transforming.

"All the doctrines of the Gospel are practical principles. The word of God was not written, the Son of God was not incarnate, the Spirit of God was not given, only that Christians might obtain right views, and possess just notions. Religion is something more than mere correctness of intellect, justness of conception, and exactness of judgment. It is a life-giving principle. It must be infused into the habit as well as govern in the understanding; it must regulate the will as well as direct the creed. It must not only cast the opinions into a right frame, but the heart into a new mould. It is a transforming as well as a penetrating principle. It changes the tastes, gives activity to the inclinations, and, together with a new heart, produces a new life.”


–from Practical Piety (Hannah More), p. 14-15.

righteous.

Do we really understand a God whose nature is all righteous, upright; holy?

Do we know what it means, not just to do righteous deeds, or to think righteous thoughts, but to BE righteous?

This God, the one that spoke a universe to be, is the full and total embodiment of righteousness, the essence of perfection.

Can we even begin to wrap our minds around perfection?  Where in this world of sin and decay can we possibly even find it? 

There is no goodness apart from him.  Every shred of good that does exist came directly from him, by him, for him.

And then we met his Son.  All God, all man.  All righteous, all holy.  Lived sinless, in constant and complete submission to the will of the Father.  Died with God’s wrath on him for our sin.  Buried, risen, appeared, commissioned, ascended, now he’s sitting at the right hand of Abba.

God’s holiness required that Jesus come, that Jesus show us his holiness, that he’d teach us grace and liberty and obedience, that he’d die so that we’d live.  So that HIS righteousness would cover our filthy rags, so that salvation would be ours, so that our lives and hearts would be transformed by his Spirit, so that his name would be glorified. 

Believers in Christ have right standing before a righteous God.  Therefore, repent of every sin that holds you back from praising, honoring, obeying, glorifying the Lord as he deserves—seek to love him, trust him, follow him more.

draw near.

Reminded again of my complete and utter depravity.  Of my natural tendency to go my own way; do my own thing until it drives me into the ground.  Reminded of the hardness of my own heart when I've forgotten grace.  It's amazing how quickly and easily I spin into this sickness of self.

And then, clearly in front of me, I see the goodness of God at work.  I catch a glimpse of the cross.  I hear His Words ringing in my head: "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" (Hebrews 4:16).  They resound in my heart and I'm overcome by just how absurd it all is.  How absolutely absurd it is that I, in my sinfulness, my selfishness, my hardness of heart, can approach the Father with confidence, I can lay myself (ALL of me) before Him with full knowledge and assurance that He has grace for me.  That He will continue to lavish that grace on me.  That in my drawing near, He will draw nearer.

Apart from the work of Christ, I am a hopeless sinner eternally separated from God and completely deserving of His full wrath. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," (Ephesians 2:4-6).  In Christ we have an advocate.  His shed blood covers our sin and our shame.  And he has imputed his righteousness to us.  I have nothing to fear or hide in my coming before God.  I need only to draw near in humility (a true understanding of ALL that God is and all I am not) and confidence (that I will receive grace and find completeness in relationship with Him).

This infinite and holy God whose very nature is all wrath and all love (He is NOT fickle!) made a way for us to draw near-- Christ alone.    

little deaths.

Fall is probably my favorite season.  There's something about the cool air, clear skies and vibrant trees that fills me with pleasure.  Beautiful and intricate leaves that fall to the ground and crunch beneath my feet.  And these trees are wonderful and the leaves are lovely because they have died.

Something I'm slowly learning (again) is the absolute necessity of truly and constantly surrendering my life and heart to the Lord.  Elizabeth Elliot says "Life requires countless 'little' deaths-- occasions where we are given the chance to say no to self and yes to God."  The more I really begin to examine the way I live, I'm convicted that I still cling to what I think or desire to be "mine".  Often that choice is unconscious, but it reflects something deeper in me-- a sinful and selfish heart.  The truth is, the attitude of my heart ought to be a resounding, "YES" to God.  I'm called to take up my cross daily (Luke 9:23), to remember what I've been redeemed from (an eternity of sin and death) and for (the GLORY of God, to be forever in enjoyment of his presence), and consider myself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

Abundant life in Christ requires death.  First his death and then ours.  Lasting joy comes from seeking the Lord in all things and from continual surrender to his will.  And there is great beauty to be seen in these "little deaths", for they collide with God's perfect will to his glory.

grace to love what you command.

"Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen."

from The Book of Common Prayer, quoted by Elisabeth Elliot (Passion and Purity)

in Him.

"Brethren, at this present moment, although we rejoice to do good works, we are not seeking to obtain life through them, we are not hoping to obtain divine favor by our own goodness, nor even to keep ourselves in the love of God by any merit of our own.  Chosen, not for our works, but according to the eternal will and good pleasure of God; called, not of works, but by the Spirit of God, we desire to continue in his grace and return no more to the bondage of the old covenant...

Neither that which we do, nor even that which the Spirit of God worketh in us is to us the ground and basis of the love of God toward us, since he loved us from the first, because he would love us, unworthy though we were; and he loves us still in Christ, and looks upon us not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in him, washed in his blood and covered with his righteousness.  Ye are not under the law, Christ has taken you from the servile bondage of a condemning covenant and made you to receive the adoption of children, so that now ye cry, Abba, Father."

-C.H. Spurgeon, Christ's Glorious Achievements

God is.

I spent my last night in Colorado surrounded by sweet friends on a quiet dock, with the sound of the water softly lapping up against it and the dark silhouettes that were mountains all around.  The sky was black and filled with tiny shining lights that sparkled in our eyes.  We sang some, we laughed some, we shivered in the cold and at the thought of leaving the place and people we had come to love.

Endings and beginnings are funny things.  And at the end of my time at camp, I was reminded of the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.  He always knows what I need far better than I do, and He knew that I needed to be there.  It was hard in a lot of ways.  I was lonely at first, I felt disconnected from the people around me.  But that deeply felt loneliness drove me even further in pursuit of the Lord, and for that I am thankful.  Along the way He blessed me with friendships that pointed me to Him.  And now here I am, a little bit different than I was 2 1/2 months ago, grateful for where I was and how He used it in my life to teach me more about Himself.

I was challenged this summer to write an A-Z list of who I know God to be through His Word.  Every time I look at it, I am encouraged but also compelled to further seek after the Lord and find out more about His character and His promises.
God is
Awesome, Abba Father, and the One in whom I abide. He adopted me.
He is my beloved, His blood shed to cover my sin.
He is Creator, consuming fire, crucified He cleanses me.
He is my Deliverer and my delight, His Spirit dwells in me.
He is my ever-present help in trouble, He's eternal; the exalted one.
He is faithful Father, He's my firm foundation, He forgives-- "it is Finished" in Him
He is good and glorious, the Giver and the gift, He is GRACIOUS.
He is holy, He is healer, in Him we have hope.
He is infinite and immeasurable, HE must increase (but I must decrease)
He is just and jealous, joy is found in Him
He's the King of Kings, He is kind, and He knows me to my core
He is love, He's the life-giver, He's lion and lamb, He is light, He is Lord
He is the Maker of all things, majestic and mighty.  He is merciful.
He never fails, He makes me new.  One day His name will be proclaimed among all nations.
He opposes the proud and welcomes outsiders.
He is pure and perfect, He brings peace, He is patient.  He pardons sin, His power is made perfect in my weakness.  He's my portion.
He quiets me by His love.
He's the ruler of all, He's my rest and my refuge.  He's redeemer and He's righteous, He restores and reconciles us to Himself through the risen Son.  He's my rock.
He is sovereign and sustainer.   He's my Savior and my strength.
He is trustworthy, He transforms hard hearts, He sits on the throne.
He is unchangeable and understanding, He upholds the universe by the word of His power.
He is the true vine and has achieved VICTORY over sin and death.
He is wrathful.  He's worthy of all glory, honor and praise.  He is THE Way, He is wise and wonderful.
He is excellent in all His ways.
He is Yahweh, my soul yearns for Him.
He is zealous for His name and His glory.

I'm faced with an ending and a beginning-- the summer is coming to an end, and I'm about to start another year of school with all sorts of exciting and difficult things ahead.  But the God that I know never ceases to be everything that He is.  Above all, I can rest in the unchanging nature of who He is, and hopefully point others to Him.