Month: August 2012

RE Verse reading–Colossians 3:12-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 14-16 (day six) “Let mutual love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. . .remember those in prison. . .let marriage be held in honor. . .keep your lives free from the love of money. . .remember your leaders.”  (13:1-7)  If God is love and God is with us (Immanuel) then the sure sign of both will be the capacity and commitment to love.  Warm, practical and multi-faceted love.  We will love each other within the church.  We will welcome strangers (the word stranger meant a person from a different country or tribe).  We will visit prisoners (continuing to love when it is difficult or inconvenient, remembering people when it would be easy for them to be “out of sight-out of mind” )  We will protect marriage and our hearts from a false love of money.  We will remember our leaders.  1 Corinthians 13 says that love is the “greatest” of all the virtues.  Hebrews 13 says it is also the widest.

RE Verse reading–Colossians 3:12-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 14-16 (day four)  “So, as those who  have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”  (3:12)  When the Bible calls us to be holy, we usually hear it more as a demand than an invitation, a strict moral code rather than an expression of God’s desire to be with us.  “You be holy because I am holy” says the Lord in Leviticus 11.  “Without holiness no one will see the Lord”  says Hebrews 12:14.  Holiness is the way that our friendship with God can develop and deepen. We are thinking this week about loving others.  Paul’s thought in Colossians 3 is that none of us can love others until we experience God’s love for us.  Have you considered that the reason God calls you to be holy is that He loves you and wants you to be with Him?  It is not a harsh demand.  It is an invitation.

RE Verse reading–Colossians 3:12-4, Hebrews 13:1-8,14-16 ( day three)  “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  (Colossians 3:12)  “Put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew. . .slave and freeman”  (Colossians 3:10-11)  A uniquely Christian thought–the way forward is to “put on” a new self.  In union with Christ, the old self can be sloughed off like a dry snake skin, discarded like clothes that no longer fit because we have gotten in shape or lost weight.  New attitudes and values can now be worn, affecting all our relationships. Great hope!  We are not stuck being the people we always have been.  Our old wardrobe doesn’t fit anymore.  In Christ, we are new people.  New clothes are waiting to be put on.

RE Verse reading–Colossians 3:12-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 14-16 (day two)  “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion. . .”  (Colossians 3:12)  Do you know that you are chosen?  It is not arrogant to believe.  Without any apology, the Bible declares this to be true.  The word is elect (Greek eklektos), but before you think of election/predestination and the big questions that attach, I hope you will let this truth speak its most important message to your heart.  God wanted you.  If you have come to Christ, it is because God chose and called you to be in His family.  In spite of your sins, He desired you–paid the high price of His dear Son to include you, daily He fills you with the Holy Spirit because He desires you still.  It will be important for you to know this as we consider being generous in our relationships.  Until we know, truly know,  that we are loved, we cannot give love away to others.

RE Verse reading–Colossians 3:12-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 14-16  (day one)  “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.  Bear with one another and. . .forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you.”  (vs 12-13)  One of the Biblical images of a generous life is of “putting on” certain attitudes toward others.  The Bible says that just as we choose what we wear in the morning, we can choose our inner attitudes–what others will see on the inside of us.  We can wear sympathy, kindness, patience and forgiveness–or we can choose to withhold these generous gifts.  Strange.  Many of these qualities are listed as “fruit of the Spirit”  (Galatians 5)  No contradiction here.  All these attitudes are products of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.  They are also choices that we must make in glad submission to Him.  When we do, we are all dressed up and ready to point the world to a glorious Christ.

RE Verse reading–Colossians 3:12-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 14-16 (day five)  “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience”  (3:12)  The bible says God loves us.  I know the words.  Sometimes I lack the assurance/experience.  The remedy is the Holy Spirit.  In Romans 5, Paul says ” the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  For while we were still helpless. . .Christ died for the ungodly”  (vs 5-6)  Notice Paul’s reasoning.  The logic of love is the cross of Christ.  His death proves His love.  The experience of love is the person and presence of the Holy Spirit.  We need both.  It isn’t psycho-babble.  Unless we know with certainty God’s love for us, we will not be able to give it away to others.  “Jesus loves me this I KNOW” we teach children to sing.  It is, however, not just for children.  Something we all need to know.

RE Verse reading–Matthew 25:31-46 (day seven)  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory. . . then He will sit on the throne of glory.  All nations will be gathered before Him”  (vs 31-32)  A difficult subject.  Frequently avoided–even by believers.  Jesus believed that eternity would bring us all to a place/moment of judgement.  “For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. . .each one of us will give an account of himself to God”  (Romans 14:10, 12)  The word in Romans is bema or “raised platform”  We will stand before the Lord (high and lifted up) and hear His decision re. our lives.  Harsh judgement is only one option.  Not the preference of Christ.  “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world” (John 3:18)  But the Father has given “all judgement to the Son”  (John 5:22) To not honor the Son is to not honor the Father.  Those who will not be saved will not be saved.

RE Verse reading–Matthew 25:31-46  (day six)  “Come, you who that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”  (vs 34)  It will be one of the great surprises on the Day of Judgement (for those who do not hear this instruction from the Christ)  Eternity will be shaped from the raw material of time.  What we do matters.  What we decide matters.  Eternally.  When the Son of Man comes in glory, He will invite some to come!  Come inherit the kingdom!  Enter into the joy of your master!  (Matthew 25:21)  Jesus, however,  has been making this invitation all along.  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”  (Matthew 11:28)  How fitting!  The end will not be a new word.  Not for any of us.  Our preparation for hearing Him say come on the last day is to hear Him say it now.

RE Verse reading–Matthew 25:31-46 (day five)  “I was hungry and you gave me food”  (vs 35)  It is a shocking idea.  A God who needs our help.  Requires it, in fact.  A God who (by His own choice and gracious purpose) humbles  Himself to the point of no longer being self sufficient.  Why?  Why would He desire/need the prayers of His friends at Gethsemane?  Why would He ask for a drink of water as He hung on the cross?  Couldn’t He have supernaturally provided for His own needs?  Yes, but He didn’t because He loved.  By giving us work to do ( preparing it beforehand says Ephesians 2:10) He was loving us.  He was giving us value, a reason to grow up.  Like a Father loving a child, one of the great gifts the Lord gives us is to communicate that we are needed, useful, valuable.  Self sufficiency is not strength.  True strength is love expressed in fellowship that allows others to help.

RE Verse reading–Matthew 25:31-46 (day four) “Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food?”  (vs37)  I disagree with those who teach that we will be surprised by the standards that Christ will apply to our lives/choices at the end of time.  It is a fairly common interpretation of Matthew 25 to present a picture of unconcious goodness.  A moral surprise.  People saying, “I didn’t know that this was what You wanted”.  I disagree.  The surprise registered by “sheep people” is that we never saw Christ.  We expected to.  We expected Him to be more obvious, to “show up” so that could love Him more directly.  Instead, we were presented with churches–people called by Christ, doing His will.  We knew that we should help them.  He told us.  “He who receives you, receives Me”  (Matthew 10:40).  The fact that He expects us to help His people do their work is not what will surprise us on the last day.