- Lecrae, twitter

“The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

I lay my sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all, and frees us from the accursed load;
I bring my guilt to Jesus, to wash my crimson stains
White in His blood most precious, till not a stain remains.

I lay my wants on Jesus; all fullness dwells in Him;
He heals all my diseases, He doth my soul redeem:
I lay my griefs on Jesus, my burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases, He all my sorrows shares.

I long to be like Jesus, strong, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus, the Father’s holy Child:
I long to be with Jesus, amid the heavenly throng,
To sing with saints His praises, to learn the angels’ song.

Horatius Bonar; 1843

“There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains”

- Hymn: There is a Fountain

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Mark 4:40-41

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

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This amazing photo captured by my friend Tina reminded me of a song that a great friend back in High School (now in Boston) once wrote.  I couldn’t get all the words but I transcribed the best I could:

INTO YOUR STORM

The calm before the storm, the peace before the winter ice

I took your word and follow You, and then the waves began to crash

And I cry, “Jesus will you care that I am perishing?”

And you said, “Have you no faith? Fear no more.”

And I will go into Your storm despite all my doubts, despite all my fears,

Help my unbelief cause Lord you are there, if you call I will go, into Your storm.

The waves are crashing harder, the doubt is shouting louder than it ever has before

And I know Jesus that you reign over the mighty floods, but I confess I have not faith, teach me to fear no more

And I will go into Your storm despite all my doubts, despite all my fears

Help my unbelief cause Lord you are there, if you call I will go, into Your storm.

And who can this be? That even the raging wind and the crashing seas obey him?

And I am in awe of Your might and power

Jesus be King of the storm in my life

I believe, I believe

Help my unbelief, help my unbelief

Photo Credit: Tina Kim (Used without permission)
Song Credit: Moses Park (Used without permission)

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

¹² Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray continually, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not treat prophecies with contempt²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²²reject every kind of evil.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

2011!  Wow.  Whenever a new year rolls around I’m always tempted to create a list of resolutions for the new year.  It gives me something to think about and also places some type of goals to achieve.  I usually end up failing most of my resolutions but hey.. if there’s any time to be ambitious and overestimate myself the time is now.  When I was a little my mom would always make my sister and I memorize scripture.  For some reason she made us memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 in korean.. but it always stuck.  ”Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.”  Not a bad lineup of things there.  So when I started to think about what I wanted to resolute to this year.. this passage came to mind.  As I began to read from verse 12 I was enamored by all the things Paul was saying.  In my head I was saying.. “yea thats good I should do that” or “I’m pretty good at that” or “I need to work on that..”  But what I enamored soon became.. a bunch of things I realized I couldn’t live up to.. at least not all of them.. or even partially some of them..  My mind started thinking about how I could do this or that better or even worse try to dress myself in a robe and say I was really good at that.  I mean.  Look at all those commands!

1. Acknowledge those who work hard among you, care, and admonish you. (That’s almost like 3 different things!)
2. Hold them in the highest regard IN love
3. Live in peace with each other
4. Warn those who are idle and disruptive
5. Encourage the disheartened
6. Help the weak
7. Be patient with everyone
8.  Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong
9. Strive to do what is good for each other AND for everyone else
10. Rejoice always
11. Pray continually
12. Give thanks in all circumstances
13. Do NOT quench the spirit
14. Do NOT treat prophecies with contempt
15. Test them all
16. Hold on to what is good
17. Reject every kind of evil.

Seventeen.  There are seventeen instructions made by Paul here.  It’s like dang man.  The ten commandments are difficult enough.  I soon realized the legalist in me was once again at work, trying to create an itemized list of do’s and don’ts to replace my need for a savior.

Verse 23 and 24 were the deepest fresh air and reminder that I could’ve asked for.  I literally jumped out of my seat when this reminder and realization about the beauty of redemptive scripture set in.  Let’s read it again.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

My heart, soul, and mind literally feels like it goes from holding my roommates heavy guitar amps in both arms to holding absolutely nothing.  My arms relax.  My body rests.  My mind rejoices.  Freedom. First, Paul reminds that God himself sanctifies.  Through hardship and through blessing God is always grooming and molding us more into his image.  He also says that he is the God of peace.  While the holy God was just in His anger and wrath because of sin, the reconciliation that He initiated with Christ for his people, allows him to be at peace, appeased.  Our whole being (spirit, soul, and body, not mutually exclusive necessarily) will be kept blameless.. not because of us.. but because “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it”.

There is a great exchange that occurred on the hill of Calvary back 2000 years ago and it was between one man and his people.  This man perfectly obeyed all commands.  He lived the perfect life.  He was actually blameless.  He was the faithful one.

Jesus took part in the greatest exchange of history.  Our guilt and failure for his innocence and success.  This radically reshapes the way that we should look at the instruction of Paul.  Instead of following them to be accepted and approved, we strive and follow hard after them because we are accepted and approved.  Big BIG difference!

I hope that in this new year I will be able to do as Paul instructs.  They’re all good things.  But sometimes I know, being the wicked sinner that I am, I can distort the way they are meant to be fulfilled.  I pray that the gospel may entrench itself deeper in my heart so that I my spirit, soul, and body can rest in the freedom of being a slave to Christ.  Interesting paradox huh.  An even more amazing gospel!

A scene from Les Miserables,

In the novel by Victor Hugo, Jean Valjean has recently been released from jail and is looking for lodgings.  That is no easy task because, in those days in France, ex-convicts had to carry special identity cards.  All the innkeepers are suspicious of him and will not take him in.  He spends four days wandering the streets until at last one make takes pity on him – a bishop.  Valjean goes to bed, waits until the bishop is asleep and then goes around the house, looking for things he can steal.  He soon finds the family silver and runs off with it.

The police soon find him with the silver and, assuming that he has stolen it, take him back to the bishop’s house and knock on the door.  What happens next is a shock and surprise to everyone.  The bishop says “Ah, there you are, Valjean!  How good to see you.  I thought you’d be back.  You must have come for the candlesticks.  They’re silver too.  I meant you to have them as well.”  Then turning to the policeman, he says: “You didn’t think he was a thief, did you?  Oh no, I gave him this silver; it’s his.”  The baffled gendarmes go away, leaving Valjean with his mouth wide open in disbelief.  He is never the same again.

Excerpt from True Worship by Vaughn Roberts

“One reason we don’t grow in ordinary, grateful obedience as we should is that we’ve got amnesia; we’ve forgotten that we are cleansed from our sins. In other words, ongoing failure in sanctification (the slow process of change into Christlikeness) is the direct result of failing to remember God’s love for us in the gospel. If we lack the comfort and assurance that his love and cleansing are meant to supply, our failures will handcuff us to yesterday’s sins, and we won’t have faith or courage to fight against them, or the love for God that’s meant to empower this war. If we fail to remember our justification, redemption, and reconciliation, we’ll struggle in our sanctification.”

Elyse Fitzpatrick

 ”Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed.”

C.J. Mahaney

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This could not be more true.  Daily reminders of the gospel should humble us tremendously and at the same time give us the greatest confidence and boldness we could ever have.  It’s life-changing.

“and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.”

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In the midst of a suffering nation of Zion, Isaiah reminds us that Jesus is the great provider.  He did not just give out of his abundance but gave it all.  Even to the point of death.  The King who was worthy of being bestowed the royal crown of beauty, was instead offered a crown of thorns.  He was literally trading riches for rags, beauty for ashes.

To Jesus, my Father, Savior, Helper, Lord, and Friend,

I thank you for always providing for me,
Your grace, for my disgrace,
Your crown, for my ashes,
Your delight, for my grief,
Your joy, for my sorrow,
Your hope, for my despair.

For taking the wrath deserved for me,
The thorn-laced crown,
The judgement-filled cup,
The guilt-ridden rags,
The shameful cross,
The painful death.

And giving me your perfect record,
Sinless and without fault,
Loving and merciful,
Kind and gentle,
Justifying and appeasing,
Fulfilled and offered.

Philippians 2:3-11

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death–
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above all every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.“

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In this passage the apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi urging and reminding them to remember the gospel.   He spends most of his time in chapter one thanking God for their partnership in the gospel, encouraging them in prayer, and addressing their fears of his being in jail.  In chapter 2:2 he urges “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one spirit and purpose.”  He then points to Christ as the model to follow.

Knowing and being honest with myself..  I would rephrase that passage based on my inherent behavior like this:

“I do everything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, and in arrogance consider myself better than others.  I look to my own interests, and not to the interests of others.  Others attitudes should be the same as that of Tim Shin:”

Some of you would probably agree with that statement and some of you may probably think that I am being either overly-dramatic or a little too hard on myself.  Others may think it is ridiculous because they believe they are generally good people.  In it’s essence, I believe it is true.  Apart from the life-redeeming, sin-atoning, and wrath-appeasing sacrifice of Christ crucified on the cross along with the power and active work of the holy spirit in my heart, I am powerless to stand before anyone and say that my motives and actions are not out of selfish ambition, vain conceit, and in the interest of others.  If I am truly, truly honest with myself, I know behind every action and motive is a little sense and longing to fulfill my own agenda.  I want to be loved, accepted, respected, and supported in everything that I do.  Maybe its the lens with which I look at the world and the heart but the more I dig deeper into my heart, the more I read the word, pray, and worship, the realization of my selfishness and self-seeking glory becomes more and more apparent.  It’s frightening really.  Even though I know this and even though I want to fix it and change, I just can’t.  I yearn (yes, yearn…) to serve others for THEIR interest.  I want to love my neighbor as myself.  I really want to.  I want to serve the Church and God’s kingdom for God but I realize that I’m really building my own kingdom.

I find out each day just how good I’ve become at feeding my idols.  So good that no one even realizes it, not even me.  I’m like a ninja idolater.  Or more practically, like a special ops SWAT idolater.  John Calvin describes our hearts to be “experts in inventing idols”.  I think to add on to John Calvin (holds breath) we are and have also become experts at feeding our idols.  Some of us may hide behind our theology, good works, reputation, relationships, and so on.  Some of the best covers for our idols is our goodness.  If we’re good, no one will question us.  No one will challenge us.  People will assume our motives are good, intentions blameless, and hearts fully satisfied in Christ.

As I read and re-read this passage this week.. I became more and more frustrated at my inability to follow these commands.  It was clearly apparent that I could not live up to these commands from Paul.  So now what?  Do I just give up, sigh pitifully and accept my demise?  No!

Thankfully, Paul addresses this in Romans.

Romans 7:14-25

¹⁴We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²²For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Rest.  In a weird way its comforting to know that even Paul went through this struggle.  The gospel gives us rest.  In Philippians it goes on to say that because we could never grasp equality with God as humans, God himself came down to be the perfect equalizer.  Jesus, the suffering servant, became nothing.  He embodied Paul’s call to the Philippians perfectly.  There was not a hint of selfish ambition in his actions nor vain conceit in his message.  In humility he humbled himself before the world.  The king above all kings gave up the robe and his rightful throne.  He was mocked, ridiculed, beaten, blamed, despised, and shamed.  Unlike Paul in Romans, Jesus could do what he wanted to do.  He could carry out perfection and it cost him his life.  And as always.. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  How amazing!  (I think I tend to forget this sometimes.  That God looks on Christ and pardons me.)

While I was dead in my sin, I am also made alive in Christ.  In his resurrection, God reveals the power over death.  That in Christ we have power over our idols.  That through his Spirit continually sanctifying us we have power over our sin.  To conquer it.  To flesh it out.  To destroy it.  It gives us ultimate humility and boldness.  Humility because we did nothing to deserve it.  Boldness because there is nothing we can do to lose it.  The gospel has power.

Whenever I can I try to read some prayers from The Valley of Vision, a collection of beautiful, gospel-articulate puritan prayers.   I thought this one was especially relevant and it’s one of my favorites.

Continual Repentance (p.136, Valley of Vision)

O God of Grace,
Thou hast imputed (or simply, transferred) my sin to my to my substitute, and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe, decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential (repentant) tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrongs are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured (stained) with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,
For thou dost always justify the ungodly;

I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me, and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it
Go out to the day’s work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it
stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.

In Tim Keller’s article entitled All of Life is Repentance, he writes,

“It is important to consider how the gospel affects and transforms the act of repentance.  In ‘religion’ the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers.  This means that ‘religious repentance’ is a.) selfish, b.)self-righteous, c.) and bitter all the way to the bottom.  But in the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God’s heart.”

Man.  I can’t wait until I am in heaven where sin will be no more.  Until then, I know God, in his loving will through pain and joy, will teach and lead me home.  I’m excited for the things that God has in store.  I’m thankful that God uses the poor and weak in spirit and that he even works through the prideful and misguided.  He covers all my inability.  He wraps me with all his glory.

Oh great and loving Father,
Apart from you, my every sense is inclined towards rebellion
My heart yearns to do your will but fails, it is a wretched and efficient idol-factory.
Lead me beside your quiet waters and restore my soul!
Lead me to paths of righteousness for your names sake!
Because of Your son Jesus, perfect and blameless in all his ways
I thank you for the robe that now covers my rags
Filthy rags that I foolishly wear in pride.
May I not look down at others filthy rags in admonishment and judgment
May your senses become my senses.
May I pursue holiness in the gospel.  Let grace not be an excuse for laziness and apathy in dealing with sin.
Thank you for walking with me always.  And for being the good and perfect shepherd.

Q: How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?

A: We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing will separate us from His love.  All creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they can neither move nor be moved.

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“For many Christians, coming to grips with God’s all-encompassing providence requires a massive shift in how they look at the world.  It requires changing our vantage point — from seeing the cosmos as a place where man rules and God responds, to beholding the universe where God creates and constantly controls with sovereign love and providential power.”

“There are no accidents in your life.  Every economic downturn, every phone call in the middle of the night, every oncology report has been sent to us from the God who sees all things, plans all things, and loves us more than we know.  Whether it means the end of suffering or the extension of suffering, God in His providence is for us and not against us.”

Excerpts from The Good News We Almost Forgot by Kevin DeYoung.

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The more I read from the Heidelberg (along with the great commentary by Kevin) God’s mercy and grace continue to amaze and humble me.

God, You are the sovereign Lord over all.  You are worthy to be praised.  You watch over me when life is difficult.  When I worry about things such as finances, relationships, family, work, the future, my reputation, and many of the things I do not even see yet, remind me just how small my worries are compared to what you must have faced during your time here on earth.  Amidst the difficult journeys, betrayal, hopeless situations, temptations, and ultimately your fate on the cross, knowingly You served with trust, grace, and gratitude.  Never did you complain or become anxious about what was to come of tomorrow.  Help me to be like You Lord.  Move me to trust like You.  Move me to serve as You did.  Move me to respond to the gospel instead of being demanding to the gospel.  When my plans and agenda’s fall through move me to respond with joy and rejoicing instead of malcontent and bitterness.  Thank you for embracing the cross in my place.  Thank you for trusting perfectly to the end.  As Kevin DeYoung so fearlessly writes, whether it means the end of suffering or the extension of suffering…  Help me to sing in the sunshine and through the storm.  If the storm brings me to my knees and shifts pride to humility, Jesus bring the rain.  God I honestly fear those last four words.  But because of Jesus I know that I have the greatest peace, love, and mercy on my side.  Thank you Lord.  You are the perfect, holy, and amazing God worthy of all the praise, honor, and glory.  Let your providence reign.