Isaiah 61:3–Garment of Praise Instead of a Spirit of Despair

Isaiah 61:3–"to bestow on the a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

This passage is a prophecy is all that Jesus will be granted to do for those who come to Him by faith. If I may be vulnerable for a moment, lately I have felt despair and mourning, I have felt far more like ashes than beauty.  It was in this state that this phrase, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, was brought to my mind.

While it may seem little, this passage, this phrase hit me square as if an arrow of truth had pierced the very center of my heart.  It occurred to me that not only is this passage about all that Christ will give to those who are His; it is also a strategy for dealing with despair.  In other words, if I am downtrodden with overwhelming despair praise is the remedy.

I want to be honest here, my experience confirms two things in regard to this idea.  The first is that when I am overcome with despair it is difficult to utter praise.  Conversely, however, I have found that it is true that praise will most assuredly pull me from a place of despair and put me in a new place of worship and humility before the Lord.

In all of this, I can only say, "praise be to God!"  For it is only right that we should find our surest relief in uttering praise to His glory.  My exhortation, then, for any who may find themselves covered by a dark despair is that they would strive to praise the Lord.  For in worship we will seek His face, trust in Christ, and sing to the glory of His name.  And each of these things will have the positive effect of taking us out of our despair by inclining our hearts to God.

1 John 3:18–Loving inDeed

1 John 3:18–"Little children, let us love not in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

"How do you know that I love you?"

I asked this question to my 9-month-old puppy recently.  She stared at me with her big eyes and said nothing.

Of course I replied, "Well, I do love you."

Again nothing, no response.  My puppy simply went back to chewing her rope toy.

It occurred to me, as I am sure it occurs to every dog owner that, despite my best efforts and notwithstanding the few trained responses, my dog does not and cannot speak english.  Because of this, no matter how well I articulate my affections for my pooch, unless I show her that I love her she would never truly know.  But I do show the puppy that I love her: I feed her, pet her, play with her, give her treats, and do all those other loving things that a dog owner should do.

Love, in a sense, is like this.  We can talk and talk and talk about how much we love another person, how desperately we tell them that we care for them, or how eloquently we express our affections, unless we show our love through action, the truth of our fondness could never be seen from the other. It is as we do that we love.

But this is not enough for we also must love truthfully.  That is to say that not every action that we could do for love actually is loving.  For instance, it would not be loving to beat my puppy without any reason and call it 'firm discipline.'  In this way, it needs to be said that we have to show our love in actions that are actually loving.

Needless to say, there is more to say about this but suffice for now to conclude with a simple statement. Our example in this is Christ Jesus who, because of His great love for us, was obedient unto death so as to show the true depth of His love for us.  Let us then always look to Him for our hope, our strength, and our wisdom as we strive to love in deed and in truth.

Hebrews 4:15–Our High Priest Sympathizes

Hebrews 4:15–"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."

It is no understatement to say that life is full of misery, disappointment, letdown, suffering, and sorrow. Brokenness seems to cast a shadowy pall over our world that is keen to render us helpless and hopeless as we are confronted by our persistent weaknesses.  But praise be to God who has sent His Son to take on the form of man through the incarnation so as to be able to empathize with our sufferings and with our sorrow!

We should not ever forget this when we are going through whatever bout of sadness or weakness we may be trudging through, knowing that our King Jesus is there with us and He understands!

John 14:10-11–Father & Son are One

John 14:10-11–"Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? the words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."

This is one passage among many in John's gospel that highlight the unique and distinct relationship between Jesus the Son and the Father.  The connection between the Son and the Father is a specific one of role and rank, not of a difference in deity or value.  The Son is submissive to the will of the Father.

Jesus says as much in John 5: "the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.  For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise...I can do nothing on my own...I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent me. (vv. 19, 30)"

The very core of this theology is that Jesus is one with the Father but submissive to the Father's will. But this theology does not end there as Christ is compelling us to this same sort of relationship, that we would be submissive to the Father's will and that, ultimately, our authority and presence will be based solely upon the powerful works of the Heavenly Father.

To be sure, there is so much more to say on this topic alone.  Reams of paper could be expired upon this subject.  But we will live it here, understanding that Jesus would wish that we too would submit to the Father's will and claim no authority as our own save the Father's.

Proverbs 16:18–Pride Goes Before Destruction

Proverbs 16:18–"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall."

This is one of those well-known pithy sayings of the Bible.  Many people, even unbelievers, seem to recognize the validity of this saying.  The heart of this passage is about the persistent and deadly poison of pride.  Pride is a toxin that can sour and destroy any person.  Pride is a vulgar, disgusting venom that props up people on homemade castles of cards.  With one blow the castles and the person is felled, forced to humility by humiliation.  It is so vital, then, that we would strive to maintain a penitent and humble spirit, a mind that would put others first, and a heart that loves with compassion and gentleness. After all, this verse is a principle and a warning.  Let us pray to heed the warning so that the principle therein does not again prove itself true in our own lives.

Proverbs 17:10–Rebuke: the Refiner of Wisdom

Proverbs 17:10–"A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool."

This is a theme of Proverbs and of wisdom in general.  How we handle rebuke and instruction speaks volumes to maturity and wisdom.  In so many ways wisdom is weighed when our foolishness is confronted and exposed.  It is in these moments, when we are rebuked and admonished, that the true depth of wisdom is challenged.  But like silver is refined in the crucible so is wisdom purified when foolishness is revealed through rebuke.  So when we are rebuked let us pay close attention to how we would react, realizing that our reaction could be the very thing that refines us to be more wise.

Get Off Your Own Perspective.

Life is so often a matter of perspective.  It is as we are able to transcend the limits of our paltry personal viewpoints that we are able to see things more clearly and able, then, to love more fully.  Consider the story of the grocer who, after finding that her husband has been having an affair with another woman for several years, is overwhelmingly rude to the patrons she helps throughout her day.  Now, as a patron, we may have the perspective that this woman is nothing more than a rude woman with little care for her job or even for human decency.  And while our perspective would certainly be considered an accurate interpretation of our personal experience it would, in the end, be an incorrect one.

There is more to life than our personal experiences and far-more useful things than our own perspectives.  One of the goals in love is to get beyond your own perspective to not only see the others but, even more so, to cherish theirs more than our own.  This is the very essence of "Love thy neighbor as thyself."  We would do well to take time throughout our days to truly consider the plights of those around us, if only so as to help us empathize and love.  To read another's story can go a long way to loving them wherever that story may be currently leaving them.

The end goal here is love: that we would love others as we love ourself.  Truthfully considering the reality of another's narrative will go far in informing us as to who they are and why they are that way. This is, to be sure, a difficult thing to do when we ourselves are so blinded by whatever predicament or emotional state that may be currently fogging our vision.  Let us, however, strive to love God with hearts of humility and honesty just as we strive to love others by putting ourselves into their shoes.

Proverbs 17:9–Cover An Offense For Love

Proverbs 17:9–"Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends."

If you would allow me, love can be summarized in two related words: forgiveness & sacrifice.  These two things could be said to comprise the whole of love as it is given.  This is precisely what this verse is saying.  It is exhorting us to 'cover an offense.'  This means, at the very least, that we would put aside our feelings of offense for the purpose of love.  Maybe this points to another important element in love: focus on the other.

More could be said about this but I will end on a simple exhortation.  Let us all strive to love one another like this, full of forgiveness and sacrifice.

Matthew 7:7-8–Ask, Seek, Knock–The Nature of Persistent Devotion

Matthew 7:7-8–"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."

God never refuses those who would earnestly search for Him.  He always reveals Himself to those who honestly and sincerely ask and seek and knock.  This quest is about persistence, about pursuit. The relevant question one needs to ask one's self is: how far have I gone in my persistent pursuit of God, or how far would I go to find God?

God is trustworthy to faithfully provide for all those who would search for Him with all their hearts. We need only take to this task with as much effort as it deserves.

But praise be to God for who He is, faithful and righteous for all eternity!

Amen!

Proverbs 11:28–Trust In?

Proverbs 11:28–"Whoever trusts in his riches will fail, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf."

This verse offers a distinction.  On one hand there are those people who would put their trust in wealth, in riches.  These people are held in contrast to the righteous who will "flourish like a green leaf."  It would seem that, at the surface level, this verse is about trust.  However, I submit that there is something else, something deeper.

The question I have to ask is: why do the righteous flourish like a leaf?

The answer must take into account that those who trust in riches will fail but the righteous will flourish. Riches are not the reason that some will fail; it is their trust in riches that causes their failure.  The most obvious inference would be to say that what causes the righteous to flourish is, at the very least, that they do not place their trust in riches.

The appropriate follow-up question is: what do the righteous put their trust in?

Without wasting too much literary space, the answer to the above question is simple.  The righteous place their trust solely in God.  Trusting in God alone is the only way to ensure that one will flourish and not fail. There is only one sure Rock, only one Fortress.  Until or unless we place our trust solely and securely in He who is, then we will always seek something else to place our trust in that is neither trustworthy nor worthy of it.

In Christ alone.

Psalm 1:1-2–Blessing and Meditating on the Law

Psalm 1:1-2–"Blessed is the walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night."

I find this passage, which begins the book of the Psalms, to be one of the most wonderful expressions of what devotion looks like in the life of a believer.  It speaks of a contrast: that the blessed man delights in the law of the Lord and meditates upon it day and night versus the un-blessed man that would rather sit under the counsel of the wicked spend their time in the presence of sinners and scoffers.  The reality that this passage introduces the book of covenant praise is a sobering reminder to us as we read the psalms that God desires us to engage with His Word and to meditate on who He is, to delight in what He has said.  When we do these things, when we delight in the Lord, He has promised to make us blessed.

Praise be to God that He has made it so!

1 Corinthians 1:10–An Exhortation to Unity

1 Corinthians 1:10–"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."

This is such a nice and comforting verse until we actually have to work for it.  It is far easier to be unified when everyone is in agreement.  But it is another thing altogether to be in unity of mind and judgment when you do disagree or when there are differences in opinion.  And despite our best efforts and intentions, disagreements do happen and when they do we need to handle them with love, gentleness, and respect.

In no way is this verse asking us not to have conflict (which would be an impossible thing to ask) but this verse is asking us to be joined in mind and united in agreement even amidst the friction. Ultimately, we need to remember throughout this whose name it is that rests upon us and in whose name we are united: our Lord Christ Jesus.  Let us always keep this necessary piece before us, remembering that it is in Christ that we are joined in unity.

1 John 4:10–In This Is Love

1 John 4:10–"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Admittedly, I don't have a whole lot to say about this verse today.  This is not to say that this verse is not brimming full with force and theology.  Instead, all I mean to say is that this verse can, in so many ways, speak for itself.  In truth, this verse is a grand but direct testimony to the reality of our relationship to God in Christ.  And for this reason today this blog will seek to be nothing more than an arrow, pointing your attention to this verse and its truth so that you might contemplate it for yourself.

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Amen, and praise be to God!

1 Corinthians 10:13–Escaping Sin's Temptations

1 Corinthians 10:13–"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

At the onset two observations must be made.  First off, we should remember the beginning of this verse that there are no unique or new temptations.  We should, then, not spend too much effort focusing on the nature of our temptations, and we certainly should not allow ourselves to fall prey to the lie that no one else can "know what we're going through."  In truth, this sort of isolation will only end in our demise and the temptation's victory.

The second observation to be made about this verse is a simple, three-word phrase: God is faithful.  So much can be solved if we would only remember the reality of this statement.  If we would only place this at the centre of our lives we may find that it is true and provable not merely as a theological assertion but, much more so, it would proven true in our very own lives.

In addition to these, it would be lacking for me not to also point out one too-oft overlooked truth: temptation is not the same as sin.  Just because we are tempted should not dissuade our certainty about Christ's grace or God's justice.  There is purpose in temptation, namely that through temptation our righteousness, which is found solely in Christ, will be refined and made more sure.  The point is not that we are tempted but how we will handle those temptations when they arise.

But through all this, let us remember this:

God is faithful.

Amen.

Gal. 6:9–Let Us Not Cease in Doing Good

Galatians 6:9–"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

O how easy it is to grow weary in doing good!  But this weariness is a sufficient reason to cease in doing good. How often do we cease in writing a letter simply because our hands may feel sore, or do we easily stop comforting a friend because we may need a drink of water? No!  The test of our resolve, the crucible of our convictions is the lengths we will go to protect our faith when it is under fire.  Would a good gardener stop watering the seedlings because they do not sprout in day?  In the same way, we must persist in doing good, understanding that it is in our persistence that our conviction is refined and proven.

But praise be to God who does not let us alone in the process of doing good though we may grow weary!

Matthew 22:37–Greatest Commandment

Matthew 22:37–"He said to them, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind."

Although I have written on this verse before, because it is such a foundational text I am going to look at it still.  But like an overflowing well we can go back to it again and again.  I only want to ask a simple albeit direct question today:

Why does God command this?

God does not need anything, and He most certainly does not need our love.  Furthermore, even in commanding it, He, being omniscient, had to have known that we would be unable or, at the very least, unwilling.  This leads to one logical conclusion:

God knew that we would need to love Him.

Consider that today, ponder it as you live life, thinking about how God created us needing to love Him. There is so much more to say about this but suffice for now to acknowledge that He did this by His good pleasure and will.  Therefore, let us strive to love God, not just because He commanded it but also because to love Him is, after all, the essence of our being.  To not love Him, then, would be like denying who we are in our core.  Let us simply turn to Him in love and adoration so as to keep our focus and our input right and in line with what God intended for us from the beginning.

God Unchanging

God unchanging.  Think about the reality of those two words.  In truth, none of us can accurately comprehend the truth of this, that God is, ultimately, immutable.  He does not bend or modify or shift or change.  He has no moods, no whims, no fancies, and most certainly no needs. This is so miraculously different than anything in ourselves that it is more than profound, it is devastating.

God unchanging.  This is not merely a statement about God's identity and character, but it also refers to everything that flows from Him and is revealed to us.  In other terms, the Truth of God is as eternal as the God from whom they flow.  The Word is as unchanging as the One who spoke it into being.

God unchanging.  At this point we run into the Incarnate God, Christ Jesus.  He is described as developing in the human sense (Luke 1:80; 2:40, 52).  But does this mean that Jesus is changeable how we might think of change?  Certainly not!  Christ Jesus, the Incarnate God, grew and developed as a man, but not as God.  The very fact of the incarnation meant that God emptied Himself as certain aspects of His divinity in order to take on the form of man and go through the natural processes of being a man in physical/mental/emotional growth and development–all while maintaining His essential God-ness.

God unchanging.  Considering how quickly each of us will change our minds from moment to moment, worshiping a God who is immovable and unchanging is not only a terrifying thought; it is an outright offensive necessity.  We need God to be unchanging because we are so not. In order for Him to be our Rock and our Fortress He has to be utterly and infinitely stable.

So: Praise be to God for He is unchanging!

Ex. 3:14; 1 Sam 15:29, Mal 3:6, Rom 11:29, Titus 1:2, Heb 6:18, Jas 1:17

1 Cor. 15:17-19–If Christ Has Not Been Raised

1 Corinthians 15:17-19–"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  In in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

Christianity is based supremely upon Christ's resurrection.  And when we speak of His resurrection, we do not mean His resurrection in a spiritual sense but His bodily, historical resurrection.  It is thus of extreme importance that we would always remember that our faith is based on the reality of Christ's resurrection, and our assuredness arises out of the event's historical veracity.  This is why Paul can speak so candidly about the necessity of Christ's resurrection being a real, historic event.  For if Christ has not raised from the dead then we are hopeless but, even more than that, we are the most to be pitied!

But praise be to God who raised His Son from the grave, saving us from our sin!

Glory to God

Without getting too deep today, let us take a moment to speak of the glory of God.  The glory of God is one of the central figures in Holy Scripture.  But it is also one the most misconceived theological concepts.  In the the most plain terms, the glory of God is the functionining processes of His holiness.  Or, with less flourish, God's glory is the representation of His holiness.  Every aspect and attribute of God exudes from His holiness and His infinitude.  

God is holy.  This means, among many things, that God is perfectly pure and entirely other; or, in other words, He is unlike us.  And it is from his Divine Otherness that He creates and sustains by the power of His Word.  This 'active step,' so to speak, is His glory; it is the evidence of His holiness.  Because He is holy, His glory comes out.  In a sense, His glory derives from God from His holiness, and it is from seeing His glory that we can assess and recognize His holiness.

There is a direct correlation between His infinite holiness and his glory much as the connection between the bulb and the light that pours forth from it: the light is evidence is the affect of the bulb's being just as the bulb's being as a giver of light is reflected in whether light comes from it or not.  Therefore, God's glory must properly begin with Hos holiness, otherwise we run risk of naturally supplanting His holiness with our own in the presence of His glory.  Needless to say, this is a counterfeit understanding of God just as it is a simple case of odplatry of self, and neither are acceptable in worship before the holy Lord.

Let us, then, always bow in penitent reverence before God when we encounter His glory, understanding that it is ultimately before His holiness that we fall prostrate.  And amen that it should be so!

Matt. 5:34-35–Love Your Enemy

Matthew 5:34-35–"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

This is one of the many offensive statements Jesus makes, exhorting us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.  It would seem that Jesus expects a totally different sort of ethic for Christians, an altogether other way to live life and relate to those around us.  Needless to say, to love your enemy is hard enough but to pray for those who would persecute us–well, that is just plain ridiculous.  However, Jesus doesn't end there: He follows that statement up with another bomb–so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  In a real sense, Jesus is indicating that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us in order that we may be sons of our heavenly Father; as in, it is through our love that our parentage is proven or made secure.  Let us, then, take this exhortation as seriously as it is given so as to make our election and our inheritance sure.

Doxology

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Praise Him all peoples here below.  Praise Him above ye heavenly host.  Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."–The Doxology

This is one of the classic hymns of Christianity, known as The Doxology.  This word, doxology, is a word of such beauty and depth that I should say once we understand its meaning we would all strive to live our entire lives doxologically.  

Doxology is the combination of two Greek words: doxa meaning belief held or glory, and logos meaning word or statement.  So, quite literally, a doxology is a statement of belief and glory.  In the highest sense, then, a true doxology is a statement of believing in God's glory.  It is a word of praise utterance, a declaration of the glory of God.  In a real sense, then, our lives should become living doxologies: walking, breathing testimonies to the glory of God.

At the end of these, O that we would live a life that sings out: Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Proverbs 21:21–The Pursuit of Righteousness

Proverbs 21:21–"Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor."

This is an easily misunderstood proverb.  If one were not careful this verse could be interpreted out of context, thinking that the type of righteousness and kindness that is pursued is of little relevance to the discussion.  But I assure you that this is not the case.  What I mean to say is that our own righteousness is a worthless trinket compared to the surpassing awesomeness of God's righteousness, like the difference between a a grain of sand and sunshine.

Righteousness, of the kind and degree that this verse encourages, is wholly dependent upon God so that the effects–life, righteousness, and honor–would come to fruition in our lives.  Quite literally, it is as we receive the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:22) that we are able then to fulfill all of the requirements that a righteousness of this kind demands.

So in the end this verse is not about us striving to be more righteous or more kind.  This verse is, like nearly every passage of Scripture, about faith.  O that we would devote ourselves to the righteousness of God that only comes through faith!

Psalm 33:4-5–Declaring the Praise of the Lord

Psalm 33:4-5–"For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord."

What a beautiful testament to the great awesomeness of God!  But what stands out is that this beautiful phrase comes after the psalmist exhorts us to "Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!"  The point is that this statement is a not merely built upon the truths therein.  Rather, this testimony to the Lord flows out of the assumption that we will shout it!  In other words, the very essence of this verse is dependent upon the fact that it is an utterance of praise, a declaration of worship, an exclamation of His amazing awesomeness.  We would do well to keep in my the command to declare who He is just as quickly as we understand who He is.  Recognizing His nature is penultimate to exclaiming it.

Philippians 2:3–"Count Other More Significant than Yourself"

Philippians 2:3–"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

It is a profound conviction to ask one's self how significant they think others may be in comparison to themselves.  I am certain that our modus operandi is to naturally consider ourselves as, obviously, the best or brightest. This pride is but a facade, a veil that each of us creates and puts on as a shade to cover the reality of our inadequacy.  But it is in the recognition of true genius that we see our own imbecility, just as it is in hearing a metronome that we can realize how off-beat we are.

The point in this discussion, the intent of Paul's inclusion of this statement is about focus, questioning our heart: who are we looking at as the standard for life, reality, truth?

If we are thinking of ourselves as the standard by which God's children should be weighed or measured than we are missing the point altogether, forgetting that we, ultimately, take our cues from Christ and Christ alone.  We will always think ourselves as less than others in beauty in light of the beauty of Christ.  We will always think ourselves weaker than others in comparison to the strength of Christ.

The point, if I may say it as emphatically as this, is that if we keep our gaze fixed on Christ then we will naturally humble ourselves before others.

This is the goal and our aim.

To God be the Glory!

Psalm 59:16–Praise With Weight

Psalm 59:16–"But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress."

Life is hard.  There is just no doubt about it.  Full of dramatic highs and lows, it is a roller coaster ride that pushes us to the very bounds of vertigo and can leave us seasick just as easily as it can build our confidence.  Even though we are so prone to ebb and flow, the one sure thing is that this life will undulate and the waves of sweet, bowing highs will be paired with despairing distress and emptiness.  The point is that throughout all of these times, though they may feel so very unstable and insecure, there is a sure Rock, a certain fixed point of Stability to whom we may always look to for safety and refuge.  No one, no where but God Himself.  That is it.  There is no where else to turn.

It is at this point of recognition that the psalmist utters: "But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress."

O that we would realize this too!

Psalm 8:1–How Majestic is Your Name!

Psalm 8:1–"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

We live in a world and a culture that is driven with the singular goal in mind of making ourselves great, of having our stories heralded, and hearing our names shouted in exclamation.  There is such an emphasis on the importance of "making a name for one's self," that we have, in so many ways, forgotten who it is that, ultimately, has the greatest of all names and fames: God.

God's majesty and the power of His name, however, are attributed to Him not because of what He has done, although what He has done is truly worth praise and exaltation, rather, the greatness of God's name is a matter of character and constitution.  It is His nature that warrants the great majesty and glory.

This is in no way to discount the great things He has done–and that list is as infinite as He is–but instead is to point out the reality that God, unlike ourselves, is great because of who He is; He is the very definition of great.  All greatness, in the highest sense, is but a derivative of His, owing all the greatness attributed to the God who is for it is He and He alone who is, it turns out, great.

Truly, then, we can sing: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

For no other name can rightly deserve the status of God's name, for it is His name that defines all others.

Deut. 6:4-5–Love The Lord

Deuteronomy 6:4-5–"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

This is, in many ways, the very quintessence of Christianity.  It represents the very core, the central teaching and commandment of Christ.  There is such a tendency to conceive of Christianity as merely another religion full of rituals and dogma, but I submit that the real pivot, the essential hinge on which the whole of Christianity rests is a matter of love.  In fact, the most important question that any person must ask is a simple but convicting one: do I love God?

It would seem that this is of utmost importance to God just as it should be for us too...