"Look at this GLORY!"

John 20:30-31

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Purpose of This Book

 ³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

A few posts back I wrote on the begging of the book of John. Since then I have been doing a study of the book of John. This passage stuck me in a particular way. The book of John starts out with what some speculate to be a poetic celebration of who Jesus is, the Logos- the Word. The book then presents many miracles of Jesus as proof of who he was and how powerful he is. This is the climax of the book. Jesus has just risen from the dead, his best miracle yet, for the purpose that you and I may have life. 


One of my favorite quotes from a recent missions trip to Ethiopia is, "Look at this Glory!" My friend Shannon was exclaiming over the glory of the sunset over the mountain. Through out the week I contemplated this state more and more. I watched people on the street and thought,"Look at this glory... Look at the glory God has created in His people." I look at the wonders of nature and my mind exclaims,"Look at this glory!" I hear a song and my soul sings,"Hear this glory!" As I have read through the book of John I cannot help but as I look at my Saviors life,"Look at this glory." As I read of His death and resurrection, I think, "Look at this glorious thing that God has done for me." As I think of the plan that he has for my life, "Oh, what glory He has in store for me." 

A man unafraid to change the world...Part II

Acts 3:12-26

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

 ¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, ²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

"I know that you acted in ignorance"

The fact that we sin in ignorance does not excuse our sin. I think of Joseph consoling his brothers by telling them that what "they meant for evil, God meant for good." Yes, God does use our evil hearts to bring about His perfect and good plan; however, that is a testament of His sovereignty not a way to excuse our sin. I often will play the part of the naive girl. I use it as a barrier to protect myself in society; however, if I were to claim ignorance and use it as a crutch to sin, I would still be sinning. 
"Repent, therefore,"
I don't think there will ever be to much repentance in my life. Misusing my repentance for evil, yes, but true repentance to my Heavenly Father who I am separated from as a result of my sin, never. 
"that your sins may be blotted out"
Our sin can only be blotted out by the blood of Christ. If we had not crucified him, there would be no blood to atone for us. Our greatest sorrow, our greatest comfort and salvation. 
"the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord"
Times of refreshing sounds so nice. But please take note this time where we can be refreshed will come from the presence of the Lord. Right now we have a degree of separation from God. Before Jesus, we had almost complete separation from God. Jesus came as God with us. The Holy Spirit is actively involved in our lives today. Yet we don't have complete and utter communion with God. Adam and Eve used to walk with God in the Garden. How refreshing and energizing it sounds to sit and converse with the God of the universe.
"in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed"
God did not create me to bare children not within His plan. God has a good plan for the children in my family and the children that my sisters in Christ have. He has promised that we will be blessed and be a blessing. 
"to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness"
All to often I am over whelmed by my sin. Yet my God is here to bless me. The Holy Spirit stirs within my soul to turn me from my sin. My Father has a plan to make me more and more like Jesus. Oh, that my heart would turn away from my wickedness. Bless me Father. 

A man unafraid to change the world...

Acts 3:12-26

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

 ¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, ²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

      I read this passage while in an Ethiopian church. The sermon was in Amharic and the pastor was preaching on Peter healing the lame man. I kept reading and this passage spoke to me. One of the first sermons we hear from Peter and he doesn't sugar coat it. Lt. Dan, our fearless leader in Ethiopia, said something very profound. "Christians today are afraid to change the world." How true it is that I am afraid to step on toes, to speak the truth boldly, to not say things in the most politically correct manner. 

"as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?"

All to often I struggle with using my own piety as a way to justify behavior or look good in front of my peers. Peter does something more miraculous than I have ever seen in my life and he is giving glory to God. He uses this as an opportunity to point people to the cross. How often do I fail to point people to the cross? 

"you denied the Holy and Righteous One"

Peter denied Jesus three times and his soul suffered for it. Here he uses the same language to show us our denial of Christ. How often do I deny Christ by merely not referring to Him in day to day life?

"you killed the Author of life"

There is a verse in Matthew 27:25 that says, "And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Here once again Peter is reminding us that Jesus blood is on our hands. Not only did we deny/ignore/not give glory, we also actively participated in his death. Our sin actively participates to nail him to a cross or pull out his beard or stick a crown of thorns in his scalp. 

"what God foretold...He thus fulfilled"

We do not have a God who doesn't know what is going on. He understands our sin, the cries of our hearts, our anguish and pain. God saw His son crucified and understood the consequences of it. God has a plan for hope and mankind's future. 

It is NOT good for us to be... alone

I recently read a wonderful article on Practical Theology for Women called It isn't good to be alone. I am newly single and I have many friends who are single as well. There is an intense longing the human heart has for companionship. We don't want to be alone.

Genesis 2:18

 ¹⁸ Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; ^(A)I will make him a helper fit for him.”


We don't want to be alone. God did not design us to be alone. So why does God allow us to be alone? I recently read The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller. It was written based off a series of sermons preached to a church that was 80% single. It is not a book just written for married couples who want to make their lives better or single teenage girl who are dreaming about their future husband. This is a book that discusses marriage from a bible stand point. Within the book it discusses how our modern culture approaches marriage, how we used to view marriage, and the consequences of each view. I encourage those who are single and hurting to read these two resources. Another thing that has been a great comfort to my soul is Psalm 139. Sarah Reeves reads this Psalm with the passion that my heart need to hear it with. 

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. ¹ You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.
 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.
 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.
 ¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
   Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
   your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
   and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
   I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.

In our first working day in Ethiopia we visited different people who the MTW project supports in their homes. As Americans we are often given the best seats in the house and are offered food out of their little. Hospitality is extremely important in their culture. This create opportunity for guest to share the gospel and truly be listened too. Ethiopian Orthodox probably will not listen to a fellow Ethiopian who is now a Protestant. I try and kindly reject the food as I will become sick if I eat, but I am still awe struck by the Ethiopian people's hospitality. The first house we visited the woman told us about how she and her son were both HIV+. Her husband had died about 6-7 years ago and since then her neighbors had tried to legally claim the house that she and her husband had owned.  Legally the house was decided by the courts to belong to her, but her neighbors would often make life difficult for her. One of the ways they did so is by rejecting her visitors that came to the door that the houses shared. This is especially hard on her as she runs her business out of her home. There are many holes in her roof and along the wall.  There were visible cockroaches and we did encounter a rat, but I managed to keep my cool. She was asking the program there that when money becomes available that they help renovate her house. One of the renovations she was asking for was to move the door to her house to a different spot so she didn't have have to share a front door. Another woman we visited was clinically depressed and did not like to drink so she was constantly suffering from dehydration. I had read about her problems from prayer requests shared by the team, but going and meeting her brought the reality of the situation close to my heart. Another woman we visited had a personality that I think filled all of Ethiopia. She was HIV+, in addition she had multiple health problems that caused her a lot of pain. She had an 18 year old son who was not doing anything to help support her. She did find joy in caring for a flower that grew in a pot outside of her house. She said that she would water it twice a day. She would even if she had forgotten to water get up out of her bed to water it. Flowers and nature seemed to be her one joy amidst many struggles. The story may not sound funny as I write it, but our translator was laughing so much that he found it difficult to translate. 

The next day we held a clinic and I worked in the pharmacy portion of the clinic. I love attempting to use the Amharic that I have learned, but I appreciate all the translators that help me effectively relay information to the patient about the medication they are receiving.  

I still like Ethiopian coffee and discovered I like kolo as well. Kolo is toasted barley, delicious. Kolo, popcorn, and coffee make the perfect mid-afternoon snack!

37 uFret not yourself because of evildoers;

be not venvious of wrongdoers!

2 For they will soon wfade like xthe grass

and wither ylike the green herb.

3 zTrust in the Lord, and do good;

adwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.2

4 bDelight yourself in the Lord,

and he will cgive you the desires of your heart.

5 dCommit your way to the Lord;

ztrust in him, and he will act.

6 eHe will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as fthe noonday.

7 gBe still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

hfret not yourself over the one who iprospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 jRefrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

hFret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 kFor the evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the Lord shall linherit the land.

10 In mjust a little while, the wicked will be no more;

though you look carefully at nhis place, he will not be there.

11 But othe meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in pabundant peace.

12 The wicked qplots against the righteous

and rgnashes his teeth at him,

13 but the Lord slaughs at the wicked,

for he sees that his tday is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and ubend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose vway is upright;

15 their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their wbows shall be broken.

16 xBetter is the little that the righteous has

than the abundance of many wicked.

17 For ythe arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but the Lord zupholds the righteous.

18 The Lord aknows the days of the blameless,

and their bheritage will remain forever;

19 they are not put to shame in evil times;

in cthe days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked will perish;

the enemies of the Lord are like dthe glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like esmoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,

but the righteous fis generous and gives;

22 for those blessed by the Lord3 shall ginherit the land,

but those cursed by him hshall be cut off.

23 The isteps of a man are jestablished by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;

24 kthough he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord lupholds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children mbegging for bread.

26 He is ever nlending generously,

and his children become a blessing.

27 oTurn away from evil and do good;

so shall you pdwell forever.

28 For the Lord qloves justice;

he will not forsake his rsaints.

They are preserved forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be scut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land

and pdwell upon it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

31 tThe law of his God is in his heart;

his usteps do not slip.

32 The wicked vwatches for the righteous

and seeks to put him to death.

33 The Lord will not wabandon him to his power

or let him xbe condemned when he is brought to trial.

34 yWait for the Lord and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on zwhen the wicked are cut off.

35 aI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,

spreading himself like ba green laurel tree.4

36 But he passed away,5 and behold, che was no more;

though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is a future for the man of dpeace.

38 But etransgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the future of the wicked fshall be cut off.

39 gThe salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in hthe time of trouble.

40 The Lord helps them and idelivers them;

jhe delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they ktake refuge in him.

Dan Zink brought this psalm to my attention. He said, "Look at the verbs in this psalm." The verbs pertain to our attitudes. Be still: I think I learned and will continue to learn to be still in the midst of chaos in Ethiopia.  Fret not: Anxiety is an addictive set of mind that will tear you up inside. Delight yourself in God: How often do we take the time to delight ourselves in our Heavenly Father. I think the answer will always be not enough. I hope to become like Mary who delighted herself at her Saviors feet. Wait patiently: I am a woman with a plan and it is often get on board the train or get off. This attitude is not very Christ like as it makes no allowance for Christ to step in with his plan that is to prosper me. Refrain from anger: Anger is a check engine light to show us injustice, but I tend to warp the justice it calls for. Forsake wrath: A hard one as I am a lady. Commit your ways to the Lord: I do for a moment, but then the moment passes and I am right back to my agenda. Mark the blameless: As a Presbyterian I think that protestants don't realize the good from looking at the lives of the Saint before us and here with us. We should be using each other like sandpaper. Each of us helping the other to become more and more like our Lord and Savior. Behold the upright: I like to contemplate the life of Christ and wonder at how it looked to His family, disciples, and followers. How would it look today and in my life?

Dan Zink said near the end of our trip, "We came to serve, to learn, and encourage." I did serve, but I feel like I was taught and encouraged in ways that I cannot express fully. We have a great God who surpasses cultures, languages, and diseases in ways that are unimaginable to my mind.