A good friend of mine recently gave me for free (he’s that good of a friend) a copy of Paul David Tripp’s great book “Instruments In The Redeemer’s Hands”. He said to me when he gave it to me that he expected to see it on the blog, so I’m obliging him. But this paragraph gripped me as I read it this morning (having a white chocolate mocha while doing so didn’t hurt):

There is comfort in your moment of greatest mystery. This is encouragement in your time of greatest confusion, and hope in your moment of greatest discouragement. Your world is not a world of constant chaos controlled by impersonal forces. Your destiny is not in your hands or in the hands of other people. You are held in the hands of your heavenly Father, who rules everything! You are a child of the King of Kings and you live under the shadow of His wing. You are part of His plan. That means that the exercise of His power and authority is for your blessing.

I wonder how many people who attend churches in Jefferson City actually know a Jesus that can provide comfort, encouragement, and hope? Do they know that Jesus? Or do they know a Jesus that tells em to get their crap together and try harder. Or do they know a Jesus that is ready to drop some divine smackdown the instant they screw up?

And if they do know a Jesus like that, is it because that is the Jesus that the people in their church are modeling for them? Are they seeing that Jesus in the people that are supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ? Are they seeing that Jesus in leaders in their church? Because you see, ultimately how you live says everything about the Jesus you see…

At Eternity, I pray that we see Jesus providing comfort in our greatest mysteries, encouragement in our greatest confusions, and hope in our greatest discouragements. That’s the Jesus I see. That’s the Jesus that I know. And that’s the Jesus that I will talk about.