October 22: Tuesday Refocus

‘Jesus is the mercy seat, the place where sinful men may meet with the Holy God.’ – Lesslie Newbigin

From all of the postures, positions or locations – where does God always meet His people?  The place of mercy.

In wrath, He still remembers mercy (Hab 3:2).  In the morning, His mercies are new and never ending (Lam 3:22-23).  According to His steadfast love, He blots out transgression with abundant mercy (Ps 51:1).

We may find ourselves begging as Bartimaues for Christ to ‘have mercy on me…’ And in mercy, the invitation of Christ is to draw near, and receive the mercy we so desperately desire (Mark 10:46-52).  The invitation of Christ is to God Himself, the One who says of Himself:

‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”’ Exodus 34:6-7

If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. …hope in the LORD!  For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.  And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.  Thank You Lord, for meeting us at the place of mercy –  person of Jesus, in His name, amen. (Ps 130:3-4,7-8).

From mercy,

AB

October 15: Tuesday Refocus

‘O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds You performed in their days, in the days of old: You with Your own hand drove out the nations… for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but Your right hand and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You delighted in them.’ – Psalm 44:1-3

The nations rage, our flesh is at war within us, we wrestle against rulers, authorities and cosmic powers – but we turn away, harden our hearts and have seared our conscious (Ps 2:1, Rom 7:23, Eph 6:12, Heb 3:15).

Turning away from this present darkness is not resignation, rather, an attempt to fight a battle in your own strength.  This battle requires the same arm that drives out enemies, to uphold and save heirs.  You do not have to run, hide, or fight – you have only to be still (Ex 14:14).

‘But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…’ 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

This is a battle already won.

Jesus, You have been victorious over Satan, sin and death at the cross.  You lead us in triumphal procession over our enemies, and into the very presence of the Father.  Forgive us for turning away from the wars of the world, spiritual realm, and our own hearts.  Your blood has spoken for all of these things – help us to be an aroma and fragrance of Your completed work as this battle wages on.  In Your name, amen.

Standing,

AB

October 8: Tuesday Refocus

‘I have trusted Thee and Thou hast not betrayed my trust; waited for Thee, and not waited in vain.’ – The Valley of Vision

I have trusted myself and been disappointed.

I have trusted others and been crushed.

I have trusted the Lord and never been forsaken.

‘And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.’  Ps 9:10

I have waited for perfect timing and been inactive.

I have waited for everything to fall in place and been passed by.

I have waited on the Lord and grown strong and courageous.

‘Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!’ Ps 27:14

Lord, we trust and wait.  Not passive, not flippant, intentionally we pursue You as the One who has proven Himself trustworthy.  The One who is with us in our waiting.  We await eagerly for You, Your name and Your renown are the desires of our heart.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Trusting + waiting,

AB

September 10: Tuesday Refocus

If I’m honest…

…What I desire is not a life of service, but of being served.

…What I desire is a life that does not require more of me than I am willing to give.

…What I desire is a life free of prolonged suffering, pain, discomfort or discouragement.

…What I desire is a life of immediate joy and instant gratification.

These desires sent roots deep into the heart of humanity with our first parents in a garden fall so long ago (Gen 3).  And if we’re honest – these desires have only sown the wind, and reaped the whirlwind (Hos 8:7).  We have found everything utterly meaningless – twice over (Ecc 1:2)

‘And the world is passing away along with its desires…’

We cling, hoard, and hedge our bets, only to see our life deform and dissolve.

‘…but whoever does the will of God abides forever.’ – 1 Jn 2:17

It is clinging to the cross where we find true life.  Dying daily brings forth the life we desire (Col 3:5, Matt 16:25)

If we’re honest – truly honest – what we desire is not some sin-warped shadow, but the Creator Himself.  He has given Himself to us in death that we may have His life (1 Jn 5:11). 

‘I died in Your death my Lord
Glory, glory to Your name
Buried in the grave with You
Glory, glory to Your name
And I arose with You my Lord,
Glory, glory to Your name!’ (Nathan and Christy Nockels)

Hallelujah, what a Savior!  In Christ name, amen.

To live,

AB

August 27: Tuesday Refocus

‘…whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.’ – 1 John 2:6

When we walk in His way, we follow a path of radical obedience.  We share in His sufferings as the One who was despised and rejected (1 Pet 4:13, Is 53:3).  This path is self-giving service to others, and surrender to God.  It claims all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  When we abide in Him, He may slay us, but we can still say ‘not my will, but Yours be done.’ (Job 13:15, Lk 22:42)

In the path of Your judgements, O LORD, we wait for You; Your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. In Christ name, Amen.

Walking,

AB

August 20: Tuesday Refocus

‘Show me, O God, where to look, that I might see You.’ – Augustine

Where can He not be found?

He is the beginning and end (Rev 22:13).

He is in the height and the depth (Ps 139:8).

In the universe created and sustained (Heb 1:3).

In the Word made flesh (Jn 1:14).

He turns idol worshipers into fathers of faith (Gen 12:1).

He is with the orphan and the widow (Gen 16:13).

He bends evil intentions of men for good (Gen 50:20).

He uses cowardly leaders for His purpose (Ex 4:13).

He is in the wandering (Deut 8:2, Hos 2:14).

He is in the unexpected provision (Ex 16).

He makes all things beautiful in their time (Ecc 3:11).

He is with us while we sleep (1 Sam 3:3-4, Ps 4:8).

He sees us when we are the last, least and forgotten (1 Sam 16:11).

He is with us in captivity (Ps 137).

He is with acquainted with all our grief (Is 53:3).

He has become our sin (2 Cor 5:21).

He remembers our sin no more (Is 43:25, Heb 8:12).

He is in the whisper, and He is in the storm (1 Kings 19:12, Ps 50:3).

He is the voice calling from behind, guiding (Is 30:21).

He keeps company with the unlikely (Mk 2:15).

He calls a people unto Himself (Deut 7:6).

He inhabits the praises of His people (Ps 22:3).

He does not forsake the work of His hands (Ps 138:8).

He pursues His enemies (Lk 19:10, Rom 5:10).

He is in the prison cell (Acts 12, Acts 19).

He is with His persecuted Church (Acts 7:55-56, Jn 15:18).

He is the Word living and active (Heb 4:12).

He is the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8).

He is the sacrifice, perfect and complete (Heb 10:14).

He has died (Jn 19:30).

He has risen (Matt 28:6).

He sits at the right hand of the Father (Eph 1:20).

He has come (Jn 1:9).

And He is coming again (Rev 1:7).

‘And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.’ Col 1:17

Oh Lord, show us where to look for You.  In cubicles and broken appliances.  In early mornings and sleepless nights.  In mundane errands and long conversations.  In loneliness and fear.  When we have sinned, and when we have been sinned against.  In unexpected turns, and abrupt endings.  In grief and in joy.  In tears and callused hearts.  In transitions and long stretches of sameness.  In time moving too slow, and in time moving too fast.  In prayers too apprehensive and sacred to be uttered.  In our zealous apathy.  In hope deferred and desires only realized in part.  In the creation You have made, and in Your image emblazoned even upon our enemies.  Lord, give us eyes to see You in all things.  We believe that there is enough grace for this moment, because You are here with us in this moment.  In Your gracious name we pray, amen.

Looking,

AB

July 9: Tuesday Refocus

What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways!
He won’t walk in step with the wicked,
nor share the sinner’s way,
nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat.
His pleasure and passion is remaining true to the Word of “I Am,”
meditating day and night in the true revelation of light.
He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree
planted by God’s design,
deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss,
bearing fruit in every season of his life.
He is never dry, never fainting,
ever blessed, ever prosperous.
But how different are the wicked.
All they are is dust in the wind—
driven away to destruction!
The wicked will not endure the day of judgment,
for God will not defend them.
Nothing they do will succeed or endure for long,
for they have no part with those who walk in truth.
But how different it is for the righteous!
The Lord embraces their paths as they move forward
while the way of the wicked leads only to doom.

Psalm 1 [The Passion Translation]

What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways! 

This path of life, is illuminated by Christ, and leads to fullness of joy in His presence –pleasures forevermore (Ps 16:11).

This is not an easy path, but we never walk alone (Matt 28:20).

This may be a path littered with suffering, but we join the Suffering Servant – and will rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed (Is 53, 1 Pet 4:13)

This life may require us to endure many things, but if we endure, we will also reign with Him (2 Tim 2:12).

But we can take heart on this path because, ‘…suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’ (Rom 5:3-5)

Lord Jesus, we walk with You, we walk toward You, we follow after You.  Knowing that You are the ultimate prize and desire of our hearts and lives.  Thank you that You hold our lives secure.  We await eagerly for You, Your name and Your renown are the desires of our hearts.  In Your name, amen.

Walking,

AB

June 11: Tuesday Refocus

‘God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus that in Him He is altogether well pleased with us.’ – Charles Spurgeon

The pleasure of God is fixed immovable on Christ.  For every Christ follower, our life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).  And everything true of Christ is now true of us. 

God delights over us with singing (Zeph 3:17).

He has raised us from death to life, and seated us with Christ (Eph 2:6).

We are His children, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ (Rom 8:17).

As Christ followers we never gravel our way into God’s presence – we live ever in His presence (Ps 91, Ps 139).  And we carry His presence in our going out and coming in (Ps 121:8).

God, thank you for making a way for us to be your children.  Jesus, thank you for your completed perfect work, and for being our brother who shares in Your inheritance.  Spirit, thank you for sealing us – enable us to believe that we are the beloved of God.  In Christ’s name, Amen.

From delight,

AB

May 21: Tuesday Refocus

‘...our rebellious attempts to lead ourselves can be carried out only in an atmosphere devoid of the memory of grace.’ - Eugene Peterson

We are quick to forget.  

That’s one of the reasons my soul needs the regular reminder of corporate worship.  

I forget.  

I forget who I am... (Rom 8:9)

I forget Whose I am... (Is 43:1)

I forget to whom I belong.  (1 Pet 2:10)

When I forget I AM, I always forget who I am.

And the invitation is always to remember - ‘But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him." (Lam 3:21-24).  To remember the God whose name reveals His character: "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." (Ex 34:6-7)

When we remember, our response is always joyful surrender to the One who gives more grace (Jam 4:6).

Lord, make us people who remember.  People that have hearts and minds filled with ebeneezer memorial stones as monuments of Your grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, amen.

Remembering,

AB

May 7: Tuesday Refocus

‘The highest form of worship is obedience’ – Elisabeth Elliot

Obedience as worship?  The thought is almost offensive.

Because we want our worship to be comfortable, confined to Bible reading, song singing, church attendance, and nothing more.  But true worship is costly because true worship is the right response of our whole lives (heart, soul, mind, and strength) to God’s revelation of Himself.

And He has revealed Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6).

The One who…

…did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself (Phil 2:6-7). 

…came not to be served, but to serve (Matt 20:28).

….came not to do His own will, but the will of the Father (Jn 6:38, Matt 26:39).

…became obedient to the point of death (Phil 2:8).

Our worship is in response to that God. The real offense is not the obedience He requires – deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Me (Matt 16:24) – but how much we desire to withhold

6 February: Tuesday Refocus

‘Move, I pray Thee, upon my disordered heart; take away the infirmities of unruly desires and hateful lusts; lift the mists and darkness of unbelief; brighten upon my soul with the pure light of truth.’ – Valley of Vision

Our hearts are divided and disordered (Ps 86:11).  The things we want to do, we do not.  The things we do not want to do we do (Rom 7:15-20).  And it is only in the Light of Life that we can see the light (Ps 36:9).

We can only fulfill the calling we have as bringers of light when our lives are brought under the light of God’s Word, the authority of God’s Spirit, and in sanctifying submission of God’s people (Matt 5:14).

Bring your life into the light, walk in the light and serve in the light (1 Jn 1:5-7).  The Light of the World is the always, forever and only hope of every darkened and disordered heart.

Looking to the Light,

AB

16 January: Tuesday Refocus

‘O thou who hast the hearts of all men in Thine hand, form my heart according to the Word, according to the image of Thy Son, so shall Christ the Word, and His Word, be my strength and comfort.’ – Puritan Prayer

Everything we do is formative. 
Everything we do is liturgical. 
How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. 
As one of my pastors said regularly, ‘Don’t let the world teach you theology.’

So, ‘Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ [Rom 12:2]

Don’t flippantly be formed by the world – but by the mercies of God, ‘present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God…’ [Rom 12:1].

Be formed,
AB