No Greater Joy

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

So many of us want for our children to be successful, have impressive jobs, nice house and car, good grades, a college degree. I have to admit, I have been one of those parents at times. But no matter how successful by the world's standards my children become, it is all fleeting. There is nothing that tops their salvation and fulfilling the purpose to which God has called them. There is nothing of any earthly value that we could possibly brag about and nothing of eternal value that we can take any credit for. God has chosen to bless us with a joy that the world would not understand.

Our daughter and son-in-law, Jamie and Nate Tubbs have been married for almost 2 years now. From the moment Nate told Jamie he wanted to "pursue a relationship" with her one special evening at the Rainforest Cafe after ministering together for over a year, it has been the desire of their heart to be in full-time ministry together. They met as Moody students in a student-led ministry to the homeless of Chicago called "Frontlines". Serving together, both with a heart for the poor and needy and a mutual love for the Lord, they fell in love and were married in June of 2007 after Nate graduated from Moody with a degree in Pastoral Studies. All the while they were also ministering on a volunteer basis with Church in the City, a young church plant where God had been using Nate. Shortly after their vows, Jamie graduated from Moody in Evangelism and Disicipleship and was hired on as part time church administrator while Nate continued working for a valet company downtown to support them. It has been their prayer and desire that God would make it possible for them to be in full time ministry together. They have placed it into His hands and waited patiently for His timing.

So we are overwhelmed with joy that God has answered their prayer! Over Easter, they shared excitedly with us that their church, in a step of faith had invited Nate to join the staff full-time! Praise God! Currently he has no job title, but in biblical terms, he will be serving as a full-time deacon.

We are so thankful that God has given our daughter the godly man she had always longed for and we had always prayed for, and has seen fit to use them so fully and richly to advance His kingdom! Please pray for them as they make this transition, for the spread of the Gospel throughout the city of Chicago, for Church in the City and for wisdom as they minister.

Church in the City meets Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at Pulaski Fine Arts Academy, 2230 W. McLean Ave., Chicago, IL 60647 http://www.churchinthecity.us/

Easter

So there was this guy, perfect and undeserving of any kind of punishment for any wrong, who in my place said "I did it" and threw himself in front of the bullet for me. He never gossiped, he never lied, he never lusted, he was never selfish, greedy or hateful. He was physically tortured, for me, for you, for all of humanity.

However, as I think about the pain and suffering he endured on my behalf, somehow I strain to differentiate that agony from the agony of cancer, of child abuse, of any kind of human torture that exists today in our fallen world. What makes his physical mutilation and torture different than any other undeserving person who is tortured by crazed lunatics?

Beside the fact that he is the Son of God, nothing.

What's different is his absolute repugnance toward sin. He was sinless. Perfect. In his spotlessness he took on all of our filth. And he was made to be sin on our behalf. I can't forget the fact that he was beaten, mocked, and all those other gorey details that we hear every Good Friday...but it was our SIN that was his real torture.

I recall times when I have sinned and been convicted and felt the agony of my mistake. Or when I see someone commit a sin that is just horrendous how disgusting and putrid it is. I cannot imagine if I were perfect and had to take on that guilt and remorse as though I had actually commited the offense. But Christ, Jesus Christ, the perfect, spotless, sinless, pure, holy, blameless, unblemished Son of God, in one moment took every sin past, present and future, that was, is, and ever will be, to the grave with him. There is no physical pain, no mocking, that can ever hurt anymore more than the complete and utter agony of taking on the sum of mankind's evil. God couldn't even look at him.

How awful! How bittersweet! How beautiful! I can picture Christ absorbing all the guilt that I deserve...saying "bring it on!"....taking it to the grave with him and leaving it there dead, rising up 3 days later as the Victor! Death could not hold him because He is the Son of God, pure and blameless! Sin has no victory! And I am free because of it!