Savior

The Covenant Story

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I don’t know how many of you remember an old Rich Mullins song that talks about Leah and Rachel. It says that Jacob loved Rachel, and Rachel loved Jacob, and Leah was just there for dramatic effect. Rachel was the pretty one. Leah had “weak eyes,” which I’ve always been led to believe meant that she had a really great personality. You know what that means.

Leah was the pawn in Laban’s cruel practical joke on Jacob. Neither one of them loved her very much to treat her the way they did. It’s obvious that Rachel was the favorite child. Also, remember that this is just another in a long line of examples that show how polygamy in the Bible never had a positive outcome, yet God worked through these broken people with broken relationships to bring about the salvation plan for the world.

I read something recently that completely flipped my perspective on the whole Jacob-Leah-Rachel story in Genesis. I confess that I was a full-on Rachel fan for most of my life. She was the one I would have chosen, and Leah came across as whiny. But now I think that Leah was God’s chosen instrument to carry on the lineage that lead to the Messiah. Jesus didn’t come through Rachel, but Leah.

Read these words and remember that when you feel rejected by the world and by those you love, that God has a different story in mind for you. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies’? (1 Cor. 1:27, The Message).

“Did you know Jacob was buried with Leah, not Rachel?
Not the woman he loved.
Not the one he cried for.
Not the one he labored fourteen years to have.
Leah.
In Genesis 49:29–31, when Jacob was about to die, he gave a clear instruction:
“Bury me… in the cave… where Abraham and Sarah are… Isaac and Rebekah… and there I buried Leah.”
Pause.
Rachel was his passion.
Leah was his alignment.
Rachel was the love story.
Leah was the covenant story.
Rachel had his emotions.
Leah carried the promise.
Rachel was buried on the roadside (Genesis 35:19).
Leah was laid in the ancestral grave of covenant—the lineage of God’s dealings.
And here is the mystery:
Leah was the rejected one.
The one Jacob didn’t choose.
The one he endured, not desired.
But heaven chose her.
From Leah came Judah.
From Judah came Jesus Christ.
Let that settle in your spirit—
The woman rejected by a man
became central to God’s redemptive plan.
This is where many people miss it:
We are all trying to be “Rachel”—
seen, desired, celebrated.
But God builds legacy through “Leah seasons”—
hidden places, painful processes, quiet obedience.
Jacob’s final decision was not emotional—
it was spiritual alignment.
At the end of his life,
he didn’t choose love…
he chose covenant.
And that is the gospel pattern:
God does not build His purposes on human preference.
He builds on grace and election.
So if you feel overlooked…
if you feel like second choice…
if life has not chosen you first—
hear this clearly:
God’s choice overrides man’s rejection” (Joanne Macfarlan Pharo)

Declaration of Dependence

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“We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God; we must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest blessing spiritually is the knowledge that we are destitute; until we get there Our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us if we think we are sufficient of ourselves; we have to enter into His Kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are rich, possessed of anything in the way of pride or independence, God cannot do anything for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

I think Jesus said something about this. Blessed are the poor in spirit? That seems to ring a bell. It’s only when I realize that I am spiritually bankrupt that I can open my hands to receive what God has for me. It’s only when I confess my own destitution that I can be useful to God. As long as I think I bring something to the table when it comes to serving the Lord, I get in my own way.

The way to blessing is through a declaration of dependence. We can go to God and say that we are completely helpless and can do nothing apart from Jesus. We confess that our own righteousness is like filthy rags. We declare that it’s only through abiding in the Vine that we can grow and flourish.

Lord, I commit myself to You. I know that apart from You I have nothing and I am nothing. Everything good in me is from You. I make my declaration of dependence in You and want to live from now on in the freedom of being nothing other than Your beloved child in whom You are well pleased because when You look at me You see Jesus. Amen.

Another Old School Hymn

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This one is from back in the day . . . and I mean BACK in the day:

“Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His holy will abideth;
I will be still whate’er He doth;
And follow where He guideth;
He is my God; though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path:
I know He will not leave me.
I take, content, what He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait His day.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His loving thought attends me;
No poison can be in the cup
That my Physician sends me.
My God is true; each morn anew
I’ll trust His grace unending,
My life to Him commending.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He is my Friend and Father;
He suffers naught to do me harm,
Though many storms may gather,
Now I may know both joy and woe,
Some day I shall see clearly
That He hath loved me dearly.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet I am not forsaken.
My Father’s care is round me there;
He holds me that I shall not fall:
And so to Him I leave it all” (Author: Samuel Rodigast (1675); Translator: Catherine Winkworth (1863)

Just for the record, it wouldn’t hurt to throw in a few more hymns during Sunday worship, would it?

Strangely Dim

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“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full, in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace” (Helen Howarth Lemmel)

For some reason, this hymn popped into my head out of nowhere today. What particularly stood out to me was the line about how the things of earth growing strangely dim. That’s a great way of putting it.

When I take photos with a camera, I like to focus on the subject and blur out the rest so that whoever’s looking at the photo will know exactly what the focal point of the picture is. Everything else fades into the background and becomes blurry.

That’s a picture of what happens when we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Everything else fades into the background. Everything else loses focus. All those problems that seemed so important and critical seem way less important in comparison.

There’s something about the power of praise that sets everything else into perspective. A mindset of worship has a way of keeping us from spiraling over temporal things that preoccupy our thoughts the majority of the time.

What is keeping you up late at night? What keeps you from sleeping and gives you anxiety throughout your days? Perhaps if we could turn our eyes on Jesus — not just cursory glances or occasional sightings but full intentional gazing on His glory and grace — then maybe those things would grow strangely dim in comparison.

Lord, help us to see You more clearly and to see everything else in comparison with Your matchless glory and grace. Let everything else grow strangely dim so that we can see that You are all that ultimately matters in the end, and all Your promises are still yes and amen. Thank You for loving us. Amen.

What We Become

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“What we become is more important than where we’re from” (seen on a church sign).

People can get so caught up in their past and become a prisoner to it. So many lives are defined by regret and bitterness. So many can’t move forward because they’re still stuck in the same place where they received their wounds that won’t heal. So many have been the victim for so long that they don’t know how to be anything else.

But God is telling a different story.

As I’ve mentioned before, God can take the worst moment of your life that you swore you’d never tell anyone about and make it the opening line of your testimony (with much love and thanks to Uncle Mikey for that one). With God, your past with all its mistakes and carnage now serves a purpose instead of serving shame.

At one point, the Bible gives a long laundry list of sins and says that the people who based their identity on these sins won’t inherit the Kingdom of God. Then comes one of the best lines in the Bible: AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU.

In other words, that’s who you were but not who you are now. That’s no longer what defines you or gives your life meaning. For those in Christ, you are no longer an alcoholic or an adulterer or a homosexual or a thief or any of those things. You are now a son of God or a daughter of God.

Now who you are becoming is more important than where you’re from. God in Jesus is making you into His image, taking away your heart of stone and giving you a heart of flesh. He’s taking away your sinful desires and giving you a passion for pleasing Christ in all you do. He’s making you into the person He created you to be and you are finally becoming your truest self rather than a carbon copy of everyone else or a slave to your addictions and desires.

So remember that. What we become is more important than where we’re from. The story ain’t over, folks. It’s about to get really good.

Saturday Randomness

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It’s been a little while since I did a random post of random thoughts and such. I couldn’t think of anything better, so here we are with a little stream of consciousness.

I’m dog sitting currently for my sister and her family. Well, technically I’m dog sitting, rabbit sitting, fish sitting, and chinchilla sitting. So basically I’m pet sitting. But I like all the critters, so it’s all good.

I had to get a tire patched earlier today. I don’t know why, but I seem to be really good lately at picking up nails in my tires. It’s probably my new spiritual gift. I don’t even have to try. They just automatically gravitate toward my vehicle and latch on.

Also, I’m looking for some speakers to go with my sorta new turntable. The old one is probably DOA, so I’m trying to make the not quite so new one work. If you or someone you know has any idea of a good place to find some for a relatively good price, I’m all eyes and ears.

Also, I’m thankful. The older I get, the more thankful I am. I realize that most of those things I used to take for granted are really the best things in life. Faith, family, friends, food (kidding but not kidding), and so many other things. I’ve learned to quit worrying about what’s missing and start appreciating all that I already have, which is more than enough.

So far, I think I’ve nailed the random part. This one is all over the place, but hopefully in a good way. Plus, I am super tired and in need of a good night’s rest, so hopefully tomorrow will be back to your normally scheduled blog posts and maybe slightly less random.

Thank you for reading. You rock.

Getting God Right

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“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like” (A W Tozer).

A lot of people today seem to have reimagined God into their own likeness. The old joke says that God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the compliment ever since. We want a god like us because that’s a kind of god we can manipulate and control. That’s the kind of god who will never push us or challenge us or make us uncomfortable or ever ask anything of us.

If you get Jesus wrong, you get God wrong. If you get God wrong, you basically get everything else wrong. This doesn’t fall under the category of “you do you,” meaning whatever you believe about God is fine. The Bible has given us the one true God and anytime we try to deviate from that, we mess up big time.

Every part of our worldview and our worship springs from how we view God. Is He a benign old grandfather who will tolerate anything and everything? Or is He a moral busybody looking to crack down on the least little offense and throw some lightening bolts at sinners?

Brennan Manning said it best: “I want neither a terrorist spirituality that keeps me in a perpetual state of fright about being in right relationship with my heavenly Father nor a sappy spirituality that portrays God as such a benign teddy bear that there is no aberrant behavior or desire of mine that he will not condone. I want a relationship with the Abba of Jesus, who is infinitely compassionate with my brokenness and at the same time an awesome, incomprehensible, and unwieldy Mystery.”

Lord, help us to know You more and more. Forgive us for when we try to make You more like us instead of trying to be more like You. We confess that so often we would rather choose comfort and complacency than stepping out in faith to follow where You lead, no matter how costly the road. Help us to see that knowing You and following You is worth whatever the cost and is infinitely better than anything we might lose. Amen.

The Gracious Wounds of God

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“Sometimes the most gracious, merciful thing God could ever do is wound you. To wound you, (and in that wound bind you to Himself) is far more gracious than to bless you with everything you want and have you not know Him” (Matt Chandler).

I found out recently that my pastor who is battling cancer is in stage 4. I also learned that a surgery last month to remove the cancer was unsuccessful. At that point, a lot of people would either give into fear or throw in the proverbial towel altogether. But not my pastor.

He has maintained an incredible and submissive attitude throughout the entire ordeal. I’m not saying he never is afraid or gives into moments of doubt, but he is trusting God, no matter what the outcome. He reminded us that the way to fight spiritual battles is through praise.

It’s easy for me to lose perspective sometimes when I’m in a struggle and forget that others are dealing with way worse than I am. The secret is not comparison with others or dwelling solely on the problem but keeping our eyes on God. As I’ve heard it recently, the antidote to anxiety is the adoration of God.

My pastor referenced a passage where King Jeoshaphat is facing a combined army that is invading Israel and the odds are not good. Instead of panicking, he turns to God in prayer. The last line of his prayer is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Sometimes, God has to wound us to get us to look up. Sometimes, He allows trials and suffering to get our attention. Sometimes, we face hardships and trials to purify our faith and get us to turn our eyes on Jesus. I’d rather be wounded and find the comfort of closeness with God than get everything I’ve ever wanted and not know God. That would be tragic.

Lord, get our attention. Help us see that there’s nothing else that we could ever desire that is better than You. You are the only one able to hold us together when we feel like we’re falling apart. You’re the only one who can heal our woundedness and brokenness. We don’t know what to do so much of the time, so we once again turn our eyes on You, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen.

Letting Love Grow

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“‘Do you remember, Grace and Glory, when you looked into your heart beside the pool, and found that my kind of love was not there at all– only the plant of Longing-to-be-loved?’

She nodded wonderingly.

‘That was the natural human love which I tore out from your heart when the time was ripe and it was loose enough to be uprooted so that the real Love could grow there alone and fill your whole heart'” (Hinds Feet on High Places, Hannah Hurnard).

“You see, true love germinates in the soil of sacrifice, sprouts in the garden of surrender and matures in a matrimony of servanthood.  Love isn’t love until it has cost you something to give it away” (Josh Hopwood).

Sometimes, it takes a long time for true love to germinate and grow in someone’s heart. We call a lot of things love that are closer to lust or to selfish longing, but God’s kind of love always involves sacrifice. That is, the love God wants for us isn’t known for taking but for giving. And forgiving, as well.

God in Jesus doesn’t love us for what we can do for us. He knows we bring nothing to the table and have no gifts or talents apart from Him that we can give. Everything we give to God is something God gave us in the first place. When we love others in that way, it’s not about expecting something in return but giving sacrificially because that’s the way God has loved us.

Lord, give us the love for others that never seeks to profit but only seeks to be like David who said that He would not offer to the Lord that which cost him nothing. May we always seek to give and not expect anything in return because we know that our reward is ultimately and only from You in the end. Amen.

Not My Will

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“Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt. Send me where Thou wilt. Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever. Amen” (Betty Scott Stam).

This is another good prayer to pray. I mean, I have nothing against prayers about God blessing us and giving us the desires of our hearts, but the prayer that God will always honor is one that says, “God, Your will be done.”

I’ve learned over the years that I’m not the best at choosing what’s good for me. Sometimes, I feel what’s best instead of thinking it. Sometimes, I want something because I see that someone else has it. My motives are a mixed bag at best.

But when I leave the choice with God, I can rest assured that God will always choose the best. He will pick what brings Him the most glory, which in turn is what is always for my greatest good.

If God gives me something other than what I asked for, He is still good. If God doesn’t give me what I ask for, He is still good. If God gave me nothing else from this point on, He would still be good. No matter what, through feast or famine, through garden or desert, He is still good.

Lord, have Your way in me. I lay down every one of my desires at Your feet to do with as You will. Whether or not You ever give me any of them or not, You are and will always be good. Amen.