It’s hard to believe that Tim Keller has been gone for almost two years. Recently, I read something in one of his devotionals that I really liked enough to share with you.
Something from Tim Keller
Author: Ragamuffingospelfan
You Overcame
Anyone else in here ever get a song stuck in your head? Or are you like me and have a virtual running jukebox in your head with music playing all the time. I mean All. The. Time.
The latest song that’s been playing in my brain is an oldie but a goodie by Jeremy Camp. I remember singing it in church back in the early 2000s. I wish it could make a comeback or that somebody could do a cover. Maybe somewhere some church could have a 2000s worship night.
The lyrics are straight out of the book of Revelation. This song is basically singing scripture, and to my mind, there’s almost nothing better when it comes to worship music than singing the word back to God. Here are the words:
“Seated above, enthroned in the Father’s love
Destined to die, poured out for all mankind
God’s only Son, perfect and spotless one
He never sinned but suffered as if He did
All authority
Every victory is Yours
All authority
Every victory is Yours
Savior
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame
Power in hand speaking the Father’s plan
You’re sending us out, light in this broken land
All authority
Every victory is Yours
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame, yeah
We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome
We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome
We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome
We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame Jesus
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame
You overcame (You overcame)
Jesus (You overcame)
You overcame (You overcame)
You overcame
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name (Your name), You overcame
You overcame
Jesus
You overcame” (Jon Egan)
They Overcame
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even in the face of death” (Revelation 12:11, TLV).
Tonight I attended something called What a God: A Night of Testimony & Thanksgiving at Brentwood Baptist Church. Basically, it was a night of worship interspersed with testimonies of people who experienced the healing of God in their lives and a time of prayer for those dealing with serious illnesses.
It was a beautiful reminder of the goodness of God. Time and time again, we saw how the Lord was faithful to do what He promised. Time after time, we saw how the miracles came because people were bold enough to ask in prayer. I don’t believe that God heals everyone every time on this side of heaven, but I do believe that we often don’t receive from the Lord because we do not ask.
There’s something powerful about someone’s testimony that points people to Jesus. You can argue points of doctrine and theology all day long, but it’s hard to dispute eyewitness accounts. Add that to some powerful songs of thanksgiving, and it was a good night.
I still say that the best antidote for worry is worship. The cure for anxiety is adoration. Once you take your eyes off of yourself and put them on Jesus, everything that seems so pressing and urgent falls back into place. Of course, I know that certain kinds of extreme anxiety have physical causes and it is no sin to take medication or have counseling at times.
Every time we gather for worship, we remember that we are singing not for a potential victory but from a promised victory. We declare that the battle is the Lord’s and He has already overcome. The enemy is already a defeated foe. We are already more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
I’m thankful to Travis Cottrell and all the worship team at Brentwood Baptist Church for putting on a night like this where God was the main attraction. It could very easily have been another concert with an audience of multitudes, but it was instead a worship night with an audience of one. And boy, did He show up.
Gimme that Jesus Chicken (from August 26, 2021)
I admit that I love me some Chick-fil-A. My reasons have very little to do with the personal beliefs of their owner or any of their employees. It’s their magical wonderful chicken that has some sort of addictive chemicals added to it to make me crave it constantly.
I know that if I ever go to an event where they’ve catered those trays of Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, the night is going to be lit. I mean, it’s going to be a P-A-R-T-Y. I myself could eat at least my weight in those delectable nuggets. Especially if they come with the sauces.
During the summer, they always bring out the peach milkshakes. As sacrilegeous as it sounds, I think I prefer the peach milkshake over the chocolate, and I’m usually all about chocolate anything and everything. Also, they have this delightful concoction called a frosted lemonade which to me tastes like one of those lemon ice box pies blended into a shake. I think I’ve gained five pounds typing all this and thinking about all the food.
They have some of the best customer service at most of their restaurants. They’re known for it. Most other businesses would do well to emulate the Chick-fil-A model of customer service. And the fun part is getting the employees to say “my pleasure” as many times as possible in one visit.
If you are a fan, let me know what your favorite items from the menu are. I myself am partial to the Spicy Southwest salad with the creamy salsa dressing and the spicy deluxe chicken sandwich. As far as beverages go, I really like getting half unsweet tea, half lemonade. And it comes pre-blessed.
One Final CAFO Takeaway (from September 20, 2024)
I was able to attend the final session of the CAFO 2024 conference for which I was a volunteer. It was an incredible experience hearing from MaryBeth Chapman about the journey of adoption through grief and healing and beyond. Then I heard an amazing sermon that I’m still processing. I don’t remember the name of the preacher, but the message hit home.
Basically, Caesar issued a dirty decree that made all the inhabitants of the Roman world go back to their ancestral hometown to be registered (so that he could later raise their taxes significantly). It was a hardship for many, especially Joseph and Mary, who was with child at the time.
But God used that dirty decree to accomplish His own divine decree, born before the foundation of the world and prophesied 700 years before Caesar made his decree. Caesar was the instrument God used to accomplish the purpose of bringing Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would arise from that little town.
I look back and see that me being out of a job enabled me to participate in this conference as a volunteer where I would normally have not been able. I could not have foreseen this back in February, but God already knew. God’s plan means there is a purpose for my pain and a special joy for me if I will step out in faith and join Him in the journey He has for me.
God is not surprised by my setbacks or my (occasional) stupidity. He’s factored those into His plan. In fact, Romans 8:28-30 says, “We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. God knew from the beginning who would put their trust in Him. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son. Christ was first and all those who belong to God are His brothers. He called to Himself also those He chose. Those He called, He made right with Himself. Then He shared His shining-greatness with those He made right with Himself” (Romans 8:28-30, NLV).
Ultimately, the goal is to be like Jesus and to know that He is coming back. We will see the grand purpose in God’s plan, knowing that behind every dirty decree is a divine decree of God directing us toward His perfect will for us.
I Believe
“I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Creator, infinitely holy and loving, who has a plan for the world, a plan for my life, and some daily work for me to do. I believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, as Example, Lord, and Savior. I believe in the Holy Spirit who is able to guide my life so that I may know God’s will; and I am prepared to allow him to guide and control my life. I believe in God’s law that I should love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my strength; and my neighbor as myself. I believe it is God’s will that the whole world should be without any barriers of race, color, class, or anything else that breaks the spirit of fellowship. To believe means to believe with the mind and heart, to accept, and to act accordingly on that basis” (Eric Liddell).
I still believe. Not in a humble brag way, but in the most honest way I know how to believe. I’ve heard about and read about so many people who called themselves Christians and were deeply impactful in my life but who no longer choose to be associated with Christianity. Or they’ve gone so far down the deconstruction rabbit hole that what they believe is no longer close to what the Bible teaches.
Why do I still believe? I think it’s because I have no other choice. I love it when Jesus asks His followers if they’re about to leave Him after He said some hard truths that drove away many followers. Peter basically said, “Where else are we gonna go? Only You have the words of eternal life.”
That’s how I feel. What other religion or belief system gives me hope? Who else died for my sins and gives me a fresh slate every morning when I’ve failed miserably the night before?
It’s not so much that I have such a strong faith in God but more of a mustard-sized faith in a very strong God. It’s not me having a stranglehold on God but that He’s holding on to me and won’t ever let go. That’s my hope. If I could have lost my salvation, I would have lost it a long time ago. Thankfully, I hold the promise that God in Jesus won’t lose a single one of those who come to Him in faith. He will finish what He started in me.
I honestly don’t know why people walk away from faith. I don’t know that I would have done any differently if I were in their shoes and walking their roads. I know that I can pray for them to rediscover faith (or even discover real faith for the first time). I know that there’s no better place than in the center of God’s will and no better hope than the one that Jesus offers.
A Prayer Based on Hebrews 12:1-3
Jesus, You are the author and perfector, the initiator and finisher of my faith. For the joy set before You, You endured the cross that should have been mine, despising the shame that I deserved but that You bore. You have taken Your seat at the right hand of the Father, forever proclaiming that everything necessary for me to be right with God and to be born again as a true child of God is finished and done. As I remember all that you endured leading up to the cross and on the cross for my sake, I will not grow weary in my soul or lose heart because You have given me a new heart to love You, love others, and love myself. Thank You for loving me enough to die for me and to be raised for me that I might live for You forevermore. Amen.
Befriending Your Pain (from October 10, 2021)
“I want to say to you that most of our brokenness cannot be simply taken away. It’s there. And the deepest pain that you and I suffer is often the pain that stays with us all our lives. It cannot be simply solved, fixed, done away with. . . . What are we then told to do with that pain, with that brokenness, that anguish, that agony that continually rises up in our heart? We are called to embrace it, to befriend it. To not just push it away . . . to walk right over it, to ignore it. No, to embrace it, to befriend it, and say that is my pain and I claim my pain as the way God is willing to show me his love” (Henri Nouwen).
C. S. Lewis said that God speaks to us through our pain. Oftentimes, pain is the only way for God to get our attention, distracted as we are by our pleasures and pursuits. Living in a beautiful but broken world, it’s not hard to find pain. God simply uses that pain to speak to us, to gently remind us that He is near, to mold us into something closer to His likeness.
The growth itself is painful as well. The transition from selfish to selfless, from hateful to loving, from carless to caring is never easy and is never enjoyable, but it is necessary. All growth of any kind hurts. But more painful is to remain stunted and unfulfilled all your life and to never realize your full God-given potential. So basically, there’s no escape from pain.
But God is stronger than the pain. After the pain ends — and all pain must end eventually — God remains. God works all things together for good, even suffering, and makes it all more than worth it in the end.
A Monday Eve Blessing (from September 10, 2023)
It’s a bit disconcerting to think that the weekend is practically over and that Monday is nigh. In fact, some of you might be dreading the start of another work week in a place where you don’t like your job. Maybe some of you are in toxic work environments. Maybe you just feel overworked and underappreciated.
Then this blessing is for you.
“The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually)” (Numbers 6:24-26, AMPC).
Completely Other
“‘I don’t think the way you think.
The way you work isn’t the way I work.’
God’s Decree.’For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
they’ll complete the assignment I gave them” (Isaiah 55:8-11, The Message).
I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful for a God I can’t figure out. I’m grateful that His ways are higher than mine, because anything I could completely comprehend wouldn’t be worth worshipping. As far as the heavens are above the earth, so much higher are God’s thoughts than mine.
I also think that a lot of deconstruction of faith happens when we judge God by our standards rather than the other way around. We make ourselves the standard by which God must abide. God would never [fill in the blank] because I would never [fill in the blank]. But that puts us above God and essentially makes us gods.
The older I get, the more I’m sure the less I know. I’m less inclined to think I have all the answers than I was when I was younger. I am also more aware of my deep need for a God who isn’t just Me 2.0, upgraded to be faster and stronger and smarter. I need someone who is completely other, someone who could condescend to my level and do for me what I could never do for myself. And that, my friends, is the gospel.
Thank You, God, that You are bigger than entire galaxies and universes, yet You are mindful of me. You who are beyond space and time became like me so that I could one day become like You. You entered into human history to redeem it and to redeem me and everybody else who calls on You in faith. Amen.
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