My Best Friend

Someone once told me that I was either a genius or autistic. When I take the tests, add ADHD to that. As a child, I was home and mostly without peers for several years, so not socialized. My parents were told I would die before 15-16 so they didn’t teach me to live. Add to that thirty relocations, many too short to get to know people, and many involving being far from those I did know. This is not a pity party but an explanation why my thinking seems out of place in a social setting. Some look at me as if I am the white elephant in the room. Those who understand become dear friends, few in number but deeply appreciated.

Then there is Jesus. Of all the people I know, He is the closest, the most understanding, the one who sticks by me and explains life to me. Theologically, He is my righteousness and advocate as the following verses say:

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24)
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:22–25)
God saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. (2 Timothy 1:9)

Add to that that He endures. Often others get to know me and then ignore me. Jesus never does that. He is “the Lord, my righteousness.” and has “redeemed me from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for me” and for my sake was made sin even though He never sinned, so I could become righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Not only that, I am secure — He will lose no one that the Father has given Him. All this is good reason to trust Him, but even more, I know Him as my best friend. He said:

You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14–15)

Being close to Jesus, as most Christians know, means constant change. He works all things to transform us into His image. My husband says, “The closer I am to God, the closer I am to you.” This is true; being like Jesus is unifying, another reason He is so precious. He brings me through life experiences by using them for His plan for me. Not only that, He relates to my situations. He knows what it feels like to be misunderstood, ignored, dismissed, and rejected, even by His own people. He also knows the joy of unity with those who do understand, accept, and spend time with Him. He pulls together diversity without making clones or brain-washing to make us think alike, or be like puppets.

PRAY: Jesus, these are some of the reasons that I love You and that You are my Friend. It is Your doing all this, not what I am. You give me hope along with the reality of being like You as my eyes and heart focus on You — without much concern over what I’ve missed or the vacancies experienced. You fill the empty places. You, my incredible Lord and Savior — and Friend. Oh how I love You.

God transforms by substitution

 Today’s events remind me of a totally imperfect analogy. The Bible says concerning our redemption: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) In other words, Jesus represents us by taking our sin on Himself and dying for it, and with that, God puts His righteousness on us that we might live.

In thinking “Who else represents us here on earth?” I came up with lawyers who might speak on our behalf and politicians who are supposed to rule representing our wishes. The first could have all sorts of reasons for defending my wishes, but if I stopped payment, all would cease. As for the second, we know the power trips made by those who soon forget what is best for the people in favor of what is best to get re-elected.

Our legal relationship with Jesus is not like anything on earth. First, God put our sin on Christ who willingly took that shame and guilt and suffered the full penalty for it. He did not earn or deserve it. His life was perfectly obedient and without sin. How could God declare Him guilty? Was it only because He willingly took that sin in an act of love rather than leave it for sinners to bear and to die? He, like a lawyer or a politician, represented humanity, but did far more than speak for criminals or look out for the best interests of His people.

As for the people He died for, all who believe experience the incredible removal of sin, yet God’s grace did not leave them a blank slate. In another sovereign declaration, He imputed or put on sinners the righteousness of Christ trading sin that Jesus never committed for His sinlessness that we never earned, deserved, or would never have, unless God had made this amazing trade we call redemption.

One of my friends said, “We get saved in an instant, then spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out what happened!” He was right. Suddenly I was a different person, the same with those old selfish and sinful desires, yet Jesus walked in — and everything changed. It was not exactly like having another person driving my car, more like a new person solving my problems, listening to my heart, giving me a life, peace, joy and attitudes never before experienced. Righteousness imputed. I didn’t do anything. He simply looked me in the face and it was a done deal.

These two things, Christ being made sin and us being made righteousness, could only be accomplished by substitution. There was no possible way for the Lord of glory to be made sin, except by imputation. And there is no way by which any man can be made righteousness, except by imputation. It is a legal matter. But also a practical one. Day by day learning from this One who is always here, always teaching, always wanting His best for me. Always learning from Him.

PRAY: And You, Jesus, are always listening for me to desire, “Not my will but Your will be done” with an honest and humble heart. It has been a rocky road in places, a lovely vista most of the time. Hopefully in it all, I decrease and You increase — until that day I see You face to face and with no more sin, when the process is complete.

Why did God allow sin?

 
Today’s reading from Charnock’s book is so profound that I’m tempted to copy/paste most of it instead of putting it in my own words. In writing about the wisdom of God, this author answers the question I’ve often been asked: Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin? It ruined everything.

Charnock agrees that sin is “altogether black and abominable” but quickly adds that in His wisdom God allowed it that we might see His mercy and grace displayed in the incarnation and death of his Son for the atonement of sin.

With goosebumps, I stop there and say, “Of course. Without sin we would not see the mercy and power of God. We would only have a small view of His glory and miss His incredible love and power shown in what He did about our sin…

So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21)

He permitted Adam’s fall so we could have a fuller discovery of His nature and unbounded goodness. It would not have otherwise appeared. His goodness in rewarding innocent obedience would have been manifested; but not his mercy. Without sin and its production of misery, God’s mercy in sending his Son to save his enemies, could not have appeared.
Nor would we know the power of God in the changing of hard hearts nor His vindictive justice that reveals His wrath against sin. We would not experience imputed righteousness and the glory of knowing it through faith in Christ:

For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (Psalm 11:7)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Without sin, this perfection, whereby God draws good out of evil, would have no reason to happen and been utterly useless.

Instead, sin became an occasion of God glorifying himself as He used it to communicate the knowledge of all these perfections of His nature, which otherwise would not be seen. His justice would have nothing to punish, His mercy obscure, and a great part of His wisdom would remain silent without the presence of sin to order and even use for His purposes.

The OT example is Joseph. God permitted the sin of Joseph’s brethren, that he might use their evil to a good end. Because of his holiness, God never wills sin as an end; but in regard of His great wisdom He wills to permit it as a means and occasion to draw good out of those things which are in their own nature most contrary to good.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)

The NT example is like it, but with implications for far more than one family. This was for all of humanity:

This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:23)

The devil inspired men to kill Jesus yet God ordered it to accomplish His own design of redemption in the death of the His Son. The devil had diabolical ends, and God overpowers his actions to serve His own divine ends. Divine wisdom uses sin to accomplish His will.

PRAY: Because my sin did this to You, Jesus, I abhor sin, even though it still draws me out of fellowship with You. Yet because of God’s wisdom, mercy, and grace, You continually draw me back to Yourself, using everything for good in my life. You are utterly amazing to use the sin that I hate as a means whereby I am able to know Your great love and grace.

God is Enough

 

This new year begins with joy and with the strong conviction that God is enough. He sent Jesus into my life more than fifty years ago. I’ve been in His bootcamp for much of that time, learning how to live as a soldier for the Lord and most of the time feeling like I’d never be able to measure up. However, He finally got it through my thick skull that I will never measure up — for He does not measure me but Christ who lives in me. 

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. (Psalm 62:5–7)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

My righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The new life He gave me is His life, not a better version of my old life. For that reason, He tells me “to be renewed in the spirit of my mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”  (Ephesians 4:23–24)

This is an amazing resting place, part of realizing that God alone is enough — enough to be all that I need to be, and enough for all my needs. He bestows the goodness required to live here as His child and to walk through the gates of heaven: 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1–4)

Again, and I can shout it: GOD IS ENOUGH!

In our church, this has become a motto using slightly different words. We say ONLY GOD when He does what only He can do. For example, every year in December, our church budget faces a shortage. This year it was overwhelmingly huge, yet yesterday morning our lead pastor announced that the giving that week not only met the budget but exceeded it. We said, “Only God” and “God is enough!”

The devotional reading for today says, “No soul can really be at rest until it has given up dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone.” It seems to me that many of us stubbornly put our expectation in other things and have to learn that nothing but disappointment will be the result, as if we have to touch the stove before we believe it is hot. How sad. The ideal is like Abraham who simply believed God and obeyed Him. 

Yesterday the Lord spoke to me again about keeping my focus on Him so that I’m not plagued by my attention-deficit tendencies. Stop all self-effort and simply trust Him to do what I cannot do. Again He tells me that He is enough.

PRAY: Jesus, what a delight to rest in You. May this new year be marked by a deeper faith in the reality that You are enough! I can safely and confidently rest in You for everything I need and to hear my cries and answer my prayers! You are enough!

The Testimony of a Righteous Life

 

Yesterday I fell into a self-pity that robbed me of joy. I could blame constant pain but that pain didn’t get to me for the prior two weeks. I could also blame fatigue or a few other externals, but know enough about the devil’s strategy to realize I stopped listening to God and being thankful and agreed with that “you poor thing” yap that was not from the Lord.

This seems a small way to put off the breastplate of righteousness and expose myself to Satan’s accusations. But I suffered the consequences and lost the blessing of the Holy Spirit — joy that includes peace, love for others and the remaining spiritual fruit listed in the NT:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

As soon as I confessed my self-focus the pain did not go away, but the joy came back. Today’s devotional reminded me that David’s sin (which seems much worse but was still an act of selfishness) also took away his joy. For this he prayed: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12) Confession didn’t remove the problem, but joy makes possible an ability to rise above problems. Such is the grace of God.

Another danger of disobedience is losing what I might gain as a reward in heaven. In speaking of getting cozy with false teachers, the NT says: “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.” (2 John 8) MacArthur believes rewards are various capacities for service in Heaven, meaning that great rewards mean great capacity to serve God. Neglecting righteousness and faithfulness in this life could affect what I will do for all eternity.

I don’t want sin and negligence to diminish my heavenly reward, whatever it might be, but failure to trust God and live for Him also affects my testimony and ability to glorify God here and now. As MacArthur says, if I am thinking or behaving unrighteously, I am violating my reason for existence. That sin might be what we call a big sin, but ‘little’ sins are just as damaging. Consider these:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11–12)

People who do not believe in Christ are spiritual blind to Him but they are not blind to the way Christians live and behave. I can easily give them an excuse to say, “If that is what it means to be a Christian, I’m not interested.” I seen this happen and do not want to be the cause of such excuses! As David prayed:

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. (Psalm 69:6)

Another bane of living for self and any kind of ‘me’ like running my own life is loss of a fruitful prayer connection with God. The Bible is clear on this:

Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:3)

Having others see my sinful selfishness is bad enough, but being alienated from the listening ear of God and blocking all the joy and goodness He has for me is terrible. Not only do I suffer loss, I’m also saying with my actions or lack of actions that I do not love Him and that I am more important to me than He is. That is such a lousy testimony.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, of course I want my righteousness to testify to Your saving and sanctifying grace. This battle against the enemy sometimes throws me to the floor feeling I am such a total failure. Yet even in that, You are quick to forgive. All You want from me is the humility to admit that I cannot live for You in my own strength — for I have none. Thank You for rescuing me always, no matter how foolishly forgetful and selfish I can be.

PONDER: Reread and put a print-out on the wall of 2 Corinthians 5:21 as a reminder of God’s marvelous grace.