The Cross: Invincible Love

 

“When we think of Christ dying on the cross we are shown the lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to Himself. We would almost think that God loved us more than He loves his Son! …God does something to us as well as for us through the cross. He persuades us that He loves us.”

–Sinclair Ferguson

 

“If I were asked the secret of the attractive power of the crucified Savior, I should answer that it is invincible love. If all the rivers of human love did run together, they could not fill such another ocean of love as was in the heart of Jesus the Savior. That it is—the unique, unrivaled love—that draws men to Jesus.”

–Charles Spurgeon

Nehemiah: Manager of the Year (Part 1)

Nehemiah unveils his new management strategy, "Sword + Shovel: The Secure & Productive Workplace." (Nehemiah 4)

Note: Links to scripture in this post point to the ESV Online Study Bible, which is currently offering a free trial for the month of March. I wrote briefly about the ESV Study Bible back around Christmas and only recommend it more heartily now. 

This month, I read the “return from exile” block (Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther) for the first time and enjoyed it very much. The literary styles, mixing first person narratives and non-linear chronology, make it a neat and unique portion of scripture. I plan to revisit Esther because of its rich storytelling, but I particularly dug Nehemiah. The character of godly servanthood and how it fits into God-centered spiritual revival is something that the book particularly exemplifies, and those are themes that have been bouncing around in my head and heart for some time now. Revival is a broad topic that I’m just beginning to learn about and get into, but fully living for God in all aspects of my life is something that’s been in the forefront of my thought since I was born again. In this short series of posts, I want to reflect on a few key aspects of Nehemiah’s example as a godly servant that really spoke to me.

True to the literary flair employed in all three books, Nehemiah starts dramatically, quickly moving along to the scene of Nehemiah’s entreating of King Artaxerxes and his approval that sets everything else in motion. But there is a lot of information that gives perspective when looking at this key moment. Nehemiah only had the audience of the king of Persia because of his office as cupbearer. It didn’t sound like that difficult or shiny a job to me at first, but apparently the cupbearer also functioned as a coordinator of the king’s security. He wasn’t just a servant whose head the king balanced his drink on for kicks. They had a close enough relationship that ol’ Xerxes noticed his long face and was moved to inquire about it. Nehemiah was trusted, valued, and favored. He must have possessed exceptional character, capability and education to have risen through the ranks to achieve this honored position. All of this played into not only Nehemiah’s leadership acumen to rebuild Jerusalem, but in creating the opportunity for the task itself.

Nehemiah’s spiritual preparation is revealed alongside his professional preparation. In his reaction and despair at the news of Jerusalem’s state, and in the content of his prayer, we can see that Nehemiah knew God deeply in His word and in prayer. He knew the majesty of the Lord, thus he understood the severity of wickedness of the people of Israel. He did not spare himself or his father’s house in this indictment. But he also knew the Lord’s promises and His ways. And so from the very bottom of his heart, Nehemiah cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to remember His promise, to deliver His people, to make His name dwell among them again. Nehemiah mourned and fasted at this for months. This was no passing burden that bummed him out for a week, this was a prolonged period of spiritual torment and nakedness. This is important to remember when we come across the actual moment of his asking, which passes in just a short paragraph of scripture. There is a line that the first-person recounting really adds weight to; when Artaxerxes asks what’s troubling him, Nehemiah tells us that he was very much afraid. Though he’d been praying and seeking and begging the Lord day after day for this exact chance for months, he was scared. What he was asking could be perceived as disloyalty and might bring him harm. In this moment of truth, Nehemiah lifted up a prayer in the space of a breath–“So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king…”– and found the courage to present his request. Would he have found the courage if he had been praying for only 1 month, or 3 weeks, or 5 days? We don’t know. But we know that he prayed for months, and when the time came his faith and trust in God stood firm, and his request was granted. 

Despite the many other difficult situations that Nehemiah would come to encounter, there are no other instances of him revealing his fear apart from this. But I find this sole and early instance a very personally comforting and applicable insight. I used to feel a constant and deep sense of inadequacy in serving the Lord because of fear. Fear of failing, fear of not measuring up, fear of not doing things “the right way” (i.e. perfectly) and fear of not being prepared or equipped in comparison to others.  It was paralzying, and it made serving very tough at times, even in minor tasks. I believed that if God wanted me to do something, He would give me some kind of magic confirmation, a big sign in the sky or a text message, and that I’d have no doubts and no uncertainties and do it perfectly, the first time, every time. When I did not receive such a confirmation (and I never did, though He may have sent a text when my phone was on the fritz back in January), I’d begin to doubt if what I was getting involved in was really the right decision, despite a host of other indicators and evidence that the Lord was indeed blessing what I was doing. That fear and anxiety would build on itself, and I would inevitably begin to condemn myself for not having the courage to make the perfect choice in whatever situation I was worrying about.

I still see this pattern in my life, particularly in considering a future in ministry. Fear and anxiety fester where faith and trust do not yet reach. But the Lord leads us there, shining His light brighter and deeper in our hearts, so we can remember the truth that fear tries to make us forget; I may not have the courage, I may not have the capabilities, but I do have Christ. And as I know Him more, I trust Him more, and that trust manifests itself not in perfect capability, but in obedience. That is when my courage is found. Nehemiah’s faith bore courage in the face of  the most powerful man in the world, when the danger of harm was clear and present, a moment when fear of man was most intense and justified. Will not the courage to step out in faith be available in our key moments, as uncomfortable or uncertain as we may be, if only we know and love and trust the Lord enough to say yes to the callings He lays on our hearts? In business, they say success is when preparation meets opportunity, but for the servant of God, success is when preparation and opportunity meet trust and obedience.

Page CXVI – Free Hymns Album

The group Page CXVI is currently offering an entire album of contemporary worship hymns for free download.

“Page CXVI is a project started with the idea of making hymns accessible and known again. They are some of the richest, most meaningful, and moving pieces of music ever written.”

I enjoy many different forms of worship in song, but rearranged hymns with a more contemporary style are probably my favorite. Give them a listen and spread the word!

Update: I just read that “Page CXVI” refers to the point in The Magician’s Nephew when Aslan sings Narnia into creation. That raises this band 10 notches on the awesome-meter in my book.

“As Aslan sang Nothing into Narnia, the sky suddenly blazed with innumerable stars, which seemed to be singing triumphantly. He sang ‘Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.’”

Requiem for a Dream

MARION:
“Harry, I love you.
You make me feel like a person.
Like I’m me and I’m beautiful.”

HARRY:
“You are beautiful.
You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.
You’re my dream.”

These romantically charged lines bear deeply tragic connotation in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, one of the most harrowing and affecting movies I’ve ever seen.  I’m very selective in recommending it, and I only do so with some very heavy caveats. Based on the novel by Hubert Selby, jr., the film has some extremely graphic scenes and is unsparing in its portrayal of drug use and its effects. But beyond that, I feel some people simply will not understand the movie.  It’s not a junkie movie, nor is it strictly an anti-drug movie. Both labels are convenient but much too narrow to convey the film’s message and weight. Ultimately, Requiem for a Dream is not about drugs. It is about sin. Sin is the protagonist, a deliberate and relentless force that is progressively revealed through the narrative and the lives and relationships of the film’s characters until its face, so to speak, is fully visible.

The Next Great American Rock Album

I attempted to participate in the random album generator meme Mike mentioned in his Facebook note, but I wonder if I did a step wrong, because this is what I ended up with instead:

Michael Liu’s
ELECTRIC NANCYLAND

1. Breakout (feat. Benny Sin)

2. The Seed 3.0 (feat. Marvin Lee)

3. Get Outta Here (feat. Van Morrison)

4. Beat You Foo (feat. Dr. Dre)

5. Get Outta Here Before I Beat You Foo Cuz I’m Rad (feat. Eric Clapton)

6. In Christ Alone (feat. Ann Hsiao)

7. Nancy Loves Me, I Win (feat. your melted face and Nancy’s melted heart)

How NASCAR Glorifies God

   

No, we did not actually see Danica Patrick at the NASCAR race. But she's the only driver I know by name, so I feel justified in attaching this picture.

I went to Fontana to watch a NASCAR race on Sunday.

I’ve never watched NASCAR on TV or been remotely interested in doing so. The closest I’ve come to experiencing the sport came from watching the Ricky Bobby movie. But when some comped tickets became available, I figured why not?

Well, now I know why not– because NASCAR is boring and I don’t enjoy it. It’s hours of watching cars go around a track very quickly, many times. That’s pretty much it. At first, I figured it might be like watching a baseball game, in that part of the appeal is getting together with friends and family to sit around consuming food that’s bad for you and chatting. But the cars are so loud that you can’t really carry a conversation; it’s like having a picnic next to a blast furnace. The cars zoom by you every few seconds so the sound never really lets up. The cars themselves are initially impressive in how fast they’re going, roaring by at over 175 mph. But this eventually gets old, i.e. after the first 2 or 3 laps.

The more interesting experience was sampling the NASCAR fan culture. Mullets, faux-NASCAR driver jackets covered in sponsor patches, flannel and TAPOUT were prominently on display. I felt like I was walking around a dream that compressed my entire downtown Riverside Home Depot work experience, or in the “909 Land” section of some Americana-themed amusement park.

We only watched the race for about 30 minutes before sparing our ears and heading down to check out the exhibit areas. But a dad and his son in front of me provided the best moment of the day. It looked like it was the kid’s first time because dad was busily pointing things out and explaining things to him as the cars lined up. Once the race started, he hoisted up junior (who couldn’t have been older than 6) on his shoulders and encouraged him to cheer as the cars zipped by, which junior did first with a single finger in the air and eventually yelling with both arms raised. I watched as he took in the race before being lowered down, told dad how much fun he was having, and then returned to his perch to keep cheering and waving. That kid probably went to bed that night thinking NASCAR is the coolest thing in the world, that he’s going to be the fastest race car driver ever when he grows up, and most importantly, that he has the coolest dad in the world. Who cares if someone like me scoffs at it? To him, NASCAR is now part of why he loves his father and how he knows his father loves him, part of being an American, and part of being a man that nobody is ever going to take away from him. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but reflect on God’s design for the relationship and role of the family unit and how life, identity and culture are cultivated, shared and perpetuated within that framework.

It also makes me feel like I just wrote a pitch for one of those “This is Our Country” truck commercials.