satisfied with the goodness of God’s nearness

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,

to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 65:4

Lord,

You brought me near because Jesus came to do so. Jesus reaches out His nail pierced hand to extend to me the offer to draw near. He died and was raised again to life so that NOTHING would separate me from Your great love, O God! I grab hold of my Savior, drawn to the embrace of my Father, comforted and strengthened by the living presence of Your Holy Spirit. And now I dwell in Your courts.

And not only have You done it all for me to draw near, but You provide for all who by faith believe the gospel to find all of life’s satisfaction in You. My heart seeks to worship… and is fulfilled with the wonder of You. My self searches for identity and is remade to be what You intended in Christ. My relationships seek love and to be loved and all those relationships are fulfilled in You and Your people. My circumstances have me searching for meaning, and all purposes are completely satisfied with trusting You. Truly blessed am I and are all whom You choose to bring near!

Amen

The new has come.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Past sins and brokenness

used to define me

shackles would bind me

How I needed forgiveness!

Indecision and blindness

kept me from seeing

stopped me from believing

that You could give me Your kindness

My old life has gone

a new life has come

alive in the Son

by what You have done

New holiness and direction

clear in Your Word

loving my Lord

amazed at His perfection

New life and power

to live as He says

to love all His ways

to know Him each hour

My new life has come

and an old life has gone

this new creation now lives

in full life Jesus gives

total depravity: a “necessary evil” doctrine

They have all fallen away;

together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

Psalm 53:3

The doctrine of total depravity is not one that is discussed much these days. Humanistic optimism in the 20th century misled the world into thinking that science and progress would just keep making us better and better. Our problems were due to lack of education and the affect of repressive archaic superstitions from religion. So Marxism tired to throw them off and unleash progress. Various Marxist principles even found their way into academia and education in the Western world. But it failed spectacularly. Scientism tried to prove itself worthy of our worship with remarkable advances… one example: in sixty years time we went from flimsy gliders to rockets that landed humanity on the moon. Oh… and we also had two world wars of unspeakable destruction thanks to science. This “progress” ended the 20th century in a worldwide nuclear annihilation standoff that exists to this day! 

G.K. Chesterton famously quipped that the doctrine of total depravity was the easiest to prove — just read the daily newspaper. And even now as postmodern relativism tries to dismantle and reframe human history, we still live with an onslaught of total depravity… much more readily observable with restraints thrown off… the universal sinfulness of the human race all over an interconnected, electronically instant access, world. Newspapers are old fashioned and gone, replaced with constant 24/7 Tik Tok videos and social media posts. Common people showing how they have their sin in common. We pull a device from our pocket that reveals to us total depravity worldwide in an instant. God is right in what He has revealed about the problems with humanity.

The apostle Paul laid out the gospel of Jesus Christ, understanding this sinfulness in Romans 3:10-12: “None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks after God, all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; no one does good, no not one.” He echoes David’s experience thousands of years earlier in Psalm 53, but then Paul points to the only solution — Jesus! Romans 3:23-24: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Thanks be to God! In Jesus we are delivered from the domination of depravity and transformed to become His holy people for His glory!

afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

This passage is an inconvenient bubble-bursting reality check for those who want to believe prosperity theology. I can see Osteen squirming. “God wants you wealthy, healthy, and happy!” Really? Not according to Paul’s clear experience… a lifestyle he insists to the Corinthians is what those dedicated to making the gospel of Jesus Christ known should expect. Christians should expect life to be hard. It is complicated to stand for the gospel in a dark world that hates the light of Christ. But notice that even though it is hard, there is hope and sustaining goodness from God in the difficult experiences. They are never unbearable.. God is at work in them.

There is “affliction” — a word used to describe pressing grapes. Christians may be pressured by the world around us but notice: we are “not crushed”. Jesus strengthens us so that pressure doesn't break us. There is also the reality of being “perplexed”, which describes feelings of entrapment, optionless, walled-in, not knowing what to do next. Yet Jesus is with us. He is right there so there is a way out. We do not despair because Jesus is there! Christians are persecuted, which is now the default treatment from our culture. Christian morality in all its forms is now seen as the problem by cultural elites. We have sexuality, gender, absolute truth, scripture, sinfulness, and redemptive need “all wrong”. The world insists people are basically good, but repressed by Christian judgmentalism. We are now the enemy of “progress” and “goodness”. But persecution does not strike down the truth of the gospel. Jesus never forsakes us even if the world does. For over four thousand years the world has tried to strike down the people of God. They have never succeeded to destroy the message God has given to us.

Lord,

We trust in You. We carry in our experience Your death and Your rejection so that You may live Your life anew in us… right now! Nothing opposed to You, or to You living in us, can succeed. We take heart!

Amen

short term vanity

Remember how short my time is!

For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

Psalm 89:47

it is an illusion

young man who confidently looks ahead

not realizing one day you are dead

short is the span

not in your hand

do you hold your days

or even know your ways

reject the delusion

the plan and the scheme

of the American dream

will let you down to crash

life and love burned to ash

without any restart

to comfort your heart

through the confusion

God sends one beam of light

so keep Jesus in sight

reorder your imagination

align with heaven’s expectation

to your Savior now run

with thin shadows be done

accept this conclusion

old man that you have become

held safely and treasured by God’s Son

through sorrows He has seen you

with new life he has blessed you

a short life — it may be vanity

but Jesus has made your for eternity

ready for the party?

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Living in Kansas City, the last few years have let me bear witness to some amazing victory parades. Between the Royals in baseball, Sporting in pro soccer,  and the Chiefs in the NFL, we’ve had some loud and wild victories. We hope for another one in just a few weeks. A few hundred thousand people gathered to express joy is something to see. But as fun as that may be, those things are nothing, mere toy displays next to what Paul says Christians can experience in Christ.

Our lives are ALWAYS marching at some point in the parade route of triumphal procession in the worship and glory of Jesus as the gospel is made known in us. And did you notice it isn’t that some day we will experience this. No… we are already on the parade route! We are always in procession. That means every day that we live is part of a glorious celebration of the victory of Jesus over sin, death, and hell! It can’t be ignored, just like a victory parade fills a city or a fragrant incense fills a room.

I’m afraid Christians don’t live like this. I know that I need this reminder. There is a constant display of power, love, saving skill, and dominance over the darkness in Jesus. And He calls us to follow in triumphal procession with Him. Will we celebrate?

“Yes” and “Amen”

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:20

God said to Adam: “I have made you in my image for my glory to choose my world made for you.”

Jesus said: “I will come, Second Adam, to do Your will, O God.”

God said: “All have sinned and fall short of my glory.”

Jesus said: “ I will live and die for Your glory.”

God said: “In Adam, all die.”

Jesus said: “the one who believes in me will never die.”

God said: “Like sheep you have gone astray.”

Jesus said: I am the Good Shepherd Who gives His life for the sheep.”

Satan said: “Worship me and I’ll give You the world.”

Jesus said: “Worship only the Lord.”

His disciples said: “Show us the kingdom!”

Jesus said: “Follow Me.”

The crowds said: “Crucify Him!”

Jesus said: “My life is mine to lay down.”

The grave said: “Hold Him!”

Jesus said: “I will rise.”

The disciples said: “He is risen!”

Jesus said: “Go and make disciples until I return.”

Every promise ever made is complete because Jesus is the Living Word, the great “YES!” to every promise and the reverser of the curse. And we praise Him with our enthusiastic “AMEN!”

word wounds

You give your mouth free rein for evil,

and your tongue frames deceit.

You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother's son.

These things you have done, and I have been silent;

you thought that I was one like yourself.

But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

Psalm 50:19-21

“Words will never hurt me.” Ummm… Yes they will. Choose to be hateful, spiteful, selfish, destructive, lying, or vindictive in your words and you will incur the judgment of God upon yourself. We cannot, as this psalm says, “give free reign” to our mouths. God holds us accountable for what we say.

Why do words matter? Words are an expression of our hearts. As Jesus Himself said “out of the heart the mouth speaks”. There is no better window to the soul than what comes off our lips! Our words, our expressions pouring out of our mouths, are the overflow of what is in our hearts. And we must take clear responsibility for what we say.

Our world dismisses this. “I was just venting.” “I didn’t mean it.” “I am just being honest with my feelings.” “I have to get it out.” “I was just joking… sort of.” All these deflections are further evidence we are giving our mouths free reign. And we think God doesn’t notice. Oh… He does.

There is immediate impact from weaponized words when they are set loose on someone. They have painful wounding power. Relationships are immediately damaged. Our own hearts are also damaged as we believe the words we say, a recoil effect that often creates patterns of repeated verbal abuse and sin that become very hard to break. We begin to believe the very lies and misinterpretations our free reign mouths spout.

God sees all this. He rebukes it. He calls us to repent of our verbal volleys and explosive exchanges. He calls us to submit our hearts and our tongues to His healing and control. He calls us to consider what we say.

grace with you

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

1 Corinthians 16:23

In all you do

may the grace of Christ

be with you

In morning’s light

at break of day

may His grace light your way

Turn to Jesus

in His Word

celebrate the grace of our Lord

When noontime sun

shines from above

may in grace you know Your Savior’s love

As you work

or as you play

let the grace of Jesus fill your day

As evening falls

upon Your face

relax in Christ… feel His grace

When lying down

in restful bed

may the grace of Christ rest on your head

In all you do

may the grace of Christ

be with you

terminus

Man in his pomp will not remain;

he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49:12

We pretend we are big deals. We create celebrity and nearly worship it. We dress everything up for appeal and “success”. We give our applause to other people, hand out awards, ceremonialize our leaders, and talk about the pageantry and pride we put on display as if it will last forever.

This could be a televised award ceremony. This could be a Super Bowl. This could be about people chasing a ball. This could be about people chasing dollars. This could be about people chasing applause. This could be about people chasing “likes”. This could be about people chasing votes. We live in a vain world, we are vain people, and we think falsely that human praise enshrines us forever. 

All this pomp does not change the reality that every person faces: we all die like dogs. Mortality is the great leveler. Whether your ashes go in an urn, your body in a graveyard, or they build a pyramid around your corpse… you, like everybody else who has ever lived, will end up dead. They can freeze your body but you are still quite dead. They can write you up in an encyclopedia of books… still dead. “Man in his pomp will not remain.”

This psalm is a call to consider eternity given our inevitable mortality. We must trust God, Who is greater, to find perspective on our terminus. And the powerful truth is that in Christ we sing a better song about our end… a song that carries the soul into eternity: “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol; for he will receive me.” Psalm 49:15

these dusty days

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:49

Right now I live bearing the image of Adam, the man of dust. I am of the earth from which God formed this human race. And to this dust I am destined to return. This earthly form will one day die… decay… and to dust it will be destined. Every person around me shares this destiny and this knowledge that death is the end of our dusty days.

But dusty people though we are, we try so hard to ignore it. We pursue dusty entertainment, play our dusty little games, chase dusty dreams, trust dusty politicians, and build our little dingy empires of dust thinking we can avoid our fate of dusty diminishment. We are just whistling in the dust storm. We need the better way God has made in Christ.

In Christ, I am being remade to bear a heavenly, glorious image. And in the gospel hope of glory, the dust blows away to reveal the enduring glory of Jesus and heavenly splendor guaranteed for all who will place their faith in Him. The man of heaven, Jesus, gives eternal stability, value beyond measure, relief from these dreary dust bowl days, and lasting perspective. Our hope is secure as we are given the image of our heavenly Hero. Reborn to bear a greater glory, we sing as the dust clears! That is the vision that shines through this dust!

Jesus,

One day in a body remade like Your glorious resurrection body, I too will be free from all this dust! Until then, the dust clears by fixing my gaze ahead to Your glory. The gospel hope already places me securely in that eternal reality. Live in me until that day when I finally dwell with You!

Amen

down… looking up

My soul is cast down within me;

therefore I remember you…

Psalm 42:6

I long for God, like a hunted animal.

When will I see God?

Feasting on tears, hearing taunting jeers

I choose to pour out my soul

reflecting on the joy of the Lord.

Why so sad? I will hope again.

I choose to recall the Ruler of all.

Deep waters echo with deep waters

as I am drowned in sorrow.

Yet grace is with me…

love surrounds me…

My song in this night 

is the God of my life.

To You my questions pour.

Can I take any more

of feeling forgotten… 

of mourning… mocked by others… 

bones feeling rotten?

Where are You, God?

Downcast soul, churning with confusion

I tell myself there is coming salvation.

Hope in God! Praise Him!

My Savior was down and You did raise Him!

I will look up to You, Lord!

I will trust in Your Word!

green tree

But I am like a green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

Psalm 52:8

Where is my strength? Where is my vitality? Where is my life shown to be meaningful and productive? The answers to these questions are found in this ancient psalm. As David celebrated that God kept him safe, fought for him, silenced his enemies, and kept him near His presence through David’s worship and trust in God, I too see that in Christ I find these needs met and these questions clearly silenced.

Christ is my strength. When trouble arises, when attacks start, when situations rise up to tempt me to try to resolve things by my own power, I turn to Jesus, Who has already overcome death and hell for me. What else could beat Him if He has already defeated that? He is my Defender. He silences the foe.

Christ is my life. I have been raised to new life in Jesus. He lives with me, for me, and by His Spirit, within me. And so I must decrease so that the life of Christ may increase. My Savior is my life. I will live for Him and in Him forever. His steadfast love remakes me and flows in me. May others be reached by Jesus living in me!

Christ is my purpose and meaning. Like Paul, I pray that my heart would declare: For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I pray too that this life that I have to offer Him might always display His love and glory to people around me so that His saving work and His kingdom advances in me.

Lord,

You have planted me, in You, like that green olive tree in Your house. Live now in me. Grow in me. Be my strength even as my youthful strength becomes less and I rely on Your care and power even more. May Your grace, love, mercy, and truth blossom and bear fruit!

Amen

Love never ends.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:8

Love never ends. There is a comfort in that reality. When there is a God-given love, it will always remain. This triumphs over every other experience, even spiritual experience, in life. Paul argued that the charismatic-obsessed Corinthians needed to take that truth to heart. Their precious charismatic gifts would flame out, overtaken by love. Ecstatic tongues-speaking would cease… dimmed by God, in Christ, in the Body of Christ and His extravagant love. Delivering prophetic messages would end, as scripture took precedent and as one day the gospel story ends with the perfect ending: a gathered people of God in Christ hearing literally from God together in His presence. Gaining spiritual knowledge would change from a personal gift to a loving experience for all believers who will see Christ together face to face. Love truly never ends… it just gathers into a deeper, richer, fuller, eternal glory.

And if we have lived in Christ long enough, loved in Him deep enough, we know that even the loss by death of those we love can never end love. We may be temporarily separated. Yet the love never ends because what God gives is so very good, it is carried in our hearts until we are reunited in eternity. And the blessing of love in Christ is that it will ALWAYS endure and last. The relationships of love in Christ… friends, family, spouses, ministry partners… all those only deepen in eternity for those in Christ. Love will never end.

The reason we know this is because when those relationships are built on the love of God, they stand on a permanent, never-ending foundation. The love of Christ for us, in us, and through us that transforms broken sinners into blood-bought saints will never end. God loves with an everlasting love. We are thrilled by His love now. We will be magnificently thrilled by God’s transformative love for all eternity when the dark glass of this world is lifted and we live in the perfect light of perfect love! I. CAN’T. WAIT!

from everlasting to everlasting

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting!

Amen and Amen.

Psalm 41:13

Long before I was conceived

long before my great grandparents

were born

before there was this earth

before a universe

You are God.

In an existence I cannot conceive

You already were in control of

a plan

to create everything

even me because

You are God.

And in an instant You spoke

and light became reality

everything born

a beautifully crafted earth

in a far-flung, orderly universe

You are God.

And You made men, in image of You

created to bring glory to You

we sinned

and You cursed the earth

we marred the universe

You are God.

In the fullness of time

You sent Your Son

our God

and You save the sons of earth

to enjoy a universe because

You are God

One day soon You will come

and in justice finally done 

Mighty God

You will remake heaven and earth

call us with You, dwelling in a new universe

You, our God

mere breath

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! 

Psalm 39:5

Compared to the eternity that awaits me, with a God Who knows eternity past and eternity yet to come simultaneously, my lifespan on earth is just a short, bright spark. The longer that I live it, the more that I know it. In my youth the thought of attending a funeral was intimidating. Now it is common to do so and natural. Coming to grips with mortality is a deeply comforting spiritual reality. And so the urgent poetry of Psalm thirty-nine speaks comfort and not alarm. It calls me to contemplate the everlasting wonders of an eternal God, Who has made me to dwell with Him, both in the brevity of my humanity AND in the splendor of eternity. It is Jesus Who comforts: “I give to them eternal life… and they shall never perish.”

So each moment of “mere breath” that makes up this life of mine tells me at least these two things: 1) A gracious God has given me that moment to point to His glory, live by His care, and proclaim Him to others. 2) Each exhale is one more step in this pilgrimage to eternal dwelling places with Jesus. Will I recognize the direction, enjoy the journey, and by faith trust Him to delight me as I worship Him in the final destination?

Lord God,

The vaporous breath I draw is a gift from You, O Lord. You breathed life into humanity. And You provided redemption and glory to await those who in Christ have been reborn with new breath into Your family. You will see me safely home, just as I have seen You do for so many who are dear to me. I will be with you. I will be with them. With the mere breath of this momentary life I seek to make You known, celebrate and shout the good news of the gospel that saves me in Jesus alone, and live confidently for eternity.

Amen

care

…that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

1 Corinthians 12:25

There is a place of care,

I go there.

I am there.

And in that place of care

we know need…

we show need.

We care for each other.

There is one body of care.

I am known.

Concern is shown.

And as part of a body of care

I give to others.

Gifts come from others.

The body is caring for each other.

There is connected care.

I am a part.

I know my part.

Connected in that care,

we need each person

and we know each person…

close to one another.

There is a family of care.

A picture of a home.

A place to be at home.

Related by the Father of care

we have Christ in common.

We worship in common

caring for each sister and brother.

breaking the cycle

I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.

Judges 2:21-22

God sovereignly allowed a consistent cycle to regularly test the faith and obedience of Israel in the book of Judges. The total conquest of Canaan was supposed to take some time as God wanted Israel to grow in obedience as they took possession of the promised land. However, the tribes had a severe obedience problem. Repeatedly tribes chose compromise: Manasseh “did not drive out” (Joshua 1:27). Ephraim “did not drive out” (Joshua 1:29). Zebulon “did not drive out” (Joshua 1:30), Asher “did not drive out” (Joshua 1:31), and Naphtali “did not drive out” (Joshua 1:32). Instead of defeating Canaanites, they kept them subservient as forced labor, conveniently thinking their own plan was better than God’s plan. 

Israel quickly become not just disobedient, but unfaithful, turning to worship the gods of the enslaved Canaanite people as pagan culture seeped into Israel. And this began a vicious cycle: Israel would fall into idolatrous, evil worship practices. God would use the Canaanites to rise up in power and oppress His people. Israel would then cry out in repentance to God. God would deliver with a judge. And then over time Israel would lapse again, repeating the entire cycle.

God wanted to see His people remain faithful even among the Canaanites still in the land. He showed His power and deliverance time and again. And time and again faithless Israel failed the test. They needed a greater deliverer than any of the judges could ever be. Ultimately the book of Judges shows us how much we need Christ. We too are “prone to wander”… “prone to leave the God I love”.

Jesus,

I praise You, my Deliverer, my Savior, My Lord, and my God. Empower me to obey. Deliver me in my heart’s wandering. Fix my heart upon You!

Amen

men and women

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.

1 Corinthians 11:11-12

There is a wonderful principle (unfortunately often overlooked) in this passage that can yield great joy in marriages. But first… a brief excursion into a quite unnecessary theological debate. When it comes to understanding gender roles in marriage and in ministry, there have been over the last half century or so two theological camps that have taken sides and made an issue of it.

Complementarians (full disclosure: I am one… with some humble qualifiers) would see scripture clearly teaching that though completely equal image-bearers of God, men and women have certain created roles in home, family, and public church settings. They are complementary roles, not limiting or competing, and neither men or women have a more important role than the other. Complementarians can however go off-track scripturally if they forget to emphasize equality in Christ and the beauty of how each role reflects God’s image uniquely.

Egalitarians also rightfully emphasize oneness in Christ and the image of God, but then explain away every place in scripture that shows gender distinctiveness… calling them “cultural” or now eradicated because Christ has made all things one in His work. Interestingly enough, the theological view can be traced to the timeline of emerging feminist thought. This view goes awry when it obliterates ALL gender distinctives whatsoever. In fairness there are degrees of Egalitarian theology as well.

There is however an area of common ground for both views, found amazingly enough in this very gender distinctive passage of scripture in 1 Corinthians chapter eleven. Here Paul makes it obviously clear… men and women are different but not independent of one another. Marriage and family show this to be true, as does Creation as scripture describes it. Eve was made from Adam’s rib… women are not independent of men. All men are born from mothers. Men are never independent of women. There is a wonderful and necessary inter-dependence in marriage and in church that should always be celebrated. It is worship to need one another as God has designed!

You know this heart.

If we had forgotten the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

would not God discover this?

For he knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 44:20-21

There was a segment of the temple worshipers (the sons of Korah, composers of this song) who apparently stayed faithful in the worship of Yahweh even as the rest of Judah turned away and the Lord brought judgment to Jerusalem. They had kept the covenant. They had worshiped God. And as God brought His consequential justice, they were hurt most by the experience of it, knowing God’s beauty and worthiness while simultaneously realizing His right to judge. They would have to endure covenant curses because of the faithlessness of Israel, even as they remained faithful, worshipful, and concerned for God’s holiness. Still, they know and believe that God knew all this because God knew their hearts.

God knows my heart. He knows my commitments and my struggles. He knows my sorrows and my joys. He sees me trying to place my past into the present while also trusting Him now and for my future. He knows that I am not perfect. He sees my stumbles, my hidden battles with distrust, anger, uncertainty, past losses, and willfulness. And yet God knows also that I, by His Spirit’s enablement, have not forgotten His name. God knows how I confront the siren song of false gods that offer empty promises. In mercy, He forgives me as I turn away. With grace He brings blessings undeserved.

Lord,

Even as my heart struggles to be faithful, You are always faithful… always true. You know this heart of mine. You convict me, You lead me, You comfort me, You confront me, and most importantly, You are constantly transforming this old heart of mine. I thank You, my God, with all my heart. Keep me true!

Amen

escaping and enduring

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

I have read this verse, memorized it as a child, and shared it constantly in discipleship contexts and pastoral care. But I’ve never journaled it before. It contains five powerful truths that help Christians not just survive sinful temptations, but defeat them if we will cling to these truths and apply them when we are tempted… which is daily.

1. Temptation is common. Although what I may feel in temptation is uniquely personal, the reality of temptation is common to all people because all of us are born sinners. That means that I am not alone. It hints at shared strength that is available in the community of believers… things like confession of my sins and temptations to other believers and accountability with saints to fight against this experience that all people have. I am never tempted with something novel. In context, Paul argues that Old Testament examples of failure… sexual temptations and idolatrous practices among them… help present day believers engage the enemy. Scripture shows us temptation’s commonality, and shows us how God judges AND how God can deliver.

2. God is faithful. I am never tempted outside God’s view or His provision. He is right here, faithfully with me, even as a temptation wants to pull my focus from Him. And He will ALWAYS stay here beside me to help me fight and win.

3. Temptation has limits. God has set those limits and because He is present, powerful, and faithful, no temptation is TOO powerful. When I succumb to a temptation it is because either I forget this reality or a choose to disbelieve God is faithful and has set a limit to what can attack me.

4. God provides escape. This is how God is faithful. This is where temptation finds a firm limit. If I cry out to God, open His Word, lean into His community, believe His power, then escape is right there… every time I am tempted.

5. Every temptation can be endured. When I trust God, find Him faithful, see the common nature of my temptations, and find escape in a situation that is limited because God is infinite, God will lead me to endure it. This is growth. Temptation is regular, but so is deliverance! This is holiness at work in me, making me more like Jesus Who defeated the devil, defied temptations, and reigns in power over all the devil’s works, transforming this world to align with His kingdom!

A God Who Shouts

God has gone up with a shout,

the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

Psalm 47:5

O God Who shouts,

You do not hide 

Your deliverance.

You make Yourself known

shouting as You do so

so Your creation will know

You have gone up with a shout!

O God Who declares

Your power and might

when saving,

the world can clearly see

salvation’s history

when You died upon that tree

and rose again in victory!

You silenced the grave with a shout!

O God Who returns

in glory and strength

to judge,

the clouds will break away

as You arrive on that day

all justice to display

arriving with a shout!

gospel flex

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

1 Corinthians 9:22b

Flexibility. Webster’s dictionary gives these synonyms:

PLAINT: capable of being flexed.

TRACTABLE: yielding to influence.

The dictionary also gives this definition: characterized by a ready capability to adapt to a new, different, or changing requirements.

It is this definition that appears to best describe Paul’s attitudes toward ministering the gospel in his culture. He sought points of identity with people without compromising the gospel. Paul flexed into the gospel to find ways to befriend people. This allowed him to win and to make disciples of both Jews and Gentiles, those weak in conscience and those strong of conviction, men or women… it did not matter because the gospel taught Paul to flex.

And we see that as he planted churches. He met women at a river for prayer and study of the scriptures. He argued with philosophers on the Areopagus. He reasoned through the Old Testament in synagogues with Jews. He defended the gospel before magistrates and politicians. He made friends with slaves and with wealthy entrepreneurs. He evangelized as a prisoner, as a castaway, and Paul preached to sailors and to Caesar. Paul could flex and left us an example to do the same wherever we can.

I noticed while reading up on flexibility that Merriam-Webster.com has named “polarization” the Word of the Year for 2024. We live in a sad time where people easily polarize and attack other sides that are not like “their tribe”. So it is vital that Christians learn and practice what Paul knew over 2000 years ago: The gospel flexes. Jesus ends polarization. The gospel flexes and breaks down barriers so let’s learn to become “all things to all people”. “Gospel flexing” may be the Christian term for 2025!

grace, love, and deference

This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

1 Corinthians 8:1b

This observation leads Paul into instructions on issues of Christian liberty in the Body of Christ. The Corinthian church already had been taken to task for their arrogant divisiveness (1 Corinthians 3:21; 4:6-8; 4:18-19). The issue of food, a portion of which had been part of a pagan idol sacrifice while the rest of the meat was butchered and sold at market, is another example where divisive arrogance had damaged the church. Some, proudly claiming superior knowledge, bragged about eating such meat. Others, who were sensitive to the pagan origins at the butcher shop, would not eat it. Paul advocates for understanding for both sides, and demands an end to the arrogance.

Those who were arrogant about the issue needed humility and respect for the viewpoint of the “weaker brother”. Love, not “knowledge”, needed to guide those who felt free to eat. In love, even though a “stronger” believer knew the idols were not gods and the meat was just consumable protein, deference would guide the church to respond to the conscience of one who was unable to eat that same meat. Love would thus build up an experience of unity in the church by respecting all viewpoints in a matter of conscience. To not do so was to sin against another or to call another to violate a personal conviction. This was arrogant and wrong.

Paul ultimately sources love for the conscience of another in the love of God (1 Corintians 8:3). And the reward of respecting the conscience of a fellow believer is that we are “known by God”. When I learn to love my brother, God loves me, draws close to me, and blesses me. It isn’t about “my rights” or “I know better that you do”. It is about growing close in knowing one another and respecting our consciences in the church so that together we might know the love of God in Christ.

Lord,

I embrace the gift of a New Year. I ask You to help me know You in this year. I ask You to help me know and respect my brothers and sisters. In issues of conscience where Your Word gives a range of understandings, may grace, love, and deference unify me and Your Church, O Lord!

Amen