Serious Child's Play

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:1-4

I am grateful for all of the little kiddos I have in my life.  I love them, of course, but spiritually God teaches me through them.  Today's passage is a MAJOR lesson and it's a great reminder!  If I don't become like a child, I will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Yikes!

Adults are so serious... and cynical... we're self-sufficient and generally do a poor job receiving help from anyone - even God!  Adults are often proud and have to work at experiencing joy.  I observe most every day that children do not have these problems.  It is easy for kids to have fun!  They would laugh and scream with glee all day long if I would let them.  I tell them to 'settle down' and 'not be so loud.'  I'm teaching them how to be a good adult.  Oh, oh.

When they become adults, as their dad and pastor, I'll try to teach them how to be child-like so that they can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  What's wrong with this picture?

The truth is, I'd like to have the kind of spontaneous joy that comes so easily to these children.  My problem is that I'm an adult, and life is serious and hard and busy... with so many responsibilities.  Jesus said that I need to humble myself and become like a child in order to enter His Kingdom.  Wow!  So this is not child's play!  Or is it?  

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Matthew 19:13-14

Lord, I humble myself before You.  Make me like these children!  They are full of faith and trust.  Their lives are filled with laughter and joy...  All of this sounds just like Your Kingdom.  Help me take my pursuit of You seriously, but myself not so seriously.  Give me the perspective of eternity and how You, actually, have everything under control just fine.  I can trust You... and I do.  Thank You for Your Word which powerfully speaks into my life!  You are amazing and I live for You this day.

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How God Encourages People

For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within.  But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

2 Corinthians 7:5-7

The job that Paul had been given took it out of him!  He physically was spent.  Mentally and emotionally… even spiritually he was down and out.  “Harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside – fears within.”  He was admittedly downcast.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?  Because of circumstances… even because of the work of the Kingdom of Heaven, we can be discouraged, downcast and depleted.  The infamous spiritual giant Paul experienced this.  I guess it’s okay if I do too!  I shouldn’t feel out of the range of normal when the emotional and physical tide rolls out.

What do I do in these moments?  Where does my help come from?  Paul wrote that God is the One who comforts the downcast.  What’s significant for me this morning is not that He does, but how He does.  For Paul, God sent Titus.  And Titus had words of encouragement from the church for Paul.  Their love and concern for Paul encouraged him and brought him much joy.

God uses people to encourage people.  It is through relationships that God comforts the downcast and nurtures people’s souls.  Life is hard, but God is good!  He has provided what we need to continue on, living for Him.

It is vitally important that I engage in relationships because God does so much of His work through them.  It is unhealthy to seclude ourselves from people.  Isolation is not the same as solitude.  We need solitude, but isolation is damaging to our souls.  We’re tempted to isolate from people because, while God does encourage us through one another, people can cause us great pain.  In spite of the difficulties, we must run toward authentic relationships.  We will be encouraged.

It’s also vital that I engage in relationships because God wants to encourage the downcast through me.  To be a tool for God’s love in the life of another person is pretty cool!  This is also called ministry.  We serve and encourage people through our relationships with them.  We demonstrate love through our kindness and availability.  As we serve in the Name of Jesus, God encourages people.

As I think of people that have encouraged me along the way, it was their availability that was used by God in my life.

Father, thank You for being relational!  You have demonstrated Your great love through Jesus.  You want this relationship with me and I am amazed!  Thank You for the loved ones who have been used by You along the way to encourage me.  Please use me for your glory and divine purposes to encourage others today.

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Walking With God

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

“Therefore come out from them

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1

What is distinctive about the people of God is that God lives in us and among us powerfully.  It may be such a basic thing that it is easily missed.  It’s a basic characteristic of God’s people, but how amazingly shocking is it?!  God lives among His people.  As Paul wrote, we are a temple of the living God!

This relationship is the hope and blessing of my faith.  I am no longer separated from God through the blood of Jesus.  I am blessed to be considered a son of the Most High!  I walk with Him everyday. 

Because of this blessing of relationship, I ‘purify myself from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.’  It’s out of my deep awe and appreciation for God that I pursue holiness.  It’s because of His promises to me that I refuse the things in life that corrupt my body & spirit – and there are many!  I do not do this in my own strength, but in the strength that God provides through my relationship with Him.

Father, as I walk with You today, thank You for the strength You give me.  I passionately pursue being more like Jesus because of my relationship with You.  I want to honor You in the way I live this day.  Thank You for this privilege… it’s by Your grace!

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No Butterfly Chasing

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Being a  preacher of the Gospel does not guarantee winning the ‘prize.’  Paul understands that even though he has preached to others, he could be disqualified and not finish this race.  There are theologies of men that will struggle with this.  ‘Once saved, always saved’ comes to mind.  For Paul it would have been ‘Once saved, you’re in the starting blocks!’  As significant as salvation is, it is not the finish line.  There is a race we are in!  We run in such a way as to win that race.

Paul understood that taking your eyes off of the prize is a real danger.  Taking your focus off of Jesus and running off the course – pursuing other things – will disqualify you.  You will not win.  So Paul is intentional with his life.  He pursues a disciplined life as a disciple of Jesus.  His flesh serves him and not vice versa.

I feel as though there are areas in my life where I can focus in and become more disciplined.  I’ll probably make a list today.  It feels like, although I’ve been running the race, I’ve been reduced to a jog.  The challenging verse for me is 9:24: Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Run with some passion and intensity to win!  To do this takes discipline and focus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for this reminder.  I want to honor You by the way I live my life.  I want to leave nothing ‘out on the field,’ but instead give all that I have for Your fame and glory.  Would You energize me by the power of Your Spirit?  Give me lazer-like focus to be about what You’ve called me to do.  And help me never to shy away from service because it is in that place where I am most like You.  This day I live for You…

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Just Keep Serving

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will  expose the motives of men’s hearts.  At that time each will receive his praise from God.

1 Corinthians 4:5

There were believers in Corinth who had become arrogant.  They were proud of their new position in Christ.  In the arrogance they claimed authority that was not theirs.  Paul and the other apostles, but Paul especially, was degraded in their minds.  In this chapter Paul lays all of that out.

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

1 Corinthians 4:8-10

Two things are competing for my attention in this chapter.  One is that the way of Christ will be difficult.  To truly be a servant of Christ, and not expect to be served by Christ, will bring difficult days.  It is not a cake walk!  We need to battle against feelings of position and entitlement.

The second is not getting tied up in the perceived motivations of people.  Way too much time can be used up trying to figure people out.  Just move forward serving Jesus and wait for the Lord’s return.  He will bring to light the darkness of men’s hearts.  He will expose their motives and will judge them accordingly.  To those who faithfully serve, they will receive their praise from God at that time.

Holy Father – find me faithful to Your cause and willing to serve regardless of the circumstances.  You outweigh every other and are my motivation for life.  I live for you today…

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Considered Righteous

“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Galatians 2:15-16, 21

How is a person considered righteous and free from sin in the eyes of God?  This must happen for God to relate to us at all.  If we are still considered sinful, God must drive us out from His Presence because He is holy and cannot co-exist with sin.

You might think that the way to be considered righteous would be to do right things, perfectly and all the time.  What humanity learned from the Law of God in the Old Testament is that we are unable to live perfectly righteous before God all the time.

So God sent Jesus!  Now it is through faith in Him and trust in what He has done for us that a person can be considered righteous and live in God’s Presence.  Because of this, everything changes!  What I live for changes.  How I live changes.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Father, thank You for the freedom of crucifixion!  Of course the freedom that Jesus brings because of His obedience to You, but also my own death with Christ.  I am free to live for You and I do today.

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Heaping Abuse

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ come down from the cross and save yourself!”

³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Mark 15:16-20, 29-32

As if crucifixion wasn’t a big enough insult, people heaped abuse, both physical and verbal, on Jesus.  And the King of Glory took it.  He took it from the sinners He was dying to save.  Their sin was on display and directed toward Him, the One who could forgive them of sin.

I am no different.  I would, because of my own insecurities, heap abuse like this.  That potential is in me… but it is not of God.  It is not living like Jesus to do that.  He did not respond to the abuse.  He humbled Himself and was obedient to His Father.

The only ones Jesus spoke roughly with were the religious leaders.

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”

Mark 12:38-40

This was not abuse, however.  It was truth that Jesus was speaking.  He had no insecurities that would lead Him to sin against people like those who crucified Him did.  I must find myself centered in Christ and live confidently in Him.

Lord, thank You for Your Spirit that lives with me.  And thank You for how You are making me like You.  Do whatever You’d like with me.  I live for You and Your glory.  My confidence is in You.

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Jesus' Confession Led To His Own Death

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Mark 14:61-62

A mob of people with clubs and swords came in the middle of the night led by Judas the betrayer.  They arrested Jesus and brought Him before this Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin.  “Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.” (vs 56)  Jesus remained silent throughout all the false and contradicting accusations.  Finally when asked directly by the High Priest if He was the Christ, Jesus responded.  This one response was all He said but it was what the Sanhedrin needed to pursue killing Jesus.

Jesus would go “just as it was written about Him.”  But it was His own words that would bring this about.  This makes ironic sense because Jesus’ death was God’s will.  The Just dying for the unjust.  This most significant of all human events would not come about by anyone else’s testimony, just Jesus’!  His testimony is true.  And wicked humanity killed the Son of the Blessed One, proving again how much we needed a Savior.

Lord Jesus, it would have been nothing for You to have reduced the rulers and false witnesses down to nothing.  With Your wisdom and authority they could have been leveled low in that environment, and yet You chose to remain silent because You were following God the Father’s plan.  You were obedient to Him to the point of death on a cross!  At any point You could have taken rightful command, but You didn’t.  In fact, it was Your own confession about Yourself that led to Your death.  How You put up with our arrogance and sin… and you offer us salvation!  Thank You for what You’ve done; what You are doing and what You will yet bring about.  You alone are Lord!

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