Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Our Great Advocate

Have you considered the gravity of the truth that God is our Advocate? Job did. Even in the midst of all his difficulty, he continued to believe in God as his advocate. From his despair, he still proclaimed, “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.” (Job 16:19) He did not understand why God was allowing him to suffer so greatly, but he never quit believing that God knew the truth of his life and was ultimately on his side.

What Job didn’t realize at the time was that God was more than an all-knowing witness to his righteousness. In the New Testament, a different word is used for advocate, a word meaning one called alongside to help. Christ used this word when he told His disciples in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” The Greek word Jesus used for Helper is paraklhton, meaning one called to one’s side, to plead one’s cause, to serve as an intercessor, and to assist. After Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit was given to inhabit those who would believe in Jesus, to serve as a helper, or advocate.

John understood the depth of Christ’s teachings and went on to relay God’s word to new believers. In his second epistle, he encourages new believers in Christ to walk through life in the same manner Jesus walked, a walk of obedience to God’s commands. He tells them that they “have an Advocate (paraklhton) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” He knew Jesus was his own advocate and an advocate for all believers. Like Job, John understood that God is our advocate, the all-knowing witness to our lives, the one omniscient God who knows the truth about our lives even when we are falsely accused. But, John was also entrusted with Jesus’ teaching that God loves us so much, He chooses to be more than just a witness to our lives, but an active advocate, one who acts on our behalf. God acted on our behalf when he provided Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus then advocates for us by continually praying for us, interceding to the Father on our behalf, and standing at His right hand, serving as the sacrificial bridge between our earthly state and our heavenly home. And God provides the Holy Spirit, His holy presence and guide during our earthly walk; and as our guide, the Spirit is our personal advocate here on earth.

As God the Father, Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit are separate persons yet one entity, we can be assured that we have all three advocating for our best interests. God provides. Jesus prays. The Spirit leads. Wow! How blessed we are as believers in Jesus! Upon reflecting on this truth today, God prodded me, “I am your advocate. Are you mine?” I stand humbled. How awesome to know that God in three persons is advocating for me each and every day. How actively do I advocate for Him?

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Redeeming Love

I just finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. If you have not read it, I would highly recommend your spending the time necessary to devour its 400 plus pages. I did. And I am so glad I did. What a work of art! She makes a grand effort to capture in words the depths of God’s love for us, His redemptive love. Love and redemption are the crux of my faith, yet I am starved for words that come close to the hint of a definition. How can we describe in our simple humanness the greatness of God’s love for us? We haven’t the capacity in our minds to comprehend it to its fullest degree, so how can we come close to explaining it?

This weekend, our Pastor Jack Graham preached on John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Certainly it is one of the most well-known and often-quoted scriptures of the Bible. God loves us so much He wants to redeem us to life everlasting. He is the everlasting God and He wants to give us His everlasting love and an everlasting life with Him. Despite our faults and our failures, our sins and our selfishness, God loves us anyway, so much so that He made it possible for us to live with Him forever. There is a key word in the scripture that none should read swiftly past. It is the word “believes.” “Whoever believes.” Each who desires to know God and live forever with Him must believe in God and in His Son. It is really much simpler than one might think. God doesn’t put parameters around the word “believes.” He doesn’t require a certain amount of belief, a specific show of belief, or a carefully-worded statement of belief. His only requirement is a simple, but true, belief in Him and in His Son. That means the seven-year-old who says with a pure heart “Yes, I believe” has God’s everlasting love and promise of eternal life as much as Billy Graham. To believe, really believe, is at the heart of our hope.

I emphasize believe with the word really, not to be redundant, but to create a pause, an opportunity for reflection for all who are reading. Have you come to a place where you truly believe? It is not enough to be in a family who believes, in a church who believes, have friends that believe, or even to be married to one who believes. It is insufficient to sing about belief, to “Amen” to others’ prayers of belief, or to rely on a ceremonial act of belief. God knows the heart of each one of us. God knows whether you are one who believes or not. He knows if you doubt His very existence. He is the great “I Am” and His existence is not dependent upon your belief. But your eternal existence is dependent upon your belief in Him. He knows if you doubt that Jesus was and is His Son, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”--given, sacrificed and resurrected for you. He knows if you don’t recognize or receive His love for you. He knows. But He is patient. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God’s redeeming love is indescribable, although Francine Rivers made phenomenal strides towards the goal. But don’t take her word for it. Don’t take mine, or even my Pastor’s. Take His. Take God at His Word. If you haven’t experienced His redeeming love for yourself, then call out to Him, believing. Just one simple word of faith, spoken out of a heart that truly believes, is all that is required to receive God’s greatest gift of all.

Friday, August 3, 2007

The Narrow Road

As I anticipated our summer jaunt to the mountains, my mind went to thoughts of fresh air, quiet stillness, and unadulterated nature. While I have experienced all, it is not in these refreshments that I have heard God speak the loudest as I had expected. The glory and majesty of God is evident from the pine-covered peaks to the rushing rivers below. He speaks to me through the beauty of His nature, and it revives my soul. But it is during the journey up and down the mountain each day that He and I have had our greatest conversations.

It takes approximately eight minutes one way on a narrow, gravel road up or down the mountain. During these eight minutes, one must wind one’s way back and forth, carefully navigating the sharp switchbacks and avoiding the unprotected edges of the roadway. When I am driving, I am in control and too busy concentrating on the roadway to talk much with God. But when I am a passenger, I surrender my safety into the hands of another and find myself talking incessantly to Him. Why? Fear. Fear of surrender. Fear of not being in control. Fear of accident, injury, even death. As I have dialogued with Him about this, I realize how strikingly similar this is to my everyday life. When I retain control, I often don’t take time to converse with Him in prayer. Perhaps I am too busy concentrating on the drive. Perhaps I am too confident in my own abilities to feel it is necessary or even beneficial to talk with Him. But when I have no control over a situation, such as the illness of a loved one, the choices of a family member, or the like, I run to Him in prayer seeking His help. But is my running to Him a result of my love for Him, my respect for Him, my longing to follow Him? Or is it a result of my fear? Rather than running to Him in moments of panic, I should desire to consistently surrender to my loving Father and His perfect plans. Rather than fearing lack of control, I should rest in the assurance of His control over all things. Rather than worrying about disaster, I should be at peace knowing that nothing can separate me from His eternal love for me, not even death.

How often I wind my way back and forth along the narrow road of life. He expects me to navigate my way carefully and avoid danger. But He also expects me to trust Him and His sovereignty during every minute of the journey, at every turn and in every situation. Tonight we ascended uphill during a rainstorm. About halfway up, in the dark of night, we found ourselves in the midst of a dense cloud of fog. My fear doubled in an instant. My prayers intensified exponentially. Rather than discuss with God, the urgency of the moment led me to pray one simple prayer—“Lord, please lift this fog.” That was all I could pray. There was no lengthy discourse, no conversation, and no argument over control, just a simple prayer of desperate faith, knowing that only God could lift the fog and restore our vision for the road home. This moment was a meeting of fear and faith. I could not stand in my self-confidence, nor stagger in my fear. I could only sit immediately at His feet, surrender to His control and trust Him. Miraculously, within minutes of my letting go of fear and trusting in Him, the fog lifted. What a lesson! How I need to let go of both control and fear, and let God lead me every minute of every day. Rather than retaining control, or fearing the lack of it, I must trust in His sovereignty. It is only then that He can lift the fog and restore my vision, so I can see clearly the way to my heavenly home.

""On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has saved and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road." (Mark 10:52, MSG)