Faith produces Joy
(NRSV) 1 Pet 1:8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Faith, joy, salvation—themes found regularly throughout the Scriptures, particularly the News Testament. The Apostle Peter included these ideas in his letters to the new Christians scattered across Asia due to persecution. Peter, one of Jesus’ inner circle, sought to encourage people without a leader and without a church.
We know more about Peter than any other apostle. He was brash, impulsive, brave yet could give in to fear. Pater had the faith to declare Jesus the Messiah yet denied even knowing Him when it counted the most. He had the faith to jump out of the boat when Jesus beckoned him but began to sink in the stormy waters when he looked at the problem instead of the solution.
Peter had experienced the highs and lows of fellowship with Jesus. He walked with, ate with, learned kingdom living from the very Son of God. Yet, when he failed Jesus he failed spectacularly. But Jesus not only forgave Peter, He welcomed him back, restoring Peter’s faith and his joy.
If you know anyone who believes they have gone too far to ever receive forgiveness, remind them of Peter. Or tell them your own story. We each have been saved out of sin. Take the name of Jesus with you and share Him with all you meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Living is Christ, and Dying is Gain
(NRSV) Phil 1:12 I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14 and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.
15 Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. 16 These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.
20 It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
Would that we each had the heart of Paul! Several things leap out at me from this Scripture, all serving to convict me of sin in my own life. When I entered the clergy, I admit to being naïve. Knowing the call by God upon my own life, I believed all preachers had the same call. But Paul makes it clear that the motive of some who declared the gospel did so with impure hearts. Yet, he praised God anyway that the gospel message was being spread. I was not that gracious.
One young man, while slouched in his chair during a conference meeting of around thirty-five pastors, told us if we would just listen to the Holy Spirit “it” was doing a new thing. In front of everyone, I said “Sweetheart, I’ve been listening to the Holy Spirit longer than you have been alive and He will never do anything that contradicts the Bible.”
I was immediately contrite. I found the young man after the meeting and asked his forgiveness, not for what I said but the manner in which I spoke and for embarrassing him in front of our fellow pastors. He was much more gracious to me than I had been to him for which I am thankful.
My primary point is that Paul was able to have joy despite his shackles, despite the abuse he suffered, and despite his belief that others preaching Christ crucified and resurrected were not truly called. Yet too often I fear our joy is dependent upon our circumstances. Oh, I pray this is not the case.
Who am I to judge others, questioning their call? And why am I so quick to choose complaining over joy?
May we pray that God will give us the same mind that was in Paul, that to live is Christ and to die is gain. And may our joy increase and our concern over another’s behavior decrease as we carry the gospel message until He returns. And if there is anyone to whom I have failed to ask forgiveness for any hurt I have caused, I pray God will bring me to a place where I can humble myself under the mighty but forgiving hand of God and make restitution for my behavior.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tell Them Now
(KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Sometimes we just have to go back to the basics. Do you remember where you were when you first heard this verse? For most of us, we were children in Sunday School. Later, we were given ribbons or badges for memorizing scripture, and this was almost always the first scripture we committed to memory.
Many years ago, I was watching a World Series game, and someone lowered a sheet from the stands where John 3:16 was written in large black lettering. Not the verse, just the reference. I was stunned as one of the announcers said, “Look st that. I wonder what it means.” But even more surprising was that neither of the other announcers knew its meaning. Or if they did, they did not speak up.
“I wonder what it means” echoed in my brain and I answered, “You want to know what it means? It means Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb for sinners slain, took on your sins and my sins and has given us eternal life in Him and with Him!” Sometimes we just have to go back to the basics.
- There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.- Refrain:
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
- Refrain:
This song, written by Frederick Whitfield in 1855, is one I find myself singing again and again. There are people all over the world who still do not know what John 3:16 means. We must tell them now.
May we be bold enough to take the name of Jesus with us and share Him with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Precious Memories
(KJV) Phil 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Today’s scripture is the greeting to the church at Philippi, founded during Paul’s second missionary hours. Paul had a vision of a man pleading for help (known as the Macedonian call). Paul, accompanied by Silas and Timothy, encountered a wealthy businesswoman named Lydia, who heard Paul’s message and received Jesus, both she and her household. Philippi was the first church established in Macedonia and Lydia was the first convert.
Paul wrote this letter of encouragement while he and Silas were imprisoned. The letter to the Philippians is different in tone to his other letters. It is clear Paul had a special relationship with this church, which supported him both spiritually and financially. We learn from this letter that Paul was able to have joy, even in the direst of circumstances. And if he can have joy in the midst of the persecution he often endured, surely we can find joy when hardships arise.
I had a tooth extracted yesterday as a result of eating an oyster poboy, which I enjoyed, and biting down on a piece of an oyster shell, which I did not enjoy. Oh well, the hazards of eating oysters. Prior to the anesthetic being administer the oral surgeon said I would probably become quite talkative, and one of the nurses said, “what is said in this room stays in this room.” I laughed and said you’ll probably just get scripture and singing from me. With that, I began singing song I wrote in the ‘80’s.
When Paul and Silas were in that old jail,
Beaten and bruised it seemed all hope had failed.
Paul said to Silas in spite of everything,
Sometimes you just have to sing,
You just sing praises, praises,
When life gets you down, you just have to stand
And sing praises, praises, praises to the great I AM.
The surgeon said, “How about that? We had our own devotional before we even went to work?” I am so thankful when people tolerate this old preacher.
May we be bold enough to risk embarrassment as we share Jesus with others.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Homy Spirit. Amen.
I Know my Redeemer Lives
(NRSV) Job 19: 23 “O that my words were written down!
O that they were inscribed in a book!
24 O that with an iron pen and with lead
they were engraved on a rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;
As much as I love the Bible, there are some books within its covers that are difficult for me to read. Job is certainly one of those books. The human tragedy found within Job can be more than we can bear. Unless—unless we read through to the end.
The central truth offered in Job is not to inform us that bad things happen to good people. We know from experience that life is neither easy nor what we consider fair. Instead, I see this life as a proving ground, but not a place where new theories or equipment are tested, but where we are given multiple opportunities to learn God’s will and grow in His grace. Job is an example of a faith-filled man who, rather than giving in to self-pity or blame, responded by saying, “should we accept only good from God, and not adversity?”
We can know, believe, and understand that our Creator cares for us as recorded in 1 Peter 5:6 -7, “Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. [Ps. 55:22.]”
May our faith be made strong by relying on God during every difficulty, so that we can say, like Job, I know that my Redeemer lives.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 