Terry Ulm, Shepherd
Terry has the gift of teaching and encourages us each week, around Thursday, with gleanings from his study and time with the Word.
Grace and Truth
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14ff ESV).
It would be amiss to speak of Truth and not of Grace. For Christ-followers Jesus balances perfectly in His “dwelt among us body” Grace and Truth. John says that the law came through Moses, but Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ. Not that the law isn’t truth, for Jesus said, “Your word is Truth.” The law takes its form in commandments. Grace and Truth as embodied through Jesus is life lived out in the flesh. Life as it was intended to be from the beginning.
“Charis” is the Greek word translated “Grace.” Its primary meaning conveys good-will, loving-kindness, and favor; it is often translated as grace or gift. Loving-kindness pictures the Old Covenant term HESED, the Covenant term through which Yahweh God promises to perpetually love and care for His people. By this promise He gives His Grace anew through Jesus Christ in a New Covenant. A Covenant established by the blood sacrifice of His Only Son Jesus. This Covenant reveals the Righteousness of God, apart from the law, given through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. In other words, HIS Righteousness, to all who believe! Through it we are justified freely by His Grace (See Romans 3:21ff). By Grace we are saved. By Grace we are redeemed. By Grace we are justified. By Grace we are free. In Christ we are surrounded by Grace (grace upon grace). That’s God’s good-will. God’s loving-kindness. God’s favor. God’s Covenant in Christ Jesus.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV).
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5-10 NIV).
There are two key words in these passages…live and walk. Truth is a way of life, not a list of do’s and don’ts. There is absolute Truth. But absolute Truth is not measured by a check-list. We do not live before God through our own efforts. In fact, we are incapable of living life without sin; save through the medium of Grace. We live by Grace through Faith. Truth is how we walk through life. Life-changing Truth. Truth is living as Jesus did. To act justly…to love mercy…and to walk humbly with our God. Obedient? Absolutely! Continuing to fall short? Without a doubt! Justified freely? By Grace. We do not walk in the Truth to earn a place at the Lord’s Table. This place is ours only through Grace. We walk increasingly in the Truth as we are daily learning to love Him, love our neighbor, and love one another as Jesus loved. This is the absolute Truth. This is absolute, amazing Grace.
Living by Faith. Surrounded by Grace. Walking in Truth, as Jesus walked.
Windshields and Rearview Mirrors
I have never given it much thought. The difference in size between the windshield and the rearview mirror. The rearview gives a good view of what lies behind, and is very important for driving safely. We must look there from time to time to make sure that changes we are about to make will be without unwanted mishaps, or that something isn’t coming up behind us which could put us in danger. The windshield, though, gives us a complete view of the world in front of us. It is the more important of the two for it gives us the view of the road on which we have chosen to travel.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could . . . Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Taken from the poem by Robert Frost.
Life is a journey that all humankind must take. It cannot be avoided. We cannot stay at home on the back porch and refuse to participate. The journey is unavoidable. It is the natural, God-created, course of life. We will be involved in it. We will face the decision to choose our path. Right or left? There are only two. And, as one traveler, we can only choose one. We will grow in accordance with the road that we choose. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV).
“I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” This is the choice of Christ-followers. It is narrow. It is the one less traveled by. It is the difficult road. It is the road that leads to life. The only road to life. Few find it. It is the road of losing self and gaining life in Christ. The apostle PauI says it like this, “…I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 2:8). Losing everything about himself so that he might be free to know Christ, and travel on the path to life. It is a daily process of growth often filled with failures, which must be placed in the past as we journey forward.
“There is a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. Your future matters more than your past. God’s grace is greater than your sin. What you did was not good. But your God is good.”
Taken from “Anxious for Nothing” by Max Lucado, page 45.
God is good! God is at work in us through Jesus the Christ. God is growing us up in Him. The road less traveled is about what lies ahead, not behind. It is about the windshield view of life, not the life we see in the rearview mirror. The Philippian writer puts it this way, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…” God’s grace is greater than our sin and He can handle the stuff in the rearview mirror. All of it! Beyond adequately!
Let us keep choosing the road less traveled. Let us keep forgetting what lies behind by trusting a good God. Let us keep pressing on toward the goal of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us continue to give God the freedom to grow us up. Let us see His world through the windshield view! It will make all the difference!
June 28, 2018
Everything We Need
Packing for an extended trip can be difficult. Like three weeks in Florida. The right apparel for the beach. Proper attire for going out to eat, attending an event, or meeting with friends. The comfortable stuff for lounging around in the evening. Clothes fitting for warm and chilly weather. It is January after all! Tooth paste, tooth brush, shampoo, shaving stuff, and deodorant. Don’t forget to stuff a bag with movies that you don’t get time to watch at home. Pack snacks and drinks for the long drive. Credit card for gas and unexpected expenses. Oh, and cash! Plenty of cash! When all is packed and in the car, there is one last, “Did we forget anything?” and, “Do we have everything we need?”
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV, underline mine)
Perhaps packing for an extended trip is not the most important “everything we need” question we should ask ourselves. The central focus of life is not an extended trip, to Florida or anywhere else. It is not what we do for a living. It is not our families, immediate or extended. It is not the church. The most important item for my agenda today is not mowing the lawn. The central focus, the most important agenda item for today, is a godly life. It is the central focus for every day. From this central focus life takes root and all else flows from it.
Peter tells us that the God of Grace and Peace has given us everything we need for a godly life. Everything we need to participate in the divine nature (think on that for a season). Everything we need to escape the corruption in the world. This central focus empowers us to be godly men and women in the midst of a corrupt world. To be a strong family when families all around us are falling apart. To be a person of Christ-like integrity in the workplace, giving honor and respect to our superiors, and treating peers and subordinates in the way we want to be treated. Being the presence of Christ in the world instead of the church enclosed behind stained-glass windows. Being those who love God, neighbor, and one another as Christ loved us. Being those who “take care of widows and orphans in their distress and keep ourselves unspotted from the world.” Peter adds:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8)
Everything we need for a godly life. But we don’t get there without participation. We must set out on a life-long journey. An extended trip of growing, of “making every effort to add” in “increasing measure” to our faith. From goodness to love, and everything in between. Then we will be effective and productive in the knowledge of our Lord. In our families. In our marketplaces and workplaces. As the “presence of Christ” in the world. We will have everything we need.
June 7, 2018
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14ff ESV).
It would be amiss to speak of Truth and not of Grace. For Christ-followers Jesus balances perfectly in His “dwelt among us body” Grace and Truth. John says that the law came through Moses, but Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ. Not that the law isn’t truth, for Jesus said, “Your word is Truth.” The law takes its form in commandments. Grace and Truth as embodied through Jesus is life lived out in the flesh. Life as it was intended to be from the beginning.
“Charis” is the Greek word translated “Grace.” Its primary meaning conveys good-will, loving-kindness, and favor; it is often translated as grace or gift. Loving-kindness pictures the Old Covenant term HESED, the Covenant term through which Yahweh God promises to perpetually love and care for His people. By this promise He gives His Grace anew through Jesus Christ in a New Covenant. A Covenant established by the blood sacrifice of His Only Son Jesus. This Covenant reveals the Righteousness of God, apart from the law, given through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. In other words, HIS Righteousness, to all who believe! Through it we are justified freely by His Grace (See Romans 3:21ff). By Grace we are saved. By Grace we are redeemed. By Grace we are justified. By Grace we are free. In Christ we are surrounded by Grace (grace upon grace). That’s God’s good-will. God’s loving-kindness. God’s favor. God’s Covenant in Christ Jesus.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV).
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5-10 NIV).
There are two key words in these passages…live and walk. Truth is a way of life, not a list of do’s and don’ts. There is absolute Truth. But absolute Truth is not measured by a check-list. We do not live before God through our own efforts. In fact, we are incapable of living life without sin; save through the medium of Grace. We live by Grace through Faith. Truth is how we walk through life. Life-changing Truth. Truth is living as Jesus did. To act justly…to love mercy…and to walk humbly with our God. Obedient? Absolutely! Continuing to fall short? Without a doubt! Justified freely? By Grace. We do not walk in the Truth to earn a place at the Lord’s Table. This place is ours only through Grace. We walk increasingly in the Truth as we are daily learning to love Him, love our neighbor, and love one another as Jesus loved. This is the absolute Truth. This is absolute, amazing Grace.
Living by Faith. Surrounded by Grace. Walking in Truth, as Jesus walked.
Windshields and Rearview Mirrors
I have never given it much thought. The difference in size between the windshield and the rearview mirror. The rearview gives a good view of what lies behind, and is very important for driving safely. We must look there from time to time to make sure that changes we are about to make will be without unwanted mishaps, or that something isn’t coming up behind us which could put us in danger. The windshield, though, gives us a complete view of the world in front of us. It is the more important of the two for it gives us the view of the road on which we have chosen to travel.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could . . . Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Taken from the poem by Robert Frost.
Life is a journey that all humankind must take. It cannot be avoided. We cannot stay at home on the back porch and refuse to participate. The journey is unavoidable. It is the natural, God-created, course of life. We will be involved in it. We will face the decision to choose our path. Right or left? There are only two. And, as one traveler, we can only choose one. We will grow in accordance with the road that we choose. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV).
“I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” This is the choice of Christ-followers. It is narrow. It is the one less traveled by. It is the difficult road. It is the road that leads to life. The only road to life. Few find it. It is the road of losing self and gaining life in Christ. The apostle PauI says it like this, “…I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 2:8). Losing everything about himself so that he might be free to know Christ, and travel on the path to life. It is a daily process of growth often filled with failures, which must be placed in the past as we journey forward.
“There is a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. Your future matters more than your past. God’s grace is greater than your sin. What you did was not good. But your God is good.”
Taken from “Anxious for Nothing” by Max Lucado, page 45.
God is good! God is at work in us through Jesus the Christ. God is growing us up in Him. The road less traveled is about what lies ahead, not behind. It is about the windshield view of life, not the life we see in the rearview mirror. The Philippian writer puts it this way, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…” God’s grace is greater than our sin and He can handle the stuff in the rearview mirror. All of it! Beyond adequately!
Let us keep choosing the road less traveled. Let us keep forgetting what lies behind by trusting a good God. Let us keep pressing on toward the goal of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us continue to give God the freedom to grow us up. Let us see His world through the windshield view! It will make all the difference!
June 28, 2018
Everything We Need
Packing for an extended trip can be difficult. Like three weeks in Florida. The right apparel for the beach. Proper attire for going out to eat, attending an event, or meeting with friends. The comfortable stuff for lounging around in the evening. Clothes fitting for warm and chilly weather. It is January after all! Tooth paste, tooth brush, shampoo, shaving stuff, and deodorant. Don’t forget to stuff a bag with movies that you don’t get time to watch at home. Pack snacks and drinks for the long drive. Credit card for gas and unexpected expenses. Oh, and cash! Plenty of cash! When all is packed and in the car, there is one last, “Did we forget anything?” and, “Do we have everything we need?”
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV, underline mine)
Perhaps packing for an extended trip is not the most important “everything we need” question we should ask ourselves. The central focus of life is not an extended trip, to Florida or anywhere else. It is not what we do for a living. It is not our families, immediate or extended. It is not the church. The most important item for my agenda today is not mowing the lawn. The central focus, the most important agenda item for today, is a godly life. It is the central focus for every day. From this central focus life takes root and all else flows from it.
Peter tells us that the God of Grace and Peace has given us everything we need for a godly life. Everything we need to participate in the divine nature (think on that for a season). Everything we need to escape the corruption in the world. This central focus empowers us to be godly men and women in the midst of a corrupt world. To be a strong family when families all around us are falling apart. To be a person of Christ-like integrity in the workplace, giving honor and respect to our superiors, and treating peers and subordinates in the way we want to be treated. Being the presence of Christ in the world instead of the church enclosed behind stained-glass windows. Being those who love God, neighbor, and one another as Christ loved us. Being those who “take care of widows and orphans in their distress and keep ourselves unspotted from the world.” Peter adds:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8)
Everything we need for a godly life. But we don’t get there without participation. We must set out on a life-long journey. An extended trip of growing, of “making every effort to add” in “increasing measure” to our faith. From goodness to love, and everything in between. Then we will be effective and productive in the knowledge of our Lord. In our families. In our marketplaces and workplaces. As the “presence of Christ” in the world. We will have everything we need.
June 7, 2018
