1 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over 2 by observing your pure and reverent lives.
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 5 This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. 6 For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 10 For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil.”
Being under the authority of someone else goes against our grain, doesn't it? As a woman who's read the Bible for quite a few years, I always grimaced at the thought of "Wives, you must submit to your husbands." As an independent teenager, I thought how unfair! But what I want to point out today are the first four words, "in the same way." In the same way as what? We just read yesterday that Christ Himself was under the authority of the Father. Remember that "when he suffered, He did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God." Why? Because He was under the authority of the Father, and if the Father allowed it, Christ was willing to receive it, whatever it was. So, those four words "in the same way" meant a lot to me this morning.
But it gets even better from my perspective! Look at verse 7, which says again, "In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives...she (the wife) is your equal partner in God's gift of new life." And the consequences: "If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard." We are to honor and respect one another. In God's sight, ALL people are equal. We get caught up in the wording, thinking only women are to "submit", yet in verse 8, it says, "All of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds." This includes men toward women AND women toward men.
When you look at the totality of this letter, however, the main focus is not men or women, but rather how ALL of us should live, honoring Christ. I was challenged to read this line this morning,
"Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it." If I ever wonder what God wants me to do, here it is. Pay people back with a blessing, God? Gosh, it is so hard for me to do this. I'd much prefer to talk about that person when they're not around! But this is what God has called us to do, and He will BLESS us for it! Can we trust that promise?
Here's the final promise:
For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil.”
In words and actions, seek to do right. The eyes of the Lord will watch over you, and His ears will hear your prayers as you seek to follow and honor Him. That's not just a promise for some people, that's for all of us! That is my prayer today. Lord, I just want to do right by You. I want to honor You. In everything I do.
Yesterday, I had to seek some peace and have a conversation with someone that I was dreading! Absolutely dreading this conversation. But I wanted peace so badly (and as I'm being reminded this morning, that is the right thing to want). Can I tell you that God flooded me with a peace and a love for this person that can only have come from Him?! Our conversation lasted over two hours, and I think it's safe to say that we both left feeling understood and with an increased appreciation and love for the other person. That's not OUR human nature, my friend. That is God intervening His peace in the midst of my turmoil; His love in the midst of my bitterness. The Lord honored my desire for peace and my actions in seeking it.
Do you need to make peace or do right by someone? A spouse, perhaps you haven't been honoring them the way our scripture today says you should? A friend? A family member? A co-worker? You might get nervous, as I was in the beginning, but I think you will find that seeking peace is never the wrong thing to do. It does take work (as verse 12 says), but it is always worth it.
As God says, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days...search for peace, and work to maintain it."
Coffee with Jesus
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
1 Peter 2:18-25 (Conduct Above our Circimstances: Part 2)
"Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."
The first word in this passage is "slave," but if you look at different versions, some of the translations say "servant." Indentured servants were very common in this day, so though you may not be someone's slave or indentured servant, I would say that it's fair to equate this passage with, like yesterday's, your job and work environment.
So whether it's something at work, at home, with friends, at church, or anywhere you may find yourself, remember this from today's scripture: "For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God...if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God."
Are people at work teasing you about being a Christian or a goodie-goodie? That is commendable to God. Is your family angry at you for turning away from their beliefs and calling you weak? Continue to bear up...that's commendable to God. In our plush, American society, it seems odd to us that we would "suffer" much because of our faith because we have Freedom of Religion; yet, now more than ever, I'm beginning to see, in my own life, where other religions are acceptable because we don't want to offend anyone, but the Christian view-point, well, that's just too narrow. But do you know what else is narrow? “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt. 7:13-14). The journey to salvation and eternal life...FEW will find it. According to a Barna poll, MOST people believe they will be going to Heaven, and yet, that's not what the Bible teaches. Therefore, it is so important that we continue to live out our lives, even in suffering and persecution, so that people will continue to have opportunities to know Christ.
Suffering is part of what God has called us to when we decided to follow Christ, the One who suffered greatly for us. He is our leader, our example. I count it an honor to follow in His steps, though it is never easy. He didn't retaliate. He didn't threaten to get even when He was wronged. He left His case in the hands of God, knowing that God always judges fairly. He is the Shepherd, Overseer, and Guardian of our souls. We can trust Him, knowing all His ways are good. He will take care of you.
So what do we do in the midst of these sufferings? Scripture says that we should "bear up under the pain of unjust suffering." I picture me, trying to carry a queen-sized mattress on my back (I don't know why that picture comes to mind, but I just know that would be hard and awkward to do). "Bear up" means "to hold up; support." Get your footing firm in the Lord during your suffering. Know Whose you are, and why you do what you do. And I don't see "bear up" and think "brief," but rather we're bearing up for the long haul, with continued patience in our circumstances and resistance to the evil one. May I remind you? This is not our Home. We are promised pain, suffering, and hardship this side of Heaven, so don't be surprised if you are "bearing up" for a while. But the joy in it is what God will do in and through you as you allow Him to work amidst your circumstances.
Bear up, my brothers and sisters. And remember that you never walk alone.
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."
The first word in this passage is "slave," but if you look at different versions, some of the translations say "servant." Indentured servants were very common in this day, so though you may not be someone's slave or indentured servant, I would say that it's fair to equate this passage with, like yesterday's, your job and work environment.
So whether it's something at work, at home, with friends, at church, or anywhere you may find yourself, remember this from today's scripture: "For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God...if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God."
Are people at work teasing you about being a Christian or a goodie-goodie? That is commendable to God. Is your family angry at you for turning away from their beliefs and calling you weak? Continue to bear up...that's commendable to God. In our plush, American society, it seems odd to us that we would "suffer" much because of our faith because we have Freedom of Religion; yet, now more than ever, I'm beginning to see, in my own life, where other religions are acceptable because we don't want to offend anyone, but the Christian view-point, well, that's just too narrow. But do you know what else is narrow? “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt. 7:13-14). The journey to salvation and eternal life...FEW will find it. According to a Barna poll, MOST people believe they will be going to Heaven, and yet, that's not what the Bible teaches. Therefore, it is so important that we continue to live out our lives, even in suffering and persecution, so that people will continue to have opportunities to know Christ.
Suffering is part of what God has called us to when we decided to follow Christ, the One who suffered greatly for us. He is our leader, our example. I count it an honor to follow in His steps, though it is never easy. He didn't retaliate. He didn't threaten to get even when He was wronged. He left His case in the hands of God, knowing that God always judges fairly. He is the Shepherd, Overseer, and Guardian of our souls. We can trust Him, knowing all His ways are good. He will take care of you.
So what do we do in the midst of these sufferings? Scripture says that we should "bear up under the pain of unjust suffering." I picture me, trying to carry a queen-sized mattress on my back (I don't know why that picture comes to mind, but I just know that would be hard and awkward to do). "Bear up" means "to hold up; support." Get your footing firm in the Lord during your suffering. Know Whose you are, and why you do what you do. And I don't see "bear up" and think "brief," but rather we're bearing up for the long haul, with continued patience in our circumstances and resistance to the evil one. May I remind you? This is not our Home. We are promised pain, suffering, and hardship this side of Heaven, so don't be surprised if you are "bearing up" for a while. But the joy in it is what God will do in and through you as you allow Him to work amidst your circumstances.
Bear up, my brothers and sisters. And remember that you never walk alone.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
1 Peter 2:11-17 (Conduct Above Our Circumstances: Part 1)
"Dear friends, I warn you as temporary residents and foreigners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
13 For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king."
The next few days, we will be studying a portion of 1 Peter that gives us instruction on how to live in different situations. I once heard a speaker, Miss Judy Hampton, talk about how she hated the phrase "Under the Circumstances" as if our circumstances were weighing us down and trapping us. As Christians, we can live "ABOVE our Circumstances" because we know that Christ is with us and working in ALL our circumstances. We should live with our mind set on things above, not on earthly things (Col. 3:2). That's not to say that we will never feel sadness (I just had a good ol' cry last night, myself), but after some tears, we can remember that God is presently working in our situations for His glory and for our good. "Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes with the morning," (Ps. 30:5). And yes it did, thank you, Lord!
So what does this mean to live "Above our Circumstances"? Well, we are starting today with how to live amidst the unbelieving people in our lives...
Recently, I worked for a family that was lead by an abusive father/husband. The more I got to know this man, the harder it was to work for him. He was disrespectful, selfish, even occasionally violent, and he was constantly yelling...and I mean really yelling. I had never encountered this before, and it became increasingly difficult for me to function in this situation, until I finally had to resign. Thankfully, I've been told that my resignation may have been the springboard for the family to start to seek help, but my heart continues to be heavy for them.
But what I love about this verse is that I need to remember that my conduct, even when I am being greatly disrespected, accused falsely of doing wrong, and I'm angry at the situation/people around me, even then, I am still called to live honorably because the Lord does not think they are too far from His reach. Someday, that family may just be worshiping the Lord beside me in heaven, and oh how I pray they do! And this verse goes on to say that because of "your honorable behavior...they will believe and give honor to God." That's powerful! In verse 15 he says, "It is God's will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you." In the midst of the circumstances I found myself in that house, or at work, or with my family, I am to live in a way that honors God, and my behavior will silence them and turn them toward the Lord. And we honor God in this. Again, this is bigger than ourselves!
Here's a kicker...this includes your boss. Verse 13 says, "For the Lord's sake, accept all authority..." And you may think, well there is just no way that I could ever respect that man. But the good news is, it's not about what you think of your boss. We are to accept the people in authority over us "For the Lord's sake" -- for His kingdom agenda. We are to show respect for everyone, putting them above ourselves. That is the true humility of Christ inside you. Make the choice to respect and love the people in your life, and allow God to give you the ability to even do so.
I don't know what situation you find yourself in today. What is being said about you? Who has misunderstood or misrepresented you completely? Who takes all the glory for the work you have done? I could go on and on...and I don't encourage you to stay in an abusive situation by any means (because there are definitely situations where we should not remain and be "the martyr"), but the daily human-ness of the people we are in relationship with, by choice or not, does require us to die to ourselves everyday. To choose to live for Christ.
Let me leave you with this quote from Leonard Ravenhill:
The Christian who knows he has been crucified with Christ...
has no ambition, and so has nothing to jealous about,
has no reputation, and so have nothing to fight about,
has no possessions, and therefore nothing to worry about,
has no rights, so therefore can suffer no wrong;
and is already dead, so no one can kill him.
We can live honorably, respectfully, humbly, and freely, my friends, because surely we have been crucified with Christ, and we no longer live, but it is Christ who lives in us!
Who can you show some Jesus to today? You never know; it is the Lord's will that you may be standing beside them in Heaven someday.
13 For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king."
The next few days, we will be studying a portion of 1 Peter that gives us instruction on how to live in different situations. I once heard a speaker, Miss Judy Hampton, talk about how she hated the phrase "Under the Circumstances" as if our circumstances were weighing us down and trapping us. As Christians, we can live "ABOVE our Circumstances" because we know that Christ is with us and working in ALL our circumstances. We should live with our mind set on things above, not on earthly things (Col. 3:2). That's not to say that we will never feel sadness (I just had a good ol' cry last night, myself), but after some tears, we can remember that God is presently working in our situations for His glory and for our good. "Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes with the morning," (Ps. 30:5). And yes it did, thank you, Lord!
So what does this mean to live "Above our Circumstances"? Well, we are starting today with how to live amidst the unbelieving people in our lives...
Recently, I worked for a family that was lead by an abusive father/husband. The more I got to know this man, the harder it was to work for him. He was disrespectful, selfish, even occasionally violent, and he was constantly yelling...and I mean really yelling. I had never encountered this before, and it became increasingly difficult for me to function in this situation, until I finally had to resign. Thankfully, I've been told that my resignation may have been the springboard for the family to start to seek help, but my heart continues to be heavy for them.
But what I love about this verse is that I need to remember that my conduct, even when I am being greatly disrespected, accused falsely of doing wrong, and I'm angry at the situation/people around me, even then, I am still called to live honorably because the Lord does not think they are too far from His reach. Someday, that family may just be worshiping the Lord beside me in heaven, and oh how I pray they do! And this verse goes on to say that because of "your honorable behavior...they will believe and give honor to God." That's powerful! In verse 15 he says, "It is God's will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you." In the midst of the circumstances I found myself in that house, or at work, or with my family, I am to live in a way that honors God, and my behavior will silence them and turn them toward the Lord. And we honor God in this. Again, this is bigger than ourselves!
Here's a kicker...this includes your boss. Verse 13 says, "For the Lord's sake, accept all authority..." And you may think, well there is just no way that I could ever respect that man. But the good news is, it's not about what you think of your boss. We are to accept the people in authority over us "For the Lord's sake" -- for His kingdom agenda. We are to show respect for everyone, putting them above ourselves. That is the true humility of Christ inside you. Make the choice to respect and love the people in your life, and allow God to give you the ability to even do so.
I don't know what situation you find yourself in today. What is being said about you? Who has misunderstood or misrepresented you completely? Who takes all the glory for the work you have done? I could go on and on...and I don't encourage you to stay in an abusive situation by any means (because there are definitely situations where we should not remain and be "the martyr"), but the daily human-ness of the people we are in relationship with, by choice or not, does require us to die to ourselves everyday. To choose to live for Christ.
Let me leave you with this quote from Leonard Ravenhill:
The Christian who knows he has been crucified with Christ...
has no ambition, and so has nothing to jealous about,
has no reputation, and so have nothing to fight about,
has no possessions, and therefore nothing to worry about,
has no rights, so therefore can suffer no wrong;
and is already dead, so no one can kill him.
We can live honorably, respectfully, humbly, and freely, my friends, because surely we have been crucified with Christ, and we no longer live, but it is Christ who lives in us!
Who can you show some Jesus to today? You never know; it is the Lord's will that you may be standing beside them in Heaven someday.
Monday, June 27, 2011
1 Peter 2:4-10 (Chosen, Holy, and Loved)
"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
We left off on Friday talking about the idea of craving pure, spiritual milk -- choosing to desire to grow with the Lord more than we desire anything else. So it is with this background that we continue reading in 1 Peter today.
"The living Stone" in verse 4 refers to Jesus, who was, as the verse says "rejected by men but chosen by God." We know that Jesus was not loved by all -- in fact, he was hated by many! Remember that Peter is speaking to all the new Jewish Christians, and this idea of a "living stone" would not be a new term for them. The passage Peter is about to quote in verse 6 comes from Isaiah 28:16, which was written by the prophet Isaiah. Peter is saying, "He is the One!" On Jesus, the foundation and the cornerstone, will be laid the means to your salvation. Yet, these verses say that many will reject him and stumble and fall because of what He teaches. Much of what Jesus taught was counter-cultural in His day, and it remains counter-cultural in our day. People don't think they need to be saved from anything, so they don't need a Savior. They want to keep acting in the way that seems to be working for them today, but they are deceived. In a second, we will see God's plan for reaching these lost people...
But not only is Jesus mentioned here. We are mentioned as also being "living stones" that are used to make one, large spiritual house and community. We are part of the bigger picture that God is using to redeem the world! And I like the idea of a "spiritual house" because a house is where something dwells, and so we are the dwelling place for God's spirit in this world. God will use us to declare this salvation to the world. And how will He do it? Look at verses 9-10, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." We are to declare how he brought us out of darkness and into his wonderful light and mercy! I know that I have surely been brought of some serious darkness. Thank you, Lord! Now that is something to tell other people about, is it not?!
Does it not invigorate you to know that you are part of this enormous picture and plan that God has been working on since the beginning to time? You are a part of this, a chosen, holy, and loved part of it!
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
We left off on Friday talking about the idea of craving pure, spiritual milk -- choosing to desire to grow with the Lord more than we desire anything else. So it is with this background that we continue reading in 1 Peter today.
"The living Stone" in verse 4 refers to Jesus, who was, as the verse says "rejected by men but chosen by God." We know that Jesus was not loved by all -- in fact, he was hated by many! Remember that Peter is speaking to all the new Jewish Christians, and this idea of a "living stone" would not be a new term for them. The passage Peter is about to quote in verse 6 comes from Isaiah 28:16, which was written by the prophet Isaiah. Peter is saying, "He is the One!" On Jesus, the foundation and the cornerstone, will be laid the means to your salvation. Yet, these verses say that many will reject him and stumble and fall because of what He teaches. Much of what Jesus taught was counter-cultural in His day, and it remains counter-cultural in our day. People don't think they need to be saved from anything, so they don't need a Savior. They want to keep acting in the way that seems to be working for them today, but they are deceived. In a second, we will see God's plan for reaching these lost people...
But not only is Jesus mentioned here. We are mentioned as also being "living stones" that are used to make one, large spiritual house and community. We are part of the bigger picture that God is using to redeem the world! And I like the idea of a "spiritual house" because a house is where something dwells, and so we are the dwelling place for God's spirit in this world. God will use us to declare this salvation to the world. And how will He do it? Look at verses 9-10, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." We are to declare how he brought us out of darkness and into his wonderful light and mercy! I know that I have surely been brought of some serious darkness. Thank you, Lord! Now that is something to tell other people about, is it not?!
Does it not invigorate you to know that you are part of this enormous picture and plan that God has been working on since the beginning to time? You are a part of this, a chosen, holy, and loved part of it!
Friday, June 24, 2011
1 Peter 2:1-3 (Potent Cravings)
"So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness."
To crave: to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly. What are the things you crave? We use that word a lot. In the past week, I have verbalized a craving for chocolate (no surprise there), laying on a beach, some Starbucks coffee, a good glass of wine, Tony Sacco's pizza, and to host a party at my house...hmm, I'm seeing that my list includes mostly things I could eat or drink. Bummer. I'm sure there would be many more on my list if I just stopped and thought long enough. We crave constantly.
According to the above verse, our desire to crave is God-given! It's okay that you feel the urge of cravings -- God made us to crave. Yet what are we to crave? Certainly, God did not create me with a purpose of craving Starbucks. Though I do find it funny that the Bible uses something we ingest. We are to crave pure spiritual milk, which represents knowledge of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Who they are so that we can live accordingly.
Yet, in our fallen world, satan, the deceiver, lies to us to make us fill our cravings with something other than God. Satan wants us to keep thinking that if I could just have ____, then I would be satisfied. But that satisfaction never lasts because it's not really the ____ you want...it's something even deeper. I came home really stressed from my summer job yesterday, and immediately went to the fridge. (Don't you judge me...you know you've done it, too.) But the Bible tells us "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Deuteronomy 8:3). Yes, we need food to eat and sustain our lives, but our inner desires are met in God's word, His truth. I wish I would have sat down and read and prayed instead, because let me tell you that my time in the Word this morning has been much more fulfilling than my little snack yesterday, and the crackers were even stale!
Does that Deuteronomy verse sound familiar? It should. When I looked up where it was found, it was listed somewhere else in the Bible, too. It's also found in Matthew 4:4. Guess who is saying it...Jesus. And why? He, Jesus Himself, is quoting scripture as satan is with Him in the desert. Jesus has gone without food for 40 days, and satan, knowing how hungry Jesus is, is trying to convince Jesus to turn rocks into bread so He can satisfy His own craving! And Jesus...did you hear that...JESUS responds with Scripture. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man when He was on this Earth. I don't comprehend that completely, and I don't think I have to. But while He was here, He experienced all that we experience as human beings. How do I know? If He wasn't really struggling with His own craving for some tangible food to fill His very empty stomach, He wouldn't have NEEDED to quote scripture. He could have just said, "No, satan." But, because He was fully human too, He craved some food. He thought about it in His mind. But, in His perfection and as an example to us, He did what all humans need to do: Stop, think, and defeat satan's lies with the Truth of scripture.
If you read further in that story, Matthew 4, you can see what else Jesus did after being tempted three times:
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus."
He commanded satan to leave with the Truth that He would only worship and follow the Lord. Knowing that, satan left, and the angels came and took care. This can be true in your life, too. But as the verses for today say, we must CRAVE the knowledge of God and His Word. We need to memorize scripture so that we can speak the truth when we are tempted with cravings. Remember that the Lord will always give you a way out (1 Cor. 10:3).
Grow close to God, my friends. Crave Him. Cry out for Him, as our verses today say! He will not disappoint you, and you will not be left feeling empty later. Make the choice to saturate your life in Him and His Word.
The Lord delights in you enjoying a piece of chocolate or hosting a party, but He does not want you to believe they will fulfill your deepest longings at the end of a hard day or week. Let Him whisper to your heart, and then may you experience what its like to have your needs and desires met in Him.
Go ahead, start by telling Him what you crave today, no matter what it is...then let Him know that He is what you want to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.
To crave: to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly. What are the things you crave? We use that word a lot. In the past week, I have verbalized a craving for chocolate (no surprise there), laying on a beach, some Starbucks coffee, a good glass of wine, Tony Sacco's pizza, and to host a party at my house...hmm, I'm seeing that my list includes mostly things I could eat or drink. Bummer. I'm sure there would be many more on my list if I just stopped and thought long enough. We crave constantly.
According to the above verse, our desire to crave is God-given! It's okay that you feel the urge of cravings -- God made us to crave. Yet what are we to crave? Certainly, God did not create me with a purpose of craving Starbucks. Though I do find it funny that the Bible uses something we ingest. We are to crave pure spiritual milk, which represents knowledge of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Who they are so that we can live accordingly.
Yet, in our fallen world, satan, the deceiver, lies to us to make us fill our cravings with something other than God. Satan wants us to keep thinking that if I could just have ____, then I would be satisfied. But that satisfaction never lasts because it's not really the ____ you want...it's something even deeper. I came home really stressed from my summer job yesterday, and immediately went to the fridge. (Don't you judge me...you know you've done it, too.) But the Bible tells us "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Deuteronomy 8:3). Yes, we need food to eat and sustain our lives, but our inner desires are met in God's word, His truth. I wish I would have sat down and read and prayed instead, because let me tell you that my time in the Word this morning has been much more fulfilling than my little snack yesterday, and the crackers were even stale!
Does that Deuteronomy verse sound familiar? It should. When I looked up where it was found, it was listed somewhere else in the Bible, too. It's also found in Matthew 4:4. Guess who is saying it...Jesus. And why? He, Jesus Himself, is quoting scripture as satan is with Him in the desert. Jesus has gone without food for 40 days, and satan, knowing how hungry Jesus is, is trying to convince Jesus to turn rocks into bread so He can satisfy His own craving! And Jesus...did you hear that...JESUS responds with Scripture. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man when He was on this Earth. I don't comprehend that completely, and I don't think I have to. But while He was here, He experienced all that we experience as human beings. How do I know? If He wasn't really struggling with His own craving for some tangible food to fill His very empty stomach, He wouldn't have NEEDED to quote scripture. He could have just said, "No, satan." But, because He was fully human too, He craved some food. He thought about it in His mind. But, in His perfection and as an example to us, He did what all humans need to do: Stop, think, and defeat satan's lies with the Truth of scripture.
If you read further in that story, Matthew 4, you can see what else Jesus did after being tempted three times:
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus."
He commanded satan to leave with the Truth that He would only worship and follow the Lord. Knowing that, satan left, and the angels came and took care. This can be true in your life, too. But as the verses for today say, we must CRAVE the knowledge of God and His Word. We need to memorize scripture so that we can speak the truth when we are tempted with cravings. Remember that the Lord will always give you a way out (1 Cor. 10:3).
Grow close to God, my friends. Crave Him. Cry out for Him, as our verses today say! He will not disappoint you, and you will not be left feeling empty later. Make the choice to saturate your life in Him and His Word.
The Lord delights in you enjoying a piece of chocolate or hosting a party, but He does not want you to believe they will fulfill your deepest longings at the end of a hard day or week. Let Him whisper to your heart, and then may you experience what its like to have your needs and desires met in Him.
Go ahead, start by telling Him what you crave today, no matter what it is...then let Him know that He is what you want to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
1 Peter 1:21-25 (The Cornerstones)
"Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you."
In the construction industry, the cornerstones are "the stone(s) representing the formal starting place in the construction of a monumental building,"and so the word has also come to mean "something that is essential, indispensable." I would like to say that our passage today resembles four cornerstones for a life of True faith and a relationship with Jesus Christ, and they are in order. If we can get these things, we have the basics and the essentials.
1. Faith.
"Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory."
Everything is about Christ. It is because of Him that we can have a relationship with our Maker. It is through our faith and belief that Jesus really is who He says He is and that He died and rose from the dead that is the big deal. Many prophets, gods, and powerful people have been said to have done a lot of good in the world, but Jesus Christ is the only one who defeated death!!! And THAT is where our Hope lies. Hallelujah!
2. Cleansed.
"You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth..."
All of those horrible pieces of your past and all the destructive things you will do have been paid for, and you are clean when you believe in Jesus and what He did for you. You no longer have to carry the weight of your sin. Jesus paid for that, so that you could walk in freedom, my friend! Any thoughts in your head otherwise are from satan. Do not allow yourselves to be "burdened by a yolk of slavery" anymore. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. He wants you to be free from those things. You are free from all of that! (Galatians 5:1).
3. Love
"...so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart."
Because of how much Christ loved us, enough to die for us, we must love one another on this earth. This doesn't mean that we just do good deeds and call it a day. No, read 1 Corinthians 13 as a refresher if you have time right now -- this is not just a passage God wrote about marriage. This is the passage all about love. It tells us how to love everyone! And it is no easy feat. But just like this verse says, we are to love sincerely and deeply with ALL of our hearts. That is a lot to ask. But as we discussed yesterday, obedience is our gift back to God. If He asks me to love, then I am going to strive to love people the best that I can as a reflection of Christ in me! And I pray that that love I show will draw people to Christ.
4. Confidence
"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you."
I love this part! Because we have Jesus, we will live forever! Literally! Our parents gave us life, but that life will end one day. What is the percentage of people who will die? 100%! That sounds scary...but not when we know Christ. People, beauty, grass...they all fade; they all die. But God's Word remains FOREVER, and that Word is the Good News that was preached to us -- the Good News that Jesus has taken away our sin so that we can live forever in the presence of God the moment our heart stops beating on this earth. Can I get an Amen?! We have confidence in this, brothers and sisters! Knowing that, I can do anything. I don't have to fear; I don't have to worry about anything. The God I serve has the final word and He and I will live forever. Does that knowledge change the way you live this life? It has changed mine.
Trust these words, these cornerstones of our faith. How will they change your perspective today?
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you."
In the construction industry, the cornerstones are "the stone(s) representing the formal starting place in the construction of a monumental building,"and so the word has also come to mean "something that is essential, indispensable." I would like to say that our passage today resembles four cornerstones for a life of True faith and a relationship with Jesus Christ, and they are in order. If we can get these things, we have the basics and the essentials.
1. Faith.
"Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory."
Everything is about Christ. It is because of Him that we can have a relationship with our Maker. It is through our faith and belief that Jesus really is who He says He is and that He died and rose from the dead that is the big deal. Many prophets, gods, and powerful people have been said to have done a lot of good in the world, but Jesus Christ is the only one who defeated death!!! And THAT is where our Hope lies. Hallelujah!
2. Cleansed.
"You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth..."
All of those horrible pieces of your past and all the destructive things you will do have been paid for, and you are clean when you believe in Jesus and what He did for you. You no longer have to carry the weight of your sin. Jesus paid for that, so that you could walk in freedom, my friend! Any thoughts in your head otherwise are from satan. Do not allow yourselves to be "burdened by a yolk of slavery" anymore. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. He wants you to be free from those things. You are free from all of that! (Galatians 5:1).
3. Love
"...so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart."
Because of how much Christ loved us, enough to die for us, we must love one another on this earth. This doesn't mean that we just do good deeds and call it a day. No, read 1 Corinthians 13 as a refresher if you have time right now -- this is not just a passage God wrote about marriage. This is the passage all about love. It tells us how to love everyone! And it is no easy feat. But just like this verse says, we are to love sincerely and deeply with ALL of our hearts. That is a lot to ask. But as we discussed yesterday, obedience is our gift back to God. If He asks me to love, then I am going to strive to love people the best that I can as a reflection of Christ in me! And I pray that that love I show will draw people to Christ.
4. Confidence
"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you."
I love this part! Because we have Jesus, we will live forever! Literally! Our parents gave us life, but that life will end one day. What is the percentage of people who will die? 100%! That sounds scary...but not when we know Christ. People, beauty, grass...they all fade; they all die. But God's Word remains FOREVER, and that Word is the Good News that was preached to us -- the Good News that Jesus has taken away our sin so that we can live forever in the presence of God the moment our heart stops beating on this earth. Can I get an Amen?! We have confidence in this, brothers and sisters! Knowing that, I can do anything. I don't have to fear; I don't have to worry about anything. The God I serve has the final word and He and I will live forever. Does that knowledge change the way you live this life? It has changed mine.
Trust these words, these cornerstones of our faith. How will they change your perspective today?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
1 Peter 1:13-20 (Be Holy)
13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
Our passage today begins with the word "so". So, what? So go back and look at what came just before it. Remember that yesterday we talked about this great battle in which we are fighting and how incredibly difficult and exhausting it can be here on this earth, but we know who wins in the end. WE WIN! And because of that knowledge, today's passage is going to tell us what we should do as a response to that knowledge.
"So think clearly and exercise self-control." This is the first thing we should do in response to yesterday's passage. Think clearly. 'Clearly' can also mean decidedly, according to the dictionary. Decide how you are going to live, and then do it! No where in the Bible does God praise a man for being half-hearted in anything! So, decide that you will follow God, and then do it -- think about how God has called you to live. Exercise self-control. If we have fixed our minds clearly and decidedly on Christ, we need to exercise self control. This is a choice, and it is one of the hardest choices to make in this day in age. Self-control means that you are denying yourself something that you really FEEL like you want, but you do not allow yourself to ACT in that way. This may be in our speech to people, in long trains of thought that we allow ourselves to continue thinking and dreaming about, or in the continual persuit of that one thing that we think will complete us and make us happy: food, exercise, a certain man or woman, money, status, the perfect home and children. We can never think about this too much. It's hard to keep our whims and passions in check. But if we are thinking clearly and decidedly that we want nothing more than Christ, He calls us to do it out of obedience to Him, knowing "the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world."
"So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” Oh my gosh! He's STILL talking about self-control. Lord, why is this such a big deal to you? How can you expect me to be holy when I am sinful? We have to go back to the opposite of self-control: Self-indulgence. And with self-indulgence comes overdose, overflow, overkill, overload, overmuch, overrun, oversupply, overweight. Do any of these things sound like something that would make you say, "Oh yeah, give me some of that!"? We must remember that ultimately every command that the Lord gives us is for our benefit, for our good. Do we not know from our own life experiences that too much of a "good" thing leads to our destruction? Surely, the only thing that is Good in me is Jesus!
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” Isn't that reassuring? God does not have favorites. Well, Moses was probably His favorite, or Abraham, or Noah? No! The Bible tells us right here that the Lord has no favorites. Remember that we are all a mixed bag -- not even the big names in the Bible were perfect people. They made mistakes, too. But they also received the consequences for their actions. And why is it that whenever we hear the word consequences, we always thing negatively? It is not a negative word -- there are many positive consequences, too. You eat less, you lose weight. You reach out to others, you have a lot of friends. Those are good consequences of good behaviors. And our God is just, so he will either judge us for the poor choices we have made and/or reward us for the holy, God-honoring choices we've made. Do you think about that very much? There are great rewards waiting for those who are obedient. Look at Psalm 19:8-11:
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,
lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold,
even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even honey dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your servant,
a great reward for those who obey them.
"So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." Let's say that you had fallen into a life of addiction and destruction. A man saw the path down which you were headed, and he knew that in continuing down this path, you would die soon if he didn't intervene. So he sacrificed thousands of dollars of his own money to send you to a recovery center, and he walked beside you for years as you slowly began living a different life, encouraging and loving you along the way. Now, would you not want to live your life in such a way that he would not consider all of his time and money spent to have been a waste? You would want him to be proud of you, would you not? Jesus did not just spend money to save us. He spent his life! He died for us so that we could live eternally with Him! We could never re-pay him, but what can we do? Absolutely, the greatest gift we can give back to Him is our obedience.
"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Don't worry about living perfectly today, just choose to make "the next right choice" one choice at a time.
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
Our passage today begins with the word "so". So, what? So go back and look at what came just before it. Remember that yesterday we talked about this great battle in which we are fighting and how incredibly difficult and exhausting it can be here on this earth, but we know who wins in the end. WE WIN! And because of that knowledge, today's passage is going to tell us what we should do as a response to that knowledge.
"So think clearly and exercise self-control." This is the first thing we should do in response to yesterday's passage. Think clearly. 'Clearly' can also mean decidedly, according to the dictionary. Decide how you are going to live, and then do it! No where in the Bible does God praise a man for being half-hearted in anything! So, decide that you will follow God, and then do it -- think about how God has called you to live. Exercise self-control. If we have fixed our minds clearly and decidedly on Christ, we need to exercise self control. This is a choice, and it is one of the hardest choices to make in this day in age. Self-control means that you are denying yourself something that you really FEEL like you want, but you do not allow yourself to ACT in that way. This may be in our speech to people, in long trains of thought that we allow ourselves to continue thinking and dreaming about, or in the continual persuit of that one thing that we think will complete us and make us happy: food, exercise, a certain man or woman, money, status, the perfect home and children. We can never think about this too much. It's hard to keep our whims and passions in check. But if we are thinking clearly and decidedly that we want nothing more than Christ, He calls us to do it out of obedience to Him, knowing "the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world."
"So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” Oh my gosh! He's STILL talking about self-control. Lord, why is this such a big deal to you? How can you expect me to be holy when I am sinful? We have to go back to the opposite of self-control: Self-indulgence. And with self-indulgence comes overdose, overflow, overkill, overload, overmuch, overrun, oversupply, overweight. Do any of these things sound like something that would make you say, "Oh yeah, give me some of that!"? We must remember that ultimately every command that the Lord gives us is for our benefit, for our good. Do we not know from our own life experiences that too much of a "good" thing leads to our destruction? Surely, the only thing that is Good in me is Jesus!
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” Isn't that reassuring? God does not have favorites. Well, Moses was probably His favorite, or Abraham, or Noah? No! The Bible tells us right here that the Lord has no favorites. Remember that we are all a mixed bag -- not even the big names in the Bible were perfect people. They made mistakes, too. But they also received the consequences for their actions. And why is it that whenever we hear the word consequences, we always thing negatively? It is not a negative word -- there are many positive consequences, too. You eat less, you lose weight. You reach out to others, you have a lot of friends. Those are good consequences of good behaviors. And our God is just, so he will either judge us for the poor choices we have made and/or reward us for the holy, God-honoring choices we've made. Do you think about that very much? There are great rewards waiting for those who are obedient. Look at Psalm 19:8-11:
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,
lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold,
even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even honey dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your servant,
a great reward for those who obey them.
"So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." Let's say that you had fallen into a life of addiction and destruction. A man saw the path down which you were headed, and he knew that in continuing down this path, you would die soon if he didn't intervene. So he sacrificed thousands of dollars of his own money to send you to a recovery center, and he walked beside you for years as you slowly began living a different life, encouraging and loving you along the way. Now, would you not want to live your life in such a way that he would not consider all of his time and money spent to have been a waste? You would want him to be proud of you, would you not? Jesus did not just spend money to save us. He spent his life! He died for us so that we could live eternally with Him! We could never re-pay him, but what can we do? Absolutely, the greatest gift we can give back to Him is our obedience.
"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Don't worry about living perfectly today, just choose to make "the next right choice" one choice at a time.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
1 Peter 1:10-12 (The Long Fight)
"This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen."
Okay...imagine me shouting this to you. I would put an exclamation point at the end of each sentence, but that might get annoying...but I wish you could hear the excitement in my voice as I write this to you this morning!
Wow. I am absolutely astonished when I read these words! Sometimes I so take for granted that Christ has already come! I know who the Messiah is, I know when He came, how He came, and where He was born. We all know the Christmas Story so well, don't we? But this morning, we have the opportunity in front of us to not take this knowledge for granted. Here we are asked to think about the prophets who spoke words from God that did not really make sense to them. There was no Christmas Story yet. Considering how the Jews can't believe Jesus is the Messiah because he wasn't a "king" like they pictured, I wonder if the prophets ever thought, "Lord, are you sure? You want me to tell people that their Messiah will ride in to save His people on a lowly donkey rather than a stunning stallion? And be born not in a palace, but in a hole-in-the-wall barn? What?!"
Let us remember that these questions were only answered about 2,000 years ago, long after many of these prophets had died. And look, Scripture even says that they were told their messages were not for them, but for us. What a sacrifice they made! Imagine spending your whole life writing down information that would be needed for at least 1,500 years in the future. Your whole life's work and passion would be left silent on a shelf for centuries.
But then...
But then, Christ would come in all of his simple glory, and we...WE would get to see that everything lines up exactly as the prophets wrote it thousands of years ago! The Good News is here, and we know it's true because of the work of the prophets of old who sacrificed their lives on earth so that we could know the Truth.
And I love this part..."it is all so wonderful, that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), and they are watching us, up there in the bleachers, as we fight in the greatest battle of all time down here on the playing field. This is big! Can't you feel the weight of all this is and the amount of time this has been going on? You are playing a role in an enormous story that God is intricately and lovingly weaving in the scenes of eternity -- this is a battle for souls!
Let us keep fighting the good fight, my friends. The story you are a part of us thousands of years in the making, and it is not over yet. And we can live confidently in the midst of this battle because we know the ending -- we know who wins!
Where do you find yourself today? Are you fighting hard? Are you exhausted and needing a break? Or perhaps you, like the prophets, are not seeing the rewards of your work...at least not yet. But you will!
Let's wrap this up today with Hebrews 12:1-4...I would encourage you to read the whole chapter, and even chapter 11 so you can see the list of all the great people of faith who have gone and fought before you. Wow, I get chills even thinking about it. Read His words to you, and be strengthened...
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
You are on the winning team. Keep fighting!!
Okay...imagine me shouting this to you. I would put an exclamation point at the end of each sentence, but that might get annoying...but I wish you could hear the excitement in my voice as I write this to you this morning!
Wow. I am absolutely astonished when I read these words! Sometimes I so take for granted that Christ has already come! I know who the Messiah is, I know when He came, how He came, and where He was born. We all know the Christmas Story so well, don't we? But this morning, we have the opportunity in front of us to not take this knowledge for granted. Here we are asked to think about the prophets who spoke words from God that did not really make sense to them. There was no Christmas Story yet. Considering how the Jews can't believe Jesus is the Messiah because he wasn't a "king" like they pictured, I wonder if the prophets ever thought, "Lord, are you sure? You want me to tell people that their Messiah will ride in to save His people on a lowly donkey rather than a stunning stallion? And be born not in a palace, but in a hole-in-the-wall barn? What?!"
Let us remember that these questions were only answered about 2,000 years ago, long after many of these prophets had died. And look, Scripture even says that they were told their messages were not for them, but for us. What a sacrifice they made! Imagine spending your whole life writing down information that would be needed for at least 1,500 years in the future. Your whole life's work and passion would be left silent on a shelf for centuries.
But then...
But then, Christ would come in all of his simple glory, and we...WE would get to see that everything lines up exactly as the prophets wrote it thousands of years ago! The Good News is here, and we know it's true because of the work of the prophets of old who sacrificed their lives on earth so that we could know the Truth.
And I love this part..."it is all so wonderful, that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), and they are watching us, up there in the bleachers, as we fight in the greatest battle of all time down here on the playing field. This is big! Can't you feel the weight of all this is and the amount of time this has been going on? You are playing a role in an enormous story that God is intricately and lovingly weaving in the scenes of eternity -- this is a battle for souls!
Let us keep fighting the good fight, my friends. The story you are a part of us thousands of years in the making, and it is not over yet. And we can live confidently in the midst of this battle because we know the ending -- we know who wins!
Where do you find yourself today? Are you fighting hard? Are you exhausted and needing a break? Or perhaps you, like the prophets, are not seeing the rewards of your work...at least not yet. But you will!
Let's wrap this up today with Hebrews 12:1-4...I would encourage you to read the whole chapter, and even chapter 11 so you can see the list of all the great people of faith who have gone and fought before you. Wow, I get chills even thinking about it. Read His words to you, and be strengthened...
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
You are on the winning team. Keep fighting!!
Monday, June 20, 2011
1 Peter 1:8-9 (Hope for Now)
"You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls."
I apologize for my absence the past few days. I have been visiting friends out east, and was not able to do these devotions. Though, it was such a great time of laughter and refreshing. Deep friendships, the kind where you can truly bear your soul, are such great gifts from God. One of the greatest gifts, I'd say.
Well, we left off last week talking about suffering (remember this whole book's theme is suffering in some way or another). From your comments, it sounds like a lot of us are going through a season of suffering. If you haven't, I would encourage you to read the last post so that you can remember where all of this is coming from. So, how can we be assured of our Hope and of this love we have received from God?
Today, I want to work backward in these two verses. The last sentence is, "The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." Remember that in Hebrews 10:39, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." It is through your belief in God and His Son that you are saved. Nothing else does it! So if we put our trust in Him, we do not have to worry about our fate. It is sealed.
But I want some proof, you say? Well, one of my new favorite verses is Ephesians 1:13-14 that promises, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." The Holy Spirit inside of you is your guarantee. He is just a deposit before the greater gift (heaven and being saved from hell) comes! Again, when did you receive the Holy Spirit? This verse says, "when you believed".
Okay, so we know what the reward is...but what does that mean for me today? Let's look at the rest of the verse. "You love him [Jesus] even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." This, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to trusting and believing Him. How can we trust in something or someone we have never seen? In John 16:7-11, it is clearly the Holy Spirit who does the work within us to help us trust in Christ. If you are having trouble trusting God today, pray that the Holy Spirit would begin to develop this trust in God in you. He will begin this work in you, for we cannot do it ourselves!
And then, once we have trusted Him, we can "rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy" according to our verse today! You may think, oh, not me. You don't know the situation I find myself in. This one is too big -- I can't possibly have joy in the midst of this. But let me tell you, dear one, that was me just a few days ago! And God has done a huge work in my heart this weekend.
While I was with a friend, I was talking about one particular area of my life that was causing me such bitterness. As I described it to her, I was ashamed that the tone of my heart was so angry and bitter. How did I get here? I thought. I really did not want to be saying what I was saying. This attitude does not just happen over night, either; but it had been brewing in my soul for a while now in order to be this potent. I knew right then that God needed to intervene in a big way because the attitude of my heart was not at all what it should be.
The next day, we were sitting at the beach, just for a few hours, and God began to meet me there. My friend, knowing my pain, had encouraged me to read Shauna Niequist's book, Bittersweet, (oh my gosh, I so highly reccomend this book) which is Shauna's account of the bitter things in life that end up having very sweet parts to them. I needed to hear this considering the place I found myself and all the raw emotions I felt, which left me also feeling very isolated and alone. It was in these moments, in the midst of my pain, bitterness, and despair, I heard His voice speaking to my soul.
I had just read Shauna's examples of change in life being like the waves of the ocean. I watched the waves crashing onto the shore every few seconds. They never stopped. There were periods of time between the waves crashing that were quieter, but without a doubt, another wave was going to come. Molly, the waves are like the changes in your life, I heard God say to me. They will keep coming...and they will be life-long. There is no stopping them. And you can choose, my love, if you want to stand in those waves and try to stop them, but they will crash into you every time, drag you across the sandy bottom and pummel you as you go kicking and screaming along trying to regain your footing. Or...you can swim a little further out to sea, to Me, where the waves aren't quite as powerful, and allow me to float you along, surrendering your life to My direction. There will still be some crashing, but you can rest assured that I am in control, and if you go with My direction, you won't be battered as much in the waves. And then I thought of the sea glass that I had seen in a shop just an hour earlier. It did not get its beautiful, smooth surface from staying on the shore, did it? No, it was tossed around in the ocean, too, and scrapped along the gritty ocean floor until all it's rough edges were smooth. Molly, that is what I want to do in you, but you have to float with me, not with your feet planted firmly in the sand. Let go...
And so, within that hour, I did. I let it all go.
As I flew home, I began to think, "was that just some emotional moment I had on a beach?" But no, even at 1 a.m., as I was flying back to Indy, I felt God's calming reassurance, That was real, Molly. You let it go. You are trusting me with this one, and floating along in My current. I was overcome by such a peace at that moment! By my choice, I didn't have to stand in the crashing waves anymore, getting pummeled over, and over, and over again! In my current state, and the changes in my life, I can "trust him; and...rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." Joy in the midst of all this change? Really, is this me, God? But this isn't like me, Lord. And I felt Him and continue to feel Him in my soul saying...you're right, Molly, it's not you...it's Me.
But friends, let me assure you. I am not a perfect Christian. I love Christ with all my heart, and yet, even still in the past months as Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do" (Rom. 7:15). This has been a process in my life, and I'm sure the process is not over. I wanted to let go and trust God. I prayed that prayer for months! God did not change my heart right away, and He may not change yours immediately either regarding your current circumstance. But trust Him anyway. Keep seeking Him daily, hourly even. Don't give up. Your faith is being built up; you are being refined in the fire; and you are being sanded and smoothed in the sea. Change in us takes time.
Though you cannot see Him now, trust Him. He is with you in your "sea" whatever it may be, and He is developing in you something that you could not develop in yourself. And it will be good. In the midst of your circumstances, you will be able to say that you trust Him and have inexpressible joy. That is my prayer for you today, dear one. Let go of it...and allow God to carry you in His current.
Thank you, Lord. And thank you, Shauna, for your words which so gave words and hope to my aching heart.
I apologize for my absence the past few days. I have been visiting friends out east, and was not able to do these devotions. Though, it was such a great time of laughter and refreshing. Deep friendships, the kind where you can truly bear your soul, are such great gifts from God. One of the greatest gifts, I'd say.
Well, we left off last week talking about suffering (remember this whole book's theme is suffering in some way or another). From your comments, it sounds like a lot of us are going through a season of suffering. If you haven't, I would encourage you to read the last post so that you can remember where all of this is coming from. So, how can we be assured of our Hope and of this love we have received from God?
Today, I want to work backward in these two verses. The last sentence is, "The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." Remember that in Hebrews 10:39, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." It is through your belief in God and His Son that you are saved. Nothing else does it! So if we put our trust in Him, we do not have to worry about our fate. It is sealed.
But I want some proof, you say? Well, one of my new favorite verses is Ephesians 1:13-14 that promises, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." The Holy Spirit inside of you is your guarantee. He is just a deposit before the greater gift (heaven and being saved from hell) comes! Again, when did you receive the Holy Spirit? This verse says, "when you believed".
Okay, so we know what the reward is...but what does that mean for me today? Let's look at the rest of the verse. "You love him [Jesus] even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." This, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to trusting and believing Him. How can we trust in something or someone we have never seen? In John 16:7-11, it is clearly the Holy Spirit who does the work within us to help us trust in Christ. If you are having trouble trusting God today, pray that the Holy Spirit would begin to develop this trust in God in you. He will begin this work in you, for we cannot do it ourselves!
And then, once we have trusted Him, we can "rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy" according to our verse today! You may think, oh, not me. You don't know the situation I find myself in. This one is too big -- I can't possibly have joy in the midst of this. But let me tell you, dear one, that was me just a few days ago! And God has done a huge work in my heart this weekend.
While I was with a friend, I was talking about one particular area of my life that was causing me such bitterness. As I described it to her, I was ashamed that the tone of my heart was so angry and bitter. How did I get here? I thought. I really did not want to be saying what I was saying. This attitude does not just happen over night, either; but it had been brewing in my soul for a while now in order to be this potent. I knew right then that God needed to intervene in a big way because the attitude of my heart was not at all what it should be.
The next day, we were sitting at the beach, just for a few hours, and God began to meet me there. My friend, knowing my pain, had encouraged me to read Shauna Niequist's book, Bittersweet, (oh my gosh, I so highly reccomend this book) which is Shauna's account of the bitter things in life that end up having very sweet parts to them. I needed to hear this considering the place I found myself and all the raw emotions I felt, which left me also feeling very isolated and alone. It was in these moments, in the midst of my pain, bitterness, and despair, I heard His voice speaking to my soul.
I had just read Shauna's examples of change in life being like the waves of the ocean. I watched the waves crashing onto the shore every few seconds. They never stopped. There were periods of time between the waves crashing that were quieter, but without a doubt, another wave was going to come. Molly, the waves are like the changes in your life, I heard God say to me. They will keep coming...and they will be life-long. There is no stopping them. And you can choose, my love, if you want to stand in those waves and try to stop them, but they will crash into you every time, drag you across the sandy bottom and pummel you as you go kicking and screaming along trying to regain your footing. Or...you can swim a little further out to sea, to Me, where the waves aren't quite as powerful, and allow me to float you along, surrendering your life to My direction. There will still be some crashing, but you can rest assured that I am in control, and if you go with My direction, you won't be battered as much in the waves. And then I thought of the sea glass that I had seen in a shop just an hour earlier. It did not get its beautiful, smooth surface from staying on the shore, did it? No, it was tossed around in the ocean, too, and scrapped along the gritty ocean floor until all it's rough edges were smooth. Molly, that is what I want to do in you, but you have to float with me, not with your feet planted firmly in the sand. Let go...
And so, within that hour, I did. I let it all go.
As I flew home, I began to think, "was that just some emotional moment I had on a beach?" But no, even at 1 a.m., as I was flying back to Indy, I felt God's calming reassurance, That was real, Molly. You let it go. You are trusting me with this one, and floating along in My current. I was overcome by such a peace at that moment! By my choice, I didn't have to stand in the crashing waves anymore, getting pummeled over, and over, and over again! In my current state, and the changes in my life, I can "trust him; and...rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." Joy in the midst of all this change? Really, is this me, God? But this isn't like me, Lord. And I felt Him and continue to feel Him in my soul saying...you're right, Molly, it's not you...it's Me.
But friends, let me assure you. I am not a perfect Christian. I love Christ with all my heart, and yet, even still in the past months as Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do" (Rom. 7:15). This has been a process in my life, and I'm sure the process is not over. I wanted to let go and trust God. I prayed that prayer for months! God did not change my heart right away, and He may not change yours immediately either regarding your current circumstance. But trust Him anyway. Keep seeking Him daily, hourly even. Don't give up. Your faith is being built up; you are being refined in the fire; and you are being sanded and smoothed in the sea. Change in us takes time.
Though you cannot see Him now, trust Him. He is with you in your "sea" whatever it may be, and He is developing in you something that you could not develop in yourself. And it will be good. In the midst of your circumstances, you will be able to say that you trust Him and have inexpressible joy. That is my prayer for you today, dear one. Let go of it...and allow God to carry you in His current.
Thank you, Lord. And thank you, Shauna, for your words which so gave words and hope to my aching heart.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
1 Peter 1:3-9 (Suffering Strangers Part 2)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
What's your "suffering temperature" today, dear one? Are you finding yourself somewhere where you've never been before, overwhelmed and in despair? Do you feel that God can't possibly be hearing your prayers because you haven't heard His voice yet or any sign of relief? We are studying a great book for you then. Since 1 Peter is a letter to God's people who are suffering, the theme verses in this passage today are verses 6-7, "...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." However, before we can really understand these verses, we need to start at the beginning of this passage. I pray that today you would be able to open your hands heaven-ward, and begin to lay down whatever burdens you may be carrying at the feet of Jesus. Let's dig in...
Verse 3 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Now there's something we can learn from Peter. He begins with PRAISE. That is so hard for us to do at times! I think to myself, "well, God doesn't deserve my praise because he's not answering me." Oh my, how I feel shameful for the times I thought this. We are not God, my friend. It is God who is sovereign over all things and who makes everything work together. In these moments, I'm sure God wants to say to me what He said to Job, "Where were you, [Molly,] when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off it's dimensions? While the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" (parts of Job 38:4-7). Surely, I cannot do these things! Only God can. He has the most power and authority...that alone is worth praising Him for. Let us always approach God remembering our place -- in submission to Him.
But then look at the next sentence -- yes, our God is powerful, more than we could ever comprehend. But this God, who can do anything He wants, decided that He wanted to have your love because He already loves you so much. However, He wasn't going to command it from you, because that's not really love, so look at what He chose to do: "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you..." He made a way to save you from your sin and imperfection, because nothing but perfection can be in God's presence because He is perfect in everything. But He wanted YOU to be with Him, so He made a way that it could happen...Jesus. And not only that, but the place where you get to be with Him will "NEVER perish, spoil or fade" -- it's forever! When standing next to a God who created the entire world just with His voice, we can see how unworthy we are...do you sense that? Oh Lord, help me to always keep this in perspective. I am not God, and I don't have control...but You do.
And you may say, 'but what if I live for another 70 years...that's a long time before I get to get away from this pain?" That may be true, from our perspective, but another gift God has given you comes next in verse 5. We "who through faith are shielded by God’s power..." In the meantime, while we live on this Earth, God himself is going to protect us with His power...and according to what we read in Job, we know that He has a LOT of power. And how do we get this special protection? Through faith. Believing and trusting in Christ while we live out our days here on earth. He knows that you may have times of doubt, but CHOOSE to believe and ask Him for the ability to believe because 1 Cor. 12:9 tells us that the Holy Spirit can give us faith!
"For a little while" is such a comforting phrase to us in verse 6! It means that the season you find yourself in has an end point. We do not know what that end point is, but we know it will not last forever. If the season is you find yourself in has been dragging on for years, or perhaps you are facing a terminal illness that you know will not end this side of heaven, my heart is heavy for you. We do not know why some people experience seasons that don't end on earth, but they will end, my friends! Meanwhile, here on earth, we wait, "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies" (2 Cor. 5:1-3).
Verse 6 also tells us that we will suffer "all kinds of trials" so we can't think that the one we are experiencing now will be the only hard thing we might face in this life. We shouldn't be surprised when something else happens and say, "well, I already have suffered a lot" because we are told right here that there will be many! We need to live with the expectation that we will suffer here. In recent years, I have learned that I have kept waiting for everything to pan out, and when things were easy, I thought that was the "norm" for my life, and that I would occasionally have something difficult to work through. When in fact, the opposite is true! We will face many trials in this life, and way fewer seasons of "ease" than of pain, so when we are in a season that seems easy and calm, be thankful! It will NOT last forever. If we can live with this expectation, then we will not be surprised when bad things come, and we can all the more appreciate the good seasons! This is not Heaven, but we will be there soon. This, I have found, is a much better perspective on this life.
And then the big question...why? Why does God even allow these things to happen to us? Verse 7 says very plainly, "These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Isn't it assuring to know that there IS a purpose? God did not set the world in motion and then leave it to fend for itself. These trials are for the purpose that your faith may be proved genuine. And this is a big deal! Faith is a big deal to God -- it's worth more than gold. He wants to know if you are genuine, real, and pure in your love for Him. He wants to see if you're walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Does that sound like He's just using you as a puppet for His own pleasure? He absolutely is not. He loves us so much, that He does not let anything happen to you that hasn't been sifted through His hand. "We know that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). The result is that YOU, will receive praise, glory and honor when Christ comes back! He sees your pain, and He knows how hard it is. But He promises a reward for those who persevere. But you don't have to wait until Heaven for all of the reward: "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Rom. 5:3-5). You will reap rewards on this side of Heaven as you continue to persevere, and one of those rewards may even be a stronger faith! I know it has been for me.
What does faith look like? Verses 8-9 describe it well: "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Or as the Message puts it: "You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation."
He hasn't abandon you, dear one. He is still right beside you, leading you in the direction He wants to take you in order to make you more like Himself. Will you walk through this fire with him? Surrender your life and this season to Him, and then watch your "suffering temperature" fall as you rest in His grace and guidance.
What's your "suffering temperature" today, dear one? Are you finding yourself somewhere where you've never been before, overwhelmed and in despair? Do you feel that God can't possibly be hearing your prayers because you haven't heard His voice yet or any sign of relief? We are studying a great book for you then. Since 1 Peter is a letter to God's people who are suffering, the theme verses in this passage today are verses 6-7, "...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." However, before we can really understand these verses, we need to start at the beginning of this passage. I pray that today you would be able to open your hands heaven-ward, and begin to lay down whatever burdens you may be carrying at the feet of Jesus. Let's dig in...
Verse 3 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Now there's something we can learn from Peter. He begins with PRAISE. That is so hard for us to do at times! I think to myself, "well, God doesn't deserve my praise because he's not answering me." Oh my, how I feel shameful for the times I thought this. We are not God, my friend. It is God who is sovereign over all things and who makes everything work together. In these moments, I'm sure God wants to say to me what He said to Job, "Where were you, [Molly,] when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off it's dimensions? While the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" (parts of Job 38:4-7). Surely, I cannot do these things! Only God can. He has the most power and authority...that alone is worth praising Him for. Let us always approach God remembering our place -- in submission to Him.
But then look at the next sentence -- yes, our God is powerful, more than we could ever comprehend. But this God, who can do anything He wants, decided that He wanted to have your love because He already loves you so much. However, He wasn't going to command it from you, because that's not really love, so look at what He chose to do: "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you..." He made a way to save you from your sin and imperfection, because nothing but perfection can be in God's presence because He is perfect in everything. But He wanted YOU to be with Him, so He made a way that it could happen...Jesus. And not only that, but the place where you get to be with Him will "NEVER perish, spoil or fade" -- it's forever! When standing next to a God who created the entire world just with His voice, we can see how unworthy we are...do you sense that? Oh Lord, help me to always keep this in perspective. I am not God, and I don't have control...but You do.
And you may say, 'but what if I live for another 70 years...that's a long time before I get to get away from this pain?" That may be true, from our perspective, but another gift God has given you comes next in verse 5. We "who through faith are shielded by God’s power..." In the meantime, while we live on this Earth, God himself is going to protect us with His power...and according to what we read in Job, we know that He has a LOT of power. And how do we get this special protection? Through faith. Believing and trusting in Christ while we live out our days here on earth. He knows that you may have times of doubt, but CHOOSE to believe and ask Him for the ability to believe because 1 Cor. 12:9 tells us that the Holy Spirit can give us faith!
"For a little while" is such a comforting phrase to us in verse 6! It means that the season you find yourself in has an end point. We do not know what that end point is, but we know it will not last forever. If the season is you find yourself in has been dragging on for years, or perhaps you are facing a terminal illness that you know will not end this side of heaven, my heart is heavy for you. We do not know why some people experience seasons that don't end on earth, but they will end, my friends! Meanwhile, here on earth, we wait, "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies" (2 Cor. 5:1-3).
Verse 6 also tells us that we will suffer "all kinds of trials" so we can't think that the one we are experiencing now will be the only hard thing we might face in this life. We shouldn't be surprised when something else happens and say, "well, I already have suffered a lot" because we are told right here that there will be many! We need to live with the expectation that we will suffer here. In recent years, I have learned that I have kept waiting for everything to pan out, and when things were easy, I thought that was the "norm" for my life, and that I would occasionally have something difficult to work through. When in fact, the opposite is true! We will face many trials in this life, and way fewer seasons of "ease" than of pain, so when we are in a season that seems easy and calm, be thankful! It will NOT last forever. If we can live with this expectation, then we will not be surprised when bad things come, and we can all the more appreciate the good seasons! This is not Heaven, but we will be there soon. This, I have found, is a much better perspective on this life.
And then the big question...why? Why does God even allow these things to happen to us? Verse 7 says very plainly, "These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Isn't it assuring to know that there IS a purpose? God did not set the world in motion and then leave it to fend for itself. These trials are for the purpose that your faith may be proved genuine. And this is a big deal! Faith is a big deal to God -- it's worth more than gold. He wants to know if you are genuine, real, and pure in your love for Him. He wants to see if you're walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Does that sound like He's just using you as a puppet for His own pleasure? He absolutely is not. He loves us so much, that He does not let anything happen to you that hasn't been sifted through His hand. "We know that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). The result is that YOU, will receive praise, glory and honor when Christ comes back! He sees your pain, and He knows how hard it is. But He promises a reward for those who persevere. But you don't have to wait until Heaven for all of the reward: "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Rom. 5:3-5). You will reap rewards on this side of Heaven as you continue to persevere, and one of those rewards may even be a stronger faith! I know it has been for me.
What does faith look like? Verses 8-9 describe it well: "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Or as the Message puts it: "You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation."
He hasn't abandon you, dear one. He is still right beside you, leading you in the direction He wants to take you in order to make you more like Himself. Will you walk through this fire with him? Surrender your life and this season to Him, and then watch your "suffering temperature" fall as you rest in His grace and guidance.
Monday, June 13, 2011
1 Peter 1:1-4 (Suffering Strangers Part 1)
Our next books of the Bible will be 1 & 2 Peter. We've studied many of Paul's writings so far, so now we're going to look at Peter. The Rock. Peter is writing to the new Christians who have been and may continue to face many trials under Emperor Nero, who became known for his brutal treatment of Christians, including burning them alive at night as "lighting" for the streets. Naturally, many Christians left Rome and began to scatter throughout the Roman Empire. First Peter is a letter offering encouragement to the suffering Christians at the time, but it also applies to us today, as all scripture does.
" 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you..."
Do you ever feel like a stranger in this world? Like you don't really fit in here? I know I have. The culture tells me that I should dress in a way that my clothes cover as little as possible, but I don't feel comfortable with that because scripture tells me to "dress modestly, with decency and propriety..." so that I am not known by what I look like or wear, but by the kind and good things I do (1 Tim. 2:9). The culture tells me that I should watch the latest reality t.v. shows, and I even gets some "looks" when I tell people that I don't watch certain popular shows, but scripture says that I should "set (my) mind on things above, not on earthly things" (Col. 3:2). That's not to say that enjoying fashion or t.v. shows is all bad, or that I never enjoy some of the latest trends the world has to offer (we do tend to love the extremes of ALL or NEVER don't we?). But sometimes, I do feel like a stranger here...
And I should! This world is not our home. We can't feel completely "at home" here because if we are followers of Christ "our citizenship is in heaven" according to Philippians 3:20. 1 Peter 2 says, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." So it shouldn't surprise us when Peter says as the beginning of this book, "To God's elect, strangers in the world..." (vs.1). We are strangers, aren't we?
I often find that more times than not, I can compare myself and The Church today to the Israelites in the Bible. I used to give that group of people a scowl when I read about their unfaithfulness to God; yet, regularly I find myself being just as unfaithful. So now, whenever I read about the Israelites, I look for similarities between us...and sadly, I find them quickly!
So it interested me that when I looked for the very first use of the word "stranger" in the Bible, it was found in God's promise to Abraham regarding his descendants (The Israelites) in Genesis 15: “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions." Now, this clearly is talking about the Israelites, but 7 verses previously, God also told Abraham that his descendants would be so many that they'd be unable to be counted. That includes us! We are Abrahams' spiritual descendants. And are we not strangers here? Are we also enslaved here -- by what our culture says we should do and who we should be -- we become enslaved by the desires for things and for fame and prestige? And are we also mistreated by the way our culture views the Christian perspective? God is misunderstood so often, and we are, too, as His representatives!
"But I..." says the Lord. Ahh...here is where we know that He will not allow us to be strangers forever. He says He will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions and inhabit the Promised Land that God gave them! Oh my gosh! I see so many parallels here in the Israelites' lives and our lives. In Revelation chapters 6-8, God explains His judgement of sin and the punishments that will follow as the seven seals are opened. The wicked will not go unpunished because God is a loving and just God!
And the great possessions? Well, perhaps you can even name some now...what bits of knowledge of God do you cherish? Have many of your life lessons come out of your suffering and trials? I know mine have, but we'll talk more about that tomorrow in Part 2.
" 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you..."
Do you ever feel like a stranger in this world? Like you don't really fit in here? I know I have. The culture tells me that I should dress in a way that my clothes cover as little as possible, but I don't feel comfortable with that because scripture tells me to "dress modestly, with decency and propriety..." so that I am not known by what I look like or wear, but by the kind and good things I do (1 Tim. 2:9). The culture tells me that I should watch the latest reality t.v. shows, and I even gets some "looks" when I tell people that I don't watch certain popular shows, but scripture says that I should "set (my) mind on things above, not on earthly things" (Col. 3:2). That's not to say that enjoying fashion or t.v. shows is all bad, or that I never enjoy some of the latest trends the world has to offer (we do tend to love the extremes of ALL or NEVER don't we?). But sometimes, I do feel like a stranger here...
And I should! This world is not our home. We can't feel completely "at home" here because if we are followers of Christ "our citizenship is in heaven" according to Philippians 3:20. 1 Peter 2 says, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." So it shouldn't surprise us when Peter says as the beginning of this book, "To God's elect, strangers in the world..." (vs.1). We are strangers, aren't we?
I often find that more times than not, I can compare myself and The Church today to the Israelites in the Bible. I used to give that group of people a scowl when I read about their unfaithfulness to God; yet, regularly I find myself being just as unfaithful. So now, whenever I read about the Israelites, I look for similarities between us...and sadly, I find them quickly!
So it interested me that when I looked for the very first use of the word "stranger" in the Bible, it was found in God's promise to Abraham regarding his descendants (The Israelites) in Genesis 15: “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions." Now, this clearly is talking about the Israelites, but 7 verses previously, God also told Abraham that his descendants would be so many that they'd be unable to be counted. That includes us! We are Abrahams' spiritual descendants. And are we not strangers here? Are we also enslaved here -- by what our culture says we should do and who we should be -- we become enslaved by the desires for things and for fame and prestige? And are we also mistreated by the way our culture views the Christian perspective? God is misunderstood so often, and we are, too, as His representatives!
"But I..." says the Lord. Ahh...here is where we know that He will not allow us to be strangers forever. He says He will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions and inhabit the Promised Land that God gave them! Oh my gosh! I see so many parallels here in the Israelites' lives and our lives. In Revelation chapters 6-8, God explains His judgement of sin and the punishments that will follow as the seven seals are opened. The wicked will not go unpunished because God is a loving and just God!
And the great possessions? Well, perhaps you can even name some now...what bits of knowledge of God do you cherish? Have many of your life lessons come out of your suffering and trials? I know mine have, but we'll talk more about that tomorrow in Part 2.
Friday, June 10, 2011
James 5:13-20 (Bringing People Back)
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
This wraps up our study of James. What an incredible book! I have loved reading through this one...so many great truths to apply to our lives.
This last section has a lot of great truth in it, and I really recommend your own study and meditation on the first few verses -- they are great! But the part that sticks out to me today is the last two verses:
"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
Have you ever had to point out someone's error to them? As Christians, we are called to sharpen each other: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Sharpening makes me think of friction (not fun), but in the end, we are both made better people and Christ-followers for it. If you don't point out the error of another Christian friend's ways, who will? As we live in community with others, this is God's design for us!
As we continue walking in our own ways, rather than His, we are ultimately walking to our death -- death of relationships with God and others, death of our emotional and/or physical health, and the death of the future that God has planned for us! This is a BIG deal!
In love and respect, is there someone who you need to gently "bring back" to the way they once lived with Christ? Pray about it, and allow God to give you His words and His heart...you will be giving them the opportunity to choose a different direction, and ultimately, saving them from death.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
This wraps up our study of James. What an incredible book! I have loved reading through this one...so many great truths to apply to our lives.
This last section has a lot of great truth in it, and I really recommend your own study and meditation on the first few verses -- they are great! But the part that sticks out to me today is the last two verses:
"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
Have you ever had to point out someone's error to them? As Christians, we are called to sharpen each other: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Sharpening makes me think of friction (not fun), but in the end, we are both made better people and Christ-followers for it. If you don't point out the error of another Christian friend's ways, who will? As we live in community with others, this is God's design for us!
As we continue walking in our own ways, rather than His, we are ultimately walking to our death -- death of relationships with God and others, death of our emotional and/or physical health, and the death of the future that God has planned for us! This is a BIG deal!
In love and respect, is there someone who you need to gently "bring back" to the way they once lived with Christ? Pray about it, and allow God to give you His words and His heart...you will be giving them the opportunity to choose a different direction, and ultimately, saving them from death.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
James 5:12 (Yes and No)
"But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation."
Why is it that we so often ask people to make an oath, or to swear by something, or to promise that what they say is true? It's because we ultimately believe that everyone is a liar! We know (because we've done it ourselves) that people tend to speak "half truths" or they leave out important parts or they exaggerate to make a point...and they do it often! We do it without even thinking. It's absolutely sobering to me how flippantly we say things that are simply not the truth. And of course once you catch someone not speaking Truth, you have difficulty ever trusting them again. But, we don't need to make any oaths or promises it says! Just speak the truth.
This verse starts with the words "above all", meaning here's the most important part of what I'm saying. Why is it SO important that we are truth-tellers? Later in the verse, it says "so that you may not fall under condemnation." If we are not telling the truth, we are sinning -- no matter how "small" it may seem to us, it's still sin to God. How often in our "explanations" of our yes and no, do we say a small lie? It's tempting to do when we feel that we need to give an explanation and we aren't sure that the REAL reason will be "good enough" for the person with whom we are speaking. So, we sin, and we lie to concoct a "good enough" reason, and we have the approval of men...but we have disobeyed God and tarnished our character.
Here's something that might be new for us to think about: you don't owe people an explanation. God is telling you that right here. Just say "yes" or "no". Does this sounds familiar:
"Are you free for lunch today?"
"No, I have to clean my house, then I have to go get my son from school and take him to the doctor, and then...."
We always feel the need to justify why we can't do something. For me, this is rooted in my people-pleasing nature. I don't want them to be mad at me or think that I don't like them or have their feelings hurt, so I explain my "no." But truly, Paul gives a great example in 1 Corinthians 4:3 when he says, "As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority." I pray that the only opinion that would matter to us would be our Lord's!
This is especially true and difficult when someone asks you if you would do something that you don't want to do.
"Would you be on the ____ Committee?"
"No, I can't...I ________________" (What reason do you come up with to justify your "no"? And how much of it is 100% true, because you feel the need to make a reason that the other person would think is a "good enough" reason to say no?)
I used to do this all the time! But, God is telling us that we don't owe people an explanation, and I am beginning to believe this and it is so liberating!
What if we answered this way instead:
"Would you be on the ____ Committee?"
(With a smile) "No, I'm sorry I can't. But thank you for thinking of me."
Well, what if they ask our reasons? First of all, it's not their business, so they should HONOR your "no", but if they continue with, "Oh, why can't you?" You can still just say, "I'm just not going to be able to, but I do thank you for thinking of me." (still smiling)
And what about you? Do you HONOR peoples' "no" when they give it? We should!
Why is it that we so often ask people to make an oath, or to swear by something, or to promise that what they say is true? It's because we ultimately believe that everyone is a liar! We know (because we've done it ourselves) that people tend to speak "half truths" or they leave out important parts or they exaggerate to make a point...and they do it often! We do it without even thinking. It's absolutely sobering to me how flippantly we say things that are simply not the truth. And of course once you catch someone not speaking Truth, you have difficulty ever trusting them again. But, we don't need to make any oaths or promises it says! Just speak the truth.
This verse starts with the words "above all", meaning here's the most important part of what I'm saying. Why is it SO important that we are truth-tellers? Later in the verse, it says "so that you may not fall under condemnation." If we are not telling the truth, we are sinning -- no matter how "small" it may seem to us, it's still sin to God. How often in our "explanations" of our yes and no, do we say a small lie? It's tempting to do when we feel that we need to give an explanation and we aren't sure that the REAL reason will be "good enough" for the person with whom we are speaking. So, we sin, and we lie to concoct a "good enough" reason, and we have the approval of men...but we have disobeyed God and tarnished our character.
Here's something that might be new for us to think about: you don't owe people an explanation. God is telling you that right here. Just say "yes" or "no". Does this sounds familiar:
"Are you free for lunch today?"
"No, I have to clean my house, then I have to go get my son from school and take him to the doctor, and then...."
We always feel the need to justify why we can't do something. For me, this is rooted in my people-pleasing nature. I don't want them to be mad at me or think that I don't like them or have their feelings hurt, so I explain my "no." But truly, Paul gives a great example in 1 Corinthians 4:3 when he says, "As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority." I pray that the only opinion that would matter to us would be our Lord's!
This is especially true and difficult when someone asks you if you would do something that you don't want to do.
"Would you be on the ____ Committee?"
"No, I can't...I ________________" (What reason do you come up with to justify your "no"? And how much of it is 100% true, because you feel the need to make a reason that the other person would think is a "good enough" reason to say no?)
I used to do this all the time! But, God is telling us that we don't owe people an explanation, and I am beginning to believe this and it is so liberating!
What if we answered this way instead:
"Would you be on the ____ Committee?"
(With a smile) "No, I'm sorry I can't. But thank you for thinking of me."
Well, what if they ask our reasons? First of all, it's not their business, so they should HONOR your "no", but if they continue with, "Oh, why can't you?" You can still just say, "I'm just not going to be able to, but I do thank you for thinking of me." (still smiling)
And what about you? Do you HONOR peoples' "no" when they give it? We should!
Monday, June 6, 2011
James 5:7-11 (Patience in Suffering)
"Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy."
If you haven't encountered a season of suffering recently, get ready. It seems that suffering just comes with being human. In fact, God promises that you will! "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). And, I can end today's post right there. God has overcome the world!
But if you do find yourself in a season of suffering, perhaps you want a little more than that. I think this passage gives us three points to live by as we endure suffering and hardship in this life. The first paragraph deals with waiting expectantly. It says, "be patient as you wait for the Lord's return." And how do they wait? "They eagerly look..." We know that the Lord is returning, and when He does, all this pain and all these tears will be wiped away! But the part that gets me about these couple of verses is that WHILE THEY ARE WAITING for the Lord to return and for the Lord's timing in their suffering, they are looking for the "valuable harvest to ripen." Remember what we talked about a couple weeks ago? There will ALWAYS be fruit...even in the suffering. God is allowing your current suffering for the fruit that it WILL produce in you and in your life. You can EXPECT it! I'm using lots of capital letters this morning because THIS IS GOOD NEWS, PEOPLE! Your current circumstance and pain will not be wasted. There will be fruit. I have to remind myself of this often. And "take courage" while you wait it says, "for the coming of the Lord is near." The pain will not last a lot longer. There is an end to this season. We don't know if He will return before He takes you to Heaven or not, but regardless, the pain and suffering will not last forever. Joy is coming!
The second paragraph is speaking to me today. What do we tend to do when things aren't going our way? We grumble. Doesn't the Lord know us so well? All of humanity is this way! We all grumble! And when things aren't going well, we tend to grumble about the people around us because they are something we can put a finger on. Oh, I can be so guilty of this sometimes! What good does it really bring us? A momentary release of emotion and anger, followed by a small feeling of superiority perhaps. But then even that goes away, and we are still left grumbling all the more. And we know that we are judged the way way that we judge others. Lord, help me with my grumbling.
And we think, well that's impossible! This is just my nature. I can't help it. Everyone does it! Ahh, yes, and again, God knows we are tempted to compare our shortcomings to someone else's, so next comes some examples of people who have had patience in suffering. Look at Job. He endured losing everything. Everything! Yet, God "was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of compassion and mercy." Job never gave up on God and His plan.
I am humbled as I think how God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8), and I can't always answer why God allows our suffering. Perhaps, even the reasons I think are God's reasons, aren't really His reasons at all. He IS so much higher than us in His thoughts as well as in just Who He Is. But we can trust that He is doing something in us that we would not believe even if we were told (Habakkuk 1:5). But we have to wait. We have to be patient in our current circumstances. Your patience will produce good fruit.
And while we're waiting, let's continue to lean on one another. God certainly didn't design us to go through this life, its joys, and its trials alone.
Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy."
If you haven't encountered a season of suffering recently, get ready. It seems that suffering just comes with being human. In fact, God promises that you will! "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). And, I can end today's post right there. God has overcome the world!
But if you do find yourself in a season of suffering, perhaps you want a little more than that. I think this passage gives us three points to live by as we endure suffering and hardship in this life. The first paragraph deals with waiting expectantly. It says, "be patient as you wait for the Lord's return." And how do they wait? "They eagerly look..." We know that the Lord is returning, and when He does, all this pain and all these tears will be wiped away! But the part that gets me about these couple of verses is that WHILE THEY ARE WAITING for the Lord to return and for the Lord's timing in their suffering, they are looking for the "valuable harvest to ripen." Remember what we talked about a couple weeks ago? There will ALWAYS be fruit...even in the suffering. God is allowing your current suffering for the fruit that it WILL produce in you and in your life. You can EXPECT it! I'm using lots of capital letters this morning because THIS IS GOOD NEWS, PEOPLE! Your current circumstance and pain will not be wasted. There will be fruit. I have to remind myself of this often. And "take courage" while you wait it says, "for the coming of the Lord is near." The pain will not last a lot longer. There is an end to this season. We don't know if He will return before He takes you to Heaven or not, but regardless, the pain and suffering will not last forever. Joy is coming!
The second paragraph is speaking to me today. What do we tend to do when things aren't going our way? We grumble. Doesn't the Lord know us so well? All of humanity is this way! We all grumble! And when things aren't going well, we tend to grumble about the people around us because they are something we can put a finger on. Oh, I can be so guilty of this sometimes! What good does it really bring us? A momentary release of emotion and anger, followed by a small feeling of superiority perhaps. But then even that goes away, and we are still left grumbling all the more. And we know that we are judged the way way that we judge others. Lord, help me with my grumbling.
And we think, well that's impossible! This is just my nature. I can't help it. Everyone does it! Ahh, yes, and again, God knows we are tempted to compare our shortcomings to someone else's, so next comes some examples of people who have had patience in suffering. Look at Job. He endured losing everything. Everything! Yet, God "was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of compassion and mercy." Job never gave up on God and His plan.
I am humbled as I think how God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8), and I can't always answer why God allows our suffering. Perhaps, even the reasons I think are God's reasons, aren't really His reasons at all. He IS so much higher than us in His thoughts as well as in just Who He Is. But we can trust that He is doing something in us that we would not believe even if we were told (Habakkuk 1:5). But we have to wait. We have to be patient in our current circumstances. Your patience will produce good fruit.
And while we're waiting, let's continue to lean on one another. God certainly didn't design us to go through this life, its joys, and its trials alone.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
James 4:13-17 (Tomorrow)
"Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it."
Have you ever had one of those moments in the Word, when God gently, yet firmly, reminds you of His Truth. Oh my gosh! Did I ever have one this morning! I just finished a very long walk with a friend, and I thought of all of you during our conversation because I was trying REALLY hard as we walked and talked to NOT speak judgement over anyone, as we studied yesterday. Anyway, as I was processing some current situations in life, I felt the need to make some major decisions about my own life...right now! I became overwhelmed by the fact that not everything in my life has panned out the way I envisioned. I began to feel some anxiety about where things were headed...ooh, did satan have a good hold on me or what!? I felt a little better by the end of the walk knowing that I have done all that I can do in one particular situation, but my heart was still heavy. Then, I come home and crack open the Bible to see what God has to say to me today, and the verse above is next on the list! Wow.
So, why do we make plans about how things "are going to go"? In high school, I "knew" I was going to go to college, marry my current boyfriend as soon as I graduated college, then wait three years and start having kids, then stop working, and have a second and third kid soon after that. Hmm...well, I'm just about to turn 27. I did not marry that boyfriend. I didn't have one when I graduated, so no marriage then. I got married a few years later, and we are still not planning to have kids right now and I am still working. And all of those have been GREAT things! And none of them were in my Plan.
So, why do we do it? I think we all could say that we want to feel in control of our own destiny. We want to have a plan to follow so that we can attain what we want our destiny to be. Yet, our loving God says, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11). Why is it so hard for us to hand the keys of our life over to Him, or actually, to trust Him with the keys that He already has? I can say from experience that everything that He has ordained and allowed in my life HAS prospered me! And yes, some of it has hurt...a lot, but never has it brought me harm. He is faithful and trustworthy, friends. He has proved that time and time again. How has He proven Himself in your life? He is still that same God. Can you choose to trust Him with the current direction of your life today? I was reminded this morning...I can.
Have you ever had one of those moments in the Word, when God gently, yet firmly, reminds you of His Truth. Oh my gosh! Did I ever have one this morning! I just finished a very long walk with a friend, and I thought of all of you during our conversation because I was trying REALLY hard as we walked and talked to NOT speak judgement over anyone, as we studied yesterday. Anyway, as I was processing some current situations in life, I felt the need to make some major decisions about my own life...right now! I became overwhelmed by the fact that not everything in my life has panned out the way I envisioned. I began to feel some anxiety about where things were headed...ooh, did satan have a good hold on me or what!? I felt a little better by the end of the walk knowing that I have done all that I can do in one particular situation, but my heart was still heavy. Then, I come home and crack open the Bible to see what God has to say to me today, and the verse above is next on the list! Wow.
So, why do we make plans about how things "are going to go"? In high school, I "knew" I was going to go to college, marry my current boyfriend as soon as I graduated college, then wait three years and start having kids, then stop working, and have a second and third kid soon after that. Hmm...well, I'm just about to turn 27. I did not marry that boyfriend. I didn't have one when I graduated, so no marriage then. I got married a few years later, and we are still not planning to have kids right now and I am still working. And all of those have been GREAT things! And none of them were in my Plan.
So, why do we do it? I think we all could say that we want to feel in control of our own destiny. We want to have a plan to follow so that we can attain what we want our destiny to be. Yet, our loving God says, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11). Why is it so hard for us to hand the keys of our life over to Him, or actually, to trust Him with the keys that He already has? I can say from experience that everything that He has ordained and allowed in my life HAS prospered me! And yes, some of it has hurt...a lot, but never has it brought me harm. He is faithful and trustworthy, friends. He has proved that time and time again. How has He proven Himself in your life? He is still that same God. Can you choose to trust Him with the current direction of your life today? I was reminded this morning...I can.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
James 4:11-12 (The Scoop on Judging)
11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
We are a culture who LOVES to speak evil against one another, aren't we? Two words: celebrity gossip. As a culture we are obsessed with reality t.v. shows, People magazine, and other online articles, and then we love to bash on the people during our lunch break at work the next day. I see this all the time! And if you're not into celebrity gossip, perhaps you've used the following phrases as you've told a story about a friend: Did you hear about _____? I'm so concerned about her...and then you go on to tell stories that are,... ultimately, gossip? Until yesterday, I thought "evil" only referred to people like Hitler, but certainly not me! Let me refresh your memory. Yesterday, we learned that we all have evil desires in us. Evil is defined as 'morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked; harmful; injurious; characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous'. So, can what we say about our friends to our other friends be "harmful" and "injurious"? Absolutely! It is so easy to give into the desire to talk about others in a less than flattering light. BUT, God calls us to not 'speak evil (harmful and injurious words) against each other.'
"If you criticize and judge each other, than you are criticizing and judging God's law. Your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you." What is this talk about the law? Well, Matthew 7:1 says, "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged."
We are not any better than any one else. We are not better than a celebrity that only sees her body as a sexual object; we are not any better than the high roller CEO who goes to jail for money laundering; we are not better than a serial rapist and murderer. Why? Because "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Again, that word is ALL, and as my pastor would say, "All means all." Without Jesus, despite the many great things we may have done, we would still be going to hell. All of us. My sin is just as abhorrent and sickening to God as the person's I am judging. So, what should we be doing instead of judging others? "Your job is to obey the law..." As I sometimes have to say to my elementary students, just worry about yourself. When it comes to sin, it's okay to be self-focused! Look at your own heart, and humbly seek to follow God...yourself.
We are a culture who LOVES to speak evil against one another, aren't we? Two words: celebrity gossip. As a culture we are obsessed with reality t.v. shows, People magazine, and other online articles, and then we love to bash on the people during our lunch break at work the next day. I see this all the time! And if you're not into celebrity gossip, perhaps you've used the following phrases as you've told a story about a friend: Did you hear about _____? I'm so concerned about her...and then you go on to tell stories that are,... ultimately, gossip? Until yesterday, I thought "evil" only referred to people like Hitler, but certainly not me! Let me refresh your memory. Yesterday, we learned that we all have evil desires in us. Evil is defined as 'morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked; harmful; injurious; characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous'. So, can what we say about our friends to our other friends be "harmful" and "injurious"? Absolutely! It is so easy to give into the desire to talk about others in a less than flattering light. BUT, God calls us to not 'speak evil (harmful and injurious words) against each other.'
"If you criticize and judge each other, than you are criticizing and judging God's law. Your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you." What is this talk about the law? Well, Matthew 7:1 says, "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged."
We are not any better than any one else. We are not better than a celebrity that only sees her body as a sexual object; we are not any better than the high roller CEO who goes to jail for money laundering; we are not better than a serial rapist and murderer. Why? Because "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Again, that word is ALL, and as my pastor would say, "All means all." Without Jesus, despite the many great things we may have done, we would still be going to hell. All of us. My sin is just as abhorrent and sickening to God as the person's I am judging. So, what should we be doing instead of judging others? "Your job is to obey the law..." As I sometimes have to say to my elementary students, just worry about yourself. When it comes to sin, it's okay to be self-focused! Look at your own heart, and humbly seek to follow God...yourself.
Now, I must state a side note: the judgement we're talking about here is eternal judgement, whether people are saved or not. I'm not saying to teenagers that it's okay to tell your parents, Mom, I'm choosing to spend all my weekends with the local drug dealers because God tells me not to judge. On the contrary, God does tell us "Do not be mislead: Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Cor. 15:33) and "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Prov. 12:26). We are still called to judge whether people are trustworthy, encouraging, good friend material, etc, based on who their former actions have proven them to be, and then therefore to judge what type of a relationship we want to have with them.
But as far as their salvation, verse 12 says, "God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?" So, take the pressure off yourself. You don't have to make that call. God will. In the meantime, He has called you to love, serve, and show kindness to everyone, no matter what life choices they may have made. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
When we bad-mouth others, especially other Believers, it is God and His Word who take the beating. People are watching us to see if our actions are in step with who and Whose we claim to be. Today, choose to obey God's law. Choose to build each other up! And I would even challenge you to re-think the amount of celebrity gossip you allow to be poured into your mind and heart. After all, "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
James 4:4-10 (Friend vs. Enemy...of God)
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
How much of a hold does the world have on you? Don't compare yourself to those around you, but just look at yourself. Are you thinking that you need a bigger house, a newer car, the latest fashions, the most recent technology, or a leaner body? Just this morning on my run, I struggled with that very thought. I don't believe that God says NEVER to these things, in fact, it's God who wants us to enjoy pleasures on earth. "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). God smiles when He watches you enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend, or savoring an expensive meal, or cheering at an exciting football game, or slouched over in a belly laugh. So, let us be clear that God is not a God who doesn't want you to just have some fun sometimes. He is delighted when you enjoy the gifts He's given you! However, He still wants to be the one who has your heart.
Verse 4 tells us that friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. Let's make sure we have those definitions clear. The word 'friend' is defined as: a person attached to another by feelings of affection; a person who gives assistance to; a supporter; being on good terms with the other. Do you see how we can so easily become a 'friend' of the world. So, what does that world stand for? The list is endless, but what comes to my mind: money, fame, focus on yourself, power, whatever feels good as long as it doesn't physically harm someone else. Do we agree with this, support this, give assistance to this, or are attached to some of these ideas? If we do, we are attached and in support of the world. We are friends of the world. I wish I could say that this is not me, but honestly, some days it is me. We live in an age where it is ever increasingly difficult to say no to the world.
But why is this really so bad? It can't be that bad can it? Again, verse 4 says that if we are friends with the world we are enemies of God. Enemies! That's not just "we got in a little disagreement." The dictionary defines 'enemy' as: a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent. And I immediately think to myself, well, I don't feel that strongly against God. That's too harsh. But verse 5 tells us, "What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?" So, the Bible is saying that God is envious or jealous? But God says, "don't be jealous" yet HE gets to be jealous/envious? Ahh, but God is jealous FOR you. Not jealous OF you. These are two totally different meanings. He is jealous for you because He created you and loves you so much, and He wants you to love Him back! He knows the better plan for your life. When we are following the world's design, He aches because He knows there is a better way. His way. The love of the world and what it has to offer will never fulfill you the way He will. And according to verse 6, He wants to give you the grace to oppose the evil desires! He isn't even saying that you have to do this all on your own. He wants to help us.
So, what do we do when we find ourselves so easily swayed by the world? And trust me, this might need to become a daily habit, hourly habit even. Well, the following verses make it quite clear. I will let them speak for themselves: "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor."
Make the choice to humble yourself before God. Was that an expression of pain I just saw on your face? It's humiliating to humble yourself. But being humiliated isn't always a bad thing. In fact, when we humble ourselves, He will lift us up. And look how deeply sad the scripture says we should be over our sin and our desire to be apart from God! Do you feel this depth of sadness for your sin? If we knew what our sin really meant and how unworthy we really are, we would be crying! Ask God to show you the ugliness of your sin. He cannot lift us up until we have recognized the repulsive, repugnant pit that our sin really is. But His promise is that when we humble ourselves, He will lift us up. Picture a father scooping up his crying two-year old son and holding him close to his chest until he stops crying. That's what God wants to do for you today.
Choose to be a friend of God. If you have unconfessed sin in your life, tell Him. Then, let Him pick you up.
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
How much of a hold does the world have on you? Don't compare yourself to those around you, but just look at yourself. Are you thinking that you need a bigger house, a newer car, the latest fashions, the most recent technology, or a leaner body? Just this morning on my run, I struggled with that very thought. I don't believe that God says NEVER to these things, in fact, it's God who wants us to enjoy pleasures on earth. "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). God smiles when He watches you enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend, or savoring an expensive meal, or cheering at an exciting football game, or slouched over in a belly laugh. So, let us be clear that God is not a God who doesn't want you to just have some fun sometimes. He is delighted when you enjoy the gifts He's given you! However, He still wants to be the one who has your heart.
Verse 4 tells us that friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. Let's make sure we have those definitions clear. The word 'friend' is defined as: a person attached to another by feelings of affection; a person who gives assistance to; a supporter; being on good terms with the other. Do you see how we can so easily become a 'friend' of the world. So, what does that world stand for? The list is endless, but what comes to my mind: money, fame, focus on yourself, power, whatever feels good as long as it doesn't physically harm someone else. Do we agree with this, support this, give assistance to this, or are attached to some of these ideas? If we do, we are attached and in support of the world. We are friends of the world. I wish I could say that this is not me, but honestly, some days it is me. We live in an age where it is ever increasingly difficult to say no to the world.
But why is this really so bad? It can't be that bad can it? Again, verse 4 says that if we are friends with the world we are enemies of God. Enemies! That's not just "we got in a little disagreement." The dictionary defines 'enemy' as: a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent. And I immediately think to myself, well, I don't feel that strongly against God. That's too harsh. But verse 5 tells us, "What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?" So, the Bible is saying that God is envious or jealous? But God says, "don't be jealous" yet HE gets to be jealous/envious? Ahh, but God is jealous FOR you. Not jealous OF you. These are two totally different meanings. He is jealous for you because He created you and loves you so much, and He wants you to love Him back! He knows the better plan for your life. When we are following the world's design, He aches because He knows there is a better way. His way. The love of the world and what it has to offer will never fulfill you the way He will. And according to verse 6, He wants to give you the grace to oppose the evil desires! He isn't even saying that you have to do this all on your own. He wants to help us.
So, what do we do when we find ourselves so easily swayed by the world? And trust me, this might need to become a daily habit, hourly habit even. Well, the following verses make it quite clear. I will let them speak for themselves: "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor."
Make the choice to humble yourself before God. Was that an expression of pain I just saw on your face? It's humiliating to humble yourself. But being humiliated isn't always a bad thing. In fact, when we humble ourselves, He will lift us up. And look how deeply sad the scripture says we should be over our sin and our desire to be apart from God! Do you feel this depth of sadness for your sin? If we knew what our sin really meant and how unworthy we really are, we would be crying! Ask God to show you the ugliness of your sin. He cannot lift us up until we have recognized the repulsive, repugnant pit that our sin really is. But His promise is that when we humble ourselves, He will lift us up. Picture a father scooping up his crying two-year old son and holding him close to his chest until he stops crying. That's what God wants to do for you today.
Choose to be a friend of God. If you have unconfessed sin in your life, tell Him. Then, let Him pick you up.
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