by Eric Holter on July 5, 2006
“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself!”
2 Corinthians 12:7
The apostle Paul was blessed with a glimpse into the glories of heaven. He saw and heard things that cannot be uttered. I would think that such an unobscured view of the glory of God in heaven would have the most positive, sanctifying, God exalting, eternity desiring effects on Paul. Indeed, I’m sure it did. Yet, even so, Paul was also in grave danger as a direct result of these revelations. Embedded in his corrupt flesh was the prideful tendency toward self exaltation. In our perfected state – after death – the glories of heaven will only produce perfect God centered joy. But because of our current corruption these same glories carry with them the potential effects of prideful self exaltation. God knew that Paul’s revelations would inevitably lead him to boasting. So for this very reason God assigned him a messenger of Satan. Some form of constant pain, severe enough that Paul entreated God three times for its removal, was given to him. But it was not removed because God knew that should this man, having received such great heights of revelation, would surely fall into the snares of pride and end up boasting.
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by Eric Holter on June 10, 2005
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
Romans 8:20-21
I live, now, on Crawford Dairy Road. The place lives up to its name. There are fields on either side of my house and tall dear corn growing across the road. Crawford Dairy rolls and gently bends past a farm house and then slips behind the tall North Carolina pines that frame our skyline. In the evening the lightning bugs launch themselves by the hundreds to dance the night away. I am captivated. Yet, as I sit on my porch soaking in this a pastoral place, I consider that the same idyllic scene has been played out for hundreds, even thousands of years. The snapshot is indeed beautiful. Yet as I think about the corn, I remember that it grows there by the sweat of a farmer’s brow. He tills, he sews, he waits, he harvests. Next year he’ll do it again, and the next year, and the next, until he comes to the end of his days. Then his sons will serve of the land as he did and his father did and his father’s father before him. The dance of the lightning bugs flickering above the corn is also futile. For they launch, dance, mate, and die, only for their offspring to do it again.
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by Eric Holter on August 5, 2004
“…And the fast of the … months will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts…”
Zechariah 8:19
John’s disciples asked Jesus one day why His disciples did not fast. In essence Jesus’ answer was that while He was with them the feast was at hand – it’s ludicrous to fast when a feast is at hand. But Jesus knew that He was going to His father and that this temporary season of feasting would end for his disciples and that yes – then, they would fast.
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by Eric Holter on July 20, 2004
“…So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He shall be gracious to us.”
Psalms 123:2
I’m so glad that John Piper took the time to write an entire book called “Future Grace” to underscore the future orientation of our faith that looks to God for grace in meeting all our current and future needs. For myself, as an American evangelical Christian, my theological backdrop has strongly emphasized the all sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross, my total justification by his blood, and my security in being saved. These are all precious facts rooted and established in the past work of Christ. I ought always to remember and be strengthened by such rock solid foundations.
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by Eric Holter on July 15, 2004
“… See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”
Zechariah 3:4
Jesus is not satisfied only to remove our filthy garments. Scouring out our deeply set stains of sin was indeed costly; it required a cross to purify, and wash us clean. Yet the removal of sin is not the final end, rather it is but the beginning of Jesus’ work. He washed us from our sins so that He could clothe us with festal robes! Jesus intends to present us to Himself in gloriously beautiful clothes. These new clothes are not simply clean versions of the same kind as our old clothes. They’re not simply clean clothes, but special festal robes. Only language used to describe the ultimate in human celebration is fit to describe the garments that Jesus will clothe us with. They are wedding clothes. Bride’s clothes – close so singular in their beauty that to wear them in a menial context would be laughable. Jesus died to purchase, purify and present us to Himself in glorious clothes – designed to display glory and honor and delight Him as bridegroom.
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