His joy is in our redemption, which redounds to God’s glory. To abandon the cross and thus to abandon us and the Father’s will was a prospect so horrible in Christ’s mind that he repulsed it and embraced death.
When God’s Love Is Sweetest
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:25–26)
If you only hope for unconditional love from God, your hope is great, but too small.
Unconditional love from God is not the sweetest experience of his love. The sweetest experience is when his love says: “I have made you so much like my Son that I delight to see you and be with you. You are a pleasure to me, because you are so radiant with my glory.”
This sweetest experience is conditional on our transformation into the kind of people whose emotions and choices and actions please God.
Unconditional love is the source and foundation of the human transformation that makes the sweetness of conditional love possible. If God did not love us unconditionally, he would not penetrate our unattractive lives, bring us to faith, unite us to Christ, give us his Spirit, and make us progressively like Jesus.
But when he unconditionally chooses us, and sends Christ to die for us, and regenerates us, he puts in motion an unstoppable process of transformation that makes us glorious. He gives us a splendor to match his favorite kind.
We see this in Ephesians 5:25–26. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [unconditional love], that he might sanctify her . . . and present the church to himself in splendor” — the condition in which he delights.
It is unspeakably wonderful that God would unconditionally set his favor on us while we are still unbelieving sinners. The ultimate reason this is wonderful is that this unconditional love brings us into the everlasting enjoyment of his glorious presence.
But the apex of that enjoyment is that we not only see his glory, but also reflect it. “The name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:12).
John Piper, "Hope For More Than Unconditional Love" http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/hope-for-more-than-unconditional-love
"God Is Not an Idolator"
When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:10)
People stumble over the teaching that God exalts his own glory and seeks to be praised by his people because the Bible teaches us not to be like that. For example, the Bible says that love “does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NASB).
How can God be loving and yet be utterly devoted to “seeking his own” glory and praise and joy? How can God be for us if he is so utterly for himself?
The answer I propose is this: Because God is unique as an all-glorious, totally self-sufficient Being, he must be for himself if he is to be for us. The rules of humility that belong to a creature cannot apply in the same way to its Creator.
If God should turn away from himself as the Source of infinite joy, he would cease to be God. He would deny the infinite worth of his own glory. He would imply that there is something more valuable outside himself. He would commit idolatry.
This would be no gain for us. For where can we go when our God has become unrighteous? Where will we find a Rock of integrity in the universe when the heart of God has ceased to value supremely the supremely valuable? Where shall we turn with our adoration when God himself has forsaken the claims of infinite worth and beauty?
No, we do not turn God’s self-exaltation into love by demanding that God cease to be God.
Instead, we must come to see that God is love precisely because he relentlessly pursues the praises of his name in the hearts of his people.
"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name."
Psalm 29:2
God's glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character are also glorious; but while he intends that they should manifest to his creatures his goodness, and mercy, and justice, he is equally concerned that the glory associated with them should be given only to himself. Nor is there aught in ourselves in which we may glory; for who maketh us to differ from another? And what have we that we did not receive from the God of all grace? Then how careful ought we to be to walk humbly before the Lord! The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. Shall the insect of an hour glorify itself against the sun which warmed it into life? Shall the potsherd exalt itself above the man who fashioned it upon the wheel? Shall the dust of the desert strive with the whirlwind? Or the drops of the ocean struggle with the tempest? Give unto the Lord, all ye righteous, give unto the Lord glory and strength; give unto him the honour that is due unto his name. Yet it is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence—"Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be glory." It is a lesson which God is ever teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by most painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, "I can do all things," without adding "through Christ which strengtheneth me," and before long he will have to groan, "I can do nothing," and bemoan himself in the dust. When we do anything for the Lord, and he is pleased to accept of our doings, let us lay our crown at his feet, and exclaim, "Not I, but the grace of God which was with me!"
Charles Spurgeon, "Morning and Evening", August 16
Living by faith in God’s grace means being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus. Therefore faith will not shrink back from what reveals and magnifies all that God is for us in Jesus. That is what our own weakness and suffering does.
"He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out."
Genesis 39:12
In contending with certain sins there remains no mode of victory but by flight. The ancient naturalists wrote much of basilisks, whose eyes fascinated their victims and rendered them easy victims; so the mere gaze of wickedness puts us in solemn danger. He who would be safe from acts of evil must haste away from occasions of it. A covenant must be made with our eyes not even to look upon the cause of temptation, for such sins only need a spark to begin with and a blaze follows in an instant. Who would wantonly enter the leper's prison and sleep amid its horrible corruption? He only who desires to be leprous himself would thus court contagion. If the mariner knew how to avoid a storm, he would do anything rather than run the risk of weathering it. Cautious pilots have no desire to try how near the quicksand they can sail, or how often they may touch a rock without springing a leak; their aim is to keep as nearly as possible in the midst of a safe channel.
This day I may be exposed to great peril, let me have the serpent's wisdom to keep out of it and avoid it. The wings of a dove may be of more use to me today than the jaws of a lion. It is true I may be an apparent loser by declining evil company, but I had better leave my cloak than lose my character; it is not needful that I should be rich, but it is imperative upon me to be pure. No ties of friendship, no chains of beauty, no flashings of talent, no shafts of ridicule must turn me from the wise resolve to flee from sin. The devil I am to resist and he will flee from me, but the lusts of the flesh, I must flee, or they will surely overcome me. O God of holiness preserve thy Josephs, that Madam Bubble bewitch them not with her vile suggestions. May the horrible trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil, never overcome us!
"I am married unto you."
Jeremiah 3:14
Christ Jesus is joined unto his people in marriage-union. In love he espoused his Church as a chaste virgin, long before she fell under the yoke of bondage. Full of burning affection he toiled, like Jacob for Rachel, until the whole of her purchase-money had been paid, and now, having sought her by his Spirit, and brought her to know and love him, he awaits the glorious hour when their mutual bliss shall be consummated at the marriage-supper of the Lamb. Not yet hath the glorious Bridegroom presented his betrothed, perfected and complete, before the Majesty of heaven; not yet hath she actually entered upon the enjoyment of her dignities as his wife and queen: she is as yet a wanderer in a world of woe, a dweller in the tents of Kedar; but she is even now the bride, the spouse of Jesus, dear to his heart, precious in his sight, written on his hands, and united with his person. On earth he exercises towards her all the affectionate offices of Husband. He makes rich provision for her wants, pays all her debts, allows her to assume his name, and to share in all his wealth. Nor will he ever act otherwise to her. The word divorce he will never mention, for "He hateth putting away." Death must sever the conjugal tie between the most loving mortals, but it cannot divide the links of this immortal marriage. In heaven they marry not, but are as the angels of God; yet there is this one marvellous exception to the rule, for in Heaven Christ and his Church shall celebrate their joyous nuptials. This affinity as it is more lasting, so is it more near than earthly wedlock. Let the love of husband be never so pure and fervent, it is but a faint picture of the flame which burns in the heart of Jesus. Passing all human union is that mystical cleaving unto the Church, for which Christ left his Father, and became one flesh with her.
'When Reason Serves Rebellion'
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!” (Proverbs 22:13)
This is not what I expected the proverb to say. I would have expected it to say “The coward says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!’” But it says, “sluggard,” not “coward.” So the controlling emotion here is laziness, not fear.
But what does laziness have to do with the danger of a lion in the street? We don’t say, “This man is too lazy to go do his work because there is a lion outside.”
The point is that the sluggard creates imaginary circumstances to justify not doing his work, and thus shifts the focus from the vice of his laziness to the danger of lions. No one will approve his staying in the house all day just because he is lazy.
One profound biblical insight we need to know is that our heart exploits our mind to justify what the heart wants. That is, our deepest desires precede the rational functioning of our minds and incline the mind to perceive and think in a way that will make the desires look right.
This is what the sluggard is doing. He deeply desires to stay at home and not work. There is no good reason to stay at home. So what does he do? Does he overcome his bad desire? No, he uses his mind to create unreal circumstances to justify his desire.
Doing the evil we love makes us hostile to the light of truth. In this condition the mind becomes a factory of half-truths, equivocations, sophistries, evasions and lies — anything to protect the evil desires of the heart from exposure and destruction.
Consider and be wise.
John Piper, “The Sluggard Says There Is a Lion Outside, I Shall Be Slain”
We serve him with gladness because we do not bear the burden of meeting his needs. Rather we rejoice in a service where he meets our needs. Serving God always means receiving grace from God.
- John Piper, "The Painful Lesson of Learning Joy" http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/the-painful-lesson-of-learning-joy
Though You slay me,
Yet I will praise You.
Though You take from me,
I will bless Your name.
Though you ruin me,
Still I will worship.
Sing a song to the One who's all I need.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Thankful for my Father's faithfulness to continually remind me of this truth.
With graduation fast-approaching, I have been in sort of this perpetual state of sadness and dread considering my departure from San Diego Subsequently, I have slowly begun to detach myself from people, places, things...nouns. Up until now, I really didn't know how to adequately explain why I do this when an inevitable goodbye comes my way. I've rotated a handful of excuses: I'm not good at saying goodbye, losing people I love is just not my cup of tea, I want to distance myself now so doing it later won't be so hard, fear, fear, fear, and blah blah blah. But after challenging myself a lot (and being challenged by others) and thinking about the real reason why I drift away in anticipation of impending separation, I have boiled it down to one comprehensive, pretty-darn-accurate explanation: I cannot possibly imagine what life is going to be like without these people.
Sophomore year was one of continued struggle with discontentment and loneliness at state. Living with drama-mamas and having to shine the light of Christ in a place I thought couldn't possibly recognize light even in the darkness brought me immense discouragement. Again, the people in my class were the ones I ran to. I claimed their couch as my bed, their apartment my home, and their presence my family. I was the original sixth roommate, seeking solace from my struggles in the comfort of their love.
Junior year was a year God used to grow me in my contentment in Him. I was faced with two options of living situations: 1. live with UCSD girls in La Jolla, or 2. live by myself near SDSU. I was torn. Obviously I desired to be in La Jolla with the people I had come to know as family, where there would be comfort and love to embrace me on all sides. However, God had also been working in my heart, even since freshmen year, to be a light at SDSU and be a shelter for those who would weather the same storm I endured on campus. Since freshmen year I had prayed that, if God had brought me to this place of extreme discomfort and struggle, He would use me in mighty ways for His Kingdom so that my time here would not be in vain. And so I chose to live by myself near state in hopes of being a place of rest from the spiritual battle of those fighting for the Lord on campus, and I pray that I was. Before moving in to my one-bedroom apartment, I prayed God would place in me a peace and satisfaction in Him alone, understanding how prone I was to feeling lonely and abandoned. He answered my prayers by constantly reminding of the hearts that still loved and welcomed me in La Jolla. I rested in the fact that I had loving brothers and sisters that knew of my struggles and fought to remind me of our Shepherd's care over His sheep. Once again, I found my escape from spiritual turmoil in the knowledge of their love for me, and I drew from the fountain of joy that renewed my soul every time our class hung out. They will never know how much I leaned on their love that year, but I will always be thankful.
And this year, the most emotionally difficult year of my life, the culmination of their faithful love for me throughout college came to fruition. They saw me through the trial of my aunt's hospitalization and eventual passing, and they prayed fervently for my family. They never let me forget the goodness of God and the care of our Father for His children. They were patient as I poured out my sorrows and my pain, and they helped me see Christ in their compassion. In a time when I did not have the strength to stand, they were my crutch. They were the first people to whom I admitted how utterly broken and weak I was, and they never failed to share in my burdens.
The brothers and sisters in my class have lived Christ so faithfully and passionately that when I faltered in my faith, I could see God's glory shine through them. I have sought shelter in their homes and rest in their love. And now that I am staring the future in the face, I have no idea what I'm going to without them by my side. I'm terrified to walk without my crutch, without my constant reminders to look up and see God's goodness. Four years I have had the blessing of a body of believers ready to provide encouragement when I needed it. I have always banked on them to rally together in fellowship, providing refreshment for my tired soul. And now I don't know what I'm going to do without them. I know I must trust in my Father's continued faithfulness in my life, but I can't ignore how much more difficult trials are going to be without the people I love most available to run to.
And so I suppose this detachment from everything is an act of self-defense. Instinctually I am testing the waters to see if I can survive without my life vests, and I find that it is near impossible. God has graciously provided these people for me to lean on throughout college AND after college. This is only the beginning of our relationships because life is just going to get harder and that's a fact. But when life throws me lemons, guess who I'm going to run to help me open a lemonade stand? God is slowly turning my heart of fear to one of thankfulness for His provisions. These four years have merely been a training ground to prepare me for the battle of adult life I'm going to soon be living, and my King has so graciously assembled warriors to fight with me.
To the Lighthouse Bible Church class of 2014 reading this: Thank you. For your love and faithfulness both to me and to our Lord, you have been a blessing. I love you so much more than you will ever know.
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