“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Paul was called to receive the gift of salvation so that others might come to a saving faith as well. We know this is true from Paul’s own testimony, but also from the example of his life. Do you know who else was saved so that others might come to a saving relationship with Jesus? You were! So was I. So was every person who is a follower of Jesus or who has ever been in the past. God gives us the gift of salvation not only for ourselves, but so that others might come to a saving knowledge of Him through us. In other words: If you have been blessed by God, the purpose of that blessing was so that you might be a blessing to others. Read the rest…
“Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” (ESV)
We live in the day of the self-made, internet-created celebrity. YouTube has been the source of numerous stars today. So have Instagram and Snapchat. To become such a person you must promote yourself. Relentlessly. You must be constantly on the lookout for opportunities to get other people to pay attention to you. And, if you have the right blend of talent, gumption, and luck, you can make a lot of money this way.
And yet, what is ultimately the fruit of such an endeavor? Given the stories about or often the character of such folks, it’s not good. We live in a celebrity-worshiping culture. We are constantly on the lookout for people to elevate to celebrity status in order to give them our devotion. In doing so, we not only debase our own lives, but also the lives of the people being worshiped.
Still, many recognize this celebrity worship and crave it. They crave it and so they do whatever they can to gain it for themselves. Yet again, what good does this do? Wisdom and observation would again answer: Very little.
What Solomon calls for here is a much better way: Do your best where you are and let it be recognized naturally. Let your godly character be the thing everyone notices about you first and foremost. Become known as a person who can be depended upon when things get tough. Produce work that lifts people up and points away from you to God.
If you are advancing yourself and your image, you just may get the acclaim you seek, but there is a very good chance it will come at the expense of your soul. And with that sold away, when the acclaim departs (for self-sought acclaim nearly always departs much sooner than we expect it to) what will you have left? Instead, glorify God in all things and let the chips fall where they may. He will receive the acclaim now, and you will receive acclaim from Him when the time is right. That will be a fame that won’t fade.
“Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Over and over again in the prophets we see that God’s chief concern for the people was not that they got religion right, but that they got justice right. He complained about their offerings and sacrifices not because they weren’t done strictly according to the guidelines set out in the law, but because they pursued them without the accompanying set of behaviors (namely, a generous pursuit of justice for the least, last, and lost in their midst). Read the rest…
*I’m going to try something a little different starting with this post. I will begin including an audio version of each post at the end so you can listen or read, whichever you prefer and your schedule allows. I’d love your feedback on this as well. If it’s a hit, I’ll keep doing it. If it doesn’t add, I’ll take things back to normal. Thanks for your gift of time to read–and now listen. Blessing to you!
“Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This image is at one and the same time incredibly comforting, but also challenging. The comfort is fairly obvious. God is the master potter. He is making a beautiful piece of art out of our lives. Like any great potter, He has a goal in mind. As He works the clay, though, sometimes imperfections rise to the top. This doesn’t scare Him or somehow derail His plans. He smooths out the rough places and incorporates the imperfections so that they become unique parts of His design. And, if something happens that causes us to break, He can repair us and leave us even more beautiful than when we started. This sounds like the kind of God who is worth serving. Read the rest…
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is really a marked contrast by the prophet here. Our temptation in this life is to trust in ourselves or another person. In other words, we are most inclined to trust in what we can see, not in what we can’t. And, from the perspective of the world, this makes perfect sense. Why would I place my trust in what I cannot see when there is something or someone in front of me promising me help and who has a good record of following through on his promises? Read the rest…
The Nexus 