Herb Montgomery

“Thus, Esau despised his birthright.”

—Genesis 25:34

A “birthright” is a right or privilege that one is entitled to at birth. I would like you to ponder a few texts this week, in light of the concept of a birthright.

Romans 5.18:

“So then, as through one transgression, there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men.”

Corinthians 15.20-22:

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ, all will be made alive.”

Timothy 4.9-10:

“It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”

John 3.17:

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

I believe two things are needed for a person to be saved throughout eternity. The first is a “title.” In legal terms, a title is a legal document showing the right of ownership of a particular property. In other words, something that shows ownership. That object belongs to the holder of the title, and he or she has full rights and privileges in reference to it.

This title, this ticket, this right of ownership, this gift, according to the above verses, through Jesus’ death on the cross, has been given to every man, woman, and child! They are born with it! It is their birthright by virtue of the life, death, and resurrection of their savior, Jesus Christ!

The second thing is “fitness.” This must not be overlooked because, if left in our self-centered state, it doesn’t matter how much heaven belongs to you, you won’t be happy there and your birthright will be despised. Heaven’s other-centered environment would be a place of sheer torment and torture. Thus, what good would a title be to something you don’t even want?

But, notice how it all works! When we “believe” in the birthright God has given to us outside of our doing anything to obtain it, we see past His gift, to His heart from which the gift was given. We begin to see the generous other-centered selfless love of our God! This belief in His love for us awakens in our hearts and in our other-centered love for Him. We begin to love because He first loved us. By His love for us, our love is awakened. We become transformed or converted from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, and, thus, through faith in the already given birthright that we are all born with, we are changed, restored back into the image of our unselfish God.

What a truly wise and loving God we worship. I’m amazed every time I see Him.

Ephesians 5:1-2:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”Last week we focused on the words of the Apostle Peter with respect to “above all” (which means “above everything else”), LOVE. This week I would like you to consider the words of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.

According to Paul’s missive, we are invited to be “imitators of God.” Just stop and think about that for a minute. What does that mean? This might possibly be the most relevant “lifestyle” question that a Christian can ask! When correctly comprehended, we are truly only asked one thing of God, and that is to be an imitator of Him. He has shown us how, which we will get to in a minute. First, consider what it looks like to be an imitator of God. Paul’s reply is in the statement, “live the life of love” (verse 2, NIV). This is it! It is an invitation to live a life of LOVE! It means being loved by God and responding by allowing that love to awaken our love for Him and those we come in contact with.

Love is patient,

love is kind

and is not jealous;

love does not brag

and is not arrogant,

does not act unbecomingly;

it does not seek its own,

is not provoked,

does not take into account a wrong suffered,

does not rejoice in unrighteousness,

but rejoices with the truth;

bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

A word of warning: We CANNOT live like this by simply trying to do so. You cannot love by trying to love. What is needed is a heartfelt, dynamic encounter with His love for you. His love for us is the compelling force (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). We will only love, because His love for us has first awakened love in us (I John 4:19).

Would you, dear reader, like this kind of life? We are invited to be imitators of the greatest Lover in the Universe. How? By simply allowing oneself to be loved by Him and letting His life-changing love accomplish all the rest.

Would you like that? When the next week begins, regardless of how busy you may be, take a moment and tell Him about it. He will be overjoyed and feel over-loved to simply show you how deeply in His heart you truly are.

I wish you God’s best this week.

1 Peter 4:7-11

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.Last weekend I was privileged to be able to share the Gospel alongside some of the most remarkable friends I have met so far in my travels. One such friend was Dr. Gregory Boyd, pastor of the Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul Minnesota and professor at Bethel University.

I was so moved, especially by Greg’s presentations. He presented three talks during the weekend: his own journey out of atheism into faith, why he holds a belief in the historical validity of the Gospels, and what I found to be the clearest and most moving presentation I have ever witnessed on what it truly means to be a follower of Christ.

There was one phrase that jumped out at me that, seven days later, I still have echoing over and over in my head:

“Above all . . . LOVE!” (1 Peter 4:8)

That means above everything. Above all else.

Paul put it this way:

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Especially in the area of religion, we are too often overly concerned about being right, rather than being Godly. God is Love (1 John 4:8). This is the truest “mark” by which to know that we really are following the truth: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus himself also said to the Pharisees of His day, “If God were your Father, you would love . . .” (John 8:42). John the beloved wrote, “Let us love one another . . . everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

I’d like to share the opening passage to you from the Message Bible as well:

“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!” (1 Peter 4:7-11, The Message)

How, then, is this love to be found in us? Only by love is love awakened. We only love “because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Is it the mandate to, “above ALL,” love something that you find your own heart gravitating toward, longing to follow as well? Then I lift up to you the greatest revelation of love ever manifested before human eyes—the cross of Christ. When His sacrifice is truly understood in the hearts of those who claim to be His followers, then His love, in our treatment of all whom we come into contact with, will be manifest among His followers as well.

The end of all things is at hand! May we not only grasp the love that’s in God’s heart toward us, but may we also, ABOVE ALL . . . Love!

You may find it encouraging to read what Greg himself, a Baptist, experienced this weekend preaching alongside a bunch of Gospel-centered Sevies.

If you would like to, you can find Greg’s blog at:

http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/the-good-news-tour/

I wish you God’s best this week.

“They will walk after the LORD,

He will roar like a lion;

Indeed He will roar

And His sons will come trembling from the west” (Hosea 11.10)

The image of a Lion in the above verse is a fitting symbol for the role our God will play during the final act on the great theater of grace. For time out of mind, controversy has ensued regarding the character of the most other-centered, generously kind and gentle, yet strong and self-denying being in the universe. But that controversy is about to come to a close. The curtain is about to fall, and when it does, it will be with a roar!

As I consider the imagery of the return of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, He is both the lion and the lamb simultaneously. There could be no greater contradiction, but isn’t that exactly the way He is always revealing Himself to us? He does so in things that on the surface seem so contradictory, yet with a little inspired thought and emotion, we begin to see a rich depth in Him that we did not previously perceive. Truly, He has never turned out to be what we expected. Each time we stumble onto a glimpse of what He is, we are pleasantly surprised to find each of our expectations so far outshined, surpassed, and made to appear far short in comparison to the reality of what He is.

My oldest daughter’s first “feelings” surrounding her relationship with God began through the influence of C.S. Lewis’s Aslan. (I know, I know, even in writing that, I am opening my email inbox to a plethora of “did you knows” and warnings about Lewis, but trust me, its ok this time. No need to email me.) But as I recently pondered an artist’s sketch of what Lucy might have looked like all snuggled up in Aslan’s mane, with her arms wrapped tightly around His strong neck, yet feeling perfectly safe and protected, I began to see what it was that initially pulled at my own little girl’s heart. My daughter had seen what I was now seeing. Yes, He is a lion, and His prey should be afraid, wrapped in terror. But remember, they are only His prey because they threaten us! Many feel an inordinate amount of fear about the “Lion’s” return. But He is not crouched waiting to pounce on us! He’s coming back in our defense, to bring what was accomplished in His last visit to our pain-racked planet to fruition. His roar is not aimed at you, but at all that threatens, frightens, hurts, or saddens YOU! He is YOUR Lion, and you are the apple of His eye. You will hear His roar, and your heart will leap for joy and shout:

“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited. He will save us! This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” (Isaiah 25.9)

Ponder these thoughts well this week, dear reader, for the time of rejoicing is almost here.

Then he will set the two goats before GOD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and cast lots over the two goats, one lot for GOD and the other lot for Azazel. He will offer the goat on which the lot to GOD falls as an Absolution-Offering. The goat on which the lot for Azazel falls will be sent out into the wilderness to Azazel to make atonement.— Leviticus 16.7-10, The MessageStop for a moment and think this week about the imagery of the Old Testament’s Day of Atonement ceremony. (If you are not familiar with it, take some time this week to read all of Leviticus 16.) It is truly beautiful. Think of it against the backdrop of knowing that our sin, humanity’s rebellion, is not an “honest” rebellion. We have been deceived about who God really is and what He is like. We are truly rebelling against what we think He is, rather than what He really is. This is why integral to Jesus ministry was His deep passion for simply portraying to us the truth of what God’s character truly is. (See John 8:32: “. . . you will know the truth and the truth will make you free . . .”)

The Day of Atonement is about all of Israel’s acts of rebellion, their transgressions, taking them out of the sanctuary—God’s place of dwelling, i.e. God Himself—and placing them on the head of the scapegoat—i.e., He who truly is to blame for them.

Think about it for a second. How many today would still rebel if they could just see God for who He really is? If they could just see His heart? Is it really that we are rebelling; or is it that someone has deceived us about what He is, and we are simply rebelling against the wrong picture?

The Day of Atonement brought Israel into oneness with their God through the shed blood of a sacrifice that symbolized God Himself. This was done by a cultic rich symbolism. But what were the symbols really revealing? That the day was coming when God would sacrifice Himself for us. And through that self-abandonment, we could begin to see God for what He truly is, and our rebellion would be directed away from God; God would cease to be the one our rebellion is aimed at, and He would cease to be the “one to blame,” so to speak. Instead it would be placed on someone else. We would begin to see: God is not the enemy. God is not the one we’ve needed to be saved from. God is not the one we should fear or against whom we should rebel. For as we begin to look around, through eyes anointed with all that Calvary shows us, we begin to see . . . “An enemy has done this.”

I long for a Day of Atonement to take place today in our hearts, dear Reader, in each of us. I long for the shed blood of God Himself to open the eyes of our hearts, win our affection and love, and make us one with Him and each other once again, in a relational restoration. Would you like that too? Then let’s begin this week by simply pausing and asking God to show us more deeply who He truly is. Ask Him to show us a fuller revelation of His love, His glory, His character. May we truly experience our rebellion being directed away from Him and placed where it belongs—today.

“This is what you are to offer on the Altar: two year-old lambs each and every day, one lamb in the morning and the second lamb at evening. With the sacrifice of the first lamb offer two quarts of fine flour with a quart of virgin olive oil, plus a quart of wine for a Drink-Offering. The sacrifice of the second lamb, the one at evening, is also to be accompanied by the same Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering of the morning sacrifice to give a pleasing fragrance, a gift to GOD.” Exodus 29.38-41I remember the day I had the sudden leap in understanding in that each sacrifice in the Old Testament (and, no; I’m not ignoring animal rights issues. I just don’t understand that yet.) was truly a revelation of the humble, self-sacrificing, self-abandonment of God Himself for us. This is specifically important when applied to the morning and evening sacrifices that were part of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary services. God’s love, the depth of His love, was to be ever kept before the minds and hearts of Israel. Not that they always perceived it, nor that it really made sense to them at that time, but the thought was that each day was to begin and end with a fixed gaze on God’s great other-centeredness. The purpose stands out clear. Only by love is love awakened. Only in the hopes of our hearts’ understanding can conversion from our self-centered instincts to the image of God’s other-centered love be possible.

Isaiah 6.10:

      And return and be healed.

John 12.40:

HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.

Everything in the sanctuary and its services were to have the focus of God’s other-centered complete and entire self-sacrificial love:

“This is to be your regular, daily Whole-Burnt-Offering before GOD, generation after generation, sacrificed at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. That’s where I’ll meet you; that’s where I’ll speak with you; that’s where I’ll meet the Israelites, at the place made holy by my Glory. I’ll make the Tent of Meeting and the Altar holy. I’ll make Aaron and his sons holy in order to serve me as priests. I’ll move in and live with the Israelites. I’ll be their God. They’ll realize that I am their GOD who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live with them. I am GOD, your God. (Exodus 29.42-45) May a fixed gaze on His love and sacrifice for us be where He still meets us and lives with us today.

I wish you God’s best this week.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5.10)I want you to ponder for a moment the Bible’s use of the word “reconciled.” This word is not used in the accounting sense but rather in the relational sense. Paul uses this concept again in his letter to the Corinthians:

“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation . . . Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2Corinthians 5.18-20)

This verse is quite revealing. First and foremost this week, I want you to notice that God is appealing to us to be reconciled. Throughout the centuries, we Christians have been guilty of presenting to the world a God who, through the death of His son, was reconciled to us. But “God so loved this world [already] that He gave His only begotten son . . .” (John 3.16) Could it be that we have had it backwards? At the very least, could we have had our emphasis on the purpose of the cross wrong? God is not harboring ill feelings toward us and needing to see blood in order to be reconciled! God is the one giving the gift to us; God is the one making the appeals to us; God is begging us to be reconciled!

Ponder it again in this passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers:

“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death . . .” (Colossians 1.21- 22)

We were the alienated ones, standing at a distance, unfriendly, unsympathetic, hostile toward God and all the other-centeredness He stands for.

But Calvary changed this for the Colossians, and it can to do it for you too! Calvary is God’s conciliatory act toward us! (Conciliatory: intended to gain the goodwill or favor of someone, tending to win over from a state of hostility or distrust.)

Dear reader, would you like to truly experience something beyond your deepest hopes in intimacy with God? Then this week, get on your knees, open your Bibles to the simple story of the cross, pray to have your heart understand it, and may the God who loves you open your heart through His own self-abandonment for you revealed through His death for you on Calvary. May you see Him as you never have before, and may you realize how truly precious you are to Him! Finally, may it awaken in you a heart deeply reconciled!

I wish you God’s best this week!

“Thus, Esau despised his birthright.”

—Genesis 25.34

A “birthright” is a right or privilege that one is entitled to at birth. I would like you to ponder a few texts this week, in light of the concept of a birthright.

Romans 5.18:

“So then, as through one transgression, there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men.”

Corinthians 15.20-22:

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ, all will be made alive.”

Timothy 4.9-10:

“It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”

John 3.17:

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

I believe two things are needed for a person to be saved throughout eternity. The first is a “title.” In legal terms, a title is a legal document showing the right of ownership of a particular property. In other words, something that shows ownership. That object belongs to holder of the title, and he or she has full rights and privileges to it.

This title, this ticket, this right of ownership, this gift, according to the above verses, through Jesus’ death on the cross, has been given to every man, woman, and child! They are born with it! It is their birthright by virtue of the life, death, and resurrection of their savior Jesus Christ!

The second thing is “fitness.” This must not be overlooked because, if left on our self-centered state, it doesn’t matter how much heaven belongs to you, you won’t be happy there and your birthright will be despised. Heaven’s other-centered environment would be a place of shear torment and torture. Thus, what good would a title be to something you don’t even want?

But notice how it all works! When we “believe” in the birthright God has given us outside of our doing anything to obtain it, we see past His gift, to His heart from which the gift was given. We begin to see the generous other-centered selfless love of our God! This belief in His love for us awakens in our hearts and in our other-centered love for Him. We begin to love because He first loved us. By His love for us, our love is awakened. We become transformed or converted from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, and thus, through faith in the already given birthright that we are all born with, we are changed, restored back into the image of our unselfish God.

What a truly wise and loving God we worship. I’m amazed every time I see Him.

These are some thoughts to ponder.

I wish you God’s best this week.

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus— Romans 15.5, NASB.This week, I would like to share with you the above verse as interpreted by Elder Peterson:

May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all—Romans 15.5, The Message

What I appreciate so much about Peterson’s interpretation of this text is his definition of Christian “maturity.” The fruit of being a mature Christian is that we truly have learned to “get along” with one another. We have come to love others the way God truly loves us. Yet how is it that God wants to bring us to this “maturity?”

Two references I believe give us the only valid nuts-and-bolts answer to the question of “how.” Pay close attention to the phrases I italicize.

Ephesians 3.14-17:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

1 John 4.7-12:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love…No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us.

In both of these passages, love for one another seems to be the climax, the pinnacle of Christian maturity. And how is it that these passages say we are to come to this maturity? We come to the maturity of loving others when we truly begin to believe, on a heart level, how deeply and passionately we ourselves are loved. When we come to know the “dimensions” of God’s love for us, we come to be filled with all the “fullness” of that love by which God is defined, according to Paul. John tells us that if we don’t love, the only reason is that we don’t really know God. (This might mean that the majority of those who call themselves Christians do not even know the God they claim to be following. Did I say that out loud?)

You see, the reason that we don’t love others is that we have not yet truly encountered God’s radical generous other-centered love for us. Our religious experience has been based on externals and formalities. In other words, it is only by love that love truly is awakened. And just as everyone who loves does so as a result of coming to know God and His love, everyone who does not love does not because they have yet to truly encounter Him as He really is (i.e., God is love, I John 4:8).

Another author agrees:

Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother. But we can never come into possession of this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within—when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart and is revealed in the countenance (White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 384).

So much is said in this one paragraph.

1)Love is the basis of godliness! This needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

2)Whatever the profession, the litmus test is love for one another.

3)We can’t love others by “trying” to love them.

4)What we need is the heart-level belief in the love of Christ for us.

5)Then, love will spring forth from us “spontaneously.” (She said it, not me! That’s an incredible concept!)

6)Lastly, this love being expressed for one another is the completeness of Christian character. This is the goal (the restoring of man in the image of God, who is love) to which God is endeavoring to lead us all experientially.

Christian maturity, therefore, is never defined by how stringently you adhere to a list of religious dogma. It’s more dynamic. It’s more relational. It’s about how we treat one another. I don’t know where you are this week, but as I look out on the expanse of what most of Christianity has portrayed to this world, this is the kind of maturity I want God to produce in me. Come what may. My prayer for all who call themselves by His name is that through encountering what He really is, we ourselves will be transformed, changed, into that same “Love” (I John 4:8). Then we can say to the world, truly, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

I wish you God’s best this week.

“Far better not to vow in the first place…” (Ecclesiastes 5:5)Are you tired of making New Year’s resolutions only to watch them vanish like smoke as the following weeks ensue?

I’d like you to consider two very opposite things as this new year begins.

First, what does it really mean to make a promise? We human beings have such precious little follow-through that the Bible actually states it’s “better not to vow!” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). Many times, promising only serves to make us feel better in the moment as we make the resolution. Doing so truly grants us nothing in the eventual outcome. We simply experience further disappointment and doubt in our own sincerity and whether or not God can accept us.

“Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you . . .” (White; Steps to Christ, p. 47)

Second, I would like you to consider a very different option this new-year. Instead of making promises, try just choosing to believe a few.

This one is one of my favorites:

“Therefore, tell Israel, ‘Message of GOD, the Master: I’m not doing this for you, Israel. I’m doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you’ve blackened in every country where you’ve gone. I’m going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize who I really am, that I am GOD, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with their own eyes.

For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed [i.e. other-centered], not self-willed [i.e. self-centered]. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!” — Ezekiel 36.22-28, The Message

That is a pretty amazing promise concerning the kind of work God wants to do in each of us! In the Bible, there are so many promises that He makes to us about so many precious things. What we need is not greater resolve but greater faith. I want to challenge you, for the next few weeks, instead of making new year’s promises from you to God that will fade over the next few weeks into regret and remorse, go find five promises that are especially meaningful from God to you. Repeat them daily over the next few weeks and choose … to believe.

Happy New Year!