Tag: grace

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Canada Clint Personal Growth Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials Theology

God Gets Me

Pause for a second and ask yourself whether you have forgotten that in all your mysteries and confusion and wondering about tomorrow, that God “reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what is in the darkness, ..the light dwells with him”  God alone interprets you. He gets you.

And that is the message Daniel went with to the king of Babylon when the king was looking for extraordinary insight— into his dreams.

Daniel didn’t come as another expert. He pointed exclusively to God, saying “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (2:28).  This simple saying is a summary of the whole book of Daniel. There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. 

Daniel clarified that God had revealed the mystery of the dream to him by grace alone. He said it was “not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king and that you may know the thoughts of your mind” (v. 30). 

Only God can interpret the world. Only God gets you. Because only God can explain to you the deep, hidden questions you have not even asked. 

Only God Gets You. 

Now in verses 31-45 God uncovered to Daniel what the dream was, and what it meant. This was a special revelation, that was true and without error. 

And to summarize, the dream was of a succession of historical kingdoms from Nebuchadnezzars’ at the top down through the Medo-Persian to the Greek and the Roman. They are represented as the image of a man and the different materials from head to toe describe characteristics of the kingdoms. 

What is important to recognize at this point is two things:

First, this was a supernatural revealing of world history spanning 600 years and explaining it before it happens.  This would be like someone in England in 1419 having just won ownership of Northern France in the 100 Years War, being able to see Britain voting on Brexit in 2019. That prophecy would have seen the Reformation, the French Revolution, WWI&II, the Cold War, the Internet and the iPhone. Only God interprets the world

Second, there are only variations on the Babylonian empire from Nebuchadnezzar onward. There is no mention of any Israelite kingdom, no mention of a kingdom of God’s people that is created by human action. Many heretics and false teachers throughout history have attempted to create what is called, “the Fifth Monarchy”. But you can’t create it, or make it with human hands. People can create a Christendom, but only God can bring the kingdom that never ends. 

Into all of the confusion about our world, and even about our own personal selves, wouldn’t it be wise to consider God who is outside of our time-space continuum, who created it and created us, as a being the true interpreter of our existence?

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Clint Gospel Theology

You’ll be Suprised to Find Who Has More Supply Than Costco

Where else in the West offers bulk supply in great abundance compared with Costco? When you enter the store, you see rows and rows of towering shelves. Each shelf has things you need and lots of them. And even more so, you find things you didn’t even know you needed— in packs of 10 each.

There are few things in life where we can feel like we are surrounded by a towering supply of resources for all our present and future needs. If only there was a Costco for personal health. Wouldn’t a Costco of practical wisdom be nice? People dream of finding some place that will be their Costco of financial supply and security (hint: its not at a bank, unless you plan to rob it).

Beyond all of the places which hold supplies that might rival Costco, or all of the imagined Costco-like supply centres, there is a surprising claim made which can’t be duplicated by any of them, not even Costco itself.

The claim is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, in the first chapter:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

Ephesians 1:3

It is hard to fathom this claim. The world’s religions claim to offer blessings. They will suggest that many blessings can be secured if you perform their rituals. By contrast, it is an astounding claim to say that in one place, “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” resides. In Christ, there is not only a lot of blessing but every spiritual blessing. Such supply is unfathomable. The limitations of our understanding cannot comprehend that kind of inventory. We have a hard enough time imagining all that is on Costco’s shelves, not to mention the storehouse that is in Christ.

Freely Available

Unlike the inventory of Costco (or Tesco, Aldi, Carrefour, etc), everything in Christ’s inventory is freely available. To the one who believes in Christ, this inventory is theirs for the taking. No charge. No buy now pay later. No debt purchasing. Just take it. Enjoy it. It’s yours.

The freeness of such a supply of inventory can be so stunning that many Christian believers fail to recognize all that is theirs in Christ. They will question whether the spiritual blessings are really inside. They will assume that they will have to shop around to other sources of supply. They can pass by what they have in Christ and search for a supply in their own intelligence and power. Or they’ll look for the intelligence and power of others supply centres like their job, appearance, paycheck, education, or relationships. It’s like driving past the Costco that has all that you need and looking in some back alley dumpsters for food.

Jesus and his Bride (the church) beckon people to enjoy the free supply that is in Christ. There is no price on this offer because the price has been paid:

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Revelation 22:17

Although it might be possible that the living God, the incarnate Son Jesus Christ could have “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” resident in him. However, it stretches our limited understanding to think that those blessings would be open to the public, offered freely to whoever would believe.

Ignoring the Inventory of “Every Spiritual Blessing”

The tendency of Christians is not to deny that there is some sort of supply of spiritual blessings in Christ. Every Christian knows that. Their problem is that they fail to recognize the inexhaustible scope of “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places”. Christians can slightly apprehend this supply, but can never fully comprehend all that resides in Christ. There is so much more in Christ than anyone can anticipate. They don’t need to go anywhere else. And all of the unforeseen things that they might need in the future, are already “in stock” in Christ.

To ignore the inventory that is in Christ, is to ignore “the riches of his grace” which he has already “lavished upon us” (Eph 1:7,8).

Why go anywhere else?

Further Reading:

Our Sufficiency In Christ, John MacArthur

The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson

Redemption, Accomplished and Applied, John Murray

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Anxiety Canada Christel Ministry Pastors Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Living in a Glass House Doesn’t Have to Be Scary

Transparency

As a twenty-something newlywed, I climbed the steps of the Royal Conservatory on Bloor Street in Toronto, eager to meet my petite French vocal coach for my regular lesson. I had no idea that a mere four years later I would become a pastor’s wife. My artsy, hipster existence would be forever changed.

Being married to a man with a shepherd’s heart is a wonderful blessing, but it also comes with unique challenges. When my husband transitioned from a Toronto Professor to a Calgary Pastor, the biggest change for me was that my house suddenly became transparent.

It’s no secret that pastor’s families live in glass houses. If you are married to a pastor, you’ve likely had to reckon with what it means to live your life in this highly visible role. Pride would have us try to live up to everyone’s standards, but as the wizened among us will tell you, perfectionism only results in unfulfilled expectations.

The irony of pride is that it makes us fearful, anxious and insecure. We constantly have to prove we are as good as we think we are.

Fortunately for pastor’s wives (and every other human on the planet), the bible nowhere praises people for their perfection and self-sufficiency. Instead we are encouraged to live every day in view of God’s grace.

An Example in Sarah

The Apostle Peter held Sarah up as woman “who hoped in God” precisely because she placed her hope in Someone better than herself (1 Pet. 3:5).

Sarah wasn’t called a “holy” woman because she was sinless. She was called a holy woman because, when she sinned, she repented and her life shows a pattern of obedience and hope in God.

In hope, she looked to God when He called her husband, Abram, to leave Ur of the Chaldeans, with no idea where they were going (Heb.11:8). In hope, she looked to God through the inherent dangers in travel, even when Abraham lied about who she was on two separate occasions, and foreign kings took her as what we can only assume to be a concubine (Gen. 12, 20).

After waiting until the twilight of her life to conceive, Sarah’s faith came to the ultimate test when God told Abraham to sacrifice their precious son on an altar. Her faith was tried and tested, and as Peter said earlier in his letter, faith tested by fire is more precious than gold.

What Sarah exemplifies for us is not perfection, but a persevering faith. Sarah’s trials taught her to reject the false security of people and circumstances, and instead hope in something better. This is why Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit holds her up as an example of a “holy woman who hopes in God.”

Secure in God’s Grace

It’s a mistake to tread lightly at the throne of grace. When trials or criticism make us feel unstable and vulnerable, that is precisely when we need to lean in more. Because of Christ, we can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:14- 16)

When I was vacationing in Arizona with my family recently, we went for a beautiful hike through the desert. The landscape was full of cacti, mesquite trees, and desert shrubs that were completely foreign to our Canadian terrain. And as we reached the summit of a hill, I saw on the horizon, not one, but two eagles gliding through the air.

I have to admit, I’ve never noticed how an eagle flew before that moment, but on this day, I sat there and observed. I noticed the ease with which these large birds seemed to glide through the sky. Their wings were not flapping, they were literally gliding on the wind. There was nothing frantic about it. They were not tiring themselves out. In fact it looked restful and invigorating at the same time.

Isaiah 40:31 came to mind. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

And as the truth of these words penetrated my heart, I wondered how often I unnecessarily flap my wings, tiring myself out with my self-reliance.

The Lord is the one who forgives our sins and strengthens us for ministry. The Lord makes us soar like an eagle, gliding on the wind, empowering us by the Holy Spirit.

Our perfectionist dreams for ourselves may be more flattering, but they will never amount to anything more than unfulfilled expectations and a ginormous amount of wing-flapping. Whereas God is able to do “far more abundantly” than we even know to ask or think (Ephes. 3:20).

Our glass houses are a blessing in disguise because they remind us that there was only one perfect man in the history of the world, and we are not him! Jesus was perfect for us. He took on our sin and gave us his righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). This alone is the reason a holy God accepts us.

Pastor’s wives are not perfect, but when we put our hope in God’s grace and sufficiency for us, we are no longer slaves to the next wave of public opinion or even our own changing emotions. Sarah’s life showed a pattern of obedience and hope in God and that is why Peter said that we are her daughters if we “do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Pet. 3:6)

Glass houses become less scary when we’re secure in God’s grace.

A version of this article titled, Grace for the Pastor’s Wife was originally posted at The Gospel Coalition Canada

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