Author: Don Guthrie

Don Guthrie is the Senior Pastor at FBCSA.

Who governs the government?

Re: Verse reading–Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (day one)  

Christians are a paradox where government is concerned.  Sometimes we are patriots.  Sometimes we are rebels.  The Bible teaches us to be” subject to the governing authorities”. (Romans 13:1)  We are to pay taxes.  We are to show respect, give honor.  (13:6)  But, to whom is government subject? God! The mandate that government holds comes from Him, not from any popular vote.  It is for this reason that Christians, over the course of history, have had no ache of conscience in disobeying government when to do so constituted disobedience to God.  “We must obey God, rather then men” said Peter and John in Acts 4:19. When government oversteps its authority, it loses its authority–that’s what we believe.  “The government is merely a servant.  It cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what it wrong, who the patriot is and who isn’t.  Its function is to obey orders, not to give them.”–Mark Twain.

Let it go

RE Verse reading–Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-11 (day seven)  “Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.”–Exodus 20:9-10.  Unless you’ve been on another planet for the past few years, you have heard (or heard of) the Disney movie, “Frozen” and the featured song, “Let it go”.  As Queen Elsa “lets go” of her fears to embrace her strengths, believers “let go” of our fears to discover our strength in union with Christ.  It is a weekly spiritual rhythm called sabbath.  WORK for six days!  This is the command of God.  Get up!  Think! Innovate!  Achieve!  Subdue!  Rule! (see Genesis 1)  But, on the sabbath learn a different skill.  Let it go! Rest!  Pray! Seek His face!  Engage the world with courage, then retreat from it to declare your trust in Something higher.  We are double-sided creations, dual-natured.  God commands us to work, and then to let it go.

Faith and WORK

Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-11 (day one)

Christianity declares that faith and works are opposite approaches to salvation.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. . .it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any may should boast.”–Ephesians 2:8-9.  “No one will be declared righteous. . . by the works of the law”–Romans 3:20.  Given this gospel truth, a common mistake is to suggest that our faith is critical or negative toward work itself (industry, effort, even ambition)  It isn’t!  “I labored even more than all of them”, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 (and without a hint of caution that he might, by saying so, drift back into legalism).  “Faith without works is dead” echoes James 2.  “Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.” says Colossians 3.  One assignment common to every Christian is that we become steady, hard, dependable, honest, and effective WORKERS!  We owe it to Christ because we trust Him.

When I say “neighbor”, you say “salt”.

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 20:13-17, Leviticus 19:16-18, Zechariah 7:8-10, Matthew 5:13-16 (day seven)  
Jesus was a master teacher.  He knew the power of symbols.  Pictures that linger in the mind.  Comparisons between the material world and the spiritual.  One day (and not just any day, but the “Sermon on the Mount” day, the Lord’s “Gettysburg address” day) Jesus said that our relationship to culture is like salt.  Salt permeates meat in order to preserve it. Salt flavors food to make it enjoyable.  Salt was an early antiseptic. In the same way, Christians oppose corruption and add flavor and prevent the spread of disease (sin) in the world by living and speaking an alternative path of life.  Abraham–“if ten righteous men can be found in the city, will you spare it?  God–“If ten can be found, I will not destroy it.”  (Genesis 18:16-33)  The best thing that you can do for your neighbor is to live a holy life.  When I say “neighbor”, you say “salt”!

Neighborhood association

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 20:13-17; Leviticus 19:16-18; Zechariah 7:8-10; Matthew 5:13-16 (day one)

“Do not covet your neighbor’s house. . .do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. . .rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share his guilt.” (Exodus 20:17, Leviticus 19:16-17)

Holly and I have lived in the same neighborhood for nearly 20 years.  Hidden Forest.  North Central.  Off Bitters, between Blanco and 281.  691 homes, a little association governed by a covenant document.  All pets must be registered.  No chain link fencing on the street side.  No oil wells (honest!)  God’s book does the same, gives us rules to govern the relationships with those who live near us.  “The reason that God tells us to love our enemies and to love our neighbors is that often these are the same people”–G.K. Chesterton.  Do you know your neighbors?  Do you know the rules that govern your relationship to them?  As you read this week, think next door and across the street.  Neighbors are part of God’s plan.

Burning coals

RE Verse reading–Luke 6:27-36; Romans 12:17-21 (day seven) “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. . .in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”–Romans 12:20.  It sounds awful!  To heap burning coals on someone’s head?  Violent!  Painful burning of scalp and hair!  The context insists we find a different meaning.  Paul is not teaching us how to “get even” with people who have hurt us.  Just the opposite.  “DON’T REPAY evil for evil” he says in v 17.  Better to take “burning coals” as a metaphor for conscience or shame.  Your enemy hurts you. You love him.  He dismisses you.  You value him.  Eventually, it clarifies the source of the problem, destroys any justification he may have for his own hatred.  It disallows his claim, “she is part of the problem”.  No.  Your response forces him (at least gives him an opportunity) to look deeply at his own heart.  “Commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God”–2 Corinthians 4:2.

Love your enemies

Re: Verse reading–Luke 6:27-36, Romans 12:17-21 (day one)

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”–Jesus (Luke 6:27-28)  In all of history and literature no words are more fiercely contested.  Unreasonable, impractical say the critics of Christ.  “Old birth” people simply cannot do this work.  Even those who WANT to follow this command find it impossible without a new heart and supernatural support.  Why should we love our enemies?  1) loyalty to Christ demands it, 2) it is the only way to stop the “hate-hurt” cycle, 3) it leads toward conviction and conversion which is the larger, higher purpose of God.  Most of us have miles to go in learning this attitude and practice.  Jesus never changes His demand.  “Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”  Even as we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are praying for our enemies.  It is a start toward love.

Truth about friendship

Re: Verse reading–Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 1 Samuel 20:1-17, 27-42 (day seven)

“And Jonathan. . .loved him [David] as he loved himself.”–1 Samuel 20:17.  TRUTH–Life is to be fortified with many friendships.  TRUTH–“There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother”(Proverbs 18:24)  TRUTH–Friendship has the potential of being the highest form of love. (John 15:12-15)  TRUTH–Sin isolates.  The Enemy whispers that I am enough in myself, that I do not need others, that being with “them” is a waste.  TRUTH–The Spirit of God brings people together in unity and mutual agreement.   TRUTH–solitary confinement is a form of punishment in almost every society, a universally recognized reality.  TRUTH–ability to make and keep friends is the strongest predictor of success in every field of endeavor.  TRUTH–God is very concerned about my friendships and very clear about His expectations of me on this subject.  It is not “my private business”. TRUTH—We will meet together to think/believe/repent/change on this subject today at FBCSA.  TRUTH–We can do this!  Our Friend will help us.

Love must be learned

Re: Verse reading–Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 1 Samuel 20:1-17, 27-42 (day one)

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls an has no one to help him up.”–v 9.  Strange, isn’t it?  We have classes to teach us how to read and spell and add and speak Spanish. Seminars to learn how to invest our money or start a business.  But, normally, very little instruction is offered on one crucial element of happiness–how to make and keep friends!  “Love must be learned and learned again.  There is no end to it.  Hate needs no instruction.”–Katherine Anne Porter.  This week, RE Verse will guide us to read the word of God and reflect on the lessons, learned or ignored, on a subject that will have more to do with our success and happiness than almost any other.  Love must be learned.  How are we doing?

Law and love

Re: Verse reading–Exodus 20:12; Luke 2:45-52; John 19:25-27 (day seven)  

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land.”

It will be a long road back, but we can do it.  “He is not willing for any to perish.”  We will need to change.  Attitudes.  Ideas.  Where we once thought of His Law as an imposition, a burden, we will now see it as blessing and necessary check on self-will. Where we once resisted His will, we will yield, in our recovery, to a government that rises from His great grace.  We will teach children to respect parents, to never consider themselves “free agents” from this obligation of gratitude.  We will repent from homes with absent fathers–either physically or emotionally– and will ask only from our children that which we also are willing to live and do.

The Bible doesn’t say God is Law.  It says God is Love.  But, maybe to God, these are the same thing.