As Christians we often look back at the moment when we finally understood we were sinners, and that we required God’s Son’s sacrifice on the cross to restore our relationship with God as the moment when our spirits were restored. And while that is true, we often neglect to realize that the restoration of our souls, the renewal of them, is a lifelong process. When our hearts grow weary and our spirits waver in doing good, we wonder what is wrong? Have we failed to do something right so God has left us? Have we just gone down the wrong path and are no longer doing the will of God? Doubts, anger, fears – they all begin to swell within our hearts and we become despondent. Consider what Spurgeon said of Psalm 51:10: “No man can be renewed without as real and true a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s energy as he felt at first [when he was first saved], because the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much in the way now as they ever were.” Our need for God’s active work in our hearts and souls now are needed now just as they were at the moment of salvation. But the difference is now we have the Holy Spirit actively working in us, giving us the strength to call out for God to “renew a right spirit in me”! Spurgeon goes on to say “Let [your] personal weakness, O Christian, be an argument to make [you] pray earnestly to God for help.” How often do we forget that! We think “I’m saved, so what is wrong with me – why am I sinning yet again”. When in reality the call for us to pray, to earnestly pray, for God to work in our hearts is as much of a need now as it was at the moment of salvation. Our sanctification is not done till when we arrive in the presence of God in heaven – why do we become so despondent when we haven’t reached perfection here on earth. Take heart, dear Believer, call out to God as David – the man after God’s own heart – did for God to refocus your heart from worldly affairs to the things of God – to renew a right spirit in you.
As the fall semester is upon us - classes are beginning, jobs are ramping up - our minds get full of all there is to do. We look at the list and some of us feel excited by all before us and others feel so overwhelmed they are frozen. If you are a Christian you may find comfort by reminding yourself that God does not give us more then we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). And that is true and should not be forgotten. But you should also remember that God is often putting us into arenas where we are able to grow. Where we, in essence, are not actually able to do everything we are asked to do. Is God cruel? No. By no means. What we often forget is that 1 Corinthians 10:13 also is referring to the fact that it is through the power of God we are able to accomplish our work (1 Corinthians 15:10). And you know what? God has also given us practical tools for HOW we are to actually get done everything before us. One such way is described in Proverbs 13:11: “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” If you think of your work as how you increase your wealth (wealth = both money and knowledge/blessing) then you will see how you are to accomplish all the work before you. It isn’t by quickly accomplishing everything at once - it is nigh impossible to get everything done at once - it is by accomplishing the tasks little by little. When we purposefully approach the task - taking small intentionally steps to reach the goal - it will be accomplished. Isn’t God amazing? Not only has He, and will He, give us the wisdom we need to think through a task (James 1:5), but He also tells us how to get the task done and will give us the power and strength to do it. Do not be overwhelmed - take each task little by little; steadily the work God has given you to do will produce much reward.
Have you ever felt alone? Lonely? That no one really cared about you? I think everyone at one time or another has felt isolated and alone. As seen in John 14:16-17 no one has to fear being alone - if they are Christians God promises to give them a helper that is with them always! But I’d like to switch the focus from being on our needs to the needs of others. If you have ever been lonely and in need of someone to reach out and encourage you, do you think maybe others have as well? Think about the people in your Church, class, work, apartment building. No matter how busy those people look or how well liked they are, people need encouragement. Why? We are sinners and are constantly failing. We get discouraged by how frequently we fail and by the failures of the world around us. And no matter how much wealth, power, or prestige a person has, that doesn’t change the reality of sin. What are we to do in response? Hebrews 10:24-25 calls us to rally around those in our community and specifically calls out how we interact with other believers. It says: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…” First we are suppose to be in Christian company - specifically meeting for the worship of God. It is funny what happens when we worship together - we start to actually care for one another. And then the second part of the verse can start to happen - we can encourage one another. But it takes effort. It takes resolve. It takes being active in your Christian community and putting aside the fact that you may wish someone would reach out to you and BE that person who is reaching out. You’ll be surprised - when you begin to do the work God has called us to do, you yourself will be encouraged. Why? Because when we do God’s work our hearts begin to draw nearer to Him - the one who cares so much for us He took on our sin and died in our place.
Personal days. Self-care. Recharge. Lately I have seen these words written and discussed as if they were a magical potion of a long and happy life. And while I am a proponent of taking time to step back from the busyness of life to have a self-care day, as Christians we should remember what actually will recharge our souls. In Proverbs 3:13 we read: “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.” You may remember from our look at Proverbs 2:6-9 that the way to wisdom is through knowing God. Therefore, knowing God is the way to blessedness or happiness. Have you thought about that as you long for a day to recharge by doing your favorite activity? Have you considered that actually what you may need is to refresh your relationship with God? Just like there are many ways to invest in your human relationships, there are many ways you can go about this in your relationship with God. For example, read the words He has spoken to you through the Bible. Take a walk and talk to God. Enjoy the creation that He has made. Play an instrument and sing praises to Him. Cook in the kitchen as you consider the wonder of how God created foods and spices (and chemistry!) to make this thing called cooking work. But all of these things take intention. As you are walking consider the words you read in the Bible. Don’t just aimlessly think of unrealistic dreams – consider God. I have a feeling that a few hours or even 20 minutes spent investing in knowing God will bring you the solace and energy that you so desire.
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints.” ~ Proverbs 2:6-9
Have you ever thought of the effect truth has on people? We often talk about how the truth will “set them free”. But we forget to talk about what the truth does to those it has already set free. It was said of John Calvin’s “The Institutes of the Christian Religion” that Calvin’s words “…gave stability to wavering minds, and confidence to sinking hearts, and placed upon the lips of all a brilliant apology [doctrine]…” (The Life of John Calvin by Grier) Calvin’s “Institutes” did not provide stability because they were beautiful prose, no, they provided stability to those who were being persecuted during the reformation because they were based upon the truth of the Bible; the truth that comes from the provider of all wisdom (see Proverbs 2-9). Truth doesn’t just set us free, it builds us up and encourages us through times of trial. Why? Because truth comes directly from God. So when we are reading and contemplating that truth we draw nearer to God. And He, as Proverbs 2 states, is a shield to those who are His. (NOTE: If you are not already a child of God, might I encourage you to see out the truth of His gospel – that Jesus, His Son, came to earth as a man to die on a cross as a payment for your sin and rose again to restore your relationship with God. When you know that truth you will be set free and then will experience the reality of Proverbs 2.) As we all experience the trials of living in this fallen world, seek out the originator of stability. Read His truths – read the truths of His servants (like John Calvin!) – be encouraged – be stabilized.
At every stage of life we need wisdom. We need direction and clarity of how we are to proceed. Proverbs 2:6 reminds us that “the Lord gives wisdom…” And I can hear you on the other side of the screen. You are sighing and saying, “yes, yes, I know wisdom comes from the Lord, but how do I GET it??” Good question. Read the rest of the verse: “…from His mouth come knowledge and understanding…” And you know what came out of His mouth? The Bible. Remember back on 2 June when we spoke about how to maintain our sanctification – we talked about immersing ourselves in the truth of the Bible. Well that my friend is exactly how you also learn the wisdom of God. He graciously has given His wisdom to us, right in our hands, and what we need to do is read it and immerse ourselves in it. Well, you say, I’ve read the Bible and I don’t remember an answer to my particular need right now. Let me challenge you. Go back to the Bible and re-read it. As my Dad often said, read it like you have never read it before. What that means is that you don’t read it with assumptions of what you think it will say, read it as if you have no idea what it will say. When you begin to do this, and do this on the daily, God’s wisdom will come straight out of His mouth and into your heart. You will begin to understand how the truths and wisdom of God are to be applied to your particular life situation. But let me give you one more suggestion. Don’t do this alone. Grab a Christian friend, seek out a mentor, talk to your pastor and ask them to also help you study the scripture. When we study with the Christian family God has given us we learn so much more – two brains and hearts are indeed better than one.
One of the reasons I’ve always liked Paul is that he is a list maker. Where Paul and I differ in our list making is that my lists typically consist of “clean the bathroom, make bread, do-all-the-work-things.” Paul’s lists on the other hand look like this: “...always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5) Yeah, Paul’s lists put mine to shame. His lists contain exhortations in how we are to live – how we are to change our lives for the service of God. Paul starts off with “be sober-minded”. As R.C. Sproul Jr. says: “We may assume “sober-minded” means the same thing as ‘not given to much wine.’ …To be sober-minded, however, is to treat truth seriously...” It doesn’t just mean to be serious. It means we are not to be flippant with what we believe to be the truth. What does that mean? It means that we don’t waver when someone questions whether Jesus is really the ONLY way to salvation. It means we don’t waver when someone says it is OK to lust after that thing you want…after all it isn’t like you are stealing it. It means we do not waver when someone says the church should not call homosexuality sin. Being serious about truth means first we must really know what is the truth, and then stand by that truth. Not in a zealous way that shuts people out, but in a way that clearly shows what is truth. Going on to the rest of Paul’s list I find it interesting that when you are sober-minded the other exhortations come a little easier. When we know what is the truth and seriously follow it, we will endure suffering because we know the suffering is for a good purpose. When we are sober-minded we will also know exactly how to evangelize because we will know the truth of which we are to evangelize. And finally, when we are sober-minded we will be able to serve God well, or fulfill our ministry, because we will be seeking His truth constantly. Maybe I need to mirror my lists a little more after Paul’s…I think if I start my to-do lists with “be sober-minded” my life will indeed be changed.
Ephesians 5:15-16 - Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
“Because the days are evil.” When you hear that phrase what is your immediate thought? Mine is to think “how can I counter the evil or how can I fight for the truth.” Yes, my thoughts are a little combative...I will leave that to you to determine what it means about me. But that is beside the point. Look at the beginning of the verse: “making the best use of the time”. Isn’t that interesting. It isn’t a call to take up the sword in order to counter the evil, no, but it is call to action. It is a call to redeem the time. For each Christian redeeming the time will look different. Some are called to preach, some are called to serve, be hospitable, encourage - each are called to something different (Romans 12: 4-8). If they are not using those tasks actively - in each moment of the day - they are not redeeming the time – they are not countering the evil. Jonathan Edwards (a man who more recently has greatly inspired me) had two specific live resolutions that sum up my point. The first: Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can. The second: Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory. Do not gloss over those. Read them again. Did you catch that? He resolved that he would never lose any moment of time. And then what does he describe as how he would use his time wisely? That he will do what most glorifies God. Redeeming the time does not just mean not to waste your time, Edwards takes it to the next step. Redeeming the time means every decision we make should glorify God. When that happens evil will be conquered. Because it will mean God’s people are not sitting idly by waiting for Jesus to return, it will mean they are actively taking part in the world - seeking to never lose a moment of their time - seeking to do that which most glorifies God.
Most people I have spoken to have set out, at one particular time or another, to “get healthy”. And for about a week or two or even a month they were pretty successful. They ate well, exercised, and got good rest. But then as different responsibilities pulled their attention their resolve to “get healthy” soon eased into a resolve to simply “eat healthy” or “walk once a week”. They still desired to reach that health goal, but they were less aggressive about their efforts. How frequently have we done the same thing about our sanctification. We hear a good sermon or read a good book and resolve to “get spiritual” or “become a better Christian”. For a week or two, or even a month, we do our daily devotions, pray, and even journal all our prayers. Then as the different responsibilities of life pull our attention our resolve soon eased into a “read the bible once a week” or “attend the weekly bible study”. What happened? What caused us to stop the full fledged progress to sanctification. 1 Timothy 4:15 gives us a little insight. It says: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” Paul tells Timothy that in order to begin to see progress in his spiritual improvement he must practice godliness. And not just practice daily, but immerse himself. When you immerse yourself in something it means it is surrounding you, it is consuming your thoughts, it is an active part of your daily life. It isn’t just something you do once a week, it isn’t even something you just do once a day. It is something that you are. So when you are struggling to see progress in your sanctification check to see if you are truly immersing yourself into knowing God and seeking to honor Him. Because when you immerse yourself into the Creator of the World you will begin to change - because you will be spending time with the only perfect God. How is that done on the daily? Well that my friend is the story of your life. There is no formula. Just a call. A call to immerse yourself in learning about God - a call to immerse yourself in loving and serving God.
Freedom. Liberty. Rights. Three words that everyone holds on to as items which we are due. But do we really even understand what each word means? Let’s just take the first word - freedom. What does freedom mean within the context of Christianity? Often we hear people interpret Christian freedom as: “I’m free to drink alcohol if I want to,” or “I’m free to live how I wish...as long as I don’t break the ten commandments”. Is that a right interpretation? 1 Peter 2:16-17 helps explain what Christian freedom means: "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." Freedom, in the Christian sense, equals being free of the bonds of sin. It means being God’s servant. What do servants do? They follow exactly what their employer tells them. And what does a Christian’s master (God) tell them to do? Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. But, you say, this “freedom” sounds more like lots of rules and regulations - how am I to be free?? That is when you need to reassess what you think freedom actually means. It doesn’t mean “do whatever I want” it means “not being imprisoned”. You are no longer imprisoned in sin. You are free. But that means you now have a responsibility. Freedom isn’t the absence of responsibility it means that you are now in a position (i.e. free) to meet your responsibilities. What are you doing with your Christian freedom? Are you honoring everyone, loving the brotherhood, fearing God, and honoring your leaders? If not, I’d encourage each of us to really pray through 1 Peter 2:16-17 and ask that God help us to use our freedom in the ways He directs.
While the introverts among us would say they like being alone, even for them there is an aloneness they flee. The aloneness that means there is no one to call when a problem arises, no one who will empathize, no one to eat with, no one to run home to...absolutely no one. Few of us know what true aloneness (as I just described) really feels like, but I’d wager that most of us have had times when we have felt alone. When our friends cannot seem to understand our predicament or our families aren’t thrilled with our life choices, or...well you get the idea. But you know what I find encouragement in? John 14:16-17 where it says “And I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know Him, for He dwells within you and will be in you.” As Jesus is preparing to leave His disciples He lets them know they will not be alone. While they may feel like the only Christians on the face of the planet, Jesus tells that them God will be sending the Holy Spirit to “be with them forever”. Not just till they got back on their feat after Jesus ascended into heaven, or not just when they were facing persecution, but forever. And if you too believe that you are a sinner and that Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day for your salvation, then you too have the Holy Spirit within you as your constant helper. Even when we feel that God is distant do not forget that the Holy Spirit is right here with us as our constant counselor and comforter. Hold on to that promise and find comfort in the presence of the Helper, the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I [God] am with you; do not be dismayed, for I [God] am your God. I [God] will strengthen you and help you; I [God] will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
“I am your God.” Are you a child of God? If so, consider what it means if you are afraid. It means that you doubt God. You doubt the maker of the world, the universe, the expanse - all that we can and cannot see. You doubt the God who conquered the enemies of His people (the Israelites). You doubt the God who enabled a virgin to give birth - and not just any birth - the birth of His Son. You doubt the God who is fully just and fully loving. You doubt the Savior. Are you getting my drift? Oh...believe you me, I am saying this all as much for myself as for any reader - when we doubt we doubt that God is God. And that my friends is dangerous business. But have hope, because do you see what Isaiah goes on to say? He says that God will strengthen His people. So are you doubting, take that doubt straight to the one who can strengthen you so you do not doubt. Do you see that? Do you get that? God not only says that we aren’t to fear because He is our protector and our God, but then He will even help us not to fear (He will strengthen us). Are you doubting you can conquer the tasks ahead of you? Are you afraid of the future? Pray and ask God to take those doubts and fears away and ask Him to strengthen you. Pray Isaiah 41:10. You may be surprised by how God works to take away those doubts and fears (it might not be pretty), but God says He will strengthen - He will help….so take comfort in the all knowing, all loving, all just God.
I corinthians 15:3-4 - For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
Do you know the gospel? If you are a church goer you may assume you know the gospel. But do you _know_ it?? Do you understand the depth, the magnitude, the consequences of the gospel? Do you realize that the gospel is not just something that occurred, it was foretold throughout the entire scripture (i.e. through thousands of years of history)? God wasn't surprised by the need for Christ's death. In fact He was the one who ordained it. When Adam and Eve sinned it wasn't like God had to come up with a plan of how to restore His people to Himself. He knew exactly what was going to happen and laid out thousands of years of helping the world know Himself; the God of creation, the one and only God of the world. And then when the fullness of time arrived He sent His son to live on the fallen world for 30 years so that He could begin the work of substitution for our sins. And then as is seen in the resurrection of Christ, God clearly shows His power over death, His power over sin. He is able to completely save you - To bring you near to Him. -- Think today what the gospel really is and what it teaches you about God. And then consider the implications of that understanding of who God really is and what He has done for you.
Let me make a bold proposition: Most of us over-complicate our relationship with God. We think faith is complicated, we find it difficult to see where God leads us, we cannot comprehend how God can be gracious and just, and so on. Granted each of these things are hard and, yes, they are even complicated. But let me make another proposition: Each of us should be like the blind man in John 9. When we read the story of the blind man we see Jesus heal the man who has been blind his whole life. After he is healed the Pharisees question how and when Jesus healed him. The blind man simply states in verse 25: “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” Did you catch that? In the complication of trying to figure out who this man Jesus is, in trying to understand how he was healed, the blind man goes back to the simple fact he knows - he was healed. May we do the same. When we are faced with trials or unknown futures, remember what Jesus has done in your life. Go back to those first principles and rest in those. Understanding the whys and the hows may not come. But you can rest in these truths: that God did send His Son to die on a cross - bearing the penalty of our sin - and then rose on the third day. The truth that God has given us life, breath, and does in fact guide us as we move through life. Become like the healed blind man - that when faced with questions he remembered the truth that he once was blind, but could now see.
John 12:28 - “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.” What can we learn from this prayer of Jesus’? Spurgeon said it so well: “Here we see that natural fear of death which came across the Saviour’s mind because he was so really and truly man. If his pains had not been real pains, but had been pleasant and congenial to him, there would have been no self-sacrifice in his suffering; but the fact that they cast upon his spirit the dark shadow of death only proves to us what sharp pains they were; but instead of asking for a way of escape from them, he surrendered himself to them, gave himself up as a willing victim with this prayer upon his lips, ‘Father, glorify thy name.’” Never forget that Jesus’ death on the cross was truly suffering. He being fully God and fully man prayed for his death to be taken away from him. Even more directly, he prayed that he would not have to bear the sins of the world - requiring that God forsake him due to all the sins, our sins, that were upon Him. God could not bear to look upon Jesus with the sins of the world upon Him - and that, that forsaking, was even worse than the physical pain of death. And yet, praise be to God, Jesus did not fall into the human desire to reject the suffering - He realized that His death (and then resurrection) would glorify God’s name through bringing restitution to mankind's’ relationship to God. Christians are called to follow Jesus, but how often do we flee suffering because we do not care to glorify God’s name? Jesus bore the sins of the world upon Him - he suffered God’s rejection for us. Let us not turn away from what God has for us to do even if it means worldly suffering - let us glorify God by following His directions.
John 15:4 ~ “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
How many times have you been frustrated by this verse? “Yes, I know,” you say, “I’m suppose to abide in Christ and then the fruit will come, but this whole abiding things...yeah that doesn’t make sense.” Abiding seems so passive. We think of it in terms of resting or staying still or not moving. But the word “abide” is actually a verb. And what did you learn in elementary school? A verb is an action word! Action? But abiding seems so stagnant so how can it be an action? Well, let’s look at one of “abide’s” synonyms: “remain”. A definition of remain reveals a lot about what it means to abide in Christ: “continue to exist, especially after other similar or related people or things have ceased to exist”. What does that mean within this verse? Looking at the context of John 15 Jesus is talking to His disciples after the crowds had dissipated and soon before His death. Jesus was preparing the disciples for what was to come and helping them to know how they were to survive during times of great turmoil and suffering. After Jesus death and resurrection and then ascension into heaven the disciples lives were not easy. They were persecuted, scorned, and rejected. And so Jesus taught them to remain: no matter if everyone left their side {“ceased to exist”}, no matter if they were the last man standing, no matter if they were being pulled in multiple directions, no matter if life was so distracting...no matter what they were to be faithful to the gospel. Do you see now how “remain” or “abide” is an action? When you are being pulled in many directions, dealing with the sufferings of life, it takes force, it takes determination, to stand firm - to remain, to abide, in the truths of the Bible - in the Logos, Christ Jesus.