Worth Repeating - December 31, 2017

II Corinthians 5: 17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! (NIV)

Jesus doesn’t just make us better, he makes us new.*

It’s New Year’s Eve. Do you have a list of resolutions for the upcoming year? Perhaps you know better than to compile a list containing more than one item. Your chances of success are much better if you keep it simple: Lose weight. Exercise. Overcome a bad habit. Start a good habit. Be nicer to your family. Find a new job. Hopefully all of these aren’t on your list!

We see the beginning of a new year as an opportunity to start fresh. With the turn of the calendar, it seems easier to release the burden of our failures and be optimistic about our chances for success. For those who are in Christ Jesus, every day is the beginning of a clean record. I don’t have to lug around guilt and disappointments from the past - because they belong to the old me. I may have messed up yesterday, but Jesus’ blood is the eraser that wipes my slate clean – again.

While Jesus forgives and forgets, I don’t have the luxury of amnesia to go with my new identity. And that’s a good thing. I may carry with me the memories of my past sins, but that means I also remember that Jesus carried those sins. Constant awareness of the price he paid motivates me to keep working on my list of resolutions – daily. Hourly. Minute by minute!

Happy New Year!

Despite our past, God can give us a new identity.*

Worth Repeating - December 30, 2017

II Timothy 2: 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. (NIV)

“You have made yourself unnecessarily elaborate.”*

In my former career, one of my responsibilities was the training of temporary employees. Because they had so much to learn in such a short time, with one day of actual application of their training, I wanted them to know that it was okay if they had to ask for help. I told them, “The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.” I wasn’t lying to them – if they had a question about a procedure, I needed them to ask it rather than to do it wrong – but there really is such a thing as a dumb question. And I believe that Paul would agree: “Foolish questions deserve no answers.”*

It was typical in the culture of New Testament times for “learned” men to sit around and debate unanswerable questions. One writer warns, "A fool may put questions which a wise man cannot answer.”* He cites an example of a woman who liked to pose the question, “How can God be without a beginning?” Her argument (there’s that word!) was that if God never began, then there is no God. See how that kind of debate is pointless?

In our day, we’ve all experienced that guy in the Bible study who asks what he thinks is a deep, probing question – one of those “unimportant subjects of inquiry and debate.”* I admire those intrepid Bible teachers over the years whose delicate handling of the situation avoided the quarrels about which Paul warns Timothy. Not only does Paul clearly not want us to have anything to do with such time-wasting activity, I think it is safe to say that he doesn’t want us to be “that guy.”

God doesn’t want us to be afraid to ask genuine questions concerning our faith. Our lack of knowledge or understanding is nothing to be ashamed of as long as we keep seeking the truth. And as someone has wisely observed, “There will always be issues and doctrinal nuances that keep us debating unendingly. But Jesus is still there as the one thing that keeps our relationships united.”*

God loves an honest question.*

Worth Repeating - December 29, 2017

Titus 2: 14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. (NIV)

The duty of the government is to protect us—not provide for us.*

We think of good works as doing things for others, but Paul’s words to Titus indicate that doing good also includes providing for our own needs. We live in a society that is becoming more and more dependent on government to meet our needs. I recently read a story that perfectly illustrates the modern mindset: a young woman who was in trouble with the law was asked by a counselor if her mother had ever had trouble with the law also. Yes, she said, her mother had been on welfare while also holding down a job. When the counselor asked what happened to the mother, the woman acted surprised that he even had to ask. “She quit her job,” she said.*

Dependency can come upon us in a sneaky fashion. For example: the price of a school lunch doesn’t begin to cover the cost of the meal; when I worked for county government, for a short time they subsidized the employees’ insurance premiums for family coverage; immunizations are offered for free at county health departments, regardless of your financial status. I’m sure you can think of other ways we let our tax dollars work for us.

I don’t have the immediate solution to the mess we’re in but I can offer the ultimate cure: devote ourselves to doing good. (You thought I was going to say, “Get a job,” didn’t you?) Doing good involves submitting every area of our lives to God. According to Paul, a child of God who does good in general receives specific provision: daily necessities and productive lives. But it is a contagious way of life: devotion to doing good will never bless the doer only – it spills over into a world that desperately needs to know the force behind our good deeds – Jesus Christ.

If life on this earth were the end of the story, it would be easy to give up trying to do good.*

Worth Repeating - December 28, 2017

Job 42: 5, 6 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (NIV)

God can turn burning shame into a holy flame.*

When I started high school, “everyone” talked about one teacher and this disgusting thing she did when she thought no one was looking. I honestly didn’t believe it until one day as I was passing by her classroom . . . So now I am a believer. I didn’t despise myself for my unbelief, as Job expresses here, but I did feel a little bad for thinking my friends were just being mean.

Job has had to suffer a lot to get to this “seeing is believing” stage. God hasn’t really revealed any new information to him but Job’s experience has brought him face to face with God.* What he knew about God before was second-hand knowledge. Now, he hasn’t just heard about God; he knows him.

What do you know about God? Have you heard about him? Are you acquainted with him because you have friends in common? Knowing about God isn’t the same as knowing him personally. Like Job, you have to draw near to God for yourself. When your eyes are opened to how incomplete your knowledge has been, you, too, will realize your need for repentance. As you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer, you will begin to know God – to develop a relationship with him – and to see the shallowness of your former understanding of him. Perhaps some dust and ashes will help set the mood!

We expect a deep and transformative relationship with God to come upon us magically, without planning and preparation, without attending to the means of grace, and without attention to formative disciplines like prayer scripture study, and self-denial.*

Worth Repeating - December 27, 2017

Luke 12: 51 “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” (NIV)

If you seek peace, prepare for war.*

This is surprising news. What was it those angels said in Jesus’ birth announcement? “Peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Isn’t Jesus known as the Prince of Peace? His statement here doesn’t seem to match up with what we think we know about Jesus and peace.

I scanned some commentaries and found a lot of contrived conclusions. “Christ came to make peace with God for men, and to give the Gospel of peace, and spiritual and eternal peace to men; but not external peace.”* Or this one: “The design of the gospel and its proper tendency are to unite the children of men to one another, to knit them together in holy love, and, if all would receive it, this would be the effect of it.”* And another: “It was the belief of the Jews that the Messiah would at once introduce a reign of peace and prosperity. Jesus does not wish His followers to live in a fool’s paradise.”*

I’m not saying these men are wrong – they are much smarter than I am. But so often we make things harder than they have to be. The angels said, “Peace to men on whom his favor rests.” That is not the same thing as “Peace on earth.” There will never be peace on earth – Satan has made sure of that!

We picture Jesus as “meek and lowly,” but we forget that he was an agitator. You can’t have peace until you separate the hostile from the peaceful. Have you ever heard the saying, “If you want to make an omelet, you have to break some eggs”? That’s what Jesus did to obtain peace for us – and he paid for it with his life.

When necessary Jesus still disturbs the peace today.*

Worth Repeating - December 26, 2017

Matthew 2: 1, 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea . . . Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (NIV)

Is it so difficult to believe in God when all history is alive with His presence?*

I tend to think of ancient history only in terms of the Old Testament – as if there was nothing going on in any other part of the world until the birth of Jesus. In my mind, God’s involvement with mankind is limited to the people of the Bible. In reality, although the Jews were usually surrounded by pagan nations who had never entertained the notion of only one God, the Bible gives us peeks into the possibility that God may have had a relationship with other cultures and nations.

In Genesis 14, there is an intriguing encounter between Abram (Abraham) and a mysterious figure named Melchizedek who is described as “priest of the God Most High.” There is lots of speculation about his identity and purpose (read more about him in Psalm 110: 4; and in Hebrews, chapters five, six and seven), but the facts are: he was real; he was not a Jew (no one was a Jew, yet); and he worshipped the same God that Abram worshipped.

Moving on to the New Testament, we find this group of wise men from somewhere east of Jerusalem, who were aware of the prophecies concerning the Messiah – who in fact knew enough to read the signs and had enough faith to follow where they led. They weren’t Jews, either. It is ironic that they had better comprehension of the prophecies than the people to whom they were given.

The Nation of Israel may have enjoyed “chosen people” status, but these stories – and others – underscore the fact that Jesus came for all people, not just the Jews.* We – Jews and Gentiles - become God’s chosen people today by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior and becoming part of a new kingdom. Citizenship is not a right of birth or privilege but is granted to those who pass the entrance exam – Wait! That’s not how it works! There is no test. Our naturalization documents have been signed by the blood of Jesus. Through him, we have all the rights and privileges – and responsibilities - of a natural-born citizen.

Centuries before it was popular to be inclusive, Jesus started a church in which everyone has equal standing.*

Worth Repeating - December 25, 2017

Matthew 1: 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about . . . (NIV)

Perhaps we should thank those who insist on calling it the holiday season, not because they are removing Christ, but because they have the decency to leave Jesus out of a celebration that has nothing to do with him.*

Do the words, “Merry Christmas” appear anywhere in the Bible? Is there any indication in scripture that we should commemorate the birthday of the King by partying for the whole month of December? The world may have hi-jacked the celebration of our Lord’s birth and turned it into a secular holiday full of bizarre traditions but, surely, Christians are as much to blame.

Matthew and Luke did not think it was important to tell us the exact date of his birth. While a birthday party for Jesus might not be a bad thing, it is not the day of his birth that he has asked us to remember. He wants us to remember his death. In a simple ritual performed every week by Christians all over the world, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (I Corinthians 11: 26) The Lord’s Supper is the only thing done in public worship for which Jesus gave special instructions.* While it might not set the mood for a festive holiday party, his death is a reason to celebrate!

Is it not important that after so many important things in the life of Jesus Christ, that the only thing He asks us to remember is His death?*

Worth Repeating - December 24, 2017

Luke 2: 6, 7 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. (NIV)

. . . love so profound, so utterly magnificent, that it cannot be defined, only demonstrated.*

From another room, I could hear a baby crying on the television and the thought came to me: That’s what Jesus sounded like when he was born. Indeed, he was a real baby. Babies are so precious and as parents we want to protect them and ensure a good future for them. Yet at the birth of his Son, God had to stand by while his baby met his destiny. Although he could be proud of his Son’s accomplishments as he grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man, there was always that cloud of future tragedy surrounding him.

I don’t have much in common with God the Supreme Being, but as God the Father, his pain makes him one of us. I can imagine the anguish of watching my beloved child suffer and die. But that’s where our common ground ends because I cannot imagine sacrificing one of my sons for the sake of some unworthy, undeserving sinner. How could God love me and the rest of humanity that much? In the garden before his arrest, Jesus prayed for a way out of what he was about to face. If he wanted to escape that horrible death, how much must God have wanted to deliver him from it?

You think you know what love is? Ha. God is love? We need a different word for what God is. What we call “love” is selfish and powerless. What do you call it when the Father turned his back on his Son as he hung on the cross? Sadly, “love” is the best our language has to offer . . .

It is [its] very irrationality that gives the gospel its greatest defense. For only God could love like that.*

Worth Repeating - December 23, 2017

II Chronicles 16: 9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (NIV)

I Peter 5: 8 Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)

Each of us is as full of the Spirit as we really want to be.*

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched? Perhaps you aren’t just paranoid. According to these two verses, you are attracting a lot of attention from high places and low places. Spiritual warfare rages around us at all times.

We underestimate God’s desire to rescue us from Satan’s clutches and Satan’s determination to drag us into the pit with him. The devil is clever, sneaky, and deceitful. Though Satan is often referred to in enticing terms, Peter calls him a roaring lion – a creature to strike fear into our hearts. But a hungry lion doesn’t always roar before it pounces!

We are weak and gullible and we forget that we can choose to be on the winning side. God’s strength is available for hearts fully committed to him. He provides a way of escape when we are faced with temptation – an alternate activity; the recollection of an applicable verse of scripture; or a friend to hold you accountable. His Holy Spirit is our comforter and our counselor when we are troubled.

If the image of a hungry, roaring lion doesn’t alarm you, perhaps this will: God’s promise does not apply to an uncommitted heart. Where does that leave you? As fair game to a hungry predator.

Most Christians seem to underestimate their ability to cope with suffering but overestimate their ability to cope with temptation.*

Worth Repeating - December 22, 2017

Revelation 21: 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. (NIV)

We toss around the word awesome pretty freely; but it’s too small a word to describe Heaven.*

We have been programmed to think of heaven in terms of “pearly gates” and “streets of gold” and while that is beautiful imagery I think we might be missing the point. Jewels and precious metals may be valuable on earth, but in eternity they are just building material. In heaven, gold is as common as concrete blocks. There is much speculation among Bible scholars as to the symbolism of the gems used to decorate the walls of the heavenly city but at the least, as one of them points out, “it seems important that the very thing people worship on earth should at last have found its place under foot instead of upon the throne.”*

Remember the question posed by Jesus, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” And if that isn’t thought-provoking enough, he adds, “Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  (Mark 8: 36, 37) What do you place the highest value on in this life? Can you take it with you when you die? Is it worth holding onto and allowing it to come between you and the Lord?  Looking at life through a heavenly lens helps us to determine what is truly valuable.

What is the real value of a thing, but the price it will bear in eternity?*