A Heart for God

I am reading A Heart for God by Sinclair Ferguson and came across the following quote on the necessity of Scripture reading. It encouraged me to pursue God more diligently and intentionally. I am passing it on to you with the prayer that it will do the same for you.

"Listening submissively to the voice of God is what brings us the knowledge of God and equips us to teach others and give them spiritual instruction. Where, then, is that living voice to be heard? In Scripture, and through patient study and growing understanding of the mind of God as he reveals it there. It is in Scripture that we learn how God views himself, ourselves, and the world, and what he wants us to know in order to serve him. Scripture is like a working museum of which the Spirit is the Curator, showing us around and explaining the wonders of the mind of the Maker. In this museum we are taken behind the scenes to learn from God himself. In growing to know God, therefore, there is no substitute for the discipline of Bible study and Scripture reading and meditation. We cannot bypass the handbook God has given to us and then expect that we can know him in our own way. The only god we can know in our own way is a god that we make in our own image" (p. 8).

I was struck by that last sentence. Without Scripture, we inevitably serve a god that we make in our own image. We fashion him rather than being fashioned by Him. I was also struck by the necessity of the Spirit's work in order for us to know God, to "see" Him in Scripture.

Beware of the Power of People!

There is no doubt that God uses people in our lives as His instruments carrying out His plans. We must beware though because people have significant power. We may not always think about the people in our lives in this light, but nonetheless, it is true. People have the power to both point us to Christ or to pull us away from Him, to strengthen our faith or stifle it. The stakes are high! Christ is calling us to follow Him, to abide in Him. People can help us stay on or get back on the Calvary road, or they can distract us from our goal and divert us away from Christ. All of us, to some degree or another, are influenced by people. This is significant power!

Often times, we do not even recognize just how influential the opinion of others is in our life. I was struck with these thoughts as I pondered the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as recorded in Luke 23. In a very real sense, Jesus Christ was crucified because of the power of people. He was crucified because of the power and influence that the people held over the political leaders of His time.

Neither Herod nor Pilate could find any fault in Jesus, yet he was tortured and later turned over to be crucified. Why? Why would these political leaders publicly admit that they could find no fault in a man but agree to have Him crucified? Luke gives us the answer by painting a picture of the power of people. At least three times Pilate publicly confessed that he could not find any fault in Jesus.

In verse 4 (first time) he said “’I find no fault in this man’, but the people were urgent.” Personally, Pilate evaluated Jesus and could find no fault in Him, but “the people were urgent.” In verse 14 (second time), Pilate speaks with other leaders and confesses “I did not find this man guilty of your charges against him.” Once again, Pilate clearly doesn’t feel Jesus should be crucified, but Luke tells us that “the people cried out together.” The people disagreed with Pilate, and they were working hard to persuade him. Pilate then moves to release Jesus (v.20), but the people would not have it. Luke says “they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him.’” Pilate makes one more attempt to release Jesus, pointing out once again that he does not feel Jesus should be crucified. Luke picks up the drama in the response when he writes “the people were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.” The people prevailed. The power of the people had overcome the conscience of Pilate, and the King of Glory was crucified! Let us beware of the power of people lest we also be distracted and diverted away from Christ by others.

The Christian's Pleasing Posture

The Bible is not a catalog of practices divided into permissible and impermissible. It does not even mainly seek to address our behavior. It speaks first to our hearts out of which behavior grows. I believe this chronology, this order, is so important. When we reverse the order and seek to address behavior (what I do or do not do) before first addressing the posture of our hearts, we produce fruit that smells of self and quickly spoils because it has not sprung from the living Vine, which is Jesus Christ. Fruit that is produced this way gives off, whether recognized by ourselves, others or not, the odor, which is putrid in God’s nostrils, of self rather than the sweet aroma of Jesus Christ.

This is why, I believe, when Jesus is asked what the two greatest commandments are, He responds by pointing to love, to the affections, which flow from the heart. This is also seen clearly in Psalm 147:10-11.

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Notice that the psalmist feels it is necessary to first clarify what it is that does not please God lest we are deceived and believe that He is pleased with the same things that so easily captivate us and give rise to admiration in us. When the psalmist wrote this, the horse was very significant in battle. It was something people took comfort in as they went to battle. The same is true of the “legs of a man.” Both were things that men relied upon and took pleasure in. It is interesting to see here that the psalmist chooses to point out something outside of ourselves (strength of the horse) and something within ourselves (legs of a man) thereby addressing our temptation to think that we need something outside of ourselves to please God and that we need a certain capacity within our selves to please Him. No it is neither possessions nor internal capacity that please God, but rather, He is pleased by a certain posture of heart.

God is pleased with a heart that fears Him, that stands in awe of who He is and lets this reality permeate his being and affect his behavior, and He is pleased with a heart that hopes in His steadfast love. Fear and hope – in God’s infinite one acts, in a way, as a fence to the other. Fear keeps hope back from carelessness and laziness while hope keeps fear back from depression and despondency.

Father, give us this pleasing posture I pray. Grant that your servants would, like Yourself, find pleasure in a heart that fears you and hopes in your steadfast love. Keep us from pursuing holiness of behavior without first holiness of heart.

Prayer as Preparation

Before we read God's Word, as we read it, and after we read it, we must ask God the Holy Spirit to come and make effective our reading. Without the Spirit's work, our reading is in vain. Below are some prayers, based on Scripture, that I have found helpful as I read God's Word.

I pray now Father that, as I read Your Word, the Spirit would come and ignite it. Spirit come!

1. Your Word is perfect, reviving the soul. Spirit revive my soul through Your Word.

2. Your Word is sure, making wise the simple. Spirit make this simple man wise through Your Word.

3. Your Word is right, rejoicing the heart. Spirit use the Word to rejoice my heart. Please Father, be pleased to rejoice my heart, not with contemplations of earthly things, but with long gazes on Your perfections, grace, kindness and love shown to me in Your Word.

4. Your Word is pure, enlightening the eyes. Oh Father, enlighten these eyes. Give light! Pull back the darkness. Enter with the beam of Your glory. Spirit come, glorify the Son now I pray.

5. Spirit show me again that the Word is true and righteous altogether.

6. Spirit make the Word more desirable than gold, even fine gold, more desirable than anything else.

7. Spirit warn me with Your Word. Hold me back from sin with Your voice speaking through Your Word.

A Prayer for the New Year

"Abide with Me, Fast Falls the Eventide"
Words by Henry Lyte

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
the darkness deepens: Lord with me abide!
when other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, O abide with me

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away
change and decay in all around I see
O thou who changest not, abide with me

I need thy presence every passing hour
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
Ills have not weight, and tears no bitterness
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord abide with me.