O Come Thou Dayspring

“O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.”

(O Come, O Come Emmanuel)

The summer after my first year of college, I worked as an office assistant for the university’s Conference Services.  It was an easy job—just sitting at a desk in the residence halls and being available to handle questions and concerns from guests staying at the university.  It was easy, but the desks had to be staffed 24/7, which meant that once or twice a week I would pull a graveyard shift from midnight to 6 a.m.  Even if no guests were awake at that hour, I still had to be there in case of an emergency.

I remember those nights, coming in with a large cup of coffee, killing time with reading, journaling, or Facebook, even pacing the floors, hoping an emergency might actually happen to break the tedium. It often felt like an exercise in futility.

As the hours passed, I would keep peeking outside, looking for the first crack of dawn.  Dawn, or what our early English ancestors may have called dayspring, when the world would awaken anew. For me, the weary worker, the dawn signaled the end of fruitless labor and beginning of rest.

My friends, we see a world waiting in the darkness.  Not a day goes by that we don’t hear of some new violence, some broken home, some innocence lost.  We ask why these things happen, and why our own labors against them seem so futile.  The answers elude us, all is dark as night around us.

 “...To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us.” (Luke 1:77-78, NKJV)

Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke 1 spoke of the coming of dawn for all mankind.  Humanity had lived a futile existence up to that point, living in sin and rebellion against God.  Some tried to make atonement through animal sacrifices, yet endless sacrifices could not repair the broken relationship between men and their Creator.  All was vain, endless toil until this point, when suddenly, the Light dawned.

The coming of the Christ-child heralded a new beginning, the beginning of hope for all men—the hope for a restored relationship with God.  Because Christ was able to repair this relationship through His death and resurrection, He brought us into the light of God’s presence.  We need not toil in vain any longer.  We need not sit in the darkness of confused minds and hearts bent towards evil, for the Dayspring has come! We can have new light in our lives through knowledge of God through His Word, fellowship with His presence through prayer, the wise guidance of His Spirit in us, and meaningful labor on earth that brings Him honor and praise. 

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11-12, NKJV)

Awake, my friends, and live in the light.

He Could Have Wowed Us

            He could have come down in a fantastic display of the divine meeting the mundane, with lightning and trumpets and a host of angels. Or, if he insisted on passing off as one of us, he could still have come as the “best in show,” the most exemplary human model, with beautiful face and dazzling charisma. He could have started in a palatial hall, in position to see and be seen, in a place of power where his status would command the respect of all.

            He could have wowed us, you know?

            He had the right. He would have deserved whatever he chose to take. And he could have won our attention through sheer majesty, beauty, spectacularity.

            Why not? He's the Son of God, for crying out loud. He's inherently and authentically...awesome.

            “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering.” (Isaiah 53:2-3) 
             Instead of relying on outward appearances, Jesus chose to come in quietly, into a humble position. He chose to become ordinary—the Son of God, the One and Only, became like the commonest of man. Nothing in his human nature drew men to himself. It was only the power of his Word and the authenticity of his presence that commanded obedience, yet this came only from those able to discern the divine character within the human form.

            Jesus' purpose was not to make his encounter with mankind easy for himself, but to be a model and example of the kind of follower God desires.  His life and death on Earth make it possible for us to become a new kind of person, characterized not by outward appearances but by the inner qualities of humility, purity, and wholehearted devotion to God.

"Not My Will"

As he was led joyfully into Jerusalem—

                                 "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he spoke powerfully in the temple—

                                 "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he cried out to God in the garden—

                                 "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he was arrested and led to trial—

                                 "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he was mocked, beaten, and spat upon—

                                 "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he was unjustly convicted—

                                 "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he stumbled while carrying his own cross—

         "Not my will, but Yours be done."

As he drew one last painful breath—

         "Not my will, but Yours be done."

Hebrews 10:10--"And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. "

Daring to Pray

          I'm currently participating in a women's Bible study on God’s ability to meet our needs and answer our prayers.  As we've studied this, I've realized that I generally don’t doubt His theoretical ability, but I’m often skeptical that my wishes are part of His big cosmic plan.  I worry that they’re too petty and too selfish and too demanding, and that He’s going to brush them aside because He’s got the big picture to think about and my requests just don’t fit with that. I'm afraid that this often keeps me from praying at all, because I feel like it's pointless to bother since I don't understand God's plan and so can't know if my prayers will be something He wants to act on.  As I was fretting about this today, God instructed my mind with several truths.

First of all, do I really think He’s that careless about me?  Do I think He wants to ignore my heart’s cry? No, He is loving and good. He is aware of me (Psalm 139). He created me, and He cares for me. “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).  

Second, is the big picture so irrelevant to me? I am part of God’s plan, and He ‘works for the good of those who love Him’ (Rom. 8:28). Therefore, I can be confident that even if He says no to me in favor of His bigger plan, He is taking care of me regardless and will bring me good in the end.  Yes, it may call for trials and difficulties, but He will still care for me and bring me through them.

Finally, while the things I want may not be part of His plan, faith is definitely part of the plan. He still wants me to come to Him and trust Him with the details of my life. It is better to come, present my requests and concerns to Him (Phil 4:6), and wait for His answer, rather than hide my desires from Him (impossible anyway) assuming they don’t meet His standards.  He knows me, He knows I’m imperfect, He knows I will make imperfect requests.  I have nothing I can hide from Him, but my reticence and withholding of communication is not what pleases Him.

How can I be confident that I’m praying according to His will? By praying according to the Word.  I used to think this just meant quoting Scripture within a prayer, which seemed like it could easily become glib and meaningless--a way to sound 'holy' and impressive to other people without really thinking through the prayer. I realized today that this could instead mean taking a general promise in Scripture, imagining how it could be applied to a specific situation, and praying for God to make Scripture happen in that circumstance. For example, 2 Timothy 1:7 says that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline.”  I’ve heard that verse so many times and know that theoretically it’s relevant to me, but have never acknowledged it as a promise that I can claim in my life.  So this morning I prayed that God would take away my spirit of timidity (He knows I have one!) and today replace it with His Spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. I am confident that this prayer, as far as my understanding goes, is in line with what God wants for me.  He did not give me this spirit of fear, and it does not please Him, nor does it glorify Him before others. I’ve come to Him and told Him I don’t know how to get rid of this spirit of fear myself, and I need His help.  As I pray I am aware that He has already promised this Spirit of power, and now I need to believe that this power is in me and available to me—and then act accordingly!  I am looking forward to seeing how He makes this spirit evident in me today.

Just Who Are We Talking About? (pt. 2)

“…the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)

Would we create a computer or robot, and then tell it “Go on, go your own way, I don’t really care what you do now?”  Not at all! If we make a robot, we’ve got plans for that robot! It’s not getting away with running off for its own purposes!

               Why should we get away with abandoning the plans of our Creator?

               Don't be mistaken--God doesn't need us.  He is sufficient in Himself—He is beyond needing anything we could give.  “The God who made the world and everything in it…is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything.” (Acts 17:24-25).  And He’s not lonely—there is fellowship between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and He is also continually worshipped by the heavenly host.

        Yet He still made us for a purpose.  He made us for His pleasure and glory, to love and be loved, and to demonstrate His nature to all of creation, all angels and demons and supernatural beings.  And He designed us to reflect His nature: “Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness,” He said (Gen. 1:26).  We are His children, meant to be like Him in goodness and holiness.  Like children, we’ve messed up quite a bit, yet as discussed, He’s made a way for us to be restored and reconciled with Him.

        We’ve got to remember that once we are reconciled with Him, our purpose changes.  We no longer live for ourselves.  It’s not about me anymore.  I’ve accepted the greatest gift anyone could give me, and I show gratitude towards the Giver by giving Him my life, which belongs to Him anyway because He gave it to me.  Because He is my Creator and my Savior, He has the right to determine my life’s course.  This is truth for anyone who chooses God.

        It’s time for the American church to wake up and remember our purpose.  We’re not meant to just fight for our own freedoms so that we can keep saying what we want, critiquing our neighbor while we stay ensconced in our comfy, multimillion dollar buildings, and feeling satisfied and superior while the rest of the world perishes in ignorance.

        No! Let us fight, live, and die for the glory of God, who has shown us abundant mercy.  Let us remember when we too were ignorant of God’s righteousness, living in sin and futility.  Let us risk our comfort, our jobs, our safety to demonstrate the love of God in holiness, living as outsiders in this land “bearing the disgrace he bore” (Heb. 13:13).  Let us humbly seek the face of God Himself and be transformed into His likeness, not compromising for the sake of our comfort.

        “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you…I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters”  (2 Cor. 6:17-18).

      Oh America, the land of the free! Will we risk our personal freedom for Him who grants true freedom? Will we surrender our wealth, our fame, for the fame of the holy God and the riches of His grace?

        Let us glorify Him.

            

Just Who Are We Talking About? (pt. 1)

     The media, Facebook, and Twitter have been abuzz this week with heated controversy over the Chick-fil-A CEO’s position on marriage and over the government’s mandate that insurance plans cover contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs.  Comments on both sides center around our rights and freedoms—the right to choose our own lifestyle, the right to control our own bodies, the right to free speech, the right to conscience.

Those in favor of gay marriage say religion shouldn’t be forced upon them, and those that support Chick-fil-A’s position retort that they have the right to freely express their beliefs.  Those opposing the government mandate on insurance say they should have the right to choose where their money goes rather than go against conscience, while their opposition says they shouldn’t complain because they still don't have to take those drugs.

What about God?

Yeah, what about Him? This is my life we’re talking about.  My rights, my freedom, my choice, my happiness.

What makes these so preeminent? 

 Well, I would think if God exists, and if He’s as loving as you claim, He would want to see me happy.  But I don’t think He’s doing His job right.  The way things are today, it seems more like He wants to make things hard on us—we can’t say what we want or live the way we want to. The government keeps trying to control things and take away our freedom of conscience, speech, and lifestyle, which gets awfully uncomfortable. God’s looking out for His agenda more than my happiness.  What’s behind that?

What’s behind that?  Everything!

If we’re claiming that it’s all about our freedom and happiness, we need to step back and take a look at the big picture—especially those of us who call on God to protect those rights for us.  Who is this God whose name we keep invoking?  What is His nature?  

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty…” 

“Holy, holy, holy” the angels cry before His throne.  “Be holy, because I am holy,” He says in His Word.  What does this mean, and what does it have to do with American freedoms?

Holiness means that God is sacred, set apart from everything else, unlike anything we know.  He is completely pure, and so anything, anything, impure is repellent to Him.  His holiness forbids Him to tolerate sin—any sin, whether it’s sexual immorality, theft, greed, self-righteousness, or jealousy.  As much as we would like Him to write off our bad behavior so that we can do as we please, He can’t.  It’s not in His nature.

God shows His mercy, not by ignoring our sin, which His holiness could not allow, but by providing a pure and holy sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God. It is only His blood that cleanses us from sin and makes us blameless enough to stand in the presence of God. We can’t accept this mercy yet choose to keep sinning.  That would be spitting in the face of God and “crucifying the Son of God all over again” (Heb. 9:4-6).  We have to first choose to accept mercy and then choose His way of holiness ourselves.

If America wants the blessing of God, she cannot tolerate sexual immorality, corruption, greed, lawlessness, or anything else contrary to God’s laws.  Nor should she become full of self-importance, pride, and superiority.  To be righteous before God, the American people—and any people in the world—must come humbly before Him in repentance, then embrace His holiness and righteousness by reflecting them in their laws, judgments, and practices.  

What’s the purpose in that?  Why did God even make us if He’s not going to let us do what we want?

Come back in a few days for part 2.

What Jesus Is Not

Jesus is not the resolution for one conflict between rivals; he is the Resolution of mankind’s conflict with God.

He is not the liberator of one prison camp; he is the Liberator of all men from the bondage of sin.

He is not the way into a new and trendy lifestyle; he is the Way into LIFE, with all that is wrapped up in the term, unstained by death’s reek.

He is not the conqueror of an insignificant enemy; he is the Conqueror of death and Satan.

He is not the healer of a bothersome illness; he is the Healer of sin, the most pervasive disease known to man.

He is not the solution for one company’s problem; he is the Solution for the ultimate problem that no man could fix.

Jesus is not just a man, not just a conqueror, not just a liberator, not just a healer, not just a way, not just a solution.  He is the ALPHA AND OMEGA, the BEGINNING AND THE END.

He is.

praise Him

Settling Old and New Accounts

A few months ago I switched my cell phone over from a contract family plan to a prepaid individual plan. I still wanted to keep my original phone number, since that’s the number people already associated with me—it was, in essence, my phone identity.  But I still had to get a new number with the new plan, pay for the first month, and then request my old phone number back from T-Mobile. When T-Mobile switched my account back to the old number, the new number that I’d received after departing from my initial account was erased, along with the balance for the entire account.  In this case this was not a good thing—I had already made a payment, which was now gone! But what if this happened for an account on which I’d owed money?  What if it was an account I’d had for several months and hadn’t been paying my bills? If suddenly that account was erased, my debt to the company would be cancelled. I would have my original account, the ‘identity’ I was given in my initial contract with the company, but without anything owed.


All of humanity has departed from our original identity, the identity God gave us in the beginning. He intended us to be His children living in obedience to Him.  We have forsaken the initial contract (covenant) with Him and have chosen a different way, the faulty way of self-rule. He has continued to show us mercy, but we have not repaid Him with equal love.  Instead, all mankind keeps sinning against Him, accumulating a debt we can never repay, which must eventually be met with justice.


God, however, allows us to put in a request for a fresh start. But the new identity He gives us isn't really new--it's actually the identity He intended for us to have in the first place! Once again we have the chance to be His children, obedient to Him--and eternally loved by Him! Our account of deviance is erased completely, with the balance of sin deleted, and we revert, through the cleansing blood of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, back to the original plan, becoming the cherished sons and daughters of God that He has always wanted us to be.

Talkative Gifts, pt. 2

Last week I posted about how our gifts to God say a lot about our attitude towards Him.  I realized I could have worried some people with that post.  Someone may have thought, “I’m not rich. I don’t have enough to make great donations to the church or sponsor a child in Africa or fund an outreach.  How do I give God what He deserves?”

Take heart! It's not the gift itself that God looks at, but your heart in giving it. 

The Jews of Jesus’ time misunderstood God's idea of giving.  They thought if they gave a certain amount of their wealth to the temple and tithed a tenth of their garden produce, then God would look favorably on them.  Even Jesus’ disciples may have thought this.  But in a visit to the temple, Jesus showed them what part of the gift really matters to God.

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. (Mark 12:41-42)

Let’s stop right there.  Two coins?  Just two small copper coins?  If we were watching this scene, we might think, “She’s just like Cain, giving only enough to say she gave, but hardly enough to make a difference to anyone. She’s just trying to act good without really loving God.”

Men look at the outer appearance, but God looks at the heart.  Jesus recognized what was really behind that widow's gift.

“Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”  (Mark 12:43-44)

Jesus knew that widow.  He knew how little she owned, and how much she still desired to give to God.  God valued that widow’s offering more than the rest because even though she barely had anything, what she did give spoke of her love and trust in Him.

If you feel you have nothing to give God, but still yearn to show your love for Him, don’t be discouraged! Offer what you do have before Him. Tell Him it’s all His, and trust in His blessing.  He doesn’t compare gifts, only hearts.  Our God delights most in the gift that speaks of sacrificial love—love that will risk everything to honor Him.

Talkative Gifts, pt. 1

Gifts speak loudly.  They say a lot about the heart of the giver and the state of a relationship.  Often, we appreciate gifts from our friends and family regardless of what they are, because they represent the giver’s care for us.  But what if it was your birthday and a close friend came to you and said “Well I know it’s your birthday, which means I’m supposed to give you some kind of gift, so here’s something I happened to buy at the dollar store yesterday. I thought I could use it, but you can have it ‘cause it’s your birthday.”  They might not use so many words, but the gift itself would speak loud and clear about their offhanded attitude. You might even feel guilty for accepting it, because the gift was offered out of a sense of obligation, rather than love.  A true gift of love calls for intentionality and sacrifice on the part of the giver.  It speaks of time taken to consider the interests of the recipient and of the depth of feeling embedded in the relationship.

Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, gave such a gift to God.  He offered the LORD ‘fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock’ (Genesis 4:4).  The flock would have been Abel’s sustenance, and he gave up the best, most valued parts of it, reflecting his desire to honor God.  His older brother Cain also brought a gift—“some of the fruits of the soil” (Genesis 4:3).  He also gave from his livelihood, but the description says nothing to indicate any care or quality involved in the gift.      

God “looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor” (Genesis 4:4).  Cain was angry and confused—hadn’t he also given a gift? Hadn’t he done his duty towards God?  But God caught what the gifts were saying about both Cain and Abel’s attitude towards Him.  He saw that although Cain offered a gift, his heart was not right towards God.  I think what Cain failed to understand is that God desires more from us than ritual offerings and dutiful worship.  It’s not the gift itself that matters to Him.  He longs for sincere, intimate, devoted relationship.  The gifts that win His favor are the ones that tell Him about our sincere, grateful, and passionate love for Him and all He’s given us. 

What are our gifts to God really saying?

Chosen People

The Israelites were divinely privileged—they were rescued by God, shown His mighty works, and allotted an inheritance of land, well-nourished and fruitful. Their logical response would have been to worship God with all they had and to proclaim His greatness to other nations; this was their purpose. Even in Abraham's time, God made it clear that He would bless Abraham's descendents so that they could be a blessing to other nations (Gen. 12:1-3). 

In light of this, it is shocking how much and how often the people of Israel ignored God’s incredible goodness and were willing to deviate en masse, following other gods or other kings. Time after time they gave themselves over to false gods, and time after time God punished them through conquerors, yet He never failed to call them back to Him. 


When I read the many Old Testament accounts of Israel's unfaithfulness, I'm inclined to ask—why did God pick such a foolish race to be His people?  Even Jesus said that if the miracles he performed in Israelite towns had been performed in certain pagan cities, such as Sodom, they would have repented long ago (Matt. 11:20-24).  Why did God not choose for himself a race of people wise enough to respond to Him with gratitude and devotion?

But if I question why He chose Israel, I must also ask why He has chosen me.  I forget His blessings.  I take advantage of His goodness. Often I am reluctant to praise Him in places where truth is unpopular.  My natural response should be not just to acknowledge Him, but to spend my life glorifying Him and seeking what pleases Him, yet much of the time I still seek my own pleasures.  Why has God chosen such an inconsistent weakling to receive His salvation? Yet He has indeed not only blessed me abundantly, but also called me to be a blessing in HIs work overseas.  I have to remember that the nature of God throughout time is to be merciful to those who don’t deserve it and to show His power through man's weakness (Luke 6:35, Romans 5:6-8, Titus 3:3-7, 1 Corinthians 12:9).  I praise Him for the infinite grace He’s shown to Israel, and to me. 

A hopeful attempt at resurrection

At last! I am no longer an overworked student and have time to write again. I hope to update this blog once or twice a week with thoughts based on my own journey with God. These are only meant to be reflections (and, I hope, encouragements) open for discussion, not at all a claim to lofty wisdom.  I am still learning.


I will post again shortly but for now will leave you with the following reflection from several weeks ago:


"O God, you are the good in me. However small I feel at times, I would be so much less--no, nothing--without You. You make me who I am. If I am good, holy, pure, compassionate, blameless, it is only because of You. Only, because of You."

What would we be without Him?