All God’s Stories Have Good Endings
Jesus knew the valley of the shadow of death better than anyone.
The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness and later to the cross. And if it was the Holy Spirit that led Him, and He was the Father’s love perfectly revealed, then the question has to be asked:
Was it the Father’s heart for Jesus to starve in the wilderness? Was it the Father’s heart for Jesus to die on the cross?
And by faith, the answer is, no. I believe in the wilderness it was the Fathers heart to send His ministering angels.
At the cross, it was the Father’s heart that Jesus be resurrected. It’s always about the joy set before us. It’s always about life—always.
And while I write this, my head is screaming at me, “that doesn’t make sense,” but at the same time my heart is encouraging me, whispering, “it’s true.” While writing this, my experiences lie to me and tell me that I must be wrong about His always-good love. But my faith tells another story.
Our Father’s Kingdom is discovered in the unseen and is accessed through faith. This faith chooses to believe in the always-good love of our Father, even when the evidence is unseen.
Is it the Father’s heart that we experience pain, disillusionment, and death? Never. It’s His heart that we experience peace, joy, and resurrection life. His heart is always love toward us.
David experienced the valley but the valley was never God’s heart for him. Jesus went to a cross. But the cross was never His focus. Death is never the focus with God, He is always and only about resurrection. Jesus said He came to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Jesus—the Father revealed—was focused on the joy of resurrection life.
“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross” (Heb 12:2). What was the joy? We were His joy! I am convinced that Jesus was living in the same revelation that David wrote about in Psalm 23. Jesus knew there was a cross, but He also knew it wasn’t His Father’s heart. His Father’s heart was the joy of an unveiled love relationship with His kids.
Like David, I am learning to believe that the valley of the shadow of death is not my Father’s heart for me. He only has goodness and love, all the days of my life!
Like Jesus, I am learning to live in the sustaining joy of the resurrection. When it comes to my Father, I am convinced that death is never the point—He is always about a future and a hope, He is always about life!
Faith empowers us to see resurrection life, redemption and restoration. Faith is the end of the story, given to us in the moment of trial, disillusionment, or loss. Faith is the belief that He is always good, and His love has already brilliantly worked everything to our good!
What You Believe About God
What we believe determines how we live.
What we believe controls our thoughts, our emotions, and our actions. What’s crazy is that we don’t even need to have all the facts. We live by what we perceive to be the truth.
When it comes to our heavenly Father, I think it’s astounding how much in our lives are determined by what we believe.
“IF WE BELIEVE OUR FATHER IS LOVE AND HIS LOVE IS PERFECTED IN HIS GOODNESS, THEN WE WILL TRUST HIM. WE WILL LIVE IN THE EXPECTATION OF A FULLER, MORE POWERFUL LIFE.”
Our days will be marked by hope and joy and peace, even when life is hard, sad, and violent. If we believe that His love settles every need and answers every question that aches in our hearts, then we will step out boldly and risk. Our lives will be marked by love and the dangerous favor of God. We will be radical responders, living in a greater revelation of our Dad’s love.
That said, if we are unsure regarding our Father’s good love, then we’ll find ourselves living on defense; our days will be marked by fear. Trust, hope, and joy will be fleeting; they will become principles that are impossible to maintain. In the good days we will be anxious, always waiting for the “other shoe to drop.” We will try our hardest but we will live defensive and life will become a reaction to perceived attacks.
“If we are unsure regarding our Father’s good love, then we’ll find ourselves living on defense; our days will be marked by fear.”
I once heard a great analogy that best describes this kind of powerless life. Let’s say I have a million dollars in my bank account but I’m only aware of a thousand. If that’s the case, then I will live in the limitation of the thousand. Every decision I make will be restricted to the lie that I only have a thousand bucks. My needs will go unmet, my family’s needs will go unmet, and giving becomes virtually nonexistent. I live broke and powerless.
When we, by faith, choose to believe that our heavenly Father is always good, that His love is perfected in His goodness, and that He only has goodness and love for His us there is a great shift that takes place in our hearts. We are free and empowered to discover our authority. The authority Jesus gave us through His life, death, and resurrection. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matt 28:18)
When we see God as our Father and become sure in His love, we are transformed, giving us access to our destiny.
“WHEN WE SEE OUR FATHER AND BECOME SURE IN HIS LOVE, ALL IMPOSSIBILITIES BECOME POSSIBILITIES—IT’S CALLED HEAVEN ON EARTH.”
The fact is, whether saved or unsaved, what we believe about the nature of Father God determines how we relate with Him and directly affects how we live.
May you become surer in His always good love today.
INTIMACY: #sloppywet
This message was given to Newsong Church in July 2017. Jason talked about intimacy and the measureless love of God. Jason highlighted how Jesus died so we could know our value. He also referenced John Mark and Sarah McMillan’s songs, King of My Heart, and How He Loves.
#SloppyWet #Intimacy
“Prone to Wander”? Debilitating Theology in the Pew
Debilitating Theology in the Pews
The power of the song “Come Thou Fount” is the revelation that we can always know His Love.
The song is about a believer’s journey to discovering the cross. It is the good news that just keeps getting better. But the song is only the beginning of a story, not the end. You see, the cross is just the launching pad, the foundation, the slingshot that propels us into the victorious, miraculous, “greater-works” existence that Jesus modeled, and told us we had access to.
You see, Jesus never once was “prone to wander” or “prone to leave the God He loved.” He came to earth to settle that exact issue once and for all. He came to set us free, that we too might see, encounter, and become love; that we might be transformed from “prone to wander,” to “prone to love Him!”
I think that if a person sings the line “prone to wander” as a testimony, it is stunning, powerful, life-changing revelation. But when a believer, as a proclamation, sings those lyrics, they are debilitating and destructive. While that line in the song is brilliant theology for the sinner, it is devastating theology for the saint.
The cross is only beautiful because of the empty tomb. We celebrate His death because of His resurrection. I would like to suggest that the power of Love is perfected when sinners become saints. That was the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection—that we would encounter Love and become love.
I no longer sing “prone to wander.” I can’t, it’s not true. My Heavenly Father said so.
Instead, when I sing this beautiful hymn, by faith, I agree with how my Father sees me. I sing, “prone to love you, Lord, I feel it, prone to know the God I love.” And I can’t help but cry tears of joy while I sing this. Why? Because not only is it the cry of my heart, but because of my beautiful, best friend, Jesus, it’s true! And how good is He for making it so. Thank you, Jesus!
My journey is a headlong discovery of my Fathers love. There is no greater discovery ever made and I am learning that the discovery of His love sets me free to become love. In fact, my revelation of my Father’s love is what transforms me.