Prove It…Again

Today’s Reading:

• Luke 8:1-3; Mark 3:20-30; Matthew 12:22-45; Mark 3:31-35; Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 8:19-21; Mark 4:1-9; Matthew 13:1-9; Luke 8:4-8; Mark 4:10-20

Verse(s) to Ponder:

• One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” – Matthew 12:38-39, New Living Translation

Thoughts:
In the face of Jesus’ goodness, in the face of the wisdom and morality of His teachings, opponents still came and demanded that He perform a miracle to convince them that He was genuinely here as God’s representative.

It’s not as if they hadn’t been able to witness any of His other miracles already. And they had certainly heard His teachings. He wasn’t hiding anything.

No wonder Jesus called them out. No wonder he said that their hearts were evil and adulterous—that their inclination was to be unfaithful to their God.

And yet He still gave them a sign. The sign of Jonah—that is, the sign of His own death and resurrection.

How many of them responded to His sign? How many of us are just the same as they were, rejecting Jesus despite everything He’s done and demanding another sign?

Note: I have obviously been less than consistent about posting devotional thoughts for a while now, so I’m not going to claim that I’ll be consistent for the next few months, or that the blog will be centered around a certain theme (it was supposed to deal with faith-stretching verses this year). I just hope that these thoughts are still an encouragement to you, whenever they come your way.

Hope on Judgment Day

Today’s Reading:

• Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-17; Matthew 11:1-19; Luke 7:18-35; Matthew 11:20-30; Luke 7:36-50

Verse(s) to Ponder:

• Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show remorse. I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.” Matthew 11:20-22, New Living Translation

Thoughts:

Is God unfair?

Some people are born into Christian communities and hear God’s Word from a young age; others are born into communities that worship false gods. When Judgment Day comes, will God punish the people who had little to no chance to hear about Him just because of their circumstances?

All around the world, some people get to experience God’s miracles and some see visions sent from heaven; others feel like they would like to believe in God, but because they have never experienced this kind of evidence, they aren’t convinced that any of the stories about miracles and visions are true. No one they know has ever seen anything truly miraculous. When Judgment Day comes, will God judge the people who never saw a miracle on the same standards as those who did, as though they had the same opportunity to understand His wonderful nature?

No. Not according to what Jesus says in Matthew 11:20-22.

Jesus performed a number of miracles in some places, and yet many of the people who experienced His miracles did not renounce their sins and turn to God. I can’t even comprehend why they would not have responded to Jesus after seeing His miracles, but they didn’t (which is a sobering reminder that our hearts are more rebellious than we would like to admit, and that even those of us who claim that we would believe in Jesus if He would only give us more evidence may be deceiving ourselves). And Jesus compares them to others, essentially saying that they have been given an advantage and have done nothing with it.

But what about all the places where Jesus performed no miracles? Jesus says that they will be better off on Judgment Day. How much better off? I don’t know for sure. But this gives me a lot of hope for people who respond to whatever evidence God has placed in their lives and follow Jesus to the extent that they know about Him. Why does this give me hope for them? It gives me hope for them because Jesus didn’t have to perform miracles in other places to know how they would have responded. Jesus knows people’s hearts well enough for His knowledge of our hearts’ responses and their “would have responded if” responses to be taken into account on Judgment Day.

So how does this change anything for me? Actions-wise, it doesn’t. I need to be a faithful witness, no matter what. I can’t just sit back and avoid witnessing “because I know that Jesus is fair and trust that He knows who would have believed in Him if they had heard.” Too many passages in His Word remind us that our responsibility to introduce people to Jesus is a serious responsibility with serious consequences for the people around us. But on the other hand, I can walk through life with hope for the people who seem to be the most disadvantaged when it comes to opportunities to know Jesus. Jesus knows their circumstances, and He knows their hearts, and on Judgment Day, it’s going to make a difference for them.

And I can trust Him to do what’s right. I love hope.

Note: I have obviously been less than consistent about posting devotional thoughts for a while now, so I’m not going to claim that I’ll be consistent for the next few months, or that the blog will be centered around a certain theme (it was supposed to deal with faith-stretching verses this year). I just hope that these thoughts are still an encouragement to you, whenever they come your way.

Kids’ Persistent Questions

Today’s Reading:

• Matthew 6:5-7:6; Luke 6:37-42; Matthew 7:7-20; Luke 6:43-45; Matthew 7:21-29; Luke 6:46-49

Verse(s) to Ponder:

• Keep on asking, and you will received what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.… You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. – Matthew 7:7, 9-11, New Living Translation

Thoughts:
I was just thinking today about the connection between persistent prayer and praying to a Heavenly Father.

As a human father, sometimes I wish that my children wouldn’t ask so persistently. My son Michael is really, really eager to visit the Discovery Place (and we’ve already been there several times, so his experience gives him a lot of motivation to return). And he will ask me, “Dad, can we go to the Discovery Place?”

So I’ll say, “Yes, Michael, we can go.”

And he asks an important question: “When, dad?”

It usually takes me a minute to decide when I would like to take him to visit the Discovery Place, but the answer often ends up being something like, “We’ll go there next week on Thursday.”

You would think that I’d get a huge cheer right then! After all, I have just told Michael not only that we’ll go to the Discovery Place, but I’ve committed myself to a set date. I can’t postpone it beyond then without breaking my word (and I am very reluctant to do that).

But Michael is usually not very happy with an answer like that. “Yes” isn’t enough. “Next Thursday” isn’t enough. He wants to go NOW. And what that usually means is that for the next week, he keeps asking me over and over and over, “Dad, can we go to the Discovery Place? Can we go now?”

As I said, being a human father, this isn’t the most pleasant experience in the world for me. I can become a bit impatient… not that anyone else would know what I’m talking about, right? I’ve given my son an answer, I’ve given him the promise of a good gift, and I’ve given him a specific time when he can expect to receive it. Sometimes I wish he would just trust me and wait patiently.

A lot of the things we ask God for are things that He has said “Yes” to, also. Health. Wisdom. Character. Safety. And He has told us when we can expect to have them in their fullness—when Jesus comes back. Sometimes He gives us an early taste of them, too. But often, He asks us to wait.

Somehow, that doesn’t do much to satisfy our desires. We want those good gifts from God, and we want to experience them—fully—now. And so we ask, and we keep on asking. And we knock, and keep on knocking. And God keeps telling us, as we read His Word, “Yes, when Jesus comes back.” And we keep begging Him, “How about today? How about now?”

The really amazing thing to me is this: through Jesus, God encourages us to keep begging and asking. God is better with His children than I am with my son. He not only knows how to give good gifts, but God is patient and understanding toward His children’s repeated requests. He loves to hear them! He wants to have the opportunity to tell all of us—not just me, but you, too—to tell all of us a big, wonderful “Yes” over and over again. Through His “Yes,” God reminds us that He loves us. As He reminds us of His plan to fulfill every promise through Jesus, God thrills at the opportunity to fill our minds and hearts with His love again. And so He loves to hear us ask for His good gifts, not just once, but repeatedly. Every time we ask, we give Him another opportunity to joyfully remind us of His loving plans.

Note: I have obviously been less than consistent about posting devotional thoughts for a while now, so I’m not going to claim that I’ll be consistent for the next few months, or that the blog will be centered around a certain theme (it was supposed to deal with faith-stretching verses this year). I just hope that these thoughts are still an encouragement to you, whenever they come your way.

Let’s Stop the Resurrection

ALL – Psalm 34:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 9:7-8
OT – Exodus 35:10-36:38
NT – Matthew 27:32-66

People. What are we thinking? Sometimes our plans can be so…futile.

We think we’re smart. We think we’re tough. We think we can tackle anything, anyone. And then we find out we’ve bitten off more than we can chew. Like when the chief priests and Pharisees tried to prevent the Creator of the world from rising from the dead.

[T]he chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate, and told him, “Sir, that liar once said, ‘After three days I will come back to life again.’ So we request an order from you sealing the tomb until the third day, to prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he came back to life! If that happens we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” – Matthew 27:62-64

So, how’d that go for you guys?

People never learn. Even now, people are trying to deny, disprove, and overcome Jesus. How’s that going for you?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Our Sins Against God, Transparent to the World

ALL – Psalm 33:12-22
ALL – Proverbs 9:1-6
OT – Exodus 34:1-35:9
NT – Matthew 27:15-31

Have you ever really wanted something to go your way? And then you figured out a way to make it seem as though what you wanted was really in other people’s best interests? So you went out and got your way, and thought you made it look like it was for someone else and not for you?

Guess what. You may have fooled some people, but you didn’t fool everyone. Someone saw through you.

The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead. They thought that they could make it look like they were being good Roman citizens and get the Roman government to kill Him by accusing Jesus of being a traitor to the Roman empire, a rebel who was trying to become king. They succeeded in getting Jesus killed, but they didn’t succeed in fooling the Roman governor, Pilate. He knew exactly what was going on, and he didn’t like it.

As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning he asked them, “Which shall I release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus your Messiah?” For he knew very well that the Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy because of his popularity with the people. – Matthew 27:17-18

His wife called Jesus a good man, too.

Pilate’s wife sent him this message: “Leave that good man alone; for I had a terrible nightmare concerning him last night.” – Matthew 27:19

And when the crowd asked for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus, Pilate encouraged them to rethink their choice:

“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What has he done wrong?” – Matthew 27:23

Even as he caved to the crowd’s pressure, Pilate was trying to place the blame on them, knowing this was an injustice:

[H]e sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this good man. The responsibility is yours!” – Matthew 27:24

He’d seen through them. He knew they didn’t mind the responsibility for Jesus’ death. And they didn’t deny it:

“His blood be on us and on our children.” – Matthew 27:25

Secret sins aren’t so secret. We need to be real about our sins. Not proud of them. But real about them, and ready to see how sinful we are. We confess our sins rather than pretending to be good even as we go about our sinful ways. And in confessing our sins, we find that the very Jesus who went to the cross, the King of creation, is the Jesus who provides for our forgiveness. May we all find His grace and stop pretending to be doing good deeds as we sin.

What sins have you seen others committing while pretending to be good (please, no names or identifying details—just stories to show everyone how transparent we can be)?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Don’t Bring Your Sin to Me

ALL – Psalm 33:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 8:33-36
OT – Exodus 32:1-33:23
NT – Matthew 22:69-27:14

A smoker who’s trying to quit doesn’t get much help from smokers. An alcoholic who’s trying to quit doesn’t get much help from drinkers. An fornicator who’s trying to quit won’t get much sympathy from fornicators. Misery loves company. So does shame. So does sin.

Judas had betrayed Jesus and was filled with remorse when he realized what he’d done. He went back to the people who had paid him to hand Jesus over to them – the chief priests and other Jewish leaders.

“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“That’s your problem,” they retorted. – Matthew 27:4, The Living Bible

Are you struggling with temptations and sin? Go to people who will share your convictions for support. Go to people who will point you toward Jesus, toward the cross, toward the Spirit, toward righteousness and forgiveness and grace. Don’t do what Judas did and seek help from people who are proud of their sin.

Then he threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and went out and hanged himself. – Matthew 27:5, The Living Bible

Where do you turn when you recognize your sins? To Jesus and the people who are following Him—to those who can help to free you from the noose around your neck? Or to those who oppose Him—to those who will hand you a rope and let you die?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Jesus Christ Gave Himself for You

ALL – Psalm 31:19-24
ALL – Proverbs 8:14-26
OT – Exodus 29:1-30:10
NT – Matthew 26:14-46

I have three of the most wonderful kids in the world, and I would suffer just about anything to keep them safe, even (especially!) if they were putting their own lives in danger. But I’m not so gung-ho to protect adults who are risking their necks. They should know better! I believe I would try to help someone in real trouble, even if I didn’t know them. But I would be very careful to protect myself in the process. I think so, anyways.

Jesus came into a world full of people whose sins were leading them to the brink of death. People who should have known better—many of them, at least. And instead of protecting Himself, Jesus gave Himself to save us all, all who will trust in Him. Deliberately. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus was intent on saving us:

As they were eating, Jesus took a small loaf of bread and blessed it and broke it apart and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take it and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it and gave it to them and said, “Each one drink from it, for this is my blood, sealing the New Covenant. It is poured out to forgive the sins of multitudes. Mark my words—I will not drink this wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” – Matthew 26:26-29

He gave Himself to save sinners. You and I are sinners. Have you received His salvation yet? If not, please do. If so, please walk in Jesus’ salvation.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

A Servant Who’s Not Serving

ALL – Psalm 31:1-8
ALL – Proverbs 8:1-11
OT – Exodus 26:1-27:21
NT – Matthew 25:1-30

You remember that line from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast song, “Be Our Guest”? “Life is so unnerving for a servant who’s not serving…” It’s a good line, except that Lumiere painted poor Cogsworth as the unfaithful servant, when he was actually the one seeking to obey their master, the Beast. Servants are not just meant to serve everyone; they’re supposed to serve their own masters.

Jesus told a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven in which a man went away to another country, leaving three servants and giving each of them some money to invest for him while he was away. Now this was a really good master. He knew his servants well, and he did not give any of them more than they could handle.

Two of the servants did as their master told them. They invested the money and gained a return. They served him. For their faithful service, the master rewarded each of them with greater privileges and responsibilities.

But one of them did not obey. He did not invest the money at all, not even in an interest-paying bank account. He was too scared about what his master might think or do (Matthew 25:24-25).

The NIV concludes, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (Matthew 25:29).

This verse seems confusing. All three servants still had money to give to their master, even if the third one had only the original money. What does a person need to “have” to be given more? What is it that will make a person lose everything if he “doesn’t have” it?

The answer isn’t “money,” though you might possibly argue that at least “a gain” is necessary. But how do you measure gain in the spiritual realm of the Kingdom of Heaven? Not with money!

What did the first two servants have that the third servant didn’t have? They had faithful, responsible service. The monetary gain simply showed that they had been hard at work, serving as their master commanded them to do. Servants are meant to serve. And since this parable says that the master gave each servant a task that fit his abilities, we can assume that faithful service to our King Jesus will result in the kind of gain He desires. Jesus knows our capabilities and entrusts us with service we can do. It’s not up to us to compare our abilities to others. It’s not up to us to worry about whether our service will give Jesus the return He’s looking for. It’s up to us to serve. If we don’t…?

For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have an abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him. – Matthew 25:29, The Living Bible

Jesus’ faithful servants receive a reward. Servants who don’t serve lose everything. What’s holding you back?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Maybe Morning, Maybe Noon…

ALL – Psalm 30:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 7:24-27
OT – Exodus 23:14-25:40
NT – Matthew 24:29-51

Have you ever watched the road expectantly, waiting for a special relative or friend to come? I remember once, when I was in the second grade and attending boarding school, that I was looking forward to a visit from my mom. For some reason, I thought she was coming on Monday. My little eyes couldn’t stop watching the road that day, waiting for her to step out of a car and into my arms. I didn’t know when she would arrive, but I expected to see her sometime that day.

She didn’t come.

To make a long story short, she didn’t come until Wednesday (which had been the plan all along, but I had for some reason misunderstood). My heart was still hoping she would get there soon. I was still looking for her. So when I stepped out of my dorm for breakfast and she greeted me on the path, you can imagine what a happy second grade boy I was at that moment, wrapped in my mother’s joyful hug!

As Christians, we’re expecting a visit. We’re looking forward to seeing Jesus. And even though we know He’s coming, we don’t know exactly when. Jesus described what it would be like this way:

The world will be at ease—banquets and parties and weddings—just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the flood; people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen until the flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be. – Matthew 24:37-39, The Living Bible

Let’s keep our eyes on the skies as we go about the daily work our King has given us to do. Let’s be faithful, ready for our King!

How do you make sure to keep your focus on Jesus’ return?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

You’ll Know

ALL – Psalm 29:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 7:6-23
OT – Exodus 21:22-23:13
NT – Matthew 24:1-28

When people ask how they’ll know they’re marrying the right person, what to look for, all those things, the common response these days is simply, “You’ll know.” You’ll know you’re in love. You’ll know (s)he’s a match. You’ll know you want to be together forever. You’ll know. You’ll just have that feeling, you know?

It’s amazing how many people believe that they can pick a spouse out of a hat based on their feelings. Thousands of potential husbands and wives are out there, and rather than counseling young folks to choose spouses with character qualities they will appreciate for a lifetime, we tell them to choose a spouse that makes them “feel” good—whatever that means.

We kind of do the same thing with religion. We tell people they’ll know when they’re on the right path, but rather than giving them anything substantial to base their knowing on, we let them choose what feels best to them (not all of us, but in general, that’s what even our evangelical Christian culture does – just look at what’s offered in the Christian bookstores!). You enjoy Joel Osteen? Great! T. D. Jakes? Great! The Shack? Great! Whatever you like, whatever makes you feel like you’re following God, go for it! If you feel like you’re on the right path, then you must be!

How stupid can we be?

Jesus Christ is a real person. The true God. And there’s only one of Him. There’s only one Bible, only one Spirit, only one Father, only one Way, one Truth, one Life. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is actually pointing people to Jesus. So it’s ridiculous that we tell people to find Jesus in their own way. What feels right may be totally wrong. We can’t afford to be wrong. We need Jesus.

As Jesus’ return draws near, this feeling-based approach to encountering Him is setting people up for a big disappointment. We tend to drift wherever the most feelings are, wherever rumors tell us that Jesus is being experienced the most deeply. Jesus warns that people will do that very thing when they think He’s come back:

So if someone tells you the Messiah has returned and is out in the desert, don’t bother to go and look. Or, that he is hiding at a certain place, don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah, return. And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather. – Matthew 24:26-28, The Living Bible

Don’t just go where people feel like they’re experiencing Jesus. What they’ve really found is a carcass, and they’re gathering like vultures. Go to Jesus’ Word, to Jesus’ Spirit, to Jesus’ cross, to Jesus’ Father. The real Jesus isn’t a matter of feelings, but of reality. And when He comes again, His real coming will be really obvious. You’ll know He’s here… and it won’t be based in feelings. He’ll just be that obvious.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

First Things

ALL – Psalm 27:7-14
ALL – Proverbs 6:27-35
OT – Exodus 17:8-19:15
NT – Matthew 22:34-23:12

What is the first principle by which you live your life? No fear? Just do it? Carpe Diem? Many of us try to find a theme for our lives, a goal towards which we drive ourselves, by which we motivate ourselves, according to which we make our decisions and guide our actions. This We’ll Defend. Paratus et Potens. Above All. Semper Fideles. First Things are cohesive, clarifying, purposeful, powerful.

What is your all-important first principle, the First Thing in your life?

If you’re a Christian, the answer should be simple: Love God.

Jesus replied, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ ” – Matthew 22:37-39

So, brothers and sisters, how are we doing? Can we calibrate ourselves, by God’s grace, to the first principle Jesus taught us—and to the second, too?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Should Have Paid Attention

ALL – Psalm 27:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 6:20-26
OT – Exodus 15:19-17:7
NT – Matthew 22:1-33

Have you ever been around people who want so badly to be right that they ignore evidence, no matter how good it is? I suppose various evolutionists like Richard Dawkins would accuse me of ignoring solid evidence so that I can maintain my belief in God. But then, I would accuse them of the converse—they ignore solid evidence so that they can maintain their belief in evolution.

Anyways… Are we in agreement that sometimes people ignore evidence just to maintain their point of view?

That’s what the Sadducees were doing. They didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they made up a ridiculous (though possible) story to prove their belief that the resurrection was not a reality. The premise of their story was that, if there were a resurrection, people who were married in this life would automatically be married in the next life. A possibly valid assumption, I suppose, but a big assumption to base an argument on.

So in their story, a man gets married and dies without having children. In that culture, his brother would marry the widow and have children for him. So brother number 2 marries her. But then he dies without having kids. So brother number 3 marries her. And then 4, 5, 6 and 7. All of them die. Finally she dies. (Matthew 22:23-27).

At this point in the story, I’m personally just thinking, “That’s terrible, but what’s this have to do with anything?” Just wait for it—the punchline’s coming.

So whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For she was the wife of all seven of them! – Matthew 22:28, The Living Bible

Ahhhh, blindness. Deliberate ignorance. The bliss. The stupidity. It’s amazing.

Here’s Jesus’ response:

Your error is caused by your ignorance of the Scriptures and of God’s power! – Matthew 22:29, The Living Bible

Ignorance of the Scriptures. Ignorance of God’s power. The Sadducees had only been able to come up with this creative “proof” that the resurrection was a ridiculous concept because they had ignored God’s words in the Scriptures. They had assumed that marriage in this life meant marriage in the next and had ignored any teachings in God’s Word that pointed to the resurrection. Further, they had ignored God’s power. They had assumed that resurrection was too difficult a task for God, and perhaps that sorting out crazy situations like the one in their story was too difficult a task for God, too!

Listen. God is capable of doing whatever He says He’ll do. So it’s not up to us to try and figure out what God can and can’t do. We’re to respect His power enough to trust that He can do pretty much anything. And if we don’t ignore His power, then the only question left is, “What does God say He’ll do?” The answer to that question is found in the Scriptures—His Word. So we had better not ignore the Scriptures, either.

Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves making the same stupid kinds of arguments the Sadducees made—arguments that become irrelevant as soon as the Scriptures and God’s power are brought into the picture.

What teachings do you find hard to believe? And why? Could you be ignoring God’s power and Word?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

When God’s People Rebel

ALL – Psalm 26:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 6:16-19
OT – Exodus 13:17-15:18
NT – Matthew 21:23-46

The good news is wonderful! When we first learn that Jesus, the King and Creator of the world, would rather forgive and restore us than kill us for our sins, we’re ecstatic! We can’t praise and obey Him enough! But then as time goes on, the wonderful grace of Jesus becomes the familiar grace of Jesus. We enjoy so much of God’s grace over time that we sometimes forget how gracious it is. And as we grow familiar with Jesus’ grace, we begin to feel comfortable. And then we begin to desire comfort and to seek it out, because it’s so enjoyable. We begin to set aside the work God’s given us to do, which is not always comfortable. We become lazy in His service. And sometimes, we even get to the point where we rebel against any suggestions Jesus sends us via His Word and via His messengers that we ought to be working. We cling to our comfort and safety, forgetting that the safety and comfort we’ve been given is designed to give us the freedom to serve our King. We replace service with laziness and self-enjoyment, and we use Jesus’ grace as our excuse, attacking anyone who asks us to serve God wholeheartedly.

Jesus told a parable about when God’s people try to keep all of God’s blessings for themselves, rather than giving God the return He wants. In the parable, some farmers (God’s people) rent land, from which they are able to grow enough crops for themselves and for their landlord (God). But when the landlord sends servants (prophets, priests, pastors, apostles) to collect the landlord’s share of the crops, the farmers rebel. They abuse the servants, even killing some of them. The landlord tries again, with the same results. Finally, the landlord sends his own son (Jesus), hoping that the farmers will at least respect his son. But the farmers kill the landlord’s son, thinking that they will now be able to keep the land and all its blessings for themselves. In other words, God’s people rebel, seeking to use God’s grace (the land) only for their self-enjoyment and not for God. They try to take the kingdom away from the King.

The Jews listening to this story were horrified. When Jesus asked them what the landlord would do, they were quick to say:

He will put the wicked men to a horrible death, and lease the vineyard to others who will pay him promptly. – Matthew 21:41, The Living Bible

Jesus confirmed what they said. At that point, of course, He was talking about them. The Jews were not serving God. Instead, their leaders were trying to take control of the whole Jewish religion for their own benefit. And Jesus was warning them that God would punish their wickedness and give God’s kingdom to people who would “pay him promptly.”

But now we are the people of God—not only Jews, but also Gentiles, all who believe in Jesus Christ. We are the ones who are expected to “pay him promptly.” We should not become self-contented and self-satisfied, assuming that because we have received God’s grace we are spend His blessings only on ourselves. We are still called to serve Jesus with all our hearts, souls, minds, strength—to give God His portion of the crops. We would do well to err on the side of being over-generous toward God, rather than toward ourselves.

Why are we holding back? Why are we risking our destruction?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

January 30, 2010

ALL – Psalm 25:1-15
ALL – Proverbs 6:6-11
OT – Exodus 10:1-12:13
NT – Matthew 20:1-28

May God bless as you read. I ended up not having time to write anything today.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

The Hope

ALL – Psalm 24:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 6:1-5
OT – Exodus 8:1-9:35
NT – Matthew 19:13-30

Following Jesus costs. It sometimes hurts. Not because Jesus hurts us, but because people who reject Jesus hurt us. Families might disown us—parents, siblings, wives, children—any of them might walk away from us because they simply can’t live with people committed to following Jesus. We might lose homes or property (for instance, right now I don’t believe that, as a follower of Jesus, I would be in the right to sue a company that owes my wife a significant payment for her web design work for them—so that payment is probably lost). Following Jesus costs.

So what’s our hope? Why is the loss worthwhile?

And anyone who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me, shall receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal life. – Matthew 19:29, The Living Bible

Jesus made a promise. He’ll keep it. He’s our hope, and He’ll take care of us.

Perhaps you’re worried about a significant loss right now that you wouldn’t accept apart from the fact that you’re following Jesus. Could you share? Show us your hope.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Marriage is a Hard Commitment

I hope you remembered to check the reading chart yesterday. If not, that’s ok. Yesterday’s reading was:

ALL – Psalm 22:19-31
ALL – Proverbs 5:15-21
OT – Exodus 4:1-5:21
NT – Matthew 18:1-20

It was a wonderful reading. But if you weren’t able to read it, don’t feel obliged to “catch up.” Bible reading shouldn’t be a burden, but a joy! So, unless catching up IS your joy, feel free just to read along with me today:

ALL – Psalm 23:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 5:22-23
OT – Exodus 5:22-7:25
NT – Matthew 18:21-19:12

I was torn today, because this section of Matthew includes the parable of the unmerciful servant—one of my favorite parables teaching one of my favorite lessons. On the other hand, this section of Matthew’s gospel also deals with marriage and divorce, and I’m quickly finding out the reality of how deeply men and women in our church need to hear Jesus’ message here.

Before I start, let me say that I know that many marriages that end in divorce do so not because both partners wanted a divorce, but because one partner wanted a divorce. There may be blame to share (oftentimes) in terms of the reality that marriage among Christians involves two sinners saved by grace coming together under Christ, each one working to obey Him and yet sometimes failing. Neither spouse is exempt from the charge, “You sinned against me and hurt me.” Not entirely. But the responsibility for divorce often lies in the lap of just one spouse—the one who chooses to stop forgiving the other spouse’s sin and “can’t put up with it anymore!” And to see that forgiveness is a responsibility, please be sure to read the parable of the unmerciful servant in today’s reading.

With that said, let’s turn to the question of marriage. In response to the Pharisees’ question about whether Jesus permitted divorce, He said:

Don’t you read the Scriptures? In them it is written that at the beginning God created man and woman and that a man should leave his father and mother, and be forever united to his wife. The two shall become one—no longer two, but one! And no man may divorce what God has joined together. – Matthew 19:4-6, The Living Bible

Marriage is a lifetime commitment. Period. Did your spouse hurt you? Every couple since Adam and Eve has sinned against each other. Believe it or not, no matter how badly you’ve been hurt, you share a common experience with millions of other people throughout the course of history. But Jesus says that “no man may divorce what God has joined together.”

The Pharisees, of course, thought they had some justification for divorce in the law of Moses (which God had given—it wasn’t just Moses’ thoughts, as Jesus Himself would agree). Moses permitted divorce. But Jesus responds:

Moses did that in recognition of your hard and evil hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. – Matthew 19:8, The Living Bible

So even in the law of Moses, divorce is not a good thing. It’s a recognition of rebellious, sinful hearts. Jesus went on to say:

And I tell you this, that anyone who divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. – Matthew 19:9, The Living Bible

So not only is divorce utterly wrong, but divorce and remarriage to another is wrong. Jesus calls it adultery! Adultery! Legalized adultery, made “ok” by a certificate, but utterly wrong in God’s eyes. The only instance in which remarriage following divorce is not considered adultery is when divorce follows a spouse’s adultery.

Even Jesus’ disciples couldn’t swallow this one:

If that is how it is, it is better not to marry! – Matthew 19:10, The Living Bible

I hope those of you who are married are listening, but at this point I hope even more that those who are NOT married are listening—not to me, but to Jesus’ disciples. When they heard Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, it scared them. It made them reconsider the whole question of whether they even wanted to be married or not. Under the laws and customs of the day (like in our own day), marriage was a “safe” risk. If it “didn’t work out,” you could just get a divorce. So sure, why not marry? Right?

But according to what Jesus taught, marriage is NOT a “safe” risk. It is a dangerous, lifelong commitment. It is a pledge to stay faithful to a spouse no matter how much it hurts—and when you hear “no matter how much it hurts,” that means NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOUR SPOUSE HURTS YOU. Don’t get me wrong. It is not a license for spousal abuse, a license to hurt one another as much as we feel like because no one’s allowed to get a divorce anyway. But the fact of the matter is, marriage is a commitment. It is often a tough commitment. And Jesus’ command concerning marriage is God’s intention from the beginning: “No man may divorce what God has joined together.”

I’ll close by saying again that not everyone who has experienced divorce has disobeyed God, because many who have been divorced were divorced against their will as they worked to stay faithful to their spouses in obedience to Jesus. Not everyone who is divorced is guilty of the sin of divorce.

But marriage is a hard, lifelong commitment. Do not enter into it lightly or thinking that divorce is a ticket to freedom whenever you need out. Divorce is not a ticket to freedom, but to slavery to sin. Avoid it like the plague.

Responses?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

When Elijah Comes!

ALL – Psalm 22:1-18
ALL – Proverbs 5:7-14
OT – Exodus 2:11-3:22
NT – Matthew 17:10-27

Expectations exceed reality. Often.

The Jewish leaders were teaching that Elijah had to return before the Messiah was coming. If you know anything about Elijah, he was an amazing prophet and man of God, a man of wonderful character who boldly proclaimed that God was in charge and would hold even kings accountable. To the Jews and their teachers, the vision of Elijah’s return must have been mouth-watering. To have a man of Elijah’s stature appear, to see the miracles he did, to watch him boldly confront their Roman oppressors, protected by God’s own hand, would be glorious! They had high expectations.

But the disciples were following Jesus, and they couldn’t remember having seen Elijah. Which was a bit confusing considering that Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah. So they decided to ask Jesus about the idea that Elijah would come before the Messiah. And Jesus said:

They are right. Elijah must come and set everything in order. And, in fact, he has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and was badly mistreated by many. And I, the Messiah, shall also suffer at their hands. – Matthew 17:11-12, The Living Bible

The disciples heard clearly:

Then the disciples realized he was speaking of John the Baptist. – Matthew 17:13

John the Baptist carried on Elijah’s ministry, boldly confronting sin. He confronted Romans, but he also confronted Jews, even Jewish leaders. That’s probably why they didn’t recognize him. Their imaginations had constructed a glorious Elijah who would be on their side rather than opposing them. John the Baptist didn’t fit those expectations. And as Jesus said, he “was badly mistreated by many.”

His mistreatment demonstrated the kind of reception Jesus the Messiah would receive, too. “I, the Messiah, shall also suffer at their hands.” And it helps us today to set better expectations for our walk with Jesus. The world’s not going to run up and pat us on the back. They won’t see anything special in us. They’ll mock us for trusting in a man who lived and died 2000 years ago, they’ll mock our claim that He has any power today, and they’ll ignore us or mistreat us fairly frequently. True religion is not about having everything go our way. True religion is about going Jesus’ way, even if it doesn’t feel so good.

So let’s follow Him together.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Ignore the Plants

ALL – Psalm 19:1-14
ALL – Proverbs 4:14-19
OT – Genesis 46:1-47:31
NT – Matthew 15:1-28

Some people like offending others.

I don’t. I hate offending people. I feel awful. I see myself as a people pleaser. The only reason I’m not purely a people pleaser is that I sometimes feel like it’s necessary to confront people with God’s lovingly-intended truth. Even then I sometimes am tempted to worry about what people will think of me. And all because I hate to offend people.

Especially religious people. Especially Christian religious people who work really hard to do what’s right and seem to have a good grasp of the truths of the Scriptures. But sometimes I find that a seemingly respectable member of the Christian faith constantly turns the Scriptures into rules that aren’t really there. I don’t know why something feels off at first—usually, anyways. But eventually a time comes along when this person’s rules clearly clash with the Scripture’s commands. And even if I say so in the most inoffensive way I know, I take the risk of offending another person, whether I like it or not.

The goal should never be to offend, just to be clear. The goal, ideally, is to guide everyone via the truth to faith in Christ Jesus and in His Father. But sometimes the truth is offensive, especially to people who have made a lifestyle of portraying their opinions as truth (and yes, I’m aware of the danger that I could be and probably am sometimes one of those people).

Jesus spoke the truth. And sometimes it offended people. One time His disciples approached Him, concerned about how He had offended the Pharisees by confronting their neglect of God’s commands. What did Jesus think about offending people who were spreading falsehoods and not obeying the truth?

Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my Father shall be rooted up, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and both will fall into a ditch.” – Matthew 15:13-14, The Living Bible

Wow. Ignore them. Jesus didn’t seem to be too concerned. This is the Jesus who never sinned, the Jesus whose self-sacrifice provides the model for love, whose impromptu foot-washing ceremony provides the model for service. This is the Jesus who claims to be “gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). You would think that Jesus would be at least somewhat concerned about offending the Pharisees.

But He wasn’t.

Jesus was concerned with leading people to His Father. The Pharisees were just concerned with leading people. And Jesus could see from their teachings and behaviors that His Father had not planted them. They were denying the truth with both their words and their actions, promoting their own words and actions as truth instead. Jesus spoke the truth unapologetically, and He let the chips fall where they may. His Father would deal with the Pharisees at the appropriate time.

May we people-pleasing people follow Jesus’ example. May we first make sure that we know the truth, listening intently and obeying constantly. But when we know the truth, may we learn to speak it unapologetically, even if it offends. The offended persons may never change, but perhaps we can lead others away from their falsehoods.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Provided

ALL – Psalm 18:37-50
ALL – Proverbs 4:11-13
OT – Genesis 44:1-45:28
NT – Matthew 14:13-36

Have you ever been in debt? You look at the $5 bill in your wallet, knowing that your debt is so much more, and you kind of wish you could just multiply your money and pay the whole thing off. And then your mind starts to wander as you daydream about what kinds of things you could provide for your wife and kids if you had the ability to multiply money. It’s a nice dream. But at the end of it, you come back to reality remembering that you’re not a super-human money-multiplier, that you’re limited, that sometimes needs are greater than your ability to meet them.

Jesus, on the other hand. . . Jesus can provide exactly what is needed at a moment’s notice. Jesus is God. Jesus has authority over the whole creation. If He wants to meet a need, He meets it.

Then he told the people to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and two fish, looked up into the sky and asked God’s blessing on the meal, then broke the loaves apart and gave them to the disciples to place before the people. And everyone ate until full! And when the scraps were picked up afterwards, there were twelve basketfuls left over! (About 5,000 men were in the crowd that day, besides all the women and children.) – Matthew 14:19-21, The Living Bible

We men like to be good providers. But no one can provide like Jesus. No one else is God. Creation obeys no one else. Things that aren’t become things that are, just because Jesus tells them to. Too Little becomes Too Much. Hunger becomes Satisfied. Empty becomes Full. Exhausted becomes Invigorated. Discouraged becomes Bold. Poor becomes Rich. Weak becomes Strong. Dead becomes Living. Sinner becomes Saint. What we need, Jesus provides. As men who like to see others provided for, our wisest work is to introduce people to Jesus. Then we, the limited, can sit back and joyfully watch our God meet people’s needs.

What has Jesus provided for you?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Honor Your Prophets

ALL – Psalm 18:16-36
ALL – Proverbs 4:7-10
OT – Genesis 42:18-43:34
NT – Matthew 13:47-14:12

Familiarity breeds contempt, right? It certainly did for Jesus:

When Jesus had finished giving these illustrations, he returned to his hometown, Nazareth in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue and astonished everyone with his wisdom and his miracles.

“How is this possible?” the people exclaimed. “He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary his mother and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. And his sisters—they all live here. How can he be so great?” And they became angry with him.

Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own country, and among his own people.” – Matthew 13:53-57, The Living Bible

How often in our churches across the country do we look at the elders who have matured within our churches as second-class elders, but look at those who matured in other communities with special respect? We often hire pastors we don’t know (yes, I’m included), and set them in positions of authority and honor above men older, wiser, godlier, and more mature than they are. Even as Christians, we often perceive those from our own communities as “common” and those from outside as “special.”

As one of these outsider-pastors, I’d like to take a moment to urge Christians across the country and across the world to honor their home-town elders. These men are just as wonderful and godly and honorable as the men like me who are brought in from outside your communities to serve Christ. Some of you honor such men more than outsiders, because you’ve seen Christ grow and transform them over the years, and you know His hand is on them. But some of you honor such men less than outsiders because you feel familiar with them and, like the town of Nazareth, you’re offended that someone you know so well would be honored so highly. As Christians, let’s stop taking offense at our elders who serve Jesus Christ so faithfully. Instead, let’s be encouraged that Jesus Christ can take people just like us and turn us into His useful, honorable prophets. Let’s respect our home-grown church leaders.

Describe one of your home-town church leaders, someone you admire, respect and trust.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.