Living Water (Spring and Summer)

One of my favorite Psalms, is Psalm 1... ¹Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; ²but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. ⁴The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ⁶for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish This past month my wife and I (as we do every spring) have been talking about how much we both love to see everything becoming so green. No doubt there's beauty in the fall and winter...but it's the spring and summer that really cheer us up. I think all of us just love anything that displays 'living'. It's the same feeling we get when we stand next to a creek or river that's powerfully flowing with water. I think that picture is seen within this Psalm as well. Throughout the bible, there seems to be running theme of water and life. I just especially like the imagery of how it's used here to describe the righteous. He is like a 'tree planted by streams of water"..."it's leaf does not wither." After reading this the other day I happened to also go to the end of Revelation and found what, to me, seems to be a connection. The last 2 chapters of the bible (Revelation 21 and 22) have to be for me some of, if not THE most wonderful words ever written. The picture of the 'new heavens and new earth' are simply breathtaking; and my favorite moment in it lies in chapter 22 verse 1-3, where John talks about being shown the 'Tree of Life' (which Man rejected in the garden) standing besides a river "as bright as crystal" (called the water of life). And the most comforting line here is in verse 2 and 3 that says "...The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed.." I mean....WHAT a beautiful image! Think of the concentration camps....think of those two towers falling in new york.....think of earthquakes in haiti....wives loosing their husbands in mine disasters, Mississippi children being killed by a tornado, every single little baby born, only to die within the first hour of their life; all due to the curse on creation. Now...within that context...meditate on that image; '..the leaves are for the healing of the nations...the 'curse' will be no more. There is nothing that could sound more comforting. So we have in Psalm 1 the image of a tree by water....and in Revelation we seem to have the same image. But the question of course is, how do we get this living water? Are we in ourselves righteous enough to where this Psalm can apply to us? I don't believe so. Remember, God said in Psalm 14 and 51 (which Paul quotes in Romans 3) that 'NO one is righteous'. Jesus though claims that 'all the law and the prophets' were ultimately writing about Him. He is the righteous. It is He who yields fruit....It's him who gives the water as bright as crystal. Remember his discussion with the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus talks about it is Him who will 'give us' living water so that we never would be thirsty again. So we have Christ, who comes in perfection, lives righteously...and therefore, 'becomes like a tree planted by streams of water'....then...GIVES us that water...that life. By us laying down our failed attempts at 'being good' and clinging to Him, his leaves heal us....his water fills us eternally. I think there's a hint of all that in seeing the green of spring and summer. -michael (The picture above was taken at the lake that's in my parents subdivision where i grew up)

Solid, Dry Rocks

This might sound like a cheesy concept that's been told a million times by Christians throughout the years but I'm gonna say it anyway.

While Greta and I were in the Smoky Mountains this week and on our way back, we went to a couple of places where the whole imagery of Christ as a 'Rock on which was stand' (Psalm 40:2) really was clear to me.

In the smokies, we both hiked to the summit of a place called "Chimney Tops" (in the first picture). Once at the top, we stood upon a large area of rocks where we were given an absolute magnificent view of the mountains all the way around.

On the way back we stopped in Cookville, TN and hiked down to a waterfall called "Burgess Falls". Here we viewed the falls from both the bottom, and the top. You can see me in this picture standing at the top on the right.

Now this is what was interesting to me. Both times, I would feel both the sensation of danger and security in the same moment. On the mountain, the height overwhelming. If the rocks were to collapse, we would fall to our death. But of course....they wouldn't collapse. They were solid. It was part of a mountain after all.

On top of the water fall I was a bit sketchy at first to get close to the edge. The surrounding area seemed to be soaking wet. Rocks that are wet may as well not be rocks at all; they may as well be ice. If I fell into the top of a waterfall as tall and powerful as this one I would have either died from the fall, or drowned at the bottom. However, as I got closer, I realized there were many portions that were completely dry right on the edge. This allowed me to stand right in the midst of this roaring water with utmost security.

And this is whats so cool to me. I think God displays His beauty and goodness in such things as a mountain valley or a roaring waterfall. (read my post called 'declaring glory and righteousness if you want). But just those natural beauties, God is also dangerous. Our sin has made us unable to naturally come to him without being destroyed. But that's what makes the gospel so wonderful.

Jesus, in full perfection, allows sinners to stand on the edge with complete security and assurance. It doesn't matter how high up we are, our how powerful the waterfall is, those Rocks were keeping us safe. And whats so wonderful, is that in that security, we don't just rejoice in being "safe"....but we rejoice in getting to be overwhelmed by the beauty that's in front of us. I've not been brought to the edge of the mountain or the edge of the waterfall simply to feel "secure", but to sit in awe of something so beautiful. So that I can say, "Isn't it AMAZING!" So that I can 'praise it.'

Jesus brings us safely to the top to be astonished.

-michael

Justification (Romans 5)

This morning I was reading in romans 5 and was struck about the whole concept of "justification".....

"But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass,
much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous." -Romans 5:15-19

I may be imagining this but I feel like I've heard of a lot of debate about what it means exactly to be 'justified'. I know John Piper and N.T. Wright have seemed to go at each other about this topic....but i've not kept up at all with what they are discussing.

But obviously it is an important concept because if Paul teaches that our faith (and faith alone) is what justifies a person (which i believe he does) then its important to be clear about what justification means. I feel like that is what the debates are about between certain people. Is justification merely a "better standing with God"...or is it literally a term used for complete, and eternally secure salvation? I believe the latter, and I think Romans 5:15-19 gives evidence to that. Mainly because Paul is continually contrasting "justification" with "condemnation". He makes of point of saying "Look...through Adam, condemnation came....but through Christ, justification came."

What struck me is that if you were to try to suggest that "Justification" means something else other than being eternally right with God....then you would equally have to come up with another definition for 'Condemnation'...but I don't think you can. And I think this verse makes a strong point of that. Condemnation is Death......Justification is Righteousness.

With that though, I feel i can rejoice that much more in what Paul says in Romans 3:28....

"For we hold that one is JUSTIFIED BY FAITH apart from the works of the law."

-michael
(pic above taken of my parents backyard in Arrington)

Psalm 33 (The Word)

"The Word"

I've always been interested in the subject of Christ being refereed to as "The Word" in John 1.

This morning I was reading Psalm 33 and it got me thinking about it again. Mainly verse 6 that says...
"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host." (esv)

This is interesting because also in John 1 it brings up the image how the heavens were made "through Christ". At other places in the new testament it uses the language of "by him" to create.

So is this an element of the mystery of God's nature (3 in one)? Is there a connection between God's 'word' when he created the world.....and the use of the word 'WORD' being used in John 1? Also, most all of the "books of prophets" of the old testament that begin with "The Word of the Lord came to so and so..". Is this 'word' the same as Christ. Ultimately I believe it is. Christ is not simply a "spokesman" for God....He IS God. He IS His 'Word', as it says "the word was with God and the word WAS God". (john 1:1) He IS the word that came to all the prophets. He IS the word that was with the Father in the beginning hovering over the waters saying 'let there be light'....but now in these last days, He became flesh.

Also, off the subject, Psalm 33 is really great in humbling us to seek God alone for our purpose and not anything that makes up who we are. Verse 16 - 17 says...
"The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by it's great might it cannot rescue."

Also, I think it's beautiful to note the connection between verse 19 that says "..that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine" with Colossians 1:13 that talks about God delivering us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

-michael
(Picture above was taken in Gulf Shores, Alabama)

Declaring Glory and Righteousness

I've always loved the opening to Psalm 19.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge".

If there's anything I love to discuss (or think about) is how and where this verse shows up in creation. The first picture here is from a very old slide that shows the sunrise over the trees that were at the end of my backyard where I grew up. (in arrington, TN). The second picture is one I took in Alaska a few years ago. Both are two totally different subjects, yet both moments express something profound about Christ; both his Beauty, and Majesty.

I just love when being set before such beauties in Nature (whither it be the grand canyon, or hearing the sound of morning birds, or as CS Lewis notes; 'the smell of cut wood in a workshop',) to think about whats going on here. God is not just simply giving us a gift of beauty...he's actually telling us something about HIMSELF. HE is as beautiful as this sunrise...HE is as strong and powerful as this mountain.

However, the other day when I reading Psalm 97, I noticed something that I never really thought about that much. in verse 6, it also states that "the heavens declare his 'righteousness'. I guess it should seem obvious, but I just never thought about how this impacts your view of creation.
For example....any one person could seem to be beautiful beyond comparison, and with it have a sense of 'majesty' in their power......however...still not have a trace of 'goodness'. The most powerful and most beautiful Queen may still be the cruelest. This is why I believe scripture goes a step further than just speaking of 'beauty and power' being woven into creation.....Psalm 97 says that God's RIGHTEOUSNESS is there as well.

I pray that the next time (and every time) I see a beautiful tree blooming in the spring, or hear the sound of katydids on a summer night, or feel the mist from a roaring waterfall, or hear one of my brother's little girls laughing, that I'd be moved not just by Christ's beauty and might...but his righteousness as well.

-michael

Proverbs 4 (new blog format)

*if you want to know what this blog is about, go back and read my first one called "Proverbs 1"*

Well I guess i missed a couple of days writing in this blog and realized that would probably happen a lot so I guess I've decided not to make it a goal of writing in this every single day...otherwise I know I'll end up jotting down stuff just for the sake of jotting it down.

I'm just going to post stuff on this from time to time (3 times a week maybe) something like that.

I was gonna try to write something on every Proverb (and maybe eventually i will) but mainly just to use it to put down my thoughts on anything really.

One verse I love is Proverbs 4:18

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day"

I've always loved the theme of "Morning" whenever it is used in the bible to describe God's kingdom or Christ himself (ie: the morning star) I think this verse really digs into that.

The whole concept of perfect righteousness being compared to the bright, beautiful full day; and just as important, how its not OUR righteousness, but Christ. If we were left alone to ourselves and our works, the image remains one of utter darkness (night). But when Jesus accomplished the perfection that God demands and rose from the grave (early in the morning by the way) we too rise with Him. Through faith alone, we have a sort of "dawn" begin in our lives...a completely "new day". We're not "perfected yet"...just as the darkness is not totally gone at 4:30 am....but the light has begun. One day....the sun will have risen in it's fullness.

I love to remember the joy I had riding my bike throughout my subdivision on a bright summer morning at the beginning of summer vacation. I think that is a hint of what is to come.

-michael

Proverbs 3

*if you want to know what this blog is about, go back and read my first one called "Proverbs 1"*

Proverbs 3

A few short thoughts on this proverb.

-I think its helpful to use the proverbs sometimes as a basis of prayer. In a world where riches can overtake you, verse 9 should really work its way into our requests, asking God to help me honor Him with the wealth that he provides. After all, all our money is his anyway.

-The crux of verse 11 is brought up very strongly to me when Paul addresses the Hebrews; pointing out how they are being treated as "sons" and therefor not to grow weary over His discipline. (Hebrews 12) I guess any trial in our life should always make us consider how it may be in one form or another a kind of "discipline", which should strengthen our hearts. We are being counted as His children.

-Verse 19 says that "the Lord by 'wisdom' founded the earth; by 'understanding' he established the heavens...". I think this is very interesting in regards to how many times the new testament talks about the creation of the universe being done by God the Father 'through' and 'by' God the Son. Its just mysterious to me to think about the relationship between Christ...and Wisdom/understanding. Its almost as if Christ (in a way) IS the Father's wisdom and understanding.
I dont know....maybe thats a wrong way to think of it though.

-michael

Proverbs 2

*if you want to know what this blog is about, go back and read my first one called "Proverbs 1"*

Proverbs 2

..."yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you see it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." -Proverbs 2:3-5

The 4th and 5th verse of this Proverb stands out to me because I see a connection between it and probably my favorite parable that Jesus told. He said (in Matthew 13) that the kingdom of heaven should be looked upon like a treasure in a field. A man discovers it, sells all that he has to buy that one field. I think God's ultimate goal for our "wisdom and understanding" is to understand who He is through the person of Christ, and to understand what it means to have faith. God wants us to realize how much of a treasure both this wisdom, and God himself are.
He doesn't want us to simply worship him out of "duty"...but out of sheer joy. I think we should always be praying to see Jesus and his Kingdom as the wonderful 'treasure' that it is.

-michael

Proverbs 1

Proverbs 1 (intro to my blog too)

This may very well be either the first of many blog post to come or it could be the only one. I guess it will depend on how lazy I get.

By the random chance somebody happens to read this and doesn't know who I am; my name is Michael and I live in Nashville, TN. I've always wanted to keep a diary but I just can never do it so my brother suggested I give this a try.

I guess you could say then this is somewhat of an attempt to get my thoughts written down about particular scripture I've read for the day and what stood out to me. Hopefully it will be somewhat beneficial to me as sort of a personal growth exercise. Of course I'm already seeing my brother laughing when he tries to access this page a couple of days from now and all he gets is a "blog has been closed" page.

Last month I spent a lot of time in Proverbs (reading one for each day of the month) and jotting down things that seemed to stand out. Really quick, I will say how much I've come to enjoy proverbs in a way that I don't think I always saw; that is how they ultimately relate to Jesus. I remember hearing Scotty Smith (of Christ Community Church) once say how you should never read the old testament without trying to see Christ. I think that's very important because otherwise I think you will drastically miss the point. I think Jesus Himself points that out when in the book of Luke it records a moment when He appears to the men on the road to Emmaus. It says that "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself". (luke 24:27)

So this past month I tried to see how each Proverb had in one way or another a sort of parallel to the Gospel. I don't mean to suggest we should not worry about how the wisdom and instruction to this book DOES relate to OUR personal walk in life by any means. But I do wonder if God's ultimate purpose for the book of Proverbs is to eventually point us away from what are actually our inabilities and failures in Wisdom, and focus us on resting in the One who was perfectly "wise" on our behalf.

So with that said.....here's one small thought from Proverbs 1:23. (by the way I'm using the ESV)

"..if you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;"
-Proverbs 1:23

I guess what seemed to pop out to me was the words "I will pour out my spirit to you". Language that sounds very familiar of God giving us his holy spirit when we believe the good news of Christ...however in this passage, God is basically saying "If you do good....THEN I will give you my spirit". You "earn" it. This is to me how this ultimately points me to Jesus. He lived in my place, perfect obedience, but still took the punishment for my sins. Through His resurrection, he becomes the "propitiation" for me as 1 John 2:2 says. His perfection (which results in the pouring out of God's spirit) is literally "merited" to me as a gift. (this is 'good news') God's spirit is given to me "through faith" in the one who DID earn it.

Well I guess that's it for now cause i'm tired. If you see something that is just totally out of line point it out to me. Again these are just my thoughts on the particular subject at the time. However anything you see from my older brother Steve should be regarded as obviously "false".

-michael