talia*: 12/1/09

Treasures In Heaven

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matt 6: 20-21

I’ve been trying to figure out a way to bring my huge CD collection and “swanky” sneakers into heaven. I really have! I’m stuck for the moment so I’ll blog.

2 years ago, from transition to living at my apartment in to my home I decided to live at a motel for a week. It was your typical run of the mill motel. It had its perks of room service and continental breakfast but for the most part the room was a dump. It had worn out carpets, old dressers, moldy smell…the works. To be honest it only took about a day before I wanted to rip out the carpets and install hardwood floors, install linoleum floors in the bathroom, and re- paint the walls just to brighten up the place.
But as common sense would have it I didn’t for three main reasons.

1) The stay was temporary.
2) I couldn’t take any of it with me.
3) I had a new home waiting for me.

Why spend all my time and resources into re-modeling this motel when I could pour it into my home? My heart was elsewhere.

As obvious as the decision may have sounded we do the same in out Christian life. We cannot take earthly possessions with us into heaven no matter how much time and effort we put into obtaining it. But we put so much of our effort into doing it regardless.

Time, money, and health are gracious resources given to us by God. We can either do two things; use them to obtain earthly temporary things or use them to build up the eternal kingdom.

But I sure do wish we get to wear cool sneakers in heaven!

The Gift Of Gifts

O Source of all good,
What shall I render to Thee for the gift of gifts?
Thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
His self-emptying incomprehensible,
His infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below to raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like Him.

Herein is love;
when I cannot rise to Him He draws near on wings of grace,
to raise me to Himself.

Herein is power;
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
He united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreate and the created.

Herein is wisdom;
when I was undone, with no will to return to Him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
He came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
and in Him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart.
embrace Him with undying faith,
exulting that He is mine and I am His.

In Him thou hast given me so much
that heaven can give me no more.

"The Gift of Gifts" | Valley of Vision

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Have a joyous Christmas everyone!

Figs, Christmas and Hypocrisy

I'm not sure what figgy pudding is, but is sounds scary. But I digress so quickly...

In Matthew 21:18-22 Jesus has just returned from Bethany to Jerusalem and from a distance sees a fig tree by the side of the road. Scripture makes it a point to say that there were leaves on this particular fig tree. Although it was at least a good month and a half away from the normal season for figs to bear fruit, the presence of leaves on the tree signified that fruit was there. Being hungry and seeing this fig tree with leaves from afar, Jesus heads towards the tree to grab a morning bite to eat. He finds no figs, curses the tree and the tree withers away.

Before making application, we need to understand that in several instances in the Old Testament Israel was likened to a figless fig tree (Micah 7:1-4, Hosea 9:10). In these instances, figs are symboic for godliness, devotion to God, true faith, true believers. The absences of godliness and true believers in the land of Israel was detestable to God. From a distance, any nation observing Israel would have thought that they were godly and very religious. But from God's standpoint and upclose examination, Israel was barren.

When we head back to Matthew 21, we see that the problem with the fig tree was not such much barreness. The gospel of Mark tells us that it was not the time of figs. But being that the tree had leaves, which Jesus saw from a distance, and being the leaves were supposed to indicate that fruit was on the tree, Jesus anger arises from the fact that the tree gave the appearance of fruit but did not have any. The tree was a hypocrite...a pretender...a deceiver. Jesus curses it and it becomes good for nothing except to be thrown into a furnace.

So, too, had Israel become once again. They had all sorts of leaves and no fruit. They had just welcomed Christ into Jerusalem with shouts of praise: Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest. They had just thrown their cloaks on the floor which was the cultural way of welcoming a king or war hero. They had cut palm branches (symbols of peace) and laid them on the ground along with their cloaks, believing that Christ was bringing peace for them. Yet their understanding of the peace He was bringing was political not spiritual. They had the appearance of real spiritual fruit. Their worship seemed to be genuine. Yet it was a farce. They were hypocrites. They were pretenders. A week later those shouts of praise would be turned into shouts of hate: Cruficy Him!!! Cruficy Him!!!

Israel had leaves. They had the temple in Jerusalem where this fig tree is located. The temple system, ceremonies and sacrifices all elaborately portrayed the gospel. Yet when Christ arrives He finds merchants and money-changers using the gospel to fulfill their own greedy lusts. The problem wasn't that they were doing business. The problem was that the merchants and money-changers were taking advantage of those participating in the temple ceremonies. The gospel became a means to fulfill ones greedy lusts.

Jesus then drives everyone out of the temple--even those being taken adantage of. Christ is displeased with them as well. They should have been just as indignant and righteously angry as Christ was, yet they went along with the program and failed to contend for the gospel and God's glory. They should have been zealous for the gospel. There should have been others doing what Christ had done, but there was no one else cleansing the temple. Israel had leaves...but no fruit. They had the appearance of godliness, but it was pure hypocrisy.

The cursing of the fig tree then becomes an ojbect lesson for the disciples as to the state and condemnation of that generation. What a powerful display of God's judgment upon hypocrites--upon those who appear to be godly but upon close examination from the Lord are found wanting.

Christmas is right around the corner...but a few weeks away. A lot of leaves will be displayed. There will be an unprecedented amount of professed godliness dispalyed during this holiday season. Hmmm...something to think about. Will those with true fruit rise up and warn the current generation of the condemnation that will come from the one who was born in a stable if they are found to be trees with leaves and no fruit?

How we need the Savior! That is the good news of the Christmas story. Christ came to save us from our wickedness and God's wrath in order to make us God's children who bear godly fruit and display His glory. Bearing fruit and displaying the glory of God doesn't save you. Rather, God saves you in order to display His glory with little pieces of fruit that look like Him.

How good God is in warning the visible church of the hypocrites that are hiding within the true church.

Now if by chance you come across the fabled figgy pudding this Christmas, and if you find that figgy pudding is made with figs...remember Matthew 21 and the cursing of the figless fig tree.

Idolatry

Our choices are predicated upon what we think is "good,' what we "delight in," what we find most "desirable." The truth about our choices is that we always choose what we believe to be our best good.We always choose what we believe will bring us the most delight. ...

Idolatry is a sin that has its beginning in the mind, in your thoughts, beliefs, judgements, and imagination. ... Instead of fashioning idols out of wood or stone, we fashion them in our imagination - worshiping that which we believe will bring us happiness. ... These beliefs function as gods just as surely as if we had carved them from wood or overlaid them with silver. ... We must learn to put away the gods of our imagination: gods that promise happiness in exchange for our worship.

Our longings and desires ... are the driving force behind everything we do. ... Why do we profess great love for the Lord on Sunday morning and exaggerate our successes to our boss on Monday morning? Because we have divided desires. ... [T]he desire that is strongest ... is what our will acts on. ...

My sin has its roots in my false worship. Don't be deceived: you are already passionately worshipping something. ... Learning to take great delight and joy in God is the strongest deterrent to idolatry.

Elyse Fitzpatrick Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone

photo credit: jenny james

Zechariah 3

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

And the Lord said to Satan,
“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.
And the angel said to those who were standing before him,

“Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

The Grace of the Incarnation

Those of us that enjoy the history of the reformation and the doctrines that were recaptured during that time period are fond of the Latin phrase Sola Gratia, which means that we are saved by grace alone in Christ. All of salvation, every aspect of it, all of Christ's works to secure it for us, all the gifts given to us that we may be saved....well, they're all by the grace of God. Our salvation would not be possible had the Son of God not become flesh. In fact, Scripture refers to the incarnation as one of the gracious things Christ has done to secure us a right standing with the Father.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

How rich we are because of the grace of the incarnation. I pray that your Christmas is filled with more of God's grace.