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Book - Walk On Water

Goodness and Knowledge

Here is the list of qualities we should pursue in order that we can be “partakers of the divine nature”1 of Jesus. It includes virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. I am not certain if these qualities are in a particular order, but it seems that they might be. 🤓

After trusting God with our very lives, and believing that he is trustworthy, virtue is the first thing we must add to our faith. What does virtue look like? It is goodness, moral excellence, and integrity. Although this appears to be very difficult (and it is), it is the easiest of all the traits for it involves outward behavior. As children of God and followers of Jesus, people will expect us to be good. And so, we must. The reason it is the easiest trait is that we can be outwardly good and inwardly still a mess! At times we will feel like hypocrites because people will think we are good and we know differently. You see, when we give our lives to Christ, we inherit his Holy Spirit who lives in us, and he begins his work of pricking our conscience. A lot! 😟

As unbelievers, we thought we were pretty good people. But when the Holy Spirit moves in, we suddenly realize that we are not! But that is a good thing—to realize we need help to be good. Lots of people are good but to be good like Jesus? Well, that’s a different kind of good. 🤨 Being virtuous is more than being good; it is being excellent—at everything we attempt. Not that we are perfect—but our effort is. As we practice the quality of being good, it eventually becomes our first instinct, actually our second nature—the “divine nature”; however, it always takes effort. That’s why Paul reminded believers of this: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”2  “Doing good” is the first thing we must master as believers for if we are not good, no one will listen to what we say.

Number two on the list is knowledge. Knowledge of what? “The knowledge of him who called us.”3  Peter mentions it twice in these nine verses, which is comprised of five sentences. The sad thing about this quality is that it is so neglected by believers. Many followers of Christ mistakenly believe that once they give their lives to Christ all they really need to do is be good. They stop there. Why is that? Because the quality of knowing Christ is solely self-initiated and completely secret. No one knows except us and God how well we really know Jesus. While being good is generally public, “knowledge of him” is privately attained. We may acquire knowledge about Jesus, but that is not the same as knowing him. The only way to know Christ is to pray and read his Word—to spend time with him, as we do with any people whom we love.

This quality is so important that the promise of not “being ineffective and unproductive” is linked specifically “to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”4  You see, the end result that we “will never fall,” is not about never falling in our ministry or our careers or our attempts to do good things. Although that might be disappointing to realize this, it is the best news ever! Why? Because the more we know Jesus, the more he infiltrates our hearts, our habits, and our minds, which will impact our ministry, our careers, and our attempts to do good things! Our “knowledge of him who called us”3 is at the very root of being effective and productive. If we only practice being good, we will soon grow weary of it unless we are truly grounded in the “knowledge of him.” That’s why Paul wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”5

So, let’s practice that today.😉

12 Peter 1:4    2Galatians 6:8-10    32 Peter 1:3    42 Peter 1:9   5Galatians 3:8

Secular Things

There is no secular part of our lives. There are no separate compartments in which we should categorize what is religious and what is not. And yet we do. We label some music as “Christian” and everything else as “secular.” So, are we saying that “secular” music cannot have a “Christian” message? 🤔 Of course, it can! Consider the song “Forgiveness” (the greatest song of all time!) by The Eagles (the greatest band of all time!). Here are a few of the lyrics.

The more I know, the less I understand.

All the things I thought I knew I’m learning again

 I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter.

But my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter.

But I think it’s about forgiveness, forgiveness.

Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore.*

Wow. I’m tempted to print the whole song, but its message is clear in that chorus.  Now, is Don Henley (singer/songwriter) a Christian? Maybe. But even if he is not, the song speaks of godly things and inspires me.

Another common “secular” category is with books. But cannot a “secular” book have a “Christian” message? 🤔 Of course, it can! Consider the book A Tale of Two Cities (the greatest book of all time!) by Charles Dickens (the greatest author of all time!). The story is about a man of ill repute who sacrifices his life in order to save a man who loved the woman he loved. Wow. Although that summary is a bit obtuse, I don’t want to be too clear in case some people have not read it (which everyone should!). Now, is Charles Dickens a Christian? Perhaps. But even if he is not, the book speaks of godly things and inspires me.

But I digress. The scripture reference today begins with 2 Peter 1:3. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”1  Meaning, God is involved in our lives and our lives are meant to be godly. Peter mentioned it in his first letter: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”2  So, to sum up: songs can be holy (even if they are performed by unholy people), books can be holy (even if they are written by unholy writers), and people can be holy (even if the people are you and I!).

Hmm. 🤔 I think this is where we get stuck. How can you and I “be holy”? Peter explains: God promises that we “may become partakers in the divine nature.”3  That is—as Jesus lives in us, we will become more like him, taking on his holy, his “divine nature.” But it’s not magical or mystical and certainly not automatic. It takes work. That’s why Peter implores us to “make every effort”4  to become more like Jesus.

Which brings us to the main point. We have everything we need to do this, for “his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”1  (Have I said this already? 😁)  So, how do we begin? What do we do? Peter gives us a great list of qualities to pursue, qualities that Jesus possessed. He writes, “make every effort to supplement your faith with . . . .”4  and I must stop there in order not to miss a very important point. Faith is not one of the qualities to pursue. Wait! What? 😦 Yeah, faith is what we bring to God. God does not give us faith. He gives us salvation and forgiveness and grace and mercy and love and a whole lot of other things . . . but not faith. Hmm. 🧐

Over and over again Jesus confirms this. He said, your faith has made you well.”5  “According to your faith be it done to you.”6  “O you of little faith.”7  “O woman, great is your faith!”8  “Have you still no faith?” 9 And the list goes on. Faith is absolutely essential, “for without faith it is impossible to please him.”10  but we are responsible for having it. We begin our journey in Christ with faith—faith that God loves us and forgives us of our sin and sent Jesus to die for us in order that we would live with him forever. What Peter is imploring us to do is to add to our faith, to grow our faith, to work on our faith, to practice it. 🤨

But most people don’t. 😯 They have faith but do not tend to it. They separate their faith from the rest of their lives. They categorize that part of their lives to the “Christian” thing that they do. Perhaps they go to church or own (and maybe even read!) their Bible. But because they have compartmentalized their faith, it does not seep over into the “secular” categories. And here’s where I must repeat: If we are people of faith, there is no “secular” part to our lives! God is in us wherever we go. And we find God in many things, even things that appear to be ungodly. Everything in our lives is “Christian” because we are Christians! So, this is a good time to take inventory. Do our lives—every part of our lives—appear to be “Christian” to others (who love to compartmentalize and categorize the parts of their lives)? Because either we are Christian . . . or we are not. There is no “secular” part.

12 Peter 1:3    21 Peter 1:16   32 Peter 1:4    42 Peter 1:5   5Matthew 9:22    6Matthew 9:29    7Matthew 14:31    8Matthew 15:28   9Mark 4:40   10Hebrews 11:6   *Songfacts, https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/don-henley/the-heart-of-the-matter. Accessed 31 Dec. 2023.  

Resolution Advice

It’s a new year. And since it is a new year, many of us are inclined to start some new “thing.” It is a good thing—to reach a firm decision about, to change, to declare, to decide, to resolve—to start something good. So, let’s do it! Here we go! 🏃‍♀️ Let’s all vow together to start one good thing today . . . or maybe tomorrow. 😬 But seriously, pick one thing that you wish to change/start and write it down. I’ll wait. 🙂. . .🙃. . . 😴. . .🤨. . . We’ll do it (whatever it is) together! Afterall, people will ask us about our New Year’s resolutions, and if we do not have at least one thing to declare, we might feel pressured to make something up! Or worse, become defensive and obnoxiously philosophical about the futility of all resolutions and discourage those who have already begun working on (or have definite intentions to work on) their resolutions. Please, I implore you: do not be that guy! 🙁

But let’s be honest. Why do many (most) resolutions fail? I think it is because we lose sight of the finish line, the possibility of actually succeeding! Instead, we quickly become discouraged. And we quit. It is easy to begin things; it is hard to complete them. A wise man (Solomon) once said, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit than the proud in spirit.”1  Hmm. 🤔 Now that I think about it, those who begin things often boast of their new outlook or plan or goal that is going to absolutely improve and change and enhance their lives, don’t they? And sometimes we listen to them and think, Wow. I wish I could do that! 😕 But mostly we listen to them and think, Yeah, right. 🙄  

However . . . are we so cynical that we do not believe change is ever possible? I certainly hope not. But it is hard to change, and many of us are weary of listening to the promises of yet another thing that guarantees success. Some people do succeed, though. How do they do it? Read Solomon again: People who complete things are “patient in spirit.”1  They stick with the plan. They keep their eyes on the goal. They never lose sight of the end. So, let’s start there—with the end of something and work our way back to the beginning of it and figure out how some people do what God’s Word tells us to do over and over again; that is, “Do not be discouraged.”2

Peter wrote a letter to discouraged believers about how to persevere. At the end of his instructions, he concluded, “if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.”3  Hmm. 🤔 Never fall”? That sounds like one of those empty promises! 😒 However, since this is God’s Word, it cannot be empty! God’s promise is that everything that comes from him “shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”4  So, whatever “these qualities” are, we need to study them! But before we even do that, note that the key to never falling is revealed in Peter’s closing words; that is, to “practice these qualities.”3 Practice the qualities. Work on them. To practice something means that there is an intentional effort in perfecting it—which takes time and persevering through many mistakes and setbacks. To “never fall” at something means a lot of practice has come before. It is the key to keeping any resolution.

But what do our resolutions have to do with Peter’s letter written to a struggling church around 62 A.D.? I mean, really.  🙄 Most of us are just trying to lose weight, or get out of debt, start a project, organize our files, simplify our lives, etc., and Peter is talking about spiritual things, right? Well, yes, but read his opening statement: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.”5  Did you hear that? God has given us his power to achieve “everything we need for life.” How about that! Here is the help we need for being successful at any . . . “thing.” And. And remember how Peter ends the passage? “For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.”3 And also, remember—anything that comes from God “shall succeed in the thing.”5

Hmm. 🤔 Here’s my resolution advice:  let’s meditate on the promise that our resolutions are possible to achieve with God’s divine power. And those “qualities” that Peter itemizes (which we will tackle next time) are applicable to our desires as well. But it’s a lot to take in, so let’s pause. And start at the end; that is, let us take some time today to practice—i.e. work at—our “thing.”   

1Ecclesiastes 6:8    2Deuteronomy 32:8    32 Peter 1:10    4Isaiah 55:11    52 Peter 1:3

Knowing God

Paul exclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”1  Wait a minute, then. 🤔 If God’s judgments are “unsearchable,” why bother to search for them? If his ways are “inscrutable” are not our scrutable efforts a waste of time? 😟 Does this passage give us permission to remain ignorant and apathetic and to resign ourselves to the old adage that God works in mysterious ways, and leave it at that? I think many believe that is exactly how we are to live our lives—God doing his mysterious thing, and we doing our mundane things, and perhaps occasionally the two things coincide, but when God seems obscure, our response should be to shrug our shoulders and say, Oh well. 😕

     I don’t think that’s how we are to live at all. God does not want to be distant and disconnected from our lives. He actually wants to have a personal relationship with us. He knows us. He has always known us. David proclaimed, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.”2  God really really knows us! 🙂

     Our response to that knowledge is most significant, for it invokes the question, Do we know God? Because he wants us to know him! It is the essential thing that God requires—far beyond the basic proclamation that God exists, which many people profess (as well as the devil!). Instead, God’s ultimate purpose is this: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”3

     This “knowledge of God” is accessible to us, but take heed. God is not asking that we learn about him, as if we simply need to sit in church and listen to others speak on his behalf. No, God wants us to have “steadfast love” for him! Many people, knowing that they should love God, pretend to!  But since they do not really know God, their “love” is not steadfast at all. And sooner or later, their “love” for God fades because it was not real. And it never was. It was merely their attempt to do a religious thing—like burning an offering—in hopes that God would be pleased with their “sacrifice.” 😕

     So, the question remains: Do we know God? Or perhaps the real question is Do we want to know God? Do we believe that knowing God is important? Our lives will reveal that answer. Knowing God changes us. If our lives are not changed by our knowing him—that is, if we do not seek to know God’s good purpose for us—then we do not know God at all, no matter what we say or how often we sit in church! 😕 Jesus made that very clear. He said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”4

     God’s will is that we would do his will!—which is to love him with a “steadfast love”! And “steadfast love” grows out of our knowledge of God. As we get to know God, we will “come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.”5 And ”the love that God has for us” is life-changing! Knowing God is a lifelong endeavor. So, how do we get to know him? We look for him. We seek him. He can be found through praying and reading his Word. When we invite him into our lives, God’s very spirit, his Holy Spirit, enters our hearts. 🙂 God promises that “you will seek me and will find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”6

     God, the creator of the universe and the creator of us, wants us to seek him out and get to know him and learn to trust him “for those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”7  The “steadfast love” that the Lord requires resides in the hearts of those who truly know God. It is the natural and overflowing response from those of us who have experienced his love. We who are seeking to know God, know that even though he is mysterious at times, he is faithful, he is trustworthy, and he loves us with an everlasting love. So, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord.”8

1Romans 11:33     2Psalm 139:1-3      3Hosea 6:6    4Matthew 7:21     51 John 4:16      6Jeremiah 29:13      7Psalm 9:10      8Hosea 6:3

God Rest Ye Merry

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen

Traditional

God rest ye merry, gentlemen

As I was researching this song, I found a website that I have copied and pasted above, written in green. So, my question for you is this: What’s wrong with this picture? 🤔

It’s the commas. Which way is correct? Does the comma go after “Ye,” or after “merry”? And I know some of you are thinking, What difference does it make? It makes a huge difference! 🤓  “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen” can only be interpreted as God give you rest, merry gentlemen or For all of you who are merry, may God give you rest. But what about those who are not merry? What about those guys? Does God give rest only to those who are merry?

But with “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” the interpretation is May God grant you peace and happiness, gentlemen. With that latter (and correct) punctuation, we must infer that the gentlemen needed encouragement. How do we know that? Because of the second line: “Let nothing you dismay,” which would be interpreted as Don’t be discouraged. If the gentlemen were already merry, they would need no encouragement!

This is my favorite Christmas carol ever. For three reasons. 1) As a retired English teacher, I love showing people that punctuation makes a difference!  2) It was made popular by Charles Dickens (the greatest author ever) when he made reference to it in A Christmas Carol in 1843.  And 3) As someone who is not always merry, I am encouraged by the message of the song.

And what is the message? Line 3: “Remember, Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.” The fact is, sometimes we are under “Satan’s power,” and sometimes we still go “astray.” So, no matter how we find ourselves this Christmas season, we need to remember to “let nothing you dismay.”

Which reminds me of what David told his son Solomon as he was instructing him on how to build the temple, an enormous responsibility and formidable task. He said, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.”1

To “be dismayed” covers a lot of emotions. It can mean to be upset or worried, irritated or annoyed, perplexed or distressed. And let’s face it: the Christmas season can cause any one of those emotions to surface. 🤪 So, our scripture and our song encourage us to “not be afraid” and “let nothing you dismay.” The good news is even though we might have “gone astray,” we can always return to the Lord. This actually is a great time for us to “return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on you, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”2  We need never fear that God will be angry or even disappointed in us when we return to him. He “waits to be gracious to you”3 —no matter what we have done or not done, no matter if we have “gone astray.”

The writer of our song (and no one knows who it is) repeats a wonderful line as a response to the news that Christ saves us when we have “gone astray”: “Oh, tidings of comfort and joy! Comfort and joy!”  And that’s why we are to “let nothing you dismay!”

So, “God rest ye merry, (ladies and) gentlemen.” 😀 May God grant you peace and happiness! The thought makes me smile . . . as does teaching a lesson on punctuation! 😉

11 Chronicles 28:20    2Isaiah 55:7    3Isaiah 30:18

 

 

Fruitful Seasons

If you want to learn how to be happy, read the first Psalm. Two kinds of people are described: the blessed (happy) righteous people and the wicked people. A blessed (happy) person is one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord.”1  Blessed (happy) people are ones who obey God and whose heart’s desire is to please him. That is their hope and attitude, their goal and mission. A blessed (happy) person does one thing—just one thing—mentioned in this Psalm: “on his law he meditates day and night.”1

     So . . . how’s that going for you? 😏  Do you meditate on (ponder about, wrestle with, and mull over) God’s Word? Throughout the day and the night? Because that’s the one thing to do to be happy (blessed). But how do we do that while we are busy with all the demands and tasks of our lives? It’s simple. We are to memorize scripture and recite it to ourselves all day long, even as we are lying in bed before/after sleep. It’s actually quite powerful! And if you are one of those folks who believe you cannot memorize scripture (you can! 😠), then write one on an index card and carry it with you. As I said, it’s quite powerful!

     And just so you know, there are a few promises attached to this little mighty act of faith. Promise #1: the blessed (happy) people who meditate on God’s Word will “be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.”2  The promise? Fruit! What kind of fruit? Well, there is the spiritual fruit that Paul lists: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”3  But I don’t think that’s what we are talking about here and I’ll tell you why. The fruit of the Spirit is available all the time. The fruit mentioned in this Psalm is seasonal. Read carefully: the tree “yields its fruit in its season.2

     Metaphorically speaking, if we are orange trees, our branches will yield oranges—but not every month of the year! If trees are nourished by streams of water (and blessed [happy] people are nourished by meditating on the Word of God), then periodically, “in its season,” trees will bear fruit (and so will blessed [happy] people)—but not all the time! Hmm. 🤔 This makes me a little sad because I would like to bear fruit all the time! However, it explains a lot, doesn’t it?  Like those unfruitful seasons we all experience! 🤨 How could an orange tree produce fruit every month of the year? It cannot! After seeds are planted and a tree has matured, a tree continues to need to be watered, fed, cared for and protected. There is also occasionally pruning and shaping. And all this takes, you know . . . time.  And then—there is the harvest. After which, of course, several months will pass before there is another harvest. Fruit is seasonal, people! 🤪

     It is best that we “get” this as soon as possible or else we will wonder why there is no fruit all the time. We might even blame God or ourselves for the unfruitful time. So, what is God’s good purpose for the unfruitful time? It is promise #2: Those blessed (happy) people who meditate on God’s Word will be “like a tree” whose “leaf does not wither.”2  What does that mean? It means there will be continuous growth! And that is not seasonal! Why is that? Because blessed (happy) people are constantly receiving the nourishment they need from God’s Word. There is actually new life—branches sprouting, roots digging deeper, and trunks growing sturdier—all happening during the unfruitful seasons.

     And there’s one more thing. The blessed (happy) people who meditate on God’s Word have another promise. Let’s call it promise #3: “In all he does, he prospers.”2  How about that? 🙂 But “he prospers” in what way? We are not told, so my idea is that he prospers in any way that God would see fitting and beneficial and part of his good purpose. For “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”4

     Of course, this is all contingent on whether someone is truly blessed (happy), meaning his “delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.”1

     So . . . as I said before . . . how’s that going for you? 😉

1Psalm 1:2     2Psalm 1:3    3Galatians 5:22-23    4Romans 8:28  

It’s Not a Straight Line

 It’s not a straight line, this journey of faith. I wish it were. 😟 I wish that I would always be moving forward and upward and growing stronger and more steadfast. That’s what I wish. But that is not my experience, and I daresay it is probably not yours either. Instead, our successes are often followed by failures. Why is that? Well . . . here’s what I have observed. The problem is us. Paul warns us about this: “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”1  Many of us think of ourselves “more highly” than others. That’s the problem.

     When we do something and it has great success, soon—and very subtly—our pride sneaks in and we begin to think that we are pretty great! That we have many answers for people, that we should help others with our knowledge and knowhow. We love to compare ourselves with others, especially when things are going well for us! 😉

     But note this: those of us who tend to think more lowly of ourselves than others still need to hear Paul’s words for we are not thinking “with sober judgment” about ourselves. We are, in fact, putting the same emphasis as those who think highly of themselves—which is, too much emphasis! 😯 The “sober judgment” brings us all on the same playing field. We are all to remember that the gifts we have been given are from God, by his grace. And we “do not all have the same function.”2 Therefore, we cannot compare our successes or failures with others because we have all been assigned different tasks while utilizing our assorted gifts.

     Also, Paul says we are to think “each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” That sounds like God gives some people more faith than others. But that’s not true. Remember, Paul is talking about not comparing ourselves with others. “The measure of faith” measures where we are in our personal growth. God assigns us gifts and gives us tasks—“good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them,”3  according to where we are in our faith journey. So, we can know that whatever task we are given, we are equipped for it. 🙂 But it is our journey and we cannot measure our journey by the success or failure of someone else’s journey!

     But our journey is not a straight line, as I said before. As a matter of fact, it is a mighty crooked road because we are so inclined to stray off the path, comparing ourselves—looking down on some and thinking too highly of others. The core of the problem is that we trust our own judgment. We “lean on our own understanding”4  and think we know it all! But we don’t! We actually “know in part.”5  We actually know very little. Which is why our journey is not a straight line. We get distracted by others—how they are doing—instead of focusing on our task, our journey, our growth.

     So what are we to do? 😕 How can we straighten out our path and stay on the road? Here’s a thought: “In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”4  And there it is. “In all your ways, acknowledge him.” “Acknowledge him.” We are to give God the glory when we succeed and look to God for guidance when we fail. But in everything—in all our ways—we are to keep our eyes on him—not on the people around us, and certainly not on ourselves for we are to never trust our own understanding of the situation. Instead, our instructions are this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”6  That’s all. 🙂

1Romans 12:3      2Romans 12:4     3Ephesians 2:10      4Proverbs 3:6    51 Corinthians 13:9      6Proverbs 3:5  

Born Again

Our decision to follow Christ is important. Duh! 😒 Of course, it is. But making that decision is not the thing that changes us. Because, frankly, we can always change our mind. As a matter of fact, many people decide to follow Christ and then later decide not to. It is not a new thing. Paul wrote to Timothy about this very issue. He mentions those who “have wandered away,”1 and others who “have made shipwreck of their faith.”2  In the same letter he warns Timothy that “some will depart from the faith”3  and that “some have already strayed after Satan.”4 He notes that “some have wandered away from the faith”5 because of the love of money. And then he ends his letter by telling Timothy not to be influenced by those who “have swerved from the faith.”6  Jesus saw it happen among his own followers! After teaching a difficult lesson on being the bread of life “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”7🙁 His own disciples!

     All of these people eventually decided that following Jesus was just not for them. They decided they did not agree with what Jesus was saying or had simply lost interested in it. So, they quit. Deciding to follow Jesus is not the same as giving our lives to him. Oh, don’t get me wrong—it’s a good decision . . . to follow Jesus. But so is deciding to lose weight or deciding to learn a trade or deciding to go to college or deciding to pay off debt. It is good to decide to go to church and read the Bible—good decisions all! But they are simply decisions. Choices. Options. Preferences. Sometimes even whims. I believe that those who decide not to follow Jesus after a season of following him—those who have “wandered away”—perhaps were never “born again”8  as Jesus told Nicodemus he must be if he wanted to “see the kingdom of God.”9

     The phrase “born again” sounds a bit outdated, doesn’t it? 😒 And a little old-fashioned maybe. It fits in better with the tent revivals of the 1940s through the 1960s. But it is the most accurate description for someone who has had a genuine spiritual awakening with God. Which is why, of course, Jesus used it in his conversation with Nicodemus! Who, by the way, was baffled with the idea and responded by asking, “How can these things be?”10

     It’s a good question. It is almost indescribable what happens to us when we are “born again.” It is not only a mental decision—it is an act of submission and repentance, a change in our will to not live for ourselves, admitting that we need God’s help to live in the way we want to live and were created to live! It is a starting over, not just giving our hearts to Jesus (which, by the way, Jesus never asked us to do!), but it is yielding control of our lives to God. Once we do that, the Spirit of Christ himself begins to live in us. Then as we grow in the knowledge of Christ, we “become partakers of the divine nature.”11  His nature is lived out in our bodies—which is why Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”12  It really is like we have been “born again!” 😀

     Peter gives us a list of some of the qualities of Christ that we begin to exhibit in our own nature after this “born again” experience. They include virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.13  Those of us who have been “born again,” rarely go back to our old way of living because that way of living is no longer desirable.

     And so. I implore you: Follow Christ. Make that decision. But more importantly, “Be born again.”8

11 Timothy 1:6    21 Timothy 1:19     31 Timothy 4:1    41 Timothy 5:15    51 Timothy 6:10    61 Timothy 6:21     7John 6:66    8John 3:7     9John 3:3     10John 3:9    111 Peter 1:4     12Galatians 2:20      131 Peter 1:5-7

And Be Thankful

  “And be thankful.”1  That’s what Paul writes to the church at Colossae. “Be thankful.” It’s a good thought for us here on this Thanksgiving day. It’s a simple thing to do, right? To “be thankful.” Well . . . it depends. If we look carefully at the context of Paul’s command, what is noted is that there were many problems in this church like “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk.”2  It seems that there were some legitimate things to be upset about! But Paul tells them instead to “seek the things that are above”3  and “be thankful.”

     It sounds like Paul is telling them to Let it go.  But how do we do that? 🧐 It’s an intentional act: he tells us to “put off the old self with its practices.”4  We are to change our behavior, change our thinking, change our perspective, “put on the new self,”5  and “be thankful.”

     Here’s the whole directive: We are to “put on” . . . “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other.”6  But why? 😠 Why should we be so compassionate and forgiving if others have been so unkind and even evil? Two reasons: 1) “in these you too once walked.”7  and 2) “the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”8   Oh.  🙄  Good points.  So, “Be thankful.”

     The great thing about being thankful is that we can do it no matter what our circumstances. It’s letting “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts”1 instead of letting the worries and woes of the world trouble our souls. It’s letting “the word of Christ dwell in you richly”9 instead of allowing the frustration and disappointment in the people in our lives bring us down. Being thankful is not condoning evil or even ignoring it, but it is, instead, not focusing on it. It is not granting other things to “rule” and “dwell” in our hearts. It is to set our “minds on thing that are above, not on things that are on earth.”10   That’s how we can “be thankful” in a disappointing and evil world.

     And you know what? We might as well get used to being disappointed. It’s a recurring theme in our lives. So, instead of letting that dictate our moods and our perspectives and our productivity, we should follow Paul’s example. Writing from prison—from prison—he says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”11

     It is easy to be thankful when things are going well. And primarily when things are going well, we are referring to the “things that are on earth.”10 That is why we must “seek the things that are above,”3  to “set [our] minds on things that are above.”10  Of course, we wish for things to go well with us here and now. But we need to be ready when they don’t. So, here’s the most important lesson about being thankful: We should not hold on too tightly to the good things. 😦  Enjoy them, sure. But our hearts and minds must be set on “things that are above.” Paul says this: “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.”11  The real secret of contentment is to “know how to abound.” To know that our bounty is temporary! Everything is! Instead of letting that fact depress us, it should make us all the more thankful when we find ourselves surrounded by a bounty of good things.  

     Whatever state we find ourselves in today, this day of thanksgiving, let us “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”12 Now that’s a reason to “be thankful.” 😉

1Colossians 3:15    2Colossians 3:8    3Colossians 3:1    4Colossians 3:9    5Colossians 3:10    6Colossians 3:12-13    7Colossians 3:7    8Colossians 3:8    9Colossians 3:16    10Colossians 3:2    11Philippians 4:12    12Psalm 107:1  

Thoughts and Prayers

We often hear people say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you,” as if “thoughts” and “prayers” are the same thing. 😕 So, when I hear this popular phrase, I seriously doubt much prayer is going to happen at all because for many people this is just a thing to say. And sadly, when people tell me they will pray for me, I seriously doubt they will because generally it is simply a social cue that our conversation is over. It’s the end of the discussion of why I need prayer and time to move on to the next thing. 🙁 Public announcements of intentions to pray are rarely genuine. And before you conclude that I am being too harsh or even cynical, take a look at what Jesus had to say about it.

     “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.”1  I think our public announcements about promising to pray are nothing more than this; that is, that we would “be seen by others” as people of prayer. And take note, Jesus called those people “hypocrites.” So, unless we really are going to pray for someone, it is best not to announce that we will! 😧 Jesus also commented on those who “for a show make lengthy prayers.”2  And then added, “These men will be punished most severely.”2  It sounds like God is not impressed with long prayers and some pray-ers—preachers in particular, I’m afraid—really need to hear this! And since we have opened up this diatribe, Jesus also said this about prayer: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.”3  “Empty phrases” would include the popular religious terms of the day. Some people’s prayers sound like an anthology of favorite spiritual words. 😒

     In conclusion, according to Jesus, making public promises to pray and publicly praying long prayers in order to impress others while using lots of vain repetitious meaningless words is . . . well, it’s wrong.

     Of course, it is wrong! 🙄 That’s not hard to see. But what is hard to see is when we are the ones guilty of doing this! 😦 The common thread in these accounts is the idea of impressing others with our great prayers. When we pray to “be seen by others,” or “for a show,” or are concentrating on our “many words,” then we are praying hypocritically. Even so, it’s hard to acknowledge our hypocrisy because we certainly mean to mean what we say, whether we mean it or not! 🤪

     It’s complicated. The intention of our hearts is difficult to master. Most of us would love to be good pray-ers. But praying publicly brings with it the temptation to impress others with our thoughts and prayers; it just does. Although it certainly is not wrong to pray in public, Jesus advocated the opposite. He said, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.”4  Why pray like this? Because there is no one there to impress! Praying to God privately is the one place where we can say exactly what we think and feel, not holding back, not worried about how we sound or which words to use or how long or short our prayer is. 🙂

     Jesus also added, “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”4  I personally love the word “secret” here. A secret is something we share with someone we trust. Prayer is that personal, and mostly, it is a private time alone with God who loves us with an everlasting love. The challenge for many of us then is to find a private room where we can “shut the door” and be truly alone. And say what we desperately need to say. When we do this, Jesus promises a reward! What is the reward? He doesn’t say, but there are at least two rewards that I receive on a regular basis: 1) peace of mind from casting my burdens on God, and 2) feeling loved from having a personal conversation with God.

     I think the more we pray privately, the better we are at praying publicly because we become attuned to the fact that no matter how many people are in the room, our only audience is God. It could be that those people who announce that their thoughts and prayers are with us only pray when someone else is actually voicing the prayer. They pray vicariously and virtually but rarely personally.  Therefore, those of us who do make a practice of prayer and know that “thoughts” are totally different than “prayers” need to become better at praying in public. Which might mean we should pray short meaningful humble prayers! 😉

1Matthew 6:5     2Mark 12:40     3Matthew 6:8     4Matthew 6:6