Keeping the main thing the main thing!

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God...

I have, as of late, been reading a number of very good books. One that I am really enjoying is God Is The Gospel by John Piper. In it he talks about the main point of the Gospel being God Himself... not just what He gives. I will let him describe it himself:

Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven - none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him. If we believe all these things have happened to us, but do not embrace them for the sake of getting to God, they have not happened to us... The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God.

I find the power of that last statement brings an amazing focus to living this life. How easy it is to get caught up in all the works of God (and our part in them) and lose sight of why it is we follow Jesus - to be with Him. Our pursuit of holiness, our fighting for authentic relationships with our brothers and sisters, our passion for the world and it's lost... these all fall in behind this one main thing - to be with God. Everything that we have (given to us), everything we are (crafted within us), everything we do (appointed for us) comes to us, for us and through us to lead people to our King, Lord and Savior.

Piper poses a powerful question that is well worth reflection and meditation... I encourage you to think about it: If you could choose to go to a heaven right now (enjoying all of it's fruit and riches) WITHOUT God, would you go?

awaken us again!

As a reminder to myself and those who may occasionally come across my ideas, I thought I might take this opportunity to return to the beginning of the story of this BLOG... why it exists... really, why I exist. And so I resubmit my poem (and my first entry)... awaken us.

awaken us… Lord

awaken us from our slumber

too long have we slept.
too long have we looked upon a darkened, dieing, hopeless world and lazily looked to the horizon for Your coming… or was that our T.V. set?

Awaken us Lord to the hunger that is within.

Stir your children of light from their comfortable seats… that we would know the feeling of Your armor again… the feeling of your sword.

Fan the fire of passion for Your Name… Your Fame… that we might feel the coursing fire flooding through our souls… like rivers… like springs of life.

Let us sleep no longer!
Let us waken from the night in search of our Beloved.
Let us throw ourselves against the gates of injustice… the gates of poverty… the gates of darkness… the gates of hell. Until we can no longer stand AND YET we stand!

AWAKEN US LORD!

Move us to the edges… gather us to the corners… take us OUTSIDE THE CAMP…

AWAKEN US LORD!

Awaken hearts that are broken for the broken hearted. Lives that are lived for the lost.

AWAKEN US LORD!

The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

Even so. Amen.

timothy mark mcdonald

saying goodbye

Yesterday we helped move our close friends Brian and Kellie (and Ethan, Emma and Owen) from their flat (right next door to ours - 7 short steps) several blocks away to a new flat... a new home. Not to sound too dramatic, but it is the end of an era for us. We have lived next to the Ingraham's longer than anyone else we know. We have moved overseas together, culture shocked together, worked together, played together, walked through children's births together, walked through difficult times together... yes, we have even laughed and cried together (don't let Brian fool ya). We have had seasons of great relationship and other seasons that were pretty tough... but we have always been neighbours and community. It is amazing what proximity does for you. Yeah, I know that they will still be neighbours... still be community, but it is also going to be very different. A lot less accidental meetings. A lot fewer "good mornings!" No more cups of sugar, rolls of toilet paper or spare keys. No more waving through the window... or waiting for Ethan and Emma (and Owen) to poke their nose through our mail slot before school each morning.
I know it's not goodbye... but it kinda feels like it.

grace and peace friends.

prayer

Today I came across a prayer written by John Murray on Tim Challies' blog that ministered very powerfully to my soul. As we look to a new week, I strongly encourage you to check out his blog and pray this awesome prayer.

rock and sand

Luke 6:46

Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

I love the way Jesus talks! Sometimes He is so mysterious, illusive and down right confusing. Other times He has the subtly of a 2x4! Why do you call me teacher and not learn? Why do you call me boss and not do your job? Why do you call me master and not obey? It is a bold REAL statement about the nature of those who follow Him AND who He is.

How often I pray/say, "Lord" without even thinking about what I am saying or how I am living. What's my issue? Have I forgotten who it is I am calling Lord? OR, have I forgotten how amazing His words and commandments really are? I think there is a clue given to these questions in the next verses.

Luke 6:47-49

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

Read alone this story is a beautiful picture of the power of standing on God's words and promises... but when connected to the preceding comment you see a fuller picture. Jesus' words are not just pretty stories, they are the essential foundations to our lives. What we choose to do with them can make the difference between unshaken-ness and ruin!

I wonder if I really live like I believe that?

Lord, give me the courage to believe that which is often unseen. I believe You alone hold the keys to life and there is nowhere else that I would desire to go... You are my Rock. Thank you for Your faithfulness to us... command what You will and will what You command. Amen.