An Intimate Friend

Karleigh King March 3, 2021

Notes from Rich.

An Intimate Friend

At a bagpipe competition one would expect the judges to be fans of bagpipe music. So why do the judges have their hands over their ears? Inflated bagpipes naturally make a steady droning noise. The actual music is played over and above that. In covering their ears, the judges shut out some of the low-pitched noise while still hearing the higher pitched melody.

Low level noise surrounds us wherever we go, whether it is the rumble of traffic or the incessant, inane chatter coming from the television, radio, or device. A lot of it comes out of our mouths and from our fingertips.

Imagine if every word you spoke, typed, or shared in a day were laid out for a judge to examine by the standard of usefulness or kindness. How many of them would be deemed less than constructive or simply unnecessary noise? We could put those words to much better use – we could be helpful, kind, encouraging, even inspirational.1

Good advice comes from Proverbs 7:4 where the father instructs his son to call insight your intimate friend instead of pursuing urges of passion. The word insight can be translated understanding, where the background idea is to discern. It refers to knowledge, which is superior to the mere gathering of data. We receive information and we spread information. Insight means we know how to use the knowledge we possess.

There is little argument that we are inundated with a glut of information – so much of which is low level noise. Inflated bagpipes naturally make a steady droning noise. Could there be a better description of the information world today? Therefore, we are called to discernment, to know what is true or false, good or bad, useful or useless. How much of what I take in and give out provides wisdom, insight and understanding? Probably not much if we simply lean on our own understanding – something we are exhorted not to do because on our own we are limited, biased and broken. But the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Prov. 9:10); the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding (Prov. 2:6).

The self-disclosure of God provides a necessary reference point for our relationship with information – how we take it and how we give it. What if, when I give out information, I were to share it as if I were speaking to an intimate friend? If we only said of others what we’d say to them face to face, a lot of conversation would never take place. As usual, Proverbs does a good job of hitting the nail on the head.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Proverbs 29:11

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1Adapted from Dave McLaughlin, Men of Integrity (March/April 2010)

Keep Your Heart

Karleigh King February 24, 2021

It turned out to be a full weekend, not just full of activity, but spiritually filling as well. The mutual blessing of Christian fellowship is quite refreshing, and I start this week filled with new vigor and fresh perspective. Part of the weekend my wife and I hosted two servants of God. I was reminded once again what blessing can be experienced in hospitality. Then our care group met for lunch after worship and that put the frosting on the cake. Ok, I need to explain.

There is so much going on in the world that can get us down. The confusing socio-political milieu, the moral revolution, and the pandemic with its impact on so many people physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally, can overwhelm our thoughts. I often find myself having to drag my thoughts out of the rut of preoccupation with such matters. As persons made in God’s image, we can think about what we are thinking. One thing we must think about is what is feeding and informing our thoughts. The apostle Paul gives us good criteria for what ought to be informing our attitudes – that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, excellent, praise-worthy, and of good report (Phil. 4:8). That is not just positive speak. In reality, things can be pretty ugly, broken, and evil, and we cannot afford to deny or ignore it. But do I fix my focus on the evil or can I think about something better that can counter or even remedy that evil? Enter the blessing of this past weekend.

The two servants of God we hosted sat at our dinner table for hours sharing the work that God is doing among the lives of many who are directly impacted by the brokenness of this fallen creation. We do not just sit back and watch God do stuff; God works often through human agency – that is ministry. I distinctly remember the realization that hearing this report refreshed my perspective by replacing the preoccupation with the ugly confusion of our times while turning my attention to the things that God’s people are doing to build bridges with bold compassion, so that they then plant seeds of God’s love and grace in the lives of the hurting, broken and oppressed. Then to see the fruit of that ministry, where people discover the love and grace of God so that their lives are transformed – that is a drink of cold water in a dry land! On top of that, our care group met after worship to discuss over lunch our approach to doing some of the same things – building bridges with bold compassion to plant seeds of God’s truth, love, and grace. The energy and ideas flowed freely, and the bond of ministry grew stronger.

What refreshed me this weekend were not things that I had intentionally set out to do with my thoughts. But I was keenly reminded that what I can and ought to do is to be selective about where I place my focus and be choosy about what forms my attitudes. We who know God can start each day by asking, “What is God doing?”, followed by, “What can I do in that?” This, I believe, is central to the biblical exhortation - Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Prov. 4:23)

The Problem with Normal

Karleigh King February 16, 2021

Wisdom is no secret. She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words (Prov. 1:20-21). If wisdom is being skilled at life, then one might ask why it (she) is so elusive? The problem is not a lack of knowledge or the information we need to be wise and live well. The problem lies in the power of desire. You do what you want to do.

When it comes to virtuous, noble living, “I can’t” is more accurately put, “I don’t want to.” How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge? (v.22) The history of humanity – with particular focus on the last twelve months – provides vast empirical verification of this reality in the human condition. I like how Todd Brewer puts it: “Neither this global pandemic, the gross injustices, the racial tensions, the mad riots, the macabre political theatre, not even Tiger King should have shocked anyone, especially those schooled in the Torah and the prophets. All human history, from Cain and Abel onward, has amply demonstrated that destruction and stupidity, navel-gazing and bloodshed, the ubiquity of fools, and the thin veneer between civilization and anarchy is the norm, not the exception.”1

The chief problem of humanity is not environmental, medical, political, educational, or philosophical. At the root of human folly and brokenness is a disordered love cemented by stubborn, willful pride – they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD (v29).

When we are bent on doing our own thing, we tend to not factor in the law of sowing and reaping - they shall eat the fruit of their own way (v.31). Complacency in human folly is devastating. “It’s my life” is the most destructive statement a person could say or think. (v.32).

Thankfully, there is an alternative – a life well-lived. It is not arbitrary, nor is it simply bound up in my heart, waiting for me to discover and follow. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (v7). That is a choice you must make to live out the alternative to what is normal in this existence under the sun. Don’t be normal. Because whoever listens to me will dwell safely and be secure, without fear of evil (v33). In the Lord alone is true and lasting peace. That is why Jesus comforted His followers by saying, Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27).
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1“The Church in 2020,” Mockingbird (10-16-20)

Be Happy

Karleigh King February 11, 2021

How to be happy is the focus of so much effort and exploration. We become too easily preoccupied and fixated with the pursuit of what we imagine happiness to be. But the human sense of having achieved a state of happiness is in stark contrast to the Psalmist’s assertion that happiness is for the one “whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”1 “Why yes,” one might say; “God helped me get to where I am, and I am happy!” But this help of which the Psalmist speaks is not assistance as a co-pilot provides, it is the sense of a military rescue. So, what qualifies the God of Jacob to be my source of happiness? He made everything (including me), and He is unfailingly good. He is the necessary being for my sustenance and my satisfaction.

There is a reason why the apostle Paul resigned himself to “boast in the things that show my weakness.”2 The delusion of self-sufficiency has a strong pull on the human heart, and people in the church are not immune to it. Christ issued a strong warning to a first century congregation - “You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”3 Those who think they have found their happiness in created things are oppressed, hungry, bound, and blind.

We were made by Him and for Him. That means He can do what the creature and things made cannot – satisfy our longings, set us free, make wrongs right, and open our understanding to see what is. The one who walks with God knows His affectionate care freeing him from the crushing burden of performance-based acceptance. The sojourner who feels she does not fit in under the sun feels God’s watchful embrace. When I feel vulnerable and at the end of my resources, then I can know the sustaining grace of my Creator/Redeemer.

So the happy person is one who feels secure and satisfied in the One who came near; the One who draws you near – even in the broken chaos of your surroundings. And as I rest in the embrace of the One who is unfailingly good, I become a conduit of His goodness.
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1Psalm 146:5
22 Corinthians 11:30
3Revelation 3:17

Hesed

Karleigh King February 5, 2021

Do you remember popular contemporary “choruses” from the 80s and 90s? They were disapprovingly labeled “Seven-eleven songs” because they allegedly had only seven words repeated eleven times – and that seemed to be the entirety of the song. We are blessed by contemporary hymn writers like Getty Music, Sovereign Grace Music, and CityAlight that produce beautiful, singable music with biblically rich lyrics. I remember participating in the criticism of the musical “cotton candy” of bygone decades, but I must admit that my harsh rhetoric was tempered…by Scripture. Psalm 136 repeats three words (in Hebrew) a total of twenty-six times! Now what!?

What did we learn in kindergarten about the value of repetition? It is the key to learning. If you memorize Scripture – and I trust you do – then you also take a few words and recite them repeatedly to remember them. What is it that God’s Spirit wants His people to remember about our loving Creator/Redeemer that He would inspire three words to be repeated twenty-six times in one song? “…for His steadfast love endures forever.” If you think I failed mathematics, then remember that often it takes multiple words to translate the meaning of one word in another language. Hesed is one of those words.

When Moses asked God, “Please show me your glory,” God’s response was to pass before Moses and disclose Himself in veiled fashion by proclaiming His name. In that brief and awesome response, He used the word hesed twice (Exodus 34:6-7). God was telling Moses, “This is who I am and what I am like. This is what I want to occupy your understanding of Me – that My steadfast love is rich and abounding and endures forever.” God is holy and just, but that is what makes His hesed so remarkable.

I like Michael Card’s definition of hesed – “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.”1 This is the substance of celebration and meditation in the 136th Psalm. God – our Creator, our Redeemer, our Protector, our Provider – through every event and detail of life shows Himself as the One who gives us everything. And we don’t deserve any of it! Let this be what occupies your mind. Let it become the mental lens through which you perceive everything you experience “…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”2
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1Michael Card, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness, (2018, IVP Books), p.5
2 Ephesians 1:18

Remedy

Karleigh King January 27, 2021

Mortality is a problem, is it not? We all know we are going to die – we just don’t want it to happen in our lifetime.

Adam Gollner has written about efforts to remedy the problem of death. At the front lines of this endeavor, we find some of the world's richest people. Larry Ellison, for example, is CEO of Oracle Corporation and contributes more than $40 million per year to a foundation he set up dedicated to finding the remedy by understanding the “disease” of aging.

Ellison says, “Death makes me very angry. It doesn’t make any sense to me. Death has never made any sense to me. How can a person be there and then just vanish; just not be there?”

Gollner, concludes: "Death may not make any sense, but perhaps it can be defeated?"1

Enter a man in history who said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die”2 He could not say that if it were not true. He was also angry at death – and did something about it! “Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”3 Death has been defeated.

Fear of death enslaves (Heb. 2:15). In Christ we are liberated from such fear of death because we are prepared for it. Only when you are prepared to die can you truly live. That is why the apostle Paul said, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord. . ., but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling.”4 That holy calling is to live with abandon for the opinion of One as a living sacrifice.

Don’t waste your life fearing (trying to remedy) death. Thrive with the end in view, for then you will be face to face with Christ – your highest good and deepest satisfaction (Ps. 16:11).

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121:7–8

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1 Adam Leith Gollner, “The Immortality Financiers: The Billionaires Who Want to Live Forever” The Daily Beast (7-11-17)
2John 11:25-26
3 2 Timothy 1:10
4 2 Timothy 1:8-9a

In His Arms

Karleigh King January 20, 2021

Reading the 118th Psalm is a drink of cool water in a parched land; the reminder that there is satisfaction for my thirst. The cue that an unshakable refuge awaits my confidence. The prompt that God’s communication sets me free from distress and despair – even “when darkness veils His lovely face.”1

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
Psalm 118:8–9

E. M. Bound quotes A. C. Dixon recounting the story of a friend:

"I heard the barking of a number of dogs chasing a deer. Looking at a large open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across the field and giving signs that its race was almost run. It leaped over the rails of the enclosed place and crouched within ten feet of where I stood. A moment later two of the hounds came over, and the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. Just then I felt that all the dogs in the West could not and would not capture that fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength."2

I am that fawn in the arms of my heavenly Father. Those dogs could be internal or external threats – but let’s remember the word of the Lord – our battle is not against people but forces of darkness. I take refuge – I place my full confidence in “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”3

Taking refuge in the Creator/Redeemer relieves the anxiety that the matters of existence under the sun will become unpleasant or out of my control. Resting in the grip of His grace I am reminded that they never were under my control, and that in this temporal existence I will never find the full satisfaction that my soul craves.

So, I appeal to His strength and the strength of His promise. I rest, satisfied in the refuge of His unwavering grace, acceptance, and love. Only then can I live in settled satisfaction even though dogs are about. They are still at His feet.

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1From the hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” (Edward Mote)
2A. C. Dixon, quoted in E. M. Bounds On Prayer by E. M. Bounds, (Whitaker House, p. 107)
32 Corinthians 4:6

On Mission

Karleigh King January 20, 2021

Can you describe the difference between and participle and a verb? A verb states action, but a participle is a word that describes. So, in our Lord’s commission to His church, “As you are going, make disciples,” He describes His followers as going, and instructs us to make disciples.

The simplest rendering of the mission of the church is to make disciples – committed followers of Jesus Christ. The specifics, however, are multifaceted. Discipleship is honing the craft of walking with God; it includes being trained, sharpening spiritual disciplines, being shaped in Christ’s likeness. One could say that discipleship is living the gospel, or life as worship. As we worship God we sense Him by walking with Him and delighting in Him; then, in the outflow of that walk and delight we love God by serving Him, pointing others to His goodness and perfections with compassion, grace, truth, and humility.

Let me put it in a slightly sharper statement. It is not good to include God in your plans. God calls you to be included and have a specific part in His plan. Here is how the apostle Paul puts it,

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body”
1 Cor. 6:19-20

The Grace Bible Church vision is: We are an intentional community of grace that loves God, demonstrated by loving people in a culture of discipleship. The word culture describes a common way of thinking and acting – all of us engaged in following Jesus and helping others follow Him. Discipleship is one life coming along side another to walk together Godward.

Our resolve to move in this direction is shown by calling Bobby Locklear to the role of full-time pastor of small groups. Over a decade Bobby has been discipled at Grace, he has been proven and entrusted with leadership; he was ordained by Grace, fulfilled a two-year pastoral internship at Grace, and now you have called him to serve you focused on connections and outreach as point man in disciple making. Please take the time to welcome Bobby and to commit to pray for him and Rachel. Get behind him to support his Spirit-filled passion to love God and His people.

Let’s move out with our faith! Let’s resolve to be the fragrance of Christ to our FRAN and our city.

“Let us expect that God is going to use us.
Let us have courage and go forward,
looking to God to do great things.”
[D.L. Moody]

Foretaste of Glory

Karleigh King January 8, 2021

I sit in a Florida villa while my wife is with our oldest daughter who is giving birth to our seventh grandchild. I think of the transitions of life that are a consistent part of our existence under the sun. Several in our fellowship are welcoming children into expanding families, while others are retiring from long-held careers. Seasons come and go. Through them we are reminded of the realities of life's movement - changes and challenges, undertakings and uncertainties. We desire novelty and crave permanence. Though we can reason and imagine what is infinite, we are always brought back to the reality of our finiteness - we are limited, dependent creatures. There is something much greater than ourselves and we want to be connected to it. We have longings that were intended to be satisfied. Nothing brings us into focus on the identity of our highest Good and our deepest Satisfaction as much as the sweet fellowship of God's family communing with Him - to hear from Him and to make much of Him. Our Father's perspective, our higher purpose, our identity in Christ, His steadfast love, His boundless grace, His infinite goodness - all of this and more comes into focus as we gather to meet Him. This past Sunday was like a family reunion and a taste of heaven!

I am reminded of our Lord's statement that all will know we are His followers by our love for each other. Now in 2021 may we move out with our faith and be a blessing to the community by presenting something not available, or like it, anywhere else - the corporate delight in God!

Off to see our new grandson!

The Family of God

Karleigh King December 29, 2020

I received another unsolicited compliment of our church last week. It went something like, "When I come to your church I feel like I'm attending a family gathering." That was encouraging. We are, after all, the household of God (Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 4:17). This is the product of relationships that are based on what we have in common through the gospel of grace in Christ - a community of grace. It is a work of God's Spirit in His people. This is one thing that makes the church beautiful (Ps. 133:1).

So I encountered a blog this week that states it in a way on which I cannot improve. Though I do not normally do this - I want to share a blog post for today's encouraging note to the church. It is entitled, "Expecting Less from Church" by Ed Welch (CCEF). That, of course, got my attention, so I read it. I want you to also.
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I decided I would say something to him. A fellow elder. Transparency is good, as a general rule, with the right person, at the right time.

“I didn’t hear too much from the sermon on Sunday.” I actually meant, “I didn’t hear one thing.” I would have rather confessed anything other than this. Anything. Part of my job is to be a learner, especially from Scripture, and I had failed. To make matters worse, my wife did hear something from the sermon.

He responded, as if in passing, “Oh, I didn’t either.” I was surprised by how casual he answered, as though it had happened before.

“I don’t come to church to hear a great sermon,” he continued. “I come because these are my people, my family.”

Over time, he had grown and changed through the preaching of the Word, and we had also discussed and prayed through sermons together. But his soul wasn’t waiting to be fed once a week on a Sunday. Scripture was lively to him most every day.

That was my introduction to lower expectations for the local church. Since then, I have discovered its wisdom. We have expectations of course—baptism, the Lord’s Supper, theological orthodoxy, preaching Christ crucified, prayer—but these do not include at least one new insight per sermon and arena-quality worship. These do not include my passive presence that waits for an experience like I had watching a recent movie. My minimal expectations on Sunday morning are that I pray for the preacher, I come prepared to be engaged in singing, I take basic notes, I aim to get to know one person so that I know how to pray for that person, and I talk to my wife about the passage.

Why do we go to church? It’s a question worth revisiting more often, especially now. It raises the related question: What are we expecting? What implicit—and wrong—standards do I have for judging a church? I can think of two immediately. The first goes back to those Sunday sermons: the pastor and his sermons become the church. Somehow, we can naturally drift toward thinking of a church as pastor-centric where the inevitable question is: Do I like him? Or: Is he giving me what I want? This standard is more pressing now as we have less contact with our church family, and preaching pastors are more prominent. Even more, all this is contaminated by our opportunities to listen to other “better” preachers online.

A second implicit standard is that church is where like-minded people gather. “Like-minded,” however, needs scrutiny. We know what it should mean—we have been claimed by Jesus, we rest in him and live for him—but we all have our attachments and expectations. The most obvious one now, which came crashing in on us quickly, is that we want a church that is like-minded politically. This layer of detail for our “like-mindedness” has been added to many other distinctives we believe should be shared by everyone in our local body. This new one, of course, is a tragedy and an abomination, but it is happening.

My wife would say after we were married that she could have married most anyone who was a growing believer in Jesus and wanted to contribute to the growth of those around him. I, of course, argued that I and I alone was the one chosen for her from the foundations of the world, but, as you might imagine, I have grown to highly value her minimalist expectations for a spouse. She remains content in her marriage to a husband who can fail to meet many common metrics, and she isn’t inclined to go looking for a new one.

So, trying to follow my wife’s example, I recalibrate my expectations of the local church and summarize them this way. To be in the body of Christ is to be a pastor, not necessarily an ordained pastor but a pastor in that we are all called to care for the souls around us. Passivity is out of the question. I have been made alive in Christ and have much to do as I follow the lead of the early church. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). In the midst of this activity, I want to devote regular time to assessing myself as a family member.

Source: Expecting Less from Church | Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (ccef.org)

And We Beheld His glory

Karleigh King December 16, 2020

Truth has a name and finds its foundations in the infinite personal Being. That is why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Life cannot make sense if we do not build on the right foundation. Moving off the foundation onto shifting sands is the regression of reason outlined in Romans 1:18-32. It begins with a diminished view of God. To not glorify Him as God is to marginalize Him in our thinking, then “I” become bigger and more important, longing for a god that I can manipulate in order to satisfy my own appetites with a propensity to focus on what I deserve and what I don’t have. This is what King Herod did.

Discontentment follows a small view of God. All good things are from God, but are we willing to use His gifts and not thank Him for them? If we take them for granted as the Jews did, we demand their continuance. This disposition of ingratitude develops character in the direction of self-gratification which is ultimately empty and unsatisfying. When all I have to live for is myself, the only end I can expect is despair.

When the Person is evicted from my heart and mind, then my house becomes dark and empty, full of unwelcomed creatures. When the infinite Creator is diminished or denied then all that is left for me to reference is matter; life becomes a sensual pursuit, and if all is only matter than how does anything really matter?

What have you done with truth? Remember that the foundation of reality is Personal. Truth has a name. Engage His communication and delight in it. Your end will be delighting in Him as the Magi did – the very purpose for which you were designed.

The Basis For Joy

Karleigh King December 11, 2020

Because of his encounter with the incarnate Son of God, John was compelled to broadcast this wonderful One to us and all who would hear:

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you,
that you also may have fellowship with us;
and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

The apostle makes the point that joy and fellowship are inextricably linked. God is the source of joy. The God/man is the means of appropriating that joy through our relationship to Him and then with His people.

As believers each of us has been baptized into the body of Christ. The body is vital connection and interdependence with coordinated work upon command from the head (Christ). While there is a common mission for the church there is also a common divine objective for each member of the body – the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ – our joy!

Being conformed to Christ’s image is not something that is done alone. The mind of Christ and the law of Christ require investment with regard to others. Each of us plays an integral role in the spiritual growth (the joy of becoming like Christ) of the other. Our lasting joy in the Lord is proportionate to our maturity in the Lord and love/fellowship with His people.

This is why the apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers that they were fellow workers for your joy. Fellowship is what the apostle John did – the blessing he received from God he shared with those around him. What has been entrusted to you (God’s blessings) is for the express purpose of contributing to the joy others.

Small Enough

Karleigh King December 1, 2020

It is said that when President Teddy Roosevelt entertained diplomatic guests at the White House, he was fond of taking them out to the back lawn at the end of the day. As the president stood gazing at the night sky, all eyes would eventually be cast heavenward, as his were. In his day, the vast array of stars was not dimmed by the city lights, and the magnificent display of God's brilliant creation would overcome the party. After a long moment, Mr. Roosevelt would say, "Gentlemen, I believe we are small enough now. Let’s go to bed.”1

I believe one reason God created the universe as vast as it is was so that in our observation of it, we would be moved by the immensity of God. He is an infinite being. As such, He has no limit and is perfect in purpose and power. How privileged we are to know that this God who measures the heavens with a span, has disclosed Himself to us – in Person! The Creator invaded His creation — clearly there was something He wanted us to know! Knowing the identity of the Creator, who made us with a view toward communication and relationship, is what can rescue us from our darkness and delusions, from despair, and even death!

Not only does our knowledge of God remind us of how small and limited we are, but it brings us back to a big picture perspective. There is so much more to reality than what we can see or experience. But all of it exists in God, for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). What God makes known to us through observing the created order is His infinite Personhood and power (Romans 1:20). What He makes known to us through His word, His Son, and His Spirit is His identity and His character. He is beautiful, good, and gracious. He is holy and just. He is forgiving and abounding in steadfast love. He is God.

As we embark on the Advent season, step back and take a deep breath. Take in the greatness of God as you gaze upon His works and His word. Otherwise you will be too big and important in your own estimation, and that leads to stress and despair. Remember that Jesus Christ is God with us – you are not your greatest and most important reality – He is, and He is good; He is your peace, your joy, your love.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God.

Psalm 90:1–2

1 From an e-mail from the Presidential Prayer Team (6-21-02)

Ready. Aim. Walk!

Karleigh King November 27, 2020

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:11–12

This prayer of David’s celebrates the greatness of God’s steadfast love. Leading up to the above refrain is the assertion that Jehovah, the God of Israel, is unique. There is none like Him; no other can do what He does. He is the source of all and the end of all (Ps. 86:9); “You alone are God” (v.10). David has the clear understanding that God is the point to his life. That which is the aim of your focus is what you move toward.

So David’s request conveys integrity, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth.” He desires an understanding of reality under the sun through the lens of eternal reality. This is a plea to keep the big picture in view, and he needs God’s help to do it. He asks, “unite my heart to fear your name.” Implicit in this request is the confession that the human heart tends to be divided, pulled apart by conflicting allegiances and compartmentalized by various affections. David knows his need for a singular focus on the One who is his highest good and deepest satisfaction. He also knows the harm inflicted by running toward his aim while focusing somewhere else. Distracting obstacles and affections will lead you to collide with them if you choose to focus on them.

When David asked for a united heart to fear God’s name, he purposed a concentrated focus on the perfections of God – His perfect holiness and justice; His perfect love, mercy, and grace – and the necessity to walk with an undivided focus on those perfections as they relate to the steps of everyday life. If you have visited Hanging Rock State Park, you know that walking where the rocks hang over the edge requires focus and concentration; it requires good decisions, knowing that one careless move could mean destruction. Many are attracted to the majestic beauty, but when they encounter it, they also know there is danger, and it provokes an accountability in their behavior. The fear of God is to acknowledge His perfections, and our accountability to Him. We must walk before Him on His terms lest we experience destruction.

That is why David gives thanks to God with his “whole heart” -- nothing held back. He is saying, “All my affections and desires are satisfied in You, O LORD my God”. He has abandoned the “but.” For him there is no “I love you, but…”, nor any “thank you, but….” There is no hint of “I will follow you, but….” On our own, we miss the mark – every time. But by the grace that God has lavished on us in Jesus Christ we get God – forever! David’s resolve was to make much of God – the aim of his life – and to point others toward Him for their safety and satisfaction as well.

Better Than Anywhere Else!

Karleigh King November 19, 2020

Asaph declared, “It is good to be near God” (Ps. 73:28). It is good to be near God because He is infinitely and unfailingly good. Any movement or state away from him in attitude or ambition (one cannot actually be away from God – Ps. 139) is inherently evil. This is why a son of Korah declared, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps. 84:10). He would rather be a doorkeeper and be near God than anywhere else because the lowest position near God is far better than being in the highest ranks among those who are alienated from God.

The Psalmist delves into specifics on God’s goodness, “The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor” (Ps. 84:11). God dwells in unapproachable light and is a consuming fire. He possesses all wisdom and defines justice according to His infinite goodness; He encases the objects of His love with an insurmountable defense, and what would destroy has no access to them. He lavishes grace upon us by investing Himself in us: His self-disclosure, His Son, His Spirit, His righteousness, His love, His power – His presence! The glory He bestows (“honor”) is that we can be near Him, that He makes us partakers of the divine nature and has purposed to transform us into the image of His perfect Son.

The Psalmist encapsulates the benefit of being near God by saying: “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). This confident, settled satisfaction is echoed by others, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1); “…those who fear Him have no lack…those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:9-10); “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33); “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory” (Phil. 4:19). Your highest good and your greatest satisfaction is God Himself. Nothing else is good if it draws you away from Him; nothing else will satisfy you. So to walk uprightly is to draw near to God, to follow in Jesus’ steps and to keep in step, filled with His Spirit, having your attitudes and desires saturated with what He has made known of Himself.

A necessary caveat surrounds the phrase “no good thing” – sometimes the “good thing” may have a sting to it because it is designed for healing, or to yield greater fruit. Indeed, all things work together for good to those who love God. Hence, to be near God is better than anywhere else.

It makes a great deal of sense with this knowledge of God that one of His children would declare:

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Ps. 84:1–2

Victorious, Strong, and Free!

Karleigh King November 10, 2020

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
~Psalm 18:30

David wrote the 18th Psalm when he had been rescued from those who would take him down. This man had just come through some profound difficulties during which he had to trust the promised plan of Jehovah. David knew he was under the promise of God’s protection, and he was compelled to celebrate the goodness of God’s faithfulness.

As for God, he begins. This is the word el, the general word for God. But this is not just any god of human imagination, this is the God who gives grace to the humble and resists the proud (v27); this is the God who shines light into the darkness (v28); this is the God whose strength is made perfect in our weakness (v29), this God!

This God is worthy of trust and adoration for three reasons: 1) His way is perfect; His plan is complete and trustworthy all the time; it is a plan of unimpaired integrity. 2) The word of the LORD proves true. The word translated “proves true” is used for smelting – delivering metallic genuineness through fire. What God says is what He will do. His word stands. He unfailingly delivers on His promises because He is unfailingly good. 3) He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. To those who retreat to the promises of God, and for whom Jehovah is the place of confidence and hope, He is a sure defense and place of quietness. I like how W.A. VanGemeren puts it in light of the rest of the Psalm, “[He] gets involved in the lives of his children with the result that they are victorious, strong, and free.”*

We will know and celebrate our God this way when we retreat to and trust His promised plan. Let’s be honest – this is a daily test for us. We are so tempted to put our trust in other sources that compete for our allegiance and affection. Often – if we insist enough – God will give us over to our stubborn hearts to follow our own counsels (Ps. 81:12). If we choose to trust another to the point that we marginalize our Creator/Redeemer, He will let us – for a time. Then at some point we realize how much we need Him, how little we have apart from Him, and retreat to His good purpose and faithful plan. Only when we take shelter in Him are we victorious, strong, and free!

* The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Frank E. Gaebelein, Ed.), Vol. 5, p.175

"Beyond What We Can Ask or Imagine"

Karleigh King November 4, 2020

Many of us love the book of Acts because so many wonderful things happened as God worked by His Spirit through His church. We are the same church, with the same mission, and the same powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.

How aware are you of the presence of the Holy Spirit? Do you understand that He resides in you if you are in Christ? Do you comprehend that He is not a force, nor is He a concept, but He is a Person? Do you know that you have a relationship with the Holy Spirit? Jesus said: “He will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn.16:15).

The Holy Spirit radically transforms your life purpose as one who is sent. Living as a sent person shapes the way you look at your circumstances and at the people around you.

Jesus promised His followers that we would receive power with the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, what is this power? What difference does He make in your life?

It is not common for pastors to assign homework to the church, but last Sunday I did. Let me review it with you in three steps:

Have your copy of God’s Self-disclosure open to Ephesians 3:16-21 and meditate on this text.
Ask your heavenly Father to help you grasp the implications of the presence of His Holy Spirit in you.
Worship God as you listen to Holy Spirit Living Breath of God

This may take some time. I encourage you to take as much time as you need even if it means several days. Remember that the Holy Spirit was not given just for our personal experience, but for influence. So, let me conclude this encouragement with one final question based on Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever…

What would you love to do for the gospel if you had a group to do it with?

Let’s get this conversation going – God is at work!

"Continual Hope"

Karleigh King October 28, 2020

In his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Garcia Marquez describes a village suffering from an insomnia plague. As the plague lingers, it gradually causes the loss of memory. To try and salvage memory, a man developed a plan labeling everything: "With an inked brush he marked everything with its name: table, chair, clock, door, bed. He went on to the corral and marked the animals and plants: cow, goat, pig, hen ... banana."

As their memory faded the labeling needed to be even more explicit. A sign on a cow read: "This is the cow. She must be milked every morning so that she will produce milk, and the milk must be boiled in order to be mixed with coffee.” Thus they were living in a reality that was slipping away, momentarily captured by words.

Are we so wrapped up in the busyness of existence or moving on to the next thing that we are forgetting life and we are operating in a pseudo-reality that is but momentarily captured by words or feelings?*

Memory is necessary because it informs our context and our identity. Praise powerfully sharpens our memory. Recounting the mighty acts of God – acts of creation, rescue, reconciliation, and restoration – remind us of who He is and who we are, for in Him we find our truest identity.

Let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable in His sight – attitudes and actions that reflect what God has done, and what He will do as we live with the end in view.

I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. – Psalm 71:14–16

*Adapted from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (Harper Perennial Classics, 2006), pp. 46-48

"The Power of His Presence"

Karleigh King October 21, 2020

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
Psalm 67:1–2

A dear brother of mine, before he moved to a different state, confessed, “When I first came to Grace, if you had asked me if I enjoyed God I would have said, ‘not really.’ But now I can honestly say I enjoy God!” That was a delightful thing to hear. God’s grace and blessing have been lavished on us through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1-3).

The plea of Psalm 67:1 is for God’s grace, His blessing, and for His face to sine upon us. The Hebrew word translated “face” (paneh) is a word to describe the face and the presence of God i.e. to be in front of. This is the place of protection and blessing. In His presence is the place of full joy and satisfaction (Ps. 16:11). In Christ we have been reconciled to God so that we can enjoy his presence – the very thing for which we were created. That is why we are reminded multiple times to draw near to God, to abide in Christ – follow in His steps, to walk in the Spirit, and to let His Self-disclosure dwell in us in all of its richness. This is how a child of God practices the presence of God. Hear the Father’s heart drawing you near for your joy and satisfaction. Passionately pursue Him! The word “selah” at the end of v.1 is like saying “think about it.” In other words, let this be the occupation of your heart and mind.

But enjoying God’s presence is not ultimately about us, but His glory. To glorify God is to point people to Him. We point people to Him when we experience His presence powerfully. Psalm 67:2 affirms that when God’s face shines upon us – when we know the joy and satisfaction of His presence – His ways and His saving power are known on earth. John Stott said it well, “They prayed that God would bless them, not in order to wallow comfortably in his blessings themselves, but in order that it might pass from them to others…” (Favorite Psalms, p.68). God’s face shines on His people so that unbelieving people will recognize His power. Of course, we get great delight in being part of it.

I pray for you – that you may know and practice the joyful, delightful, satisfying presence of your loving Father – that His face will shine upon you so that His Son, Jesus, becomes a powerful attraction.

"Time is Not Infinite"

Karleigh King October 15, 2020

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains
were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:1–2

Time is not infinite. It is part of the created order.

We are part of the same creation, so we are bound by time – for now. Generations come and go, and the Creator is there – before all of them, through all of them, and after all of them.

Though bound by time, our souls are eternal because life proceeds from God who is eternal – He alone is infinite.

You may notice a tension here – we are eternal souls, but we exist now in temporal creation, and the two cannot coexist forever. This reality is palpably felt in times when the eternal soul is separated from the physical creation. We long for permanence but, whether it is physical death or hospital visits for surgery, we cannot escape being confronted with our mortality – from feeling a blow from the blunt end of a broken creation. Hence, we groan.

“You return man to dust” (Ps. 90:3), “our outer self is wasting away” (2 Cor. 4:16). Like a fading flower or a vanishing vapor, our temporal life stands in stark contrast to the One for whom “a thousand years are but as yesterday” (Ps. 90:4). The same Psalm exhorts us to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v.12). This is a call to weigh what really matters. It is futility to spend your life “climbing a ladder” only to find your ladder was leaning against the wrong wall and there is nothing at the top rung but you.

At the end of our days, there is God. “It is appointed for man to die once, after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). The infinite, personal Creator is good and loving. He has disclosed Himself so we can know Him and enjoy Him. He has entered our brokenness and taken it upon Himself so that we who entrust ourselves to Him, might receive His goodness so that we can be reconciled and acceptable to Him, the infinite, holy God.

To trust Him is to enjoy Him. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Ps. 90:14). Such is the case with the home-going of our dear brother, Louis Utsey. He now walks with God – not by faith, but by sight. Louis loved God and enjoyed Him in his earthly life. John, his neighbor and best friend, said of Louis, “He was happy in what he was doing.” True. He was happy in God’s goodness and grace. This makes his home-going bitter-sweet. Bitter because such separation is a manifestation of broken creation and we will miss him terribly; but it is sweet because now Louis can say, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!” (Ps. 16:11).

This reality that reminds us of our transience, also reminds us of the urgency of the unfinished task of proclaiming the finished work of Jesus Christ for our redemption and reconciliation to God. Live as a sent person with the end in view, so that it shapes how you view circumstances and how you engage the people around you. May we be as joyfully faithful as Louis was in this stewardship.