well-respected seminary. And I’m proud of following that Master of Divinity degree with an advanced Master of Theology degree in Patristics. And that’s precisely the problem . . . I’m proud. As a Christian, I recognize that pride is one of the most destructive and insidious sins. . .” Read more

As I do my own study today I pray that God will keep from me the sin of pride in understanding Him, and focus my thoughts instead on the grace that I am called His child. (Actually, writing this post has helped greatly with that!)

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If I was Jesus . . .

” . . . I’d forgive you and adore you,
While I was hangin’ on your cross”

These two astonishing lines come from the chorus of a song by Paul Colman Trio, called “If I Was Jesus”. Now before you shoot him down for heresy, and me for entertaining the idea, please consider the insights of this somewhat humorous song. I can’t get past those two lines of the chorus. What a mind-blowing concept: Jesus adoring us! We always think of it the other way around, with God and his Son Jesus as the recipients of our adoration, and rightly so.
How could Jesus possibly adore us, with all our sinfulness and pride, our desire to call the shots of our own existence and glorify ourselves rather than Him? But this is precisely what He did. Jesus chose us, He chose the Cross for us. We are the JOY He set His eyes on. We are His reward. Consider the following:

John 10:27-29 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”

Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(If you want to think more on this, click to read my post: “Saved by a Violent Grace”.)

I hope you enjoy the challenge and humour of Paul Colman’s song. Check out some of his other songs too and find them on FaceBook. Well worth the listen!

If I was Jesus, I’d have some real long hair
A robe and some sandals, is exactly what I’d wear
I’d be the guy at the party, turnin’ water to wine
Yeah me and my disciples, we’d have a real good time.

Ooh and I’d lay my life down for you (woooooh)
And I show you who’s the boss (woooooh)
I’d forgive you and adore you
While I was hangin’ on your cross
If I Was Jesus.

I’d have some friends that were poor
I’d run around with the wrong crowd, man I’d never be bored
Then I’d heal me a blind man, get myself crucified
By politicians and preachers, who got somethin’ to hide.

Ooh and I’d lay my life down for you (woooooh)
And I show you who’s the boss (woooooh)
I’d forgive you and adore you
While I was hangin’ on your cross
If I Was Jesus.

If I Was Jesus, I’d come back from the dead
And I’d walk on some water, just to mess with your head
I know your dark little secrets, I’d look you right in the face
And I’d tell you I love you, with Amazing Grace.

Ooh and I’d lay my life down . . .

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Beautiful, Beautiful

“Like sunlight burning at midnight”.

This is how singer Francesca Battistelli describes the grace of God which illuminates the darkness of our world, and our hearts. His grace transforms our lives into something unexpectedly and incredibly beautiful, as we are transformed into the likeness of Christ.
I hope you enjoy this song (and discover a great Christian musician who has particular appeal for girls/young women . . . if you are looking for gifts).

BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL

Don’t know how it is You looked at me
And saw the person that I could be
Awakening my heart, Breaking through the dark
Suddenly Your grace

Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need
You are so Beautiful, beautiful

Now there’s a joy inside I can’t contain
But even perfect days can end in rain
And though it’s pouring down
I see You through the clouds
Shining on my face

(Chorus)

I have come undone
But I have just begun
Changing by Your grace

Album: My Paper Heart
Artist: Francesca Battistelli

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To know Christ means to . . . ?

Knowing-Christ-Screen-530x397” . . . 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”.
Philippians 3:8 (NLT)

Knowing Christ is what makes us Christians. We know Christ and have decided to follow Him. We want to know Him better. We wouldn’t be following Him if we had never met him or realised his worth. But how well do we go at explaining, in practical and understandable terms, what it means to “know Christ”, to “know God”. This is something that non-Christians really want to know. What does it mean to have a relationship with God, what does that look like? We need to get a whole lot better at explaining this.
Probably a good place to start is to talk about what it means to “know” another human being. If you know a person it means you have met him, you have knowledge of their name, appearance, you have encountered their character and spent time with them. Just a knowledge of their existence is not actually “knowing”, just as you don’t know some random Facebooker who applies to be your friend, or some far distant cousin you have heard exists, sitting far out on a branch of your family tree. Knowing is about a relationship.

So knowing God means having a relationship, which has a beginning point. This may be for some a slow and gradual growing relationship starting in childhood, or it could be a sudden meeting in a dark alley, as with a stranger. And once you know Him, how could you forget – His character, His love, His grace is irresistible. HE draws us into a relationship with him, and we grow to know Him better, as we spend time soaking in His story which is revealed to us in all the pages of the Bible. He speaks to us there. We know and understand more of His character and ways. We speak to him in prayer.

And He is not far from us; He is with us. His Spirit, the Spirit of His Son has come to live in us! And we are IN Him! We are found in Christ, wrapped up in His righteousness and made perfect in Him. How much closer could this relationship be? One song my youngest daughter sings at school asks about The Creator (which is the song title):
“What if he was much closer,
Closer than your toaster,
closer than your tie?”
An interesting way to phrase it!

To me, knowing Christ means I am in the growing process of having my selfish and sinful desires replaced with his desires. I know peace with God, forgiveness through Christ’s finished work on the Cross. So I want to follow His agenda and align the desires of my heart with his. I want to obey and please Christ. I want to know Him better – He is the Word of God to us. None of this comes from myself! I am certain of that. So I know I know God because of this.

How would you go at explaining what it means to know Christ?
Casting Crowns has attempted to answer this very question in the song below – and the emphasis is on that desire to grow in knowing.

TO KNOW YOU (Casting Crowns)

To know you is to never worry for my life, and
To know you is to never to give in or compromise
To know you is to want to tell the world about you
‘Cause I can’t live without you

To know you is to hear your voice when you are calling
To know you is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know you is to feel the pain of the broken hearted
Cause they can’t live with out you.

More than my next breath, More than life or death
All I’m reaching for, I live my life to know you more
I leave it all behind, you’re all that satisfies
To know you is to want to know you more
To know you is to want to know you more

To know you is to ache for more than ordinary
To know you is to look beyond the temporary
To know you is believing that you will be enough
Cause there is no life without you

More than . . .

All this life could offer me, could not compare to you, compare to you
And I’ll count it all as lost, compared to knowing you, knowing you

 

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Keep your ears tuned to the Gospel of Grace

Found a great quote about grace from Tim Chester the other day, in a post over at The Blazing Center. It goes like this:
In Greek mythology, the Sirens would sing enchanting songs, drawing sailors irresistibly toward the rocks and certain shipwreck. Odysseus filled his crew’s ears with wax and had them tie him to the mast. This is like the approach of legalism. We bind ourselves up with laws and disciplines in a vain attempt to resist temptation. Orpheus, on the other hand, played such beautiful music on his harp that his sailors ignored the seductions of the Sirens’ song. This is the way of faith. The grace of the gospel sings a far more glorious song than the enticements of sin, if only we have the faith to hear its music. – Tim Chester, ‘You Can Change’

God is pure GRACE! Our salvation is grace, our faith is grace, Christ living in us – is grace!
God is the source of our faith, he gives us the faith to hear the music of the Gospel, he opens the eyes of our heart to see and receive Jesus as the risen Lord, glorious Saviour.  And He comes to live in us. Let’s keep our hearts and minds and ears tuned into the gracious music of the Gospel*.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

(* And might I just add that actually listening to music which handles the grace of the Gospel well can really help! Check out some of the songs in Church Songs shortlist. I’m gradually adding to this list; so many great songs to go!)

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Coheirs with the Child of the Promise (Galatians 3:16)

Unlike other memorable Three Sixteens in this series, here in Galatians the 3:16 verse is no piece of cake! It is perhaps quite confusing. It talks of the promises to Abraham (land, people, fame, blessing) which you usually think of as being received by many descendants. God made the promised family group descending from Abraham into a great, blessed nation. Through this nation all the world would be blessed. Yet here Paul seems to be saying ONE person receives the promise. Have a look:

Galatians 3:14-18 (NLT)
Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. 15 Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

The Scripture referred to here in verse 16 is Genesis 12:7 and 13:15, where God promises he will give this land to Abraham’s “offspring”, or in Hebrew “seed”.
Now like me you may be taken at this point with the fact that “seed” could be used as a singular noun, or a plural one. Perhaps Paul was using this grammatical anomaly to his advantage (as some commentaries would suggest), playing on the “seed/seeds” confusion to make a point to his Jewish audience. Just because they were Jews, one of the many “seeds” who had sprouted up as part of Abraham’s family tree, this did not automatically make them a true child of Abraham, a true child of this promise. Afterall, these were the “foolish Galatians” (3:1) who were hoping to receive the salvation Christ won for many (by his death and resurrection) by their own good works – by keeping the Jewish law. Paul says no. Don’t go back to trying to keep the law! You must be IN Christ, who is the true heir of this promise.

This is the certainty we have. Christ and only Christ is the way of blessing, open to all who receive him as their Lord and Saviour, regardless of their racial credentials. Through Christ many can come into God’s family, not by their own merit, but by Christ’s. Jesus is the ONE descendant from Abraham who makes it possible for us to receive the GRACE of this promise. He is the promised Seed, who fulfilled all the promises of God, promises to Adam and Eve, promises to Abraham, promises to King David – promises made through Isaiah of a suffering servant King who would give his life as a ransom for many. The Promise was to Abraham, and it is fulfilled in Christ. We must be IN Christ, not just in Abraham’s family tree, to be co-heirs of the Promise, with Christ. This is a remarkable reminder of God’s grace to us IN Christ. In Him we receive the undeserved favour of the Son who should ALONE receive the blessings of the Father. But we also receive these blessings IN Christ, if we are IN Christ.

Let’s continue to rest in His righteousness and not our own.

Ps. If you are intrigued by that CD cover image at the top, you can click here to find out more about the album.