Sunday, August 31, 2014

Measuring Maturity - August 31 Readings: Job 17-18, 1 Corinthians 3, Psalm 103:10–16, Proverbs 21:24–25


Okay, I've got a problem here today. I read through the assigned Scriptures every day and generally find a favorite passage or something just jumps out at me and I write this devotional about that. But today is different. Today there are two passages that got to me and I just can't choose one over the other. So, today we'll take a brief look at two passages.

The Greatest Verse in the Bible!

Of course, that is a silly statement since there are so many great verses throughout God's Word. But for a person like me, so prone to sin and failure, Psalm 103:10 is about as good as it gets.

He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses.
The last thing anyone ought ever demand is that we be treated as we deserve. We are sinners who stand in rebellion against the authority of God and the wages of such sin is death. Physical death. Eternal death. Separation from God and an eternity under God's wrath. To "get what I deserve" from God would be a horror beyond words. 

That is not what God does. He does not deal with us as our sins deserve, but in Christ he grants us grace. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so that we could live in forgiveness and experience the goodness of God instead of his terrible justice. 

It just doesn't get any better than that!

The Mark of Maturity

What is it that marks a mature Christian? Is it a deep knowledge of the Bible and theology? It is a conformity to a certain set of lifestyle guidelines? Can it be measured by a level of activity in the church - leadership positions, teaching, service? Of course each of these has its place. A knowledge of the Bible is foundational to all Christian growth. We should be conformed to Christ and live in obedience to him. We ought to be devoted to the people of God. But Paul had something else in mind when he spoke of spiritual maturity, in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. 
Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly.
After leading off with encouragement in chapter 1, Paul said some harsh things to the Corinthians about their sinful attitudes. Here he accused them of being immature Christians who lacked spiritual patterns of thinking. We are born with a mind bound to the flesh and to sin. Christ comes in and begins to reprogram us, to give us "the mind of Christ" so that we think biblically, spiritually, in accord with the character and purposes of God. 

That had not yet happened in the Corinthians. They were still immature in their thinking, unspiritual, fleshly. But what was the marker of that immaturity? Paul makes that clear in verses 3-4. 
For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people?

Envy. Strife. Division. Dissension. Schism. Immature Christians tend to divide over secondary issues, especially personalities. I like this preacher. I like that. I'm into this teaching. I'm into that. I'm loyal to this. I'm loyal to that. Some of the Corinthians were followers of Paul. Some followed Apollos. Paul identified this as immaturity. 

Let me make this as plain as I can. A divisive, angry, schismatic spirit is a marker of spiritual immaturity. Mature Christians seek unity with other believers, even those with whom they disagree, who have different backgrounds, loyalties and preferences. The tendency for schism comes from the flesh and is evidence of spiritual immaturity. 

It is one of the most amazing moments in history, as Jesus looked down from the cross at the soldiers who had nailed him there and were now casting lots to divide his garments. "Father, forgive them," he prayed. Jesus, even in his pain, was about forgiveness and mercy.

Mature Christians mimic the grace of Jesus Christ. They seek to love and forgive and serve. They do not let little things, secondary issues, personal loyalties or preferences to become points of division in the Body of Christ. 

Father,  thank you for dealing with me on the basis of grace and not according to my own works. I have received life I didn't deserve instead of the death I did. May I also live in maturity, seeking unity in the Body of Christ instead of schism. 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Why Won't They Listen? August 30 Readings: Job 15-16, 1 Corinthians 2, Psalm 103:1–9, Proverbs 21:21–23

Links to August 30 Readings: Job 15-16, 1 Corinthians 2, Psalm 103:1–9, Proverbs 21:21–23

Why can't he understand? Why won't she listen?

Have you ever beat your head against the wall wondering why someone you love can't seem to get the beauty of your faith in Jesus Christ? You share the gospel and they either just don't get it or they think it is some kind of fairy tale. To you, it is everything - Jesus is life and hope and joy. And he is very real. But for this person you love and care about, nothing seems to sink in.

There is a reason for this, one that Paul explained in detail in 1 Corinthians 2. The message we share, the gospel we preach, the truth we proclaim from the Word we believe - it is "God's hidden wisdom." (Verse 7) We are not talking about some kind of gnostic secret only known to the initiated. This wisdom has been publicly proclaimed and it is clearly revealed in the Scriptures. But God reveals these things by the Spirit (verse 10) and only those who have received the Spirit (verse 12) can understand and process this truth from God.

It is not that we who believe are smarter or more noble than those who do not believe. That was made clear in chapter 1. The difference is that we have received the Spirit of God through the grace of Jesus Christ and the Spirit has opened our minds to the truth of God.

He is the Spirit of Truth, the one who reveals the things of God to the people of God. The disciples went everywhere with Jesus but never understood him. They were constantly falling all over themselves in confusion, saying foolish things and misunderstanding even Jesus' simplest teachings. Then, at Pentecost, the Spirit fell on them and suddenly they understood it all. Peter, the disciples voted "Most Likely to Say Something Stupid" three years running, suddenly stood up before the hostile crowd, delivered the gospel with clarity and power and 3000 souls were saved.

It is not that your lost friend or family member will not listen and believe. The minds of the unbelieving have been blinded by Satan and are in slavery to his lies. It is only when the Spirit of God opens our minds and hearts that we are able to understand the truth, believe God and follow his word.

Our job is to proclaim God's truth clearly, consistently, and comprehensively. We must tell everyone the truth of Jesus Christ. We must love them with the love of Christ and live in the power of Christ that they might see. But ultimately, we cannot coerce or even convince people. Only the Spirit of God can open the sinful mind. We preach and then we pray, "Lord, may your Spirit convince them of your truth."

Father, thank you for your Spirit who guides us into all truth. May he not only teach me that truth, but use me to proclaim that truth as he opens the eyes and hearts of those who need you. 

Friday, August 29, 2014

How God Chose His Team - August 29 Readings: Job 13-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18–31, Psalm 102:24–28, Proverbs 21:19–20

Links to August 29 Readings: Job 13-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18–31, Psalm 102:24–28, Proverbs 21:19–20

Wouldn't it be great if LeBron James got saved. Or Angelina Jolie. Or Derek Jeter. Or Bill Gates. Somehow, it makes us feel better when the rich, the famous, the talented or the powerful come to Christ. And it would be great.

But it is not the way that the kingdom of God works. Yes, God has saved some important people - politicians, celebrities, athletes, business - and has used them in his work. But that is not his usual mode of operation.

He is a redeemer, not a talent scout. God does not go around looking for the best and the brightest who can do great things to help him. God selects ordinary people and does extraordinary things through them - by his grace and for his glory.

In one of my favorite passages of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, and it spells out exactly who God chooses for his kingdom, and why.

Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful,not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one can boast in His presence. 30 But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
It was really not a great compliment to the Corinthians, but it is an important point. Not many among them were highly educated or intelligent. God wasn't looking for college professors to populate his kingdom. Not many were powerful. God has all the power the kingdom needs and ours is irrelevant to him. God did not choose many among the nobility. Human distinctions tend to lead to pride and that hinders the work of God. 

No, God chose the foolish things to make the smart look stupid. He chose what is weak so that he could demonstrate his power through them. He chose that which the world disdains as insignificant and used them to bring the rich and influential to their knees. 

He makes his reasons for this clear as well, listing two reasons that are actually sides of the same coin. He designs things so that we, his redeemed, are left totally without cause for boasting. I am nothing except what God makes me and can do nothing except that which he empowers. Why would I boast? It all comes from God and he deserves the praise. 

But boasting should take place in the lives of the redeemed - boasting in Christ and about Christ. It borders on the blasphemous for me to boast in myself, but it is also wrong to fail to brag on the amazing work of Christ's grace. 

The kingdom of God is not about us, our talents, abilities and efforts. It is about God and what he can do in us and through us. 

Father, it is all about your Son! He paid for my sins and gave me life. You chose me for your glory, to doing your work in me. For that I praise you today.



Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Finished Product - August 28 Readings: Job 11-12, 1 Corinthians 1:1–17, Psalm 102:17–23, Proverbs 21:16–18

Links to August 28 Readings: Job 11-12, 1 Corinthians 1:1–17, Psalm 102:17–23, Proverbs 21:16–18

Paul started a lot of churches. He had great churches like Philippi and Ephesus, who brought him constant joy, who demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit and a passion for the gospel. He had the Bereans who searched the Scriptures to see if what he preached was true. He started churches in Thessalonica, Galatia and all over the Roman world.

And then there was Corinth, the dysfunctional family of God. We can deduce that Paul wrote 4 letters to Corinth, two in addition to two we have in the New Testament. One he referred to as his "painful letter" - which is amazing because 1 and 2 Corinthians were hardly Hallmark Cards.

But in his greeting, which opened the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul made some amazing statements about the Corinthian church.
I always thank my God for you because of God’s grace given to you in Christ Jesus, 5 that by Him you were enriched in everything—in all speech and all knowledge. 6 In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; you were called by Him into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Paul spent the rest of the book confronting the sin of the church at Corinth.

  • He confronted the disunity and schism that was so prevalent among the Corinthians in chapters 1-4. 
  • Chapter 5 addressed the immorality that was not only permitted, but even prized. They were so full of "grace" they arrogantly accepted unrepentant sinners into their fellowship. 
  • They brought shame to Christ by taking one another to court, in chapter 6. 
  • In the same chapter Paul returned to the embrace of sexual immorality within the church. 
  • Chapter 7 discusses problems in their views of marriage and chapters 8-10 talk about their attitudes toward disputable issues. 
  • In chapter 11, Paul discusses both the impropriety in worship at Corinth, especially in regard to gender roles and he also gives a powerful rebuke about their how they profaned the Lord's Supper. 
  • Chapters 12-14 delve into their dysfunctional appropriation of spiritual gifts, focusing on self-aggrandizement instead of building up the Body of Christ. 
  • Chapter 15 regales the importance of the resurrection in the face of the fact that Corinth was tolerating those who denied this fundamental truth. 

1 Corinthians is all about correcting problems in the church. But in verses 4-9, he affirmed them and the work that God was doing in them. He was thankful for the grace God had given them, which had enriched them in every way. Every problem they had was solvable, not because of their potential but because of the riches of God's grace at work within them. He was confident that they had the spiritual resources that they needed and that God would be faithful and would strengthen them in every way.

He was confident in the work that God was going to do in them. Even in his rebuke, he was encouraging. He was not disdaining them or trying to savage them, but was simply trying to help them take a step toward something better. Encouragement is always the foundation for rebuke and correction.

When I arrived in Tequesta, Florida, for my first ministry position, the church was in the middle of a building project. The new sanctuary was under construction and it was a complete mess. It was filthy and debris was strewn around everywhere. There was a sunken area in the front of the sanctuary and water had collected there - it was dirty brown with nasty stuff floating in it.

But never once did anyone walk into the sanctuary and complain about the mess. "Wow, this is going to be beautiful when it is done." They saw it in terms of what it would be when it was finished, not simply according to the mess that was there. As they continued to process of construction, everyone had their eyes focused on the finished product.

That's how Paul did it. He saw the Corinthians in terms of what they would be when Christ was finished with them, even as he performed the necessary spiritual construction tasks.

That is how we ought to treat one another. The process continues as God works on us to make us like Christ and make the church what it is supposed to be. But in the meantime, we look for the best in one another. Love "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  We look at what God can do; no, what God will do!

Father, help me to see other believers in terms of what you are doing in them and what they will be when you are finished. 



Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Lies My Circumstances Told Me - August 27 Readings: Job 9-10, Romans 16, Psalm 102:10–16, Proverbs 21:14–15

Links to August 27 Readings: Job 9-10, Romans 16, Psalm 102:10–16, Proverbs 21:14–15

Job 9 is the beginning of a turn for Job in his verbal sparring with his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. At first, he had been too overwhelmed with grief to say anything and for seven days they sat in silence with him. Then, Job spoke, crying out to God in anguish, confusion and grief. Instead of simply expressing sympathy and compassion, his friends took the training wheels off their theologies and tried to straighten him out. Theology is great, but bad theology is one of the most destructive forces on earth! The gist of their view is that God is a righteous God and if all these things happened to him, it must be his fault. Repent and God will forgive you, Job, they have said, and will say time and again.

In chapter 9, Job begins to react negatively to their views and fight back. Each time he speaks, each time he responds to their judgment, he gets a little more strident, a little more angry, a little more confused - despair begins to overwhelm him. Chapter 9 gives several hints of the pain he is going through and what he is feeling as a result of his friends' words. Instead of leading him into the arms of a loving God, they added to his suffering.

Let us examine some of what Job was thinking and feeling in his despair. His circumstances (not to mention his friends' bad advice) were leading him to believe that life was unfair

First, he had begun to believe that there was no justice in the world. His friends said that God was just and so there must have been sin in his life that caused his problems. Job knew that he, while not perfect, had committed no sins so extreme that these terrible things were justified.
Even if I were in the right, I could not answer.
I could only beg my Judge for mercy. Job 9:15
I may be in the right, but God is not interested in giving me justice! I can beg for mercy, but God isn't going to listen to my appeal, to my case. 

Second, Job was starting to believe that God was distant, unfeeling and unconcerned with his plight. 
If I summoned Him and He answered me,
I do not believe He would pay attention to what I said. Job 9:16
Why bother? God's not going to listen to me. I'm small and insignificant; why would he bother to take the time to hear my cries? Job knew that God was sovereign and that God was holy, but he seemed to be unaware that God was also imminent, a God who revealed himself and entered into relationship with us. 

Next, Job was actually beginning to believe that God was cruel, angry, capricious and punitive. 
He batters me with a whirlwind
and multiplies my wounds without cause.
He doesn’t let me catch my breath
but soaks me with bitter experiences. Job 9:17-18
His view of God was warped - God was a heavenly bully who seemed to enjoy pushing Job around, battering him and multiplying his wounds; relentless in his bitter wrath. Christian, God is not mad at you. He loves you; he is working to bring his best into your life. Even non-believers are recipients of God's mercy here in this world. Yes, this sinful world can be tragic and God does sometimes break in with judgment. But when you begin to see God's wrath and anger as his primary characteristics, you are not understanding the God of heaven. 

When your view of God is that warped, it is not surprising that despair and meaninglessness seem to take over. 
Though I am blameless,
I no longer care about myself;
I renounce my life.
It is all the same. Therefore I say,
“He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”
When disaster brings sudden death,
He mocks the despair of the innocent. Job 9:21-23
Can you hear the hopelessness in his tone? I don't care about my own life! You even see self-destructive ideas creeping in - I renounce my life. "It is all the same," he says. There's no point in any of it. No point in doing good, in obeying God, in living for him. All this can still come crashing down on you. It's just not worth it. God doesn't care. Despair drips from his words.

It is natural for people to go through feelings like this in the middle of suffering. That natural response is made worse when people like Job's friends come along, attempting to force their twisted views of God on those who are hurting.

Our God is both holy and loving. Today, many have forgotten his holiness and think his love is permissive and without standards - as if God encourages us just to do whatever we feel like doing. But in the middle of suffering, sometimes we begin to forget the love of God entirely and believe that God is angry and cruel. He is not. Everything he does, all that he allows to happen to us is part of his purposes to glorify himself, redeem a people and transform them to be like Christ. God is love and God is good.

Don't let your circumstances lie to you. Don't believe the whispers that you hear from the happenings and events of the world. The truth is that God loves you, even when you can't understand him, even when events seem to indicate that perhaps he does not. God is there and will never leave you.

Don't believe anything else!

Father, thank you for your faithful love, so faithful that it is still real and powerful even when I forget about it.