“… knit together in love …”

This one really jumped out at me as I read the first half of Colossians 2 to our class. Did you ever see your mother, aunt or grandmother knitting? In my childhood, I was around my mother quite a bit while she was knitting. That memory created for me a powerful mental image of what Christian love should look like.

In knitting, I saw my mother take a single thread of yarn (or was it two?), and work with the yarn to create first a solid fabric, and eventually a scarf or sweater. Knit fabric is all tied together so tightly it creates a solid fabric. Each stitch supports and holds together the ones before and behind, above and below.

That’s what Christians loving each other should look like. John 13:34-35 records Jesus as saying “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

There’s quite a lot here, that I’ll explore in greater depth in other writings. For now, just notice three great truths about this jaw-dropping passage. First, Jesus said this was a new commandment. Humanity had been in existence for many, many generations. God had given the Israelites “the Law”, what we now consider the Old Law or the first five books of the Old Testament. In all of that time, thousands of years, God had never given anyone this command. Now, through Jesus, God is giving the disciples (and through them, all of us) a new command! That should make us sit up and take notice.

Second, it’s not just any sort of love that is commanded. Jesus didn’t say “I hope you like each other.” He didn’t command them just to put up with each other, quietly, without complaint. No, this is an all-encompassing sacrifical love, a love like no other. Jesus said “just as I have loved you.”

How did Jesus love His disciples, and us? He gave up the unimaginable glory of Heaven as one of the Holy Trinity to take on human form, to walk the dusty roads of Judea in sandals, to sweat under the hot sun, to soak in the cold rain. He didn’t come into the world as a member of a wealthy family, or an influential ruling family. He came as the son of a carpenter. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7)

Moreover, he gave himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins! “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him [Christ], having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14) This is how Jesus loved his disciples!

Third, Jesus said that if we love each other as he loved us, His new command for us, that love would be distinctive within the world, and make us recognizable as His disciples. Nobody else loves others as sacrificially as Jesus loved us. This expectation implies that all people everywhere are hard-wired at birth to recognize such love, and to associate such love with God.

How about you? How about me? Is our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ so sacrificial, so distinctive that the un-saved world around us will recognize this love as something unique, something that could only proceed from a relationship with the Creator? Is our love a love that knits us together like a divine scarf, each stitch supporting the ones before and after, the ones above and below? Are we obeying out Savior’s command in John 13?

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (NIV)

One of Jeff Walling’s favorite instructions was “Whenever you see the word ‘therefore’, look back to see what it’s there for.” So let’s do just that. In verse 1, Paul says that “you have been raised with Christ”. In verse 5 he instructs us to “Put to death … whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” In verses 9-10 “you have … put on the new self”. By the time we get to verse 12, we have been raised with Christ, put to death the earthly nature, and put on the new self. Therefore …

Because of these things, we should clothe ourselves with specific Godly attributes. We’ll get to those in a moment, but I don’t want to skip over Paul’s parenthetical comments which tell us much about who we are in Christ.

First, we have been chosen. We didn’t just stumble into relationship with Christ by accident. Contrary to the understanding of some, we didn’t make a choice to come to Christ. We may think we did, but Jesus told his disciples in John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” I hope that makes you feel especially loved, as it does me. God chose YOU!!

Not only are we chosen, but having been chosen, we are holy, i.e. set apart. The dictionary does a good job with this word; “dedicated or consecrated to God”. We aren’t just common, ordinary people anymore. We’ve been chosen by God and consecrated to God for His purpose!

Not only chosen, not only holy, but also “dearly loved”. How dearly? Romans 5:8 answers that question: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Therefore … Paul admonishes us as chosen, holy and dearly loved people who have been raised with Christ, put of the old nature and put on the new self, to clothe ourselves, i.e., wrap ourselves in, cover ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Compassion, an empathy which motivates one to help another, to bear the burdens of another. Why should we be compassionate? Simply because God is compassionate. In the giving of the Old Testament Law in Exodus 22:27, God says “I am compassionate.” We are compassionate because we want to be like the One Who has chosen us.

Kindness: concern and consideration for others, shown with a pleasant and gentle spirit. In the Old Testament story of the Israelites, kindness was often remembered and returned, even across many generations. (1 Samuel 15:6)

Humility … I could write a book about humility, but others already have. I recommend Andrew Murray’s book, titled simply “Humility“. There can be no greater example of humility that Christ, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8)

Gentleness is a component of kindness, but goes beyond, describing our approach to all interactions with others. This is important in evangelism. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Likewise, Jesus is our example in patience, as Paul explained to Timothy: “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16)

God has chosen me, and you. He has set us apart for His purposes, in great love. He allows us to be raised in Christ, put off the old nature and put on the new. He expects that new nature to include compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Will I step up to meet God’s expectation of me? Will you?

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

“They” are “the rich in this present age” (verse 17). This is Paul’s instruction to Timothy to teach the wealthy. This comes at the end of a section in Paul’s letter to Timothy in which he provides instructions for several groups of people within the [probably Ephesian] church. Apparently some of this church were relatively more wealthy than the rest.

Most of us don’t think of ourselves as particularly wealthy. Most of my readers are, however, Americans, and we need to realize that “the vast majority of U.S. residents rank comfortably in the top 10 percent [of the world].” (Washington Post)

So! We need to realize that Paul was writing to us! What does Paul want us to do?

“Do good.” Paul doesn’t specify what good to do; that depends on the current time, place and conditions. We can all, however, find good to do. There are many good things being done even daily by our local churches, and we can join in. We don’t have to do all our good works in a group. I have elderly neighbors who are sick, lonely or both, and would be blessed by a visit. I’ll bet you do too.

If you think your church isn’t doing anything in the community, you probably just don’t know what they’re doing. Ask the elders. If you don’t get a good answer, check what other churches near you are doing. You usually don’t need to be a member of a church to help out with their community service projects.

Paul goes on to say that those who are rich in this present age should not just do a few good things, but to be “rich in good works” … to be known for their good works instead of being known for their ostentatious show of wealth.

As to what the rich should do with their wealth, Paul says “to be generous and ready to share”. The wealthy according to this world need to use their wealth to do God’s work … after all, God is the source of their wealth anyway. Wealth is not meant to be squandered on pleasing oneself.

Using both one’s wealth and personal abilities and energy to bless and serve people in God’s name is presented as a way to build up “treasure” in heaven, in the form of God’s rewards for righteous behaviors. Refer to Matthew 25:14-30 for one example of Jesus’ teaching on stewardship. Please note that God’s rewards for good stewardship have nothing to do with salvation. Salvation comes to us through grace alone, accessed through faith in Christ as our Savior and acceptance of Him as our Lord. Once we have been saved, however, the Bible clearly teaches that some will be rewarded greatly based on their temporal deeds, while others will be rewarded modestly for their lesser deeds.

Following Paul’s instruction leads to the discovery that true life and joy is found not in the personal enjoyment of wealth and the pursuit of worldly pleasures, but in living a life that is pleasing to the God who loves us, sustains us, and redeems us for eternity.

The blog will be temporarily inactive while the author recovers from a badly-broken wrist. For those readers blessed with two working hands, take a warning from the other side: don’t EVER take a step up off the floor or ground without paying attention to what you’re doing in the moment! A fall can happen quicker than you can think about it.

UPDATE (4/28): The break was actually worse than I thought it was when I wrote that original shutdown post. Four weeks post-surgery, I’m still working hard on recovery and praising God for each small step forward. One of those small steps is that I’m typing this with both hands!

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow …”

The reading section today is Matthew 6:19-34. This is part of the “Sermon on the Mount”, found in chapters 5 through 7. In today’s section, Jesus speaks to two issues: priorities and anxiety. I chose as my “best verse” for today verse 34, where Jesus concludes this section saying “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow …” Anxiety is a big issue in today’s world for many people; that’s why I chose to focus on this verse.

The verse begins with a command: “do not be anxious”, then continues with a reason for the command: “tomorrow will be anxious for itself”. Jesus’ practical advice is that there’s enough trouble you’ll have to deal with today. Tomorrow’s troubles may never happen, so it’s wasted effort to worry about them now. The better reason not to worry about tomorrow is that God is already there.

I believe it’s important to understand this instruction from Jesus within the context in which it was presented. In verses 19 to 24, Jesus speaks about priorities. His first pair of negative/positive instructions are “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth”, then “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”. It’s easy to understand that your treasures are safe in Heaven, and not safe on earth, as Jesus says, but then he gives the real reason for following these commands: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus enjoins the crowd, and through His words to them, us also, to set our priorities in order based on spiritual values. If we use our resources (money, time, energy, will) as investments in God’s kingdom, we will truly have a friend upon high!

We all know how we develop a special feeling towards someone who is unselfishly generous to one of our children. There’s probably no better way in the world to make a friend than to be kind to that person’s child. Don’t you think the same applies to God? Wouldn’t He be particularly pleased with one who is unselfishly generous to one of His children?

Make no mistake about this: we cannot earn our way into Heaven, not even a tiny bit of the way. I’m only saying that when we get there solely by God’s grace, we can arrive with acts and attitudes which He will commend.

Now, having our heart directed towards heaven by getting our priorities in order, Jesus assures us we need not worry about anything. If we are looking out for Heaven’s interests in the world around us, we can be assured that God is likewise looking out for us.

So, what are you worried about today? Are you concerned for your children? Your job? Your finances? There is quite a lot in those areas that I could be worried about, but I’m not. There are four steps to relieving yourself of worry; one or two of which you may have already done. To be complete, here’s the whole list:

• Believe in and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, repenting of your sins.
• Study God’s Word to understand His priorities, and make them your priorities.
• Put your worries into God’s hands.
• Trust Him and LET GO!

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

This verse comes on the heels of a parable, one which Darrell L. Bock calls “the most difficult parable in Luke.” I would agree! A cursory reading of the parable would seem to imply that Jesus is commending dishonesty, which simply cannot be. This is a parable which requires much more in-depth study to understand. We will try to do so, then circle back around to today’s verse.

The key to understanding this passage is the context in which it occurs. The previous chapter contains the parable of the prodigal son, who was unwise with his resources and squandered all he had. Verse 14 of this chapter, immediately following this parable and Jesus’ follow-up comments, refers to the Pharisees who were “lovers of money”. It is within this context that Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd, if not totally honest, manager of a rich man’s money.

It is possible, indeed likely, that the manager was giving up his own money, not the master’s, when he discounted the debtors’ obligations. The total debt owed probably included a commission which was the manager’s to keep. He may have also been giving up interest on the debt. It is less likely that he was giving up the master’s original investments. If he had been guilty of doing so, he would not have received the master’s commendation.

Jesus may have been making two points to his disciples in this parable. The first is a recognition that unbelievers are often more shrewd in managing the affairs of this world than are believers. We believers should learn a lesson here and manage whatever wealth God lets us have with wisdom that works with regard to this world as well as the next.

His second point seems to be that whatever wealth we do manage should be used to bring others to faith, so that after death (“when it [wealth] fails”) we will be welcomed into Heaven by those who are there because of our investment in the Kingdom of God.

Then Jesus follows up this parable with our verse of the day. Jesus will entrust us with a little responsibility, and in being faithful to Him in that, we prove to Him we will be faithful in much more. By the same principle, if we fail to be faithful with minor responsibilities, we can be counted upon to be faithless in major things as well.

How about you? How about me? Will we be faithful to Jesus in the little things, and demonstrate that we can be faithful in the bigger things also?

“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”

I confess to the failing of many Christians in the modern day, the tendency to skim over the Old Testament, thinking that little if any of what we may read there is applicable to modern-day Christianity. In doing so, we miss the chance to meditate upon scriptures rich in meaning for all time. Today’s verse, I believe, is one such example.

To be accurate, the eleventh chapter of Leviticus gives much detail on the descriptions of and rules surrounding clean and unclean animals. It’s tempting to skip over this chapter, thinking it doesn’t apply to us. Buried within, however, is the gem of eternal wisdom found in verse 44.

This verse calls us into a sacred relationship. What could be more important to each of us than to have a relationship with the eternal creator God? Our God calls us to “be holy”. What does this mean?

To be holy, at its most fundamental, is to be set apart, to be made special and reserved for a special purpose. God calls us to be dedicated to Him, because He wants to be dedicated to us! “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Lev. 26:12)

Too many Christians think that to be holy means to be morally pure, eschewing sin, at its best by avoiding all fun or enjoyment in life. It is true that the holy man or woman is morally pure, but is so as a “side effect” of being dedicated to God. It means that we have adopted God’s standards for all things as our standards, that we try our best to see the world around us and the people whom we encounter the way God sees them.

If being holy is only about striving for moral purity, we will fail (Romans 3:23). When we understand holiness as primarily about living in relationship with our God, then our obedience to His commands falls into place quite naturally.

Note also in our verse that it doesn’t say “I am the Lord God”, or “I am the Lord, a God”, or “I am the Lord, the God”. No, it’s far more personal than that! “I am the Lord your God”. Just as each of us are God’s precious possession, He has a one-on-one personal relationship with each of us!

I’ll always thank Jeff Walling for this bit of wisdom: whenever you see “therefore” in the Bible, look back to see what it’s there for! In this case, “therefore” in the second phrase refers back to the first phrase. Because God is my God, I therefore consecrate myself to Him. I choose to be set apart from the world, to be dedicated to my God. It is by making this choice of my free will, I become holy. My relationship with my God is transformed, because I have responded to His love.

Although these words were first spoken to Moses to create a special relationship with the Old Testament Hebrews, they echo down through the ages to you and to me, calling us into a special, dedicated, set-apart relationship with OUR God. All praise, glory and honor to the God who loves us so much He wants to have a special relationship with every one of us!

“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish.”

“When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.”

Honest confession: I found it very difficult today to choose a “best verse” as described by Lonnie Berger in Every Man a Warrior. Instead, today I chose two verses which most clearly illustrate the principle behind the detailed instructions in these two chapters.

Leviticus is a book which doesn’t get a lot of attention from modern-day Christians. Most of the book gives minute details of Mosaic-dispensation laws which we don’t see as applying to us today. I’m going to suggest a re-consideration of that.

In Leviticus 1:3, the animal sacrificed is specified to be a “male without blemish”. Not just any animal would do. God demanded a sacrifice of the best animal available, which would also be the most costly animal. To a Mosaic-era herdsman, this would have been an extremely expensive sacrifice! Not only is this the most costly animal in his possession, but it is the prime animal for breeding, one whose breeding would enhance the health and strength of the herd. Instead, the worshipper sacrifices the costly animal to God, and entrusts the health and strength of the herd to God’s provision.

Why such a costly sacrifice? The cost brings home to the worshipper the high cost of his sin. It forces the worshipper to realize that sin is a BIG DEAL with God! Sin creates a wall of separation between God and His creation. God doesn’t want to be separated from His creation, so His righteous anger is aroused when that occurs.

The same is true of the grain offering in the second chapter. It’s not just a handful of grain; it is “fine flour”, grain into which has been poured the labor of grinding, probably multiple times to achieve the finest flour. The addition of oil and frankincense adds to the cost. The grain-growing farmer doesn’t get off lightly; sin is costly to him also.

The Israelites wandering in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan paid a high price for their sin. What does all this have to do with you and I?

In Christianity, Jesus has paid the sacrificial price for our sins. We don’t offer animal or grain sacrifices today. It’s easy to fall into the error of believing that we’ve got a better deal, that our sin doesn’t cost us as much as it did then. That belief is an error, however, because God doesn’t change. If sin was a big problem demanding big sacrifices in the time of Moses, then it is the same today.

This should impact us in two ways. First, it should help us to understand the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. There can be no more costly sacrifice in all of creation, in all of time, than the blood of Jesus! I’m sure whole books have been written on this subject, but I will only suggest that you stop reading right here and meditate on this truth, and pray about it. Jesus sacrificed his life to pay for your sins; what would you like to say to Him about that?

Second, this should help us to understand the principle which Paul gives us in Romans chapter 6, as he explains how we were once slaves to sin, but have now become slaves of righteousness. As Christians, we have a new master!

In consideration of the costly sacrifice of Jesus, what can God ask of us as His disciples that is too much for us? Is a tenth of our income too much to sacrifice to Him? Is our time and effort to visit the sick too much to ask? Is our neighbor’s house too far to go to carry the message of Jesus’ love for us? Kazakhstan? Is there any way our service to the church for which Jesus sacrificed Himself can become too much to bear?

Perhaps Leviticus has much more to say to modern-day Christians than we have given it credit!

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze.'”

The context for our scripture today is that Moses has led the Israelites out of Egypt, into the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. God has given Moses very specific instructions about the design and construction of a tabernacle, where the sons of Aaron will act as priests, representing all the nation of Israel in worship.

In these four verses, we learn something important about God, not only for the time of Moses, but I believe, for all time.

God’s instructions for the tabernacle are quite detailed, and would require quite a bit of artistic skill and construction knowledge to carry out. Left on his own, Moses would have had good reason to approach the task fearfully, uncertain whether he could accomplish what God is demanding of him.

But God didn’t stop with the long list of instructions. In these verses, and some that follow, God gives Moses the resources needed to fulfill His instructions. He gives Moses skilled men, men who have been equipped and prepared by God for the task God has set out before them.

That is, I believe, the principle to be learned here. God always equips and prepares people for the tasks He assigns to them. But is this only an Old Testament principle? Does it apply today? Read with me 1 Peter 4:10: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Peter’s reference to God’s varied grace indicates that God isn’t giving us all the same gift. He gives gifts (resources, abilities, talents) according to His plan for each of us. What applies to all equally is that we are all to be “good stewards” of God’s gifts, particularly in the use of these gifts to serve and bless one another.

We don’t need to look far at all to see the truth, that we receive different gifts. One man composes and arranges music, leads an orchestra, and plays a multitude of instruments in praise to God. Another can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but uses God-given talents in other areas to serve the local church.

There are, I’m sure, many applications of this principle, but as I write today, I have two specific applications in mind. First, I shouldn’t be fearful of a task as I approach it, as long as I’m seeking to serve Christ’s church and be a blessing to others in His name. If I’m doing God’s will, I can be confident that He will give me what I need to do what He wants me to do. Fear on my part is really doubt; doubt that God will be consistent with His nature, doubt that He will come through for me. When I look at it that way, the very last thing I want to do is to be fearful, to express my doubt in God!

The second application is for those who have tried their best to serve, and consistently felt that they are not gifted in that area of service, that they’re like the man mentioned above who can’t carry a tune, but is trying to lead the choir. That can happen. I’ve been there. This is the point in time at which I would ask myself “Is this really God’s plan for me? Is this God’s assigned task, or have I wandered off to a self-assigned endeavor?”

There are many reasons we may assign ourselves a task which lies outside the scope of our God-given gifts. We may have difficulty saying “No” to anyone who asks for our help. We may find our own fulfillment in service, serving our own emotional needs. We may need the accolades and appreciation of others, and seek it in service. We may have developed our own ideas about what we’re supposed to be doing, and continue to cling stubbornly to those ideas.

This is a good time to step back and take an honest look at what we’re really good at doing, and whether we’re serving primarily in that area. James 1:17 tells us “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God doesn’t change. If He equipped and prepared men to build the tabernacle exactly the way He wanted it, He will equip and prepare you and I for the tasks He has planned for us. We absolutely can do what God wants us to do.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Anyone who knows me knows that memorizing scripture is exceedingly difficult for me. It’s not my favorite thing to do, although I recognize the value, and the NEED, to do so. It might be curious, then, that I would ADD a scripture to the list of verses that I’m memorizing for this Bible study. But, I did. I added James 5:16, quoted above. Why?

This verse not only addresses the issue of accountability, but also the reason for it’s wisdom. It starts with two commands: confess and pray.

Confession is the beginning point of intercessory prayer. If I ask you to pray for me, you can be much more effective in that prayer if you know what you’re praying about.

Prayer is about availing ourselves of God’s power. God WANTS to do good things for us, including healing our spiritual and physical infirmities, but He also want us to ask for His help. In the previous chapter, James wrote “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

So, the command is for me to confess my spiritual challenges to you, and for you to ask God for strength and healing on my behalf. The next phrase is not exactly a promise, but more in the nature of a purpose. WHY should we obey these to commands? “That you may be healed.”

As James was writing this letter, I believe he had in mind both physical and spiritual healing. In today’s world, we tend to think of this healing as spiritual more than we do physical, but it’s often true that when our bad choices create a separation between us and God, it affects us physically also. In James’ day, there was a strong belief in the connection between spiritual illness and physical illness. Perhaps we should give this possibility a greater consideration.

“The prayer of a righteous person …” would seem, at first glance, to be at odds with Romans 3:10: “None is righteous, no, not one.” I believe the righteous person James is writing about here is not without sin, but is in a right relationship with God, confessing his sin to God, asking forgiveness, and repenting of that sin. Such a righteous person would be actively seeking ways to prevent himself from falling into temptation, or to escape those temptations without sin.

Why would such a prayer be more powerful? We impede our own prayers, get in our own way, if we allow our un-confessed un-repented sins to create a spiritual distance between us and the God to whom we pray. We cannot really pray when we’re holding things back. The one who has confessed, repented and knows he is forgiven can approach the Father in humility, seeking His help for himself and for others.

What do I need to confess today? To whom do I need to confess it?

Good questions for all of us to ask ourselves.