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Announcing My New Book

To my readers:

I am very excited to announce to you the November 16, 2020, release date of my new book, Working in Us What Is Pleasing to Him.

The title is based on Hebrews 13:20-21, and as it suggests, this book is about ways in which the Holy Spirit changes us over time to be more and more like Jesus. God meets us where we are, but He doesn’t leave us that way—He continuously molds us into something glorious, something “pleasing to Him.”

Through 48 short, relatable teaching-reflections, we will visit 12 Biblical figures — people just like us — and see God at work in each one of them. We will find our life reflected in their stories, for our predecessors’ past illumines our path. Like Christ in Me, my new book is a great resource for personal quiet time, yet its structure is also very well suited for small group discussion.

Beginning November 16, Working in Us What Is Pleasing to Him will be available from Amazon and from my website as well. If you prefer, you will be able to purchase it as an eBook from Amazon or as an Apple iBook. (Electronic versions will probably be available before November 16.)

Thank you not only for being my readers, but for encouraging me along the way as well. Enjoy!

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To Be One Again

One-year-olds bring their own brand of entertainment to Christmastime. We place before them armloads of presents adorned with paper and bows, then we patiently watch them (and then impatiently help them) meander their way through the giftwrap to the treasures inside. When they finally free their presents from their colorful confines, what do these little ones do? They play joyfully and contentedly with the paper, package, and bow! If young parents would just hand them a cheerfully decorated box, they would save a whole lot of money and their tiny tots would be every bit as happy. I say this in jest, of course, but there is a life lesson to be gained from these youngest among us.

In the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus taught the gathered crowd, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [life’s necessities] will be added to you.”1 Now, I must confess that for most of my life I naturally regarded this verse from the perspective of “all these things” inside the box. I “sought first,” of course, but the “added to you” was more of a motivator than perhaps it should have been. True to His word, God has always provided whatever I have needed, and I have been genuinely grateful along the way. Yet with age, I find myself returning to my one-year-old roots, captivated by the package itself: the bright “paper” that is God’s rule in the heart and the “ribbon and bow” of the righteousness—the right standing before a holy God—that Jesus gifts to us. The necessities of this life will be important as long as we are here, but the horizon seems nearer now, and these things that last forever shine brighter in its light. It’s a beautiful thing.

Where do we find true contentment, in things, or in open conversation with God? Where do we find true peace, in endless lists of dos and don’ts, or in entrusting our entire self to the life and love we find in Christ? Which is more deeply satisfying, the necessities of life—the things inside the box—that appear when we need them most, or the personal love and care of the God who provides them through the means of His choosing and to our humble delight? Don’t the eternal things that satisfy most deeply captivate us more completely with age?

Oh, to be a one-year-old again. Someday maybe.

Father, You are above all things. Lead me today in Your ways. Grace me to live and breathe before You in joy and in the confidence that Christ has taken away all my guilt and shame. He is Your greatest gift. Thank you. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 Matthew 6:33 ESV

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Psst! Your Humility Is Showing

“No wonder Christians are so humble,” pondered aloud our international student friend. Knowing very little about the Bible, she had been joining Peggy and me weekly to learn about God and His gracious work in a fallen humanity. As the gospel sunk in a little bit deeper one evening, our friend made the connection—receiving everything while deserving nothing is indeed a very humbling thing. Gratitude then grows where pride once prevailed.

Truthfully, our friend’s comment took me by surprise—a pleasant surprise for sure—for I had become more accustomed to criticism from those who have yet to meet the Savior. In fact, it seems we as believers are inclined to be a little too harsh on ourselves, letting accusations define us and thereby discourage us from sharing with others the treasure we’ve found in Christ. It is true that inconsistencies between our belief and our behavior are off-putting to others and understandably so, for our moral missteps are every bit as discouraging to us. But God’s work in us does not cease at salvation; He continues to shape us into the image of Christ. The more we receive and experience the love and faithfulness of God, the more eagerly we set aside our desires for His desires and our ways for His own. This is His doing, not ours, for it is He who “work[s] in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.”1

And it shows. Our friend saw humility often enough and consistently enough among Christians that she made the association, a connection she carried in her heart. God works other traits into His followers as well: personally, it was the peace, joy, and faith of believers that caught my attention and sent me seeking the risen Christ, and perhaps it was still other godly characteristics that drew you to Him. So take heart—the Spirit of God is morphing us into the image of Christ and equipping us for His good purposes. We are not the same people we were when we entrusted our lives to Him, thankfully, so we can confidently step into the divine directive today: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”2 How humbling the call.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Father, Your wisdom is unsearchable, and Your love boundless. Thank You for changing us, most often in ways we view only in hindsight. Strengthen us in the humility of Christ, that we would live, love and serve with Him today. In His name we pray. Amen.

1 Hebrews 13:21
2 Matthew 5:16