Coffee With The Lord

A family heirloom – a treasure – given by someone as a special gift, cherished through the generations.  Delicate, fragile, placed on display with the disclaimer… “That’s mine!  My grandmother gave it to me… don’t touch it!”  (And for the children who heard that warning there are some unfortunate and sad sequels, eh?)

Well here’s some wonderful news… God feels that way about His people!  Those He has redeemed from the power of sin – those he has purchased with His own blood!  They’re special!  He has set them apart for Himself!  They’re “holy” – “sanctified” – set apart for Himself, His purposes!

I just read about this as an Old Testament reality about how God viewed the nation of Israel in Leviticus.  As a result of the Lord setting them apart to Himself they were to view themselves differently – they were to live by a different set of values than the nations around them – they were to be “holy”!

Here’s how Leviticus 20 puts it…

“Consecrate yourselves!  Be holy, for I am the Lord your God.  Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you! … You shall not walk in the customs of the nations that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things… But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land and I will give it to you to possess… I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples… You shall be holy to me!  I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine!”

Wow!  Separated from sin – set apart to God – distinct from the broader culture as God’s very own people!  That’s what God did to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament!  And that’s what He’s done to us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and through the sanctifying (“setting apart”) work of the Holy Spirit in our lives!

This is how the New Testament puts it… “You are not your own!  You were bought with a price!  So glorify God in your body!” (1 Corinthians 6:20)  And how about these words? … As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance!  But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy!’” (1 Peter 1:14-16) … And these as well… “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession – that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people!  Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy!” (1 Peter 2: 9-10)

Incredible!  I need to realize who I am through Christ!  I need to realize what God has done in my life!  I’m a “saint” – a “holy one” – set apart from sin to the Lord.  I’m precious to Him!  I’ve been redeemed from sin through His sacrifice on the cross!  I’m not my own – I’m God’s own special possession!  I’ve been set apart as one of His own special people to glorify and honor His Name in the broader culture!  God help me to do it!

Had a charismatic, Christian friend… He really liked what was showy and dramatic in Christianity. He loved seeing the manifestations of the Spirit like tongues, interpretations, prophetic utterances, signs and wonders… It was evident that he thought those who displayed those things a lot were very “spiritual” people… In fact he was very much into those things himself (and you could tell by listening to him and watching him that he wanted others to think he was very “spiritual.”) However…

When he was in a restaurant he could be very demanding of the waitress or waiter and embarrass you. Had a bit of a short fuse if you crossed Him up. His opinions were always the right ones and he seemed to delight in “showing you up” in front of others. When decisions had to be made it “was his way or the highway” (I’ve seen him stalk out of a business meeting when he disagreed with something… didn’t slam the door, but came close). A bit intolerant of others weaknesses and bigoted. Kinda liked to get even if someone did him wrong… Did I say it was evident he thought he was a “spiritual person”?

Thought of him this morning as I read this passage in the Bible…

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

“Love never ends! As for prophecies – they will pass away; as for tongues – they will cease; as for knowledge – it will pass away… So now faith, hope, and love abide – these three – but the great of these is love!” (from 1 Corinthians 13 ESV)

Yup, when I read this I thought of my friend who wanted to be thought of as “spiritual” … Then I thought about me…

Who is the most generous, considerate, caring person you know to those who are poor?  Got a face?  Got a name?  (Perhaps someone you know might even say it is you!  What a wonderful personal compliment!)

Here’s a wonderful promise from the Bible to people like that I read this morning during “coffee with the Lord”…

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; You, Lord, do not give him up to the will of his enemies!  The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.”  (Psalm 41:1–3 ESV)

Wow!  What a wonderful blessing!  What a wonderful word of assurance to people like that! … Oh Lord, I want to be a person like that!