A Singular Desire

Whom have I in heaven but You?

And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

–Ps. 73:25-26

Who was Asaph? Well, for starters, he was the author of this Psalm 73. In fact, he composed 12 psalms in total. Originally though, he was appointed by David over "the service of song in the house of the LORD" (1 Chr. 6:31-32), which at that point in time referred to the tabernacle, not the temple. Additionally, Asaph and his brother Heman played the cymbals in David's ark-of-the-covenant marching band, as the ark was relocated out of obscurity from Kiriath-jearim to the city of David (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Chron. 15:19). So, Asaph was one of the guys playing music when David danced before the LORD as the ark arrived in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:14)! Asaph likely wrote psalm 73 a little before the ark made that journey.

In Psalm 73, Asaph was embittered and jealous of people who were living exorbitantly, taking advantage of others, and relishing in their comfort and wealth with no regard for the people they were oppressing (v. 21). He couldn't understand it. It seemed like these godless, violent, prosperous, arrogant men were living the good life. "What's up with that?" he thought. "Here I am playing the measly cymbals at the worship tent, trying to keep myself pure and innocent of wrongdoing, and these guys are out there enjoying the finest things the earth has to offer."

But, Asaph combated the impulse of jealousy and discontentment with worship. "When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God" (vv. 16-17, italics added). His worship led him to a place of singular desire. As he worshiped God, his heart no longer needed toys and games and parties and fine wines and fame and power and wealth. All those things—everything—faded away, and he just wanted God. That's why he closed the psalm, saying, "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good..." (v. 28).

Through worship, our disparate, competing desires become unified, singular desire for God. We don't need all the toys and games and whatever else. His presence will be enough. Like Asaph, the nearness of God will be our good.

The Rushing Torrent of God

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" –Jn. 7:37-38

The purpose of the Feast of Booths (aka, Sukkoth or Feast of Tabernacles) was to celebrate the corn, grape, and olive harvest. Food and drink offerings occurred often throughout this agricultural festival. The feast proper lasted for 7 days, with an 8th day of "solemn rest" (Lev. 23:39). A water-pouring ceremony took place in the morning of each of the seven days. The priests would fill a golden pitcher of water at the pool of Siloam. Then, the high priest would lead a processional back to the temple, where he would offer the water to God, pouring it out before Him.

On the last day of the feast Jesus capitalized on the visual demonstration. He likened the water to His Spirit and the pitcher to anyone who believes in Him (Jn. 7:39). Only, Jesus amplified the picture by referring to rivers of water. In other words, it's not a trickle but a rushing torrent of God inside the believer. So, when people believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside them, giving them powerful resources for living life and glorifying God.

Furthermore, the direction of the flow is outward. God energizes believers in the deepest part of their being, invigorating them with forgiveness, comfort, grace, joy, and love. Then, God flows through the changed believers to treat others the same way He has treated us. But, how do we activate the flow of this living water? The one word answer is faith. When people believe Christ and what He taught and stood for, the flowing begins.

May we have the faith that activates the Spirit's flowing through us. May God energize us within our innermost being to love Him and bless others with this rushing torrent of forgiveness, comfort, grace, joy, and love. May the flowing begin.

The Bright Light of the World

You are the light of the world. –Mt. 5:14

In the ancient near East, Israel was intended to be a light for the nations (Is. 49:6). Israel was to be so utterly righteous and just and different from the surrounding nations, that the nations would notice Israel's flourishing and desire the God of Israel to be their own. Unfortunately, Israel failed miserably to be bright enough to attract all the other nations to Yahweh. However, God also said His servant coming out of Israel would be a light to the nations (Is. 42:6).  Plus, the righteousness of the entity would determine the brightness of the light (51:4).

So, when Jesus shows up on the scene, preaching the sermon on the mount to a Jewish audience, he invokes the well-known metaphor. He reminds his audience that they are meant to be a light to the nations. Only this time, Jesus tweaks the plan. People now receive righteousness by believing that Jesus—God's chosen servant spoken of in Isaiah—gives them his own righteousness. Then, Jesus' righteousness flows out of the individual in such a way that other people see it and embrace the Father, likewise glorifying and serving Him out of Jesus' righteousness. That's why Jesus says elsewhere in the sermon, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness..." (6:33, emphasis added). That's why He also says, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (5:16).

May we all receive Jesus righteousness, and may Jesus' righteousness shine through us as the bright light of the world.

These Little Ones and Anyone in Need

And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. –Mt. 10:42

In chapter 10 of Matthew's gospel, Jesus gathers the twelve disciples, instructs them, and sends them out to minister and proclaim the gospel. The message to be preached was "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (v. 7). Everything they did, then, was to be a validation for that message. After a series of instructions, the last thing Jesus tells his disciples is to pay attention to the little ones. Why? They are extremely vulnerable. In this verse, they are depicted as so weak, famished, defenseless, and unprotected, they simply need a drink of water (v. 42).

Children are the most helpless people on the planet. In the ancient world, children born with disabilities or simply born female, were commonly left outside to die by exposure. Children are unable to work, not respected, and sometimes even seen as a burden. No wonder elsewhere in Matthew's gospel, Jesus equates neglecting children with despising them, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones..." (18:10, emphasis added). And, in Jesus' last great teaching in Matthew's gospel, he expands his vision from children to anyone in need. He makes a personal matter of caring for people who are hungry, thirsty, poor, naked, and sick, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me" (Mt. 25:40). Strikingly, Jesus embeds these remarks within a teaching that pictures himself sitting on his throne, judging the nations of the world! Clearly, then, God cares how nations—and individuals—treat the needy and vulnerable among them.

So, where are the needy in our society? Where are the little ones, the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the naked, the imprisoned, and the sick? How can we engage them as a society and as an individual? When I appear before Jesus Christ sitting on His glorious throne, I pray there is some kind of evidence from my life that I cared about the same things He did.