Lion Taming Faith

ALL – Psalm 118:1-18
ALL – Proverbs 28:2
OT – Ezekiel 39:1-40:27
NT – James 2:18-3:18

Interesting passage for the day: Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. – James 2:8, The Living Bible

Thought: What is belief? Our relationship with Jesus depends on it, so we had better understand a little bit about what it means, right?

Is belief something we do when there’s a story we know is totally false, but we want to have a little fun and play make believe?

Is belief a choice we make about which God we think will take the best care of us and serve our interests the best?

Is belief a set of religious principles we believe are true, a religious formula that will always keep us safe just like the mathematical formula 2 + 2 will always give us the answer we expect?

Is belief something that we can contain in a book or a paper, an official statement that lists the core truths of the universe, but that is only meant to be discovered and doesn’t require any change in our lives? Is belief about a list of principles that govern our lives whether we know it or not, like the fact that the earth revolves around the sun and the moon around the earth?

Not according to James. James doesn’t deny that truth exists, and that it is important to acknowledge and know the truth. What James denies, though, is that believing the truth is a passive activity. Belief doesn’t sit in a recliner looking up at a plaque of creeds on the wall. Belief depends on the truth enough to risk everything on it, like a skydiver depending on a parachute. Belief submits to the truth, like a lion tamer submits to the principles that keep the lions from ripping him to shreds. Belief obeys the call and command of the truth. Belief follows the truth. As Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Belief goes wherever truth leads, because belief can find life nowhere else.

Anything less is not really belief.

Question: How much do you need your beliefs? If what you claim you believe were suddenly proved entirely false, would your life be changed at all, or would it continue pretty much as it is right now?

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

Clean for a Day

ALL – Psalm 119:113-128
ALL – Proverbs 28:19-20
OT – Daniel 5:1-31
NT – 2 Peter 2:1-22

Interesting passage for the day: There is an old saying that “A dog comes back to what he has vomited, and a pig is washed only to come back and wallow in the mud again.” That is the way it is with those who turn again to their sin. – 2 Peter 2:22, The Living Bible

Thought: Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth. God became man, and He lived a blameless, sinless life among us. In His time, He gave His life on the cross. His blood sprinkled those who trust in Him, making them holy and cleansing them from sin. Because Jesus died and paid for our sin, we are free to live. We can say no to sin. We can live by His Spirit and walk in His righteousness.

That is the good news. And yet some schemers try to take advantage of Jesus. They think that Jesus just died to save us. Since we aren’t saved by being good, He can’t possibly expect us to be good, can He? We might as well just get saved, live a lazy or even rebellious spiritual life until Jesus comes back, and then everything will be great. Right? We’ll go on sinning for now, because Jesus died for our sins already—right? Isn’t that how it works?

Absolutely not! Peter tells us that Jesus saved us so that we can be holy and pure rather than sinful. Those who claim to be saved but who don’t take the time to be “doers of the Word” and not just hearers—who know what Jesus taught but won’t do what Jesus said—are like dogs and pigs. They go back to their filth and sin. They remain unchanged by Jesus. Their salvation was only skin-deep, and in their hearts and spirits they held on to their sinful nature.

Jesus is not just here to save us from hell. He came to make us citizens of heaven. Those who refuse His offer have only one place left to go: back to the very hell they thought they had escaped. If you’re not walking with Jesus today, then you’re not walking with Jesus at all. Don’t be fooled because the refreshing waters of His Word and Spirit made you feel all cleaned up one day years ago. Even a pig can be clean for a day.

Question: Are you clean today? Are you walking with Jesus? Do you love Him enough to do what He wants? Or do you see Jesus as enabling you to do what you want?

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

Which Came First? Unbelief or Rebellion?

ALL – Psalm 84:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 25:15
OT – Jeremiah 23:21-25:38
NT – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

Interesting passage for the day: He will completely fool those who are on their way to hell because they have said “no” to the Truth; they have refused to believe it and love it, and let it save them, so God will allow them to believe lies with all their hearts… – 2 Thess. 2:10-11, The Living Bible

Thought: We like to think we’re pretty decent people, not rebels-at-heart. God wants to bust that myth. So here’s an issue of myth-busters for us:

Myth: We disobey God because we don’t know any better and haven’t been given a chance to believe Him.

Truth: The reason we disobey God is not that we don’t believe God; the reason we don’t believe God is that we disobey God and rebel against Him.

At least, that’s what this passage teaches. A deceiver is coming who will fool a bunch of people. But what people will he fool? He will fool people who are “on their way to hell because they have said ‘no’ to the Truth.” They heard the Truth, but they rejected it. They “refused to believe it and love it.”

Do you see? The problem people have with the Truth is not that they can’t understand it. It’s not even that they can’t believe it. It’s that they don’t want it. They rebel against it. They refuse it and reject it and hate it.

The result of this willful rebellion against the Truth? “God will allow them to believe lies with all their hearts.” Deception. Deception is made complete as God permits them to believe the lies they themselves have chosen to prefer over His Truth. The rebellion comes first, and then the unbelief.

Isn’t that how it was with Eve, when you really think about it? She HAD the truth. God had made it plain to her that she was free to eat from every tree except one. When the serpent questioned her on the limitations God had set up, she made it clear that she knew exactly which tree was off limits. And then the serpent lied to her. At that point she had a choice to make between obeying God’s instructions and following the serpent’s suggestion. How did she make her choice? “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Gen. 3:6, NIV). She chose to go with her desires and the serpent’s lie rather than to trust God’s words. She had believed God up to that point, but then she rejected His words and rebelled against them. Before she could believe Satan’s deception, she had to willfully reject God’s Truth. Rebellion came first in her heart, then unbelief and outward disobedience.

Every human being on earth is the same. We have all rejected God’s Truth before falling into disbelief. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20, NIV).

What came first? The disbelief or the rebellion? The answer is clear: the rebellion. In my heart and yours. The gospel is God’s power for saving those who believe—who stop rebelling and instead bow humbly before His Truth. As a former rebel, I beg everyone out there to stop choosing to be fooled by deceivers and instead to submit to God’s Truth. Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins. You know the Truth. Why reject it?

Question: If you reject the Truth, I would be interested in knowing why you want to reject it. What is it that you want to have or to do that you think you would lose if you believed and submitted to God’s Word?

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

How'd That Grow?

ALL – Psalm 65:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 23:24-25
OT – Isaiah 37:1-38:22
NT – Galatians 6:1-18

Interesting passage for the day: Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows. – Galatians 6:7, The Living Bible

Thought: I can never read this verse without examining my life. Can you? I can’t imagine coming across this verse and patting myself on the back to tell myself, “You should be good to go!” Even at my best, I fail. I fall short. Even when I’m sowing mostly the kinds of crops I want, I’m bound to be sowing something I don’t want, too.

On the other hand, we walk by the grace of God. So what I hear this verse saying is not that God’s going to surprise us one day with a bad crop of stuff we didn’t even know we were sowing. Instead, it’s a call to trust in Jesus’ cross and walk by His Spirit and rest in His loving grace toward us. It’s a call to hold nothing back from Jesus—not knowingly. It’s a call to humility and confession and repentance and obedience at the foot of the cross.

Question: Are you holding back anything from Jesus today—anything that you know of? Sow seeds of repentance and faithfulness rather than rebellion and waywardness.

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

Command: Share Good News

ALL – Psalm 26:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 20:19
OT – 2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33
NT – Romans 16:8-27

Interesting passage for the day: This is God’s plan of salvation for you Gentles, kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as God commands, this message is being preached everywhere, so that people all around the world will have faith in Christ and obey him. – Romans 16:25b-26, The Living Bible

Thought: Salvation is God’s idea. When a natural disaster strikes and tons of lives perish, and thousands of people are left homeless and without access to clean water or food, those people can’t really save themselves. It takes someone who is already safe and who has the resources to save others – this person has to initiate a Search and Rescue Mission.

That’s what God has done. All of us have been struck by the natural disaster of our own sins and their consequences. But God had the idea to save us. He’s implemented His plan, called the gospel—the Good News. And it is God’s command that those who have the Good News make sure it keeps spreading to others, so that they can be saved, too.

Question: Some people are really gifted at spreading the good news. But while some will spread the Good News more successfully than others, we all have some way to obey God’s command. Even if it seems small, what can you do to spread God’s Good News?

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

Knowledge Puffs Up

ALL – Psalm 10:16-18
ALL – Proverbs 19:8-9
OT – 1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17
NT – Romans 2:1-23

Interesting passage for the day: You are so proud of knowing God’s laws, but you dishonor him by breaking them. – Romans 2:23, The Living Bible

Thought: This was originally written to Jews. But Christianity has now been around for 2,000 years, so now even Gentiles with a Christian heritage tend to know God’s laws, and to know them very well. We get to be very content with thinking of ourselves as Christians who know God and who know how to please Him, but we often grow complacent about following Christ.

God is not pleased when we claim to be His people and to know how to please Him, but then refuse to obey Him. God wants us to say no to our temptations instead of making excuses for how often we cave in and sin. God asks us to exercise self-control—one of the fruits of the Spirit. He is not happy with our lackadaisical shrugs, with us saying, “I’m only human.” God has given us His Holy Spirit, and we are now capable of obeying. Perhaps we’re not capable of perfection, but we’re certainly capable of much more zealous and fervent obedience to God than most of us display.

Question: How much of God’s Word have you heard? How much are you obeying what you’ve heard? Why is there a difference?

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

Know God’s Will by Doing God’s Will

ALL – Psalm 108:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 15:4
OT – 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23
NT – John 7:1-30

Interesting passage for the day: If any of you really determines to do God’s will, then you will certainly know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. – John 7:17, The Living Bible

Thought: We like to think we’re pretty smart. We can figure things out. We are pretty sure we can even use our intellect to figure out what God’s will is. Now don’t get me wrong—intellect is involved. We can definitely use our brains as we hear people make claims about what God’s will is. But we cannot confirm what God’s will is merely by thinking and reasoning. God sent Jesus to teach us His will, and Jesus taught us God’s will so that we can live by it. Until we live out what we’ve been taught, we haven’t really “discovered” God’s will. We’ve just talked about it. It’s like the difference between doing accounting in a classroom and in a business. In the classroom, it only affects a grade; in a business, you’re living and benefiting from what you’ve been taught. Let’s not be classroom disciples. Let’s get down to business, doing the will of God as Jesus teaches us.

Question: Is there any decision you’re trying to make, but you’re not sure what God’s will is? What are the options? Why do you think they might be God’s will? What’s keeping you from choosing one of the options and getting down to business?

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

Trust That’s Real

ALL – Psalm 105:16-36
ALL – Proverbs 14:26-27
OT – Ruth 2:1-4:22
NT – John 4:43-54

Interesting passage for the day: Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son is healed!” And the man believed Jesus and started home. – John 4:50, The Living Bible

Thought: If my son was dying, I wouldn’t rest until the doctor had seen him. I wouldn’t be satisfied until my son had been treated, until his condition had stabilized, until I could see that the doctor actually was saving his life. The story of this man is amazing! He left his son at home and went to call for Jesus’ help. And when Jesus didn’t say, “Sure, I’m on my way,” this man didn’t complain. When Jesus said, “Go back home. Your son is healed,” this man didn’t question Him. This man believed Jesus. And how do we know that he believed Jesus? He simply went back home. He obeyed, even though he had not yet seen the truth of Jesus’ words. He believed Jesus was trustworthy, and he obeyed.

Question: How quickly do we obey Jesus? How often do we procrastinate until we’ve made sure we’ll be taken care of, rather than just trusting Him?

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

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Live Victoriously by Faith

The message, preached on April 11th, 2010, covered 1 John 5:1-12, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Faith in God through Jesus Christ is the heart of true religion. We must depend on God’s testimony by faith, obey our King by faith, and ultimately receive victorious life—both now and forever—by faith, and only by faith. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.

Mother Mary vs. You and Me

ALL – Psalm 77:1-20
ALL – Proverbs 12:18
OT – Deuteronomy 28:1-68
NT – Luke 11:14-36

Have you ever wondered how much of a blessing it would have been to be Jesus’ mother Mary, or perhaps to be Joseph, her husband? Were they such special people that they deserved this honor more than all others? Should we give them special respect, special attention, special awe? Where do you and I stand in God’s sight, compared to Mary?

As [Jesus] was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came and the breasts that gave you suck!” He replied, “Yes, but even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.” – Luke 11:27-28, The Living Bible

Make no mistake. Mary was blessed to be Jesus’ mother. Joseph was blessed to be called His father. But there is a blessing far greater than the blessing of being Jesus’ parents, and the blessing is available to you and me. It is a blessing which God bestows on all who not only hear His Word, but also put it into practice.

What’s keeping you from pursuing the blessing of God today?

Please find the rest of this week's readings below. To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

April 6, 2010

ALL – Psalm 78:1-31
ALL – Proverbs 12:19-20
OT – Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20
NT – Luke 11:37-12:7

April 7, 2010

ALL – Psalm 78:32-55
ALL – Proverbs 12:21-23
OT – Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27
NT – Luke 12:8-34

April 8, 2010

ALL – Psalm 78:56-64
ALL – Proverbs 12:24
OT – Deuteronomy 32:28-52
NT – Luke 12:35-59

April 9, 2010

ALL – Psalm 78:65-72
ALL – Proverbs 12:25
OT – Deuteronomy 33:1-29
NT – Luke 13:1-21

April 10, 2010

ALL – Psalm 79:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 12:26
OT – Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24
NT – Luke 13:22-14:6

April 11, 2010

ALL – Psalm 80:1-19
ALL – Proverbs 12:27-28
OT – Joshua 3:1-4:24
NT – Luke 14:7-35

Even Jesus Scared His Parents

ALL – Psalm 60:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 11:15
OT – Numbers 26:1-51
NT – Luke 2:36-52

Boys will be boys. But usually we don’t think of Jesus that way. We don’t think of Him as the kind of boy who could upset His parents at all. We like to think that He was so aware of His parents’ desires and worries that He took care to never ever upset them—and that He succeeded. But even Jesus scared His parents. At least once.

They had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover, and afterwards they were traveling home in a large caravan of people. Mary and Joseph didn’t know where their twelve year old Jesus was, but they assumed that He was with other boys in the caravan. Oops! Bad assumption, it turned out. After realizing Jesus was missing and searching for Him about three days, they finally found Him in the temple.

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son!” his mother said to him. Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” – Luke 2:48, The Living Bible

They were scared. Jesus had done something they didn’t expect. Not rudely. Not inconsiderately. Jesus’ response to this question indicates that He simply assumed they would know where He wanted to be: in the temple. So Jesus wasn’t inconsiderate. But somewhere along the way, Jesus’ choice and His parents’ expectations didn’t quite meet, and Jesus scared His parents by going missing for three days.

The passage concludes:

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them; and his mother stored away all these things in her heart. – Luke 2:51, The Living Bible

Jesus may have been surprised that His parents were frantic and uncertain of where He was, but that didn’t make Him argumentative or disrespectful. He obeyed Mary and Joseph and honored them rather than mocking or ridiculing them for not understanding His way of thinking. Such an obedient—sinlessly obedient—son. And yet even Jesus scared His parents.

I wonder sometimes if we parents set our expectations too high, and it’s more our fault that we get scared than our kids’ faults. We need to teach our kids to be obedient, but to expect them never to surprise us, even by accident? That’s asking a lot.

It’s worth asking the question, “How might I be expecting too much of my kids?” Father, help me to be an understanding father, and Christy to be an understanding mother. And please, keep our kids from scaring us too badly…even if they’re doing good things.

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

Hardness

ALL – Psalm 37:12-29
ALL – Proverbs 10:5
OT – Leviticus 7:28-9:6
NT – Mark 3:31-4:25

Growing up, I lived in an area where there weren’t many sidewalks, but everyone walked. If they walked across a field, for a while they would be going through fairly tall grass. But over time, as people used the same pathway repeatedly, something happened. The grass under their feet bruised and began to wilt. As it died, the ground under their feet grew harder and harder. Eventually, despite that ground being surrounded by field plants of every kind, despite seeds falling on the pathway frequently, seeds could not take root in that pathway. It was too hard.

The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message; Satan comes at once to make them try to forget it. – Mark 4:15, The Living Bible

God’s Word is like a seed. It is intended to produce growth and fruit in our lives. But some of us have developed habits of sinfulness. We justify our sins; whether the sins stay in our hearts, barely leak out our lips, or burst through our behaviors, we justify them and keep on sinning. We walk the path of sin day after day, and we harden our hearts to the fruitful influence of God’s Word. We leave ourselves barren, devoid of obedience, righteousness and peace.

Don’t get used to disobeying God. Don’t get used to turning off the voice of the conscience He’s given you, or your heart will be hardened even to the voice of God. As you hear His voice, don’t just think about it: obey!

What sin has God brought to mind as you read this? Don’t delay. Respond immediately with faith, repentance and obedience. Don’t harden your heart today.

How can we help one another keep our hearts tilled and soft to God’s Word?

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.

“Fruit” Means Obedience, Not Exploits

ALL – Psalm 9:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 2:16-22
OT – Genesis 20:1-22:24
NT – Matthew 7:15-29

Some of the most frightening passages in the Scriptures are those where Jesus describes the kind of people who will NOT be allowed into the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because Jesus talks about people who have an appearance of righteousness—and I have to agree, they appear to be righteous. They appear to be on Jesus’ team. And then it’s easy to begin to wonder, “How can I tell the difference between those who appear to be on Jesus’ team and those who actually are?” And the next question is, “How can I tell whether I merely appear to be on Jesus’ team or whether I actually am?” Scary thoughts. The questions are sobering, frightening and disconcerting because we, so often, judge merely by appearances. We’ve lost the ability to discern between those who are truly Jesus’ followers and those who merely appear to be.

But Jesus tried to help us. He gave us instructions designed to lead us into understanding. And He told us, By their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:16, NIV).

So what fruit are we looking for?

Not ministry exploits, that’s for sure:

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ – Matthew 7:21-23, NIV

Never assume that anyone—no matter how respected, no matter how much of a leader, no matter how famous, no matter how great a Bible teacher, no matter how successful he is in ministry exploits—is a follower of Jesus Christ. Ministry exploits are not the fruit Jesus is after.

So what’s Jesus after? What fruit does he want us to discern?

The simple, humble fruit of daily obedience:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. – Matthew 7:24, NIV

This talk about fruit came at the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He’d urged men and women to accept pain and persecution for His sake (Matt. 5:3-12), to do good deeds for the Father’s praise (5:13-16), to practice and teach God’s commands (5:17-20), to make peace rather than to be angry (5:21-26), to avoid lust (5:27-30) and divorce (5:31-32), to live a life of truth (5:33-37), to focus on doing good even above getting justice (5:38-42), to love enemies as friends (5:43-48), to give and pray and forgive and fast with the Father in mind (6:1-18), to serve God rather than money (6:19-24), to trust God with earthly needs (6:25-34), to judge themselves instead of others (7:1-6), to ask God for good gifts (7:7-12), and to find and follow the narrow road (7:13-14). Only after all these commands and directions did Jesus begin to describe how to discern between good fruit and bad, good teachers and bad.

How many of the commands Jesus gave in His Sermon on the Mount are commands that cannot be faithfully pursued by every single disciple? How many of them are exclusive to ministers and professionals?

Jesus did not condemn teachers who called Him ‘Lord.” He did not condemn men and women who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles in His name. These are all aspects of valid ministry.

But great ministry exploits are not the marks of great teachers and ministers. False teachers may well do great ministry exploits. The fruit of a good minister is the same as the fruit of any other disciple of Jesus Christ: the simple, humble, enduring fruit of daily obedience.

Father, may I and all your people produce this fruit in abundance!

Can anyone share an example of such a fruitful, faithful man or woman of God? Someone whose life may or may not have been filled with great ministry exploits, but whose life was certainly filled with consistent and faithful obedience to Jesus Christ?

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

Re-Friending

ALL – Psalm 5:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 1:24-28
OT – Genesis 11:1-13:4
NT – Matthew 5:1-26

You used to get along. But then something happened. You know your friend was offended, but you were offended, too. Neither one wanted to be the first one to apologize; both of you felt that the other had sinned more. The relationship has never been the same.

Jesus has something to say about that:

So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar and go and apologize and be reconciled to him, and then come and offer your sacrifice to God. – Matthew 5:23-24, The Living Bible

Your relationships with others are more important than completing “official” acts of worship! Wow! I mean, it’s not as though sacrifice is unimportant. So that must mean that reconciling with a friend is so important to God that we can’t worship without at least making the attempt. In fact, re-friending people matters so much to Jesus that it might even be considered a part of our worship.

Consider these verses:

“When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. . . . Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.” – 1 Cor. 11:20-21, NIV

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” – 1 John 4:20-21, NIV

These verses both talk about people claiming to love God, seeming to worship God. Yet as they go about their version of loving God, their version of eating the Lord’s Supper, they show a complete lack of concern for others.

As Saul learned the hard way so long ago,
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” – 1 Sam. 15:22, NIV

Are you obeying God by re-friending people you don’t get along with? If not, you might not be as close to God as you think you are. So, what’s the next step for you?

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