Jimmy Gunn

A Starting Point

Re:Verse passage – 2 Corinthians 8:1–9, 2 Corinthians 9:6–11 (day three)

⁵and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

In verse five, Paul reminds his readers that before the people of the Macedonian churches gave anything, they first submitted to God and to His will. If they did not start there, I am sure that their giving might not have been so noteworthy or commendable. They first submitted to the Lord and to the work of the Church, allowing God to use them fully for His glory.

The Lord points out here through Paul’s letter that He does not care about the size of what we give. He cares about the attitude of our heart when we give. The churches in Macedonia were commended as an example of how God’s grace abounds and makes up for human limitations that arise (2 Corinthians 12:9). The churches gave faithfully despite their circumstances, and God blessed them with abundant joy.

In trusting and relying on God, the Macedonian churches also allowed for God to provide for them in such a way that they could give beyond their ability. I am by no means a math genius, but I do know that, typically, finances/resources in usually must be greater than finances/resources out. God’s math does not work that way! When we fully trust and rely on God with our finances and resources, it makes room for God to be glorified even more through His provision and work in us.

Now, here’s the tough question for us: where is your heart on giving to the Lord? Have you submitted fully to Him or does a part of you hold back?

On Purpose, For Purpose

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:4-8 (day three)

⁷A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:

One of my favorite Vacation Bible School lessons for our kids came a few years ago with Spark Studios. Our main point that week was that we are created by God on purpose and for His purpose. It is a lesson I find myself repeating to my own kids and to the kids of our church as often as I can. Each of us, adults included, needs to be reminded that we were made by God on purpose. Everything about us was meticulously thought through and intricately designed to make us, us. Nothing about us was an accident or a rush decision. That includes the gifts and talents that God has given us.

We are to be good stewards of these gifts and talents. It does not honor God or His working in us to sit on the side and never figure out how to use the talents and gifts that He purposely instills in us. Paul reminds us of this also in Ephesians 2:10. We were created in Christ to do good works, which He prepared ahead of time for us to do (paraphrased).

Today, take an assessment of your gifts and talents. Are you using them to be beneficial to the Kingdom of God? Are you using them for good works that glorify your Creator and point others to Him? Do you need to step off the sideline and utilize your gifts and talents differently?

Out of Apathy

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day three)

15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

I have an hourglass on my office desk that serves as a reminder to me to put into practice what Paul is saying in this verse: “Make the most of your time.” Now, I don’t turn it over and time out the tasks I do or even really use it, but it serves as a reminder that I have a finite amount of time that God has given me on this earth. The hourglass is a call to action for me. It is a visible reminder that I cannot be apathetic about the time I have but must be wise with how I use it.

This call to action permeates everything about my life. I cannot be apathetic in my time as a father but must be diligent to lead my kids with the “teachable moments” of our days. I cannot be apathetic with my time as a husband but must engage in loving and serving my wife in whatever ways those situations call for. I cannot be apathetic about my time as a worker but must manage my time appropriately to accomplish the tasks that need to be done.

This list could go on and on, but the point is the same. God calls us to be diligent in following Him with our time. It is a call out of apathy into action. What areas of your time need to be redeemed from apathy today or this week?

Reference Point

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 24:1-10 (day three)

1The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

The Psalmist begins this psalm with a declaration that the Lord is sovereign over all things. That’s a great place to start anything. It orients our reference point to the fact that everything belongs to God, and we are simply caretakers and stewards of that which He has given to us for our time on this earth. If everything the earth contains belongs to Him, then we actually own nothing. We tend to think of stewardship in terms of money, but it is so much more than that. We are called to be good stewards of many things, and I am excited to dive into this together.

As we collectively orient our stewardship reference point on this declaration of God’s sovereignty, may we remember well that our purpose is to glorify the Lord with all that He has blessed us with. God has called us to be good stewards of our time, relationships, finances, all of creation, our talents, our bodies, and so much more. The list could go on and on. Today, spend time orienting yourself to the frame of reference that everything is already God’s, and that you are simply a steward of what He has given to you. Is there anything in your life that needs confession and redemption back to His purpose?

Looking

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day three)

And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” v. 20

Throughout Luke’s gospel account, he highlights that people were actively waiting (by being obedient) for the Lord to move. He shows us that with Simeon and Anna. They were waiting for the Lord’s promises to be fulfilled, expecting it to happen. We see that again here with John and his disciples.

To this point, Jesus had not been publicly announced as the Messiah. His disciples had not yet had the opportunity to see Jesus raised from the dead or even observe many miracles or hear Jesus’ many teachings. This truly was a moment of faith confirmation for John’s crew of “Are you really who they say you are?” We know from their question that they were actively looking for the Messiah. Much like Simeon and Anna, they were expectantly looking and waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. When all of them saw evidence of the Lord moving, they went closer to be sure.

Are you actively and expectantly looking for the Spirit of the Lord to be moving in your life today? Are you “in tune” with Him enough to look around and say, “That’s the Lord!” Before you go any further today, you might need to take time to pray and ask the Lord to help you see and know His Spirit better. Expect God to answer you and be looking.

Does It Float?

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:1-3 (day five)

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…” v. 1a

The Kids’ Time during our worship services over the course of this Re:Verse study has been a lot of fun. Now, I often spend my days looking around at various items wondering if they will sink or float. At times, I have been surprised by the results of some of our tests (cans of soda sink depending on the amount of sugar) while other times, the results confirm the knowledge of things I learned long ago (wood blocks float and keys sink).

This visual lesson is an important reminder for all of us, no matter our age, that we need to test and approve whatever we encounter to be sure it lines up with what God tells us in the Bible. Peter reminds us that false teaching can sneak in and begin to destroy that which is good. It is of utmost importance that we are diligent with testing and approving the teachings we follow, making sure that God’s truth “floats to the surface.” Often, there is teaching that looks good and sounds good, but is, in fact, not what God says in the Bible (i.e. love is love or there are multiple ways to heaven). Our world is prevalent with these false teachings. If you do not test what you encounter, you could quickly find yourself derailed and following the wrong teaching.

As you go about your days this week, I hope you begin to ask yourself, “Does it float?” Do the teachings you follow float with God’s truth, or do they sink with the lies of the devil? Do the things you listen to and watch drag you down or lift you up? Test what you encounter so you can be sure you are following God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will and be sure you are floating.

For This Very Reason…

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:5-8 (day four)

For this very reason…

As Aaron wrote last week, our salvation came at a great personal cost to Jesus, and it is our obligation to walk in the honor of His victory. For this very reason, we are also called to walk in a way that is worthy of the calling/love/grace/salvation/mercy that we have received (Ephesians 4:1-3). I know that I am loved because of what Jesus did for me. There is no middle ground there. He loved me first, and now I am called to respond to that love in growth and walking in a way that is worthy of that.

I know that my wife, Ashley, loves me. I do not need to question it or live every day as if I must earn her love for me. For this very reason, my responsibility is to grow in that love and respond to her love in a joyful pursuit of not living unworthily of it. There is a vast chasm in my life between living unsure of her love for me and living in a way that is because she loves me. One side of that chasm is filled with joy, while the other side is not.

How much more is it with God, then? For this very reason, we are called to live our lives in a way that is a joyful response to understanding that Jesus loved us first and died for us, even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). We should grow in Him because He loves us despite our sin, not because we must earn His love. So, for this very reason, rejoice always and live a life worthy of the calling you have received!

Eyes Up

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 1:1–3, 11 (day five)

If you have read the book of Nehemiah before, you know that the task to which Nehemiah was called to was not an easy one. At every step of the way, the challenges multiplied or got more difficult. Even after finishing the wall, the task did not get easier. The city had to be rebuilt. People needed to come back. Defenses had to be strategized and raised again. Life was not easy.

Most of us find ourselves in situations like these. Challenges keep coming. Things do not get easier at each step of life. Rather, new difficulties arise and make us long for those stages to be “finished.” We wait for things to get easier, but they sometimes never do. Raising kids is a good example of this. The sleepless nights of infancy are tough. Then come the difficulties of diapering and the toddler years. Then school years bring challenges of their own. Those are followed up by the teenage years, and then our kids are grown. Each stage is difficult to get through and makes us long for that stage to be over. Then, we find ourselves in a whole new challenging stage.

I’m sure Nehemiah felt this weight as they got further in to rebuilding. We will discuss these difficulties over the next three months during this study. But through every difficulty and challenge, we will see that the Lord was with Nehemiah and with His people. Nehemiah kept his eyes up, focusing on God as the only way to get through each challenge. He remembered the hope (proactive hope as Megan called it) the Lord brings. We can be assured that the Lord is with us, too, as we go through our difficulties and challenges. Whatever difficulties and challenges you are facing now, keep your eyes up and focus on the Lord.

Joyous Understanding

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day five)

“They said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?’”

In my work here at the church, I have the profound and wonderful privilege to see kids understand Scripture and the truth of God in new ways. Sometimes, it is the first time they understand that Jesus died for them and their sin. Other times, it is simply understanding that God knows their name and what they ate for breakfast! Each time, you can see in their eyes, hear in their voice, or understand in their actions that they finally get it. These are incredibly joyous moments that I do not take lightly that the Lord has blessed me with.

I suspect that Jesus loved moments like these when His disciples finally got it and understood all that He had done for them and for us. I suspect that joy filled the room and maybe knocked them on their feet. I suspect that their burning hearts were filled with love anew. As these disciples spent time walking, unawares, with Jesus, little did they know that they were about to have their world turned upside down with a new understanding of who Jesus is.

Have you ever had a moment of discovery and understanding hit you like this? This understanding, discovery, and clarity of the Words of God may come immediately during your study, days later, months later, or years later after meditating on its words. These moments of understanding are times that lift the soul and bring clarity to the Word of God in profound and new ways. I hope you have. May we never stop yearning for the truth of God’s Word in our lives. And may we joyfully read the Bible, expecting God to reveal it anew to us.

Rescue Mission

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day four)

“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Mark’s account of the trip across the sea takes all of 27 verses (Mark 4:35-5:20) and the overall trip doesn’t seem to be a long one. Jesus took the disciples across the sea, calmed a storm, healed a man, then went back across. The seemingly short trip for Jesus and the disciples showed Jesus’ power and sovereignty over the physical and spiritual realms. But it also gives us a glimpse of Jesus “leaving the ninety-nine” to go rescue the “one sheep” that was lost. Jesus sought this man out to rescue him and then tell him, “Now, go tell of God’s mercy and goodness.” It was a rescue mission! Jesus went directly to the darkness where no one else would go, seeking the man out to give him new life (reminds me of a bigger rescue mission!).

If you are a Christ-follower, you were, at one time, a lost sheep. Jesus sought us out, too, and He now commands us to “go, and tell of God’s mercy and goodness.” So, what have you been rescued from? Who are you telling your rescue story to? Is anything stopping you?

This week, I have been reminded often of the song, “Here I Go Again” by Casting Crowns. If you are unfamiliar with the song, give it a listen. The song talks about the fear we may feel in sharing the Gospel with somebody. May you be encouraged this week by this weirdly, wild, beautiful account of Jesus’ love to tell your story boldly and without fear, sharing the mercy and goodness that you have been given so freely!