“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
These directives are for everyone. Regardless of position or status in life, there are some things that must be true.
I must have unity of mind with other believers. This is challenging. We all think so differently. I would be hard pressed to find another person with whom I agree about everything. And some people (even fellow Christians) do things that elicit jaw dropping shock and horror. How can I have unity of mind with people when God has made all of our minds so very different? Unity of mind must be an agreement or oneness that goes beyond our own natural tendencies and personal preferences. We must have a willingness to work together in unity for the truth, a determination to accomplish what God has for you even when you do not necessarily find yourself agreeing with those around you.
I must have sympathy. When I see someone with a need I should not try to avoid him. I should not harden my heart to the suffering of others.
I must have brotherly love. This would certainly help with the unity of mind challenge. I must put other people above me and show them love even it is at my own expense.
I must have a tender heart. While I was an undergraduate ministerial student I heard many different people come and present different fields where they were ministering. Almost without fail, after they presented the field, I thought I should go there. I felt an interest in helping meet the need presented. I don’t think that this was a bad thing. I have to guard against instability, but I also need to allow myself to be touched with the needs of others and be willing to help when I am able. And I am always able if at least by prayer.
I must have a humble mind. I must not think of myself as being above any other person. To do so would be sin. I should be willing to put others in a position of greater importance than the importance I put on my own life. This serves as the glue to hold all these command together, enabling someone to obey them.
Unfortunately, even when you aspire to be characterized by these virtues (and even when you are succeeding), people will not always respond positively. And that is when these directives are put to the test. Sure I can develop unity, sympathy, love, and humility when dealing with an amiable person. My wife is a great example. We have a wonderful life together. I think it’s because she is such a wonderful person. But what will I do when I try to live this way and someone speaks evil of me or does evil to me? Can I show love to someone who has just mocked me or cursed me or hurt me physically? How can I have sympathy for that person? My normal response would be to strike back or to return insult for insult. But I am directed to another response. I must be a blessing to that person. I must help that person and speak kindly and compassionately. That’s mad, crazy hard! But this is my calling. It is God’s plan for my life. And if I do these things, I will be blessed.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
1 Peter 3:7
“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Verse sixteen of chapter two says to “live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” Today’s verse is the third practical application of this command to live as servants of God. Each application was made to different groups of Christians. Slaves are to obey their masters. Wives are to submit to their husbands. And husbands are to understand and honor their wives.
Being married for a little less than a year, I believe that it is likely that I’ve just begun to scratch the surface of truly understanding my wife. But this must be my constant desire. I must not dismiss her views when they differ from my own. I must seek to understand her views. I must seek to understand her. She is worthy of my attention. She is worthy of honor. If I fail to do this I am no living as a servant of God and my prayers will be hindered.
Verse sixteen of chapter two says to “live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” Today’s verse is the third practical application of this command to live as servants of God. Each application was made to different groups of Christians. Slaves are to obey their masters. Wives are to submit to their husbands. And husbands are to understand and honor their wives.
Being married for a little less than a year, I believe that it is likely that I’ve just begun to scratch the surface of truly understanding my wife. But this must be my constant desire. I must not dismiss her views when they differ from my own. I must seek to understand her views. I must seek to understand her. She is worthy of my attention. She is worthy of honor. If I fail to do this I am no living as a servant of God and my prayers will be hindered.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Prayer and the Calling of the Disciples
Pastor Stewart continued his Wednesday night series on the prayer-life of Jesus last night. Here are some of my notes for the message
Sermon notes on Luke 6:12-13
"Before the Lord called the disciples, He spent the whole night in prayer. It doesn't seem likely that He was praying to know who to pick. If that was the case, what was He praying about? He was communing with the Father. Perhaps He was praying about the details of how he would minister to His disciples. In any case prayer is necessary to have God's approval on our decisions. You will question decisions not made with prayer. You don't need to question those things decided in prayer."
Sermon notes on Matthew 9:36-38
"It's interesting that we are sent into God's harvest. It doesn't say into the field. A good soul-winner is simply yielded to the Spirit, knowing that He does the work. The prayer life is a necessity in the work of the Lord. You may object and say that God doesn't have to use you or your prayers. But if He doesn't use you to do something, He is going to use someone else to do it because that is the way that He chooses to work."
Sermon notes on James 5:17
"Prayer causes things to happen that would not otherwise happen."
Personal thoughts
I have always objected to referring to prayer as a force by which we move God. It just seemed like it looked at prayer as a form of manipulating the all-powerful. I don't like that kind of thinking. I still don't like to refer to prayer as a force. However, it's hard to object to the last quotation, defended by James 5:17. God can do it without me, but I want to have a part in it.
Sermon notes on Luke 6:12-13
"Before the Lord called the disciples, He spent the whole night in prayer. It doesn't seem likely that He was praying to know who to pick. If that was the case, what was He praying about? He was communing with the Father. Perhaps He was praying about the details of how he would minister to His disciples. In any case prayer is necessary to have God's approval on our decisions. You will question decisions not made with prayer. You don't need to question those things decided in prayer."
Sermon notes on Matthew 9:36-38
"It's interesting that we are sent into God's harvest. It doesn't say into the field. A good soul-winner is simply yielded to the Spirit, knowing that He does the work. The prayer life is a necessity in the work of the Lord. You may object and say that God doesn't have to use you or your prayers. But if He doesn't use you to do something, He is going to use someone else to do it because that is the way that He chooses to work."
Sermon notes on James 5:17
"Prayer causes things to happen that would not otherwise happen."
Personal thoughts
I have always objected to referring to prayer as a force by which we move God. It just seemed like it looked at prayer as a form of manipulating the all-powerful. I don't like that kind of thinking. I still don't like to refer to prayer as a force. However, it's hard to object to the last quotation, defended by James 5:17. God can do it without me, but I want to have a part in it.
1 Peter 3:5-6
“For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”
The concept of making yourself beautiful by developing the proper spirit, one of gentleness and quietness, is not a new one. In the past, women put their trust in God by adorning themselves this way. They submitted themselves to their husbands and God blessed them for it.
Sarah though of Abraham as her lord (her leader, her head, the one she looked up to). She did not merely conform to the external expectations of society. Society’s expectations are superficial and often misguided. She thought of him as her lord. The Old Testament passage that this verse is alluding to reveals that Sarah called him lord within herself. She did not voice this title. She just thought of him this way. She adorned her hidden person and is praised for it for all to see. God lifts Sarah up as an example for all women.
The concept of making yourself beautiful by developing the proper spirit, one of gentleness and quietness, is not a new one. In the past, women put their trust in God by adorning themselves this way. They submitted themselves to their husbands and God blessed them for it.
Sarah though of Abraham as her lord (her leader, her head, the one she looked up to). She did not merely conform to the external expectations of society. Society’s expectations are superficial and often misguided. She thought of him as her lord. The Old Testament passage that this verse is alluding to reveals that Sarah called him lord within herself. She did not voice this title. She just thought of him this way. She adorned her hidden person and is praised for it for all to see. God lifts Sarah up as an example for all women.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
1 Peter 3:3-4
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”
There is a beauty that fades and perishes. We fight to keep this beauty with creams, masks, surgeries, and other expensive things. Jewelry is worn, shoes are coordinated, and fashions are strictly observed. But the sad truth is that these time-consuming, wallet-shrinking activities will ultimately fail. You will grow old and die. You will wrinkle. You will loose your tone. You will decay.
We should give our attention to a different kind of beauty. If we want age-defying beauty, we need to have a gentle and quiet spirit. We need to be concerned with cleaning up our inside. Last Sunday, I put on my special black and white power suit. I got my rarely used black shoes out of the closet, took care of a few things, and then went to church. When I sat down for morning prayer meeting, I looked down at my shoes in horror. I had mistakenly put on my brown shoes. How could I make such a mistake. I wanted to leave the prayer meeting to go change my shoes immediately. After prayer, I returned home to bring my feet into conformity with accepted fashion. What’s the point? I would not knowingly leave the house wearing the wrong color shoes (external adorning). But I will leave without working on my inside. My priority was wrong.
This passage does not teach that we should refrain from trying to look nice on the outside. It teaches that our main attention should be given to the condition of our heart rather than the condition of our exterior. There is a proper balance. We can focus on our spiritual state to the neglect of our bodies. But this is a rare occurrence. We err on the side of an overemphasis on the external. That is why we have to be told not to do this.
Society tells women that men will love them if they are beautiful. The Bible says they need to give attention to the condition of their heart. God views internal, imperishable beauty as a precious thing and so will husbands.
There is a beauty that fades and perishes. We fight to keep this beauty with creams, masks, surgeries, and other expensive things. Jewelry is worn, shoes are coordinated, and fashions are strictly observed. But the sad truth is that these time-consuming, wallet-shrinking activities will ultimately fail. You will grow old and die. You will wrinkle. You will loose your tone. You will decay.
We should give our attention to a different kind of beauty. If we want age-defying beauty, we need to have a gentle and quiet spirit. We need to be concerned with cleaning up our inside. Last Sunday, I put on my special black and white power suit. I got my rarely used black shoes out of the closet, took care of a few things, and then went to church. When I sat down for morning prayer meeting, I looked down at my shoes in horror. I had mistakenly put on my brown shoes. How could I make such a mistake. I wanted to leave the prayer meeting to go change my shoes immediately. After prayer, I returned home to bring my feet into conformity with accepted fashion. What’s the point? I would not knowingly leave the house wearing the wrong color shoes (external adorning). But I will leave without working on my inside. My priority was wrong.
This passage does not teach that we should refrain from trying to look nice on the outside. It teaches that our main attention should be given to the condition of our heart rather than the condition of our exterior. There is a proper balance. We can focus on our spiritual state to the neglect of our bodies. But this is a rare occurrence. We err on the side of an overemphasis on the external. That is why we have to be told not to do this.
Society tells women that men will love them if they are beautiful. The Bible says they need to give attention to the condition of their heart. God views internal, imperishable beauty as a precious thing and so will husbands.
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