T.G.I.M. / Flourish Where You're Planted

Good morning friends. I don't have a bunch of time this Monday - the Farmer and I had a busy, wonderful weekend traveling and celebrating our youngest granddaughter's first birthday, and we've both been dealing with some cardio health issues and my dad is also still slowly recovering from a relentless leg infection - it's been a crazy time, but so good in Christ. Thank you all for your prayers.

What is on my heart to share this morning is that you've heard the popular saying, "Bloom where you are planted?" I like "flourish" where you are planted. Look at Psalm 1 - and by the way, the placement of each Psalm in the Bible's song book, is not haphazard or nilly-willy. 

"Blessed is the man who 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.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

Notice that it says the righteous are "planted."

In Christ, we are counted as "righteous" - not because we obeyed the law, but because Christ has obeyed the entire law for us, as we were incapable, dead in our trespasses and sin. And Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us, as if we obeyed it ourselves and has brought us from death to life. That's the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repenting of our sins and trusting in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf. 

Salvation is of the Lord. Faith is a gift. It is entirely completed by Christ from start to finish, not a work of man so no one may boast. 

And we are "planted" by streams of water. 

In Christ, we are not these wild shoots just sprouting up any old place. No, we are carefully planted in rich soil that's been prepared for us. Our location was not chosen nilly-willy. We are by streams of water, cared for and provided for by the Vinedresser. We have all that we need each day, grace upon grace. It is always enough. 

And in this cultivated, deliberate position of Christ righteousness, we can flourish in our surroundings, meaning our leaves are green, not crinkled up and curly, but spiritually healthy, bearing ripe, seasonal fruit.  

Isn't that so good? Forgive me for not taking the time to list all of the proof texts, but I promise I'll go back and fill in the blanks with God's rich goodness. 

Flourish where you are planted this week. It may not look like what you think it should, but in Christ, nothing is random. Jesus gave everything to put these little sprouts back in the hands of the Vinedresser. 

You were carefully planted. 

So go flourish for Christ right where you are. 

T.G.I.F. / Part 1 The Goodness of God / Redemptive Mercy

"'Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God,' writes Paul in Romans 11:22. The crucial word here is 'and'. 

The Christians at Rome are not to dwell on God's goodness alone, nor on His severity alone, but to contemplate both together. Both are attributes of God - aspects, that is, of His revealed character. Both must be acknowledged together if God is to be truly known.

God's generosity in bestowing natural blessings is acclaimed in Psalm 145. 'The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.....The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing' ( verse 9, 15,16; cf. Acts 14:17 ). 

The psalmist's point is that, since God controls all that happens in His world, every meal, every pleasure, every possession, every bit of sun, every night's sleep, every moment of health and safety, everything else that sustains and enriches life, is a divine gift.

And how abundant these gifts are! 

'Count your blessings, name them one by one,' urges the the children's chorus, and anyone who seriously begins to list his natural blessings alone will soon feel the force of the next line - 'and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.'

But the mercies of God on the natural level, however abundant, are overshadowed by the greater mercies of spiritual redemption. 

When the singers of Israel summoned the people to give thanks to God because 'he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever' ( Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1; cf. 100:4 f.; 2 Chronicles 5:13, 7:13; Jeremiah 33:11 ), it was usually of redemptive mercies that they were thinking: mercies such as God's 'mighty acts' in saving Israel from Egypt ( Psalm 106:2 ff., 136), 

His willingness to forbear and forgive when his servants fall into sin ( Psalm 86:5 ), and His readiness to teach men His way ( Psalm 119:68 ). 

And the goodness to which Paul was referring in Romans 11:22 was God's mercy in grafting 'wild' Gentiles into His olive tree - that is, the fellowship of His covenant people, the community of saved believers." 

Quoted from: "Knowing God" 'Goodness and Severity' Chapter 16, J.I. Packer, InterVarsity Press, 1972 

I don't know about you, but this "wild shoot" is celebrating the goodness of God in her life this week and her spiritual redemption! Honestly, we should be rejoicing always over our spiritual blessings in Christ! ( Philippians 4:4, Ephesians 1 & 2 ) 

That's a good way to start every week! And sharing the Good News of Christ's redeeming love and mercy with others! The harvest is ripe. 

Happy Monday 🍁🐓

Archive Photo of the Farmer serving up his goat milk ice-cream on July 4th. We started out farming with Toggenburg dairy goats, and eventually switched to sheep and cattle. I'm so grateful for the salt of the earth dairy farmers who took the time to invest in us with their expertise and training. I've always attempted to pass what I've learned along to others especially with my Great Pyrenees pup families. If anyone can learn from our mishaps and mistakes, I'm thankful! Grace and Peace! 

The Life We Now Live

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." ( Galatians 2:20 ) 

My man children set up this blog site for me almost ten years ago because they thought I should be sharing my rookie farming experiences. One of Josh's seminary professors required his students to keep a blog, and that's sort of how this whole blog thing got started. I'm sure some people think I should just stick with farming. 

Early on I wrote things that now make me cringe because I've grown in my faith, and hopefully farming, but I've come to see that's the growth process we should be experiencing as believers. As we dig deeper into the Bible and prayer daily, we become more mature in our walk with the Lord Jesus. That's why I think journalling can be helpful as it catalogs the journey. 

For all of that time I never received a bit of push back from anyone. I don't claim to have alligator skin, but I would have welcomed it and hopefully been able to step back and look and listen. Well, I never had unfavorable responses, that is, until I began writing against the word-faith / prosperity gospel. 

This was interesting to me that some are so passionate about this theology, and as I did, at least I felt I did, step back and ponder this devotion. I heard a pastor say that when you strike out against a particular theology, you may be attacking someone's identity. This made me think because not only did I use to be this way, but I still struggle with it. 

What I mean is that everyone is born needy. Mental health professionals and psychologists tell us that we need purpose, meaning, satisfaction, a way to deal with suffering, hope, and an identity. As far as identity goes, we can find it in many different things, good things even, like spouses, children, careers, talents, hobbies, status, titles, and yes, a certain belief system. 

The problem is that none of these things can bear the weight of our neediness; eventually they'll collapse under the strain when the spouse dies or leaves us or the money runs out or the career ends, whatever the case may be. 

When we come to faith in Christ, we find our true identity. The Christian life fills each of these above longings in the human heart with the Gospel of Jesus Christ who alone can sustain the weight of our neediness. 

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and made us alive with him, forgiven by God's grace and able to stand clothed in the righteousness of Christ and adopted as God's beloved children. We are ready to serve him with gladness out of a thankful heart for all he has done on our behalf in his sacrificial atonement. ( Romans 5, Ephesians 1 & 2, Colossians 1, Psalm 100 ) 

That is why I think the ontological argument is a great apologetic for the Christian faith. 

Christ doesn't leave us or run out on us - he died once and was resurrected for all who put their trust in him. The life we now live, we live for him in the faith gifted to us. Yes, faith is a gift given by the Holy Spirit at conversion connecting us to the work of Christ, and repentance, granted to us at conversion, is an act of godly sorrow over our sins against a holy God. Jesus accomplished our full salvation. Some of my favorite words of Jesus are, "It is finished." ( John 19:30 ) 

But as much of the New Testament commands us, after conversion, we have a part to play in all of this sanctification business that will not be gloriously completed until the life to come. To use a driving metaphor, our lives here in the flesh, in this fallen world, are like navigating through a thunderstorm in a heavy down pour of rain. With both hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel, our eyes are always fixed on the blurry road in front of us. We can't afford to look away at our cell phones or to adjust the stereo system. 

Our minds have to be rooted in God's Word continually, our lamp and light, as the Holy Scriptures remind us of our identity in Christ lest it become established in something other than Jesus. ( Romans 12:2 ) 

We can veer off the road into false teachings and church traditions if we're not careful. Whether it's the temptation of the social, progressive, or word-faith doctrine, whatever unbiblical belief system, church tradition, or denomination, these can become who we are instead of Christ. 

Sheep can be easily entangled in this thorny trap - I know I was. Even today as much as I love the hymns, catechisms, and creeds of reformed theology, I can't let a certain liturgy become my identity. That's why I say that I'm still challenged as well, and we all will be until we die or Christ comes for us. 

We can't take our hands or eyes off of the Bible. Not only, does the Bible show us who we are, but more importantly, it reveals who God is and this rightly positions us on the path of life as we look intently into the atoning work of Jesus on our behalf and God's greatness and gracious, redeeming plan of being reconciled back to him in Christ. All we need, we find in Christ. 

Paul instructs Pastor Timothy to fight the good fight of faith taking hold of the eternal life to which we were called. 

He charges him "in the presence of God, who gives life to all things and of Jesus Christ, who in his testimony to Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time - 

he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, King of kings and Lord and lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen." ( 1 Timothy 6:11-16 ) 

That's the Christian life we now live and that's the God we serve! And His Word alone shows us how to navigate our identity. 

Soli Deo Gloria!  

💜

Also, I'd like to humbly ask for prayer for my dad Chester. He's been battling an infection in his leg for over a month now. He's really struggling and we could use some prayer if you think of us! Thank you, Friends! Have a great weekend! 🍁

T.G.I.M. / Faith Alone

As we count down to Reformation Day at the end of this month and honor those who protested, this week let's focus on just what it was they fought to reform. What exactly were our church fathers protesting? 

Two vital things mark the Reformation, two things we today as Christians should always take a stand to defend and uphold: 

1.) Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone. This means that the Bible is not only the infallible Word of God, but it alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of Christians. Church tradition is not equal or above the Scriptures, but the Scriptures alone should determine and guide our traditions and everything we do. 

2.) Sola Fide - Faith alone. This means that we are justified by faith alone. The doctrine of justification means that we are counted righteous before a holy God only on the merit of Christ and his cross, not by any works we have done. To say that justification is "Jesus plus" is to actually subtract from the work of Christ. 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." ( Ephesians 2:8 ) 

But what does it mean that we are justified? What does this impart to one who has faith in Christ for their salvation? This is what I think we should ponder and hold in our hearts, not just this week and month but always: 

Romans 5:1-11 

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

1.) Peace with God. This isn't a warm feeling we get inside of us. Through justification we are now at peace with God - we are no longer his enemies because of our sin nature. Jesus served our death sentence and paid the punishment for the sins a just and holy God can not overlook. 

2.) Hope in suffering. Suffering has a purpose, and even though we might not be able to see a reason for it, it doesn't mean there isn't any. In fact Scripture tells us that if we share in Christ's sufferings, we do so in order to share in his glory. ( Romans 8:17-18, 1 Peter 4:13 ) "Rejoice!" "Indeed," Paul wrote to Timothy, "All those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." ( 2 Timothy 3:12 ) And the Church has been harassed and hounded for over two thousand years. 

Remember, your sufferings are preparing for you an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison! ( 2 Corinthians 4:17 ) 

You will not be put to shame. Quite the contrary. 

3.) Saved from God's wrath. Because Jesus has justified us, our sins are atoned for. The Bible tells us that God will by no means clear the guilty. ( Exodus 34:7 ) He is the just judge, unlike our human judges, many of whom can be bribed. God will execute on Judgement Day what is perfect and fair. People who have been victims of horrific injustices and who have family members who have suffered atrocities beyond imagination take comfort knowing a day is coming when God will rightly judge the living and the dead. This is our hope. One day, God will right every wrong. 

God would not be good if he was not just. 

4.) Reconciliation with God. We could go on and on about this glorious benefit all day. We are adopted by God as his children. We are no longer alienated from God. We have access to the throne of grace. ( Hebrews 4:16 ) We can come continually to obtain mercy and grace. 

We can come home. 

Read Romans 5 and Ephesians 1 & 2 

Let's remember what the gift of faith alone has brought to us in Christ alone. 

Soli Deo Gloria! 

💜

Archive photo of our first Great Pyrenees Paw Patrol 

True Healing

"The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out like calves leaping from the stalls." ( Malachi 4:1-2 ) 

It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of my sister's death. 

I remember several different Christian women during that difficult time, including one of Kathy's oncology nurses, gently ministering to me about my belief system. But I didn't have ears to hear their godly counsel just then. I was like a Great Pyrenees, ever hearing, never listening. Nonetheless, the seeds were planted. 

After Kathy died, it all came crashing down, my faith, my belief system. Something wasn't adding up in my theology, and I was determined to find out why. The Farmer would come home from work to find me sitting up in the bed with my Bible and recently purchased theology books spread out before me.  

The doctrinal rubble that once seemed to stand so tall and strong now lay crumbled in ruins amidst my cozy quilts in the sinking sand. The storm had made landfall. 

It reminds me of what C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: 

"Imagine yourself a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house....But presently he starts knocking that house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? ....You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace. He intends to come live in it Himself." 

And God makes no provision for false doctrine in his children's houses. Of course not, he loves his sheep with a holy jealousy. ( Exodus 20:5 ) 

During this time of intense study I asked the Lord to please show me the truth. I was confused because as Scripture warns can happen I had allowed myself to be "tossed about by every wind of doctrine" for my entire life. And that's exactly how I felt, "storm tossed on the billowing waves of twisted theology" as I had latched onto whatever I was taught, what tickled my ears, instead of knowing my Bible and testing what I heard against it. And so often it takes a typhoon to topple the imprudent, frail cottage. 

During the continued study, the truth began to dawn on me that, in spite of being in church my whole life, if asked, I could not unpack the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save my soul. 

Slowly, my faith began to be rebuilt on the firm foundation of God's Holy Word. And it began with theology - the study of God. Up to that point I didn't have an accurate view of Yahweh or Jesus Christ, of his person and his redemptive work. I had heard many teachings on the Holy Spirit, but I really didn't know him either or his crucial work in the life of the believer. 

There would be more storms and nasty battles to confront, and as Christians we will always be growing, which includes growing pains in the process as God burns off the impurities with his cleansing fire, but I was finally on my way to living the Christian life on solid ground. A sense of joy and freedom was settling into my heart. 

Before this journey at Kathy's long chemo treatments we would talk about the desire the Farmer and I had for a piece of land to build a homestead. For much of her eight month battle, we thought it would be an adventure together with our families, but as it became more apparent that her time on earth was quickly drawing to a close; heartbroken, I knew it wasn't meant to be. 

A year and a half after Kathy died and after we had engaged in one wild goose chase upon another, investigating property all over the state of Virginia, the Farmer and I finally found land. It had a beautiful blend of our "must haves" with open acres, woods, a thriving body of water, and it was just enough off the beaten path in rural Bedford County close to where I grew up. 

The Farmer asked me to name it. He knew it was important to me. I told him that it was going to he "healing" something because my sister had taught me that true healing takes place in one's spirit and is found only in Jesus. 

I couldn't get the second word - I liked "springs," but there was already a "Healing Springs" in Virginia. One day while I was driving and thinking it over the word "brook" came to me. I liked it. I was pretty sure there was a verse somewhere in the Bible about a brook. 

Shortly after closing, the Farmer and I were walking over the perimeter of the woods, this was our "pre-Great Pyrenees days," to our delight we found a babbling brook cascading down from the mountain through the forest trees, encapsulated with strong boulders, the bubbles rolled sweetly over the rocks and into the creek that bordered the property. 

Now from time to time I sit by the "healing brook" with my dogs and listen to the calming sound of the water. Nature composes the most beautiful symphony. Through a groaning creation, God mysteriously comforts us and gives us glimpses of the resplendent, promise land to come 

My mother-in-law, a pastor's wife, visited the farm to pray with us before we started to build anything. She prayed over our future together with the Lord and she wanted to help me in my on-going grieving process. She said that when her husband died young, the Farmer's father, that she knelt in agonizing prayer over his death and for the first time she said that she came face to face with the sovereignty of God. 

I would come to learn what she meant. Today the sovereignty of God is the most comforting, precious, and reassuring hope to me, bringing an overwhelming confidence and strength to serve my Maker. 

In "Orthodoxy" G.K. Chesterton wrote about the contradiction of God's sovereignty and man's freewill and the tension of living within them. "It's a mystery," he writes, "As long as you have mystery you have health; when you destroy mystery you create morbidity." I'd add "whether we realize it or not." 

We want to figure things out, but God's ways are not our ways. And yet his ways are the best ways. When we understand, we can't understand, accepting and living in the tension of both of these, I've found this spiritual truth creates a strong reliance upon God and a robust faith. 

Chesterton goes on to say that if we see two truths that contradict each other, we should take the two truths and the contradiction along with them, for in seeing two different pictures at once, we see all the better for it. When one thing becomes mysterious, everything else becomes clear. 

For instance in Genesis 22, when God tested Abraham by telling him to take "your only son Issac, whom you love," the son of promise, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah, this testing seemed to contradict all that God had promised to him. 

Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that Abraham was prepared to obey God while believing God to bring Issac back to life again. God provided a ram caught in a thorny thicket for the sacrifice instead of Issac. All of this being a type and shadow of the day when God would prepare another sacrifice in the life of his Son, the Lamb of God, in the same place. ( 2 Chronicles 3:1 ) 

And the sacrifice of His Son would not be halted. No, this sacrifice would be carried out in the life of his Son. Christ is the ram caught in the thicket of thorns, willingly wearing the crown. Jesus the Christ would take our sin and in exchange give us his perfect righteousness - the only way back to God. 

In the mystery of my pain and His sacrifice, Jesus became clear. 

Through the ages of human history, most have viewed life and religion as circular, the "circle of life." 

Not so with Jesus. At the heart of the Cross, Chesterton explains, is a collision and a contradiction that can extend its four arms for ever without altering its shape. 

I love this. 

Things are not how I thought they would be, but God has given me more through the Cross and his Son than I ever knew or dreamed possible - not a physical healing that will eventually end in death - no, something far greater and needed and abundantly life-giving, a healing of my spirit in salvation that will never die. 

I found my answer - I found Jesus. 

Or rather, He found me. 

Soli Deo Gloria! 

💜

T.G.I.M.

"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." ( John 17:3 ) 

"Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." ( Jeremiah 9:23-24 ) 

"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." ( John 10:14 ) 

"What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it - the fact that He knows me. I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out of His mind. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. 

I know Him, because He first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted from me and no moment, therefore, when His care falters. 

This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort - the sort of comfort that energises, be it said, not enervates - in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, watching over me for my good. 

There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me.

There is, certainly great cause for humility in the thought that He sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow-men do not see ( and I am glad! ), and that He sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself ( which in all conscience is enough ). 

There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, He wants me as His friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given His Son to die for me in order to realise this purpose. 

We cannot work these thoughts out here, but merely to mention them is enough to show how much it means to know, not merely that we know God, but that He knows us." 

( J.I. Packer, Knowing God, InterVarsity Press, 1972 ) 

Live in that thought this week! 

Happy Monday! 

Archive photo of Natasha with a new lamb and his mother

"Tale as Old as Time" Kingdom Living

The Farmer has sole control of the TV remote in our household, and whenever we all come together as a family to watch a movie, he promptly pauses it when the rest of us begin to engage in discussions during a particular scene. "Are you all done?" he'll asked a bit annoyed before he pushes the play button again. lol 

Last weekend I had the privilege of being the sole controller of the remote when my grandchildren and I watched Disney's original 1991 classic "Beauty and the Beast." We had a charming time because Gigi always allows for much movie talk among the little people. 

It's such a great story, isn't it? My favorite. 

The kids immediately identified Beauty ( Belle ) as "good" and the protagonist Gaston as "the bad guy," but they weren't so sure about the Beast. 

"Is he good or bad?" 

"He's both. He's complicated. You'll have to keep watching." 

As the movie plays out, one comes to find the Beast tolerable, then engaging, dare we say "lovable?" 

He was once a handsome prince living in his stately castle when an old woman came begging at his door for shelter from the cold. When he refused to offer her a refuge in his huge home, because he was "spoiled, selfish, and unkind," she revealed her inner beauty and placed him under a spell by turning him into a brute beast, confined to his castle until he could show love to another and be loved in return. 

That's the backstory to the Beast. 

Then there's the conceited hunter Gaston who is a picture of narcissism if ever there was one. He has his sights set firmly on marrying Belle, thinking he's doing her a favor, but the last thing on her mind is to become the little wife of a megalomaniac. 

Belle, with her nose in a book surrounded by sheep, is looking for something other than her "provincial life" and is in for her own twisted, romantic surprise. 

When Belle first meets the Beast she is scared and repulsed, but as time sings along, her heart begins to melt toward him. What became of the prideful, spoiled prince who refused to offer kindness to an old beggar woman? What is the difference between the Beast and the egotistical, self-absorbed Gaston? 

One thing. 

The prideful Prince-turned-Beast has been humbled. 

And this is a plot changer. 

Humility transformed the prideful, selfish prince into a handsome beast. 

And Belle falls head over heels because there is no character trait in a man as attractive as humility, strength under control, looking out for the needs of others above his own, able to say he's sorry. 

In the biblical narrative, Jesus is the Beauty. He's the Beautiful One, and we're the Beast. We're sinners, humbled and granted repentance, given grace, mercy, and faith to believe, adopted into the family of God by our Savior's sacrifice, and nothing spectacular that we have done, but still dragging around our baggage, our sinful nature. We live in this continued state of working humility in the kingdom as we are conformed into the glorious image of Jesus. 

We have a past, a backstory. We are good and bad. We are complicated, and we live in a complicated world, learning what it means to love and to be loved. 

We live in the "already and not yet" kingdom. Jesus has already won and secured the victory for us on the cross and by his resurrection and ascension, but he has yet to consummate the victory by his return. 

I love how I recently heard Sinclair Ferguson put it: "The implications have yet to be worked out in the church or the world or in ourselves as individuals. Sin is still in the world. People still rebel against God. Satan is wounded but active. We still stumble."

"Only when Christ returns will his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. Jesus has done the big thing. Victory is certain, but we live in between two moments." 

And the key to living in between these two moments is humility, remembering what we were and what Christ has done to redeem us when we could do nothing to save ourselves. And looking forward to the glorious future he has already secured. 

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 18:3 that unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven, and that whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Humility is needed to enter the kingdom and to be the "greatest." Unless we recognize our need, we will never come to Jesus. And unless we continue to walk in humility, we will not be great. If we think we are better than other Christians, or at a higher spiritual level because of our gifts or status or whatever it may be, we are fooling ourselves right out of the kingdom. 

There is a purpose for us in this already but not yet kingdom or God would not have left us here battling the sin within and the power of the Holy Spirit to do so. Life in this kingdom is making us Christ-like. We are confined to our "castles" until Love sweeps us away to himself one day. 

Christianity is a life of humility as we confront our stubborn, indwelling sin, weaknesses, and suffering, the enemy and the world's system, learning to master evil and bring good out of it. God chooses to develop his children this way, not changing us immediately into goodness, but through the slow, beastly  processes of sanctification. 

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'" ( Matthew 16: 24-25 )  

"And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." ( Matthew 10:38 ) 

Crosses are intended to kill people. 

And we aren't called to walk in the lead with Jesus; we're called to follow him, dragging our crosses as we go. Killing ourselves daily, mortifying our sin when it seeks to have us. The change doesn't happen overnight, and it's painful. 

But the promise in Scripture is that if we share in Christ's sufferings, we most certainly will also share in his glory. The results of our journey on this hard, narrow path of life is our glorification in the life to come. His Kingdom come. (  Romans 8:17-18, 1 Peter 4:13, Matthew 6:9-13 ) 

Dare we say, "lovable?" 

One of the most delightful surprises in Christianity is just how satisfying and joyful this humble, transforming path with Christ becomes once we understand the nature of our journey and what it promises to provide within us. 

Yes, throughout the movie there were lots of questions, teaching moments, and reminders, especially for Gigi. It's such a great story, isn't it? 

Tale as old as time.

Song as old as rhyme. 

Beauty and the Beast. 

Happy Weekend!

💜🐾

Shasta as a sweet pup from the HBF Archives