All Glory to Him

This is probably my last post before the final outcome of my battle with cancer. In one sense this is the close of one chapter of my journey and what a remarkable chapter it has been. My faith in the Lord is total and God is still deeply at work in my life bringing His purpose to fulfilment.

The Lord is good beyond measure and I am discovering that again day by day. His grace overflows beyond expectation. For those who have been following this journey - particularly for those who have been walking the journey with me in their own trial of faith - I want to testify that God is faithful and worthy of our trust.

All along in this journey Philippians 1:18-26 has had significant meaning for me.

"....yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this I know that I will remain, and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me."

This passage encapsulates for me both my faith and the reality of where things are. Ultimately everything is in God's hands but there is a sure expectation that all glory, victory and praise will go to Him. Amen.

Jesus, My Everything

How can I capture in one post the depth and significance of what the Lord is doing in my life at this time? And yet "depth" and "significance" really do apply to what God is doing in my life.

I'll start by sharing from Psalm 103 which has meant so much to me particularly in the last week.

"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases" Psalm 103:1-3.

The amazing and overwhelming truth of God's Word is that God loves me, is vitally interested in my life and has actively intervened by demonstrating that love in the most practical way possible. The story of salvation is the story of that intervention.

To understand how God went about this we need to come back to the Word and understanding of the word "covenant". In sending Jesus into the world God did much more than just save me, He entered into an eternal covenant through Jesus. The moment we understand this our whole perspective on life changes.

In covenant there are two words that constantly come up - "blessings" and "curses". I encourage you to read Deuteronomy 28 as a classic example of how this works in the covenant God made with Israel through Moses.

In the New Covenant through Jesus, however, blessings and curses of covenant are all wrapped up in one person - Jesus. Jesus actually became the covenant Himself. For example, in Ephesians 1:3 Paul tells us -

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

Notice that it is "in Christ" that we are blessed. It is "in Christ" that we receive "everything spiritual blessing...in heavenly places".

But take a look also at Galatians 3:13.

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

In the New Covenant Jesus actually took upon himself all the curses. Everything listed in Deuteronomy 28 - every "plague", every "wasting disease", every "disaster", Jesus actually took upon himself. That was what the Cross was all about.

Through the suffering that I've been experiencing personally (and each one of us faces our own challenges and suffering unique to our situation) I have come to realise this truth as much more than theology but as something that totally changes my outlook on life. Jesus has become everything to me - not in a cliche sense, but as a matter of fact. He literally is everything I need, bar nothing. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 Paul says that Jesus...

"...has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."

Can you capture the significance of what this means for your life? Jesus didn't just come to save you He became your salvation. Now take a look again at Psalm 103.

"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases" Psalm 103:1-3.

I pray that you, like me, will discover more and more what this means for your life.