Author: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson is Senior Pastor at FBCSA.

Snail’s Pace

Easter Re:Verse reading–John 20:1-18 (day seven)

There is a weird tension in verses 8-9. First, we find out a disciple believes, then we find out they did not yet understand the Scriptures about the resurrection. Some debate the meaning of this claiming it’s a typo or it’s really talking about the Holy Spirit or more reasonably, both are true: they believed while not fully understanding the larger context of the resurrection in Scripture.

At this point in their faith they could not grasp the spiritual scope of what was happening in front of them. Which is perfectly ok, because they were working through their faith together. It was ok because they were searching out Jesus Christ, it was ok because the Holy Spirit would soon be coming, it was ok because we are finite beings in need of an unfolding process to understand. God knows this.

These confounded disciples are hope for us. Though we do not yet fully understand the scope of what God is doing in our lives, we can still make progress. We learn and we grow, as the spirit leads, having a greater knowledge of God today than we did yesterday. It is ok to work through your faith slowly, just make sure you are working on it. Even a snail’s pace is enough. Donald S. Whitney writes in Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, “The Bible does not set a minimum acceptable speed for the pursuit of holiness.” Even a snail’s pace is progress.

Re:Verse reading – 1 Samuel 13:1-14

King of Kings

Re: Verse reading—1 Samuel 9 & 10 (day seven)

1 Samuel 10:19 is ominous: But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”

Israel’s rejection of God allowed a move toward their own plans.  They desired a human king in God’s stead.  God delivered them from Egypt, but now they wanted distance between themselves and their creator.  On the surface it seems outlandish, but our tendency is to assume that we can handle life on our own when things are smooth.

A calm day gives us an illusion of personal strength we believe deep into the coming chaos.  Our only way out of self-inflicted free fall is Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the true king.   Jesus is God’s chosen one to give us the leadership we need to thrive in this life. Unlike Israel, Christians reject their own plans, and submit fully to the King of the Kingdom of God.

5 Spiritual Disciplines

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day seven)

I count 5 spiritual disciplines utilized in our text this week that we rarely attempt:

v.2 the lament prayer –  We sometimes find it impolite to come before God emotionally, when the freedom of uninhibited prayer is exactly what we need.  There are numerous examples of lament psalms that are great guides for difficult prayer (e.g. Psalm 6 & Psalm 55)

v.3 Repent + _______  – we hear the call to repentance in Scripture.  The next step is to rid your life of that which you are repentant of.  You may need to physically destroy an item that is causing you to sin further or reminding you of your former ways.

v.5 & 9 intercessory prayer – when you are praying for yourself do not forget to pray for others.

v.6 fasting – this is a perfect uncomfortable reminder that we need God more than we need food.  Why not skip lunch occasionally, to pray, and let your hunger pangs point you to heaven?

v.12 commemorate – In the text Samuel marks God’s faithfulness with a stone. It is good to find a small item that will remind you of what God has done in a specific instance.  Some people like to pick out a small stone from an important spot and keep it in their pocket, others like to write a specific verse on a small sheet of paper and keep it on their dashboard, there is no limit to what you can find to remind you of what God has done.

I hope you can find the time this week to try one of these 1 Samuel 7 spiritual disciplines out in your personal walk with God.  I know they will increase your faith.  Be adventurous in your faith and try these kinds of new things.  These new things have worked for thousands of years.

Radiant

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day seven)

Samuel says, “Here I am” five times in this passage: v. 4, 5, 6, 8, & 16, each one directed to Eli.  The first four Samuel calls out to Eli with blind allegiance looking for answers.  The fifth “here I am” was different though. Between verse 8 and verse 16 Samuel changed, and Eli inquires. Samuel had met God.  Every single time you connect with God it changes you and your relationships.

It is like when Moses met with God to receive the 10 commandments.  The commandments were good and necessary for the greater good, but Moses changed too having connected with God, Exodus 34:29-30:    When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.  When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

A meeting with God is transformative, far more transformative than anything else you have planned this week.  May you spend your time wisely seeking out the voice of the Lord more than any other.

Promise Kept Plus

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 1 (day seven)

Sometimes we forget.  We are well meaning people who forget when things are well.  In the throes of adversity we offer God more than we have wanting nothing more than to see a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.  But we so often forget those foxhole vows.  We dust ourselves off and walk away from the pain leaving God in the tunnel.

Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. 3 For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God. -Ecclesiastes 5:2-7

This wisdom of Ecclesiastes was written for us, it was not written for Hannah.  She was one who made a vow to God and kept it.  As soon as she could, she brought Samuel to the Lord.  Brought him and left him with the priest.  But Hannah didn’t stop there.  She not only brought Samuel to the Lord, she brought flour, wine, and a three-year-old bull.  That may not sound like much on paper, but that was a huge offering.  It was about three times extra.  Why in the world would Hannah bring the incredible offering of her son plus three times the normal elements?  I think God should be happy with my child, but Hannah flooded the altar.

Great Commission

Re:Verse reading–Luke 24:1-12, 33-49 (day seven)

We all know the Great Commission.  As Matthew records Jesus’s words in chapter 28 they are sweeping and grand.  Jesus empowers the church to go and disciple all.  It is beautiful, but it does not tell you what the disciples taught baptizing throngs of people.  Surely, they taught Jesus Christ and Him crucified, but there was a highly specific reason Jesus went to the cross that must be conveyed.

Hear Luke’s version of the Great Commission:   and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  Luke 24:47.

The content is to repent.  The message is Christ crucified, our response is repentance.  The power of the cross is that we can now be reoriented back to God.  Our lives have strayed many miles away from God’s intention.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we can come back and be made right before our Heavenly Father once again.  When we knell before God in confession the cross is glorified and all is made right in our world.

Do Not Feed the Animals

Re:Verse reading–Luke 23:1-27, 32-49 (day seven)

This crowd is nonstop.  They begin by accusing Jesus with lies (v.2), and keep going through the whole chapter.  They insisted Jesus deserved death even though the officials called him innocent (v.5, 18, 23).  Vehemently they demanded Jesus pay, and when they didn’t get what they want they yelled louder.  The whole scene is infuriating.

The unjust hate makes you want to take a stand for Jesus, but never engage the enraged.  When people behave like animals they cannot reason.  If you inject yourself you will be bitten.  The best thing you can do is engage with Jesus like the thoughtful criminal at Jesus’s side.  You will know much more peace in life if you will engage with Jesus instead of engaging the mob.

Affluence

Re: Verse reading–Luke 16:19-31 (day seven)

“One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. -Luke 18:22-23

“For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” -Luke 18:25

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. -1 Timothy 6:10

A simple concept exceedingly complex in practice.  Amoral monies unwittingly transform us into nasty devils.  With $3 in our bank account we battle pride, greed, gluttony, and selfishness in a single second.  This whiff of independence causes most to fall, all the while Jesus whispers

Be on guard
affluence is steering you away
from your God.

Witnessing Lunch

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 (day seven)

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.  Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:1-2

The Jewish community in Jesus’s day was taught to give alms to the poor.  They knew God cared deeply for the poor, and they went out of their way to be generous.  However, they never rubbed shoulders with the poor.  The poor were seen as lesser people never to be invited into your home, and meals were completely off the table.  They kept this same attitude toward sinners and tax collectors.  You may say a prayer for them, but you never fellowship with them.

Jesus turned this thought upside down.  Jesus would have lunch with anyone: a sinner, a Pharisee, the poor.  Whoever wanted to come to the table was allowed, and the intimacy of a meal allowed the conversation to sizzle.

If we are going to be a witnessing church we are going to have to do likewise.  We must sit down with the lost in our communities.  If we will be intentional about sharing meals with non-Christians fellowship will be strengthened and the world will know who Jesus Christ is.  Rarely are we accused of eating with sinners, but hopefully there’s a new day coming when our lunch will turn into witness.

Dinner Party

Re:Verse reading–Luke 7:36-50 (day seven)

If you were given the opportunity to invite anyone from history to a dinner party who would you invite?  Jesus, of course, George Washington, King Tutankhamun might be fun, and famed musician Bryan Richardson would round out the table nicely.  Once we got past the language barrier it would be incredible to hear what they think of the world today.

The most important response wouldn’t come from one of them though, it would come from you.  How are you going to treat Jesus?  The Pharisee from this week’s text treats Jesus like an honored dinner guest.  I’m sure his thought process was like ours.  We would anticipate holy credit for giving Jesus a prominent seat at our table.

The Pharisee didn’t get much credit though, in fact, he is put to shame by an unnamed sinful woman.  This sinner’s response is the only authentic response to Jesus.  Jesus deserves far more than a seat at our table, he deserves our tears, our humiliation, our total worship.  You could put Jesus at the head of the most lavish king’s spread this world has ever seen and it would not be enough.  Nothing will ever equal humble worship.

(Greetings from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic!  Larry and I are on a trip with South Texas Children’s Home doing the Lord’s work in the Caribbean.  We will be back with you next week.)