2 Timothy 3:10-17
English Standard Version (ESV)
I hear from my kids quite a bit that life isn't fair. Sometimes they're fighting over who gets to pick the songs in the car, sometimes they fight over who gets to brush their teeth first, and sometimes it's over who gets to use the vacuum cleaner. Really important debates going on in our house!
Paul, here, is addressing the church's sense that life isn't fair. The church is watching their loved ones be persecuted, while the evil ones seem to escape without punishment. (Someone once said that while history doesn't repeat itself, it often rhymes.)
Meanwhile, Paul exhorts the church to endure, and then reminds us that all of Scripture is helpful. It's easy to pick out the parts we like and ignore the rest, but Paul reminds us that it is all there for a reason. It teaches us, even the parts we don't like, and helps equip us to grow in Christ. Those parts you struggle with? Press in on those -- study how they fit together, what makes you uncomfortable, and why. That's crucial -- Scripture should challenge us and make us examine who and how we are. We can't get too comfortable. The Holy Spirit is always at work, refining us, pulling us forward into the future God has in mind for us. So press in. Linger on those difficult passages, and trust that God is speaking through them.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Philippians 2:1-11
Philippians 2:1-11
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's the first thing you would do if you were God?
Would you give yourself a million dollars? Maybe you'd exact some vengeance on an enemy. I bet we'd all come up with different lists, some of which would serve our own needs, while other items would likely serve the needs of others. Maybe you'd get rid of pollution or finally take care of human trafficking.
God, the most powerful being in the universe, opted to take on a lowly existence as a poor carpenter. Having done so, after laboring in obscurity for decades, Jesus then traveled the countryside performing selfless acts of service. He healed the lame and brought sight to the blind, often transcending cultural taboos by reaching out to the lowest of the low in society. After three years, rather than choosing to ascend a throne and reign in regal power, Jesus instead allowed himself to be publicly mocked and crucified.
Why?
Because God saw that as the necessary path to redeem you. You are worth all of the suffering in the world to God. God treasures you, and there wasn't a price too high to pay, so God offered everything in order to bring you forgiveness.
You are infinitely treasured and loved by the most powerful being in creation. I hope that truth changes the way you live today.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's the first thing you would do if you were God?
Would you give yourself a million dollars? Maybe you'd exact some vengeance on an enemy. I bet we'd all come up with different lists, some of which would serve our own needs, while other items would likely serve the needs of others. Maybe you'd get rid of pollution or finally take care of human trafficking.
God, the most powerful being in the universe, opted to take on a lowly existence as a poor carpenter. Having done so, after laboring in obscurity for decades, Jesus then traveled the countryside performing selfless acts of service. He healed the lame and brought sight to the blind, often transcending cultural taboos by reaching out to the lowest of the low in society. After three years, rather than choosing to ascend a throne and reign in regal power, Jesus instead allowed himself to be publicly mocked and crucified.
Why?
Because God saw that as the necessary path to redeem you. You are worth all of the suffering in the world to God. God treasures you, and there wasn't a price too high to pay, so God offered everything in order to bring you forgiveness.
You are infinitely treasured and loved by the most powerful being in creation. I hope that truth changes the way you live today.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Acts 14:19-23
Acts 14:19-23
English Standard Version (ESV)
How do you know how determined you are to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
With Paul, he was stoned by crowds in Lystra who then left him for dead, but instead of taking the hint and heading off somewhere that might be a little more welcoming, he gets on his feet and goes right back into the city, continuing on after that, determined to proclaim the Word of God.
It's easy to become frustrated when one meets resistance. Maybe you're unsure of what God wants from you, or maybe you're certain that God is leading you in one direction but nothing seems to be affirming that. Maybe it feels like everything around you is falling apart.
God's work often moves forward in uncertain stages. From the outside, it may not seem like progress, but God is always at work, even in the hardest and most uncertain chapters of life. Even when the church was being persecuted and seemed like it was shrinking, God was at work, growing disciples and preparing the church for something new. God is always at work, and our responsibility is to faithfully endure, trusting in God, focused on the long-term Kingdom of God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
How do you know how determined you are to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
With Paul, he was stoned by crowds in Lystra who then left him for dead, but instead of taking the hint and heading off somewhere that might be a little more welcoming, he gets on his feet and goes right back into the city, continuing on after that, determined to proclaim the Word of God.
It's easy to become frustrated when one meets resistance. Maybe you're unsure of what God wants from you, or maybe you're certain that God is leading you in one direction but nothing seems to be affirming that. Maybe it feels like everything around you is falling apart.
God's work often moves forward in uncertain stages. From the outside, it may not seem like progress, but God is always at work, even in the hardest and most uncertain chapters of life. Even when the church was being persecuted and seemed like it was shrinking, God was at work, growing disciples and preparing the church for something new. God is always at work, and our responsibility is to faithfully endure, trusting in God, focused on the long-term Kingdom of God.
Monday, October 1, 2018
2 Timothy 2:1-13
2 Timothy 2:1-13
English Standard Version (ESV)
Here in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he lifts up athletes and farmers as models of how the church ought to work.
Think of how challenging it is to be a farmer. Seed is sown, but there's no guarantee that anything happens after that. There has to be faith and trust that the seed will grow into something, that the water and the work will ultimately result in a harvest.
In the same way, we place our trust in God to shepherd the church forward. We trust that God will do astounding things through the church, and we stay faithful, enduring to the end, because we trust that God's work will triumph in the end. We trust in the outcome, even though the process is uncertain, and it's hard, and there will be plenty of temptations to find easier ways. Just as the athlete is tempted to sleep in rather than wake up early and train, the Christian is tempted to be spiritually lazy, to trust in things other than God, to forget about the long-term and opt for short-term wins.
If we endure, we reign with him. Day after day, make the small choices, the right choices, and trust in the God who remains faithful.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Here in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he lifts up athletes and farmers as models of how the church ought to work.
Think of how challenging it is to be a farmer. Seed is sown, but there's no guarantee that anything happens after that. There has to be faith and trust that the seed will grow into something, that the water and the work will ultimately result in a harvest.
In the same way, we place our trust in God to shepherd the church forward. We trust that God will do astounding things through the church, and we stay faithful, enduring to the end, because we trust that God's work will triumph in the end. We trust in the outcome, even though the process is uncertain, and it's hard, and there will be plenty of temptations to find easier ways. Just as the athlete is tempted to sleep in rather than wake up early and train, the Christian is tempted to be spiritually lazy, to trust in things other than God, to forget about the long-term and opt for short-term wins.
If we endure, we reign with him. Day after day, make the small choices, the right choices, and trust in the God who remains faithful.
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