Feed the Baby

Milk of the Word

I have two lovely daughters. I try to cherish every stage of their lives. Sometimes it is difficult. Sometimes it is pleasurable. And then there are times that serve as epiphanies and I end up thanking God almighty for using them to teach me something.

My firstborn did this and my second has recently started to as well. As I feed her from the bottle, she will reach up and try to wrap her hands around it too. It’s as if she wants to make sure that she gets every last drop. Like she is afraid I am going to wretch the elixir from her toothless mouth and leave her to starve.

Sometimes as she places her best death-grip on the bottle she cracks open her eyes to give me a sideways glance. “Don’t even try it,” she threatens, “I don’t want to burp, I want to eat.” Both of my daughters have done it and I suspect it is a normal stage of development.

Desire the Word

Scripture urges believers to have this desire for God’s word. If God’s word is like milk, then the believer is like an infant. We have so much to learn and so many milestones to hurdle, we need nourishment. We crave it. We want it. We want to put away everything that potentially removes the Word of God from our lips. (I would say going in both directions, but that takes the metaphor further than intended, I believe. Maybe that’s just from my personal experiences with acid reflux.)

That’s not the part that brought a tear to my eye. This is:

She’s not strong enough to actually hold her own bottle yet. I could easily draw it out of her lips. If I did not support the vessel, she would not receive a single drop of nourishment. She is willing, but very weak.

An infant — a newborn babe — doesn’t do much other than scream and cry and be as annoying as possible. In this analogy, that is the believer. Peter is illustrating our dependency on God. Yes, we desire. But so does God and he gives us nourishment like a father who mixes formula for his child and settles into an armchair for a feeding at 4 am. God is like the mother who tenderly and willingly nurses her daughter though she is weary from all the events of the day.

Peter goes on to call Christ the living cornerstone. He is our support. We crave him. We want more of him. He will not disappoint us. He is willing to teach all who come to him with a willingness to learn. Without his support, we are lost & doomed to remain hungry.

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Pull Out to Get On Pace

Oh, The Places!

There is a lot to look at when analyzing text. Particularly sacred scriptures. There’s doctrine, lessons, cross-references, actions… the list goes on and on. Different passages of scripture lend themselves to various kinds of analysis. Luke 4 is particularly kind to setting—where is Jesus? It is very interesting to see how Jesus conducts himself in various settings and what that can teach us about our own reactions when we find ourselves in these same places.

The Private Place

Finally, we see Jesus withdrew to a place by himself. All alone. With no one around. He just stepped on a major platform in the Pious Place and saw his fame explode. He demonstrated his emphasis on relationships in a very Personal Place. And now, he seems to regress by going to a place where he can have no direct influence on any individual.

When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

—Luke 4:42 NASB 

After all that Jesus went through to build up his ministry, Jesus takes a time-out to be alone. It seems counter-intuitive. When one’s work begins, it is typically recommended that they continue. Write consistent blog posts. Record consistent podcasts. Get on the radio at the same time each week. Keep preaching. Keep visiting. Keep your name on the headlines so they don’t forget you.

Clearly, this is not Jesus’ M.O.

A Potent Pause

We should not be surprised in the least to see Jesus take out time to be by himself. He did this many times during his time on earth. He did it earlier in Luke 4 while tempted in the wilderness. He does it on the Mount of Transfiguration (with a select few disciples). He goes by himself o pray and sends his disciples across the sea (then joins them by walking on water). He even goes off by himself in the garden of Gethsemane. The scriptures clearly indicate that this is not a one-off event, but a life habit which Jesus carefully cultivated.

What does Jesus do when he is by himself? He does many things. As I just mentioned, he goes by himself to face temptation, to pray, to reinforce his purpose and to pour out his soul. It is a time of renewal and cleansing. The intimacy of these episodes are palpable. And we know that Jesus would never miss an opportunity to go to the private place.

If the Personal Place deals with those people we know best on this earth, the Private Place deals with a one-to-one relationship with the God who knows us best. In the Personal Place, our relationships with family and friends are intimate and a priority. In the Private Place, we are completely naked before our God, and those things we can manage to keep secret from our closest earthly relationships will certainly be unveiled.

It is an unnerving thought, to say the least. But it is a critical practice for anyone who fancies himself a follower of Christ.

While the Private Place is the last place mentioned in the chapter, we can see that everything emanates from here:

• Our Private Relationship with God places us in the right frame of mind with a clean conscience.
• Since we are in the right frame of mind with a clean conscience, we are open and honest with our Private Relationships.
• Our openness and honesty in our personal relationships gives us credibility as a witness in the Public Place, which includes ministry in the Pious Place.
• Though I have not written a post on Jesus’ Wilderness Experience, we can easily see how a strong foundation will help us when we enter the Perilous Place of temptation and persecution.

May we be like Christ and deliberately enter the Private Place with the intent to strengthen our relationship with God. This will have a positive effect on the rest of our life.

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Mary Knows IV – The Resurrection

Don’t give up, keep seeking.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Luke 24:1-12

Intro

This is a 4-part study on Mary’s reaction to the wonder of The Incarnation. Mary is a singularly unique character in scripture. She was chosen to be the carrier of Emmanuel—God with us. While others have been given special endowment to conceive and give birth, only Mary carried God. Her reaction to the situation she finds herself in is fascinating.

Good Friday

Who is your best friend? Who is that guy you can’t wait to see during the day and hang out with in the evenings? That guy who always has a timely joke or comment that sends you into hysterics? Imagine that in an instant this guy disappears from your life. He is gone and you are convinced you will never see him again.

Who is your mentor? To whom do you field your deepest, darkest questions? Whose opinion do you treasure the most? When your little ship of life feels tossed to and fro, who is the horizon you look at to settle your stomach? Imagine that in an instant this rock falls through to the other side. He is gone and you are convinced you will never see him again.

Who is the love of your life? Who is the person you would die for and you are convinced would lay down their life for you? Who is that individual who verbalizes their love every morning and evening and backs it up throughout the day and night with their actions? Imagine that in an instant he passes away. He is gone and you are convinced you will never see him again.

What if these friends, mentors, lovers were rolled up into one person. This one person would mean so very much that the hole they leave in your life would rip at the very fabric of your existence. You would become a shadow-man—a ghost—incapable of normal human interactions like fixing breakfast or tying your shoes.

This happened. It happened to the disciples.

Everyone has felt the pain of funeral services. The pain of losing someone you love. Death is the inevitable end of life. The disciples left their occupations for Jesus. They left their homes for Jesus. They left their familiar surroundings for Jesus. They left their former lives and built new ones centered around Jesus. Now Jesus is gone.

Consider Mary. She takes things a step further. She was the first to know about Jesus. She was the first to feel Jesus flutter in her womb. She has been meditating on Jesus her whole life. Every thing he said and did was inspiration to her. She saw him meet a final end—no matter what Jesus said about his own fate, a crucifixion will always seem like a final event. Simon’s prediction comes true, a sword has pierced Mary’s soul in a way that no other human could feel. Doubtless, she enjoyed unique privileges as the mother of God, but she also tasted a more bitter flavor of of what we now know as Good Friday.

The Resurrection

But that is not the end of the story. We know Jesus was laid in a tomb. We know the tomb was heavily guarded by war/riot-hardened Roman soldiers. We also know that a group of women went to visit that same tomb and noticed that the supposed dead man was not inside. In fact, he was very much alive! That lost cornerstone of life has been restored. Not only restored, but glorified in a way that exceeds his previous existence. In a way, Jesus was much more alive after the resurrection than he was before he died—his work is now complete.

The cumbersome depression has been overturned by a double-portion of relief. Cries of mourning are replaced by more voluminous shouts of joy. The women, yes Mary too, are now privileged with the news of the resurrected Christ. They report back to the apostles.

They need to see it to believe it.

It seemed like nonsense to them. They couldn’t understand it. I’m not sure that the women fully understood it either. They just knew it to be true. They were just doing as they were told. It was the only explanation that makes any sense. How could someone steal a body that was guarded by Roman soldiers? Why would angels, quoting Jesus’ own words, deceive them? The truth can be incredible at times.

Conclusion

The key resolution to the resurrection account comes at the end of the chapter:

[Jesus] said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 

Luke 24:44, 45

During the course of this four-part investigation of Mary’s experiences with Jesus of Nazareth, we have seen her strive to understand the things that God was doing in her life. Rest assured that God works in your life as well. Also know that God honors honest inquiry and will reward an honest seeker by allowing them to find.

There are some things that are beyond our understanding. We have already mentioned that even though we can’t comprehend some truth, we can always treasure it. However, know that one day these intricacies will be exposed. The mysteries will be revealed. Scripture says that we see darkly as through a mirror, but one day we will know as we are known. Christ will one day do for us what he did for the disciples, he will open our minds and we will understand the scriptures.

I do not mean to sound trite, which happens all too often in discussions of this topic. We say, Well, one day we’ll understand this. We then stop trying to understand it today. We think we are relying on God to reveal it when what we are actually doing is giving up on the search for truth. Do not give up, keep seeking.

The fact that God will reveal it to us should be an encouragement to continue learning and not an excuse to stop learning. Let us faithfully pursue truth. Rest assured that we serve a living savior who is actively involved in our spiritual development. He will bring all things full-circle.

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Mary Knows III – The Temple

How will we react when our assumptions 

are turned upside-down by Christ’s words?

…they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Luke 2:46-51

Intro

This is a 4-part study on Mary’s reaction to the wonder of The Incarnation. Mary is a singularly unique character in scripture. She was chosen to be the carrier of Emmanuel—God with us. While others have been given special endowment to conceive and give birth, only Mary carried God. Her reaction to the situation she finds herself in is fascinating.

The Temple

This portion recounts the well-known incident which occurred when Jesus was twelve years old. It is a window into his childhood. Imagine the astonishing things that Mary and Joseph beheld as Jesus grew up. Imagine their shock as they observe the differences between Jesus and his siblings. It must have been an incredible experience. It may have also been terrifying.

We know that they were making their annual family trip to Jerusalem for Passover (v. 41). On the way back, Mary and Joseph realize that their assumption was incorrect; Jesus was not in their caravan. He had been left behind. Or he had intentionally stayed behind, as the case may be.

Notice the role that understanding places in this narrative. It serves as the catalyst for all the action and reaction in this account. Jesus’ understanding was on full display and he left the people amazed. Mary and Joseph’s lack of understanding was also on display and they were filled with anxiety. Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was lost when all the while he was home. Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was mistreating them, but he was busy treating others to his understanding. Mary and Joseph thought they were doing their parental duty, but Jesus was with his Father the whole time.

These are not the only reversals in the passage. Remember The Annunciation, when Mary submitted herself to God’s will. Here, Jesus subjects himself to his parent’s lead and goes to Nazareth despite his proclamation that he was already at home. Surely, this reversal must have struck a chord within Mary’s heart. Verse 51 tells us that much. How many times did Jesus’ words and actions produce a rebuke in Mary’s heart? I imagine there were countless instances which Mary treasured. Did she understand everything as it was going on? Assuredly not. But she treasured these experiences, sometimes that’s all we can do.

Conclusion

I see rebuke in this passage. Not a harsh, abrasive rebuke, but a gentle, loving one. Jesus does not resist his parents. Jesus just does his thing and lets his parents experience his truth. Isn’t that how Jesus works today? Does he not move subtly in our lives, letting us know where we err without making us feel stupid or inadequate?

Once we are given the necessary information, it is up to us to make the decision. Are we going to submit to his will, or are we going to ask him to submit to ours? He will not force us to obey, he asks us to be willing to obey. Sometimes, as we strive for understanding we learn some things that we cannot unlearn. We will be forced to make difficult decisions. We may be rebuked. It simply goes with the territory.

In the end, Mary reacts to this incident the same way she reacted to The Advent—she treasures it. She holds on to it like a precious jewel. How will we react when God’s way is contrary to our way? How will we react when our logic contradicts divine logic? How will we react when our assumptions are turned upside-down by Christ’s words? Will you treasure it? Or will you look for an interpretation that suits your lifestyle? Will I outright reject God’s word or, worse, cram it into my own perception of good Christian behavior?

God help us as we seek to know him more. There are going to be difficult times when our lifestyles will be challenged. May we truly treasure God’s word even when it is an inconvenient truth.

via http://jmnz.us/1nB2FhI

Mary Knows II: The Advent

“Do not let the things you don’t know

cloud what you have already attained.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:15-19

Intro

This is a 4-part study on Mary’s reaction to the wonder of The Incarnation. Mary is a singularly unique character in scripture. She was chosen to be the carrier of Emmanuel—God with us. While others have been given special endowment to conceive and give birth, only Mary carried God. Her reaction to the situation she finds herself in is fascinating.

The Advent

It is done! The mystery has been revealed. Emmanuel truly is with us now. The foretold birth of Jesus has finally come to fruition. Angels announced his coming. Shepherds have come to visit a savior, calling him “Christ” and “Lord.” Those things that Gabriel announced to Mary in private are now being fulfilled in public spaces. What is Mary’s reaction?

All who heard wondered. I imagine Mary wondered as well. Was she in a state of shock? Was she left speechless? Did she tell anybody about her experience with the angel Gabriel? She surely didn’t run out to the countryside and inform a bunch of shepherds. All this was validation of the angel’s tidings&mdashit was proof! He did not lie. These things happened.

But how can these things be? Mary clearly saw that these things are so, but how can it be so? She is still pondering these truths in her heart. But she does not know the mechanics of how these things are so. How does she raise the son of God? What is life going to be like with God sharing the same roof with her? She sees in the flesh The Entity that her people have worshipped since Abraham. How can it be?

Notice that she still does not have the answers. One does not “wonder” at and “ponder” an occurrence while understanding it fully. One is left awestruck at things that are greater than they can comprehend. This is Mary at The Advent, the physical coming of God into his world. This should also be our reaction to The Advent—humble, grateful, awe.

Notice Mary’s third reaction: she treasured all these things. Just because certain elements were beyond her comprehension, she was still appreciative. She was still grateful. She could still treasure the truth that has been revealed to her while stretching to grasp greater understanding.

Conclusion

Are you discouraged with the things you do not know? Then be content with the things you do understand. Revel in the joy of what God has revealed to you. Treasure it. Place it in a safe place. Return to it when you need encouragement. Return to it when you have doubt. Return to it when expanding your knowledge base. Do not let the things you don’t know cloud what you have already attained.

The converse is also true. Don’t be so content with your current knowledge base that you do not try to expand your understanding. Mary continued to ponder even while treasuring the things she had. Let us also keep a right balance between striving for progress and protecting that which we know. These two elements are not mutually exclusive, rather, they should coordinate with each other as we run the race of our spiritual lives.

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Mary Knows I: The Annunciation

God not only tolerates inquiry, He welcomes it.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the [descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

Luke 1:26-29

Intro

This is a 4-part study on Mary’s reaction to the wonder of The Incarnation. Mary is a singularly unique character in scripture. She was chosen to be the carrier of Emmanuel—God with us. While others have been given special endowment to conceive and give birth, only Mary carried God. Her reaction to the situation she finds herself in is fascinating.

The Annunciation

Mary goes about her normal routine on a seemingly normal day. Was she tending to her chores in her father’s house? Was she fetching water? Maybe she was preparing or her rapidly approaching nuptuals. We do not know what she was doing. We only know that God’s alarm clock rang out and it was time for him to make his move. Suddenly, an angel appears to her and delivers great news to her. At least, Gabriel interprets this news as great.

It appears Mary doesn’t take this news with a leap of joy. Scripture says she is perplexed. What do you mean, ‘The Lord is with me?’ The angel will even go so far as to beg her not to be afraid. God sends news of blessing, joy, honor, and glory that is not just gospel for Mary, but also for the entire universe. But to Mary’s ears, it is a word of terror. This is so new, so strange, so impossible, Why would I be favored in God’s eyes?

This leads to the next statement: she ponders. She takes the words of the angel as sent from God and meditates on them. What could they mean, do they stand up to reason? Mary, if nothing else, internalizes her every experience with Christ, from the annunciation to the resurrection. She thinks and thinks and thinks. Then she gets more information and thinks about it some more. She asks poignant, relevant questions. She tries to rationalize the things of God. She longs to see the fulfillment with her human eyes.

When she has all the information and has reached the end of her mental faculties, she makes a very important decision; she places herself in God’s hands and submits to his will. She does not receive a revelation. She does not have a mental breakthrough or a Eureka! moment. She simply comes to the end of rationale and decides to trust the One with all the answers, even if he is not giving away the answer key just yet.

Conclusion

Mary, during The Annunciation, is a study on reason. Clearly, she is caught by surprise and wants to understand what is happening. However, she is not armed with the hindsight that we are privileged to have. She illustrates the virtue of using your mind to try and comprehend heavenly things. God wants to reveal himself, we should want to understand him.

Growing up, I assumed that God frowns on questions. I assumed, wrongly, that God is not open to honest inquiry. I equated questions with unbelief and skepticism with weakness. However, it is clear from this instance (and others) that God not only tolerates inquiry, he welcomes it.

Obviously, God as an omniscient being knows the intents of the heart. He is able to tell if the question springs from unbelief or from honesty. He will always honor honest questions, though sometimes holds the answers just beyond reach. Sometimes that is just part of the learning process. Sometimes, the answer is just beyond what you can handle now and need to develop more. This happens in natural life, it also happens in spiritual life.

Do not be discouraged when you find yourself confused and unsure of the answers. This is part of the growth process. Know that sometimes you just have to trust that the things you know still hold true and submit your future into the hands of the God who made the answer key.

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He Goes

Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

—Joshua 3:17, NLT

Joshua 3 recounts the entry of the Children of Israel into The Promised Land. While the people still had to claim the land through war, it was already promised to them by (as verse 11 states) the Lord of the Whole Earth. As such, the miraculous entry into the land sets a great precedent for God’s dealings with His people.

He Goes Before Us

…the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.

—Joshua 3:14b

Would the Lord put us in a situation that He would never go into Himself? No. He leads from the front lines. If the Lord expects you to get your feet wet, you know His feet are already wet. If He expects you to speak out, He has already given you the words. If He has asked for your blood, sweat and tears, know that He has already shed His own.

The Lord Jesus is our Great High Priest who has paved the way for us already. This does not mean the road is easy, it only means He understands what we are going through because He has been there already. You are no greater than your master.

He Goes Through With Us

Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by…

—Joshua 3:17a

Everyone knows the poem about the footprints in the sand. (If you don’t know the poem, do yourself a favor and Google it) It makes the point that we see here in the first part of Joshua 3:17: God’s going to be with you in the midst of the storm. And when we look back on the times in our life that we felt alone, we will realize that The Lord was ever present with us.

Sometimes it helps to just have someone there with us while we endure hardship. We don’t always need a hero to take us out of a situation. God puts us through ordeals in order to refine our character and He always remains by our side. That’s what it means when we say that God sees things through to completion—He is actively invested in shaping the outcome.

He Got Your Back

…They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

—Joshua 3:17b

Not only does God lead the charge and stay with us in the middle of trouble, but He also brings about closure to our ordeals. As I have insisted this entire blog post, He is there for us from beginning to the end. He leads the charge, He gives strength to endure and finally brings about victory. That is a major theme of scripture. It is also evident in our lives.

The rear guard also implies protection from the rear. While events in life (trips to the ER, financial struggles, bouts with depression, automobile failure) take us by surprise, nothing catches the Almighty off-guard. Tragedy may sneak up on us, but God is ready for anything and has your protection in mind.

Conclusion

I know this post has a significantly different feel from what I have tried to create here on WToHT. Looking back on it, I see that there is a lot of faith and not much reason, teaching or explaining. I’m OK with that. The Bible is a book of faith.

I pray that this post reaches someone who needs to know that God is there for them. And if God is for you, who could possibly stand against you? Nobody, that’s who can stand against you; particularly knowing that He goes before you, He stands with you and He’s got your back. He did all this to show the Children of Israel His commitment to bring them into the Promised Land.

Believer, realize that the Lord has made several promises to you. He intends to see them through with the same determination that he afforded to the Israelites in Joshua 3.

Have you experienced the Lord’s faithfulness? Let me know in the comments!

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Faithful Despite Unfaithfulness

Since Jon Brower is in town for a couple of weeks, I decided to dig up a quote for this week’s image. Enjoy!

In man’s total unfaithfulness and immorality God remains faithful. 

No matter how deep or evil the unfaithfulness.

Jonathan Brower

via http://www.wetalkofholythings.com/2013/06/faithful-despite-unfaithfulness.html