Devotion
So I pray that G.o.d, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
The man who is devoted to fishing knows that if he wants the delights of catching fish he must accept the demands of getting up before dawn, braving the elements, and spending long hours catching nothing. But the devoted fisherman regards it all as worthwhile.
There are untold delights in being devoted to Christ. Those who abelieve in hima can antic.i.p.ate G.o.d keeping them ahappy and full of peacea and can aoverflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirita (15:13). But devotion to Christ has its own demands.
Christ was so devoted to the Fatheras will that he adidnat please himselfa (15:3). The Fatheras will was intensely challenging at timesa"the Garden of Gethsemane comes immediately to mind. There Jesus shrank from the horror of his a.s.signment, but he devoted himself to the Father and did his will nevertheless.
Jesus also devoted himself to the needs of those around him. Even the outcasts of society found in him a friend and support. His arms were open wide to those who responded to his invitation, and he turned no truly repentant person away (Matt. 11:28-30). So Paul could say, aChrist has accepted youa (Rom. 15:7), and he stressed that the Lord Jesus acame as a servanta (15:8).
Devotion to the Lord requires that the devotee have athe att.i.tude of Christ Jesusa (15:5). We demonstrate this att.i.tude most clearly when we are devoted to the well-being of othersa"even those with whom we disagree! We should reach out to those who donat know Christ so that they amight also give glory to G.o.d for his mercies to thema (15:9).
If the believer becomes nervous about the demands of devotion, he should remember that among the delights of devotion is the experience of being kept happy and full of peace! Serving others, reaching out, accepting people, and not pleasing yourself certainly does not sound like a recipe for happiness to secular man. But for the one who has studied the life of Christ and has devoted himself to his cause, there is a.s.surance enough that this is the way to fullness of life.
The devoted fisherman who reels in his fish counts the demands of fishing as nothing. The believer who finds his happiness in bringing glory to G.o.d and blessings to mankind regards the demands of devotion to Christ a delight.
December 29
TO READ: Philemon 1:1-25
Peace Brokers
My plea is that you show kindness to Onesimus. I think of him as my own son because he became a believer as a result of my ministry here in prison.
Philemon 1:10
Some people are task oriented, while others are people oriented. While we all have our inclinations and proclivities, we all need to be both task and people oriented, to an extent. A well-rounded life is one in which the things that need to be done get done. This includes seeing that the relationships that should be nurtured get nurtured.
For the most part, Paul was task oriented; his stated ambition was ato preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been hearda (Rom. 15:20), and he pursued that ambition relentlessly. Nevertheless, he also poured himself into developing and maintaining lasting relationships.
Paulas relationship with Philemon, the G.o.dly Colossian businessman, is a case in point. Perhaps Philemon had treated Onesimus in ways that fractured their relationship. Or perhaps Onesimus simply longed to run his own life. Whatever the case, now Paul asked Philemon to ashow kindness to Onesimusa (v. 10), to restore their broken relationship. In asking this, Paul was relying heavily on his own relationship with Philemon.
Some people do things that break the peace. Those of us who have been disappointed at times with our efforts at peacemaking may be inclined to ask, Why should I expend a lot of effort in trying to make peace between people who arenat interested? Two answers are readily available. First, aAs members of one body you are all called to live in peacea (Col. 3:15). Second, aG.o.d wants his children to live in peacea (1 Cor. 7:15). G.o.d has made peace with those who are his children, and their lives should be characterized by peaceful relationships. G.o.das deep desire for his children is that they should not be known as contentious people but as peacemakers. This is reason enough for us to expend the energy.
Not everybody will be responsive to our peacemaking overtures. Scripture takes this into account and instructs us, aDo your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possiblea (Rom. 12:18). Here is a recognition that not all attempts at peacemaking will succeed; but it is also a clear directive for us to do our part. Even Jesus did not have success with those who were in total opposition to him, but that did not deter him from giving himself to the task of reaching out to them. His responsibility was to reach out. They were responsible for their own failure to respond.
There is no shortage of peace breakers. We need people who, like Paul, will be peace brokers.
December 30
TO READ: 2 Peter 3:8-18
The Day of the Lord
But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pa.s.s away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.
2 Peter 3:10
When Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator, decided to occupy Kuwait, a coalition of nations decided he should be evicted and punished. The ancient city of Baghdad was subjected to a ma.s.sive aerial bombardment, and television showed pictures of asmart bombsa hurtling with devastating accuracy into selected targets. People around the world watched from the comfort of their own homes. But there was little comfort in the homes of Saddamas troubled peoplea"for them, the afireworks displaya was destruction and devastation.
So it will be in the aday of the Lord.a The prophet Joel said the day of the Lord will be aan awesome, terrible thinga (Joel 2:11). But Peter, preaching in Jerusalem, called it athat great and glorious day of the Lorda (Acts 2:20). Which will it bea"great and glorious or awesome and terrible? It will depend entirely where youare sitting. Those who are safe and secure in Christas salvation will rejoice as they are introduced to the full glory of his presence for all eternity; those who are not in Christ will experience the awesome, terrifying judgment of G.o.d.
Many men struggle when faced with these weighty truths. Will G.o.d really bring fiery judgment on his own creation? Does he intend to create anew heavens and new earth?a Will people really perish in the coming judgment? When will all this happen?
The timing of the aday of the Lorda is a secret known only to G.o.d. We are certain that the great day will happen. We are uncertain about the timing (2 Pet. 3:10). Why the uncertainty? Why didnat G.o.d tell us when it will happen? Perhaps because he knows human nature! Those people who have suffered for the sake of G.o.das Kingdom and who have endured because they have hoped for his speedy return would likely have despaired. And those who have had little interest in reaching the perishing would have had even less interest if they had known that the Lord was not about to return. And since we are selfish people, we might have lived as we wished until the last minute before getting around to being what we should have been!
These things seemed to be on Peteras mind when he said that the promise of the day of the Lord, and the uncertainty of its timing, should stimulate us to aholy, G.o.dly livesa (3:11). We should alook forwarda to this great event, and the antic.i.p.ation should inspire us to ahurry it alonga (3:12). Of one thing we can be surea"athe day of the Lord will comea!
December 31
TO READ: Psalm 147
Natureas G.o.d
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!
Psalm 147:5
One of the advantages of living in a relatively undeveloped country like ancient Israel was that the people, of necessity, lived close to nature. They knew that milk does not originate in cartons, that bread does not come sliced, and that hens lay eggs. Not for them endless hours spent watching television or surfing the net! There was work to be done, and it had to be done outside, in the elements. They looked at the clouds, not CNN, to discern the weather. And they saw G.o.d send the rain, without which they would not survive. When the snow and ice came they did not head for the slopes: they watched G.o.d break up the stubborn soil, without which they would not be able to sow and reap. And when the thaw came, they embraced the spring and headed for the fields, antic.i.p.ating a harvest that only the Lord could make possible. Close to nature, they were close to natureas G.o.d. In the minute, mundane details of life they had cause for rejoicing.
Not for ancient Israel was the power of electricity, internal combustion, or the atom. Their biggest power source was six horsepowera"literally! When the horses strained at their tasks and moved their loads, people were thankful for G.o.das provision of such a magnificent animal, but they knew that even the horse was powerless compared to their G.o.d. And if the horse was unimpressive relative to G.o.d, then man was simply puny (147:10). So they had nowhere to turn but to the Lord, and they found in him the resources for life that only he could give.
We are more civilized but less smart, more educated but less astute. The ancient agriculturalists knew the One on whom they were dependent, whereas we forget. They knew whom to thank, but we get confused. We need to take a few momentsa"or hours, or days! a"to reflect on creation and remember the One through whom all power flows and from whom all creativity originates. If weall leave for a moment our sophisticated tools and toys and consider the lilies and study the birds, if weall listen to the wind in the trees and smell the fragrance of the lilac in the evening air, then weall be able to remember G.o.das powerful work and humbly sing, aHow great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!a (147:5). As the psalmist declared, aHow delightful and how right!a (147:1).
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