Friday Thought – December 9, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)

Consider the blessings that the people of Israel received from God. They witnessed amazing miracles: the plagues by which they were released from slavery; the splitting of the Red Sea; the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that guided them out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land; the miraculous provision of water, manna, and quail. These are just a few of the spectacular things God did for them to demonstrate His love for them and His power in their lives.

Despite the miraculous provision of God, they wandered away from Him, giving themselves to idolatry, immorality, and unfaithfulness to the Lord. As marvelous as those miracles were, they did not guarantee their spiritual growth and faithfulness.

God has also provided us with spectacular miracles: the amazing love of the cross; the marvelous examples of grace in the lives of people we know, including the grace to save a wretch like you; and the personalized work in your life in miraculous ways. These are God’s blessings of love for us. They demonstrate how much He cares for us and they are illustrations of His power in our lives.

They are not guarantees of our spiritual growth and faithfulness. The challenge to us is to look at the example of the Jews and recognize the danger, even when God has blessed us so marvelously. Then, to make a choice to keep setting our hearts on God and not on evil.

His, by Grace, Steve

Thursday Thought – December 8, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Spiritual growth requires discipline. Paul compares spiritual discipline to the discipline an athlete must have in order to be able to compete at his most effective level. Even the most skilled and most mature athlete diminishes his effectiveness when he does not have the discipline to train like he should.

Spiritual discipline protects us. Without it there is a danger that we will be disqualified from the prize. Peter makes the same point in his second letter. He provides a list of qualities we are to “make every effort” to add to our lives. He promises that if we will do that “they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8) “For if you do these things, you will never fall.” (2 Peter 2:10)

Spiritual discipline protects us from falling away from the Lord. Spiritual discipline increases our effectiveness in serving Him. Those are two undeniable reasons for exercising discipline in our spiritual lives.

His, by Grace, Steve

Wednesday Thought – December 7, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Paul was a Roman citizen and that carried many rights. Those rights were important to Paul and he took advantage of them. At Philippi, Paul used his citizenship to force the officials to treat him better.

But Paul’s rights were not the most important thing in his life. Sharing the gospel with those who did not know Christ was more important than his rights. He willingly gave up his rights, his freedoms, and his desires in order to be able to share the gospel more effectively with the people around him.

We’re American citizens and we’re Christians. Both those distinctions carry a great many rights and privileges. Those rights and privileges are important to us. As Americans, we can use our rights to our advantage. As Christians we have freedom from the restrictions of the law and from many of the taboos that other religions have.

But those rights and freedoms must not be the most important things in our lives. The people around us should matter more to us than our rights and freedoms. We should be willing to lay aside our rights and limit our freedoms in order to help the people around us -- especially to be more effective in sharing the gospel with them.

His, by Grace, Steve

Tuesday Thought – December 6, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17)

What compelled Paul to preach?

“Christ’s love compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14) Paul saw the great need of those who did not know Jesus and he was compelled to offer the Gospel to them.

He was also compelled by the call of God on his life. God had chosen him to be the apostle to the Gentiles, chosen him to preach the Gospel to them.

Those same two motivations should be at work in all of us. The love that Christ has for the world that sent Him to the cross should be in us, too. We should see the lost condition of the people around us and be compelled to share with them the hope in Christ that we have.

The call of God is also on our lives. We have not all been called to be apostles -- none of us has in this day. We have not all been called to travel the world sharing the Gospel. But we have all been called to be God’s ambassadors, His messengers of the Gospel. That call should compel us to share when God provides the opportunity for us to do it.

His, by Grace, Steve

Monday Thought – December 5, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)

How do you make decisions about your actions? That is Paul’s question in this passage. Do you make your decision solely on the basis of what you know is your right, or do you make your decision taking by into account how your actions will affect the people around you?

The Corinthians had the right to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols. The idol was nothing and food sacrificed to it was not defiled. However, not everyone understood that and some would be offended, perhaps even caused to stumble back into idol worship if they saw a fellow Christian eating such food.

Paul had two points:

Eating the food or not eating the food would not affect a person’s relationship with God. They didn’t have to give up eating the food in order to please God or grow in their faith – “But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.” (1 Corinthians 8:8)

Their actions should be governed by how they will affect those around them -- governed by love. “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9)

The specific issue is no longer one that we face -- food sacrificed to idols is not something we deal with in our culture. But the principle remains valid: are you so concerned about your “rights” that you do things that hurt others?

His, by Grace, Steve

Friday Thought – December 2, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Each one should retain the place in life the Lord assigned him and to which God has called him. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you -- although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.” (1 Corinthians 7:17-24)

Can you think of ways in which you wish your life was different? I’m not talking about sins that you wish you didn’t struggle with, I’m talking about circumstances beyond your control that you wish were different.

I know some women who wish they were men. They see the opportunities that men have and don’t see that women have the same opportunities. I also know some men who wish they were women -- for the same reason. The old proverb is true, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Perhaps there are other times in history that you wish you had been born. Perhaps there are other places in the world in which you wish you had been raised. Would you like to change your ethnic background? Perhaps you’d like to be Jewish, or American Indian, or a part of some other ethnic group to which you do not belong.

Paul’s point in Corinthians is to take advantage of the opportunities God has given you, rather than spending your life wishing things were different. The “if only” syndrome rarely helps us accomplish more for the Lord. We accomplish what God wants when we set about to do His will where He has put us and with the resources He has given us.

His, by Grace, Steve

Thursday Thought – December 1, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. A husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. If a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. The unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. If the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? How do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” (1 Corinthians 7:10-16)

We live in a time when commitment and loyalty are rare. Denominational loyalty is almost non-existent in this generation. Brand loyalty is very difficult to develop and maintain, people are willing to switch products easily. Company loyalty is decreasing, with people willing to switch jobs and even careers to seek the best deal for themselves.

Some of those trends are good things, not bad. It is possible to be loyal to something out of tradition or inertia, rather than through a serious decision-making process.

That trend has some negative effects, too. It has affected marriage relationships and led to a rising rate of divorce. Husbands and wives seem less committed to their spouses and more willing to be on the lookout for a “better deal” or more attractive partner. At times, they justify their decision with “spiritual” reasons – “I want a spouse who will be the spiritual leader, not one who will drag me down.” That sounds good, but goes against the teaching of the Lord about commitment and loyalty.

God is pleased when people make a commitment and keep it.

His, by Grace, Steve