We know each other

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
... You know my thoughts from afar.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
... I awake, and I am still with you. (Ps 139)
Being known by God and knowing God; 
Realizing that he knows my thoughts, 
and thinking his thoughts-
this is the greatest knowledge in the universe.

Prayer

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar. Ps 138:6


It is haughty for me to think I can begin my day without prayer, do my work without prayer, live my life without prayer. Although the Lord is high, he regards the lowly- those who realize their need of him.

Focus

After a time of drifting with the flow, I am ready to start paddling again (I'm not much of a swimmer). God is using several circumstances and events to help me focus.
First, my youngest child and only daughter, Caroline, is getting married in less than 3 weeks. In the blink of an eye, she seems to have gone from here:

to here:

 Although they tell me it was more like 21 years, and I guess there are all these other pictures in my collection that prove it:

and many, many more.




Like any big event for which I am partially responsible, this has me focused- not just on the event, but on LIFE- like the ARMY recruitment slogan of a few years back, I have to BE all I can be.


This same little girl sent me a SMS text asking how many triathlons/marathons I have done, and that I send her a list. The process got me charged up to get more serious and focused on running and riding- and maybe racing again.


Also, our Sunday School class is studying a book by Francis Chan- Crazy Love,
and the last chapter we studied involved considering how we live by thinking about our death- regrets we may have, etc. (or ecksetera, as Ian says).


Ok, so that's 3.


4. I have also been talking with Ian (#3 son) about living intentionally and walking in the Spirit on a moment by moment basis- is it possible? is it realistic?


So here is God's word on the subject:
¹³Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet 1:13


In other words, "Get you GAME face on and BRING it!"

Waiting

Exodus 24 (ESV)

12 The LORD said to Moses,

"Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction."

13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.

14 And he said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we return to you.

And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them."

15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

16 The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days.

And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD

was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.

18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain.

And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

wait there

on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud

Why did Moses have to wait? Why did God call on the seventh day, and make him wait six days? Why do we have to wait?

I think in these days of instant access and communication, it is especially important to remember God's timing. He stands outside of time and space, but time and timing is very important to him. The Bible repeatedly says "the time is not yet" or "the hour has come". It is an essential part of our obedience and humble submission to God to wait on his time.

Psalm 123:2

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Waiting reminds me that:

I am not in charge.

The general, not the private, gives the order to "Attack!"

I don't have all the information necessary, to determine the timing- nor the ability to process it correctly if I did have it.

This is not "my show", my project, or even my life. I am a foot-soldier in a vast army. I must seek first God's kingdom purposes, and my personal needs will be provided for.

Near and Far

Exodus 24 (English Standard Version)

1 Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.

2 Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."

Near and far. Only Moses was allowed to come near. Not even Aaron, the "grand-daddy of all high-priests" was allowed to come near!

Ephesians 2

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ,alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Far=

* Defined by who we aren't (Israelites), and by our lack of covenant relationship to God "the uncircumcision"

* separated from Christ

* Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel (see #1- must be really important!)

* Strangers to the covenants of promise (ditto)

* having no hope and without God in the world (the worst 8 words in the Bible)

Ephesians 2

13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Near=
* Brought near by the blood of Christ- moved to the front of the line ahead of Aaron et al.

* Peace

* Free access- The dividing wall of hostility is broken down

* Reconciled to God

and

Hebrews 4

4 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

* confident, bold in prayer on the basis of our better high priest and better covenant

All the words

In a Desiring God blog post from last year, John Piper gives a stirring endorsement of the English Standard Version (ESV) and a stinging reproach to the TNIV for leaving out a word (see below) on which he is "building a whole sermon".

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1963_get_a_bible_with_all_the_words/

As I was studying the word authority in the gospel of John, I discovered (to my dismay) that the ESV had inserted it several times- where the Greek simply says "on my own" (emautou) with not even a hint of "authority" (exousia). Ouch!

I guess Piper is human after all. I feel silly for having enjoyed his polemic on this point, and will strive to be less polemic myself- but not emautou!

John 17 A

Along with Caroline and Ian, I am memorizing Jesus' Priestly Prayer found in John 17. When I do memory work, it always produces a slap to my forehead as I realize what a rich, fruitful, satisfying enterprise it is (just what else did I expect?!)

When Jesus had spoken these words,

(John 12:23 to 16:33)

he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,

"Father, the hour has come;

glorify your Son that the Son may glorify You.

12:23 Jesus answered them,

(in response to the news from Philip and Andrew that some Greeks had asked to see him)

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

since you have given him authority over all flesh,

to give eternal life to all whom you have given him."

Authority in the gospel of John:

5:19 I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise

5:27 he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man

7:17-18 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

8:28 So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

10:18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

12:49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.

14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

[17:2]

19:10-11 So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you? Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."

Summary:

1. All true authority comes from God, is expressed in continuous dependence on God, evidenced by a humble seeking of God's glory as the priority.

(Side note: Luke 7:7-9 "...I too am a man under authority..." I always thought the centurion was only saying that Jesus had authority like him, and could could command the illness to depart just as he commanded his men. But now I see that he recognized that Jesus had authority because he was under authority.)

2. Jesus had received a charge (commission) from the Father to:

----speak the words he gave him

----exercise authority in the form of judgment

----lay his life down and take it up again

3. Jesus' dependence on the Father was also described by him as a continuous abiding and mutual indwelling- something he commanded the disciples to imitate in John 15.

4. The Holy Spirit likewise does not speak on his own authority, but "whatever he hears he will speak."

5. Pilate's authority also came from God- although he was unaware of it, and furnishes a stark contrast to Jesus obedience. Both carried out God's plan and purpose.

2/4/10 posted later

Just saw a movie tonight, and in the last scene the two protagonists (who died in the movie) walk away hand in hand, with an aura surrounding them. Sometimes, I hear from people who would not identify themselves as Christian, that their recently deceased parents "are together in a better place now."

This may seem like harmless sentimentality, but instead is the worst sort of deception.