November 30, 2022

Colossians 2: 20-23 (NIV)

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why . . . do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

No amount of religious ritual can substitute for doing what God commands.*

For the 25 years that I worked in elections and voter registration, I was subject to laws – federal, state, and local. In addition to the statutes we had to abide by, the state was required to promulgate rules with which to implement the laws. And then there were procedures that we developed within our own office on the local level. Obeying the laws and rules was mandatory; our procedures were more for our own benefit.

In this passage, Paul was addressing “procedures” that the church at Colosse had implemented - with the best of intentions, no doubt. The “statutes” – what Jesus said – were binding and non-negotiable. The “rules” – how to implement Jesus’ commands as presented by Paul, Peter, James, John, Jude, and the mysterious writer of the book of Hebrews – were still works in progress. Who can blame those early pioneers of the Church if they took matters into their own hands and devised some regulations that had “an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body”? It’s a good thing Paul’s letter arrived to remind them that they were imposing unnecessary burdens upon themselves.

It’s too bad Paul hasn’t sent us a letter like that. . . Oh, wait. He has. His epistle to the Colossian church is an open letter to all of us. We, too, can benefit from his admonition that man-made rules “lack value in restraining sensual indulgence.” What does Jesus say about how to live in a fallen world? Read the gospels. Read the book of Acts and see the work of the Holy Spirit and how the first Christians put Jesus’ words into practice. Want a procedures manual for day-to-day living? Read Romans through Jude. On the local level, your congregation must have by-laws and other governing documents; your leadership will make decisions about the order of worship and the programs and personnel - but those are human rules – not the plan of salvation!

Rules are a good thing but we often need Paul’s reminder that our freedom in Christ should not be sacrificed for the sake of bondage to commands that Christ never uttered.

We must not let our own rules or customs or habits or practices become hardened or sanctified beyond the reach of human needs.*

November 29, 2022

I Corinthians 10: 13 (NIV)

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Impulses to sin are universal, even if they are different impulses for different people.*

Some facts about temptation: We are not consistently tempted by the same things all the time. My weaknesses are not exactly like yours. We are all tempted by something sometime. God hasn’t promised that we will not face temptations.

We tend to concentrate on the part of this verse that says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. It makes us think of ourselves as strong and well-equipped to resist sin’s enticements. We overlook the promise that God will provide a way out. So, instead of looking for that escape hatch, we try to face down our devils. When we fail, we make excuses and look for someone to blame.

The strength God promises is ours – for the taking. Look for the way of escape – which, as someone has observed, is not necessarily an easy way.* Passive resistance is not enough. It must be coupled with action – seeking and escaping.  We might even consider the prudence of actively avoiding tempting situations. There is no shame in asking God to direct your path.

Temptation is inevitable – Satan has not given up. But Paul wants us to understand that no sin is unique or irresistible. Look for that way out so that you can avail yourself of the strength that God provides.

When tempted, look. Look for the way out. Taking the way out leads to victorious living.*

November 28, 2022

Exodus 3: 14 (NIV)

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”

He does not live in sequential moments, laid out on a timeline, one following the other. His world is one moment or, better-stated, momentless.*

God’s name for himself, “I am who I am,” is both enigmatic and revealing. He is not “I Was” or “I Will Be.” He just is. God. Always.

For me, eternity without an ending point is not so incomprehensible. But eternity with no beginning – thinking about that makes my head feel like it might explode. No matter what you believe about the origin of life, following every theory to its logical conclusion leads to this summary: something out there has always existed because everything else had to come from somewhere!

I never saw the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I did see its stupid sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact. The only thing I remember about it is a scene where the hero finally comes to the place where all his questions are answered. Nothing was explained to the audience (that I recall) but he appeared to have been totally enlightened as he says something like, “Oh. Now I get it.” I think that’s how I will react when I get my first glimpse of eternity. No more questions about God. Like the end of a good mystery story, I will finally understand what the clues have been pointing me to all along.

The universe is not self-explanatory.*

November 27, 2022

Philippians 4: 6 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer.*

In this passage, Paul encourages us to pray about everything. He says to be thankful and to present our requests to God. He doesn’t qualify it by adding limitations and restrictions. Afraid your prayers will be selfish and shallow? They probably will be until you have established the close relationship with God that a rich prayer life affords. As the next verse promises, the peace of God (which is beyond human understanding) will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Looking for some guidelines to help you mature in your life of prayer? Jesus told his disciples how to pray – and how not to pray. We can read about it in Matthew, chapter 6, which also contains his model prayer, AKA The Lord’s Prayer. In his prayer tutorial, Jesus presented examples of what to pray for: 

· God’s will to be done 

· Our daily bread 

· Forgiveness 

· Deliverance from temptation and evil 

There are other scriptures that provide helpful prayer hints. Some of those include: 

· James 1: 5, 6 (for wisdom) 

· Matthew 9: 39 (for workers) 

· James 5: 14, 15 (for the sick) 

· Matthew 5: 44 (for those who persecute us) 

· I Timothy 2: 1-3 (for those in authority over us) 

Finally, another word from the apostle Paul: pray continually. (I Thessalonians 5: 17) So what are you waiting for? Go pray!

Do you want to know how to deepen your prayer life? Pray. Don’t prepare to pray. Just pray. Don’t read about prayer. Just pray. Don’t attend a lecture on prayer or engage in discussion about prayer. Just pray.*

November 26, 2022

Acts 8: 27-40 (NIV)

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road . . . that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” . . . on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch . . . This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah . . . The Spirit told Philip, “Go to the chariot . . .” . . . Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. . . . 

(Read the entire passage.)

What seems right and reasonable to human beings is often totally out of harmony with God’s ways. We must learn to trust the wisdom of God, even when it seems to go against all that seems wise or best to us.*

Several years ago, a young woman shared her amazing testimony with me. She and her husband (and children) were living in New York when they – through some circumstances that I don’t recall – felt called to a ministry in Texas, down on the border with Mexico. There were many obstacles in their path but they were removed, one by one, in such a way that it could only have been by the hand of God.  It wasn’t long after their arrival in Texas that doors began to close and they had to abandon the mission – but not before ministering to and baptizing one woman.

Would God really call a family to relocate across the country just for the sake of that one woman? Couldn’t he have sent someone else? We could ask the same question about Philip’s experience. God called him away from a successful ministry in Samaria to preach to one man. Couldn’t he have sent someone else?

God’s ways don’t always make sense to us, but we can be confident that he knows what he is doing. We have our own ideas about effective evangelism - and they may be good ones . . . until God has a better one. We think we have to establish a relationship with a person before they will listen to a gospel presentation – and often that is true. We believe that others need time to observe our genuine Christian character before they will be interested in what we have to say. But more often, the seeds have already been planted and God just needs us to come along and reap the harvest for him.

When God is lining up the laborers for work in his fields, he knows who is best qualified for each task. Moving families across the country is a piece of cake to the Creator of the universe. My friend had no resentment and no regrets for the upheaval in her family’s life. Philip made no complaints about abandoning his crowds in order to meet the needs of one lost soul. When you go where God calls, you can’t not be blessed by it!

Ready for adventure? Say yes!

All of us are called to service. There are no exceptions. But a specific call . . . can vary in intensity, in responsibility, and in term. Sometimes a specific call lasts a lifetime. Sometimes a specific call lasts for a season.*

November 25, 2022

Matthew 7: 7 (NIV)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Faith is receiving – or even more, actually appropriating – the gifts God offers us.*

Almost every word spoken by Jesus was a radical new thought. Love your neighbor; turn the other cheek; sin in your heart is sin; become a slave in order to be free. It is surprising that he expects such startling life-style changes to result in a blessed (happy) life. As Christians, we have a job to do – tell the world about Jesus – but we are not called to a joyless existence.

Read all the direct quotes of Jesus in your red-letter edition of the New Testament and you will notice that he says less about how to be saved than he does about how to live saved. In this verse in Matthew, Jesus was not telling us what we have to do to be saved; he was explaining how his followers could live abundant lives.

We are saved by faith, not by works; but we can’t just sit down and wait to reap our (undeserved) reward. Ask, seek, knock – these are action words. Verbs. They are things we must do if want to receive, find, and proceed. We are not saved by our proactive deeds but can we be saved without them?

If we are going to run the race of faith, we have to do something. We cannot run and stand still at the same time!*

November 24, 2022

Zechariah 7: 5, 6 (NIV)

“Ask all the people . . . ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?’”

Just think how difficult it would be to share our faith during the holidays if “reason” didn’t rhyme with “season.”*

Christmas was approaching and my co-workers (all women) were stressing over how much they had to do to prepare for the holiday – shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating. I didn’t have much sympathy for them. “Who said you had to do all that stuff?” I asked. Turns out, they were doing it because they chose to.

Zechariah was instructed to have a similar conversation with the Jews who had returned to their homeland from exile in Babylon. They wanted to know if they should continue observing the days of fasting and mourning they had instituted in memory of Jerusalem’s defeat. Through Zechariah, God answered their question with more questions. “Did you fast and mourn for me?” and “Did you feast for me?” It seems their fasting and feasting had lost its meaning.

Does that sound familiar? While there is nothing wrong with getting together with family to eat turkey or exchange gifts or hide eggs, let’s not pretend we’re honoring God when we have left him out of the festivities. We may kid ourselves that Thanksgiving is about being thankful; Christmas is about Jesus’ birth; and Easter is about his resurrection; but seriously . . .

We may have become like Zechariah’s compatriots – turning a perfectly fine religious tradition into a meaningless version of its intended purpose – but our danger lies in how we observe the only mandatory “holiday” instituted for Christians: the Lord’s Supper, in which we commemorate Jesus’ death and resurrection. In I Corinthians 11: 17-32, we find instructions for the right way to participate and the warnings about what will happen if we allow it to become just another meaningless tradition.

God did finally respond to the people’s question with an answer. In 8: 19, we find the good news: their self-imposed fasts would become joyful and festive occasions. The same may be possible for our traditional holidays if we include God in our celebrations once more and if we heed his plea to “love truth and peace.”

It can be a deadly thing to come to God with unexamined lives.*

November 23, 2022

Isaiah 58: 6, 7 (NIV)

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen; to lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

Men vainly pretend to piety who are defective in justice and charity.*

I hear it all the time: people who talk about going to church like they’re doing God a big favor by attending. Yes, our worship is directed toward God but mostly we who are assembled are the recipients of the blessing. Isaiah addressed the same mindset in this passage. He scolded the people for how they approached a day of fasting. His criticism of their behavior on that day included: 

• They did as they pleased 
• They exploited their workers 
• They ended the day with quarreling, strife, and physical altercations 

Attending church services is a good thing. Fasting is a commendable practice. But in what way do these activities benefit society? If you go to church or fast but you are not changed by your participation - if you come away with the same lack of concern for others that you started with – you have missed the point. Hearts that worship become hearts that care. Hearts that care inhabit bodies that act on behalf of others: deliverance for the victims of injustice and bondage; food, shelter, and clothing for the needy; provision for one’s own family. 

It is vital that God’s people spend time with him. Worship, fasting, Bible study, spiritual disciplines – all are important pursuits for building and maintaining our relationship with the Father. Time spent with him leads to time spent in his service.

Worship must be more than a point of theology; it must initiate action.*

November 22, 2022

Psalm 139: 7 (NIV)

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

God claims lordship over all the details of our lives.*

We tend to assume that David wrote the words in this verse because he wished to hide from God. What could make you want to flee from God’s presence? Guilt? Shame? Fear? You do know that you can’t hide from him, don’t you? So why not face him with your dirty secret since he already knows about it anyway? What have you got to lose – besides your guilt, shame, and fear?

Actually, the psalm from which this verse is taken is all about how marvelous it is to be watched over by a God who is omniscient and omnipresent. David finds comfort in the knowledge that God is never out of touch, ever on the job, and always working things out for our good. From birth to the end of life, our God is intimately involved in the details of our lives.

Still concerned about your guilt? That’s one of the details he has taken care of. He sent his Son to wipe your record clean. No need to run – you have nothing to hide if Jesus is your Lord.

When you feel like running away, claim your privilege as a child of God and approach the throne of grace. There you will find the personal and tailored help you need.*

November 21, 2022

I Kings 21: 21, 25-29 (NIV)

“‘I am going to bring disaster upon you. . . .’”(There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil . . ., urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols . . .) When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. . . . Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah . . . “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day. . . .”

If we are completely honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge that we deserve God’s wrath.*

Remember how Jonah reacted when Nineveh repented and God spared them? How do you think Elijah felt when he heard the news about Ahab? We aren’t told his thoughts on Ahab’s change of heart and God’s subsequent pardon but at the very least he had to be skeptical of the king’s sincerity. What are your thoughts when you learn that a celebrity has announced that he has been “born again”? We can wait and see if his life reflects a change of heart, but we don’t always get to follow-up on how they’re doing. What about mass-murderers who have a “come-to-Jesus” experience in prison?  Are you buying that?

Our feelings are conflicted about God’s mercy upon the most heinous of sinners. We tell ourselves that one sin is as bad as another in God’s eyes. We base that on James 2: 10, which says that if we stumble at just one point of the law we are guilty of breaking the whole law. Yes, under the law, a law-breaker was a law-breaker. But even under the law there were different penalties for different sins. Some sins are worse than others. Murder is bad but torturing someone before you kill him is worse. Lying is bad but a lie that leads to another person’s suffering is worse. James’ point wasn’t that all sin is the same; he wanted us to understand that once we break the law – even if it was only one and only once – we are in need of God’s grace.

We may have trouble believing that Ahab and Jeffrey Dahmer deserve God’s mercy, but hear this: neither do we. How we conduct ourselves is an indication of the condition of our heart but only God knows for sure if our repentance is real. He will judge us based on who sits on the throne of our heart. 

It was Christ who said that those who have been forgiven the most will love Him the most. Is there a place in our churches for those who will love Him more than we?*