Up From This Misty Lowland

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.”
― A.W. Tozer

 The  Pursuit of God ~A.W. Tozer

The Pursuit of God, (1948) Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications

Not a Juggler Nor a Magician

Recently examining the story of blind Bartimaeus,  I read:

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Mark 10:46 (ESV)

Bartimaeus had heard that it was Jesus, he saw that Jesus was Messiah and responded by asking for mercy thus giving over his heart.  

Let's consider another interaction and it's very different outcome.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. Luke 23:8 (ESV)

In this encounter, Herod Antipas had also heard of Jesus - or heard about Him. Jesus' reputation proceeded Him. Herod wanted to see a miracle or a sign, not because he believed Jesus to be Messiah but because he wanted to be entertained. He was ready for the show rather than to have his heart changed.

And Jesus' response in the next verse - silence. 

Herod saw nothing. He responded with mocking contempt.

I  can be critical of Herod whose hard heart missed the Savior who stood right before him. I can seek to look for Jesus in the midst of the crowd of people and thoughts that fill my days to overflowing. But sometimes, if I am really honest with myself, I can look for the Miracle Juggler to step in and fix my situation, to erase the trial, to provide the flash rather than the substance.  

But Jesus was always about the substance, so Herod didn't get to see a miracle or sign from their encounter.  

Am I willing to wait for the substance? To let my heart be changed, my character developed  and see the Messiah for who He is? To allow Him to work in and through me? 

 Not always, but I want to be.

"Thy gentleness hath made me great."—Psalm 18:35

Thursday, April 09, 2015

This Evening's Meditation

C. H. Spurgeon

THE words are capable of being translated, "Thy goodness hath made me great." David gratefully ascribed all his greatness not to his own goodness, but the goodness of God. "Thy providence," is another reading; and providence is nothing more than goodness in action. Goodness is the bud of which providence is the flower, or goodness is the seed of which providence is the harvest. Some render it, "Thy help," which is but another word for providence; providence being the firm ally of the saints, aiding them in the service of their Lord. Or again, "Thy humility hath made me great." "Thy condescension" may, perhaps, serve as a comprehensive reading, combining the ideas mentioned, including that of humility. It is God's making Himself little which is the cause of our being made great. We are so little, that if God should manifest His greatness without condescension, we should be trampled under His feet; but God, who must stoop to view the skies, and bow to see what angels do, turns His eye yet lower, and looks to the lowly and contrite, and makes them great. There are yet other readings, as for instance, the Septuagint, which reads, "Thy discipline"—Thy fatherly correction—"hath made me great;" while the Chaldee paraphrase reads, "Thy word hath increased me." Still the idea is the same. David ascribes all his own greatness to the condescending goodness of his Father in heaven. May this sentiment be echoed in our hearts this evening while we cast our crowns at Jesus' feet, and cry, "Thy gentleness hath made me great." How marvellous has been our experience of God's gentleness! How gentle have been His corrections! How gentle His forbearance! How gentle His teachings! How gentle His drawings! Meditate upon this theme, O believer. Let gratitude be awakened; let humility be deepened; let love be quickened ere thou fallest asleep to-night.

http://www.spurgeon.org/morn_eve/this_evening.cgi

Do you want to be remembered?

Jesus Remember Me 

Jesus, remember me
When you come into your kingdom.
Jesus, remember me
When you come into your kingdom.

           Composed by Jacques Berthier

           1981, Les Presses de Taizé; GIA Publications, Inc., US agent

This song accompanied a video that was part of Biola University’s The Lent Project devotional compilation for March 27, 2015.  The words repeat over and over throughout the video making them impossible to miss. They are a direct quote from Luke 23:42 (ESV).

 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

As I listened I was struck by an initial impression of arrogance. This thief, this common criminal being punished rightfully for illegal acts committed is asking Christ, The Messiah! to remember him! This man who seems to have been mocking Jesus just a short while before, as recorded in Matthew 27:44, now seeks to connect to the man dying beside him.

What has taken place in between these two interactions - a few dark hours, an anguished cry from Jesus to His Father and an about face.  

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV)

As the thief observed the suffering man beside him, he recognized something amazing in Christ that changed his heart. It changed him so dramatically, so completely, that He realized he was in the presence of “the King of the Jews.” So changed was he that he felt compelled to ask Jesus to remember him when Jesus was in heaven.

This thief was stripped of anything that might have held him back in life. This enabled him to see that Jesus was truly the Messiah.

So was the thief arrogant in his request? 

 No, no more so than I! 

             For I, too, long to be remembered by my Saviour and Messiah.

                     I, too, long to be with Him in Paradise.

The Lent Project Biola University Center for Christianity, Culture and the Artshttp://www.biola.edu/copyright/?_ga=1.8602741.1961895131.1403628847