Abigail's Strength

Abigail, in I Samuel 25, is one of the more minor characters in the Old Testament, but she is one from whom we can learn a lesson. She is a strong woman, a wife and eventually a mother, wed to a man defiant to God’s servant David. In a time when women were seen as property, when women had little independence and could face terrible treatment if disobedient to their husbands, Abigail defies hers to give comfort and help to this man protecting their lands. She risks her reputation as a wife and her safety as a woman to do what she knows is right.

God, in contrast, treats women as very valuable in the scriptures. Psalm 128:3 refers to a good wife as a fruitful vine. Proverbs 12:4 compares an excellent wife to a crown; chapter 18:22 calls a wife a good thing. Furthermore, Proverbs 31 heaps great praise upon wives and mothers. In the New Testament, we see Christ, time and again, treating the women in His life with kindness and respect, and Ephesians 5 calls on husbands to care for their wives as they would themselves.

The Story of Abigail

Back in I Samuel 25, we meet Abigail, married to an ill-tempered and poorly behaved man named Nabal. David sends servants to this Nabal for provisions while protecting the region, but Nabal callously turns them away. In response, David and his men prepare to attack Nabal’s household, and this is where Abigail comes in. In verse 14, she learns of David’s intentions, and she quickly collects food for David and his men without involving her husband at all.

In verse 23, Abigail humbles herself before David and asks to bear the guilt for Nabal’s faults. She offers the gift of food she has brought, and she begs forgiveness from David. David praises God for her gift and her presence and sends her home. When she returns home, she finds her husband drunk, so she waits until the next day to tell her husband of the anger David harbors against him. In verse 37, it says Nabal’s heart dies within him. After he dies, David takes Abigail’s hand in marriage, seeing her value and worth.

Lessons from Abigail

We see amazing strength in this woman in her prompt actions, her desire to protect her household and unworthy husband. We see a woman who respects God and His servants. She gives God credit where due, and she demonstrates wisdom and discernment in her actions and her discreetness. Her qualities are numerous, and she is a great example of quiet strength and faithful service, even to a master less than worthy of her respect.

Ephesians 5:22 and 33 as well as Colossians 3:18 talk about wives respecting their husbands, and Abigail somehow manages to show kindness and respect to a man difficult to love, a man who even set himself against a servant of God. She seeks to protect him, even in quiet defiance, and she looks out for his reputation and well-being. She protects her home where her husband does not. She leads where he fails. In doing so, she not only honors her husband, but she shows honor to God as well.

This is the strength of Abigail, a woman in a poor relationship who sees her husband hurtling toward self-destruction, towards harming his own household, and she takes action to protect her husband and those affected by his unwise decisions. We all have times in our lives when we have to be the ones taking initiative. We all have times when we need to look out for others, even when they won’t look out for ourselves. There are times when we must take risks to do what we know is right. There are times when we must all be Abigail, and we can take hope and strength in the example she leaves for us.

lesson by Alan Miller

"Be Not Afraid"

In Matthew 28, we read:

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.”

While the resurrection is in the thoughts of many this day, stop to pay attention to the words that the angels said to the women: “Do not be afraid.” What would these women have had to fear? This is the resurrection, the core of the gospel message as Paul writes about in I Corinthians 15:1-8. In Acts 23:6, Paul again notes the resurrection being central to his teachings, and I Peter 1:3 reminds us that our hope is derived from Jesus’ resurrection. This is the event by which the death and burial are fulfilled. This is the source of our hope. Why, then, would those women be afraid?

From Fear to Joy
In Matthew 26, we can see that they had much to fear. In verse 56, the apostles flee after Judas comes and betrays Jesus, bringing with him armed men to forcibly take the Messiah if necessary. When Jesus was to be buried, only two came forward. In Mark 16:8 and John 20:19, we see again the fear in which Jesus’ followers lived.

While the faithful lived in fear, though, Jesus’ appearance after the resurrection brought them joy. In John 20, when Jesus appears to Mary in verses 11-18, she runs to the disciples to tell the other disciples. In Luke 24:13, Jesus appears to two disciples walking to Emmaus, and He asks them to relate recent events to Him, events they are surprised He does not seem to know. In verses 25-31, Jesus studies with them and eats with them, opening their eyes to Him, and we see them, in verses 33-35, responding in joy and longing to spread the news. Jesus goes on to appear to His apostles in the same chapter, and they disbelieve for joy. Thomas joyfully repents of his doubt upon seeing the risen Lord.

Face to Face with Jesus
Luke 5 records an experience Peter has with Jesus early in His ministry. Peter and others have been fishing all night, without success, and Jesus simply encourages him and his companions to try one more time. Doing so, they catch an unmanageable number of fish, and Peter, in verse 8, falls and worships Jesus, confessing His sins in fear. At this time, Peter wants to be far from Jesus because He is overcome with fear and guilt.

John 21, after the crucifixion and resurrection, something similar happens when Peter decides to again go fishing. Once more, Peter’s efforts are in vain, catching nothing all night. Come morning, a man instructs them to cast on the other side of the boat where they catch an unmanageable number of fish. Peter recognizes this man as the Lord – a man he had recently cursed and sinned against – but this time responds in joy. Instead of wishing Jesus away from him, Peter jumps into the water and swims toward Jesus to be with Him as soon as possible. Fear has melted into joy and confidence, and this confidence becomes central to Peter’s ministry throughout Acts, gives him strength against persecution, and becomes a key theme to his letters.

Conclusion
This is the impact the resurrection should have in our lives. When confronted with our sin and our weaknesses, we can approach our God confidently and joyfully. Confidence overcomes guilt. Joy overcomes sorrow. Forgiveness defeats sin, and death is swallowed up in victory. Because He arose, we have hope, and that hope should drive us to draw closer to our risen Savior, allowing Him to raise us up in newness of life.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Exhortation and Hope in Hebrews

When we look at some of the epistles, we can see a clear purpose behind the authorship of those letters. We understand the specific issues that motivated the authorship of books like I Corinthians and Galatians. In the case of Hebrews, we might turn to Hebrews 6:4 as a warning against apostasy. Chapter 13:7-9 warns against falling away to false teaching. We also see several contrasts between the Old and New Covenants; but the book was perhaps ultimately written as motivation – to move the readers of this epistle to action.

A Letter of Exhortation
Chapter 13:22 of Hebrews says:

I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

We sometimes us the words edify and exhort interchangeably. Where edify means “to build up,” though, exhort is defined by urging one forward, and the term is used in Hebrews at least five times. Hebrews 10:36 calls to a need for endurance, and those reading this book needed to be urged forward to that endurance.

The Hebrew Congregation
This book was written to Christians coming out of Judaism; the author makes this clear in Hebrews 2:16, and chapter 13:17-19 leads us to the conclusion that the author knew this group personally. Chapter 10:32-34 speaks to the strong character of this congregation – those who had suffered loss, persecution, and who have been compassionate. Also, based on chapter 5:12, this was not a new congregation, and they were a group active in serving their fellow Christians.

If all of these qualities are true, why would this group need such urging forward? They had been enduring persecution for years, and those years were taking their toll. Many of these may have been second- or third- generation Christians, and the author warns them, in chapter 2, from becoming sluggish, of drifting away. This was a congregation with a strong reputation, but the Hebrew writer could see beyond that reputation to a group that was beginning to wane.

Their Exhortation and Ours
The writer of Hebrews uses a series of “let us” statements. Chapters 4:1, 4:11, 4:16, 10:23, 10:22, 10:24, 12:1, 12:28 , 13:13, 13:15 – these verses and more call the Hebrew congregation to action, and the author includes himself in that call. He does not isolate himself or hold the congregation at arm’s length. We cannot move forward while remaining inactive, and we have to be willing to answer that call.

The Hebrew author continues by pointing their way to something better, especially before those who would return to the faith of their fathers and grandfathers. Chapters 7-11 lay out the clear case that Jesus’ sacrifice is superior to the Old Covenant at every point – a better country, a better promise, a better sacrifice, a better hope, a better priesthood. In the face of this, to what could we turn if we drift away from Christ’s message. There is nothing better.

The term eternal also returns time and again. Chapters 5:9, 6:2, 9:12, 9:14-15, 13:20 – these lay out what is at stake. Do we leave the eternal promises for the brief promises of this world? The point is one of perspective, enduring things now that will seem brief and insubstantial in comparison to the eternity that faces us.

A Message of Hope
The Hebrew writer ultimately exhorts his audience by pointing them toward hope. Chapter 6:9 talks about faith, endurance, hope, and love – all based on God’s unbreakable promises. In this, he calls on us to run toward a hope that serves as an anchor in the time of storms. The Hebrew writer looks to our hope in Christ, the hope of those who came before us, the hope of a better land, a steadfast hope that nothing can remove from us.

Sometimes, like Elijah, we feel as if we are the only ones standing on the side of God, but the Hebrew writer, in chapters 11 and 12, calls on us to look at those who came before. By faith, they accomplished more than we can sometimes imagine, and their faith was based in that anchor of hope. They are the great cloud of witnesses who surround us, who point toward Jesus, in whom we also have hope and assurance.

Hebrews 2 speaks to Christ’s abasement and sacrifice for all of our sakes, that we may have hope and can be called brothers in His salvation. Chapter 6:20 calls Him our forerunner, and Hebrews 12:1-3 names Him the author, the founder, the protector of our faith, conquering sin and death. We have hope because our Brother endured shame and the cross, sitting down at the right hand of God, setting down the path by which we may reach Heaven.

That is what we ultimately hope for – that Holy of Holies, that land beyond the veil, the place where sorrows cease to exist. Chapters 7:4, 9:24, 12:22 all point us toward that hope provided of us. It is toward hope we must push forward, enduring anything and everything this life can throw at us, pushing ourselves forward and exhorting our brothers and sisters to run with endurance toward the prize laid before us.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Spiritual Goals

What impression do you make upon others? Much of it is based on what you believe of yourself. Are you encouraging or discouraging? Friendly or unfriendly? This is critical not only to who we are, but to our identity as a family in Christ. I Peter 3:15 tells us to, “regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience” Who do we want to be? What kind of person do we want others to see?

In building our spiritual character, Ephesians 4:14 calls us to abandon childish frivolity and uncertainty, so we can be certain of our place with God. Salvation is not random. We have to work toward it as certainly as we must work toward any other goal we have. Have we made planning for our next home a mission in our lives?

Goals in God’s Word
Joshua 24:15 records Joshua firmly stating, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua’s mission was to lead his family and his people in the ways of our Lord, and verse 31 shows how influential that decision was – both his generation and the next followed his example in staying faithful to God. Joshua’s goals and his character centered around one focus, and his impact on the world around him was significant.

Psalm 16:7-8 records David praising God, saying, “bless the LORD who gives me council; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Chapter 18:22-23 then records David speaking of God’s word as always before him, determined to stay innocent in God’s eyes. Even when he failed to do so, we see the humility and eagerness he returned to God.

II Kings 22:1-2 describe king Josiah as one who walked in the ways of his forefather David, never turning to the left or the right. This was possible both because of Josiah’s resolute goal and because of the example he had to build upon because of David. Our character influences our own spiritual lives as well as others.

Our Own Goals
Jeremiah 6:16 calls on us to seek God’s paths and God’s ways, and II Peter 1:3-4 tells us we have all we need for our souls in His word and that we should strive to partake of His divine nature. We need specific goals in following Him. We need to be relying on Him and helping others grow closer to Him. We should be reviewing our goals and our mission daily so we never lose sight of that for which we are working.

Remember Jesus praying in the garden, declaring that it not be His own will that is done, but the will of the Father. Our goal should be the same. II Corinthians 13:5-6 challenges us to test ourselves, to examine ourselves, to see if we are truly living by faith and to assure ourselves that Christ lives in us. Our mission statements should be focused on and centered around God. We must determine to be the person we know we should be, knowing our own challenges and obstacles so we can face them in the confidence of God’s word. Through this confidence, we can resolutely press after God, keeping that Heavenly home forever in our sight.

lesson by Mike Mahoney

Christianity is Not a Detour

What do we do when we come up on detours in our daily commutes? Do we ignore them and get stuck in a position where we have to turn around? Do we follow them? Have you ever been on a detour where you’ve been unquestionably lost? We might have missed a sign while following other cars; a marker may have been misplaced or marked incorrectly; and we unquestioningly ended up in entirely the wrong place. We not only completely avoided the dangerous area of road, but we also managed to accidentally avoid our destination.

A Road, Not a Detour

In John 17:15, Jesus prays for the well-being of His disciples, and He prays that they might have the protection they need to keep them from evil. See, our faith is not a detour around the trials and temptations of this world. Instead, it is a path right through the dangers of our world to lead us to a safe destination in the end. In this same prayer, Jesus prays that His disciples not be “of the world,” in verse 14, even while they live “in the world” (verse 11). Where our faith is the road we travel, the things of this world can serve as detours themselves, distracting us from our chosen path.

In Luke 6:12-13, when Jesus chooses his disciples, He does not conduct interviews, check references, or cite popular opinion polls. No, instead He prays to God for guidance. When we seek out these other things – popular opinion, following others – we are easily detoured. Only by trusting in God and living prayerfully can we hope to keep on the correct path without diversion. Then we can be in the world without being of the world, just as a ship must be in the sea without the sea being in the ship.

Remembering Our Surroundings

Staying on God’s path does not mean disregarding this world He created. In fact, the deeper our connection with God, the deeper our connection with the world around us. Knowing Christ awakens a more powerful concern for those around us. Even though it’s a pain, road construction usually makes our commutes a little better when it is finished. Can we say the same about ourselves? Do we leave this world a better place when we pass by?

Roads always have to be torn up before they can be rebuilt, and we will have disagreements and moments or stress with our fellow workers in Christ. We might feel torn up, or we might tear into another. We can, however, learn from those times and work toward building each other up, reconstructing ourselves into a stronger church. The problem comes when a road is torn up and forgotten. Sometimes we might hurt a brother or sister, tear them down unintentionally even, and be negligent in our responsibility to build them back up.

Bringing Others to God’s Road (And Keeping Ourselves On Too)

Remember Saul of I Samuel 17:11. All he did was complain about Goliath, looking to man for the solution instead of to God. What about Paul and Silas in prison. Instead of dealing with their situation as ones with no hope, they lived the path they followed and brought another along with them in the end. WHen we’re working with others, are we trying to bring them to God’s highway or to our own?

When we come to a crisis in our spiritual path, how do we respond? In Genesis 22, Abraham responds to a crisis presented by God with faith and obedience. We will be tested in this life. We will come to forks in our road. When we hit these rough spots, we should be relying on God’s directions more than man’s. We can scour all over our Bibles and see people who have responded to crisis in faith (Paul, Apollos, Timothy) versus those who were detoured by roadblocks in their paths (Demas, John Mark, Ananias and Sapphira). Who will we be more like?

What road are you on? Have you chosen broader and easier paths, or have you chosen to walk in Jesus footsteps up the narrow way of salvation? Only one will take you to a final destination with God, but, in striving toward that goal, we cannot be derailed by the detours in our lives. If we place our faith and hope in Him, if He is the source of our strength and hope, then we can find our way home, even when they way seems dark.

lesson by Mike Mahoney

God My Rock

We live in an unstable world. Economy, disease, politics – these factors and more create unsettling circumstances around us. Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. Jesus says, in John 16:33, that we will have trouble as long as we are part of this world. Where then do we turn in a life of uncertainty and troubles? Where do we take refuge when the storms of this life assault us?

God has promised us that He will be our refuge. He is our sheltering rock in the time of storms. He is our fortress against the battles of this life. Nahum 1:7, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 94:22, Deuteronomy 32:30, Isaiah 44:8 – these passages and many more call God our shelter, our rock, our refuge. He is the certainty we can have in a world of uncertainty.

Our Trust in God

We can trust in God even when friends and family fail us. The imagery of God as our refuge comes largely from the writings of David, one whose best friend’s father wanted him dead, whose wife and son turned against him on more than one occasion. David knew what it was to have friends and family turn on him. In Psalm 41:9 and Psalm 55:12-14 speaks of friends abandoning him. Likewise, Job saw his wife and friends turn on him in his strife, but, in Job 42:2, he turns his trust to God, expressing confidence in God’s deliverance. We will have friends and family fail us in this life, but we can be assured our God will never forsake us.

We can also trust in our God when the things in this life fail us, when we see the unfairness, crime, and injustice in this world. We ourselves have been victims of these things, and we cannot find shelter in the things of this world as long as injustice and unfairness continue. In the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, Moses contrasts the injustice of man versus the fairness of God, and Isaiah 26:4-7 calls God an eternal rock, the upright one who directs the path of the just. He alone is just and fair, and we can place our trust in the fact that His ways are right. He plays no favorites. We are all equal in His eyes, and we can trust Him to deal fairly with us in a way the world never could.

Finally, we can trust God to ultimately save us. Psalm 44:6 records the sons of Korah saying they would trust in nothing but God to save them. A strong military, a strong government, a strong stock market, our right to bear arms, strong foreign policy – these things will not save us in this life or the one to come. Jeremiah 11:12 criticizes the people of Judah for trusting their idols; we make idols of our investments, of our military, of our favorite politicians, of our savings. These are where we so often place our greatest trust and efforts, but they cannot save us. Only God can shelter our souls.

The Lord of Our Strength

Psalm 18, one of David’s later writings, proclaims God as our strength, fortress, deliverer. He is the horn of our salvation, our stronghold, worthy of praises. He is the living rock, the God of our salvation. Psalm 62:5-7 expresses confidence that God can be our only source of strength and salvation. This is the confidence we can have in our God.

We can look to Him for comfort, shelter, and strength. This comfort and security is open to all who would know Him and come to Him in humility and obedience. David, in Psalm 18, expressed a very personal relationship with his God, and David knows, in Psalm 18:20-26, that he is blameless before God, and he knows the relationship they have together. When we draw toward God, He draws toward us. We can have that same relationship, that same hope, that same security, even in the face of friends, family, and the securities of this world failing us.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Lord God Almighty

There’s a book called America’s Four Gods that points out that, while some 90% of Americans claim a belief in God, we view God in diverse ways. We may view Him as authoritative, critical, distant, or benevolent. We might see God as judgmental being who loves His creation but intercedes and punishes actively based on our choices. In contrast, we might see God’s handiwork in everything but be reluctant to see Him willing to condemn individuals. We may imagine a God who looks upon us judgmentally but don’t believe He intercedes in this life, or we might view God as a cosmic force that set the universe in motion and now is largely uninvolved and unknowable.

How we view God impacts how we view world events, how we approach politics, how we participate in society. The problem lies in trying to make God fit into a neat little box. We limit God by defining Him with human concepts. Our concepts of Him are too small in comparison to what we see in scripture.

Genesis 17:1 records God appearing to Abraham, proclaiming Himself as “God Almighty.” Appearing to Jacob in Genesis 35:11, God again calls Himself El Shaddai – God Almighty. Revelation 1:8, God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the everlasting, the almighty. These are the terms with which we should view God. He is the almighty God.

Nothing Too Hard

Jeremiah 32:17 records the prophet proclaiming that nothing is too hard for God, and God reinforces the point rhetorically in verse 27. Why is nothing too hard for Him? He is God Almighty. Only one for which nothing is too hard could mold us and shape us from our imperfections and impurities into sinless and spotless souls.

This power is seen in Isaiah 7:10-14 when God prophecies the virgin birth of Emmanuel, God with Us. What is impossible for man is possible for God. Outside the laws of nature, outside biological impossibilities, Mary brings forth Jesus in Matthew 1:18-25 having never been with a man. Luke 1:35 calls this child holy and the Son of God. Only the Almighty could accomplish this.

In Romans 1, Paul calls the gospel God’s power unto salvation, and he echoes this in I Corinthians 1:18. In John 6, after the feeding of the thousands, Jesus makes an object lesson, drawing parallel between the bread and His own body. In verse 63-38, after many turn from Him, Jesus explains this power is not in the body but in His words, those words Peter calls eternal life. I Peter 1:23 says we have been born again through God’s imperishable word. The Almighty saves us through His imperishable word.

Finally, in Acts 2, we see Peter preaching to the people at Pentecost that God has raised up Christ they murdered, and God has exalted Him as king. Ephesians 1:20-23 reiterates this – that God raised Christ, exalted Him, and has given Him all authority. This same Christ humbled Himself, according to Philippians 2, even unto physical death, but now every knee will bow before Him. Only the Almighty could bring Christ back from the dead and exalt His name above all others.

Conclusion

There are two things only deity can do – speak of things to come as if they already happened and give life to the dead. Christ was raised to die no more, and I Corinthians 15:20 tells us He sets a precedent for His people. II Corinthians 4:14 assures us that He who could raise Christ can raise us as well. Our God Almighty can defeat death, can clothe our corruptible and mortal selves with the incorruptible and immortal (I Corinthians 15:54). That is what our God is capable of.

We can define God in numerous ways. We can try to categorize or limit Him in our own ways, but He is Lord God Almighty. For Him, nothing is too hard, and in Him we place our faith, hope, and trust.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Treasure in Jars of Clay

II Corinthians is an interesting letter by Paul. It does not flow as smoothly as most of his other epistles, and we see a very emotional side of Paul throughout the book, particularly in chapter 2. He continually returns to the concepts of glory, of mercy, and of his own efforts as a minister in Christ. He spends much of the book defending his efforts, his motives, and his authority. In II Corinthians 2:17, he reminds his audience of his sincerity in teaching them.

Paul’s Defense

We can see many discouraging things in Paul’s letter – opposition from the world, our family, and even brethren, those who would seek profit from Christianity, those who would challenge him at every turn. In chapter 4:1, however, Paul asserts he will not lose hope in his ministry from God. He contrasts himself with those who would tamper with, dilute, or peddle God’s word. He sees opposition all around, but he remains sincere.

When we dilute God’s word, we dim the glory of God. As Paul, we should so internalize the glory and joy of God’s word that we feel a personal attachment to it. Think of Paul’s use of “our gospel” and “my gospel,” not claiming ownership but demonstrating the personal attachment he has to that word.

Paul writes about the god of this world, in verse 4, blinding us to God’s word and crowding it out of our lives. The sins of this world, our physical desires and pursuits, can appear less bad than they are on the surface. Sin can look brighter than it really is, and this leads us to being blinded by that false light. Paul reminds us, though, in verse 6, that God’s light can bring us from that blindness.

Paul’s Treasure

Then, in verse 7, Paul refers to a treasure stored in jars of clay. In contrast to those Pharisees of Matthew 23, who Jesus described as being whitewashed tombs filled with death and bones, Paul says we may be clay pots, but the gospel stored within us is priceless treasure. We may be imperfect and fragile as those earthen vessels, but what is contained in our hearts is beyond value.

In verse 8-9 he speaks in generalities about the persecution that comes from carrying that treasure within him, but II Corinthians 6:4-10 and 11:23-33 go into more specific details. Any of us might lose heart at those obstacles, but Paul does not. Instead in II Corinthians 4:11, Paul says he endures so Jesus may be seen in him. Once, the Word became flesh and dwelt among man. Now, others should see Him in us by the way we reflect his glory in our lives.

In verse 13, Paul quotes from Psalm 116:10 about believing and speaking God’s word, about maintaining hope among discouragement and trials. He reassures them of the hope of resurrection, reminding them the more they reflect the treasure of Christ’s gospel, the more souls that will turn to Christ, the more God will be glorified in our earthen vessels.

Do Not Lose Heart

As in chapter 4:1, Paul repeats the refrain, “We do not lose heart,” in verse 16. Here, he puts his trials, his afflictions, his humiliations, and his pain in perspective to the treasure of eternity. Eternal life is his goal, so he does not lose heart. We have a lot to put up with, as did Paul in his life, and we may feel as fragile and ugly as jars of clay at times. We have a treasure, though, beyond value if our faith and hope are in the resurrection of Christ.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Joy in Our Faith

We often use emoticons in our text messages, emails, and status updates to convey a mood for whatever we’re writing. Often, we’ll use a smiley face to lighten the mood, to show happiness in something we’re sharing. Can we then put a smiley face on the cross? Are we drifting toward simply being a feel-good religion, evangelizing a God who will commiserate with us when we do things that fulfill self-interest. Instead of having a Father in Heaven, do we encourage the image of a Grandfather who just wants to spoil His grandkids and see the young people enjoy themselves.

What we have to do is balance the joyful Christian life and the serious commitment required in the face of the cross. In avoiding a feel-good faith, we may go to an extreme of negativity, demonstrating joyless lives. Where is the balance? There must be a sense of sorrow and remorse for our sins that sent Jesus to His death upon a cross. He bears the guilt we should be burdened under, and he takes our sorrow upon Himself so we can have joy.

Finding Joy in the Cross

Matthew 13:8-23 records Jesus explaining his parable about a sower planting seeds. Verses 20-21 explains that struggles, sorrow, and trials can remove God’s word from our hearts, and Jesus says we should receive that word with joy. In verse 44, Jesus goes on to compare God’s kingdom to a treasure, found and obtained in joy. Acts 8:8 describes the joy people had in receiving God’s word, even amidst persecution, and verse 39 shows a new convert departing his conversion rejoicing. Finally, Acts 13:48 shows Gentiles rejoicing that the gospel has been made available to them.

Salvation comes from the cross. Guilt, sorrow, and sin are removed forever. Paul, in Romans 10:17-18, calls God’s kingdom one of righteousness, peace, and joy. Where sorrow and guilt may have initially brought us to the cross for salvation, our lives should be ones of joy after our redemption. Instead of walking away from our rebirth in Christ with bitterness over the difficulties we will face in our service to Christ, we should be like the eunuch who goes away rejoicing.

Romans 5:5-13 reminds us of the peace and comfort found in God, concluding that we should be filled with peace and joy from God. Galatians 5 even enumerates joy as one of the fruits of the spirit. Philippians 3:1 simply calls on us to rejoice in the Lord. Paul repeats this in Philippians 4:4. This is a quality of character we should possess and that others should see in us.

Placing Joy in the Eternal

There are many things in this life that are distressing, sad, and unfulfilling. These are not the things in which we should rejoice. We search for joy in this world. We are looking in the wrong place. Instead, we rejoice in the love, the hope, the salvation, the promises we have in our God. Even if our life circumstances bring no joy, we can always place hope in the eternal promises of our Father.

We should also be taking joy in our brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember Paul’s attitude toward Titus in II Corinthians 7:13, rejoicing in Titus’ presence and in the refreshment he had among the congregation at Corinth. In I Thessalonians 2:20, Paul calls that congregation a glory and a joy, and Philippians 4:1 expresses the joy Paul takes in his brethren. What have we done to bring joy to our brothers and sisters in Christ? Joy is a characteristic we possess, and it is a thing we give to others.

Conclusion

Ultimately, our joy is in the hope of Heaven. Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us of the endurance Jesus had in the face of the joy set before Him. We have that same hope. We have that same joy. Bringing joy to our Christian lives does not mean sugar-coating the message of God. We are not putting a smiley face on the cross, but we should understand the great things provided us and promised us in God, living joyfully for the hope set before us. Once we fully commit ourselves to walking in Christ’s footsteps, we can take joy in the knowledge of where that path leads if we stay focused on the goal.

lesson by Tim Smelser

A Faithful Hope

Hope is what directs our footsteps toward our heavenly goal. It drives our faith and our service. I Peter 3:15 encourages us to be able to answer for the hope within us, encouraging us that we must be living as if we do indeed have hope, a hope others will see in us. In Titus 2:13 tells us we should be looking forward to a hope of glory. Our hope is an earnest expectation, a desire whose realization we earnestly wait.

A Confident Hope

Addressing those who did not believe in the resurrection, Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:13-19 that Christ’s own resurrections serves as a foundation for the hope we have in our own. This hope is more than a vague notion. It is something exercised in our faith and our service to God, driving that faith and being reinforced by faith in turn. According to Galatians 5:5, this hope is something we should be eagerly awaiting.

Hebrews 12:1 assures us with a great cloud of witnesses that we can reach for our hope, just as Jesus did in his own lifetime. Hebrews 6:1 encourages us to press on toward our completion, and verses 17-19 reminds us that God has promised us, has sworn to us, that our hope is real and attainable. Our hope in Heaven is not something abstract or fantastical. It is a real hope. It is something in which we can place confidence.

Images of Our Hope

In Revelation 21-22, John sees three pictures of Heaven in his vision. Beginning in verses 1-5, John sees a holy land with the gulf of separation between man and God forever removed. It is pictured as a place of joy and life. It is a tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. It is a place where God lives with His created in perfect fellowship.

Then, verses 9-27 picture a new city, an emblem of perfect protection for God’s people. He describes the beauty and majesty of the city, the strength of its walls and gates, the security of its foundations. This is a city no man can siege or overtake. The gates are pictured as pearls, objects of beauty created in pain just as our hope may cause us to face pain ourselves before we can enter those gates.

Finally, Revelation 22:1-5 describes a tree of life surrounding a life-giving river. It is an image of a garden. It provides perfect provision for God’s people. This is a picture that returns to the beginning – to Eden. The curse of sin is gone. There is no darkness, no pain, and no sorrow. It is a place filled with the light of God’s love.

Conclusion

The tabernacle provides perfect fellowship. The city offers perfect protection. The garden provides perfect provision. Our hope is one where God provides for our every need and where we live with Him in eternity for all eternity. In contrast to those of Ephesians 2:12 who have no hope, we can be made near to God in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (verse 13). He invites us to draw near in Him. He offers us a hope that this world could never equal. Will you accept the gift of that hope?

lesson by Tim Smelser

Fret Not

Psalm 37 is a Psalm of David that contrasts the ways of the wicked with the ways of the righteous. David is in a good position to comment on the things listed in this Psalm, for David really did face almost every high and low a person can experience in their life. He faced trials, violence, poverty, betrayal, and hunger alongside the wealth and power he would have later in his life. Many wanted him to fail. Many wanted him dead. Still, time and again in the psalm, David admonishes his readers to “fret not.”

We worry about the harm we perceive as possible from others. We sometimes become envious when we see those we perceive as less righteous succeeding financially where we struggle. Other times, we may feel we have no choice but to become like the wicked if we are going to be successful ourselves. Still, our admonition is the same: “Fret not.”

Purging the Stress of Comparisons

David first suggests to us that God is ultimately in control. We may look around and see a world spiraling out of control, but verses 7, 12-13, 17-18, 25, and 40 reinforce God’s involvement in upholding and preserving the righteous. It may be hard to remember, but our God is in control of eternity.

David also encourages us to take positive action. Verses 3 and 27 admonish us to actively do good. Instead of dwelling on all others are doing wrong, we can make an effort to be a light of goodness in this world, just as Peter tells Jesus did in the face of detractors (Acts 10:38). Romans 12:21 encourages to overcome evil with goodness, and Galatians 6:10 tells us to work good toward all. Finally, I Peter 2:12 reminds us that our good works glorify God, even in the face of persecution and discouragement. When we are engaged in active good, it’s all the harder to waste our time fretting over the evil we see in others.

We also to direct our minds to higher goals and higher ideals. Instead of focusing on succeeding in this world, we should be lifting our eyes higher. Psalm 37:4 tells us to delight in Jehovah, and Colossians 3:1-2 reminds us to set our minds on things above instead of upon this world. Our aim is not to get ahead in this life. Rather, it is to achieve a heavenly goal. If our eyes are lifted to Heaven, the burdens of this world way much less.

Psalm 37:5 encourages us to commit ourselves to God, just as Jesus said to seek God’s kingdom first above all things. Philippians 1:12-14, verse written by Paul while in jail, speaks of the progress Paul makes in the Lord’s work while in captivity. Instead of looking upon all he had lost, Paul focuses on the accomplishments he can achieve for God in the circumstances he is in. Regardless of our own circumstances – perhaps pressured to compromise morals, loss of income or friendships, alienation of peers – we can remain committed to God’s work.

In the end, we have to fall back on a foundation of patience in God. We are used to instant gratification, but God’s timetable is not our timetable. In Psalm 37:7, David encourages on us to wait in the Lord. We need to trust in Him and not let impatience derail our spiritual peace.

Conclusion

In Romans 5:3, Paul says that endurance is sometimes developed in times of trial. When we face difficulties, we find out what we are really made of. Paul goes on to remind us that those trials redirect our minds toward the hope we should have in Christ. When we are in pain, when we are worried, when we are facing trials, it is easy to lose sight of this. Our hope is in Him, though, and we can be patient in Him, keeping our eyes on things above.

Proverbs 3:5 encourages us trust God. Verse 7 admonishes us to reverently honor Jehovah, and verse 9 calls on us to honor Him. He will uphold us and protect us if we seek refuge in Him. Our minds should be set on Him, honoring and trusting in Him, rejecting the strains of this world so we can reach for a home above.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Spiritual Security

Note: This devotional was part of a song service centered around the song How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts? It also contains references to other hymns if you pay attention and follow the readings.

What does it mean to us to feel secure? When we have a sense of security, we feel safe. We feel protected. We feel shielded from harm. We treasure our security. We value and protect it.

We wear seat belts to feel secure in our cars, have airbags and car alarms to increase that sense of security. We invest in GPS systems to make us feel secure in unfamiliar areas. We want to live in neighborhoods that make us feel safe. We install security systems to protect our homes. We even have a Department of Homeland Security to protect us on a larger scale, or we may give a special blanket to a young child to add a feeling of security in their small world.

We trust in these products, services, and infrastructures to provide a measure of security in the unpredictable lives we have while on this world. Those who seek Christ, however, seek a refuge greater than anything man can provide. More than seeking security for our bodies or our possessions, we look after Christ to secure our souls.

• Hebrews 6:17-19 refers to our hope in Christ as an anchor that secures us against the storms of this life and calls Him our refuge.
• Psalm 46:1-3 calls God a refuge and our strength in times of trouble.
• In II Timothy 1:8-12, Paul places the foundation of our hope and refuge in God's promises, His testimony, His word.

On what do you rely for security? How do you secure your heart? In what is your anchor fastened? Upon what foundation is your refuge built? Christ and His word are our strong foundation. He is the rock in which we can secure our anchor of hope. In Him, we can truly find that peace surpassing all understanding, that peace of mind that can only be found in spiritual security.

devotional by Robert Smelser

A Faithful Hope

The Bible is full of individuals who stand up and declare the word of the Lord in the face of public and political opposition. People like Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and more – these face threats, persecutions, and ridicule for delivering a message that the people do not necessarily wish to hear. Among these great messengers is a man named Jeremiah, commonly known as the weeping prophet for the bitterness of his message to the prophet.

In Lamentation 1, we see Jeremiah writing a song of mourning, told from the perspective of the city as it is being besieged. He calls the city a widow. He writes of Jerusalem’s enemies mocking the city and taking joy in her demise. Jerusalem mourns her lost children. Then, in chapter 3, the prophet begins to insert his own voice, bemoaning the tragedies he is forced to witness. It is a book of sorrow and pain over the destruction of God’s holy city.

A Glimmer of Hope
In the midst of this, in Jeremiah 3:21-25, the prophet remembers hope:

But this I call to mind,and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

In the middle of sorrow and despair, Jeremiah remembers God’s mercy and the renewal available in Him. He remembers hope in God’s faithfulness. All of us face failure in our lives. We face difficulties, sorrow, and ridicule. Like Jeremiah, we can remember the portion we have in Jehovah.

Hope in God’s Faithfulness, Mercy, and Renewal
Jeremiah calls God’s mercies unending. Psalm 136 repeats again and again that God’s steadfast love endures forever. His mercies, His compassion, His love is faithful and enduring. In Luke 1:76-79, Zechariah praises God for the endurance of His tender mercies, and Romans 15:1-9 exults God for His mercy and calls the Lord a God of hope, of endurance, and of comfort. Ephesians 1:1-7 says God makes us alive in Christ because of His mercy and love. We know the God’s mercy does not fail, and we can trust in those mercies to deliver us.

Jeremiah also speaks of having hope in his God. In Psalm 130 calls on God’s people to hope in Him, in His love and His mercies. Psalm 31:24 and Psalm 38:15 both express hope in God’s deliverance and His mercy. I Thessalonians 5, Paul contrasts hope with hopelessness, and he writes that we should wear hope of salvation like a helmet in verse 8. Romans 8:24 simply states that our salvation is based upon hope, and Paul goes on to make the case that hope sustains us in the face of every trial this world can throw at us. Finally, Hebrews 6:17-20 speaks of our hope anchoring our souls. In the middle of this world’s tragedies and difficulties, this is the hope we can have.

We hope for renewal in God, and II Corinthians 5:17 calls those who live in Christ new creatures. Chapter 4:16-18 of the same book tells us we look away from our former physical concerns to spiritual hopes. We are renewed in the image of our Creator and Savior, and Romans 6 tells us we raise to walk in newness of life after our conversion to Christ. Ephesians 4:17-24 calls on us to clothe ourselves in newness and renewal, discarding our former selves and replacing that with a new creation. We all want a fresh start, and God promises we can be renewed in Christ when we sacrifice self and allow Him to transform our lives.

We can hope these things because God is faithful, and, if He is faithful to us, we should be as faithful to Him. I Corinthians 1:9 begins a very difficult letter with the assurance that God is indeed faithful. Hebrews 10:22-23 calls on us to hold onto our hope in a faithful God, and I John 1:9 assures us God’s forgiveness is faithful. If we place our hope in Him, if we trust His mercy, if we are faithful – then we can trust His faithfulness to us.

Conclusion
Jeremiah 3:21-25 stands as a testament of faith in a faithful God. God is good to the soul that seeks Him and waits on Him. Our renewal is found in Him alone, and our responsibility then is to seek Him and come to Him on His terms. He is available to us. The Jerusalem of Jeremiah’s time never turns to embrace God’s mercy and deliverance. They fall into captivity because of their slavery to sin. We, however, do not have to share that fate. We can take hold of the hope we have in God. We can trust His mercies and find renewal in Him. He can be our hope if we faithfully trust in Him.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Do Not Be Afraid

In Matthew 28:5-6, when an angel of the Lord appear before a fearful set of guards and the women gathered with Mary, he begins his revelation of Christ’s resurrection with these words: “Do not be afraid.”. The resurrection is a core of the New Testament. In I Corinthians 15, Paul devotes most of that long chapter to the subject of our bodily resurrection, drawing parallels with Christ’s own resurrection. Acts 23:6 and I Peter 1:3 both refer to the resurrection as a hop that we have. Why, then, does the angel admonish those gathered to not be afraid?

In Matthew 26:56, Jesus’ disciples flee after the mob comes to seize Jesus. They are scared for their lives. After the crucifixion, only two – Joseph and Nicodemus – come to claim Jesus’ body. In Mark 16, after Mary and the other women see the angel of God, they flee in fear, and John 20:26-28 finds the disciples gathered together behind locked doors, fearful of the Jews (see verse 19). Jesus’ followers live in fear at this time, but the resurrection brings a reason to end those fears.

Driving Away Fear with Joy

In John 20:11-18, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, and she joyfully tells the other disciples what she has seen. Luke 24:13-35 records Jesus’ encounter with two disciples who are distraught because of recent events. His revelation to them brings them a joy that they begin sharing with others in verses 36-43. In John 20:20-28, Jesus’ appearance to the disciples behind those locked doors brings them gladness, and they bring the news to Thomas. Apart from Jesus, those disciples had many reasons to fear, but His presence brought joy.

We can see this transformation from fear into joy in the life of Peter. In Luke 5, Peter recognizes Jesus’ divinity, and his initial response is one of fear. He falls at Jesus’ feet, asking Jesus to depart from him and his sinful nature. When Pater comes face-to-face with God’s power, he sees his own shortcomings and wants to hide himself from divinity. Jesus response begins with familiar words: “Do not be afraid.” John 21 stands as a contrast to these events when Jesus repeats this sign after His resurrection. This time, instead of cowering from Jesus, Peter jumps into the water and swims to shore, desperately trying to draw closer to his resurrected Lord. He is no longer afraid.

Living without Fear

In Acts 2, this same Peter proclaims Jesus’ resurrection before the Pentecost crowds. In Acts 3:14-15, Acts 4:10-20, and Acts 5:29-32, Peter continues to preach a risen savior before those who should otherwise bring him fear. His actions stand at contrast to the fearful man we see in Luke 5. He preaches in confidence because of the joy he has in Christ’s resurrection. This is the hope Paul writes in in I Corinthians 15. Joy overcomes fear; forgiveness overcomes sin; confidence overcomes guilt; and defeat is swallowed up in victory.

When we approach Jesus, how do we react? We can shirk from Him in guilt and fear, or we can draw closer to him. We can be reconciled to Him and obtain a new life, free from guilt sin. We can live joyfully in the hope of resurrection.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Living Christian Joy

If a Christian from our time was transported to the First Century, how would he or she find other Christians. They would have no Internet, no pamphlets, no phone books. Would they be able to simply notice the individuals who had calmness of spirit, purpose in life, joy, and love for others. If they could find these qualities in someone then or now, chances are good they would find one who knows Christ. Do our lives reflect these qualities for others to see?

Romans 14 addresses how Christians handle personal convictions that are not addressed by scripture. In verse 16, Paul warns against letting our good works being seen negatively due to our emphasis on the physical over the spiritual. Anxiety, doubt, and guilt can crowd out the joy and peace of spirit we can have in Jesus. They hinder our ability to share Christ with those around us.

Peace of Spirit

Our Lord understands this struggle between peace and anxiety. Much of the Sermon on the Mount deals with this conflict. Matthew 6 repeatedly addresses the problem of anxiety over food, clothes, lifespans, and other everyday problems. Matthew 13:22, amidst the parable of the sower, acknowledges the draining power the cares of this world can have over our spiritual peace.

Luke 10:38 records Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha, and verse 40 records Martha as being distracted by her work. She is anxious and troubled about many things, but Jesus says Mary has chosen better things to worry about. Martha is drawn in multiple directions – just as we are. We worry about the economy. We worry about politics. We worry about our health. We worry about the speed of service at a restaurant. When these cares distract us from giving our best and having lives filled with peace and joy, there is a problem. The solution is in finding balance.

Balancing Our Lives

If I am to allow others to see Christ in me through my conduct, I have to find balance. Philippians 4:6 admonishes us to be anxious for nothing, rather turning to God for all things. We achieve peace in our lives when we learn to turn things over to God. Likewise, I Peter 5:6-7 encourages us to cast our anxiety on God in humility, allowing Him to lift us up. There are some things I can do, but there are other things only God can do. If we are to have peace, we have to let God do what He can.

Like there are things we cannot do, there are things we cannot know. We have doubts and worries, but John assures us throughout his first epistle that we can eliminate doubt about our spiritual state. I John 2:3-6, 3:19, 4:13, 5:13 – these verses and more assure us we can know our relationship with the Father. We can feel assured in our salvation and lose the doubt that plagues our lives.

Anxiety and doubt, however, may have a common foundation in guilt. Perhaps we have sought out God’s forgiveness, but we have not yet forgiven ourselves. In Jeremiah 31, the prophets speaks of a new covenant between God and His people, and verses 33-34 say a cornerstone of this covenant is forgiveness. God says He will forgive and forget. Isaiah 55:6 invites God’s people to call upon God in repentance for forgiveness. Thinking of the sinfulness the people of ancient Israel had descended, we ask, “How could God forgive them?” The answer is in verses 8-9: His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. He can forgive what we view as unforgivable.

Conclusion

We carry around too much guilt, anxiety, and doubt, making it impossible for anyone to discern us from those lost in worldliness. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us what it means to walk spiritually. This is who we are to be if Christ is in our lives. Romans 15:13 encourages us to abound in the hope of our Father, a hope in which we can be assured and confidant. Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 remind us we can rejoice in our God. Finally Hebrews 12:2 calls on us to look to Jesus as our example, enduring trial after trial while remember in the joy waiting ahead.

Others should see Jesus in our conduct. We should be joyful based on the confidence we have in our relationship with our Savior. Do we have that joy? Do we have that peace? We can lay our doubts and fears aside, and we can walk in the spirit every day of our lives.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Attitudes & Outlooks

Our attitudes and outlooks affect much of our lives. We can approach our lives as pessimists, expecting the worst. We might be cynical, expecting the worst out of the individuals in our lives. We could be fatalistic – “It was meant to be.” In our spiritual journey, we may reflect some of these negative qualities that can be harmful to ourselves, our fellow Christians, and our church as a whole. We may say to ourselves, “I’ve tried that before,” or we could cynically see our brethren as having ulterior motives. We might also see our spiritual lives as useless because we can make no difference.

Checking Our Attitudes

These negative attitudes cannot characterize Christians. James 4:13 cautions us against the assumptions we make, that anything is fated, understanding that we should always factor God into our plans. Nothing is fated, and we can appeal to God in our lives as James 5 points out. God does not take away our free will, nor does He predetermine the states of our lives or of our souls. He has given us power over our lives.

I Corinthians 13 discusses the love we should have for each other. Verse 7 says that love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. A loving Christian believes the best about others rather than denies the sincerity of others’ motives. Cynicism, however justified we may feel it is, demonstrates a lack of love. If we love as Christ loves, we will avoid a cynical outlook.

Romans 8:28 assures us that all things work together for goodness, even when we cannot see the long-term benefits. Paul goes on to ask how any could stand against those with whom God stands. This view is not pessimistic, fatalistic, or cynical. Instead, a child of God takes the most hopeful view of matters. We are to be optimists.

An Optimistic Outlook

In James 1:2-4, we see trials as a time of joy because of the endurance such trials produce. Romans 5:3 reaffirms this hope found in times of trials. Being a good Christian is not an easy task, and those trials and tribulations make us stronger and help us focus on the hope we have in things above. Peter, in I Peter 1:6, expresses concern for the struggles of those Christians, but he reminds them that such struggles can lead to glory and honor before God. With all of the things these disciples would go through in their lives, they encourage us to overcome the challenges we face with optimism.

Our attitudes and outlooks inform our conduct, our thoughts, and our lives. The child of God can recognize the hope set before us, allowing us to approach our lives optimistically, knowing our hope is in the Incorruptible.

Seeing Ourselves As God Sees Us

In I Thessalonians 5:21, Paul tells the saints of Thessolenica that they should test or prove all things. Having tested all things, they should tenaciously cling to all good things while abstaining from evil. We do this with choosing a job, a house, a car, even what we eat. We come to conclusions based on an examination process. We undergo similar scrutiny in our reputation and self-esteem – what others think of us and what we think of ourselves. In both these metrics, there may be some bias one way or another, but God sees our character, the person we are when no one else is looking.

To see what God sees, we have to honestly look inward. We cannot always rely on our opinions of ourselves, and we cannot always rely on the assessment of others. To truly examine one’s self, to test ourselves in the way of I Thessalonians 5, is to see ourselves as God sees us. When we see ourselves the way God sees us, when we examine our true character, we are more capable of growing closer to our God.

A Righteous Standard

It’s possible to divide the Old Testament into a massive list of right and wrong. In contrast, the New Testament serves as a set of guidelines and principles guiding our moral character. It divides righteousness from unrighteousness. The New Testament creates a picture of the type of person a Christian should be, and it is ours to apply those principles in our own lives.

To get a picture of how God would like to see us, we’ll start in James 1:27 where the disciple defines pure religion as behaving charitably and keeping ourselves unspotted by the world. I Timothy 5:22 records Paul writing that we should not be quick to align ourselves with those who could lead us to sin, and I Peter 1:14 admonishes to be holy in all manners of life. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul writes we should be transformed to a new mind, and Philippians 4:8 calls on us to set our minds things of purity and peace. The New Testament paints a picture of those who comes out of the world to keep themselves clean and pure, whose character is uncorrupted.

II Peter 2:20-22 warns against knowing the word of righteousness and turning away from it. I Corinthians 15:33 warn against our associations, and I Peter 2:11 encourages us to avoid worldly desires. I Corinthians 10:12 challenges us to self-examine, lest we fall without knowing. These passages leave us with a sense of responsibility for what we should do with the ability God has given us, the ability to know His will, to know ourselves, and to conform to His word.

A Work in Progress

In Philippians 2:12, Paul encourages us to work. The Christian life is a work in progress. It is never complete. Sometimes there are setbacks. Sometimes the unexpected occurs, but Paul reminds us to work on our own salvation. It’s so much easier to point out your own challenges than my own, to wish for you to carry me with you to salvation, but no one can fulfill our Christian work but ourselves. The end of this effort, though, is salvation – a home in Heaven.

What should our work look like? II Corinthians 5:17 says our work begins with a change. This means new speech, new outlook, new priorities, now attitude. This means keeping ourselves pure from the influence of sin. Our work is a transformation and a separation from the world. I Corinthians 6:17 calls on us to come out from these influences, cleansing ourselves in the hope of God’s promises. Our character should reflect righteousness in all we say and do, and Galatians 6:9-10 encourages us to endure this work, not growing weary in our spiritual conduct, and doing good to all. Paul, in Colossians 3:1, encourages us to seek things above.

Conclusion

We have things in this life that tie up our time and resources, that interest us, or that distract us. Other times, this life can can discourage us in its unfairness or lack of justice. When our emphasis is on the world, there is much to drag us away from God. We know the rewards of reaching toward and obtaining personal goals. We have days where we see that the work we have put into an effort is worth it. God promises that such a day will come for our spiritual efforts. In I John, John uses the phrase, “we know,” roughly twenty times. We can have confidence that we are growing closer to our God when we know we are living as we should, when we know our character reflects the picture we see in scripture. We may not always know what standards to which others hold, but we can know God’s standard as presented in His word. We can know that we know Him when we walk in His truth.

lesson by Tim Smelser

You Are a Light to the World

Back in June of this year, author, marketing expert, and blogger Seth Godin wrote what is perhaps one of my favorite blog posts of all times. Here it is:

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.

When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.

When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.

When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.

When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.

When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.

When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.

When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.

When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.

When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.

And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

It’s a simple message that I think we forget all to often – that we do, in fact, matter. We watch and read inspirational stories, fiction and nonfiction, of the huge events being influenced be the actions of a single individual. Then we sit at home and say, “That could never be me.” What we forget, though, is that it doesn’t matter that we may never be the one to turn the tide in a war, discover a cure for a terrible disease, save the planet from an asteroid.

The simple fact is, we leave footprints behind us wherever we go. We personally touch countless lives every day. Our words and our actions spread like ripples until we become the proverbial butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil, causing tornadoes in Texas. (If you don’t get that, you might want to read up on chaos theory mathematics and the butterfly effect.) Often, we don’t see our own effects on others, so we therefore assume it doesn’t exist. This leads us to conduct our lives as if it centers around ourselves, and we fail to look up and see how our choices impact others. Even if you don’t know it, you matter.

Being a Light to Others
As Christians, we should matter to the world the way Mr. Godin writes about. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls His disciples to be as salt, improving the flavor of the world around us. He calls us to be as a city on a hill, and I fear we have come to interpret this today as being loftier, more high-minded, more self-righteous than those around us; but what did a city on a hill represent to those living in Jesus’ day? That city was a place of refuge. It was safety and reassurance. Jesus goes on to say our light should shine before others in the goodness we spread. Likewise, I Peter 3:15 records the apostle Peter writing that we should be ready to answer for the hope within us. How can anyone ask about our hope if we are not spreaders of hope?

The Love You Give
The last song recorded by the Beatles, aptly named The End, contains this closing lyric: "In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make." How are you and I creating love around us? Mr. Godin says we should love our work and love those with whom we work. In the case of a Christian, our work is spreading the gospel, and we work with everyone. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says the greatest work we can fulfill is to love God and to love those around us. In John 13:35, He says that all will know us by the love we show, and I Corinthians 13:4-7 describes the love we should give.

Continuing with some of Mr. Godin’s related points, are we gracious and generous, putting others before self? Psalm 86:15 describes the God of whom we claim to be imitators as compassionate, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in mercy. Colossians 3:12-13 says we should wear kindness, mercy, humility, and forgiveness. Do we teach forgiveness over condemnation? Jesus forgave many we might have condemned had we been walking in the First Century. Would we have rebuked His empathy, His “bleeding heart?” Remember that Jesus calls us to be like lamp-stands in Matthew 5:15? To paraphrase Mr. Godin, does our loving and kind demeanor light up the room?

Striving for Excellence
Do people see us trying to improve the world around us, or do they hear nothing more than our complaints? Are we characterized by phrases like, “These kids today…,” or, “The problem with the world today…,” or griping and complaining about those who think differently than me? Do we fill our minds with the bile and vitriol of cable news and talk radio rather than filling our minds with the good things of Philippians 4:8-9. We can be a positive influence, encouraging those around us to do better. In Luke 13:20-21, Jesus likens His kingdom – that would be us – to leaven. What does leaven do? It spreads. It changes that which it touches. We can influence those around us for the better if we, as Gandhi might say, live the change we want to see.

Striving for excellence involves a certain amount of self examination as well. II Timothy 2:15 calls on us to give diligence in our work. This carries with it the idea of persistence or carefulness, walking circumspectly, borrowing from Ephesians 5:15. Even Paul, in Philippians 3:12-15, says he is continually pressing toward his goal, never assuming he has perfected himself. If we want to change the world for the better, we must start with ourselves.

Leaving the World a Better Place
This brings us to our last point – we are capable of leaving this world a better place. Again, we may not cause seismic events of global proportions, but we can improve the world in the small things we do. Like Christ, we can inspire the great or the small in the things we say and do. In John 3, He teaches a Jewish ruler and Pharisee named Nicodemus, and, a few chapters later in John 8:3-12, we see Jesus extending mercy to a humiliated adulteress, reiterating the statement about being a light to the world after this event.

As parents, as mentors, and as teachers, we can be the person who a child wants to be when they grow up. I remember, as a teenager, people like Marcus Boone, Ben Lanius, and Kevin Stockton were heroes to me. Whose hero are you? Are we an example of like that of Timothy in I Timothy 4:12 – an example in conduct, love, and faith? Someone looks up to you. What are you showing them? Your influence may last an hour, a month, or a lifetime, but that influence matters. As Heather Darling Cortes writes, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.


You Personally Matter to God
We matter to more than this world, however. We also matter to God. Have you ever taken verses like John 3:16 or Romans 5:10-11, substituting your name for the general nouns and pronouns? What about I Peter 5:6-7? Now, replace your name with someone else’s – perhaps your neighbor’s, a coworker’s, and family member’s. What happens if you read into those verses someone with whom you feel enmity? Do you now see them in a different light? How should that level of personalization affect your relationship with God and with others?

You matter. I matter. We matter in the ways we influence the world around us, and we matter to a God who invites us into His tender mercies. In the context of our conduct toward enemies, Jesus calls on us to show mercy like God’s in Luke 6:36. How can we, who long for God’s mercy, light, and forgiveness, neglect shining our light, showing mercy to others, teaching and demonstrating forgiveness? In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says He feels our compassion, our kindness, and our mercy when we demonstrate it to the most humble of individuals. Let us resolve to use the influence we do have in this world to be a force of goodness, knowing that we matter to others and to our Lord, and showing others that they matter just as much.

lesson by Robert Smelser

The Christian Journey

We sing a song about a shepherd who goes through pain and agony to find his lost sheep. Every one of us are sheep that have lost our way, and our good Shepherd suffered and died to redeem us. The Christian life after redemption is sometimes called a walk our a path, and Psalm 119 describes God’s word as a light for our feet. We have to consider where we have been and where we are going. We will not reach our destination on accident.

A Walk, A Race, A Journey

Ephesians 4:1 calls on us to walk according to our calling, and chapter 5:1-2 continues by asking us to walk in love. Verse 8 encourages to walk as if in the light, and verse 15 calls upon us to take care in our walk. We are to be circumspect or wise. Paul tells Christians to be careful in how they make the journey set before them.

Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, and these should give us strength to lay aside the weights that hinder the race we run. We push forward with endurance, always looking toward Jesus. In I Corinthians 9:24, Paul calls on Christians to run with our incorruptible crown in sight. He encourages Christians to run confidently, knowing the goal toward which we press.

In Hebrews 11:13, the author speaks of those who died in faith, knowing they were strangers and pilgrims while on this world. They seek after an eternal country to call their own, prepared in heaven to be their resting place. God’s children recognize themselves as transient residents wherever they are, always journeying toward another land. In I Peter 1:15, Peter quotes from Leviticus, calling on us to be holy, as God is holy, and he tells us to pass the time of our sojourn in awe and reverence.

Conclusion

Paul says we can run with certainty. Peter expresses confidence in Christ’s redemption. I Peter 1:24, quoting from Isaiah, reminds us that our race is finite. It will come to an end, but God’s word will endure. As we press toward our goal, we should be preparing for the destination. Our Shepherd has died as a Lamb so we can complete our journeys. We should run our race all the harder with that sacrifice in mind.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Faith In God Rather Than Man

Why should I go through the struggle of living faithfully? What makes the effort worth it? Sometimes, faithful Christians may look around and see the abuses in the name of Jesus, the hypocrisy demonstrated by too many who wear His name, and we wonder why we’re a part of this. Philippians 2:12 encourages us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Now, this is not indicating that we each figure out our own way to Jesus. Instead, Paul is warning us against attaching our faithfulness to what we see in others. Our journey to Heaven is a personal one. We may help others and be helped by others, but our faith cannot hinge upon them.

In I Corinthians 1:14, Paul deals with the issue of people hanging their faithfulness on those who converted them, and he calls this carnal thinking. Verse 29-31 says no flesh should glory before God but rather in the Lord. Chapter 2:4 records Paul saying his teachings are in the power of God rather than the wisdom of men. It makes no difference, he is explaining, who baptizes you. What matters is the adherence to God’s word.

Maintaining Hope
In Genesis 3 & 4, Adam and Eve are blessed by God, living in an idyllic garden called Eden. They have but one condition, and they disobey. Then, in chapter 4, we read of Cain and Abel. What if Abel had been a defeatist due to the failings of his parents? Instead, he gives his best. Additionally, what if Seth had given up based on his parents and the actions of his brother Cain. Genesis 4:16, Seth and his family maintain worshipping the Lord.

I Samuel 20:30 records Saul growing angry with his son Jonathan due to his son’s friendship with Saul’s perceived rival David. Saul goes as far as attempting to kill Jonathan. Again, what if Jonathan had given up on David because of this? I Samuel 20:41-42 has David and Jonathan affirming their friendship in spite of these obstacles. Jonathan could have turned on David based on his father’s influence, but he does not. In I Samuel 8:1-6, we see a contrast. God’s prophet Samuel has sons who do not walk in his ways or God’s ways. Where Saul’s wickedness does not impact his child, Samuel’s children do not negate his faithfulness.

In Colossians 4:14, Paul is writing from house arrest. As he concludes his letter, sending greetings to specific saints, and he mentions one named Demas who is working with him. He is also recorded in Philemon verse 24. II Timothy 4:10 records a contrast, though, where Demas abandons Paul, loving this present world. All of the good he does for Paul is not negated by his actions. Likewise, Diotrephes in III John verse 9 has fallen, but any good he had accomplished before is not erased by this.

Conclusion
Men are fallible, and even our personal heroes fall. Noah, David, Peter – these and more are heroes of faith. However, even these struggled and fell short of God’s word. We remember the those involved in the incestuous relationship of I Corinthians, but II Corinthians 7 speaks of godly sorrow that brings repentance. Just because we see others, even those we admire, fall short, we have no reason to throw aside our faith.

The children of Israel carried into Babylon captivity were surrounded by the unrighteous, but some return as a righteous remnant who maintained hope despite many reasons to cast it aside. Onesimus obeys the gospel despite being in the wrong, and Philemon remains faithful despite being wronged by Onesimus. In Revelation 2, God speaks of righteous individuals, even in congregations full of those displeasing to Him.

While we draw strength from each other, and we can be discouraged by each other, our faith is ultimately between ourselves and God. Our hope and our salvation is in Him alone, and no man can take that from us.

lesson by Tim Smelser