I recently completed teaching an online class on the Letter
to the Hebrews. For a few weeks I am sharing thoughts that came from this
study.
He [the high
priest] can deal gently with people who are ignorant and easily deceived, since
he himself is subject to weakness. (Hebrews 5:2 ISV)
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up
prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to
save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.(Hebrews 5:7 ESV)
With
these words, the author of Hebrews is beginning to make his case for Jesus
being the new and greater high priest under a new and greater covenant. This
writer, who began his work with great emphasis on the fact that Jesus is
preexistent and divine (Hebrews 1), now, emphasizes Jesus’ humanity perhaps
more than any writer in the New Testament.
I
have just completed teaching an online class on the Letter to the Hebrews. For
a few weeks I am sharing thoughts that came from this study.
Therefore,
since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace
with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our
time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 )
This wasn’t planned (at least by me), but it works out
very well to look at this passage from Hebrews 4 the same week as the world
pauses to remember the birth of Jesus. The author of the letter has not yet developed
his important teaching on how Jesus is the new and greater high priest, but
that doesn’t keep him from going ahead and pointing out that in that role Jesus
can fully relate to us.
I have just completed teaching an online class on the Letter to the Hebrews. For a few weeks I will be sharing thoughts that came from this study. Of all the lessons we gain from the letter to Hebrews there is one that is very easy to miss and that is how God works for good even in things that are not good. You may ask where does the writer of Hebrews teach this idea. Probably no where explicitly.
The writer of Hebrews uses
some rather involved and even complicated rabbinic style arguments to make his
point again and again that it would be foolish, even disastrous, for his
readers to go back to the practice of the Old Covenant now that Jesus and God’s
great salvation has come.
However, in chapters 3 and
4 we see that his main concern is not that they understand some intricate
theological argument. His main concern is that the keep their hearts in the
right place. This is lesson needed for every generation in every situation.
I
am currently teaching an online class on the Letter to the Hebrews. While discussion
of any passage in this letter needs to involve careful and sometimes lengthy
examination of the context and background, there are still some gems from this
fascinating letter that I want to share in these short weekly notes. For several weeks we will look at some of
these. More careful study on your part is always recommended.
In Hebrews, the writer quotes from the Psalms
describing how all things are put under man’s feet and how everything is made
subject to him, and then he adds: “Yet, at present we do not see everything
subject to him. But we see Jesus” (2:8-9).
Most great mind-changing thoughts
include the word "but" and this one is no exception. The writer takes note of the fact we don’t
yet see everything in submission to man or to the man that was written about in the psalm, and yet he adds, ‘but
we see Jesus.”
There is a great lesson in this for us.
We sometimes come away from Scripture with certain expectations. We come away
from our times with God looking to see certain promises fulfilled on our time
table. However, those expectations are not always met and the promises are not
always realized as we thought they would be. If our faith wavers a bit, that is
a time to remember, “but we see Jesus.” Sure, we thought certain things would
happen in a certain way. Then, they didn’t. But still, we see Jesus. We still
see his life, his teachings, his miracles. We still see his trust in God, his
cross and his resurrection. Yes, we have questions, “but we see Jesus.”
There are plenty of times when we don't
understand, when we don’t see all things working together for good, when we
wonder just where God is, but even in those moments we can see Jesus and
remember that there are truths about him that are undeniable. There may be some
"unbelievables," but the "undeniables" are greater. Yes,
there are plenty of things we don't understand, but our faith can remain, even
if a bit disturbed, through challenges, disappointments and perplexing times
because "we see Jesus."
“Love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . . .” (Matthew 5:44).
Opposition
to us as disciples may take the form of critical brothers, angry family
members, deceptive journalists, or even, as Jesus himself could attest to,
murderers. But whoever the enemies may
be, the words of Jesus are still the same:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
As disciples
of Jesus Christ, we are called to be glaringly different from those around
us. Living in a “religious” part of the
world where people are apparently “good” can make this challenging at times.
Ironically, it is our enemies who afford us the opportunity to glorify God by
shining like stars in the universe (Philippians 2:15). Perhaps in no other area can a Christian so
obviously distinguish himself from the religious “do-gooders.” To forgive, love and pray for our enemies is
behavior described in the Bible as “perfect” (Matthew 5:48) that is, like
God. To be “like God” is to go
completely “against the grain” of our sinful human nature. Only someone who loves God earnestly and has
an eternal perspective on life is able to surrender himself to this depth of
love.
And the prayer
offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him
up. If he has sinned he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each another
and pray for each another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and
effective (James 5:15-16).
In the
dark. On their knees. Silently and aloud. People have prayed for each of us-both before and after we became
Christians. God worked in those prayers
to soften our hearts and expose our sin, to lead us to repentance. Once we were forgiven and healed, we began to
pray for others. The cycle of
intercessory prayer. The multiplying
principle. Each one passes on the
blessing he has received. To intercede
or pray on someone else’s behalf is a privilege. We approach the God of the universe and he
hears us. Our prayers are sacrifices
which are pleasing to him (Hebrews 13:15).
After six
weeks in the hospital, the doctors decided that my paralysis was due to
multiple sclerosis (MS). It was a
shocking introduction to weakness, and the beginning of a struggle to
understand what God was doing and what he wanted me to learn. I had become
weak. And I thought of Paul's words in 2
Corinthians 12: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
“For God did
not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of
self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Wow! You want
me to be on the Bombay mission team?”
Those words went through my head as I tried to remain calm back in July
1986. Feelings of excitement mixed with
uncertainty filled my body. But it
was fear that gripped me. Why? God had been preparing me for six years to
“go anywhere, do anything." God had
taught me so much about not being fearful and timid. But this was different! India was going to turn my whole life upside
down. Everything was going to be
new. New friends, new culture, new
country. I needed to pray.
Surely
you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place
(Psalm 51:6).
As I write this article I look at
a piece of torn, battered paper that is like an old friend to me. It is a page from my prayer list that is
prayed through over and over again. I
purposely did not type it up to look fancy, because I wanted its simplicity to
remind me that before God, my character is exposed. I must look at the inner parts, the inmost
places.
“And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you
that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If
that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30)
Every one of us has daily needs—needs that so easily can become
worries and anxieties if we are not trusting and relying on God through
prayer. First, Jesus teaches us to pray,
“Give us today our daily bread.” Then he
calls us to trust that God will meet all these needs.
As the deer pants for
streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for
the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2).
Memories of an early morning prayer walk at Loon Mountain
remind me of the power of private prayer.
At 5:00 a.m. I gazed up at the stars and the moon in the cool
out-of-doors. The mountains engulfed me
in their majesty as I sat perched on a large boulder, waiting to pray with a
sister. But she didn’t show. God knew that I needed time alone with him.
A
Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of
David, have mercy on me! My daughter is
suffering terribly from demon-possession. . .” He replied, “It is not right to
take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”[puppy dogs] “Yes, Lord,”
she said, “but even the dogs [wild dogs] eat the crumbs that fall from their
master’s table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman,
you have great faith! Your request is granted” (Matthew 15:21-28).
Reasoning with God in prayer is an expression of great faith
and God always rewards faith-especially
great faith! This is one of the two
times in the New Testament where Jesus commends a person for having “great
faith.” Certainly the Canaanite woman
was persistent but, more than that, she reasoned
with Jesus. Initially, no one listened
to her plea. Then she was told “No” with
a short explanation. Eventually she was
told “No” again with a further explanation.
At this point, she began to reason with Jesus which demonstrated a deep
belief concerning his ability to heal her daughter. Jesus did not take offense at this-in fact he was quite
impressed! He appreciated her expression
of great faith.
How
long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How
long will my enemy triumph over me?
(Psalm
13:1-2).
How many of us have felt this way at some point? It
is likely that David wrote this during the time when Saul was hunting him from
place to place, a very intense time for him.
What needs to impress us about this prayer of David is not his great
faith, nor his meekness before God nor his peace during trial—it is his
heartfelt honesty.
Be joyful
always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s
will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
There is power in praise and in
thanksgiving. There is power in looking
at what God has done and then rejoicing and being grateful. If this were not
powerful, God would not call for it. Pray continually. But what should be the content of those
continual prayers?
When we
pray rightly and righteously, it allows God to work powerfully in our
lives. Jesus said, “Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew
5:6). They will be filled—it will
happen. “Ask, and it will be given to
you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the
door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Those who seek will not be denied.
True prayer
is a yearning for God. The person who
rightly prays hungers and thirsts for God.
Most people in the developed world have never really been hungry. At most we have experienced a self-imposed
hunger from fasting. I once fasted for
21 days on just water. By the fourth
day, I felt really hungry. Every cell in
my body was crying out for food. But my
situation was somewhat artificial. At
any moment I could have grabbed a hamburger or pulled out a “Twinkie.” With real hunger comes a sense of
desperation—and urgency.
Each one had a harp and
they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of
God’s people (Revelation 5:8b)
For there to be a relationship,
both people must communicate. God speaks
to us through his Word; we speak to God through our prayers. As we open up our hearts and thoughts to him
in prayer, God enjoys hearing our prayers. They are like golden bowls of incense to him.
Therefore he
is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always
lives to intercede for them. . . .He sacrificed for their sins once for all
when he offered himself (Hebrews 7:25, 27b).
We go through times where we
study, we pray, we share our faith. We
see ourselves growing, really changing to be like Jesus. God blesses us with fruit, and our friends
commend us. It is well with our souls. .
. Suddenly, deep crevices of sin are
exposed in our hearts, and the walls of well-being crack and cave in. Our sinfulness looms larger than life–larger,
it seems, than the blood of Jesus can ever conquer. Tidal waves of doubt assail us. He saved me once from all my sins. Can he do it again?
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father”
(Romans 8:15).
God is amazing. He can shine enough light through a small
window to illuminate a whole house. In
three small New Testament verses he opens up for us a whole new way of
understanding him and the kind of relationship we can enjoy with him now and
forever. First, we have Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane, saying “Abba, Father, everything is possible for
you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark
14:36). Then we have Paul, in Romans
8:15 (above) and in Galatians 4:6, saying that those of us who have come into
Christ can also cry “Abba,
Father.”
Upon taking a ministry staff position at the age of 23 in Columbus,
Ohio, I quickly realized that leading, maintaining and growing a spiritual
ministry was much beyond what I humanly could accomplish. A mighty deed such as this required direct
help from an Almighty God.
When the disciples said to Jesus, as
recorded in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray,” for once they were asking for
the right thing. If a relationship with God is the most important matter in
life, then nothing is more important than knowing how to pray.
A lot of things don’t live up to
our expectations. I remember a family vacation we took when I was a young teen.
We had saved for months to go to a golfing paradise. Upon arrival our vision
was dashed. The place was a dump. The hotel rooms were dirty. The golf course
was worse. The fairways were as hard as rock and the greens were the worst we
had ever seen. We played nine holes and asked for our money back. Heaven will
not be like that. No one will be disappointed.
All of us as servants of God will face various kinds of injustice.
We will be wounded by the destructive forces of sin in our world. It may be ill
treatment by a family member or close friend that will hurt us emotionally,
psychologically, or perhaps even physically.
Like Tanya Tucker used to sing,
“It’s never any trouble for me to find some kind of trouble.”
I think of Victor, a
twenty-two-year-old college student who recently died from cancer. He was a
disciple. He loved God. He was fruitful—reaching out and converting his
neighbor. And all the while cancer ravaged his body. Then there is Karen, who
became a disciple a few years ago. Like many, she hoped that her husband, who
was actuallyreached out to before
she was, would also become a Christian. He didn’t. Instead, their marriage
ended in divorce and she has been a single mom with four small children to
raise alone. Then there is my own case: Forty years old with four kids and
working in the ministry. Without warning, I went from being an active, athletic
man (well, that’s what my wife says) to being crippled and paralyzed on one
side with multiple sclerosis—no more road races with my sons, or one-on-one
basketball, or any other sports with them.
This past weekend Sheila and I had the honor of spending time
with the Jackson Church in Jackson, Mississippi. While there, I was reminded of
a passage from Psalms that has long been a favorite of mine:
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his
delight in the legs of a man; the
LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147:10-11
Of course, you would expect me to like this passage since my legs haven’t worked
much for the last fifteen or twenty years. I am just glad that is not counted
against me! But the passage is about much more than legs. It is telling us that
man’s ways are not God’s ways. God is not impressed with the things men are
normally impressed with. God does not look at things the same way we do.
And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Life
can overwhelm us sometimes. Tragedy can overtake us. Disappointments and
failures and misunderstandings can wreak havoc with our best plans and most
cherished dreams. Friends suffer, and loved ones die. Diseases rip us apart,
and trusted partners fail us. We are overlooked for promotions, slandered,
forgotten, neglected and even abused. Maybe we can’t bear children. A spouse is
unfaithful. God forbid, we are asked to pick up and move. Perhaps we are
betrayed—if not for thirty pieces of silver, at least with a kiss. And not to
mention our own sin—against others and God—time and time again. “All things” is
a lot of things.
Sometimes we need a mind change to overcome a challenging
circumstance like an illness or a loss. Sometimes we need a mind change to
overcome an obstacle that could stop a good work. But very often we need a mind
change because our minds are not as much like that of Jesus as they need to be.
Today in the assembly, the
preacher read from James: “My dear brothers, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” (James 1:19). The preacher gave some good
examples of how we should apply this, and then I thought about some other ways
that this passage needs to change our minds.
No discipline seems pleasant at
the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)
[In the opening of the chapter Barbara
described a very challenging time she and husband, John, went through in
dealing with medical problems developed by their children. Then she writes what
follows.]
I remember wrestling with Psalm
119 many times and meditating on verses 75-76, “I know, O Lord, that your laws
are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May your unfailing
love be my comfort…”. Although we could
not cling to any particular medicine or treatment, we could most assuredly
trust that God was allowing us to undergo this trial. It was all happening, not
in spite of God’s faithfulness, but becauseof God’s faithfulness. Nevertheless, it was difficult to “feel” God’s
unfailing love and comfort. We literally had to decide to believe what the
Bible teaches and trust in the very nature of God, that he is love. We had to
remember that this discipline would produce a harvest of righteousness and
peace if we allowed ourselves to be trained by it.
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me. (Is. 49:`15-16)
A true story: Two-day-old Carly was lying contentedly in her
hospital “cradle” with her sleeping mother nearby, exhausted from the birth
ordeal. When her mother awakened, she cast a sleepy gaze toward her baby. Her
eyes widened in horror. Panic rose. Her heart began to pound rapidly. Carly was
gone! Her bed was empty.
Those
of you reading this book surely represent many age groups. Some of you are
still in your youth and can hardly imagine ever growing old. Even if getting
old seems like something very far off, think about this: In some way life is
not always going to be as it is now. You are going to experience changes and
some of them will be a bit unnerving. You may not like to think about it, but
some of you who have been healthy will get sick.
God is merciful. He is truly
the God of the second chance, and the third, and the fourth, and God delivered
to me another of his very precious promises, a promise that is ever so precious
when it is needed ever so badly:
The need to forgive others is incredibly real. Most of us
grow up learning to be disillusioned with promises—especially promises to
forgive. We both forgive and ask for forgiveness, thinking that we have buried
the hatchet. But just a single fit of rage later, we quickly reach for the
handle of the hatchet again. It may be the handle to one or one hundred past
hurts that we sling at the person who has committed the new offense. We have
all been on the receiving end of that hatchet, and it is not a pretty sight.
And it does not feel good. That is the definition of dysfunctional
relationships: the inability to solve conflict and forgive.
Disappointments
with employers, politicians, those who owe us money and maybe even family
members have made some of us highly skeptical about promises. Often promises
have come to represent efforts to pacify us at the moment. They can be easily
made because the promiser does not usually have to fulfill the promise
immediately. But if we allow our disillusionment about man and his promises to
color our view of the promises of God, we make a terrible mistake.
Today we are
reprinting a final excerpt from the 1993 book, Thirty Days at the Foot of the Cross.
"The cross
puts everything to the test," wrote Martin Luther. How much more
powerfully and righteously we will live if we learn to ask in every situation:
"What does the cross mean here?"
Today and next Monday we reprint two
final excerpts from the 1993 book, Thirty Days at the Foot of the Cross. These final two segments were written by
Tom.
Before the cross
we stand amazed. How can one event be so rich in meaning? How can something
once so repugnant and loathsome now point to solutions to every human problem? Only
through the working of God could it be so.
Today we again feature excerpts from the 1993 book, Thirty
Days at the Foot of the Cross. These
thoughts are by John McGuirk who now leads the church in Paris, France.
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus] too shared in their
humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of
death--that is, the devil. . ." (Hebrews
2:14).
Double and triple teamed even from birth by Satan, who regarded him as
public enemy number one, Jesus never gave in to sin, not even once. Satan
pulled out all the stops, and he stopped at nothing. He had the home court advantage, and Jesus
was in his deadly sights at all times.
Jesus never earned the wages of sin and did not
deserve to die, and in fact didn't have to die.
However, as Satan lost his effort to pull Jesus into sin, he no doubt
took satisfaction in seeing Jesus accused, despised, abused and executed.
Watching so many people doing his bidding had to give him a feeling of
power. But it was short-lived. What looked like Satan's greatest hour became
God's greatest victory. The tables were
dramatically turned as Jesus burst forth from that grave on the first day of
the week. Evil seemed to have the upper
hand, but righteousness walked away in triumph.
Today we again feature excerpts from the 1993 book, Thirty Days at the Foot of the Cross.
These thoughts are by Javier Amaya who lived in Boston at the time and now has
returned to serve the church there again.
"Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our
brothers" (1 John 3:16).
And
Jesus said, "That's enough!. . .Have him do it not me!. . .That's not my
responsibility!. . .I'm tired; let somebody else do it. . .I'll do it later!. .
.Why me?. . .You do it. . .It's too late, and I've done enough. . .That's not
my job. . .Get off my back!. . .I'll do it at my pace and when I feel like
it."
"Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be
glorified. I tell you the truth, unless
a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his
life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John
12:23-25).
We
human beings are our own worst enemies.
We want control. We want our own
judgment, our opinions, our desires, our power!
We refuse to deny self daily and stay surrendered. Therefore, failure and frustration creep in
once more.
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Galatians 6:14) The cross affirms our worth. The
cross frees us from performing, from making sure we get the credit due us. In our old natures, we take that credit and
very carefully wrap our sense of worth around it. We are fearful of losing any credit, because
that would lessen the amount of worth that we could wrap around it. Less credit—less worth, we reason.
“With
eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of
intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice,
consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you
squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so
that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all
his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” (Romans 12:1-2, J.B.
Phillips New Testament in Modern English)
New
life in Jesus means a different life in Jesus. It means saying “No” to a whole
system of thinking that is all around us, trying to press us into its mold. It
means saying “Yes” to a radically new way of thinking that presents itself as
the Age to Come breaks into this present age in the form of the Kingdom of God.
Sadly, too many say “Yes” to Jesus and then proceed to just baptize their
culture and keep living by its dictates instead of letting Jesus remold their
thinking and lead them on a new road altogether.
If
that is all you have time for today, let me suggest you just meditate on that
idea, but when you have time for a much longer read, I hope you will check out
this piece on “Jesus, Politics and Social Media” which is found on our new
“Articles” tab on the Mind Change site.
"But God demonstrated
his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
We don't feel good at all when we
know we are unloved. We don't feel much
better when we aren't sure if we are loved. But what a difference it makes when
we absolutely know that we are loved--when there has been a demonstration that
proves it.
However, if we know we are loved
because of our looks or our money or our performance, an insecurity lies just
below the surface of those good feelings.
As good as it feels to be loved, we know we could lose it if accident,
illness, bankruptcy or failure were to rob us of those things that endear us to
others.
I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now
that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant
offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all
your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our
God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:18-20
Paul uses financial terms to
express spiritual principles. He is
first eager to “credit to their account” (or affirm) their concern for his
needs. He is just as eager to let them
know their gift was far more than a “full payment” for the ways he had poured
himself out for them. Not that Paul was
expecting or demanding to be repaid, he simply wanted the disciples to see the
working of an important spiritual principle:
When we give to meet the needs of others, God will amply supply our own
needs (with interest). In others words, we can never outgive
God. As Jesus put it, lose your life and you find it.
“I am not saying this because I am in need,
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know
what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or
hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him
who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13
One of the most memorized lines in Philippians comes as Paul plucks
words from the beliefs of his day and gives them entirely new meanings. First he says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” He uses the favorite word of every Stoic—the
Greek word autarxia. To the Stoic it meant “self-sufficiency or
not needing a thing because I have mastered myself.” Paul had something else in mind.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever
is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable¾if anything is excellent or praiseworthy¾think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or
heard from me, or seen in me¾put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you
(Philippians 4:8-9).
What
kind of day did you have yesterday? What
kind of week have you had? In what
direction is your thinking tending to go?
Are you feeling positive and upbeat or negative and discouraged? Ready to take on the world or head back to
bed? Paul’s message to you is this: when you are “in the Lord”(back to vs. 4), you can always change
your mind, and when you change your mind, everything changes. If life is feeling like a heavy weight, if
problems are threatening to overwhelm you, if the forecast offers little hope
of sunshine, you can still set your mind on right and good things that will
change the way you feel.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice! Let
your gentleness be evident to all. The
Lord is near (Philippians 4:4-5).
It
is rather amazing the way circumstances can enhance credibility. It would be one thing to hear “rejoice
always” from someone living in plenty, comfort and great health. It is a different thing altogether to hear it
from someone living in circumstances that would test and challenge us all. At
the time of this writing Paul was not in good circumstances. He had been in worse ones, but Roman
imprisonment was no picnic, and if conditions on the inside weren’t so good,
neither were some of those on the “outside” where the church was not always
being what God wanted her to be. And
yet, Paul insisted that he and others could still rejoice. They could still affirm life, or, more
accurately, they could still affirm God.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have
taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward
the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus. All of us who are mature should
take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that
too God will make clear to you. Only let
us live up to what we have already attained (Philippians 3:13-16).
Salvation is not through a
“righteousness of our own.” But if that
thought leads to sloth or laziness, we show we have missed the grace of
God. There is so much more to know. There is so much more growing to do. The heart that understands Christ is “compelled
by the love of Christ.” The disciple who realizes that Jesus has taken hold of
him, wants to take hold of everything that Jesus has planned for his life. Such a one does not sit and wait for life to
come to him; he “presses on.” This word
(dioko) was used in both hunting and
foot racing. It could describe pursuing,
chasing, even overtaking and capturing. Inspired by Christ, the true disciple
wants to “go for it”¾to
discover all God has in the storehouses of his love.
I want to know Christ and the
power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection
from the dead (Philippians
3:11).
I
want to know Christ. The man who had
a face-to-face encounter with the risen Lord said simply, “I want to know
Christ.” Did he not already know
him? After three days of fasting and
prayer (Acts 9:9)? After three years of
personal training (Galatians 1:11-24)?
After a visit to the third heaven (visions and revelations, 2
Corinthians 12:1-6)? Paul uses the Greek
verb ginoskein which is kin to the
Hebrew that describes the sexual relationship in marriage. Paul is not thinking
sexually here, but he did want an ever-growing, personal, intimate relationship
with Jesus Christ.
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that you may
become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and
depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold
out the word of life (Philippians 2:14-16a).
Dark
nights were also as dark as they are now.
Paul’s generation was as “crooked and depraved” as is our own. People then had the same,
”What’s-in-it-for-me?” attitudes as they do now: “I’m not going to do any more than I have
to.” “Why should I work? She isn’t!”
“I want to do what I want to
do when I want to do it. I don’t really care who it hurts. After all, what I want is the most important
consideration here.” Lust, selfishness,
pride, deceit¾no century has had a corner on the commodities of the
sinful nature.
Each week we receive comments from those who read or listen. Now you can put your comments here where others can benefit from them. Just go to the bottom of each post, after the Focus Scripture, and click on "Comments."
... Just a few comments about books I have written or cowritten with others...
....
DEEP CONVICTIONS. Starting out as "Your First Forty Days" thirty-five years ago, it eventually became this 77-day study guide for a new Christian. Far more than 150,000 in print.
GOD'S PERFECT PLAN FOR IMPERFECT PEOPLE. The letter to the Ephesians amazingly takes in all the angles on our sinfulness and God's grace.
IN SEARCH OF A CITY. How my life intersected for 40 years with a remarkable movement that is still moving.
LETTERS TO NEW DISCIPLES. Essential thoughts for starting the new life on firm footing.
MIND CHANGE. First written 15 years ago, I have added to it twice. I am still amazed at how such a simple concept has such great impact. Truths that affect every day of my life.
NO ONE LIKE HIM. My attempt to look carefully at Jesus, who still captivates me. The chapter on the kingdom and the one on the kingdom attitudes are most important..
ONE ANOTHER. Written with Steve Brown. Relationships are absolutely crucial to followng Jesus and living the kingdom life.
STRONG IN THE GRACE. The trustworthy message is one always dripping with grace, but grace that transforms and teaches.
