Ready. Aim. Walk!

Karleigh King November 27, 2020

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:11–12

This prayer of David’s celebrates the greatness of God’s steadfast love. Leading up to the above refrain is the assertion that Jehovah, the God of Israel, is unique. There is none like Him; no other can do what He does. He is the source of all and the end of all (Ps. 86:9); “You alone are God” (v.10). David has the clear understanding that God is the point to his life. That which is the aim of your focus is what you move toward.

So David’s request conveys integrity, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth.” He desires an understanding of reality under the sun through the lens of eternal reality. This is a plea to keep the big picture in view, and he needs God’s help to do it. He asks, “unite my heart to fear your name.” Implicit in this request is the confession that the human heart tends to be divided, pulled apart by conflicting allegiances and compartmentalized by various affections. David knows his need for a singular focus on the One who is his highest good and deepest satisfaction. He also knows the harm inflicted by running toward his aim while focusing somewhere else. Distracting obstacles and affections will lead you to collide with them if you choose to focus on them.

When David asked for a united heart to fear God’s name, he purposed a concentrated focus on the perfections of God – His perfect holiness and justice; His perfect love, mercy, and grace – and the necessity to walk with an undivided focus on those perfections as they relate to the steps of everyday life. If you have visited Hanging Rock State Park, you know that walking where the rocks hang over the edge requires focus and concentration; it requires good decisions, knowing that one careless move could mean destruction. Many are attracted to the majestic beauty, but when they encounter it, they also know there is danger, and it provokes an accountability in their behavior. The fear of God is to acknowledge His perfections, and our accountability to Him. We must walk before Him on His terms lest we experience destruction.

That is why David gives thanks to God with his “whole heart” -- nothing held back. He is saying, “All my affections and desires are satisfied in You, O LORD my God”. He has abandoned the “but.” For him there is no “I love you, but…”, nor any “thank you, but….” There is no hint of “I will follow you, but….” On our own, we miss the mark – every time. But by the grace that God has lavished on us in Jesus Christ we get God – forever! David’s resolve was to make much of God – the aim of his life – and to point others toward Him for their safety and satisfaction as well.

Better Than Anywhere Else!

Karleigh King November 19, 2020

Asaph declared, “It is good to be near God” (Ps. 73:28). It is good to be near God because He is infinitely and unfailingly good. Any movement or state away from him in attitude or ambition (one cannot actually be away from God – Ps. 139) is inherently evil. This is why a son of Korah declared, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps. 84:10). He would rather be a doorkeeper and be near God than anywhere else because the lowest position near God is far better than being in the highest ranks among those who are alienated from God.

The Psalmist delves into specifics on God’s goodness, “The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor” (Ps. 84:11). God dwells in unapproachable light and is a consuming fire. He possesses all wisdom and defines justice according to His infinite goodness; He encases the objects of His love with an insurmountable defense, and what would destroy has no access to them. He lavishes grace upon us by investing Himself in us: His self-disclosure, His Son, His Spirit, His righteousness, His love, His power – His presence! The glory He bestows (“honor”) is that we can be near Him, that He makes us partakers of the divine nature and has purposed to transform us into the image of His perfect Son.

The Psalmist encapsulates the benefit of being near God by saying: “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). This confident, settled satisfaction is echoed by others, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1); “…those who fear Him have no lack…those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:9-10); “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33); “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory” (Phil. 4:19). Your highest good and your greatest satisfaction is God Himself. Nothing else is good if it draws you away from Him; nothing else will satisfy you. So to walk uprightly is to draw near to God, to follow in Jesus’ steps and to keep in step, filled with His Spirit, having your attitudes and desires saturated with what He has made known of Himself.

A necessary caveat surrounds the phrase “no good thing” – sometimes the “good thing” may have a sting to it because it is designed for healing, or to yield greater fruit. Indeed, all things work together for good to those who love God. Hence, to be near God is better than anywhere else.

It makes a great deal of sense with this knowledge of God that one of His children would declare:

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Ps. 84:1–2

Victorious, Strong, and Free!

Karleigh King November 10, 2020

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
~Psalm 18:30

David wrote the 18th Psalm when he had been rescued from those who would take him down. This man had just come through some profound difficulties during which he had to trust the promised plan of Jehovah. David knew he was under the promise of God’s protection, and he was compelled to celebrate the goodness of God’s faithfulness.

As for God, he begins. This is the word el, the general word for God. But this is not just any god of human imagination, this is the God who gives grace to the humble and resists the proud (v27); this is the God who shines light into the darkness (v28); this is the God whose strength is made perfect in our weakness (v29), this God!

This God is worthy of trust and adoration for three reasons: 1) His way is perfect; His plan is complete and trustworthy all the time; it is a plan of unimpaired integrity. 2) The word of the LORD proves true. The word translated “proves true” is used for smelting – delivering metallic genuineness through fire. What God says is what He will do. His word stands. He unfailingly delivers on His promises because He is unfailingly good. 3) He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. To those who retreat to the promises of God, and for whom Jehovah is the place of confidence and hope, He is a sure defense and place of quietness. I like how W.A. VanGemeren puts it in light of the rest of the Psalm, “[He] gets involved in the lives of his children with the result that they are victorious, strong, and free.”*

We will know and celebrate our God this way when we retreat to and trust His promised plan. Let’s be honest – this is a daily test for us. We are so tempted to put our trust in other sources that compete for our allegiance and affection. Often – if we insist enough – God will give us over to our stubborn hearts to follow our own counsels (Ps. 81:12). If we choose to trust another to the point that we marginalize our Creator/Redeemer, He will let us – for a time. Then at some point we realize how much we need Him, how little we have apart from Him, and retreat to His good purpose and faithful plan. Only when we take shelter in Him are we victorious, strong, and free!

* The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Frank E. Gaebelein, Ed.), Vol. 5, p.175

"Beyond What We Can Ask or Imagine"

Karleigh King November 4, 2020

Many of us love the book of Acts because so many wonderful things happened as God worked by His Spirit through His church. We are the same church, with the same mission, and the same powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.

How aware are you of the presence of the Holy Spirit? Do you understand that He resides in you if you are in Christ? Do you comprehend that He is not a force, nor is He a concept, but He is a Person? Do you know that you have a relationship with the Holy Spirit? Jesus said: “He will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn.16:15).

The Holy Spirit radically transforms your life purpose as one who is sent. Living as a sent person shapes the way you look at your circumstances and at the people around you.

Jesus promised His followers that we would receive power with the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, what is this power? What difference does He make in your life?

It is not common for pastors to assign homework to the church, but last Sunday I did. Let me review it with you in three steps:

Have your copy of God’s Self-disclosure open to Ephesians 3:16-21 and meditate on this text.
Ask your heavenly Father to help you grasp the implications of the presence of His Holy Spirit in you.
Worship God as you listen to Holy Spirit Living Breath of God

This may take some time. I encourage you to take as much time as you need even if it means several days. Remember that the Holy Spirit was not given just for our personal experience, but for influence. So, let me conclude this encouragement with one final question based on Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever…

What would you love to do for the gospel if you had a group to do it with?

Let’s get this conversation going – God is at work!

"Continual Hope"

Karleigh King October 28, 2020

In his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Garcia Marquez describes a village suffering from an insomnia plague. As the plague lingers, it gradually causes the loss of memory. To try and salvage memory, a man developed a plan labeling everything: "With an inked brush he marked everything with its name: table, chair, clock, door, bed. He went on to the corral and marked the animals and plants: cow, goat, pig, hen ... banana."

As their memory faded the labeling needed to be even more explicit. A sign on a cow read: "This is the cow. She must be milked every morning so that she will produce milk, and the milk must be boiled in order to be mixed with coffee.” Thus they were living in a reality that was slipping away, momentarily captured by words.

Are we so wrapped up in the busyness of existence or moving on to the next thing that we are forgetting life and we are operating in a pseudo-reality that is but momentarily captured by words or feelings?*

Memory is necessary because it informs our context and our identity. Praise powerfully sharpens our memory. Recounting the mighty acts of God – acts of creation, rescue, reconciliation, and restoration – remind us of who He is and who we are, for in Him we find our truest identity.

Let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable in His sight – attitudes and actions that reflect what God has done, and what He will do as we live with the end in view.

I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. – Psalm 71:14–16

*Adapted from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (Harper Perennial Classics, 2006), pp. 46-48

"The Power of His Presence"

Karleigh King October 21, 2020

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
Psalm 67:1–2

A dear brother of mine, before he moved to a different state, confessed, “When I first came to Grace, if you had asked me if I enjoyed God I would have said, ‘not really.’ But now I can honestly say I enjoy God!” That was a delightful thing to hear. God’s grace and blessing have been lavished on us through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1-3).

The plea of Psalm 67:1 is for God’s grace, His blessing, and for His face to sine upon us. The Hebrew word translated “face” (paneh) is a word to describe the face and the presence of God i.e. to be in front of. This is the place of protection and blessing. In His presence is the place of full joy and satisfaction (Ps. 16:11). In Christ we have been reconciled to God so that we can enjoy his presence – the very thing for which we were created. That is why we are reminded multiple times to draw near to God, to abide in Christ – follow in His steps, to walk in the Spirit, and to let His Self-disclosure dwell in us in all of its richness. This is how a child of God practices the presence of God. Hear the Father’s heart drawing you near for your joy and satisfaction. Passionately pursue Him! The word “selah” at the end of v.1 is like saying “think about it.” In other words, let this be the occupation of your heart and mind.

But enjoying God’s presence is not ultimately about us, but His glory. To glorify God is to point people to Him. We point people to Him when we experience His presence powerfully. Psalm 67:2 affirms that when God’s face shines upon us – when we know the joy and satisfaction of His presence – His ways and His saving power are known on earth. John Stott said it well, “They prayed that God would bless them, not in order to wallow comfortably in his blessings themselves, but in order that it might pass from them to others…” (Favorite Psalms, p.68). God’s face shines on His people so that unbelieving people will recognize His power. Of course, we get great delight in being part of it.

I pray for you – that you may know and practice the joyful, delightful, satisfying presence of your loving Father – that His face will shine upon you so that His Son, Jesus, becomes a powerful attraction.

"Time is Not Infinite"

Karleigh King October 15, 2020

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains
were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:1–2

Time is not infinite. It is part of the created order.

We are part of the same creation, so we are bound by time – for now. Generations come and go, and the Creator is there – before all of them, through all of them, and after all of them.

Though bound by time, our souls are eternal because life proceeds from God who is eternal – He alone is infinite.

You may notice a tension here – we are eternal souls, but we exist now in temporal creation, and the two cannot coexist forever. This reality is palpably felt in times when the eternal soul is separated from the physical creation. We long for permanence but, whether it is physical death or hospital visits for surgery, we cannot escape being confronted with our mortality – from feeling a blow from the blunt end of a broken creation. Hence, we groan.

“You return man to dust” (Ps. 90:3), “our outer self is wasting away” (2 Cor. 4:16). Like a fading flower or a vanishing vapor, our temporal life stands in stark contrast to the One for whom “a thousand years are but as yesterday” (Ps. 90:4). The same Psalm exhorts us to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v.12). This is a call to weigh what really matters. It is futility to spend your life “climbing a ladder” only to find your ladder was leaning against the wrong wall and there is nothing at the top rung but you.

At the end of our days, there is God. “It is appointed for man to die once, after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). The infinite, personal Creator is good and loving. He has disclosed Himself so we can know Him and enjoy Him. He has entered our brokenness and taken it upon Himself so that we who entrust ourselves to Him, might receive His goodness so that we can be reconciled and acceptable to Him, the infinite, holy God.

To trust Him is to enjoy Him. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Ps. 90:14). Such is the case with the home-going of our dear brother, Louis Utsey. He now walks with God – not by faith, but by sight. Louis loved God and enjoyed Him in his earthly life. John, his neighbor and best friend, said of Louis, “He was happy in what he was doing.” True. He was happy in God’s goodness and grace. This makes his home-going bitter-sweet. Bitter because such separation is a manifestation of broken creation and we will miss him terribly; but it is sweet because now Louis can say, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!” (Ps. 16:11).

This reality that reminds us of our transience, also reminds us of the urgency of the unfinished task of proclaiming the finished work of Jesus Christ for our redemption and reconciliation to God. Live as a sent person with the end in view, so that it shapes how you view circumstances and how you engage the people around you. May we be as joyfully faithful as Louis was in this stewardship.

"Go Tell"

Karleigh King October 6, 2020

“Tell them how much the Lord has done for you.”
Mark 5:19

Proclamation of the gospel of grace in Jesus is the church’s mission. It is the natural outflow of God’s people whose lives are geared toward the glory of God. It may be helpful to understand evangelism in the following dimensions.

“He gave some… to be evangelists” (Eph. 4:11-12)

Some individuals in the church have the gift of evangelism. The apostle Paul wrote of a brother who was famous among all the churches for proclaiming the good news (II Cor. 8:18). Philip is labeled an evangelist (Acts 21:8), and Timothy was exhorted to do the work of an evangelist (II Tim. 4:5). An evangelist in the strict sense is one who is equipped by God’s grace with a keen desire and ability to explain the gospel clearly and passionately.

All to “declare His praises” (I Peter 2:9-10)

A second dimension of public evangelism is what can be called doxological evangelism. It is what happens when we declare God’s glory together. This dimension takes place corporately in our praise, and individually in our acknowledgment of God in all our ways. Consider what John Dickson posits about our corporate doxological evangelism: “The number of our visitors is directly proportionate to the level of enthusiasm felt by our regulars.” When the church is being the church, she is beautiful!

Each to “give an answer” (I Peter 3:15-16)

All believers have the privilege to magnify Christ in our day-to-day conversations. Our allegiance to His majesty and a daily grasp of the gospel of grace are the basis of our bold compassion. Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Col. 4:6). Christians whose lives are geared to the glory of God say and do things worth questioning.

Reward for the Righteous

Karleigh King September 29, 2020

Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
Psalm 58:11

Part of the Hebrew worship liturgy was a poem from the pen of king David. It is what we know as Psalm 58. The Psalm indicts injustice perpetrated by humans who are devoted to gods and causes that oppress because they are anchored in self-preeminence, “…in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence” (v2). But God – the Self-Existent Creator – is called upon to exact justice on the earth.

There will come a time when all humanity will witness the justice of God. That time is known as “The Day of the Lord” – a time when God manifests His sovereign authority in retribution and restoration. In witness to this, the conclusion drawn by all of humanity (“mankind will say”) is twofold: 1) there is a reward for the righteous, 2) there is a God who judges on earth. These two realities will escape no one. No one will be able to deny them because God will judge on the earth – not in theory or myth, but in reality – seen by all people.

Now verse 10 says, “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance….” Justice is a longing in every human heart. The problem is, we demand justice for ourselves but too easily deny it for others. For this reason, the prospect of a God who judges on earth should be frightful. Is there any one of us who does not harbor injustice in his heart? Who then are the righteous? Not one of us can achieve the status to be called “righteous.”

Enter the grace of God. Such righteousness can only be received based on the redemptive, reconciling work of God in His Son. The righteous are those who trust and follow Him – the righteous judge of the earth (see Acts 17:30-31). In Christ we are sheltered from the judgment of God, so we seek His righteousness to be lived out practically as an outflow of the righteousness we have received from Him. We do justly and love mercy as we walk humbly with God and invite others to do the same.

May we walk in such a way that mankind will say – “surely there is a reward for the righteous.”

Moving Out

Karleigh King September 24, 2020

This Sunday, we conclude the exposition of 2 Thessalonians. But we will continue with the theme: “Moving out with our faith.” Imagine the energy and love of the Thessalonian church to where the apostle would compliment them by saying: “…remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess.1:3). The reputation of that church – even in a time of strong pushback – was “your faith in God has gone forth everywhere” (v8). High praise for a church. That church was on mission – a successful church, functioning according to design. What if we could emulate the Thessalonian church?

In October I will begin exposition of the book of Acts. That book records amazing things God did through the gospel of Christ in the first century world. But here is the point: God works through His church! We are the same church, with the same gospel of grace, and the same indwelling and empowering Holy Spirit! The only difference is context. We are called to reach out to our generation.

As we embark on the great adventure of God’s amazing grace through the book of Acts, the first thing I call you to do is pray. Seek the arm of Omnipotence to open our hearts and minds with His self-disclosure, and to compel us “out of the salt shaker and into the world” to engage in the work of the ministry – because every one of us is in ministry. Pray that His Spirit will move us out with our faith the same way He moved the Thessalonian church. The context for us continues to get darker – but that means this could be one of the finest hours for the church to shine.

Finally, there are two books I am currently reading (well – there are more, but these two specifically) and I encourage you to pick up a copy and join the conversation. First, Stay Salt: The World has Changed. Our Message Must Not, by Rebecca Manley Pippert, (2020, The Good Book Company). She also wrote the classic: “Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World” now 40 years ago. Second, Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age, by Joshua D. Chatraw, (2020, Zondervan). Our outreach cannot be just calling people to believe a creed of doctrinal truths. We must reach our generation with human connection, service, and story. This nuance will permeate the teaching of Acts.

Will you join me in this great adventure? Kneel before the throne of grace. Surrender yourself to live the gospel!

“Let us expect that God is going to use us. Let us have courage
and go forward, looking to God to do great things.”
[D.L. Moody]

Gaze Upon the Beauty of the Lord

Dwight Ball September 1, 2020

I used to cringe at songs that made us sing about God or Jesus being beautiful. “God is not beautiful” – I objected. “Beauty is something that describes women, not men!” But here is David – a man’s man – resolved to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD! As in so many cases, I needed Scripture to reform my thinking. These days I find encouragement in Proverbs 20:29, “…the beauty of old men is their gray hair.”

Beauty is an aesthetic quality of what we find attractive, satisfying, and excellent in an object or a person. What makes beauty are attributes like unity, balance symmetry and harmony. Biblical writers use beauty as a quality signifying the positive response of a person to nature or a person. Moving far beyond just physical attractiveness, the positive qualities of beauty provide language for identifying the perfection of God and the pleasure that a believer finds in His perfection.

David expressed the delight and satisfaction he found in God, and the longing he had to see God face to face. To express the inexpressible – what God is like – David identifies God as the definition of beauty i.e. attractive, pleasant, satisfying, right, good, everything in place, etc. There are a few like Isaiah (Isa. 1:1-4) and John (Rev.1:13-18) who were given glimpses of God’s personal glory. We can learn from their experience to long for, seek and gaze upon the beauty of God. This calls us earnestly and passionately mine the treasures of God’s self-disclosure. Maybe what we could strive for is to be like Moses whose face was radiant from being in the presence of God.

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
Psalm 27:4

Notes From Rich

Dwight Ball August 25, 2020

There comes that moment in the day when I learn something – albeit trivial – that I will often declare: “I won’t go to bed as stupid as I woke up this morning!” Surprised by discovery – or at least learning something new, we love novel information. But do I value remembering what I already know? Thanks to my “flesh” there are certain things – vital things – that I am prone to forget if I do not purposefully remember them. Our minds can slide into negative ruts. For me this fosters images of times during my youth in Colombia where navigating roads during rainy season was often a battle to keep the tires on the high, more solid and dry ground without slipping into the muddy rut left by other vehicles – which was often the case. Then it was a matter of just hoping the vehicle would not bottom out or the tires spin without traction.

Our minds can do the same. And when my minds slips into the rut of negativity, or preoccupation with the immediate adversity, or focus on the brokenness of others – or myself, then I find myself wallowing in the rut of negative, critical, judgmental or despairing habits of thought.

Do we have any recourse to lift our minds out of the mire of despond?

David’s remedy was the constant prayer: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:14) Words are the outflow of our meditations – our attitudes. When I get bumped, my attitudes manifest themselves. So unless I want to hurt others and build walls instead of bridges, unless I want to marinate in my whine, unless I want to slip farther into a sense of hopelessness – I really should rediscover anew that God’s self-disclosure is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey. His words provide loving boundaries and great reward. His thoughts revive my soul, rejoice my heart, and enlighten my eyes so I can see things as they really are in God’s good and sovereign plan.

When God’s thoughts become my thoughts then I can confidently utter the words of king David: “… You make me glad with the joy of Your presence” (Ps. 21:6). This spreads – it is contagious! It is an attractive fragrance. It is the glory of Christ which points to the goodness of God. It is good for me to draw near to God – beginning with my habits of thought refreshed moment-by-moment in the constant novelty of His goodness and steadfast love.

A Word of Encouragement

Dwight Ball August 18, 2020

David, as king of Israel, was no stranger to adversity and uncertainty. He witnessed much injustice and often cried out for God to intervene. "Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! (Ps.17:1) Even as king there were things that were beyond his control. It is encouraging to see the confidence David had that God cared and would respond, "I will call upon you, for you will answer me, O God" (v.6)

A significant element of David's confidence that God would hear him was the integrity of his own heart (v.3-5). He was not in pursuit of his own ambition, but God's purpose. He trusted God to follow through on His promises. David's emotions were anchored in his relation to Jehovah of Israel, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings" (v.8).

A second major factor that compelled David's confidence was his perspective informed by God's self-disclosure - he had a worldview from beyond the sun. Those who perpetrated injustice were "men of the world whose portion is in this life" (v.14) In other words, those whose view is limited to things "under the sun" are the self-preeminent bent on self preservation and self-promotion. What else is there?

David's view is refreshing, l"As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness" (v.15). Just because I am not in control doesn't mean things are out of control. God is good. His purpose will stand. He will bring me to my highest good and my deepest satisfaction - Himself!

As with David 3,000 years ago - so it is with us today. Knowing our end liberates and empowers us to make a significant impact for God's glory while we are yet under the sun.

Let's live with that day in view.

"Why?"

Dwight Ball March 8, 2020

The LA Times once presented the following headline:

There's little privacy in a digital world
Users of TVs, computers and smartphones leave technological fingerprints wherever they go, and companies are lapping up the data.

David Sarno of the Los Angeles Times writes: “Eric Hartman doesn't pay much attention to his iPhone. But the iPhone is paying attention to him. Buying milk at Ralphs? Playing World of Warcraft? Texting dinner plans to friends? Binge watching on Netflix? It's all recorded. Over the course of a day, hundreds of digital traces pile up, each offering more insight into the way Hartman and his family live.”

The idea of keeping track of all that you’ve done and every place you’ve been in the course of a day…a week...could be world-shattering. Think of the benefits of keeping a budget – not so much to limit spending but to record where the expenditures go. I challenged a young man once to keep track of how much he spent weekly on his Mellow Yellow “habit.” He assumed he was spending a “few bucks” when, in reality, after keeping record, he discovered it was more like $90.00!

What if you decided to do that instead of just Apple and all the merchants that compete for your loyalty? The time you have has already been numbered. You have been entrusted with it. So what if you kept record of all your activity, then upon review at the end of the day asked the question, “Why did I do this?” Follow that up with, “Why do I exist?” But to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love as Christ has loved me.

This could be revolutionary (Colossians 3:17).

So teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

The Prosperous Soul

Dwight Ball February 27, 2020

We are much about physical well-being. How would you respond if someone greeted you saying: “I hope you’re as healthy physically as you are spiritually?”

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things
and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
III John 2

If your physical health were compared to your spiritual health, what would that say of the current state of your physical well being?

So how are you anyway – inside?

“Prosper” is a word that means to get along well, to have good success. A soul that prospers is like a fruitful branch: it draws life from its source therefore it delights in doing what it was designed to do. A branch cannot produce fruit if it’s all dried up inside.

Is your soul prospering? Are you rich toward God, drawing life from Him? Are you drawing near to Him, abiding in Him, letting His word dwell in you richly, and walking in His Spirit? Does your life reflect the infinite worth of Christ and diffuse His fragrance? That’s what you were designed for, and the Creator-Redeemer wants you to prosper in it. Here’s how:

Blessed is the man… whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper!
From Psalm 1

Thoughts on Joy

Dwight Ball December 8, 2019

Because of his encounter with the incarnate Son of God, John was compelled to broadcast this wonderful One to us and all who would hear:

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

The apostle makes the point that joy and fellowship are inextricably linked. God is the source of joy. The God/man is the means of appropriating that joy through our relationship to Him and then with His people.

As believers each of us has been baptized into the body of Christ. The body is vital connection and interdependence with coordinated work upon command from the head (Christ). While there is a common mission for the church there is also a common divine objective for each member of the body – the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ – our joy!

Being conformed to Christ’s image is not something that is done alone. The mind of Christ and the law of Christ require investment with regard to others. Each of us plays an integral role in the spiritual growth (the joy of becoming like Christ) of the other. Our lasting joy in the Lord is proportionate to our maturity in the Lord and love/fellowship with His people.

This is why the apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers that they were fellow workers for your joy. Fellowship is what the apostle John did – the blessing he received from God he shared with those around him. What has been entrusted to you (God’s blessings) is for the express purpose of contributing to the joy of others.

You Are the Temple of the Living God

Dwight Ball November 11, 2019

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (II Corinthians 6:16)

Grasping the profundity of being the temple of God will be aided by understanding the function of the temple in the Old Testament. As the temple was the place of… we who are in Christ are the people of… individually and corporately.

A House of Prayer. Isaiah prophesied: Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. This description of the temple reflects Solomon’s dedication of it as recorded in I Kings 8:28-30 – the place of which You said, “My name shall be there,” that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. The Gospels record Jesus chasing out the greedy money changers (“den of thieves”) from the temple after which He quoted Isaiah in calling it a house of prayer.

That temple no longer stands and those who are in Christ are the temple of God. The Spirit who dwells in the believer, Paul says, makes intercession for the saints. At times in our weakness to do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the indwelling Spirit is our helper because He knows us – He who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is.

Prayer is singular focus on and bold approach to the infinite, loving Creator/Redeemer. In the Old Testament believers prayed toward the temple in recognition of the fact that God was there. Today God resides in us by His Spirit and it is our privilege to freely approach Him with adoration, thanksgiving and requests. We no longer need to be in a particular location or bow toward a building – we can pray without ceasing because God is there drawing us into unceasing communion and fellowship with Him in spirit and in truth.

You are a house of prayer. Engage the profound privilege that is yours in Christ. Make it so that Jesus would call you His house of prayer and not something else.

Rejoice in Hope

Dwight Ball November 3, 2019

As consumers we like guarantees. We like the certainty that something will work, or that our desire for what we’ve acquired will be affirmed. Yet in our own lives we experience failure and frustration on a daily basis. So how can we be certain of our redemption in Jesus Christ when so often we sense the inner cry: “It’s not working?”

As long as we are in these frail tents habituated in sin (“the flesh”) our hope is still that – a confident expectation. When Christ has returned and we are perfectly like Him and perpetually with Him, our hope will be a fulfilled reality. But until then we persevere in certain anticipation, rejoicing in hope.

We can be assured because we have a Guarantee. Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The third Person of the Trinity residing in us is our guarantee (II Cor. 1:2; 5:5; Eph. 1:14) – the anchor of our confidence. We can know that we have been born of God and are partakers of the divine nature, having been made the righteousness of God in Him – failures and frustrations notwithstanding. What deep and profound truths are ours to be acquainted with… truths to meditate on… truth to abide in.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly: consume the doctrines of Scripture so that the transforming power of God enters the blood stream of your habits of thought and your whole being is nourished in the riches of His grace. This is how we draw near to God; this is how we abide in Christ; this is how we walk in the Spirit. This is spirituality! It is not mechanical, it is relational. It is not something that can be quantified because it is the loving, fervent pursuit of communion with the One who made you and reconciled you to Himself.

You awakened us to delight in Your praise; for You made us for Yourself, “
and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.
(Augustine – Confessions)

Thinking About It

Dwight Ball October 28, 2019

If you have entrusted yourself in faith to the finished redeeming work of Christ then you must know (grasp and internalize) the truth about you in Christ as revealed by God in Scripture. The most important choice you make daily is what you choose to do with your mind. This axiom is reinforced by the imperative of Romans 6:11, “…reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” “Reckon” is the same word translated “impute” or “credited to” in chapter 4. In this context it carries the sense of taking inventory. What the apostle is stressing is that the believer must make this truth the object of his careful attention and study so that it becomes his habit of thought. If not, his Christian walk will inevitably become a frustration leading to drudgery in attempting to manage sin.

John 8:32 – The truth will set you free
Rom. 8:6 – To be spiritually minded is life and peace
Rom. 12:2 – Be transformed by renewing your mind
Col. 3:2 – Set your mind on things above
I Peter 1:13 – Prepare your minds for action

Chip Ingram said it well: “The Christian life flows out of a whole different way of thinking. The power of renewing the mind changes the course of a person’s life.” Far beyond mere “positive thinking,” the grace of God has put His law on the believer’s heart and His Spirit within him. This is the new creation that the believer is in Christ Jesus (II Cor. 5:17) as one who is born of God (John 1:12-13).

Your transformation through the renewing of your mind is to prove and experience the purpose that God has for you and to function according to your new design in Christ (Eph. 2:10). This is the definition of success – not just spiritually, but in terms of life now and forever.

United with Christ in His Resurrection

Dwight Ball September 6, 2019

If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:5)

If we (believing sinners) were united with Christ in His death, then it logically follows that we are/will be united with Him in His resurrection. If we are united with Christ in His resurrection, then we are united with Him in His life. If we are united with Him in His resurrected life, then we will be united with Him in His glory. What a glorious path is ours!

United with Christ in His resurrection we have conquered death with Him. We have overcome the separation from Life that our sinfulness deserves. Paul expressed his desire: “…that I may know…the power of His resurrection….” It is through that power alone that the enslaving grip of the sinful nature is cast off and a new nature takes root – a nature that is born of God – of incorruptible seed.

United with Christ in His life we are able to walk in newness of life. The old self-preeminent nature has been rendered powerless; the new restored image of God is now under development in the believer. We can practically realize this when we affirm in our lives the surrendered words: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That speaks of all the benefits and fruit of a branch grafted into the fruit tree. The Father has made us alive together with Christ. That is intimate, vital connection with the One who is Life (he who has the Son has life). So, when Paul says to the Colossians, you have died, it is the same as when he says to the Corinthians, “…that those who live should no longer live for themselves.” Christ’s life is devoted to His Father. As we abide in Him, so is our life devoted to reflect His character and take an active role in His purpose.

United with Christ in His glory is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption. We were created by Him, and for Him, to be drawn into perfect fellowship and communion with Him. The glory that will be revealed in us is the revealing of the sons of God – the complete redemption of the whole person, body and soul. It is that glory of which John speaks: “…we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” John also recorded in Christ’s high-priestly prayer: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” Our glory will be our fulfillment in Christ, when we will be perfectly like Him and perpetually with Him.