“The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.”
The truth unites us in love. There is a bond of love that you have with Christians you know and even with Christians you don’t know. This bond exists because of the truth’s work in you and others. If you have the truth and you know what it has done for you, then the when you see, meet, or even hear of others who have the same truth, you are bound to them in love. Our relationship with other believers, as with all aspects of our lives, should flow out of the gospel. God, in love and truth, has worked in our lives, and that should bind us, in truth and love, to others who know Him.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
1 Peter 5:8-11
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
In our anxiety, in our time of need, in our time of suffering--we need to think rightly. It is easy to slump into a daze and allow the flood of difficult circumstances to wash over you, overwhelming you with sorrow. This does not mean that we make ourselves so callus that we don’t feel it when things should hurt. It means that we are sober-minded. Satan wants us to give into our circumstances, rebelling against God, denying God (as he had hoped that Job would). This type of reaction is due to a failure to think correctly and guard against our adversary. If we are not watchful, if we do not guard against these types of attacks, we will be devoured.
We need to be steadfast in trials. We are not the only Christians who have suffered, nor are we the only ones suffering right now. And our suffering is only temporary. God, “the God of all grace,” will lift us up and make us into something better than we were than when we began. He will make us stronger and more faithful to Him. He has this right, and when He does this, He does it in love and for our good. Satan wants us to rise up against God and cast off our faith, making us bitter, unhappy people. God wants to strengthen us and give us greater joy in Him. He can do it, and He will do it. We need to watch for it soberly, even in times of sadness.
In our anxiety, in our time of need, in our time of suffering--we need to think rightly. It is easy to slump into a daze and allow the flood of difficult circumstances to wash over you, overwhelming you with sorrow. This does not mean that we make ourselves so callus that we don’t feel it when things should hurt. It means that we are sober-minded. Satan wants us to give into our circumstances, rebelling against God, denying God (as he had hoped that Job would). This type of reaction is due to a failure to think correctly and guard against our adversary. If we are not watchful, if we do not guard against these types of attacks, we will be devoured.
We need to be steadfast in trials. We are not the only Christians who have suffered, nor are we the only ones suffering right now. And our suffering is only temporary. God, “the God of all grace,” will lift us up and make us into something better than we were than when we began. He will make us stronger and more faithful to Him. He has this right, and when He does this, He does it in love and for our good. Satan wants us to rise up against God and cast off our faith, making us bitter, unhappy people. God wants to strengthen us and give us greater joy in Him. He can do it, and He will do it. We need to watch for it soberly, even in times of sadness.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
God loves and cares for us, and yet we experience difficulties. This does not seem right. If God is so mighty, why would he let bad things happen to us? Many people have asked that question, and it has led some to reject God or at least reject God, as He is revealed in the Bible. They believe that they know better. They want to set the parameters of how God should best show them care. They refuse to humble themselves and accept God’s way.
We will experience things that can easily lead to anxiety. When this happens it is natural to cast all the blame on God. But we need to cast our anxieties on Him. He knows what we are going through, and He cares. We should look trustingly to the One who has allowed it to happen and trust that He will bring us through the difficulty. If you refuse, you have not humbled yourself.
God loves and cares for us, and yet we experience difficulties. This does not seem right. If God is so mighty, why would he let bad things happen to us? Many people have asked that question, and it has led some to reject God or at least reject God, as He is revealed in the Bible. They believe that they know better. They want to set the parameters of how God should best show them care. They refuse to humble themselves and accept God’s way.
We will experience things that can easily lead to anxiety. When this happens it is natural to cast all the blame on God. But we need to cast our anxieties on Him. He knows what we are going through, and He cares. We should look trustingly to the One who has allowed it to happen and trust that He will bring us through the difficulty. If you refuse, you have not humbled yourself.
Monday, May 21, 2007
1 Peter 5:4-5
“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
Our bosses often have bosses over them. Likewise, pastor/elders who shepherd the flock have a chief Shepherd over them. A pastor who abuses the flock, using the flock for his own benefit or dealing with people with heavy-handed tactics, will not be rewarded when the chief Shepherd comes. A shepherd should be like his master, loving God’s people. For a pastor/elder to do this, he must shepherd with humility.
But elders are not the only ones in need of humility. We who are under the elders need to humbly subject ourselves to the elders. Too often elders try to force people and the people under him refuse to follow him. Both parties have it wrong. The Bible shows us that the elder needs to lead by caring example, and the people need to put themselves under the elder’s leadership. If we do this, God will give us the grace to get along. But if we proudly elevate ourselves above each other, not only will we be resisted by each other, but we will be resisted by God.
Our bosses often have bosses over them. Likewise, pastor/elders who shepherd the flock have a chief Shepherd over them. A pastor who abuses the flock, using the flock for his own benefit or dealing with people with heavy-handed tactics, will not be rewarded when the chief Shepherd comes. A shepherd should be like his master, loving God’s people. For a pastor/elder to do this, he must shepherd with humility.
But elders are not the only ones in need of humility. We who are under the elders need to humbly subject ourselves to the elders. Too often elders try to force people and the people under him refuse to follow him. Both parties have it wrong. The Bible shows us that the elder needs to lead by caring example, and the people need to put themselves under the elder’s leadership. If we do this, God will give us the grace to get along. But if we proudly elevate ourselves above each other, not only will we be resisted by each other, but we will be resisted by God.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Christ's Prayer for His Hardened Disciples
The following is from Pastor Stewart's series on the prayer life of Christ. The passage this week was Mark 6:45-52. The first paragraph contains some of my notes from the message.
"The Devil wants the Christian to look at the circumstances, even if they are good. He wants us to look at the circumstances and not at Christ. Right after the feeding of the thousands, Jesus takes His disciples to get in a boat without Him and tells them to leave. He then gets alone to pray. It is likely that He went to pray about the disciples' hardness concerning the working of Christ."
After the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walks on water. The disciples reacted to Jesus' walking on water with fear and amazement. Mark 6:52 says that this was because "they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." At the reading of this verse my heart was pricked, knowing how I respond with fear, doubt, and even disbelief because the hardness of my own heart.
"The Devil wants the Christian to look at the circumstances, even if they are good. He wants us to look at the circumstances and not at Christ. Right after the feeding of the thousands, Jesus takes His disciples to get in a boat without Him and tells them to leave. He then gets alone to pray. It is likely that He went to pray about the disciples' hardness concerning the working of Christ."
After the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walks on water. The disciples reacted to Jesus' walking on water with fear and amazement. Mark 6:52 says that this was because "they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." At the reading of this verse my heart was pricked, knowing how I respond with fear, doubt, and even disbelief because the hardness of my own heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)