The Reason for Being

What is the chief end of man? So goes Q1 of the Westminster Larger Catechism (I’m paraphrasing). Answer: To glorify God and enjoy him forever. That’s why we exist, to make much of God and bask in the rays of his infinite splendor.

This God of whom we speak is Triune, and his Triune nature helps us understand why we exist. In the Trinity (that great Mystery) there are Three divine Persons eternally existing in and as the One God. These eternal relations of procession are reflected in the way God works in and through his creation. All created things have their being from God the Father, in God the Son, and by God the Spirit, even in their fallen state. In salvation, the Father sends the Son to win our salvation for us. The Father and Son then send the Spirit to apply our salvation to us. In doing so, the Spirit glorifies the Son, and the Son in turn glorifies the Father, directing all things back to him. In salvation, all things return to the Father, by the Spirit and in the Son.

And that’s why you exist. To turn back to your Maker. To turn all the things he sends your way back to him in praise and thanksgiving. That’s why your today exists, to move everything under your influence back to him. This is the reality. Get swept up in the Trinitarian glory right now by trusting the Father to forgive your sins through the death of his Son, by the power of his Spirit, to the praise of his eternal glory, and he will wash your sins away and embrace you forever and ever.

Paul as Mr. Mom

We are currently in 1 Thessalonians in family worship. In last night’s reading the following verse stuck out to me:

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children (1 Thessalonians 2:7).

Here Paul compares himself to a new mommy. Not that he was or could be, but to these new believers he was like that, for he was as tenderly compassionate and delicately nurturous to them as the nursing mother is to her tiny newborn. How cautiously and carefully does she make every move, lest she disturb or upset the nursing little one! That’s how Paul acted toward these believers. (Boy was the apostle secure in his manhood!)

It is even a comparison that God uses for himself:

Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:15).

As does Christ, speaking to cosmic rebels:

How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings (Matthew 23:36).

Turn to Jesus today and you will find him infinitely strong to save you and also supremely gentle to care for you now and always. For he is as tender—no, he is infinitely more tender than the best mother could ever possibly be. After all, our sweet moms are a loving expression to us of the kindness of him who lives forever and ever.

On the Omnipresence of God

Where is God? So reads Question 13 of the children’s catechism we use at home. Answer: God is everywhere. It’s the kind of idea that kids really love to puzzle over. Let’s be honest, it’s the kind of idea we all love to puzzle over! How can God be everywhere all at once? The question leaves us bewildered in wonder at the mysteries of the living God.

One thing we can say is that God is everywhere because he created everywhere and keeps it (and everything in it) in existence at all times. Hebrews tells us that he “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (1:3)—he is doing so right now and always. So he is there, wherever there is, holding the very shape of reality together by his infinite power and wisdom.

God is outside creation. He transcends it, dwelling beyond space and time and all the other things and places he has created (including heaven). And yet he permeates his creation. It is rich with his presence. He is the hidden power at the very source of the being of everything that exists. Because of this, God is intimately close to everything and everyone that exists. As Paul said, “He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27-28).

Call upon this great God today, and he will hear you, for he is near you.

Everything You Did Yesterday

Think it over. Everything you did, everything you said, everything you thought, everything you imagined, everything you wished for…all of it. Everything that your soul participated in yesterday was written in ink before the face of God. You can’t erase any of it. On the day of judgment everything you did yesterday will be thoroughly examined by the Judge of all the earth, to see what good was in it, and what evil. Does that make you uncomfortable?

But that’s not all. Every evil thing you did yesterday can also be washed away forever. God is ready to forgive you for all of it, and the stuff you did the day before … and the stuff you will do tomorrow. How? Jesus died on the cross to pay for sin, rose again from the dead, and went to heaven where he now sits on the throne of the universe. Trust him to save you from your sin and he will, right here, right now. It’s not called Good News for nothing. See if he won’t do it. Yes, you.

Reflections

The world is full of creatures beyond count. They appear in all shapes and sizes, from grass and flower to bird and beast. Every one of these characters in the great tapestry of nature has something to say to us. When some plant or animal grabs my attention, I want to ask, “What truth about God does this creation embody?” Truly our God is good and glorious in all his works!

There is one creature, however, that can tell us more about God than all the rest. It’s not even close. Who is this amazing mystery being? People! The Creator created people in his own likeness. We are called the image of God. That means we are living images of the God who lives forever and ever. Wowzers. We are like walking soul-mirrors, made with care to reflect his supreme majesty.

But wait just a minute! People are what’s wrong with this world. The animal kingdom is ruthless, but it’s not sinful. Otherwise activists would be breaking up the whole operation as soon as they could. Instead we watch documentaries about it while eating chips on the couch. But people…people lie to each other. People plot and scheme. They hate and they hurt each other. People do unspeakably evil things to other people. And they love it.

Clearly these mirrors are busted. Big time. And the Creator who made them will judge every evil thought, word, and deed in the end. But why does he allow it to happen now? Ah! Now that is to show us something else about himself: he is merciful. He still loves them. He is saving them. He is calling them home. He became one of them, and lived and died for them, to bring them back to him.

Trust in Jesus today and get your mirror fixed. Become the person you were created to be.

Keep It Simple

I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3

Life moves fast in the technological age. Our modern 24 hour entertainment and news cycle splinters our minds into a thousand fragments. Being pulled in so many directions is confusing. Before long we are being tossed to and fro, we know not whither, morning, noon, and night, like lost sailors on a treacherous sea. If we’re not careful, Satan may overwhelm us with his cunning allurements, distracting our minds from God and his love.

Paul’s idea of the Christian life is much different than this. There is a sweet simplicity to walking with Jesus. Let us put to death this ungodly fear of missing out on something, on anything, and be content to think of Jesus and his love for us. We will miss out on lesser things. #WorthIt.

Open your Bible, ask God to speak to yoU, meditate on his word, and go face the world with a quiet, trusting soul.

Blessed Obscurity

God became a man. He lived in a neglected corner of a tiny nation. He grew up in a little town. Even at the height of his ministry he was but a leader of hundreds of true followers. Do you ever think about that? I suppose that sort of thing could make somebody doubt that Jesus really is the Son of God. Oh, but that seems to me like one of the things that really proves his divine origins. What better comment upon his low esteem of what people hold glorious than his own incarnation on the low low?

Mankind wants to be exalted, and known, and praised. Jesus living in obscurity makes sense of our own lives. We say we are children of the living God, seated already with Christ in heavenly places, heirs of the universe itself. And yet here we are living our little lives in unknown seclusion. It sure doesn’t feel like we are cosmic kings and queens. But we are like Jesus in this, our blessed obscurity.

Pre”veil”ing Grace

“The glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east.” Ezekiel 43:4

So much meaning in so few words. The whole gospel is laid out here in short order. It is the story of the universe in abbreviation.

Because we see the Bible as one inspired book, ultimately penned by one divine Author, we see it as one complete story. When our father Adam sinned he condemned us all to lives of sin and suffering away from God’s paradise. He was kicked out of the Garden to the east, and at the east gate was placed a guardian cherub and a flaming sword to seal the way.

This God called a son of Adam named Abram to father his special people. He would live among them in a temple which was decorated to resemble the Garden. And between his holy throne and the priests was placed a veil facing the east, woven with … you guessed it, cherubs.

When Jesus, the true son of man, the son of Abraham, the Second Adam, died for our sins, the veil in the temple (the cherub guarded gate!) was miraculously torn in two from top to bottom. This was to symbolize that by his death for sin Jesus had opened the way back to God’s paradise.

This is God’s glory, the expression of his magnificence through the cross of his son, where sinners may be saved and where God’s image bearers may once again rule with the Creator over his creation.

Call it the gospel according to Ezekiel.

A Pastor’s Farewell

Well, he was more of an apostle. But still. When Paul said his goodbyes to the elders of Ephesus, it was as if their pastor was bidding them adieu (Acts 20:17-38). Of course they would meet again; we’re talking about the gospel here. But there, on the shores of the sea, was their last meeting in this life (I’ll spare you the awesome Gandalf quote).

I’ve been granted some time off from the pulpit and I’ll be hitting the road with my family (I promise, we’re not excited at all). Getting ready for the trip has made me think about what would happen to our little church if the Lord called me on that final road home.

Danger Will Arise

A good shepherd tends the flock with gospel gentleness, but towards those who would harm the sheep…well, he’s got some spiritual surprises for them. Paul knew that false teachers would arise after he left Ephesus: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). He would not be there to face them himself; the flock would be on its own. What could he do, but warn them, and commend them to his teaching, and trust God, their True Shepherd.

My Crown of Joy

A pastor’s ideal is to feel toward the flock as Paul did toward the Philippian believers: “My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved” (Philippians 4:1). I can honestly say that this is how I feel about the dear brothers and sisters under my spiritual care. If the Lord were suddenly to take me out of this world, I am confident of the work that has been done, the foundations that have been put in place: resting in Christ, rejoicing in his love, thanking God for all his good gifts, and loving one another. After ten years of preaching, I am even bold enough to say that these seeds have been planted, growth has been made, and fruit has appeared. I am confident that you are ready for that Last Journey, and that we will stand together in glory at the end of days.

But you’re not rid of me yet! I look forward to returning refreshed and ready to pour out my soul shepherding this beloved flock.

Beyond the Horizon

I’m reading a book about missions by J.H. Bavinck (the nephew of celebrated Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck). Vinck Jr drops a fat bar on page 49:

Whether the end is near or yet far off is unimportant. The main point is that the work of missions, because of its very existence, is moving toward an end, a goal, the culmination of which shall become visible only in a future era, beyond the horizon of world history.

Christianity is the Future. Its golden age is hidden beyond the veil of this present age. But sure enough, there it waits. Then shall all God’s amazing plans for us come alive. Trust Jesus and make him known today as you march step by step toward a mind-blowing state of existence which the Bible calls Glory.