7 May: Tuesday Refocus

“To escape the error of salvation by works we have fallen into the opposite error of salvation without obedience. In our eagerness to get rid of the legalistic doctrine of works we have thrown out the baby with the bath and gotten rid of obedience as well.” - A.W. Tozer

We live in a day when restriction, restraint, and self-denial are seen as oppressive - that true freedom can only be found in giving full vent to my own desires. And so long as they ‘don’t hurt anyone else,’ we should be free to live however we deem most authentic to our true selves. But Christians follow a God who said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24).” Christians live lives of obedience and self-denial not so that we will be saved, but because we have been saved.

Obedience gives evidence to what we believe about God and what we believe about ourselves. Because we follow a Savior who ‘…being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8).” We know that “…to obey is better than sacrifice… (1 Samuel 15:22).” And that obedience follows love: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15).” 

“In binding love you set me free.” - Wendell Berry

Father, may our obedience follow our love. Amen.

Amen,

AB

June 14: Tuesday Refocus

“Holiness is obedience turned inward. Mission is obedience turned outward.” - Brian Blount

Holy means “dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.” In Revelation 4, we see the four living creatures day and night never stop saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! (v8)” In Isaiah 6, we see the seraphim calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! (v3)” God is not once holy. Not even twice holy. But three times holy.

Holy, holy, holy.

This thrice holy God declares, “You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16).”

To set apart our lives (holiness), as a spiritual act of worship (obedience) is the calling for the follower of Jesus (Romans 12:1). And when our lives are set apart as a spiritual act of worship, we become those who echo the prophet, “Here I am, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

God, make us holy as you are holy. For Your glory and our good, amen.

Let it be,

AB

February 8: Tuesday Refocus

‘Faith is ever occupied with God.  That is the character of it; that is what differentiates it from intellectual theology.  Faith endures ‘as seeing him who is invisible’ (Heb 11:27): endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heartaches of life by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind.’ - A.W. Pink

There are many careless words spoken in the language of faith.  

You didn’t have enough faith.  

Have more faith. 

In Matthew 8, a storm is tossing the sea-worn disciples as Jesus is asleep in the boat.  They cry out for Him to rescue them, and Jesus says ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’  But it is the storm, not the disciples who receive a rebuke: ‘Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.’ (Matthew 8:26).

Make no mistake, the disciples are witness to Jesus’ strong words against faithlessness at other times: “And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?…” Matthew 17:17

But like God calling out to Adam and Eve in the garden - ‘Where are you?’ (Genesis 3:9) - the questioning of faith as an invitation to draw toward God not away from Him.  Because of Christ, the invitation from God for the follower of Jesus is always to come, always to draw near (Heb 10:19, Matt 11:28, Rev 22:17).

Keep drawing near.

‘…for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’ James 1:3-4

Lord, thank You that You do not stand far off, but You have drawn near to us. And now we can draw near to you with full assurance of faith, with hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Help us to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for You who promised is faithful… (Hebrews 10:22-23)

Drawing near,

AB

November 2: Tuesday Refocus

“By affliction He teaches us many precious lessons, which without it we should never learn.  By affliction He shows us our emptiness and weakness, draws us to the throne of grace, purifies our affections, weans us from the world, makes us long for heaven.” - J.C. Ryle

Pain can make us retreat.  Or perhaps it can feel as though pain makes God retreat.  And yet, how can that be true when our Savior is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Is 53:3)?

God has never been absent in our affliction - in fact, He is so near to our affliction that He took it upon Himself - ‘But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed (Is 53:5).’

We may be tempted to believe that doing the right things means we will have an easy life - that things will go well, that God is somehow indebted to provide us with peace for not causing a raucous.  There are many examples throughout Scripture that obedience does not equal ease.  Christ was perfectly obedient to God the Father, and would any confuse His for an easy life?

The world, our flesh, and the devil beckon us toward the wide gate and the easy way.  This is a road easy, well-worn, and leading to destruction (Matt 7:13).  But Christ invites us to walk His road: ‘For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.’ (Matt 7:14)

Lord, may we walk Your road filled with your strength, close to Your heart, undivided in heart, hungry for Your truth, and in eager expectation of Your return.  Amen.

Walking,

AB

February 9: Tuesday Refocus

‘’…and rend your hearts and not your garments.’  Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.’  Joel 2:13

Ours is a culture valuing appearance over substance.  Virtue signaling and moral outrage overflow our social media feed with revelations of each new crisis.  We are well-versed in garment-rending.

And yet, it is not right external behavior that God desires, but hearts that are His (Matt 9:13, Hos 6:6).  Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus rail against the Scribes and Pharisees.  Their attention to the smallest detail - tithing spices - highlighted not their holiness, but how they had neglected what truly mattered: justice, mercy, faithfulness, and the love of God (Lk 11:42, Matt 23:23).  They were whitewashed tombs, beautiful to look at, full of death on the inside (Matt 23:27).  Can you blame them?  It will always be easier to craft the appearance of a heart belonging to God rather than to dying to self and living to Christ (Rom 6).  And yet, only hearts - not garments - that have been rent can be made whole.

It will always be easier to be whitewashed.  

It will always be easier to praise God with our mouths while our hearts are far from Him (Is 29:13, Matt 15:8).

But He invites us to return.  

Our divided, stone hearts can be made whole and alive by the One who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Eze 36:26, Ps 86:11).  Rending our hearts is the only right response to the One who did not rend His garments, but His body on our behalf (1 Cor 11:24).

Thank You, Lord, that you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  May our hearts be holy, and wholly yours.  In Christ’s name, amen.

AB

October 13: Tuesday Refocus

 ‘...the submission of all our nature to God, it is the quickening of the conscious by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose - and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.’ - William Temple

How freely we give ourselves to many things while forsaking the good portion (Lk 10:42).  The dwellings of our mind and imagination, by our words and our surrender, and by what we adore, our heart is exposed.  For from the heart flows life, which is why we are to keep our hearts with all vigilance (Prv 4:23).  If like me, your stomach turns at the way your heart has been exposed already this week, let us join the Psalmist with this prayer:

‘Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.’ Ps 86:11 (NIV)

Amen,

AB

November 12: Tuesday Refocus

‘If I obey Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God.’ – Oswald Chambers

To be honest, I prefer a life full of big gestures.  Visible and obvious.  A life that is not so much concerned about the inside as the outside.  God on the other hand, prefers the opposite.  The quiet and humble.  Subtle and stable, because ‘…to obey is better than sacrifice.’ (1 Sam 15:22)

But it is not in my over-the-top and inconsistent displays, but in the walk of daily-death, being yoked to Christ that I see Him clearly (Matt 10:28, 11:29).  These are pinholes of glory.

In the moments of daily obedience, I see that He is completely trustworthy.  That there is joy ahead in this eternal weight of glory and I am steadied from sprinting into this long walk of obedience in the same direction (Heb 12:2, 2 Cor 4:17).

‘He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?’ – Micah 6:8

God, thank You that You faithfully walk with us, even when we wander off, run ahead, and attempt blaze our own trail.  Forgive us, help us to walk humbly with You.  In Christ’s name, amen.

To walk humbly,

AB