Tag: christianity

When God’s Scriptures Teach Me God is Always So Close to Me, What Can I Do When I Feel so very Far from God? Acts 17:24-29 (26-27)

Acts 17:24-29New American Standard Bible 1995

24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and [a]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

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.

How far is too far away?

How far is not far enough?

How close is not close enough?

How near is not near enough?

How far is the north from the south?

How far is the east from the west?

There have been far too many times when I have felt far from God.

I have asked myself those rhetorical questions listed above far too often in the past year as I have been trying to find a physical and spiritual balance after my heart surgery last year. Rather than feeling a naturally close bond with Him, I too often have the unnatural feeling as though He is fifty million miles away.

If in this moment you are also struggling with feeling far from God, know that you are not alone. Most Christians have felt as far from God as the east is from the west, north from south at the same time least once in their walk with Him.

Psalm 13:1-4 The Message

13 1-2 Long enough, God—
    you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
    long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
    lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
    have looked down their noses at me.

3-4 Take a good look at me, God, my God;
    I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
    or laugh when I fall on my face.

This can be due to various factors such as health related and financial; however, there is a remedy for this feeling and it is found in God, the Father, Son, Spirit.

It is common to feel far from God, yet we never truly are far from Him.

Feeling far from God is a feeling—it is not a fact.

As believers, sometimes we will have to rely on what truth we know through the Word of God rather than what we feel. Feelings can come and go, feelings can linger, feelings will influence how we respond, yet God’s truth never changes.

There will be many times that we will rely too heavily on overwhelming feelings and not remember we have to rely on what indelible truth God’s Words reveal through the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, rather than what we’ll feel. 

God is greater than our feelings and just because we don’t feel Him doesn’t mean He is not there. God is always with us and always walking beside us.

He is never far from any of His children as He is always just one prayer away.

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Sin can often make us run from God, which can make God feel distant from us.

When this happens, we have to know it is not God who is far from us, but that we are far from Him.

Genesis 3:6-10 Amplified Bible

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband [a]with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the [b]presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9  But the  Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

In the beginning, Just as Adam and Eve fell into temptation, ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, became self aware and then ran and hid from God in the Garden after they were aware of their nakedness and sin (Genesis 3:7-24), we too fall to temptation run and hide from God when we have sin in our own lives.

If this is a possibility for you, and clearly not one of us is exempt from falling to sin and temptation, rest in the peace that you can repent and turn back to Him.

After repentance and asking God for forgiveness, for a new heart, you might not feel very far from Him anymore. You could feel closer to Him than ever before.

What Will It Take For Me To Accept God is that Close?

Acts 17:24-29The Message

24-29 “The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?

What a tremendous encouragement this passage from Acts should, could and would be for all who will seek God! This verse tells us that not only will we find God if we seek him, but we will not have far to look. He is close to us already.

How so?

For some of us, God may seem distant.

Maybe we think of heaven, God’s home, as far, too far away on the other “side” of this immense universe.

Paul disagrees.

God is a lot closer than we might think or take the necessary time to accept.

He is right here, right now.

All we need to do is “notice” the signs of his presence in our very existence.

Psalm 19 The Message

19 1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
    Professor Night lectures each evening.

3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
    their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
    unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.

4-5 God makes a huge dome
    for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
    leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
    racing to the tape.

6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
    from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
    warming hearts to faith.

7-9 The revelation of God is whole
    and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
    and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
    showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
    and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
    down to the nth degree.

10 God’s Word is better than a diamond,
    better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
    better than red, ripe strawberries.

11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
    Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep me from stupid sins,
    from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
    these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
    on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
    God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

We’re alive.

Where did our life come from?

From God!

We exist.

We move.

How so?

Our very mobility and being show that God is the source of our life.

More than that, claims Paul, God gave us ancestors and even prepared a place for each of them to live.

That’s also how we showed up—at a specific address, on a certain day.

An accident?

Random chance?

No! assures Paul.

God was at work, choreographing even our birth date and birth place as clues to his immediate involvement in our existence from day one.

To find God, an inviting first step is simply to embrace what we so deeply want to believe: our very existence can’t be just an accident.

We are not flukes.

We are created in the Image of God.

We know this deep in our very bones.

Life—our very life, existence—came from God, God alone. (Psalm 139:1 – 18)

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As Paul says in Acts 17:26-27, God is not far from any of us.

God appointed times in history and marked our boundary lands in order for humankind to seek Him out.

With proper searching, God wants us to reach out and find Him as He is not far from each of us.

God did not create the earth and everything in it just to leave His creation abandoned. Even though this is a popular idea among agnostics, it is not true.

God created the earth and everything in it in order to reveal His glory.

Through general and special revelation, God hoped some of us would take notice and reach out to Him.

As believers, who already know the Lord, He wants us to know that we can always reach out to Him.

There will never be a day when God will be far from us. 

The Lord is by our side through every difficult day.

Feeling far away from God is common, yet He wants us to reach out to Him.

Whenever you feel you are far from God, first remember that feelings are not facts. After you have reminded yourself of this truth, turn to God in prayer.

Ask Him to help you know that you are with Him and to also reveal any sin in your life that could be making you run from God. (Psalm 51, Psalm 139:23-24)

Give the Lord time and He will give you answers.

Through reading the Bible and personal conviction, God will instruct you.

Even if sin is what is causing you to feel far from God, rest in the knowledge that it is not terminal.

You can turn to God, ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive you (1 John 1:9).

Through reading and studying God’s Holy Scriptures, praying for our God’s forgiveness and active repentance, you will not feel as far from God anymore. 

If you are feeling far from God due to depression or feelings of deep sorrow, know that God is still with you in this dark valley.

Depression can be very difficult, isolating, yet God sits with you in the pain.

When we are going through depression, it can make us feel alone and as though nobody cares about us.

These are lies of the depression that we must combat and fight against.

God never leaves us alone, He loves us without conditions (Romans 8:37-39).

Run to Him instead of away from Him.

He will surround you with His love, peace, and protection.

Psalm 125 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord Surrounds His People.

A Song of Ascents.

125 Those who trust in the Lord
Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the [a]land of the righteous,
So that the righteous will not put forth their hands to do wrong.

4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
And to those who are upright in their hearts.
5 But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,
The Lord will lead them away with the doers of iniquity.
Peace be upon Israel.

With time and prayer, you won’t feel as far from God anymore.

He created you, He loves you, and that will never change. 

Hebrews 13:8 Amplified Bible

8 Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.

  • Do you feel far from God today? If so, what can you do to help you feel closer to Him?
  • God is not far from each of us. Does resting in this promise bring you comfort? Why or why not?
  • How can you rely on what you know rather than how you feel?

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 The Message

23 1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

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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About Inviting God into Your Heart, About Taking a Selfie, Painting a self portrait Inviting God into our Hearts? Revelation 3:20-21

Hunt, William Holman; The Light of the World; St Paul’s Cathedral; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/the-light-of-the-world-230132

Revelation 3:20-21 The Message

20-21 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!

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.

See? Here I Am! Knocking

Revelation 3:20-22 Complete Jewish Bible

20 Here, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If someone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me. 21 I will let him who wins the victory sit with me on my throne, just as I myself also won the victory and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities.”’”

An unexpected knock at your door from a dear friend or family member is a welcome surprise.

Few occasions are as heart warming and precious as seeing a long-­absent loved one unexpectedly comes from a great distance, who comes to visit his friend.

“Here I am!” they say as you open your door, their presence fills you with joy.

Jesus stands at our door, knocking.

We may think sometimes that he is far removed from us and our church bodies.

But here he is, by his own revelation, as close as the door to our homes and our church communities. He wants us to see, hear his knocking—he is that close.

And Jesus longs for us to do more!

He wants us to be immediately hospitable, respond and open all our closed doors we have somehow (purposely?) neglected to install any door knob on.

Maybe you are afraid to open the door of your life to Jesus. After all, how does one welcome the Son of God, the Almighty, into their whole life? Or maybe just having Jesus walk inside your church building is as close as you want him to be.

But Jesus keeps standing outside, keeps knocking on the door, ­eager for us to open our lives to him. He wants to be as close as a beloved friend in our lives.

Proverbs 17:17 Complete Jewish Bible

17 A friend shows his friendship at all times —
    it is for adversity that [such] a brother is born.

Proverbs 27:17 Complete Jewish Bible

17 Just as iron sharpens iron,
    a person sharpens the character of his friend.

Do not worry about how to welcome Jesus in.

Do not worry about his intentions or reasons for the unexpected visit.

Just be hospitable, just open the door with the biggest and widest smile you can.

He promises to take care of the rest.

He will come in and celebrate with whoever opens the door, bringing joy and abundance and a meal of the finest food, so your life will be filled—with even more than the greatest feasting, fun, and goodness of life you could imagine.

Taking a Selfie, Painting a Self Portrait of You, Jesus

There’s a famous painting that I first saw many years ago that still resonates with me today.

The painter portrays Jesus Christ, looking directly at you, holding a lantern, standing outside of a door, knocking on it and just waiting to be let inside.

However, if you notice, there is no knob on the door for Himself to open it.

Only the person inside of the home, church, can open the door and let Him in.

According to Wikipedia, “The Light of the World (1851-1854) is an allegorical painting by English Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20.”

Hunt said, “I painted the picture with what I thought, unworthy though I was, to be divine command, and not simply a good subject.” He also mentioned that the lack of handle on the door represented “the obstinately shut mind.” 

How many of us have shut Jesus out of not only out of our mind, but our heart?

Over the years, I’ve heard these popular reasons why people don’t choose Jesus.

It is not fashionable or the hottest or latest craze being spread on social media.

Mom and Dad did not do it so why should I?

Who has the time?

Who has the money?

Who has the inclination?

I spoke with a young woman who believes you only live once, so you need to party hard and have fun. She told me that Christianity just isn’t her “thing.”

An older woman told me that one of her Christian friends “finally” stopped talking to her about Jesus and beating her over her head with the Bible.

She was offended because she said that she held her own beliefs with the right to think and say whatever she wants to whoever, and however she wants. Pop culture also says to live your own truth and be the charter of your own destiny. 

While all of these takes sound solid and reasonable to a point, they could not be further from the truth.

The Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

And the only way to Heaven is through Him (John 14:6).

But Jesus is gentle, kind, so He will never force His way into our heart and life.

Just like Hunt’s painting of Revelation 3:20 shows us, we have to invite Him in. 

Revelation 3:20-21 Amplified Bible

20 Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.

This passage of Scripture matters because this world is not our forever home!

Human history on Earth will end and eternity in Heaven will begin for all who have confessed Him as Savior, let Jesus in and have decided to follow Him there.

We are all the worst kind of sinners incapable of saving ourselves, in desperate need of a Savior, but the Gospel news is we have a living Jesus to fill that role. (Romans 3:23)

Meanwhile, we cannot on our own successfully lead ourselves alone, navigate anything and everything in this thorn laden briar patch-life, without a Guide.

The good news is that God is willing and ready and able to lead us through our journey, help us survive all the figurative most energetic storms we encounter.

We have an everlasting hope when we have Him!

He is our only promised and willing and capable and able, everlasting hope!

Genesis 9:11-16 Complete Jewish Bible

11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”

There’s a beautiful song by Cheri Keaggy called “Part of Your Story.”

She sings that Jesus wants to be part of our life story, but we often don’t think we need Him.

Yet, He continues to shower us with blessings! He wakes us up every morning.

He sends sunshine to brighten our days and rain to water the grass. He’s given us a wide variety of beautiful flowers for us to admire and lovingly share with each other. Yet, the greatest demonstration of God’s love is the sacrifice of His Son (Jesus Christ) who unquestionably knows we are each worth dying for. (John 3:16-17) 

The gift of salvation is completely free!

There’s nothing you nor I can do to earn it or deserve it (Ephesians 2:8-9).

All we need to do is hospitably open our doors and let Jesus into our heart.

He wants to spend eternity with us!

John 14:1-7 Complete Jewish Bible

14 “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. 4 Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.”

5 T’oma said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me. 7 Because you have known me, you will also know my Father; from now on, you do know him — in fact, you have seen him.”

That’s the whole point.

We have seen Him standing at the door.

We have heard Him knocking at our door.

Now, we need to be hospitable enough to open it and invite Him in?

In these most unusual and distressing of times, are we hospitable enough?

Jesus wants to spend time with you.

He knows you much better than you do and wants the same, you to know Him.

Only He can offer you an abundant life (John 10:10).

If you let Him, He will be your most faithful friend, advocate, counselor, and brother, ultimately your Savior who is the bridge between Earth and Heaven.

Will you go, let God in, and allow His glory to change your story for the better? 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

John 10:7-16 Complete Jewish Bible

7 So Yeshua said to them again, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate; if someone enters through me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12  The hired hand, since he isn’t a shepherd and the sheep aren’t his own, sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf drags them off and scatters them. 13 The hired worker behaves like this because that’s all he is, a hired worker; so it doesn’t matter to him what happens to the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me — 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father — and I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep. 16 Also I have other sheep which are not from this pen; I need to bring them, and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

If you haven’t invited Jesus to be your personal Savior and truest friend, what do believe are the excuses, the rationales, the theologies behind the hesitation?

How might it feel for you to know that the Creator of the Universe, the One who created you in His own image, loves you and wants to be part of your life story?

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

Let us Pray,

Lord Jesus, what a gift of love and honor you bring by knocking at our door. Please forgive our inhospitality and do come in and transform us by your presence. Amen!

Psalm 23 Complete Jewish Bible

23 (0) A psalm of David:

(1) Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing.
2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures,
he leads me by quiet water,
3 he restores my inner person.
He guides me in right paths
for the sake of his own name.
4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines,
I will fear no disaster; for you are with me;
your rod and staff reassure me.

5 You prepare a table for me,
even as my enemies watch;
you anoint my head with oil
from an overflowing cup.

6 Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come.

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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Viewing Ourselves Rightly, Accepting Ourselves With Very Sober Judgment. Romans 12:3 (1 – 8)

Romans 12:1-8 The Message

Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

The Word of God for the People 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.

Viewing Ourselves Rightly

3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

No one is immune to the grievous sin of self-exaltation.

To find evidence of this, simply enter any kindergarten classroom.

In this little group of children, soon enough somebody will be singing their own praises about building the biggest tallest block tower or drawing the best family portrait—in other words, thinking of themselves more highly than they ought.

Constantly comparing ourselves with other people is a worldly way to think.

An exaggerated view of ourselves is a dreadful problem—one that puts others down and ignores our place before God. The answer, though, is not found in self-denigration, which is the opposite and equal error to self-exaltation.

This self-disparagement is also the product of pride because it still surfaces from contrasting and comparison ourselves to others. It is still self-focused.

The Christian’s view of self should be grounded in a mind renewed by God (Romans 12:1-2).

With this heavenly perspective, we find our value in God’s mercy and grace.

Our significance, identity, worth, and role all find their foundation in who God is, what God has done for us, not on any self exaggerated account of who we are or what we believe or boast about having done for Him to make His life better.

We are reminded of this proper perspective of self when we sing the lines “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died.”[1] 

1 Isaac Watts, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (1707).

To survey the wondrous cross is to focus on the wonders of the gospel—the sobering truth that another has died in our place and borne our punishment.

In doing this, we realize “my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.”

Philippians 3:7-9 The Message

7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

The cross both raises us and lowers us at the same time, and this frees us from needing to push ourselves too far forward in life and enables us, to with much sobriety, acknowledge great, greater, greatest ways in which God has gifted us.

This is thinking of ourselves with “sober judgment.”

The church, then, is to be noticeably different from the world in the way we view ourselves and each other. When we come together, united by the gospel, all else that relates to our identity, though not irrelevant, loses its primary significance, and we use our gifts not to please ourselves but to serve others.

Look soberly at the cross, where your Savior bled and died for your sins because while we were all still his enemies, He loved us. There is no room for you or me to feel too proud. There is no need for us to compare yourself to others. Instead, you can use all that He has given you in selfless, sober joyful service of others.

The Most Critical Task of Self: of Accepting Ourselves

Romans 12:3 Amplified Bible

3 For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

There is probably no single part of our inner life that’s more fragile and more important than our own self-concept.

Parents must wisely help children develop a healthy concept of self. All of us, in all stages of life, are shaped by our self-concept more than we’ll often realize.

In our Scripture reading for today, Paul cautions us, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” It’s easy for us to think more highly of ourselves—or at least to sound as if we do. We can pretend very well, sound proud so easily.

It seems to me, though, that there are also many times when we think too lowly of ourselves. A lack of self-esteem is a drag on many of us. We remember so well what we cannot do or what we haven’t done well. We quickly look at others as though we falsely believe they have superior abilities, and we feel inadequate.

In our Scripture for today Paul also gives us some very healthy encouragement, however. He reminds us that, in Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior, we are all important functional, functioning servants, and members of the body of Christ.

Romans 12:4-8 Amplified Bible

4 For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, 5 so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other]. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, [a]with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness.

Each and every single one of us immeasurably counts as much as anyone else.

We all have unique God given gifts, some of them different from others, but all are important gifts from God meant to be fully used in the building up and the edification of His Kingdom. “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done on Earth.”

“In Christ we who [are each unique, created in the image of God]are many form one body, each [uniquely created by God] member belongs to all the others.”

Paul’s point is that we are all uniquely called to sacrificially give of our whole selves in His service and to discover and faithfully use the gifts God has given.

In Christ There Is No East or West [Author: John Oxenham (1908)]

1. In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north;
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.

2. In Christ shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.

3. Join hands, then, people of the faith,
whate’er your race may be.
All children of the living God
are surely kin to me.

4. In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north;
all Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.

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

Let us Pray,

Creator God, Author of my past, my present, and all of my tomorrows, I thank you for all the ways you have made me and the gifts you have given me. Help us all to affirm each other and to unconditionally utilize our gifts in loving service. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Psalm 91 Amplified Bible

Security of the One Who Trusts in the Lord.

91 He who [a]dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].
2 
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”
3 
For He will save you from the trap of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 
He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions,
And under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

5 
You will not be afraid of the terror of night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 
Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction (sudden death) that lays waste at noon.
7 
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But danger will not come near you.
8 
You will only [be a spectator as you] look on with your eyes
And witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as you watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].
9 
Because you have made the Lord, [who is] my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

11 
For He will command His angels in regard to you,
To protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
12 
They will lift you up in their hands,
So that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone.
13 
You will tread upon the lion and cobra;
The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 
“Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him;
I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never].
15 
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And I will let him see My salvation.”

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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Happiness to Be Able to Help Dignify those who are down on their luck; in the margins, the untouchable places. Psalm 41:1-3

Psalm 41 The Message

41 1-3 Dignify those who are down on their luck;
    you’ll feel good—that’s what God does.
God looks after us all,
    makes us robust with life—
Lucky to be in the land,
    we’re free from enemy worries.
Whenever we’re sick and in bed,
    God becomes our nurse,
    nurses us back to health.

4-7 I said, “God, be gracious!
    Put me together again—
    my sins have torn me to pieces.”
My enemies are wishing the worst for me;
    they make bets on what day I will die.
If someone comes to see me,
    he mouths empty platitudes,
All the while gathering gossip about me
    to entertain the street-corner crowd.
These “friends” who hate me
    whisper slanders all over town.
They form committees
    to plan misery for me.

8-9 The rumor goes out, “He’s got some dirty,
    deadly disease. The doctors
    have given up on him.”
Even my best friend, the one I always told everything
    —he ate meals at my house all the time!—
    has bitten my hand.

10 God, give grace, get me up on my feet.
    I’ll show them a thing or two.

11-12 Meanwhile, I’m sure you’re on my side—
    no victory shouts yet from the enemy camp!
You know me inside and out, you hold me together,
    you never fail to stand me tall in your presence
    so I can look you in the eye.

13 Blessed is God, Israel’s God,
    always, always, always.
    Yes. Yes. Yes.

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.

Happiness to Be Able to Help

41 1-3 Dignify those who are down on their luck;
    you’ll feel good—that’s what God does.
God looks after us all,
    makes us robust with life—
Lucky to be in the land,
    we’re free from enemy worries.
Whenever we’re sick and in bed,
    God becomes our nurse,
    nurses us back to health.

A compassionate heart is not among the most popular qualities in our world today. If you want to climb to the top, people say, you often have to trample on others. Compassion is considered an attribute of people who are weak.

But what does the Word of God have to teach and admonish us about this?

The Bible says, “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak.”

And this does not mean just thinking about people who are disadvantaged; it means caring about them, doing something about it, entering the moment. (Read, Study, Pray, the Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 15:11 – 32)

People who care are those who open their hearts with the willingness to share what they have with people in need. God’s generosity goes hand in hand with his compassion and his care as people seek to show God’s love in this world.

We find happiness not when we have everything in our hands but when we look beyond our own needs, our own biases and prejudices and also agendas to share with people in need, giving from our abundance as the Lord has given to us. (Read, Study and Pray over Genesis Chapter 1)

The generous person sows happily and reaps the blessed fruit of God’s ongoing favor. God himself multiplies our sowing so we can continue to give generously.

From the beginning, God provides for us and gives us health and strength to do more by spreading his love to others. When we open our hearts, souls, hands, and pockets, move our feet, to share from all that God has given us, we find joy and happiness too in giving freely as the Lord gives, without strings attached.

The Gospel is Good News for all, Without Exception!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/several-injuries-reported-suspected-chemical-144200065.html

Romans 14:10-14 Amplified Bible

10 But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you again, why do you look down on your [believing] brother or regard him with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God [who alone is judge]. 11 For it is written [in Scripture],

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

13 Then let us not criticize one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block or a source of temptation in another believer’s way. 14 I know and am convinced [as one] in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean [ritually defiled, and unholy] in itself; but [nonetheless] it is unclean to anyone who thinks it is unclean.

The Ministry and Mission of Passing Judgment or the Ministry and Mission of Extending God’s Forgiveness

To people outside the faith, Christians often seem like Goliath sized hypocrites who look on the rest of the world with great scorn and in high condemnation.

We are seen as highly critical and massively self-righteous. And sometimes it’s true. Sometimes our rejection, our rhetoric and derision make Christ look bad.

We condemn those who have heard only judgment and long for grace.

We disapprove of people who have made life choices different than our own. We wish common sense were a little more common in them but not any of us. Our impatience with others for whom Christ died shows how much we need him too.

Sometimes we lack wisdom, maturity, impulse control, we have been hurt, and our hearts cry far out for justice. We want to take judgment into our own hands.

We want to maximize our vengeance, we also want our maximum retribution.

Yet, Jesus teaches that the critically essential part of forgiveness involves our stepping back from our worldly desires, allowing God to take care of justice.

Matthew 5:43-48 Amplified Bible

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, [a]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45  so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46 For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48 You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 12:18-21 Amplified Bible

18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap [a]burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We may need good boundaries with those who are still broken, and God ordained civil authorities to restrain crime—but God alone is the judge.

Practically speaking, looking scornfully at our neighbor makes it difficult to share our witness.

If we Christians shared the truth of how we have fallen down, the world might receive us better. Admitting our brokenness would allow Jesus’ restoration to shine brighter. If we approached each other as fellow sinners pointing the way to salvation in Christ, to be forgiven, maybe more sinners would follow Christ.

How can we be more Christ like in our relationships, in our responses, in our conversations, and less biased and prejudiced with those ‘different neighbors’?

Psalm 139:23-24 Amplified Bible

23 
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

How can you show and extend grace today?

How can we show and extend the Love of God to everyone today?

John 3:16-18 Amplified Bible

16 “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] [a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. 18  Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because [b]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the  [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].

This passage is perhaps the best-known and best-loved verses in the Bible.

It comes in the context of a middle of the night secret conversation between Jesus and a beyond reproach highly respected Scholar, devout Jew, Nicodemus.

It is then put into action in the following chapter of John, when Jesus converses with a woman on the opposite end of the social, moral, and religious spectrum.

This teaches us something important: that the good news of Christ’s coming is not limited to highly respected pious people, like Nicodemus, but shatters all boundaries to extend even to the dejected, rejected, like the woman at the well.

The contrast between these two individuals is stark. Nicodemus was learned, powerful, respected, and theologically trained.

The Samaritan woman at the well was uneducated, without influence, despised, untouchable, illegal and immoral – everything those Jews of that day rejected.

Jesus’ interactions with both, however, display that all humans need a Savior.

Nicodemus’s meeting with Christ makes it clear that we can never do enough good to save ourselves.

Conversely, the Samaritan woman’s experience makes clear that no one can ever do enough bad to be beyond Christ’s reach.

Hardcore Truth be Revealed, We all, without exception, live under God’s wrath and judgment until we welcome the light of Christ’s salvation—whether you’re a Nicodemus, a Samaritan woman, a Levi/Matthew, or somewhere in between.

The whole world needs God’s Son; and God has given the whole world His Son.

Hardcore Truth: Because the gospel of Jesus does not discriminate, neither should we in proclaiming it.

While both Nicodemus and the woman at the well needed to hear the same good news, Jesus masterfully shared it with each one of them in a personalized way.

He did not engage them with the same formulaic conversation; with biased or prejudiced rhetoric, He met them where they were. He simply asked questions that had ultimately revealed their sinful hearts and God’s loving heart for them.

Just as God invites all to hear His gospel, so He invites all who are changed by this gospel to be the agents of change for others.

After her conversation with Jesus, the Samaritan woman ran back to her town, telling everyone of how He knew everything she had ever done (John 4:39).

The people then responded to her words and sought Jesus out.

This should encourage all of us, and especially those of us who lack confidence in extending the gospel invitation to others.

When God is at work, we’ll be amazed at what happens!

“For God so loved the world…” Such love has come to live in any who believe.

It empowers each of us to do what is necessary to live as God commands. It saves you from the chains that tie you to your past—be it a past of piety and of high pride, like Nicodemus’s, or a past of sordid decisions and shame, like the Samaritan woman’s. It spurs you to share this gospel of Son-giving, life-bringing love with those around you. Whoever believes will have eternal life.

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

Let us Pray,

Lord, forgive us for judging one another. Search us, Test us, Teach us, Show us how to shed our biases, prejudices, share our brokenness and to point others to Christ. Lord God, help us to open our hearts, extend our hands and feet to care about others and to share from the abundance you have given us. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Amen.

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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Redeemed for Good Works: Will God Ever Ask Us to Do Something We Do Not Possess any of the Skill Set to do? Ephesians 2:7-10

Ephesians 2:7-10 The Message

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

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.

Redeemed for Good Work: Masterpieces

Ephesians 2:1-10 Easy-to-Read Version

From Death to Life

2 In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. 2 Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil powers[a] that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God. 3 In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.

4 But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) 6 Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. 7 God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.

8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.

It is said that when Michelangelo, the great Renaissance sculptor, looked at an ordinary piece of marble, he envisioned his masterpiece long before he put his chisel to stone. In his mind, his creation existed even before he began to create.

Did you know that God, the greatest artist, has a glorious ­vision for each of his masterpieces, including you and me?

Long before creation, God had a purpose for our lives.

The apostle Paul tells us that we are God’s work of art.

He has been busy fashioning us in Christ to be his masterpiece.

But God did not create us merely for display.

God has created us so that, in turn, we too become artisans.

We are saved by God’s grace so that we will fulfill the plan God has had for us from the beginning.

What plan is that?

First, the good works God has prepared for us include a life of holiness.

And, remember, God created us to work: to cultivate his garden and to draw out the potential embedded in creation.

Though sin has damaged and distorted that plan, Jesus’ work on the cross has redeemed it.

We are re-created so that we may fulfill God’s original purpose for work!

How are we doing the good works which God has prepared in advance for us?

Will God Ever Ask Us to Do Something We Can’t Do?

There are an endless number of callings God gives to His people to labor at.

In each situation, we can probably come up with an infinite number of reasons we can’t follow through on those callings.

What we fail to consider is would God ask me to do something I cannot do?

Would God ask you to do something you cannot do?

Would God ask His Church to do something it cannot or will not do?

To answer this question, we must also consider why God created mankind in the beginning and consider how can we know when God is truly calling us.

Consider This: Why Did God Create Man?

Genesis 2:15 Amplified Bible

15 So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

On the first pages of Scripture, we witness the creation of the world, including man. God created the heavens and the earth before he made Adam because He already knew where mankind would live and exactly what their purpose was. 

Genesis 2:15 states “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.”

We see similar instructions given to Noah after the flood in Genesis 9:1, “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’”

In the beginning and after the destruction by the flood, God specifically states His purpose in creating humanity.

He wants us to work and watch over what is His.

He wants us to be fruitful and multiply by keeping the values of family in our hearts. 

To obey these instructions, we each must be willing to follow through on the calling(s) He has for us.

For God to call us to do something, He must know what we can do – even if we ourselves are not as aware of our skill set as God is of our respective skill sets.

Our individual gifts come from God, and he intended for us to use them to grow His kingdom.

Ephesians 2:10 Amplified Bible

10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

Consider this: A Biblical Lens on God’s Instruction

God knew that mankind would always have questions about their purpose.

Because of that truth, He revealed many great personal examples in Scripture. 

Moses was asked to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt.

He questioned God.

He said he could not complete the task because he could not speak well.

But God had a plan already and knew that Moses was the one to save His people.

Then there was Esther, a young Hebrew girl who was to become a queen.

She may have thought she could not save her people, but God knew she could.

Through God’s plan, Esther became a queen and saved her people. 

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah did not want to go.

He felt he could not because the Ninevites were dangerous people.

God knew Jonah could and gave him three days in a whale’s belly to consider his choice. With God’s help, Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed what God had told him. The Ninevites turned from their evil ways and were not destroyed. 

The disciples may have thought they could not drop their fishing nets and just follow Jesus because they only knew the water and the nets.

When they did, the disciples were witnesses to the miracles and teachings of Jesus. The three years they spent walking and talking and listening with Jesus molded them into the witnesses for Christ that helped build the early church. 

God has always been asking His people to obey commands.

In each situation, God’s instruction is doable because He has already set his own plan into motion. God did not leave Moses, Esther, Jonah, or his disciples.

It was with Him they accomplished their tasks.

Matthew 28:16-20 Amplified Bible

The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted [that it was really He]. 18 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

Today, the Great Commission is still exactly the same; nothing has changed.

God will always be with us, as promised; Until the end of the age; God does not call us into ministry and mission to obey Him and leave us to our own devices. 

How Do We Know What God Wants from Us?

James 4:7-10 The Message

7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

As God’s people, we want to do whatever God asks of us. The problem we have is that too often we struggle to know what God wants us to do. We spend a lot of precious time questioning Him and that can leave little time for obedience. 

So, how can we know what God wants from us? We must start by preparing our hearts to hear the Holy Spirit. (James 4:8)

Preparation always starts with prayer.

It does not have to be an elaborate and elegantly worded prayer. It can be a simple prayer, one in which you confess your sins and God cleanses your heart. Prayer will fine tune our spiritual ears to hear the commands of our Lord. 

We also need to search the Scriptures. 

Isaiah 8:20 says, “Go to God’s instruction and testimony!”

Isaiah 8:19-22 The Message

19-22 When people tell you, “Try out the fortunetellers.
    Consult the spiritualists.
Why not tap into the spirit-world,
    get in touch with the dead?”
Tell them, “No, we’re going to study the Scriptures.”
    People who try the other ways get nowhere—a dead end!
Frustrated and famished,
    they try one thing after another.
When nothing works out they get angry,
    cursing first this god and then that one,
Looking this way and that,
    up, down, and sideways—and seeing nothing,
A blank wall, an empty hole.
    They end up in the dark with nothing.

Everything we need to know is right in front of us when we open God’s Word.

If we saturate our hearts and minds and quicken our hands and our feet, with eyes and ears tuned to God’s truth, we cannot miss what He is calling us to do. 

God speaks in various and mysterious ways.

To allow yourself to hear Him, you must silence the distractions you have in your life.

We must turn the TV and social media off at times.

We must not fill our schedules with earthly obligations and forget the sacred obligation we have to the God who created us. 

We must also seek counsel and consider the context of what we feel God is calling us to do. 

Proverbs 11:14 says “Without guidance, a people will fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.” Godly counsel will help you and me know if what we are feeling aligns with the character of God and will then produce kingdom fruits. 

Consider: Why Do We Miss God’s Call?

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.

I believe the number one reason we can miss God’s call is that we are simply too busy to hear him. We naively rely on our own understanding, miss the mark. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 tell us we are to rely only on the Lord and when we do, our paths will become straight. 

Our doubts can also keep us from seeing and hearing God’s call.

The idea that we cannot do something or don’t have time to carry out God’s instruction seriously clouds our judgement and hinders our faith in God. 

Hebrews 11:5-6 The Message

5-6 By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

We expect God to always speak in a bold, dramatic way.

God is not always going to give you loud, vivid instruction.

You may not get your answer from a burning bush; Elijah received his answer in a gentle whisper outside a cave on a high mountain top (1 Kings 19:12).

1 Kings 19:7-12 The Message

7 The angel of God came back, shook him awake again, and said, “Get up and eat some more—you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.”

8-9 He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep.

Then the word of God came to him: “So Elijah, what are you doing here?”

10 “I’ve been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

11-12 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”

A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God  was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.

When we quiet our souls is when we will hear Him call. 

Missing God’s call can also happen when we do not prioritize worship.

God did not intend for man to do everything alone.

He wants us to have a strong Christian community that will encourage us, pray for us, and make disciples out of us. 

Consider These Final Thoughts

1 Corinthians 15:58 Amplified Bible

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].

Will God ask you to do something you cannot do?

No. God’s purpose for humanity was to steadfastly do the work He called us too.

Through examples like Moses, Esther, Jonah, the disciples, and many others in the Bible, God showed us that He would never call us to something we cannot do because we can do anything with His strength. 

Philippians 4:10-20 Amplified Bible

God’s Provisions

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord, that now at last you have renewed your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned about me before, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances. 12 I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. 13 I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] 14 Nevertheless, it was right of you to share [with me] in my difficulties.

15 And you Philippians know that in the early days of preaching the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of [a]giving and receiving except you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I do seek the profit which increases to your [heavenly] account [the blessing which is accumulating for you]. 18 But I have received everything in full and more; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me. They are the fragrant aroma of an offering, an acceptable sacrifice which God welcomes and in which He delights. 19 And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be the glory [b]forever and ever. Amen.

If you feel that God is calling you to do something, put the distractions and doubts aside.

Pray and search the Scriptures.

Participate in worship and lean on your Christian community to guide you.

If you do these things, you will be given the strength and knowledge to do whatever God calls you too. 

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

Let us Pray,

God, our Creator, Jesus, our Blessed Redeemer, we are in awe of the way you re-create broken people like us to be your masterpieces. Help us to honor you each day by doing the works you have prepared in advance for us to do. Amen.

Psalm 119:105-112 The Message

105-112 By your words I can see where I’m going;
    they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back
    from living by your righteous order.
Everything’s falling apart on me, God;
    put me together again with your Word.
Adorn me with your finest sayings, God;
    teach me your holy rules.
My life is as close as my own hands,
    but I don’t forget what you have revealed.
The wicked do their best to throw me off track,
    but I don’t swerve an inch from your course.
I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever—
    what a gift! And how happy it makes me!
I concentrate on doing exactly what you say—
    I always have and always will.

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.

https://translate.google.com/

Today, I am Contemplating, Praying, Upon Some Very Powerful Truths Our Prayers of Intercession Will Reveal… 2 Corinthians 1:8 – 11

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 Amplified Bible

8 For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about [a]our trouble in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor], how we were utterly weighed down, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life [itself]. 9 Indeed, we felt within ourselves that we had received the sentence of death [and were convinced that we would die, but this happened] so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. 10 He rescued us from so great a threat of death, and will continue to rescue us. On Him we have set our hope. And He will again rescue us [from danger and draw us near], 11 while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then thanks will be given by many persons on our behalf for the gracious gift [of deliverance] granted to us through the prayers of many [believers].

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.

Truth: Jesus Always Lives to Intercede and Intervene

Today, I find myself reflecting on the indelible truth that Jesus intercedes for us, and that encourages us to intercede for others. As we pray for others, we lift them up to God, asking that in Jesus’ name God’s blessings pour into their lives.

As we contemplate the magnitude of that truth, as we pray for others, it’s important to know that our requests are not limited by time and space.

In today’s passage we read of Paul’s greatest struggles, both physical and spiritual, in carrying out his calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles. Time after time Paul suffered severe life threatening beatings, a few assassination plots, shipwrecks, imprisonment, the imminent threat of immediate beheading.

I do not guess that there are many people who will come to read this will have experienced the breadth of suffering Paul did. However, it is a distinct reality that this devotional will encounter someone who has suffered a deep measure of personal injury, sacrificed far more than their “fair share” for their faith.

For them, we lift them up in our prayers knowing God through Jesus answers.

Yet we also read throughout his letters it did not prevent him from asking God to fill the lives of his fellow believers there with the power of spiritual blessing.

When we pray for others, we ask, plead, God to pour out his resources on them, showering them with his limitless love and grace. It’s because we recognize our own limits we’ll ask God to do for others what we are powerless to do ourselves.

Intercessory prayer demonstrates our love for others.

We forget ourselves in prayer and seek God’s best for others—even going so far as to pray for those whom we consider our enemies.

Matthew 5:43-48 Amplified Bible

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, [a]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46 For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48 You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

One of the kindest, most power­ful things someone can ever say to us is

“I’m praying for you.”

It means they want us to thrive in ways that only God can accomplish.

Whom is the Lord leading you to pray for today?

Contemplating Powerful Truths Paul’s Prayers Reveal about Spirit-Led Living Today.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 The Message

8-11 We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.

I deeply believe that one can tell a lot about a person based on how they pray.

Thankfully, God invites us to come to Him authentically, laying bare our souls before Him, expressing our heaviest and rawest emotions. (Psalms 13, 51, 63)

Unveiling the deepest parts of us to the One who loves us unconditionally, when we praise Him, when we cry out in frustration, is an indelibly beautiful thing.

In fact, the greater our intimacy with Christ, the less filtered our words become.

This is precisely why I find Paul’s prayers so empowering and deeply inspiring.

Through them, the first century church planter demonstrates what it looks like to live in the depths of full blown crisis and to fully yielded to God and His plans.

His prayers recorded in Scripture reveal characteristics of a Spirit-led Christian.

1. They Make Intercessory Prayer a Lifestyle Choice

As we grow closer to Christ, our desire to connect with Him, hear from Him, and participate with Him in His kingdom plans increase.

Matthew 9:36-38 Amplified Bible

36 When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd.  37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

We also recognize we cannot love Him and others well in our own strength. We realize, in progressively deepening, thought provoking, spirit quickening ways, just how much we and our world need His wisdom, power, presence, and grace.

In discussing Paul, his biblical letters, late Reverend Dr. Timothy Keller wrote,

“He does not see prayer as merely a way to get things from God but as a way to get more of God himself.”

He turned to the Lord, his closest companion and ever-present source of strength, for every need, with every frustration, and with every praise.

His prayers reveal a quickened heart that remained vitally connected to Christ, in both joyous and frightening moments, and that at the sacrifice of everything he held dear, wanted others to experience the same intimacy with the Savior.

Numerous times, he mentioned how he “always” prayed for various people or “constantly” remembered them in his prayers.

In his letters to the Romans and to the Colossians whom he never saw, he thanked God for the witness of their faith, in 2 Corinthians 1:11 for the Lord’s comfort for the hurting, and in Philippians for their partnership in the gospel.

In his letter to Timothy, he urged the leader to pray for all the people, and in Ephesians he asked for all prayers that he might fearlessly share the gospel.

In each of these instances and more, Paul demonstrated his humble, ongoing communication with His Savior and how much he absolutely prioritized this in his life and ministry.

How much of a priority is intercessory prayer for you in these challenging days?

2. They Celebrate God and Celebrate Evidence of Grace

John 14:12-14 Amplified Bible

12 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name [[a]as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it.

I know it is said somewhere in the bible “when we celebrate God, we multiply.”

Consider some of your most motivating experiences — the teacher who spoke words of affirmation that led to your current career.

Or, perhaps a coach saw and called out one of your emerging talents.

Most likely, such encouragement motivated you to try harder, work harder, study harder — to become the student or athlete they envisioned. I imagine we can all think of times when a critical statement produced the opposite effect.

Perhaps Paul, a thriving early church leader, understood this, or maybe he was simply overjoyed by the spiritual progress he witnessed.

Regardless, he always seemed to recognize God’s hand in people’s lives.

To the believers in ancient Corinth, he wrote,

“I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way — with all kinds of speech and with knowledge — … Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” (1 Corinthians 1:4-7).

In Colossians, he thanked God for the people’s faith in Christ and love for all others, both of which sprung “from the hope stored up” in heaven (Col. 1:3-6).

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness], and of the [unselfish]  [a]love which you have for all the saints (God’s people); 5 because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation] 6 which has come to you. Indeed, just as in the whole world the gospel is constantly bearing fruit and spreading [by God’s power], just as it has been doing among you ever since the day you first heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth [becoming thoroughly and deeply acquainted with it].

He expressed similar gratitude for those in Thessalonica, stating,

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3).

To the church in Rome, he wrote, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world” (Romans 1:8).

I find these words particularly significant when I consider how some of the first century Christians to whom he wrote behaved.

Although some of the churches, such as the one in Thessalonica, were thriving, others were experiencing serious problems.

For example, in Corinth, people were excusing blatant sexual immorality – including temple prostitution and incest – as being permissible because of one’s freedom in Christ. The community was also plagued with division fueled by not so choice rhetoric, finger pointing, wild accusations and favoritism.

The church in Rome, comprised of Jews and Greeks, was divided as well.

People argued about the right way to follow Jesus and what and how Gentiles were to participate in religious sacraments.

But, while Paul addressed these issues, calling believers to holiness, he didn’t allow their sinful behaviors to overshadow God’s grace.

Plus, most of these men and women were relatively new in their faith.

Likely, Paul understood that it takes time for one to change from deep pagan, polytheistic mentalities to a gospel-infused worldview that permeated every area of one’s life.

I’m reminded of my early twenties. Although I somewhat responded to the word of God as a child, I didn’t grow in my faith until my early to mid forties, when I connected with a group of committed bible believing Christ-followers.

My perspective, formed by popular culture for over those intervening two decades, changed slowly, one Bible lesson, sermon, and prayer at a time.

This held as true for first century believers, especially those with deep pagan backgrounds, as it does for the men and women sitting in the pews beside us each Sunday. And if in a crowded gym, what is the assortment of their beliefs?

One morning when I was working out on a treadmill, I saw a young lady with a rainbow t-shirt on which said; “ask me what real inclusion means.” Genesis 9

May we, like Paul, remember, wherever they, or we, are at in our journey, where they live into their journey as we are always lavished with grace on top of grace.

3. They Yearn for Everyone to Come to Know Jesus

2 Corinthians 9:13-15 Amplified Bible

13 Because of this act of ministry, [a]they will glorify God for your obedience to the gospel of Christ which you confess, as well as for your generous participation [in this gift] for them and for all [the other believers in need],  14 and they also long for you while they pray on your behalf, because of the surpassing measure of God’s grace [His undeserved favor, mercy, and blessing which is revealed] in you. 15 Now thanks be to God for His indescribable gift [which is precious beyond words]!

God’s love has a multiplying effect.

The more we take it in, the more we have to give.

Scholars also teach us to teach others that we become like the thing we worship.

Therefore, the closer and longer we follow Jesus, the more we resemble Him.

His desires become ours, and His driving focus, outside of bringing glory to the Father, is bringing life to souls once dead.

His passion for me, you, his church and the world was so great that He willingly endured one of the cruelest executions known to man, to bring us salvation and entrance directly into God’s global, eternal family.

Paul embraced hardship and intense persecution for the same reason.

He was willing to endure anything, everything even intense pain, if through it, others might turn to Christ.

Philippians 3:7-9 Amplified Bible

7 But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life]. 8 But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him—a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him [believing and relying on Him], not having any righteousness of my own derived from [my obedience to] the Law and its rituals, but [possessing] that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

That included those who with animosity, envy and jealously followed him from town to town, hoping to immeasurably increase the intensity of his difficulties.

But he refused to waste time on bitterness. Instead, he wrote:

Philippians 1:15-17 Amplified Bible

15 Some, it is true, are [actually] preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry [toward me—for no better reason than a competitive spirit or misguided ambition], but others out of goodwill and a loyal spirit [toward me]. 16 The latter [preach Christ] out of love, because they know that I have been put here [by God on purpose] for the defense of the gospel; 17 but the former preach Christ [insincerely] out of selfish ambition [just self-promotion], thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.

In Romans 9:3, he wrote, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race.”

These words gain significance when one recognizes that the men following Paul from one village or city to another were, like him very Jewish, Paul’s people.

While they ultimately longed to increase Paul’s persecution, and incited a mob to help, Paul, instead, prioritized God and Jesus and prayed for their salvation.

Throughout his letters, the evangelist taught many important lessons and spoke powerful, life-changing truths. He encouraged, inspired, and corrected.

But most importantly, he routinely turned to God – in every season, whether hungry or fed, joyous or discouraged. Sprinkled throughout his New Testament letters, his intercessory prayers reveal patterns and passions of a Spirit-led life.

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

Let us Pray,

Thank you, Lord, for putting neighbors in my life who pray for me. You bless and strengthen me by their prayers. Help me to pray for others too. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 Amplified Bible

9 “Pray, then, [a]in this way:

‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
[b]Hallowed be Your name.
10 
‘[c]Your kingdom come,
Your [d]will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 
‘Give us this day our [e]daily bread.
12 
‘And forgive us our [f]debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
13 
‘And do not [g]lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [h]evil. [i][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

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 Bride and the Bridegroom, The Husband and the Wife; When You Are Simply not Feeling very Compatible. 1Corinthians 1:10

1 Corinthians 1:10-25 The Message

The Cross: The Irony of God’s Wisdom

10 I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.

11-12 I bring this up because some from Chloe’s family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you’re fighting among yourselves! I’ll tell you exactly what I was told: You’re all picking sides, going around saying, “I’m on Paul’s side,” or “I’m for Apollos,” or “Peter is my man,” or “I’m in the Messiah group.”

13-16 I ask you, “Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul’s name?” I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I’m sure glad I wasn’t. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas’s family, but as far as I can recall, that’s it.)

17 God didn’t send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn’t send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.

18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,

I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as shams.

So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so cheap, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”

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.

I am wondering today as I write this devotional today if we can all agree on this;

Brides and Bridegrooms, Husbands and Wives, the Body of Christ, we all called by God to be holy and set apart unto Him but we are also called into fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. We are each urged by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be of the same mind and of the same judgment.

The divisions and the disunity that was evident within the Corinthian church so long ago, is equally, publicly, conspicuous in the Body of Christ today, and Paul and the community and unity of the Trinity are lovingly exhorting each one of us to agree amongst ourselves so that there is no disharmony, disagreement, or dissention amongst us. Can we stop taking shavings out of the Cross of Christ?

This call for singleness of heart is founded only upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and never our preferred preacher or favored ministry, or our preferred theologies, ideologies, political zealousness, denominational tactics.

We are to have the mind of Christ. We are to develop the same attitude of heart toward each other Christ Jesus has for us so that with one mind and one voice we may only glorify our God Who in heaven, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Timothy 2:4-7 The Message

4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

In a time when there are ever deepening divisions in the world, how important is it to go out of our way to love our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ?

Can we not just be about God’s business; let us be those who build each other up in love, encouraging and comforting each other as we see the day approaching?

And can we not just be husband and wife, being husband and wife in unity, may our love for each other flow out into the world so that unbelievers may see our love, be drawn to Jesus, and enter into a saving knowledge of our loving Savior?

When You Simply Aren’t Feeling the Compatibility

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Amplified Bible

10 But I urge you, believers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in full agreement in what you say, and that there be no divisions or factions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your way of thinking and in your judgment [about matters of the faith]. 11 For I have been informed about you, my brothers and sisters, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are quarrels and factions among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I am [a disciple] of Paul,” or “I am [a disciple] of Apollos,” or “I am [a disciple] of Cephas (Peter),” or “I am [a disciple] of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided [into different parts]? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? [Certainly not!] 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say that you were baptized into my name. 16 Now I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me [as an apostle] to baptize, but [commissioned and empowered me] to preach the good news [of salvation]—not with clever and eloquent speech [as an orator], so that the cross of Christ would not be [a]made ineffective [deprived of its saving power].

Some say opposites attract.

Others urge couples to marry someone with whom they have lots in common.

Regardless of how the relationship starts out, there will almost inevitably come a season or two in a couple’s life where they just aren’t feeling very compatible.

People will inevitably grow and change over the years as individuals, so what perhaps started out as having a lot in common, morphed into having more differences than connections. This growth and its subsequent change can be very discouraging for couples, and even turn into a frequent source of conflict.

In a very tangible sense, Jesus Christ and compromise is usually the key.

If one half of the married couple enjoys science fiction or fantasy movies, and the other prefers dramas, documentaries or romantic comedies, take turns.

Someone loves Thai food but hates seafood?

Simply switch out who gets to choose on every other date night.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require a generous, humble and patient and merciful heart toward your spouse. You might not love the food or activity in question, but you love your spouse, so there is always a measure of joy to be found in going along with what delights them, brings them happiness.

When both people in the marriage do this for each other, unity can be found.

But some areas of differences in marriage don’t always get resolved so easily.

Perhaps your frequent incompatibility with your spouse isn’t over surface level decisions such as what to eat or what movie to watch, but rather, are deeper issues of the heart, such as parenting styles, family relationships, theologies.

These types of differences can grow argumentative, wearisome, but take heart!

If you both take time to pick up a Bible, study it together, pray over it together and patiently wait for God, You just might not be quite as different as you fear.

Step back from the frequent arguing or disunity, take a breath, to look at each other, into their eyes as God looks into ours, and ask yourself these questions.

Does my spouse love God? Do I love God?

Does my spouse desire the best for our family? Do I?

Does my spouse seek to follow after Jesus? Do I?

Does my spouse look to grow our children in the Lord? Do I?

Does my spouse desire unity in our home? Do I?

Does my spouse love me despite our differences? Do I love my spouse?

If the above answers are yes, congratulations!

Start there.

Continue here …

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Amplified Bible

9 Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; 10 for if [a]either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. 11  Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?  12 And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Instead of the two of you fixating on what you can’t change about each other, focus with God the Father, Son, Spirit, on where you do agree and build on that. 

When Paul wrote to the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians, he urged them toward unity. Not because they were arguing over the color of the carpet in the sanctuary, but because of their particularly unique leadership and mentality.

Some were saying they followed the teachings of Paul, others claimed Apollos or Cephas. Paul was reminding them to drop their pride. keep first things first.

1 Corinthians 8:5-13 Amplified Bible

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, [a]who is the source of all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things [that have been created], and we [believers exist and have life and have been redeemed] through Him.

7 However, not all [believers] have this knowledge. But some, being accustomed [throughout their lives] to [thinking of] the idol until now [as real and living], still eat food [b]as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and because their conscience is weak, it is defiled (guilty, ashamed). 8 Now food will not commend us to God nor bring us close to Him; we are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better if we do eat. 9  Only be careful that this liberty of yours [this power to choose] does not somehow become a stumbling block [that is, a temptation to sin] to the weak [in conscience]. 10 For if someone sees you, a person having [c]knowledge, [d]eating in an idol’s temple, then if he is weak, will he not be encouraged to eat things sacrificed to idols [and violate his own convictions]? 11 For through your knowledge (spiritual maturity) this weak man is ruined [that is, he suffers in his spiritual life], the brother for whom Christ died.  12 And when you sin against the brothers and sisters in this way and wound their weak conscience [by confusing them], you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if [my eating a certain] food causes my brother to stumble (sin), I will not eat [such] meat ever again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

To stay united on what really mattered, to be of one mind and one doctrine.

We can learn the exact same lessons in our marriages. Running with endurance alongside our spouse is a sure way to keep our focus on God and Jesus, off petty differences and toward common goals – unity and community, pray together, ask the Lord to unite you in the areas where it matters most—on His kingdom.

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

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, forgive the times when I have allowed foolish pride or a careless attitude to cause disunity to fester within my heart towards my brothers and sisters in Christ. May I be of one heart and mind with other believers, knowing that we are all one in Christ Jesus our Lord, in Whose name I pray, AMEN.

Matthew 6:9-13 Amplified Bible

9 “Pray, then, [a]in this way:

‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
[b]Hallowed be Your name.
10 
‘[c]Your kingdom come,
Your [d]will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 
‘Give us this day our [e]daily bread.
12 
‘And forgive us our [f]debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
13 
‘And do not [g]lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [h]evil. [i][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

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.

https://translate.google.com/

Are We So Unconcerned? Are We Just Passing by on the Other Side? Or Are We Simply Just Passing on Through? Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37 New American Standard Bible 1995

25 And a [a]lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? [b]How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and [c]beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two [d]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’  hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do [e]the same.”

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.

Are We So Unconcerned We Simply Just Walk on By?

Luke 10:30-32 Amplified Bible

Parable of the Good Samaritan

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, who stripped him of his clothes [and belongings], beat him, and went their way [unconcerned], leaving him half dead. 31 Now by coincidence a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also came down to the place and saw him, and passed by on the other side [of the road].

A Facebook post told the story of a pastor who on his first Sunday in the pulpit at a large suburban church decided to come disguised as a homeless person.

Before the service began, he walked around in his filth, mumbling a greeting.

Only three people bothered to greet him in return.

Walking with his head down, he asked several people for money to buy his breakfast at the McDonald’s just across the street, people hurried past him.

After all, you don’t give money to a panhandler.

Besides, who knew why he was homeless?

Who knew if he was actually homeless – he might be faking it, parking his Cadillac a few blocks away in the parking garage. Many are clever conmen.

He might have been an addict who had ruined his life with drugs or alcohol.

The church members, however, simply “passed by to the other side.”

That’s what the priest and Levite in Jesus’ parable did.

Perhaps in a hurry to serve in worship, or tired and needing to get home, or simply not wanting to get involved, the priest and Levite looked the other way.

They might have witnessed the man being beaten. Not wanting to get hurt or themselves. they decide that the robbed and beaten man was not their problem, and stopping to help as the law had required them to do, could be dangerous.

Of course the real danger is to your own soul in passing by without helping.

It’s definitely much easier to look the other way. For seven years I regularly drove past several homeless shelters without ever bothering to stop and ask how, if they needed any help. I convinced myself I was far too busy to bother.

Considering that I worked at a residential program for homeless veterans at the time as a case manager, 20/20 hindsight, wondering if I should have stopped.

An Ancient Conflict, A New Struggle With Need

Matthew 26:6-13 Amplified Bible

The Anointing in Bethany

6 Now when Jesus was [back] in Bethany, at the home of [a]Simon the leper, 7 a  [b] woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive [c] perfume and she poured it on Jesus’ head as He reclined at the table. 8 But when the [d]disciples saw it they were indignant and angry, saying, “Why all this waste [of money]? 9 For this perfume might have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware [of the malice] of this [remark], said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? She has done a good thing to Me. 11 For you always have the poor with you; but you will not always have Me. 12 When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, wherever this gospel [of salvation] is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her [for her act of love and devotion].”

These are far too common situations:

Families living paycheck to paycheck. Single mothers trying to stretch their resources farther and farther, having to choose between food, utilities and rent.

Homeless men and women on street corners with their children holding signs say, “please help my children” “Will work for food.” the Children are poorly dressed, some can be seen with swollen bellies because they don’t have food.

In place of the rich provision given by God in Eden, we now find poverty and material need. Sometimes poverty is the result of injustice and oppression as we see in many developing nations around the globe, as we witness in Gaza Strip.

Other times it stems from bad choices made by people in need.

Still other times it comes from circumstances beyond people’s control: injury, disability, corporate downsizing, the effects and affects of dealing with wars.

As affluent societies, we’ll “struggle” to know how to respond to inequality.

We assign blame, we walk across the streets, pass by, often in simplistic ways.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 26 about the poor have sometimes been used as an excuse to avoid helping people in need.

But he was simply describing the never ending brokenness in which we live.

He also taught that in caring for needy people on his behalf, we will serve Jesus himself (Matthew 25:37-40). The woman who anointed Jesus was weak and broken. He protected her dignity and honored her struggle while some of the disciples indignantly, angrily wondered out loud why should anyone bother.

The poor are always with us. The struggling are also always with us, The hungry are always going to be with us standing in corners. Perhaps in this moment our love for Jesus will yield a refreshed willingness to care for the weak, struggling, those who our societies and cultures refer to as “least of these,” marginalized.

Matthew 10:41-42 Amplified Bible

41 He who receives and welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous (honorable) man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [these who are humble in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”

If you, like me, have passed by on the other side, ask for forgiveness, and ask the Lord to give you a second chance. Then watch for opportunities to serve.

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.

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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“… IF indeed we continue in the faith, well grounded and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that we have heard…” Colossians 1:23

Colossians 1:21-23 Amplified Bible

21 And although you were at one time estranged and alienated and hostile-minded [toward Him], participating in evil things, 22 yet Christ has now reconciled you [to God] in His [a]physical body through death, in order to present you before the Father holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 [and He will do this] if you continue in the faith, well-grounded and steadfast, and not shifting away from the [confident] hope [that is a result] of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed [b]in all creation under heaven, and of which [gospel] I, Paul, was made a minister.

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.

Love Rejoices With the Truth

Love does not delight in evil.

Evil is anything that spoils, corrupts, pollutes, disables, destroys God’s good creation.

On the sixth day of creation “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

There was no trace of evil—evil has no right to exist in this universe.

When Adam and Eve listened to the devil and sinned against God, evil began to have its destructive way throughout the creation.

As a result of their sin, every human being is born with a tendency to delight in evil.

For example, we are delighted when an enemy’s reputation is ruined, or when we discover that someone we envy is having financial and or marital problems.

We make fun of people who look different, with mental and physical difficulty.

We delight in bad news and demeaning “jokes” concerning people who are of a different class, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation or religious faith.

But God’s love poured into our heart moves us to rejoice with the truth that God is reclaiming and restoring his good creation through his Son.

“God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things…by making peace [with believers] through his blood, shed on the cross.” We rejoice with the truth that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (Colossians 1:19-20, 2Corinthians 5:17)

Reality is, Though, We Never Quite Seem to Move On

Most 21st-century Western people would say human beings are, overall, good.

One day’s worth of news, however, will quickly call such a notion into question.

And one day in our own biased and prejudiced company should also undermine the claim that we are, “overall good.”

For, if we’re completely honest, we must admit that our thoughts, own hearts are unruly and out of control—and popular solutions to this problem, such as social media posting, social engineering, greater education or changes to social circumstances, just never seem to fix things. Humanity continues to be a mess.

When we turn to the Bible, we discover an ugly truth about ourselves: the reason we feel alienated from the people around us—the reason I sometimes feel alienated from myself—is because we’re far and away alienated from God.

Our horizontal alienation is indicative of a far more serious vertical alienation.

God made us so that we might have an intimate relationship with Him, yet our minds and our tongues are turned away from Him. We don’t think of Him. We don’t love Him as He loves us. We don’t even look for Him as He looks for us.

There is, however, good news.

As followers of Christ, while we were once wasting away, we have now been renewed. We were alienated, but now we’ve been reconciled. We lived in a dark place, and now we’ve been brought into the light. We were trapped, and now we’ve been set free. We were dead, and now we’ve been made alive with Christ.

That’s the reality of the experience of those who know God as He has revealed Himself through His word.

This transformation isn’t simply the result of a decision to revamp life.

At some point, most of us have thought, “I’m turning over a new leaf and making a change. I’m going to be more thankful this year than I was last year.”

And good! There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Our friends and family would probably be thrilled to hear it and actually lived out! But that alone is not the end goal for a Christian though. Rather, change in a Christian’s life is motivated and initiated only by the saving grace of God. We go on as we began: by grace.

The good news of the gospel is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth came on our behalf to bring an end to our alienation.

He, and He alone, has done what we most need but could not do for ourselves.

So the call to us is very simple: to “continue in the faith … not shifting from … the gospel.”

We never need to move on from the simple gospel of Christ crucified, risen, and reigning; in fact, we dare not.

And yet how easy it is for us to grow cold to these truths; for familiarity to breed if not contempt, then stone hardened apathy and mind numbing complacency.

So consider your heart honestly. Acknowledge your sin. And come back to the gospel once more, in awe “that thou, my God, should’st die for me.”[1]

1 Charles Wesley, “And Can It Be?” (1738).

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 108 The Message

Praise and Supplication to God for Victory.

A Song. A Psalm of David.

108 1-2 I’m ready, God, so ready,
    ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing,
    ready to raise a God-song:
“Wake, soul! Wake, lute!
    Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”

3-6 I’m thanking you, God, out in the streets,
    singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
    every cloud’s a flag to your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God!
    Cover the whole earth with your glory!
And for the sake of the one you love so much,
    reach down and help me—answer me!

7-9 That’s when God spoke in holy splendor:
    “Brimming over with joy,
I make a present of Shechem,
    I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.
Gilead’s in my pocket,
    to say nothing of Manasseh.
Ephraim’s my hard hat,
    Judah my hammer.
Moab’s a scrub bucket—
    I mop the floor with Moab,
Spit on Edom,
    rain fireworks all over Philistia.”

10-11 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?
    Who’ll show me the road to Edom?
You aren’t giving up on us, are you, God?
    refusing to go out with our troops?

12-13 Give us help for the hard task;
    human help is worthless.
In God we’ll do our very best;
    he’ll flatten the opposition for good.

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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What Value to Me, An Eye for an Eye? Is that ever going to get us anywhere? Vengeance Is the Lord’s Department. Matthew 5:38-42

Matthew 5:38-42 The Message

Love Your Enemies

38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

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 do you do when your spouse forgets to pay a bill on time?

Or when your friend makes an insensitive comment?

Or when another driver cuts you off?

What is your first instinct?

An extra lean into your vehicles horn an extra minute or two or three or more?

Follow after them with the idea that at the first opportunity to do the exact same thing and try to cut them off and endangering everyone around you too?

Road Rage? Hit their vehicle from behind with yours?

Road Rage? Wait until the next stop light to stop your vehicle next to theirs, get out of your vehicle and “rage against the system” and their vehicle with fists?

Or maybe, infinitely worse and infinitely more dangerous – reveal a firearm?

Maybe you are the kind of person cannot wait, who wants to fight back when someone hurts you or someone you love, or makes things too difficult for you?

You raise your voice.

You raise your stress levels

You raise your blood pressure and pulse rate.

Your mind and your body goes into dangerous measures of overdrive.

You “dip your tongue” in some ‘wildly inflammable rhetoric’ and light up.

Your soul is seething, light your tongue, You make personal verbal attacks.

Or maybe you’re not the type to lash out.

Instead, you give people the silent treatment.

You ignore them, you avoid them, you do not make eye contact, stop returning email and texts, or you walk out of the room and refuse to discuss any more.

The desire to retaliate is actually rooted in a God-given desire for justice.

We understand intuitively that people should definitely be held accountable for things that they’ve done. Consequences must come. But our best ideas of justice are far too easily tainted by our own anger, our feelings of self-righteousness.

In this passage from the Beatitudes, Jesus leads us in a better way, inviting us to entertain a different mindset, let go of revenge and to trust God as our defender.

God sees and knows our suffering.

God knows our bent to engage our self wills before we engage our prayer life.

But God is also very particular about how we go about engaging our neighbors.

Leviticus 19:17-18 New American Standard Bible 1995

17 ‘You shall not hate your [a]fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

He longs for justice to be done. And in his mercy, God also desires that all people would turn to Him from sin, come to faith, and have new life in him.

Accept that Vengeance Is the Lord’s Department

Matthew 5:38-42 Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Teaches About Fighting Back

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. 40 If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. 41 If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile,[b] go with him two. 42 Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you.

When Jesus uttered these familiar words, to whom was He speaking?

Who was Jesus telling to “stand still,” endure evil and resist retaliation?

It may seem simple, but this question gets at an important distinction that was in the mind of the apostle Paul as he penned his letter to the Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12:17-20 Easy-to-Read Version

17 If someone does you wrong, don’t try to pay them back by hurting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. 18 Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone.  19 My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. In the Scriptures the Lord says,

“I am the one who punishes;
    I will pay people back.”

20 But you should do this:

“If you have enemies who are hungry,
    give them something to eat.
If you have enemies who are thirsty,
    give them something to drink.
In doing this you will make them feel ashamed.[a]”

In chapter 12:17, he exhorts his readers to “repay no one evil for evil” and to “overcome evil with good” (v 21), echoing the Lord’s teaching: that we should turn the other cheek.

And yet, just a few verses later in Romans 13, he says that God has established civil authorities as His servants for the purpose of approving what is good and punishing what is evil (13:1-5).

Obey Your Government Rulers

13 All of you must obey the government rulers. Everyone who rules was given the power to rule by God. And all those who rule now were given that power by God. 2 So anyone who is against the government is really against something God has commanded. Those who are against the government bring punishment on themselves. 3 People who do right don’t have to fear the rulers. But those who do wrong must fear them. Do you want to be free from fearing them? Then do only what is right, and they will praise you.

4 Rulers are God’s servants to help you. But if you do wrong, you have reason to be afraid. They have the power to punish, and they will use it. They are God’s servants to punish those who do wrong. 5 So you must obey the government, not just because you might be punished, but because you know it is the right thing to do.

Sometimes, then, evil is quicker to be repaid, justice then served by governing authorities and at other times, unjustly, it is not—at least not immediately.

Both Paul and Jesus recognized an important distinction we must remember between the way individual Christians ought to respond to evil done to them (dealt with in Romans 12) the execution of rule of law (dealt with in Romans 13).

Christians are not to take justice into their own hands.

Rather, we are to entrust the repayment of evil to the authorities God has put in place. Civil authorities are one example. When they fulfill their roles rightly and justly, they serve as a deterrent to bad conduct but not to good. They are there to faithfully serve people, execute the rule of law, to punish those who violate it.

Understanding that God is perfectly just will free us to obey Jesus’ command to stand still, turn the other cheek. This is not a call to pretend that the evil done to us is not evil or to embrace a despairing outlook that says there is no justice or that justice is not equally applied or unjustly applied or it is vengefully applied.

Nor it is a call to accept, when we are victims, that we must not make recourse to the civil authorities for legislative and judicial actions to address injustice.

No, Christians are called to and can endure evil because vengeance belongs to the Lord (Romans 12:19).

On occasion, He permits that vengeance to be carried out in this life as He authorizes human governments to “wield, bear the sword” (Romans 13:4).

But on the judgement day of the Lord, He will be the one directly carrying out His righteous justice, and so every evil done in His world will be repaid in full.

We wont know what that will mean nor how the Lord will manifest His justice.

But, we absolutely must trust that God is always far more righteous than us!

Psalm 65:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest [a]sea;
6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength,
Being girded with might;
7 Who stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the [b]dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

You and I, then, are max free to seek justice from the authorities that God has instituted to protect people and punish wrongdoing. Equally, we are free to turn the other cheek, resisting the all-too-natural urge to take matters into our own hands and enact our own vengeance. Justice will come, and not from our hands.

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

Let us Pray,

Father, help me to turn my hurts over to you rather than seeking revenge. Give me the wisdom to respond with patience and compassion when I feel offended. Amen.

Psalm 65 New American Standard Bible 1995

God’s Abundant Favor to Earth and Man.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65 There will be silence [a]before You, and praise in Zion, O God,
And to You the vow will be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all [b]men come.
3 [c]Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions, You [d]forgive them.
4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest [e]sea;
6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength,
Being girded with might;
7 Who stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the [f]dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;
You greatly enrich it;
The [g]stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare [h]the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You [i]settle its ridges,
You soften it with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You have crowned the year [j]with Your [k]bounty,
And Your [l]paths drip with fatness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are clothed with flocks
And the valleys are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.

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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