Could goals be an idol?

Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 42:14-25

 TO CHEW ON: “They shall be turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images
‘You are our gods.’” Isaiah 42:17.

This section of Isaiah 42, says my Bible’s study notes, is a “… lament looking back on the disobedience that led to God’s judging anger. The fundamental problem leading to the judgments was trust in carved images (Isaiah 42:17)” - Nathaniel M. Van Cleave, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible notes on Isaiah, p. 992.

Here at the beginning of a new year, the internet is full of hints on how to make resolutions that we’ll keep and goals that we’ll accomplish. The pristine calendars of 2017 ooze with optimism. So much could fill their pages!

For me there is in this a temptation to a 21st century brand of idolatry—not of the worship of molded images but of the worship of oneself—one’s own abilities, determination, agenda, 5-year-plan, productivity.

Now I’m not against writing down resolutions and goals for the new year. But I must always guard against making them and the accomplishing of them the main thing. I realize that what must trump them for me is the willingness to change all, or maybe not to make them in the first place, when the shepherd says something different.

My “one little word” for 2017 is LISTEN. My verses for 2017 are the words of Jesus in John 10:3,4,11: “‘To him (the shepherd of the sheep - John 10:2) the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. … I am the good shepherd.’”  

May all my / our idolatrous supports and confidences for 2017 lose their siren appeal as we listen for and obey the Shepherd’s voice.

“Get into the habit of saying, ‘Speak Lord’ and life will become a romance” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest - January 30 reading.

“Obey Him with glad reckless joy … ‘Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it’” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 28 reading.


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to recognize the idols in my life and turn from them for good. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Is this Servant your Master?

Jesus and the Children - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 42:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "'Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom my soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.'" Isaiah 42:1

Usually when the prophets referred to "servant" they meant Israel. However, "The Servant here appears to be someone different," writes Nathaniel M. Van Cleave in my Bible's commentary on Isaiah (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 922.

When we read the New Testament with the words of Isaiah 42 in our ears, it doesn't take long for us to discover who this Servant is.

In Matthew 3:17 and 17:5 a voice from heaven at Jesus' baptism and when He is on the mountain calls out: "'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," reminding us of "My Elect One in whom My Soul delights" - Isaiah 42:1.

Then the gospel writer Matthew clearly links Isaiah's Servant here with Jesus: "Yet He (Jesus) warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, 'Behold My Servant whom I have chosen…'" and goes on to quote at length from Isaiah 42.

What will this Servant be like? According to Isaiah, He:

• Is God's delight (Isaiah 42:1).

• Is full of the Holy Spirit - Isaiah 42:1.

• Is for the Gentiles - Isaiah 42:1,6.

• Is soft-spoken, not loud and bombastic - Isaiah 42:2.

• Is gentle and understanding of the hurt and broken - Isaiah 42:3.

• Stands for justice and truth - Isaiah 42:3,4.

• Works in the light as a bringer of sight and insight - Isaiah 42:6,7.

• Stands for freedom - Isaiah 42:7.

• Deserves the glory and all our worship - Isaiah 42:8, 10-13.

• Is able to do away with the old and bring about this new state of affairs - Isaiah 42:9.

How thrilling to see these things predicted hundreds of years (about 700) before Jesus came to earth as a flesh-and-blood baby that matured to become this God-man. And the beautiful thing is that each one of us can have a personal relationship with this Servant. For Jesus says:

"Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me" - Revelation 3:20.

and

"Jesus answered, If a person really loves Me, he will keep My word—obey my teaching: and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him" - John 14:23 AMP.

Have you made the acquaintance of this Servant? Has he become the One whose word you "keep," in other words, your Master?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus thank You for the clear testimony of the prophets concerning Your identity, character and destiny. I have chosen, and continue to choose You as my Lord. Amen.

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 Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labelled AMP are taken from the Amplified^® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Baptism

"The Baptism of Christ"
By Carl Heinrich Bloch

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 3:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Matthew 3:11


Have you been baptized? If you have, you no doubt remember the day and its significance to you.

I was baptized in the South Saskatchewan River when I was 14. We got instruction on the meaning of baptism before the event, so that I understood how being thrust under the water was a symbol of death to sin, how coming up out of the water a symbol of resurrection or new life, how the white dress we girls customarily wore was a picture of my purity in Jesus, and how my baptism was a sign to anyone watching that I was a Jesus-follower.

Here John was baptizing people who were repentant. We don't know how John accomplished this physically. Perhaps he scooped water in his hands and poured it over the head of the person being baptized. Or maybe he tilted the person backward (or forward) immersing their entire body in water for a second or two (the way I was baptized). Whatever method he used, the water running over the person in the baptismal act no doubt signified cleansing then, as it still does now, and the publicity of the act was a sign then, as now, of spiritual allegiance and intention to everyone watching.

In the midst of his baptizing, John explained something to the crowd: that he was just a forerunner of the real Baptizer. He was referring, of course, to Jesus, of whom he said: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

A footnote in my Bible gives this explanation of verse 11:

"John's baptism is a type of the salvation experience of being baptized in the Spirit. As John's baptism placed the individual in the medium of water, so the baptism of Jesus places the Christian in the Spirit, identifying him as bound over totally to the Lord (Acts 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18)" New Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 1294.

Examining the three references above shows us:

- Just as water covers us in the act of baptism, the Spirit fills us when we are Spirit-baptized.

• Acts 2:4: "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit  or as the Amplified translates it: "And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit."
• Ephesians 5:18: "...ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit" - Amplified.

The Spirit's presence within us cements us together with other Christians in "one body" — the church. Our belonging is no longer dependent on or defined by race or culture but by the Spirit's presence in us.

• 1 Corinthians 12:13: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..."

When John hesitated to baptize Jesus, insisting that it would be more fitting for Christ to baptize him, Jesus replied "'Permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.'" In other words, Do this; it's the right and God-way of doing things.

If you are a follower of Jesus and have not been water baptized, perhaps you should consider it. Though it is a simple even foolish-looking act, your following of Christ's example in this will bind you in loyalty to Jesus and fellow Christians, and flesh out what happened when the Spirit came to fill the inside of you.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus thank You for the symbolic act of baptism that illustrates what happens when You saved me and filled me with Yourself. Help me to open myself fully to the life of the Holy Spirit in me. Amen.


MORE: Jesus' baptism from God's perspective (as per my 'sanctified' imagination):


Baptism


When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened. Luke 3:21

For thirty years and nine months
heaven’s Son-silent corridors,
its echoing rooms with their litter
of creation and Word-clutter
have been my constant reminder
of His absence.

Though always vigilant
I have restrained myself
from reaching down
to steady His first tottering steps,
held back from lavishing gifts
against hunger, sadness, cold
from interfering with Nazareth bullies
and the enticing eyes of Galilean girls
limited myself to an awakening touch
in the still-dark morning,
inaudible whisper in a garden.

Today – this coming-of-age
beginning, graduation, birthday
all rolled into one –
He has come to this river
with questioning prayers.
Does He really not know?
Today even the decorous angels
will not hold me back.

I release Spirit
not as wind, or flame or flattening bolt
but as Dove – He will understand
this message of foreshadowing –
then proclaim
in a deluge
that immerses time,
“You are my Son whom I love.
With you I am well pleased.”

Copyright © 2004 by Violet Nesdoly
First published at Utmost Christian Writers

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Pilgrim attitudes

Detail of "Visit of the Wise Men" from 
The Bible in Pictures © 1922

 TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 2:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy." Matthew 2:10

Four attitudes jump out at me from this amazing story of these eastern pilgrims on their quest to find the King of the Jews.

Perseverance
I've always wondered, where exactly is the East? Did these men travel far?  Over difficult terrain? When they got to Jerusalem and found no knowledge whatever of this king, did they wonder if they'd got it wrong? Feel like turning back? Through all this, they persevered to their satisfying destination.

Joy
I love the description of them rejoicing with "exceedingly great joy." I imagine  the reappearance of the star as they were leaving Jerusalem felt like a divine seal of approval on this quest they had undertaken with a sense of 'this is what we were destined to do.' Now they knew—No, we didn't get it wrong! We're in the right place at the right time.

Worship
Jealous Herod introduced the idea when he sneakily asked them to report back to him so he could worship too. Worship is what the wise men did when they found Jesus, and fell down before the young Child. "Fell down" (used in the NKJV, Amplified, and ESV versions) is interesting. We would expect a more controlled action, like "bowed down" perhaps (which is how it's translated in the NIV and NLT).  I like "fell down." I wonder if here, in the presence of Jesus, they were overcome by the power and glory of deity so that their limbs gave out and they literally fell down?

Generosity
What gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh—signifying the best of earth's treasures, entirely suitable for a King! These wise men gave them with abandon, not flinching for a moment at the humble surroundings or the ordinary-looking mom.

I want these attitudes of perseverance, joy, worship and generosity to characterize my relationship with Jesus. What about you?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to seek You with perseverance, find You with joy, worship You with all of me, and give You my best. Amen.

MORE: Epiphany

Today is the day the church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. The liturgy for the day begins with this Collect:

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Human nature on display

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL:  Genesis 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8

As I read the account of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, I see things that are surprisingly (or, maybe not surprisingly) familiar. Even before Eve yielded to the temptation to eat that fruit, some of these things were present:

• A tendency to exaggerate or embellish

Eve’s report to the serpent of what God had said about the tree: “‘You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” wasn’t exactly what God had said. He really said, simply, “‘You shall not eat…’” Genesis 3:3, cf. Genesis 2:17 (emphasis added).

• Intellectually gullible

Eve never even questioned the serpent’s claims but took them at face value - Genesis 3:4-6.

• Easily swayed to disbelieve what God had said.

For Eve this included considering and believing the serpent’s suggestion that God didn’t have their best interests at heart but was really keeping the best back from them - Genesis 3:4-6.

• Undue trust in appearance.

Eve was easily taken in by the fruit’s appearance when she looked at it closely and saw that it looked delicious, was beautiful and, according to the serpent, had great benefits - Genesis 3:6.

• Secrecy

After they sinned, both Adam and Eve gave in the overwhelming compulsion to hide from God - Genesis 3:8.

• Blame-shifting

Both refused to take responsibility for their action. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent - Genesis 3:12,13.

Seeing the first four qualities in Eve even before the fall and the latter two in both Adam and Eve immediately after, leads me to believe these tendencies are part of our human nature. We all have them. They strut their stuff especially when we’re under the pressure of temptation. So let’s be on guard against ourselves and not taken in by the serpent's empty accusations against God, false claims, and half-truth promises.


PRAYER: Dear Father God, help me to know myself—to recognize my human tendencies and weaknesses that would draw me away from You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Create!

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 2:4b-25

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” Genesis 2:8

Have you ever watched a child create their own world with sand, blocks, or Lego? “This is going to be a castle with a big moat. And there will be a shell fence so no one can get close, and towers for lookouts, and a flag, with kelp decorations all around. It will be awesome!”

That’s what this chapter reminds me of, only with God as creator on a global scale: “I’ll make a garden and water it with mist. I’ll put creatures in it and a creature somewhat like me to take charge. And there will be life, and resources, and riches, and beauty, with only one rule. It will be awesome!”

(If only it had all ended there!)

I take from this description the permission—no, the appropriateness, even necessity for us humans (made in God’s image - Genesis 1:26,27) to create too. We have within us the urge to imagine and form in a multitude of ways. It is part of who we are, of what makes us tick, function, and flourish.

This year let’s embrace our creative projects with the excitement of God creating Earth: “I’ll do the reno, knock out this wall, put in a window here, a door there; get that motor running; paint that scene; write that book… and it will be awesome!”

PRAYER: Dear Father God, thank You for the urge to create that’s within me. Help me to affirm it with my effort, energy, and faith. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Humanity's place in creation

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 1:20-2:4a

TO CHEW ON: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'" Genesis 1:26

Man as created thing is different from the other parts of God's creation. Our reading today points out some ways. Several sidebar articles in my Bible delve into these differences:

1. God determined to create man in His likeness and image. Both male and female are reflections of that image (Genesis 1:26,27).

Man is a spiritual being who is not only body, but also soul and spirit," writes Charles Blake in the article "Man's Intrinsic Value."  "He is a moral being whose intelligence, perception and self-determination far exceed that of any other earthly being" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 5 (emphasis added).

2. God gave humanity dominion over all other creatures (Genesis 1:28). Jack Hayford elaborates in the article "Man's Delegated Dominion":

"In creating man, the Sovereign of the universe makes a choice to delegate to man 'dominion … on the earth.' (vs. 28). Man's power and authority for exercising this rule originate in God's intent to make man in His own image and likeness." Hayford goes on to suggest that man's ability to play this role is eroded when he is disobedient to God's law - NSFLB p. 6 (emphasis added).

3. God gave man a quality of life He didn't give to other creatures—He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being" Genesis 2:7. The creatures were living too, so the words "breath of life" and  "living being" here seem to imply life of a different quality.

Writers Charles Blake and Jesse Miranda write: "The likeness of man to the creator is in the favor and function of personal unity. God designed the human personality to consist of self-consciousness and self-determination with both the freedom and the awareness to respond to God, to other human beings, and to the environment" (emphasis added). The authors also point out the destiny of those who choose to trust Christ—already in God's mind at this point: "… just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him"  - Ephesians 1:4 (read all of Ephesians 1:3-6) NSFLB p. 7.

How might we respond to these creation principles?

- We need to realize the preciousness of each human being.

- We need to be aware that human philosophies that exalt animals to practically human status aren't supported by the Bible. Though we need to care for animals, humanity's position is not as equals but as dominant over them.  In practical living, our society has drifted from these foundations, killing its own with abandon (in abortion for example) while insisting on ever more rights for animals. I believe we need to be aware of the spiritual underpinnings of initiatives like the animal rights movement.

- We need to live with our final destiny in mind. If He "chose us in Hm before the foundation of the world" our lives are not accidental. Each of us has a unique role to fulfill. May we find it and fill it!


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for creation which includes plants, animals and human beings. Please give us wisdom in our assignment to have dominion over other parts of creation. Help me to fulfill the destiny for which You chose me "before the foundation of the world." Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We are not alone

The Holy Spirit 

descends on Christ 

at His baptism. 

(Photo © 2016 by V. Nesdoly)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Galatians 3:26-4:7

TO CHEW ON: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out Abba Father!’” Galatians 4:6

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On this day, when we cross the threshold of the new year, we may come with a variety of emotions. There may be anticipation over all those crisp new calendars and empty date blocks yet to fill. There may be a feeling of “here we are again” jadedness. Or there may be outright dread of the unknown that we will face in the next 365 days.

Our reading today reassures us, however we’re feeling, we are not alone on this journey. If we have believed in Christ’s atonement for us (…were baptized into Christ have put on Christ - Galatians 3:27), have accepted His buying us back (are “redeemed” - Galatians 4:5), then we are His responsibility. He has adopted us as His sons and daughters. Our hearts witness to this and now recognize Father God as “Daddy” (“Abba Father”).

It’s not on our own that we come to this place of belonging, dependence and security, though, but through the Holy Spirit: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts…” Galatians 4:6.

We have a companion for the days ahead, a multi-faceted helper, as witnessed to by His many names:

Eternal Spirit - Hebrews 9:14
Holy Spirit - Psalm 51:11; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30
Power of the Most High - Luke 1:35
Spirit of Adoption - Romans 8:15
Spirit of Christ - 1 Peter 1:11
Spirit of Counsel - Isaiah 11:2
Spirit of Glory - 1 Peter 4:14
Spirit of God - Genesis 1:2
Spirit of grace - Zechariah 12:10
Spirit of Holiness - Romans 1:4
Spirit of Judgment - Isaiah 4:4
Spirit of Knowledge - Isaiah 11:2
Spirit of Life - Romans 8:2
Spirit of Lord God - Isaiah 61:1
Spirit of Strength - Isaiah 11:2
Spirit of Prophecy - Revelation 19:10
Spirit of the Father - Matthew 10:20
Spirit of the Lord - Isaiah 11:2
Spirit of the Son - Galatians 4:6
Spirit of Understanding - Isaiah 11:2
Spirit of Wisdom - Isaiah 11:2

(The above list from the NKJV Thompson Chain Bible - “Titles and Names of the Holy Spirit” #3634.)

With such a companion we can go into the year with the confidence of well-taken-care-of children!

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that I don’t enter 2017 alone, but have the Holy Spirit as my companion and helper. Amen.

MORE: Holy Name Day

Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name. The day’s liturgy begins with this collect:

"Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Leave 2016 praising

Adoration of the Shepherds - Domenichino

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2:15-21

TO CHEW ON: "Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen as it was told them." Luke 2:20

How wonderful that the birth of Jesus the Good Shepherd was announced first to shepherds!

These were no ordinary shepherds, though. "They were shepherds appointed to care for the temple flocks, destined for sacrifices. These flocks stayed in the fields throughout the year, even during winter" - Victor Handbook of Bible Knowledge, p. 325.

Thirty-three years from that time, the death of the One (the Lamb of God) they heard about on this night would make their job no longer necessary.

Though throughout Israel's history being a shepherd was considered a respectable calling, during Jesus' time they were thought to be a wild lot.* Their behavior on this night would probably have reinforced that conclusion as this joyful, rowdy crowd exclaimed and sang and praised God through the sleeping Bethlehem streets on their way back to the Judean hills. They had found the baby Jesus, just as the angel had told them!

I ask myself, have I been with Jesus this year? Have you? Where have we seen His hand on our lives? Felt His presence? Knelt and worshiped before His glory?

As we approach the end of the year, let's recall our encounters with Him. Let's realize He is with us here, right now, even as we read and think and pray. Then let's leave 2013 like the shepherds left Bethlehem that night: "… glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen…"

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for meetings with You that fill me with unexplainable joy, praise and a desire to worship. May our past history together fill me with hope and expectation as I step into a new year. Amen.

* Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible, edited by J.I. Packer & M.C. Tenney, p. 228

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Litmus test for Christians

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 3:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is he who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10


A possible title for 1 John 3 would be: "Two Ways to Tell if Someone is a Christian." John talks about two litmus-test aspects of the Christian life in this chapter and they come together in verse 10:

"In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:

1] whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God

2] nor is he who does not love his brother."

Practicing righteousness makes its appearance in various forms throughout the chapter. It involves purifying ourselves (1 John 3:3), avoiding sin, and living, instead, a life of habitual righteousness (1 John 3: 6-8, 10, 22).

Loving one's brother is just as prominent. John presents it as an ancient requirement going back to Cain and Abel (1 John 3:11-12). He describes the person who does not love his brother as someone who "abides in death" (1 John 3:14), and the person who hates his brother as a "murderer" (1 John 3:15). That brotherly love is practical evidencing itself in a compassionate response to our brother's need (1 John 3:17-18). Our right living in this gives us confidence before God and assures us that He will answer our prayers (1 John 3:22).

I ask myself, if people looked at my life and judged it by these two criteria, would they say I was a Christian? What about you?


PRAYER: Dear God, Your standards are easy to understand but hard to live. I ask for Your help, especially with loving my brothers and sisters. Please help me to see fellow Christians—indeed all people—through Your eyes. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Walking in the dark

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 2:3-29


TO CHEW ON: "But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 2:11

Our eyes are not well equipped to help us maneuver on our own in the dark. In darkness they no longer distinguish color. Our perception of depth and distance is altered. If we take away all light, our eyes are useless and we're as good as blind.

The Bible talks in many places about walking in darkness in a metaphorical way.

• Jesus calls it having bad eyes (Matthew 6:22-23). He is talking about how we view life. We might call it worldview.

• Jesus also talks about the Pharisees having an entrenched blindness that refuses to see life any other way than through their legalistic lens (Matthew 15:14; 23:19).

• Paul refers to the refusal to believe in Jesus and His finished work for us as blindness of mind and heart that is lifted as a result of believing ("Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" - 2 Corinthians 3:14-16).

• The "god of this age" (Satan) can blind our minds to keep us from understanding and believing God's plan through Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

• Paul characterizes this darkness as a downward spiral that leads to an ever-increasing corruption of understanding and lifestyle (Romans 1:21,24-32; Ephesians 4:18,19).

• And then we have our focus verse that reveals another aspect of walking in darkness: hating our brother. Really? we might ask. That's as dangerous as living in unbelief? As serious as having the legalistic, self-righteous worldview of the Pharisees? As hazardous as the determination to refuse to acknowledge God at all?

"Do not be blinded by the darkness of hatred," says a sidebar article on this passage in my Bible. "Understand that it will cause you to fall in your walk with the Lord. Turn away from hatred; ask for forgiveness for any hate in your heart. Ask God to heal you and enable you to forgive, knowing that Jesus paid the price for the wrong people have done" - Leslyn Musch, Truth-In-Action-Through 1 John, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1791 (emphasis added).

Forgiveness. Is that the switch that turns on the light from living in the darkness of hatred?

PRAYER: Dear God, I am not free from dislike, resentment, even hatred. Please show me where I am walking in such darkness. Help me to forgive and release anyone who has wronged me. Amen.

MORE: Shades of hatred

Would we recognize hatred in ourselves more readily if we acknowledged its subtle shades, its gradual growth in us from feelings of irritation, to dislike, to extreme animosity?

I was struck by this quote in Henri Nouwen's little book With Burning Hearts:

"I wonder how I would live if there were no resentment at all in my heart. I am so used to talking about people I do not like, to harboring memories about events that gave me much pain, or to acting with suspicion and fear that I do not know how it would be if there were nothing to complain about and nobody to gripe about! My heart still has many corners that hide my resentments and I wonder if I really want to be without them. What would I do without these resentments? And there are many moments in life in which I have the opportunity to nurture them. Before breakfast I have already had many feelings of suspicion, jealousy, many thoughts about people I prefer to avoid, and many little plans to live my day in a guarded way" - Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts, pp. 32,33.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God—inhearted, enmeated, immarrowed

WISHING ALL WHO READ HERE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS! 

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 2:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same…” Hebrews 2:14


Today we celebrate the incarnation—God taking on human flesh, a human body and mind in Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible we find footprints leading to and from this event.

Isaiah prophesied it:

“… Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son…” - Isaiah 7:14.  

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…” Isaiah 9:6 

“The LORD has called Me from the womb,
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name” - Isaiah 49:1.

He would be born of David's kingly line:

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots" - Isaiah 11:1

Mary was the Hebrew girl God chose to be Jesus’ mother:

" And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus" Luke 1:31.

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" Luke 2:7.

The New Testament writers understand and communicate this incarnation in a variety of ways.

Paul draws our attention to the humbling plunge of this event:

“…but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men” - Philippians 2:7.

In another place He calls it a “mystery”:

“…great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh…” 2 Timothy 3:17.

John adds a layer of significance by calling Him the "Word":

“… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” - John 1:14.

Paul affirms that He is from David’s line:

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh” - Romans 1:3.

Paul and the writer of Hebrews also tell us the purpose of His coming—to deal once and for all with all of mankind’s sin, exposed by our inability to keep the law:

“For what the law could not do … God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" - Romans 8:3.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil” - Hebrews 2:14.

And this belief in the incarnation is a pillar of the Christian faith:

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” - 2 John 1:7.

It’s really mind-bending—God, creator of all there is, humbling Himself to become a person… I have found in a book of Advent readings a wonderful poetic expression of it. Here is a snippet:

Incarnation

I
Inheart yourself, immensity. Immarrow,
Embone, enrib yourself….
… Enmeat
Yourself so we can rise onto our feet
And meet. For eyes, just take two suns and shrink them.
Make all your thoughts as small as you can think them...

- by Amit Majmudar (read entire)

PRAYER: Thank You, Jesus for inhearting, immarrowing, emboning, enmeating Yourself for us—for me. May I never lose my awe of and gratitude for this. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of Christmas

Today the church celebrates the Feast of Christmas.
The Christmas day liturgy has a choice of beginning prayers. I leave you with this (third) collect:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Weak, small things

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 2:1-14

TO CHEW ON: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. … Joseph also went to be registered, everyone to his own city … to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife, who was with child.” - Luke 2:1,4,5

How often God used weak things to accomplish what He wanted to get done.

• He empowered Moses’ rod to do amazing signs - Exodus 4:2.

• He had Gideon pare his army down to a mere 300 men to defeat the Midianites - Judges 7:1-21.

• Samson took a lot of lives with the jawbone of a donkey - Judges 15:15.

• David felled Goliath with five stones - 1 Samuel 17:40.

• God kept Elijah, a widow, and her son alive for a long time on a handful of flour and a little oil - 1 Kings 17:12-16.

• The end of Israel’s three-year drought began with a cloud the size of a man’s hand - 1 Kings 18:44.

• In our story Jesus was born to a young woman who was just a common citizen. At the beck-and-call of Caesar, she and her betrothed Joseph had to make a trip to Bethlehem at the worst time, with baby due any day. When they got to Bethlehem, they took the only available place—a stable, and that’s where Baby Jesus was born.

The angels announced Jesus’ birth to shepherds, rough, uncouth, despised members of society.

Today, on the threshold of Christmas day, let’s not despise the small things in our lives:
- The opportunity to give a smile or show a kindness to a child, a neighbor, a stranger.
- The prompting to say a prayer for the one who crosses our mind.
- The grace to let someone proceed ahead of us in traffic, a parking lot, a store lineup.
- The lyrics of a song that lift our spirits in praise.

“For who has despised the day of small things?” - Zechariah 4:10.

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty” - 1 Corinthians 1:27.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that my weakness and inability are not impediments to You. Please be present and active in the smallness of my life today. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A Christmas psalm

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 98:1-9

TO CHEW ON: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Psalm 98:3


When a Bible passage is assigned near Christmas, we look for aspects of the incarnation story in it. They are easy to find in Psalm 98.

There is singing:

“O sing to the LORD a new song!  … Break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises. Sing to the LORD with the harp” - Psalm 98:1,4,5.

There is wonder:

“For He has done marvelous things” - Psalm 98:1.

There is victory:

“His right hand and His holy arm have gained for Him the victory” - Psalm 98:1.

There is mercy:

“He has remembered His mercy” - Psalm 98:3.

There is joy:

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth … Shout joyfully before the LORD the King” - Psalm 98:4,6.

There is a band:

“Sing … with the harp and the sound of a song. With trumpets and the sound of a horn” - Psalm 98:5,6.

Even nature celebrates:

“Let the sea roar and all its fullness. … Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD” - Psalm 98:8,9.

For...

There is righteous judgment and fairness for all:

“His (the LORD’s) righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations … For He is coming to judge the earth, With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity” - Psalm 98:2,9.

And there is salvation:

“The LORD has made known His salvation; …All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” - Psalm 98:2,3.

This Psalm reminds us that though things weren’t right with the world, the LORD had a remedy. It’s what we celebrate at Christmas.
 
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for this song of praise foreshadowing Your solution to the world’s need for a Saviour.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God's arm

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 52:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."  Isaiah 52:10

In this prophecy of God redeeming and restoring Jerusalem, Isaiah uses the picturesque expression, "made bare His holy arm." My Bible's notes on Isaiah explain that this is a colloquialism meaning, "God will roll up His sleeves." In other words, really get down to business in saving Jerusalem.

Bible writers use God's arm as a figure of speech in other places. I've picked out a few. In each of the ones I'm citing, it refers to an aspect of His power.

• God, in conversation with Moses, promises to free Israel from bondage to the Egyptians with an "outstretched arm" - Exodus 6:6. Isaiah talks about God's "glorious arm" dividing the water for the Israelites as they leave Egypt - Isaiah 63:12. Paul also refers to God freeing Israel from slavery: "…and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it" - Acts 13:17.

• In Deuteronomy Moses reminds the people that God is unchanging. He shelters them in "everlasting arms" - Deuteronomy 33:27.

• Ethan the Ezrahite writes about God's "mighty arm," which scatters enemies, along with His strong hand and high right hand, giving us the picture of a victory stance - Psalm 89:10,13.

• Our reading isn't the only place God uses His arm on behalf of Jerusalem. God swears by "His right hand and the arm of His strength" to restore her in Isaiah 62:8.

• "To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" asks Isaiah (Isaiah 53:1). He goes on to answer his question by describing the One we interpret as Jesus, who became the lamb of God sacrificed for our sins (Isaiah 53:2 and on).

• Finally, Mary in her prayer of praise we call the Magnificat, sums up the significance of God's arm at work: "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" - Luke 1:51. And we recall that the occasion of Mary speaking the Magnificat (her pregnancy and visit to Elizabeth), ended in the birth of Jesus, God's arm of justice and love extended to save the world!
  

Like Israel needed God's arm to get away from Egypt; like the Israelites needed His arm to defend them against their enemies; like Jerusalem needed His arm to be redeemed and restored; like all of mankind needs Him for salvation, we need God to "bare His arm," to roll up His sleeves on our behalf. We need His arm for salvation and the challenges of life.

(It's interesting to note that the work we might consider arm-worthy—the creation of the earth and the universe—is described as the work of God's fingers [Psalm 8:3].)

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for these pictures of Your powerful arm. Help me to turn to You for that power whenever life is too big for me—which is usually. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Good works - what and why?

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: Titus 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us .... those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works." - Titus 3:5,8


If Titus has any question about the role of good works in a Christian's life, Paul clears it up in this bit of his letter.

He says, first, that doing good works is not a way to earn salvation. That comes through God's mercy and the supernatural new birth where He washes us clean (signified so beautifully by baptism) and renews us with the Holy Spirit.

But good works are important. Paul says we are to be careful to maintain them and that they are good and profitable. Other Bible passages shed more light on what good works are and their role in our lives.

What are good works?

• Isaiah gives us some broad good work categories: seeking justice, rebuking the oppressor, defending the fatherless, and taking up the case of the widow - Isaiah 1:17.

• Jesus describes a future time when God will praise those who fed the hungry, took in the stranger, clothed the poor, and visited the sick and prisoner as if they had done these things to Him - Matthew 25:35-36.

• Paul describes good works as being ready to give and willing to share - 1 Timothy 6:18.

Why do good works?

• Jesus tells us our good works point people to God - Matthew 5:16.

• Paul links good works with God's process of purifying us for Himself - Titus 2:14.

• James makes a powerful case for good works being the evidence that our faith is real - James 2:17-18.

• To the writer to the Hebrews, good works are a kind church fellowship glue when members think about how to stir up love and good deeds in each other - Hebrews 10:24.

Over the Christmas season we'll probably get lots of chances to do good works—contribute to food bank drives, sing carols at nursing homes, put together boxes of gifts for children in faraway lands, assemble hampers for needy families... The needs are legion and all around us. Let's not give in to mercy fatigue that shuts its heart to doing good works because of the multitude of appeals. Rather, let's let good works characterize us because that's who believers in Jesus are. 

PRAYER: Dear God, please grow compassion and generosity in me. May my life be known for good works that are an asset to You and Your reputation. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

When grace is our teacher

"Christ and His Disciples by Rembrandt

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Titus 2:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age." Titus 2:11-12


We are all to some degree products of our education. Many a life has been put on track by the words and actions of an encouraging teacher. Our reading today tells us that God's grace also teaches us. What does it teach?

First, we are to deny certain things:
- ungodliness [asebeia is a lack of reverence and regard for God.]

- worldly lusts. Lust [epithumia] is a strong desire and intense craving for something. Worldly lusts would include things like the "gratification of sensual cravings, desiring the forbidden, longing for evil, coveting what belongs to someone else, and striving for things, persons, and experiences contrary to the will of God" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1713.

Instead we are to live:
- soberly [sophronos that is "act in a responsible manner, sensibly, prudently, being in self-control and in full possession of intellectual and emotional faculties" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1721]

- righteously [dikaios meaning properly as is right, agreeable to the law of right.]

- godly [eusebos that is piously with our actions set in motion by reverence for God.]

What impresses me about Paul's interpretation of God's grace teaching us is how much our will is involved. Right attitudes don't just fall into place or come over us. We choose to deny [arneomai - disregard, reject] certain mind-sets and actions, and to intentionally cultivate or live [zao - breathe, be among the living, be active in] others.

Living this way is not some unpleasant heavy duty but a ticket to freedom. Leslyn Musch explains it well:

"God's grace teaches us to do good works not to earn salvation, but because we are free from sinful behaviors and free to do good things for God. This is the privilege and inheritance of God's people and not a harsh law to be followed and fulfilled. Holy living is the response of God's chosen and special people to the redeeming love and immeasurable grace of Jesus Christ" - Leslyn Musch, "Truth-In-Action through Titus, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1723 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to deny impulses within me to take You lightly and to gratify my selfish and worldly cravings. Help me to choose the sober, righteous, and godly response to the circumstances of my life today. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A challenge to us as followers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Titus 1:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money." Titus 1:7

Those of us who attend church with pastor leaders are well aware of the hazards of such a position. Pastors get criticized for a multitude of things: their leadership style, their sermons, how organized or disorganized they are, the hours they work or don't, not visiting the sick and shut-ins or visiting too much, driving too big and fancy a car or looking too poor… and the list could go on.

Paul's letter to Titus deals with choosing church leaders and lists some of the qualifications they should have. Paul tells Titus to choose bishops (overseers) who are: (quotes in parenthesis are from the Amplified Bible).

• "blameless" ("of unquestionable integrity")
• "the husband of one wife" 
• good fathers whose children are described as "faithful … not accused of dissipation or insubordination" ("well-trained … believers … not  … loose in morals and conduct or unruly or disorderly")
• "not self-willed" ("arrogant or presumptuous")
• "not quick-tempered" 
• "not given to wine"
• "not violent" ("pugnacious, brawling")
• "not greedy ("grasping … for filthy lucre [financial gain])"
• "hospitable" ("loving and a friend to believers, especially to strangers and foreigners")
• "lovers of what is good" ("of good people and good things")
• "sober-minded" ("sensible, discreet")
• "just" ("upright and fair-minded")
• "holy" ("a devout man and religiously correct")
• "self-controlled" ("temperate and keeping himself in hand")
• "holding fast the faithful word he has been taught"
• "able… to exhort and convict those who contradict" ("able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound {wholesome} doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it [showing the wayward their error]")

Even though this list is over 2000 years old, it is still applicable to church leaders today. However, rather than using it as a yardstick to point out ways our pastors don't measure up, let's use it as a template for prayer that they do and will.

In their positions pastors and other church leaders are targets of not only us who are followers in their congregations but the watching world. Probably nothing makes the devil happier than when a prominent man or woman of God gets tangled in sin.

So with all our hearts, let's fill our months with intercession for our pastors in these many areas rather than criticism.


PRAYER: Dear God, I pray for my pastor and Your under-shepherds all over the world.  May these men and women stay pure and dedicated as they work as stewards in Your church. Amen.

MORE: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today the church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Advent. If there is a Christmas story character focus today, I'd guess it would be "Shepherds."

The Fourth Advent Sunday liturgy begins with this collect:

"Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen"

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Some scripture quotes are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Would you change plans because of a dream?

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 1:1-25

TO CHEW ON: “But while he thought about these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:20


A friend of mine moved from Iran some years ago. Her reason for wanting to leave was because of persecution as a Christian. The night before her immigration hearing she had a dream. In the dream it was impressed on her to study a certain passage of scripture. She awoke and, instead of going back to sleep, memorized the scripture from her dream. The next day at her hearing, the officer quizzed her on exactly the passage she had studied.

Joseph, in our reading, altered his plans as the result of a dream. As he mulled over his terrible predicament and what to do, he dreamed that an angel spoke to him, telling him to abandon fear and marry Mary despite her pregnant condition. So he did (Matthew 1:20,24).

Does God still speak to people in dreams?

If stories from people in countries which are closed to the gospel are to be believed, He certainly does—often. In fact, He uses this mode of communication all over the world—even here, where we’re free to read and hear the gospel (for examples, read the book Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters).

How do we sort out whether a dream we have is a message from God or not? Some points to keep in mind:

1. God cares about our situation and our dilemmas. Like He saw Joseph’s predicament and knew he needed direction (Luke 1:19,20), He knows our circumstances and what we need. We have no reason to be surprised when He communicates with us..

2. God’s message to us can come in many ways: through reading or hearing the Bible, through another person, through the lyrics of a song, an angel, a vision, a dream…

3. However, the Bible is finished. It is complete in the Word—the message of Jesus (Hebrews 1:1,2, John 1:1,14).  A dream does not have equal authority with the Bible. Rather, we should compare the message of our dream with the message of the Bible. Of course this implies some familiarity with scripture and assumes we will recognize the “voice of the shepherd” - John 10:3,4. The more intimate we are with God, the greater the likelihood we’ll recognize His voice in instruction and reassurance to “fear not.”

4. We can ask God for wisdom for life (James 1:5) and for help in understanding what we believe are spiritual dreams (Daniel 8:15-17).

May we be so attuned to His voice that we obey Him, however He speaks to us, without hesitation or questions, like Joseph did.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to hear and recognize Your voice in whatever way You choose to speak. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What's your mission statement?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 1:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God...To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints." Romans 1:1, 7a

Paul sure knew how to economize with words. Here using just a few, he spells out what his whole life is about. It's a lot like a modern mission statement.

Mission statements—formal short written statements of purpose—are normally connected to companies or organizations. According to Wikipedia, they often include:
1. The purpose and aim of the organization.
2. The organization's primary stakeholders.
3. Responsibility of the organization to those stakeholders.
4. Products and services offered.

If we substitute the word "person" for "organization" we have the framework for a personal mission statement. Paul's declaration about himself plugs in comfortably. We can learn a lot about determining our own priorities by studying his.

1. The purpose and aim of the person: "Paul a bondservant of Jesus Christ..."

My Bible's study notes explain:

"Bondservant — also translated 'servant' or 'slave' refers to an employee who was paid wages, often had considerable skills and responsibilities...But a bondservant could not resign and work for another employer. Highly educated and skilled people, as well as ordinary labourers were bondservants" Wayne Grudem, footnotes on Romans, New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1548.

Paul's purpose was to serve Jesus in this lifelong bondservant way.

2. The person's primary stakeholders: "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints..."

In his letters to the Romans Paul is addressing Roman Christians. Of course we know his "stakeholders" were far more numerous than that; his mission field included much of the then-known world. But I'm sure he never imagined that his words would reverberate through centuries, crossing continents and oceans, reaching us here in 2016!

3. Responsibility of the person to those stakeholders: "...called to be an apostle."

"Apostle here refers to the unique officers in the early church who had the power to govern the churches with absolute authority and to speak and write the very words of God without error..." Ibid).

Paul was clear about his job title and what responsibilities his position gave him toward the Christians who were his contemporaries.

4. Products and services offered: "...separated to the gospel of God."

Paul elaborates on the magnificence of his product of "good news" often through his writings, several times even within Romans 1:1-17. He reminds the Roman Christians that this gospel:

• was promised by the Old Testament prophets (Romans 1:2).

• is about Jesus—who was born physically as a son of David (Romans 1:3).

• and who was shown to be the son of God because He rose from the dead (Romans 1:4).

• is part and parcel of his (Paul's) service to God (Romans 1:9).

• is news he is proud, not ashamed of (Romans 1:16).

• is powerful to the extent of providing salvation to everyone who believes, both Jew and Gentile (Romans 1:16).

Paul's impact was no doubt due, somewhat at least, to his focus. He knew who he was, whom he served, the role he was to play in their lives, and the supernatural "product" he offered. I ask myself, would my life benefit from some of Paul's focus? Would yours?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Paul's purposeful, passionate life. Help me to sharpen my own life by studying his example. Amen.

MORE: Your mission statement
Have you ever written a statement of mission for your life? Try writing one. If you like, use the sentences below as a guide.

1. The purpose or aim of my life is to _____ .
2. My "stakeholders" are ______ .
3. I will fulfill my purpose to my stakeholders by _____ .
4. The product I offer is _____ .

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.