Blog: “Discovering His Living Hope”

Someone is bound to ask you: Just what is so “good” about The Good News? Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11-14 New King James Version

Trained by Saving Grace

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What are your thoughts about this statement?

Living into God’s Great Commandment; The grace that saves is the grace that works through our relationship with ourselves, with neighbors and with God.

When we hear the Gospel or the Good News, what comes to our mind?

Do we think of a heavenly real estate deal that after signing up we are now assured of a place in heaven?

Do we think of a divine fire insurance that after putting our name on the dotted line we can now heave a deep sigh of relief because we are skipping hell?

Is it as simple as ABC?

Accept Believe and Confess?

Is that all there is to the Good News?

In studies of contemporary religion in America, sociologists have found a disturbing trend among teenagers.

For them, “God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem…

The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.” [1]

[1]“Death by Deism” by Collin Hansen (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/aprilweb-only/116-11.0.html?start=1)

Simply put, relationship with God became a religion about Him.

But I think that point of view is not just held by teenagers and it is not just found among Americans. Is that it? Is that what the Good News is all about?

So, when that one person asks; What’s so good about the Good News, anyway?

Of course, when we put our faith in our Lord Jesus as Savior, we have eternal life. But there’s more to the Good News than just making sure we would enjoy heaven and won’t endure hell.

Yes, when we believe, we will find peace. But the Good News is not just about peace. It’s not at all just about feeling good. There’s more to the Good News than that. There’s more to it than just making a decision for Christ and then proceeding with our lives as usual. So, what’s so good about the Good News?

Titus 2:11-14 gives us the answer.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Here we see that the reason the good news is good is because the Good News involves all aspects of our life.

Why? Because the grace that SAVES is the grace that WORKS.

In the Greek, Titus chapter 2 verses 11 to 14 are actually one long sentence.

Titus was the pastor of the church in that place called Crete.

The Cretans or those who live in Crete have a bad reputation.

In Titus 1:12, we read that “Even one of their own prophets has said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’”

Now that they became believers, they should live differently. But there are some people who “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are so detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

There are people like that today. People who claim they are believers yet we wonder as we look at their lives if they really are believers. Now before we think I am referring to that person to your left or to your right, consider first if the person sitting where you are seated right now is genuinely a Christ follower.

First, let us talk about the grace that saves.

Verse 11 tells us, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” Circle the phrase “the grace of God.”

Grace is God’s kindness that He freely gives us even if we are not worthy to receive it.

His grace “brings salvation”.

We read this in Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

We can’t do anything to earn salvation.

It is only made possible by grace not by good works.

We receive it through faith in our Lord Jesus.

If that is not clear enough, look at Romans 11:6. “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

Grace is God’s gift. If you have to pay for a gift, if you have to earn it, you wont, if you have to deserve it, you never will. (Romans 3:21-24) it’s no longer a gift.

We are saved by grace, not by works.

What does it mean that “the grace of God… has APPEARED to all men”?

We got the word “epiphany” from the Greek word used here for “appeared,” which either means “the sudden realization or leap in understanding” or “the appearance of manifestation of God.”

In the Greek, it means “the dawning of light upon darkness” or “to become visible or known.”

But the grace that appeared here is not just an idea we suddenly understood.

Paul used the same Greek word in verse 13: “the glorious APPEARING of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”.

Here in our context, the grace that has already appeared refers to our Lord Jesus.

Verse 11 talks about His first coming and verse 13 refers to His second coming.

He is grace in the flesh.

When we talk of grace here we are talking of a person, not a principle.

We don’t just talk about the Lord.

We connect with Him.

That’s what so good about the Good News. Christianity is a relationship, not a religion… an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

Here He is called “our great God and Savior”. This is one of the clearest and strongest verses to prove that Jesus is equal with the Father, that He is God.

Some people would say that “great God” refers to the Father and “Savior” refers to the Son. But it did not say “our great God and OUR Savior”.

If the verse is phrased as such, that would mean that Paul was referring to two persons. But it says “OUR great God AND Savior.”

Literally in the Greek, it goes like this: “the great God and Savior of us Jesus Christ”. Thus, it refers to one person, “Jesus Christ”.

Jesus was not the Father but He is equal with God. And the fact that He is God means that He is Lord, the Master and the Boss of our entire lives.

Verse 14 tell us Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Note that it says He “gave himself for us”.

He voluntarily gave Himself for us.

People did not have to force Him on the cross.

He willingly died for our sins.

Circle the conjunction “to.” It can be translated “in order that” or “so that.”

It gave us the reason why Christ gave Himself for us. He did it in order that He can “redeem us”.

In the Greek, the word “redeem” means “to obtain release by the payment of a price, to ransom”.

For slaves, that word is very precious.

We are no longer bound by sin or wickedness. Christ has set us free.

He Himself is the ransom.

We deserve death.

But He died in our place.

We can’t save ourselves.

He saved us.

Notice here too He Himself redeemed us from sin with Himself as the price for Himself. That other than redeeming us from wickedness, another reason He gave Himself for us is “to purify for himself a people that are his very own”.

Literally, “his very own” is “his own possession”.

We now belong to Jesus.

He Himself redeemed us from sin with Himself as the price for Himself.

We are now His prized possessions Who would do His bidding.

It is clear here that there is a dual purpose why Christ gave Himself for us.

It is “to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

He saved us from wickedness or bad works.

And He saved us for good works.

Underline the last clause: “eager to do what is good.”

The word “eager” means we are to be zealous in doing what is right.

We are to be passionate for good works.

Good works do not save us.

But once we are saved, the moment we belong to Him, that means He saved us for good works – living into and outward from God’s Greatest Commandment. 

Matthew 22:34-40 Revised Standard Version

The Greatest Commandment

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad′ducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

Let us now talk about the grace that works.

Grace makes works possible.

Note that “the grace of God… teaches us”.

It means that grace instructs or disciplines us.

It is like how a parent trains a child.

Grace leads, guides and directs us to do good works.

We can’t accept Christ and still live the way we once lived.

Now that we are in Christ, we live according to His ways on His terms.

If a person claims to be a believer and yet we don’t see any change at all in his life, we have reasons to doubt his claim.

I am not saying that we become sinless but we look at our lives and see that we sin less.

That’s why the book of James tell us “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead… faith without deeds is dead.”

If Jesus is our Lord, we are to obey Him.

The call to faith in Christ is the call to follow Him.

That’s a pattern in the book of Titus.

In his greeting to Titus, Paul talked about “the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness”.

Later, in Titus 3:8, Paul gave this instruction to Titus:

“I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

So, the grace that saves is the grace that works.

It’s not that we need to become holy and pure by our own efforts in order to earn salvation.

Rather, the salvation Jesus freely gives to us also teaches us and forms us into people who live holy lives out of gratitude.

Salvation comes first, and holy living is a result.

The good news for people every­where is that Jesus gives salvation to all who confess with all their It’s not that we need to become holy and pure by our own efforts in order to earn salvation. Rather, the salvation that Jesus freely gives to us also teaches us and forms us into people who live holy lives out of gratitude. Salvation comes first, and holy living is a result.

The good news for people every­where is that Jesus gives salvation to all who confess with their whole heart their belief in him. But the good news gets even better. In addition to giving us salvation, Jesus gives us new life right now.

The gospel is not just about living with God after we die; it’s also about living in holiness and purity with God right now. We can receive the grace of holy living as we follow Jesus each day. believe in him. But the good news gets even better than that. In addition to giving us salvation, Jesus gives us new life right now.

The gospel is not just about living with God after we die; it’s also about living into and outward from our holiness and purity with God right now. We can receive the grace of holy living as we follow Jesus each day if we’ll accept it.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let’s Pray,

Psalm 119:1-16 Revised Standard Version

The Glories of God’s Law

119 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
4 Thou hast commanded thy precepts
    to be kept diligently.
5 O that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping thy statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with an upright heart,
    when I learn thy righteous ordinances.
8 I will observe thy statutes;
    O forsake me not utterly!

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart I seek thee;
    let me not wander from thy commandments!
11 I have laid up thy word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed be thou, O Lord;
    teach me thy statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
    all the ordinances of thy mouth.
14 In the way of thy testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on thy precepts,
    and fix my eyes on thy ways.
16 I will delight in thy statutes;
    I will not forget thy word.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: The Importance of our acknowledging HIS story as being everyone’s story. Deuteronomy 4:7-10

Deuteronomy 4:7-10 Complete Jewish Bible

7 For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as Adonai our God is, whenever we call on him? 8 What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today? 9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves diligently as long as you live, so that you won’t forget what you saw with your own eyes, so that these things won’t vanish from your hearts. Rather, make them known to your children and grandchildren — 10 the day you stood before Adonai your God at Horev, when Adonai said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, and I will make them hear my very words, so that they will learn to hold me in awe as long as they live on earth, and so that they will teach their children.’

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The title of my devotion today is “Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: The critical Importance of acknowledging HIS story (God’s story) as everyone’s story.”

This effort is my contribution toward the celebration of Black History Month.

In the US of America, February is the month when we celebrate Black History.

This celebration originally began as Negro History Week in 1926 and took place during the second week of February as it coincided with the birthdates of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

In 1976, the bicentennial of the United States, former President Gerald R. Ford expanded the week into a full month.

In doing so he said the country needed to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history.”

While Black History Month has been heavily criticized by both black people and people of other races for its unfairness in devoting an entire month to a single group of people, there are significant lessons to be learned from remembering our history, especially as it relates to everyone’s faith, hope and love in God.

During this celebratory month we have the opportunity to share stories, reflect on our rich history (good and bad and devastating) and remember the highest of prices paid by others for us to have the privileges of community that we have.

Celebrating this month gives us the opportunity to remember the best of our history and culture while remembering that it is HIS Story and OUR history.

The remainder of This month I pray that you to really take some time and think about what we have and the rather ugly road travelled and how we all got here.

Talk to some older folks and listen to their stories as they tell you what was available to them sixty years ago, hear the stories they were told by their parents and grandparents and what “life” they had experienced “back then.”

When we hear and understand their stories we can hopefully, prayerfully and humbly, appreciate their sacrifices so we would have more what we have today.

As I said, history is first and foremost HIS (God’s) story we have a long history of active participation and it cannot be remembered if we do not talk about it.

So today, we are going to examine active passive hindsight, and insight and foresight, how our acknowledgement and understanding of HIS story impacts our own story as we try to learn how we live in community today and tomorrow.

Let’s start with a review of the definitions of hindsight, insight and foresight.

Hindsight is “the ability to understand a situation or event after it has already happened or developed.”

It’s our ability to remember what has happened previously which gives us the opportunity to learn from those past experiences.

An example of this is someone learning from a past mistake.

They experience the failure, look back on it and learn from it.

The process and learning from past experiences give us what we call insight.

Insight is discernment; “the ability to see clearly and intuitively into the nature of a complex person, situation or subject.”

Insight actually encompasses both hindsight and foresight. Foresight is “the action of predicting what will happen or what needs to happen in the future.”

It’s the ability to see what is coming.

Foresight moves us forward into taking an action and it makes sure we do not get too complacent, comfortable about taking that action. It demands we move.

Working together, hindsight, insight and foresight allows us to learn from the past, adapt to the present and plan for our future.

Think of it like this, a person with no foresight, hindsight or insight goes for a walk in the street. They see a car coming. They stay in the street. The car keeps coming and they remain in the street. The car runs over them. They had no foresight, hindsight or insight which led them to get out of the way of the car.

When they get out of the hospital, they decide to go for another walk.

This time, however, after getting run over by a car, they learned some things.

First they have foresight. They know that cars move on the streets and they should really anticipate seeing them. Secondly, they have hindsight as they reflect on getting run over by a car previously and take precautions to ensure it does not happen again. Lastly, they have insight as they decide the best way to go for the walk is to stay on the sidewalk, being more aware of their fragility.

Now, these three working instantaneously together, keeps the person safe.

But let me be clear, there are many people walking on this earth with no sight.

These people see the car coming; get run over by the car; forget what it felt like the first time to get run over; and continues to walk in the middle of the street only to be run over again. If not learning from out past we are like this person walking down the middle of the street repeatedly getting run over by cars.

Having hindsight, insight and foresight keeps us from constantly getting run over by life’s circumstances.

I want to share with you why the understanding of our history is so important.

Turn to Deuteronomy 4:7-10.

“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

Now turn over to Deuteronomy chapter six and let’s begin with verse six.

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-12)

Moses brought the people together to give them the laws of God, with clarity and a conviction that spoke to the hearts of everyone.

In chapter four Moses told the people to remember and to teach their children otherwise they would forget.

In chapter six he goes a step farther.

He tells them to diligently teach their children.

That word diligently means to show persistence and hard word work in doing something.

In other words, Moses was telling the people to make teaching their kids about everything God had done for them as an “daily at every opportunity” priority.

He told them to talk about what God had done and His laws when they sat in their homes, when they walked down the street, when they went to bed and when they got up.

The image that he was painting was that they should always (persistently) be teaching their children and their children’s children about God and everything He had done for them. They were to always be talking about it. Finally he told them that they should write the words on the doorposts of their homes and on their gates. This was to ensure that the words were forever before their eyes.

We need to teach our history so that those who are enjoying the fruits of those who went before them understand the price that was paid.

You see, there are many making good money and we never once picked cotton.

We live in nice homes in mixed subdivisions (not on the other side of the railroad tracks as the old people used to say) and we are treated as equals.

We don’t recall those times when many people were not allowed to own homes.

We can eat at any restaurant that we choose (as long as we are willing to pay for it) don’t remember the signs that said go around to the back door to be served.

There are many of us who go shopping wherever we want and try on all the clothes in the stores and do not remember the times when many were not allowed to try on clothes unless it was purchased from a black owned store on the farthest outskirts of town stocked with out of date second hand fashions.

There were many who never voted because they never had the equal right to vote or because of Jim Crowe laws, they (ballots) were segregated, tainted.

Because voting was something already available to some of us when we reach the appropriate age, the high importance of equal access was utterly lost on us.

There are many of us who approach learning as if learning is a chore because we do not remember a time when blacks were not allowed to go to the same schools as white children to learn – do we recall when President Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce school desegregation?

There are some of us who to this day who dislike other races because we do not remember those of other races who stood, marched and died with us during the Civil Rights movement so we could all have everything we have access to today.

Mark 3:31-35 Amplified Bible

31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called for Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.” 33 And He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For [a] whoever does the will of God [by believing in Me, and following Me], he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Galatians 3:28-29 Amplified Bible

28 There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. 29 And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.

https://blackhistorymonth.gov/

https://www.history.com/news/little-rock-nine-brown-v-board-eisenhower-101-airborne

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/black-history-month

The Origins of Black History Month

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 133 Amplified Bible

The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.

A Song of [a]Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 
It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].
3 
It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Samson: Blinded and Chained and Imprisoned, Vulnerable, Enamored, Entangled and Ensnared by Pillars of his Material Desires. Judges 16:25-30

Judges 16:25-30 Revised Standard Version

25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may make sport for us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he made sport before them. They made him stand between the pillars; 26 and Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson made sport.

28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged upon the Philistines for one of my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and he leaned his weight upon them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were in it. So the dead whom he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain during his life.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In our lives, desires can be both beautiful and dangerous, life giving, life taking.

Samson was a strong man who struggled with his feelings and choices.

He became attracted to a Philistine woman, which set off a conflict between what he is meant to do and what he wanted. This important part of Samson’s story reminds us that our desires can sometimes lead us away from our true purpose, causing us to make choices that compromise who we really are.

Today, think about your own desires and how they influence your decisions.

Last night, The Super Bowl 59 was played in New Orleans. Two professional football teams played for the privilege of being hailed as “World Champion.”

Players on the winning side receive the championship trophy, a large sum of money and a great big ticker tape parade in their home city – Philadelphia.

Players and coaches too, can parlay their championship moments into all manner of lucrative endorsements, contract extensions with more money.

No condemnation by any means is intended towards the players or coaches.

It is a laudable goal for youth and teenagers and young and older adults to be able to play a sport or game compete at high levels, achieving goals, success, to learn about competition, fairness, sportsmanship along with winning, losing.

Such lessons develop one’s character, self esteem, self confidence, humility.

Like the Judge Samson, we often find ourselves drawn to things that seem appealing- Such as relationships, goals, or material possessions- That can attract us or distract us, or turn ourselves away or off, from our true calling.

By looking closely at Samson’s experiences, we can discover and explore the risks of letting our desires control us.

We’ll explore how to manage our feelings and seek what truly fulfills us by aligning our desires with God’s will.

Together, let’s try to find God’s wisdom and strength to break free from the distractions that lead us away from God and deepen our relationship with Him.

Desires that…

1. Dazzle.

Samson’s focused desires highlight the struggle between following God’s path and our own wants. Samson is drawn to a Philistine woman, which not only shows his personal attraction but also marks a break from God’s commands.

His single minded, single directed, strong desire blinds him to those important cultural and spiritual consequences of his choice, demonstrating how even the mightiest, and thereby the most vulnerable, can be led astray by their desires.

This serves as a reminder that our own worship, desires need to match what God requires, or we risk ending up in situations that put our faith to the test.

Proverbs 3:5-12 The Message

5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

On a practical level, Samson’s story teaches us how we should each be able to recognize our desires in a world that often focuses on quick satisfaction.

As Samson was trapped by something that looked good on the surface, we too can find ourselves chasing desires that seem joyful but ultimately lead to harm.

To avoid getting caught up in these distractions, we should take time for prayer and reflection, which helps us see the difference between fleeting temptations and true fulfillment.

This can include praying, studying the Bible, and seeking advice from wise people. By doing this, we can guide our desires to align with what truly honors God. In turn, we not only protect ourselves from dangerous temptations but we also pursue desires that bring growth, purpose, and a closer connection to God.

Desires that…

2. Deceive, Betray.

Samson’s desire for a Philistine woman highlights the struggle between what God wants for us and our own human desires.

Samson’s wish to marry someone outside his people shows how our desires can lead us away from God’s plan.

It reminds us when our wants drift away from God’s teachings, they can pull us towards choices that seem good but actually harm our relationship with Him.

Samson’s desire for Delilah cost him his strength, credibility, and sight. He also betrayed God as Samson reveals his secret to his strength and God pulled away.

Deception and betrayal inevitably lead to Samson being mocked and scorned. He was chained and bound to hard prison labor, eventually destroying himself.

Just like Samson, who was caught up in his attraction, we need to continually examine our own desires carefully and cautiously, making sure they align with God’s will instead of just our own things that rust away, our temporary wishes.

On a practical level, this issue of deceptive desires can have a huge impact upon our daily lives. Our immediate impulsive desires often disguise themselves as good or harmless, leading us down paths that can distract us from our faith.

Things like online shopping, certain relationships, or career goals can seem like positive pursuits, but they can also take our focus, resources, away from God.

Like Samson, we must be careful and watchful about the desires that might pull us away from our commitments.

We should take time to think about where our desires are leading us and ask, “Are they helping us grow spiritually or are they dragging us into distractions?”

Through prayer and seeking advice from others, we can better understand our desires, making sure they guide, lead us to what truly fulfills us, honors God.

Desires that…

3. Distract.

Samson encountered a lion and later found honey inside its dead body.

This story shows us how our desires can distract us from what really matters.

Although Samson may have started with good intentions, he got sidetracked by his cravings.

The honey looked sweet and appealing, but it came from a source of death.

This reminds us that our desires can lead us away from God’s plan for us.

When we chase after things like pleasure, approval, or power, we risk getting caught up in distractions that pull us away from our true purpose in life.

Today, we need to take a moment to check ourselves.

We live in a world full of competing desires, from wanting “likes” on social media to chasing after money and success.

It’s important to think about what truly feeds our spirits. Are we, like Samson, going after things that seem attractive but keep us from getting closer to God?

By taking time for self-reflection and prayer, we can uncover those distractions before they take over our hearts. We should strive to nurture desires that match God’s purpose for us and set aside the temptations that surely lead us astray.

If we focus on our spiritual well-being and stay alert to distractions, we can reach our full potential and discover the true sweetness that comes from our efforts at aligning our lives with Him.

Desires that…

4. Divide.

Proverbs 16:18-20 English Standard Version

18 Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word[a] will discover good,
    and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

We see how uncontrolled desires can lead to serious problems, as shown in the short, impulsive life of Samson. Each time Samson acted based on his personal wants- Like when he chose to marry a Philistine woman- He moved further away from his agreement with God and created division among his people.

This story teaches us that our desires can create all manner and degrees of hardcore conflict and inevitably pull us apart from God’s plan for our lives.

Samson’s desire for what was forbidden caused confusion and strife, showing us that when we let our wants take the lead instead of following God’s guidance, we risk creating divides that can weaken our relationship with God, with others.

As followers of Christ, we need to be careful and aware that unchecked desires can lead us to isolation, distancing us from God and from our community.

To be practical, understanding how desires can cause division encourages us to look closely at our own motivations.

Every day, we face continuous temptations that can harm our relationships with family, friends, and the Church. To counteract this, it’s important to find trusted friends who can help us stay on track with God’s will.

Engaging in prayer and study and fellowship and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance will help us, guide us to manage our desires in a positive way.

When our desires align with God’s purposes, we create unity instead of division.

This allows us to lift each other up in our spiritual growth and mission together.

By focusing on desires that honor only God, we can turn potential conflicts into chances for deep healing, bringing ‘lusty’ people back together in the Church.

Psalm 16 The Message

16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
    I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
    Without you, nothing makes sense.

3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
    what splendid friends they make!

4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

As we reflect on the story of Samson, we see how his desire for Delilah has become an entangling force in his life.

He is caught up in the moment, blinded by his passions, and unable or unwilling to see the harm that his desires are causing him and those around him.

This is a stark reminder of how easily we can become entangled by our desires, whether it’s for a person, a substance, a status, or a feeling.

Our desires can all too easily lead us down a path of self-destruction, just like Samson’s did; but the good news is that it’s never too late to break free from the entanglements of our desires. With repentance and a renewed commitment to following God, we can all find freedom and live the life He has called us to live.

Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

So, let us ask ourselves,

“What are the desires that are entangling us today?

Is it the desire for validation, or for power, or for control?”

Whatever it is, whatever they are, I want to strongly subtly encourage you to take a significantly closer look, exclusively, seek the Lord’s help to break free.

May we not be like Samson, entangled by our desires and powerless to change.

May we instead be like those who have been set free, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, living a life that is not controlled by our desires, but controlled by our love for God.

May we receive grace in the same Spirit it was bestowed, to be free to serve and worship Him, without the burdens of our entangling desires weighing us down.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 103 The Message

103 1-2 O my soul, bless God.
    From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
    don’t forget a single blessing!

3-5     He forgives your sins—every one.
    He heals your diseases—every one.
    He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
    He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
    He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
    He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

6-18 God makes everything come out right;
    he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
    opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
    not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
    nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
    so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
    he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
    God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
    keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
    like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
    leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always,
    eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
    as they follow his Covenant ways
    and remember to do whatever he said.

19-22 God has set his throne in heaven;
    he rules over us all. He’s the King!
So bless God, you angels,
    ready and able to fly at his bidding,
    quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
    alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
    everything and everyone made by God.

And you, O my soul, bless God!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Compelled by a Life of Urgency: so I may finish my task with Joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify unto the Good News of God’s grace. Acts 20:24

Acts 20:22-24 Common English Bible

22 Now, compelled by the Spirit, I’m going to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23 What I do know is that the Holy Spirit testifies to me from city to city that prisons and troubles await me. 24 But nothing, not even my life, is more important than my completing my mission. This is nothing other than the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus: to testify about the good news of God’s grace.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Compelled to Count My Life as Nothing?

Acts 20:24 Amplified Bible

24 But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life].

What an incredible 180 degree we are witnessing with Paul!

Earlier in Acts 9, Luke wrote that a young Pharisee named Saul had made it his only life’s mission to utterly eradicate all those who believed in Jesus as God.

Now, here in Acts 20:22-24 we read where he now counts his only life mission to be his freely going into harm’s way – not to arrest anyone, but, at all costs, up to and including his own arrest, even his own death, to be a faithful and true and overly joyful minister and preacher and a teacher of the Gospel of Christ.

As many times as I have studied this passage, for the first time I find myself as being in genuine awe of Paul’s transformation – 180 degree change is awesome.

Have you thought about what can hold people back from a deep sense of awe?

We could answer that question in a general way by saying that sin is what keeps us from enjoying a deeply compelling , full life of ministry and mission with God. But have you also wondered about how compelling, how subtle sin can be?

Sometimes we don’t realize how much our sinful tendencies can deceive us.

For example, I’ve noticed one thing that has a strong hold on many, many people, myself included: individualism. If you live in the West, you know that this frequently shows up in a phrase like “Do whatever makes you happy.”

I’m all for being happy, but what happens when that “happy” is taken too far?

We end up putting ourselves first in everything we do.

One of the hardest addictions to recover from is the selfie life.

Paul taught that he counted his life as nothing in comparison to what he had gained by following Jesus.

His deep sense of awe was grounded in setting aside his own plans, dreams, and desires so he could devote 100% of himself to God’s greater purpose for his life.

Paul was not consumed with creature comforts or conveniences, and he found contentment in fo­cus­ing on the life Jesus had in store for him.

The greatest battle we might be drawn into fighting in developing, maturing our faith can be against holding back from giving Jesus everything in our life.

For Paul, this was not masochism—some strange hatred of happiness, health, or physical life.

So what, then, did Paul mean by declaring his life valueless? Simply this: that he did not regard his life as so precious a possession as to be held on to at all costs.

People will too often say, “Well, as long as you’ve got your health, that’s all that matters!”

But that is not all that matters! Our bodies are passing away.

We’re crumbling even as we live and breathe.

We may have our health today, but a day will come when we do or will not.

Unless we’re able to say with Paul, “To live is Christ,” we cannot legitimately affirm with him, “and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

The only way that death can be gain is if Christ is everything.

And if Christ is everything, as Paul says He is, then we can declare with him, 

My life is not ultimate. I don’t need to protect it as the most precious thing I have. I want to spend it for the most precious person I know.

What mattered most to Paul was that he finished his life trusting Christ and carried out to the best of his abilities the ministry Christ had given him.

He felt a compelling resolve to complete the task of testifying to “the gospel of the grace of God” everywhere he could reach. 

There’s a God sized task! 

There’s a God sized purpose, significance, an agenda, a God sized calling!

And this is a task that has been entrusted to all of us—the Great Commission to let everyone we meet to learn, to know the good news of God’s amazing grace.

In today’s context, how are any of us, like Paul, to live a life of urgency so that you might keep going until the end?

You must run your race with all your might, with the finish line in view.

Don’t look for an opportunity to bow out or slow down before the final lap is over. Run with all of your strength and run right through the tape, gripped by Christ’s compelling love, energized by God’s Spirit, and guided by God’s word.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Praying,

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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It’s just the same with our tongues! It’s a small muscle, capable of such marvelous and Fiery undertakings. James 3:3-6

James 3:3-6 New King James Version

3 [a]Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of [b] iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of [c]nature; and it is set on fire by [d]hell.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Have you ever seen a roast?

I’m talking about the comedy performance, not the cut of beef.

A roast is when several comedians and celebrities “pay tribute” to a featured guest. The way they pay tribute is through insults.

The tradition started over a century ago at the Friars Club in New York City.

In the 1970s, Actor, Singer Comedian Dean Martin hosted several celebrity hosts as part of his television show. In recent years, however, celebrity roasts have gained notoriety for their quite literally anything-goes atmosphere.

It seems that nothing is sacred anymore, not when there’s roasting to be done.

No topic is off-limits.

No insult is too vile.

The further you push the envelope, the more memorable you are as a roaster.

Some comedians have become famous because of their funny, rather off beat, obnoxious no holds barred, barbs barred, tongues clamped roasting routines.

It makes you wonder why someone would volunteer to be roasted.

Those who do are praised as good sports and being able to take a joke.

Because, after all, it’s all in good fun.

Everything is said in jest.

So there’s no reason for anyone to get offended or take things personally.

But, of course, that’s not reality.

And in recent years, roast participants have talked about how they couldn’t really laugh off some of the things that were said about them. How a single comment had wrecked their self-confidence and even their mental health.

Their experiences highlight the truth of what James says in James 3:5:

“In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire” (NLT).

People will come back and snidely say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

But, from personal experience that is so not true.

You can probably remember words that hurt you deeply.

Maybe someone said you would never amount to anything. Or that there is something very wrong with your appearance. Those things are hard to forget.

The good news is, so are heartfelt compliments and words of encouragement.

Think of some of the beautiful things your spouse—or your family members or other loved ones—said that still resonate with you today.

That’s the point Proverbs 18:21 makes: “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (NLT).

The choice is always going to be our own – what is said, what is heard, believed.

Proverbs 25:11 says, “The right word at the right time is like precious gold set in silver” (CEV).

Saying the right thing at the right time is a gift whose value will increase over time. Your words and my words have the greatest potential to change lives. Ask God, cry out, plead with God, for the wisdom to use them to the best advantage. 

Your tongue can leave a wide path of destruction in its wake—or it can leave a cherished legacy of encouragement, healing, confidence-building, and love.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Lets Pray,

Glory from Heaven and Torah

Psalm 19

1 For the music director, a psalm of David.

2 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky shows His handiwork.
3 Day to day they speak,
night to night they reveal knowledge.
4 There is no speech, no words,
where their voice goes unheard.
5 Their voice has gone out to all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.[a]
In the heavens He pitched a tent for the sun.
6 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his bridal chamber.
It is like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.
7 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other end.
Nothing is hidden from its heat.

8 The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
    restoring the soul.
The testimony of Adonai is trustworthy,
    making the simple wise.
9 The precepts of Adonai are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The mitzvot of Adonai are pure,
    giving light to the eyes.
10 The fear of Adonai is clean,
    enduring forever.
The judgments of Adonai are true
    and altogether righteous.

11 They are more desirable than gold,
    yes, more than much pure gold!
They are sweeter than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
12 Moreover by them Your servant is warned.
In keeping them there is great reward.
13 Who can discern his errors?
Cleanse me of hidden faults.
14 Also keep Your servant from willful sins.
May they not have dominion over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    free from great transgression.
15 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable before You,
Adonai, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Like Father, Like Children? if all you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children. Matthew 7:7-11

Matthew 7:7-11 Revised Standard Version

Ask, Search, Knock

7 “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Word God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Truth be Told, being around considerate people is nice and very refreshing.

They seem to know what you’re going through, and they gently offer help and comfort to make your path easier.

They see how tired you are, and they offer to cook or buy a meal and some rest, even putting a blanket over you so you won’t get chilly as you lie down to rest.

Is it that they’re not just thinking about themselves all the time? Not exactly. They know what would make them rest comfortably, so they do it to you! As Jesus commanded, they do to others what they would like done to themselves.

Apostle Paul elsewhere describes another example:

“Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:28-29).

But let’s slow down, not get Jesus and Paul wrong.

They’re not telling us to be considerate just because it benefits us.

We are called to love others without conditions, with no strings attached.

If we stop being considerate to someone because they aren’t considerate in return, our motives probably are selfish.

In a world of what I would call malignant selfishness, being truly considerate is a great big breath of fresh air. It up warms the heart and ties us together in love.

When someone is born again, they begin a new life and are adopted into the family of God. This new child of God, in whom the Holy Spirit now dwells, begins increasingly to display characteristics of God the Father. In other words, over time God’s children should grow to resemble their heavenly Father.

One prominent feature of who God is—an aspect of His character displayed throughout Scripture—is His constant indescribably radical generosity.

James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17).

Paul makes a similar point with a rhetorical question:

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). 

Our Father is generous, and it is the assumption of Scripture that God’s people will be too. This applies to all of our lives—including, of course, our finances.

God-honoring generosity is displayed in response to God’s grace.

This is important, because so much talk of and thinking about finances goes awry at this very point.

Any attempt to encourage ourselves to give to gospel work that doesn’t begin with the grace of God is flawed from the start.

It almost always results in the kind of giving in which God has no interest: the joyless type. If we give because we’ve been coaxed into it, we will be giving not with gladness but with a grudge.

Begrudging giving says, “I have to.” Dutiful giving says, “I need to.” But thankful giving says, “I want to.” That is the approach we should aim to take.

Growing in this kind of generosity requires growing in gratitude for God’s grace. If you want to be more Christlike in your giving, you need to understand that you have absolutely nothing that you did not receive, from your physical existence to your faith in God and everything in between (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Matthew 13:44-50 Revised Standard Version

Three Parables

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.

It is all of grace.

Knowing it, how could you and I respond with anything but joyful generosity?

This means that if we are stingy with our investment in gospel ministry, it may reflect a glaringly shallow effectual grasp of God’s character and goodness.

The what, where, when, why, and how of our giving says something about our relationship with God and our commitment to Jesus Christ.

Our “banking habits” records can speak volumes.

Ask yourself, then: What do my “financial, stewardship” habits say about my “treasured above all else” commitment to Christ and my grasp of God’s grace?

What will change if my giving is an overflow of my gratitude to God for all He has given me?

God is a giver of every good and perfect Gift.

He gives His children the calling and the joy of being like Him.

Like Father like Children?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 100 Revised Standard Version

All Lands Summoned to Praise God

A Psalm for the thank offering.

100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands![a]
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord is God!
    It is he that made us, and we are his;[b]
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him, bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures for ever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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An Expression of Love: “And it is my fervent prayer your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, leading unto holiness.” Philippians 1:7-11

Philippians 1:7-11 English Standard Version

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[a] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that  your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Word of God for the Children of God

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

One of the things my late grandmother used to say as I bade him farewell was “I’ll always be thinking fondly about you.” It always struck me as a strange thing to say. But by it she meant, “I will always care about how you are. I’m under the burden of praying for what you’re doing. I’m interested in where you’re going.”

Paul, here used similar phraseology when he wrote words like “feel,” “heart,” “yearn,” “affection” to the Philippian church. 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5426/esv/mgnt/0-1/

The Greek word used Phronein, (Philippians 1:7) which means “to think,” is translated in the ESV as “to feel” because this verb is expressive not simply of a mental focus but also of a sympathetic interest and genuine concern.

PHRONÊSIS

Often translated as “practical wisdom,” the Greek word phronêsis derives from the verb phronein, meaning “to have understanding,” “to be wise or prudent.”

In its earliest uses the word is normative only in the sense that it signifies a correct cognitive grasp of some kind; only gradually does it come to be used in ethical contexts for a correct grasp of what ought to be done. For Plato and the other Socratics, phronêsis represents that aspect of our rational faculty that derives genuine knowledge about values and norms, that is, about our virtues …

 https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/phronesis#:~:text=Often%20translated%20as%20%22practical%20wisdom,come%20to%20be%20used%20in

Paul was communicating to the Philippians that although he was physically separated from them, they were very near and very dear to him and always remained in his thoughts and prayers. He was “thinking away” about them.

Paul—that man who had once been consumed by a hatred for Jesus’ followers—came to have this affection because Jesus gave it to him. He and his fellow believers were now bound together by God’s amazing love toward them.

The standard, source, of his affection was none other than Lord Jesus Himself.

As Bishop Lightfoot wrote, Paul’s “pulse beats with the pulse of Christ; his heart throbs with the heart of Christ.”[1]

1 Joseph Barber Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians (Macmillan, 1898), p 85.

Because the Philippian believers were such an important part of Paul’s life, his love for them moved him to prayer, for Paul understood that prayer is one of the key expressions of love continuously being taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.

His love was not revealed in a cozy sentimentalism or in fine-sounding words.

Instead, he fervently prayed for his friends, and he did so daily.

When “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), we will find ourselves immediately drawn to others who love in the same way. It is the love of family life, for we share the same Father—and one of the fundamental ways in which we will express that love is to pray.

How much do you love your family? Pray for them. Do you love your church? Pray for them. As Christ’s love expands your heart and flows through you, the affection you have for those you hold dear will move you to prayer. Be “thinking away” about those “families” you love—and be “praying away” for them too!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 92 English Standard Version

How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

92 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
    to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
    and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
    to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

5 How great are your works, O Lord!
    Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The stupid man cannot know;
    the fool cannot understand this:
7 that though the wicked sprout like grass
    and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
8     but you, O Lord, are on high forever.
9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
    for behold, your enemies shall perish;
    all evildoers shall be scattered.

10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
    you have poured over me[a] fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
    my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
    they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They still bear fruit in old age;
    they are ever full of sap and green,
15 to declare that the Lord is upright;
    he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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In bondage to, In confirmation of, In defense of, God’s Gospel of Salvation. Philippians 1:7-8

Philippians 1:7-8 Amplified Bible

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news [regarding salvation], all of you share in [His matchless] grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus [whose great love fills me].

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

As believers in Christ, we are all invaluable parts of His Body.

As Christians in this age of grace, we are all members of the Church of Christ.

As fellow-believers who have trusted in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, we are all partakers of God’s heavenly grace.

We who were once dead in our trespasses and sins and estranged from God by sin, have been forgiven of our sins and brought near to His throne of grace by through faith in Christ Jesus our personal Savior.

Reality: God has begun a good work in each of his children, for we are all being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ, and we will all one day stand together in His excellent presence in our risen, ascended, and glorified bodies.

How important, therefore, that we too should have a godly measure of His love within our heart towards all our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter where we find ourselves, and irrespective of what our present situation happens to be.

Philippians 1:7-8 Christian Standard Bible

7 Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart,[a] and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Commitment to each other is absolutely nonnegotiable in the Christian life.

We see this again and again in the life and writing of the apostle Paul.

As he wrote to the church in Philippi, he unhesitatingly wrote that he was unashamed of sharing with them just how he felt about them, because he was so appreciative of the fellowship he enjoyed with them.

Indeed, the word “partakers” in this verse actually comes from the Greek word koinonia, a word Paul frequently used to describe a sharing partnership.

Paul described the Philippian church as his “joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1).

His heart was filled with love for all the churches who were under his care, but he regarded these brothers and sisters in a special way.

They stood out, for they had stuck with Paul through thick and thin.

Separated as the Philippians were from Paul when he wrote to them while under arrest in Rome, they could quite possibly have been swept away by other lesser informed, lesser experienced teachers with far more impressive personalities, more striking characters, or more eloquent, glib use of their language skills.

But they, instead, took a stand for the Gospel, continued to stand with Paul.

Their depth of fellowship was strengthened by their constancy, which filled the apostle with joy and stimulated his outburst of affection.

The example of this early church is an interesting, quite a challenging call to contemporary Christianity, which, if we’re honest, often marked by fickleness.

Many Christians tend to be uncommitted when times are good and unreliable when times are bad.

We so easily treat the opportunities of fellowship, worship, and the hearing of God’s word with an arm’s-length approach.

If a teacher or a book appeals to our sense of need, scratches where we itch, or tickles our fancy, then we engage with them for a while—but if things go awry, or if we find our way of life challenged, or if being alongside another Christian becomes costly rather than easy, then the temptation for many of us is to head for new pastures where the harvest fields have already been, are being worked.

Paul shows us a better way—a more Christlike way.

We are called to choose commitment to one another through the ups and downs of life. The binding element between Paul and the Philippians is the exact same element which can bind our hearts – the Gospel of our Lord, Savior Jesus Christ.

In observing one another endure difficulties, in running to one another in the experience of loss, and in receiving from one another the enjoyment of real restoration, we will discover our hearts are actually being molded together in the bonds of the gospel.

Through such constancy, we will find God strengthening our fellowship and increasing our joy with other believers.

So, does commitment describe your attitude to those the Lord has placed in fellowship around you?

Do they know that you are there for them in the downs as well as the ups?

To whom could you write an encouragement, and for whom will you say a prayer, right now?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Psalm 16 Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 16

Confidence in the Lord

A Miktam of David.

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.
2 I[a] said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides you.”[b]
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.

5 Lord, you are my portion[c]
and my cup of blessing;
you hold my future.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me—
even at night when my thoughts trouble me.[d]
8 I always let the Lord guide me.[e]
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my whole being rejoices;
my body also rests securely.
10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol;
you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.
11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in your presence is abundant joy;
at your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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The Great Multitudes. The Great Promise of Completion. When our God begins a work, He completes it. Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17 New King James Version

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, [a]“Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15  Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to [b]living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Every Nation, People, and Language

What are we to believe about the promises contained in the Book of Revelation?

How and When and Where will it all be revealed?

How and When and where will it all be completed?

Will I be there to witness it as John was?

Will I be one among the Great Multitudes?

Will there really be a Great Multitude – how many of us must just be skeptical?

In our text today, God gave the apostle John a magnificent vision of a far distant diverse multitude—people from every diverse, every nation, every part of the human family—visualized as coming together forming a great multitude, a great chorus worshiping the Lord and proclaiming his victory over evil.

This vision portrays what believers in Christ have been laboring and praying for through the centuries.

The goal of God’s mission in Christ is that people from all over the earth will receive his salvation and worship him. But this great chorus is not yet complete.

Not all of God’s people are gathered in; many are missing. There are still many language groups and people groups that have no followers of Jesus.

The original Greek word used for “nation” in the New Testament is ethnos, from which our word “ethnic” comes.

Sometimes ethnos refers to major countries in Bible times, like Egypt, Syria, and Persia. Sometimes it is translated as “Gentiles,” referring to non-Jewish groups of people. And sometimes ethnos refers to smaller cultural, linguistic groups.

One country can include many such groups.

So even though there are Christians in every country on earth today, there are still many people and language groups that have no Christians.

https://oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2023-10-05-urban-banning-and-censoring-bible

As Jesus’ followers, we need to bring, to take, sometimes by hand, backpacks, the gospel (the good news of Jesus) to them.

What role does God want His Body to play in this great multitudinous task?

Philippians 1:6-11 New King James Version

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

True or False?

Fact versus Fiction?

Convinced or Unconvinced?

Wishful thinking?

When God begins a work, He always completes it.

In Acts 16, we meet Lydia, a successful woman with her own business and a nice house in Philippi.

She had an interest in religion—and then she was changed (Acts 16:14-15).

What happened?

God began a work.

Later in the same chapter, we see a Philippian jailer come off his night shift also radically changed (v 30-34).

What happened?

Again, God began a work.

We can imagine, then, that when Lydia or the jailer were tempted to give up, the word of God through Paul’s letter to Philippi was there to remind them:

“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

In other words, 

You didn’t start the work within you, and you aren’t going to finish it. If you feel you can’t keep going, you’re right. You can’t. But God did, and He can, and He will.

God has a long-term plan for His people: that each of us will see and share in the glory of His Son.

That is the end to which He is working (Romans 8:28-30).

So we, like Lydia and the jailer, like the original apostles, Like Saul to Paul, Luke each have both the need and ability to stay in the race of faith for the long haul.

While it always remains true that God gives all of us many gifts, our finite lives nonetheless can seem to be filled with disappointments.

We continue to give in to sin.

We struggle with doubts, and life’s circumstances make it hard to keep going in faith. But we can and will continue on the journey, because Scripture promises us over and over that our God “began a good work” and that He will finish it.

As we stumble along the way and face difficulties, we’re tempted to go back down to the bottom of the mountain, trade our hiking boots for slippers, and head back home.

But there’s a view at the top that’s worth every ache and pain along the way!

And so the word of God comes to us again and again, saying, 

Revelation 1:8 New King James Version

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, [a]the Beginning and the End,” says the [b]Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 22:13-14 New King James Version

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the [a]Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

14 Blessed are those who [b]do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Come on, just a little farther. Don’t be concerned about all of your tomorrows. God Himself is helping you. Keep walking the way today.

From Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, God 100% finishes what He starts. And if you are trusting Christ, then He has started something eternal in you.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 19 New King James Version

The Perfect Revelation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament[a] shows [b]His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their [c]line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a [d]tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, [e]converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the [f]honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of [g]great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my [h]strength and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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A Meditation: Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. Genesis 6:5-8

Genesis 6:5-8 New King James Version

5 Then [a]the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent[b] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil [c]continually. 6  And  the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

This text is challenging.

Let’s try to break the text down ….

Genesis 6:6 Authorized (King James) Version

6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5162/kjv/wlc/0-1/

Heb: nāḥam to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted

  1. (Niphal)
    1. to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion
    2. to be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent
    3. to comfort oneself, be comforted
    4. to comfort oneself, ease oneself

Ancient Greek philosophers imagined a perfect supreme being.

It would know everything and be in control of everything too. It could not be influenced by people or other creatures, because that would imply weakness or lack of control. It could not have any emotions, be truly responsive to humans.

The Greeks called this supreme being God.

The early Christian church slowly developed in a culture, in a society, that was heavily influenced by this Greek thinking. So Christian theologians often used those ideas to explain Christian teachings to the gentile Greek-minded people.

Even today, our concepts of God tend to be influenced by those perspectives.

So when we come to a passage like Genesis 6:6, we might think,

“What?! God regretted what he had done? He changed his mind? Human sin hurt God to the depths of his heart?”

That doesn’t fit well with our Greek-minded ideas of a perfect supreme being.

One can surmise that this verse would be a “gotcha” verse to counter Paul’s arguments when in Athens (Acts 16:16-31).

I am not a Greek Philosopher outside of what I learned well over 40 years ago during an World Literature class in my first days of College.

And I personally do not know any Greek Philosophers today.

This being typical in too many places…

We try to explain such verses away and not take them at any face value and leave such verses in higher academia for those with PhD’s to explain better.

But I know God wants us to realize that our actions—good and bad—affect him.

When I hurt a friend, that puts a barrier between me and that person.

Similarly, our wrongs against God set up a barrier between us and him.

As we confess our sins to God and receive his forgiveness through Jesus, let us give God a healthy sacrifice of pause, realize that those sins have truly hurt him.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 42 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 42

To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.

1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
when shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my meat day and night,
while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:
for I had gone with the multitude,
I went with them to the house of God,
with the voice of joy and praise,
with a multitude that kept holyday.

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me:
therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan,
and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,
and in the night his song shall be with me,
and my prayer unto the God of my life.
9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me?
why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me;
while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,
who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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