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Rushed Upon Him

Throughout the Avengers series, Bruce Banner struggled to control the Hulk from taking over.  That’s how many believe the Holy Spirit acts in our lives.  Samson seems to exemplify that, but with a closer look we see that those with the Spirit of the Lord choose their actions.

I.  Judges 14:1-20.  It’s clear from the onset of Samson’s story that God knows our terrible choices ahead of time and uses them for His will.  The ‘lawless men’ who sent Jesus to the cross were not thwarting God’s plan but falling into it (Acts 2:22-24).  It’s also clear throughout all of Samson’s life that despite having the Spirit of the Lord that he acted out of selfish motives and anger, something that could not please God.

II.  John 2:13-17.  Jesus had God’s Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17), and many might have thought that there was another Samson in their midst when He overturned tables and drove money-changers out of the temple with a whip.  But, John explains that the source of Jesus’ anger was different.  Jesus who never sinned (Hebrews 4:15) had an anger not rooted in sin (Ephesians 4:26) but rather zeal for His Father’s house.  Like Samson, though, Jesus chose His actions.

III.  Acts 2:16-39.  We too choose our actions.  Given the Spirit of the Lord as a gift at baptism, Christians choose to either take the route of Samson and grieve the Spirit by our sinful choices (Ephesians 4:30) or serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13).  With His Spirit, God has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) to bring others to Christ the choice of waging spiritual war differently than the world does (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  But we have to choose these!

If you have obeyed the gospel, you have the Spirit of the Lord.  With it dwelling in us, teaching us, and equipping us in various ways, we each need to choose what we will do with this new life we have been given.

 

 

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What Will it Profit a Man …?

Matthew 16:26 (ESV)
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

In a great illustration that I saw recently, a preacher had a rope stretched around the perimeter of an auditorium.  Holding up a short end wrapped in red tape, he explained that the rope represented eternity and the tape was our brief life on earth.  Then, asking this very question from Scripture, he lamented how we work so much to benefit the first inch while ignoring preparation for the rest of the rope.

Sadly, we are a society that thrives on immediate gratification.  Gone are our grandmothers’ days of pinching pennies to buy something big.  An item purchased at a rental store may cost three times its value by the time it’s paid in full, but the customer has it right away while TV and the internet bombard us with products we “can’t do without” at such a fast pace that they’re often obsolete before we buy them.

So, what about the rest of the rope?  Several versions of the Faust story from the 1500s on tell the tragedy of a man who sells his soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.  The day of reckoning comes, however, for Faust to pay for his extravagances as the devil arrives to collect what was bargained for.  For a very short time, he had gained the whole world at the cost of his soul.

Most of us do not go to the extremes of Faust.  No, we sell out at a much lower price.  We compromise obedience to the gospel and a true walk with God for a state of quasi-Christianity.  We give if it doesn’t inconvenience us, believe a mixture of information we’ve picked up in church and on social media, and tell of Jesus only if it doesn’t make us too uncomfortable.  True study, prayer, and service to strengthen our relationship with God is secondary to checking our watches to get on to our “real” lives.

If a command seems too strict, we call it outdated; if love and forgiveness, mercy and grace are too hard to offer, we justify a reason not to extend them.  Only half-gaining the whole world, we still forfeit our souls.  A deal with the devil has been struck—we’re just haggling on the price.

Instead of being so nearsighted, God would have us look beyond the temporary tape on the end.  James describes our existence as a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Rather, should we not prepare for the rope that stretches into eternity?

This article will also appear in the January/February 2019 issue of Christ For Today, David Tarbet editor.

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My Food is …

Many of our New Year’s resolutions have to do with food: the quantity, the quality, or the management of it in the form of exercise.  Many make resolutions as well about our spiritual food.

After all, we are what we eat, so be careful what you ingest!

I.  John 4:6-38.  Jesus starts speaking with the woman at the well in Samaria about physical water and ends up revealing to her that He is the Messiah.  As she goes away to tell her friends and neighbors, Jesus’ disciples return with food, only to find that He claims to have food that they know nothing about.  That food: doing God’s work and will!

II.  John 6:22-69.  The crowd that Jesus had fed wanted more physical food so badly they crossed the sea by boat to find Him.  Jesus calls them out on their limited diet, challenging them to seek Him the true bread from heaven.  He tells them that whoever comes to Him and believes in Him will never hunger or thirst spiritually.  Like the mother who whisks away the plate of cookies for veggies, Jesus offends many who just wanted more loaves and fishes.

III.  1 Peter 2:1-5.  In the same way that we are careful about what we take in physically, counting calories and watching sugars and carbs, we must beware of what we’re ingesting spiritually.  The internet, tabloids, and even good meaning family members and friends offer to fill our plates with junk food, but only the Lord is good.  We begin as infants on milk but must soon grow up into our salvation eating solid food.

What does your spiritual diet consist of?  Even in adulthood, I may not like the vegetables served at dinner, but I’ve come to know that they are for my good to eat them.

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Darth Vader and me

Our Father in heaven, let us not be controlled by the fear of loss and be led away from our faithful commitment to Christ.

Let us not destroy years of good and a life of faith by a moment of weakness, doubt or foolishness.

Keep us from believing that a desirable end justifies a wrong decision.

Help us to look for the way of escape when temptation comes and to succeed over the devil’s wiles.

Help us to be sober and vigilant, watching always in vigilance, steadfast in prayer, in the Word, and in fellowship with the saints.

Help us to do good, today, tomorrow, and always, never veering from the right path.

Give us strength to live according to the truth that every choice matters.

This prayer was inspired by Stephen Bradd’s article, “The Making of Darth Vader.”

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The challenge of the day’s activities

Heavenly Father, thank you for the challenge of the day’s activities.

As I look back on them, I ask forgiveness for whenever I shrank back in fear, for whenever I felt weak in my own strength, for whenever I drew into my own shell of self, for whenever I let my own inertia keep me from positive action.

Thank you for those moments when your will was at the forefront of my mind, when your Spirit was producing its fruit in my conduct, when Jesus was the example for my words and actions, when Scripture rang in my ears and braced me for spiritual battle.

Let me learn from today’s mistakes, rejoice in good choices, and be comforted that your love is constant as I strive to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ each day.

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My Lot in Life

By Bobby Cloyd, Smithville TN

Genesis 13

  1. Our decisions detemine our destiny.
  2. Get past your past.
  3. Nothing impacts our success more than our relationships.
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The choice to be glad

Heavenly Father, we thank you for time to be with family and to enjoy the good things of life. We ask you to bless those who have neither, those who are alone on this day, in prison, in hospital, in travels, in care homes, at service, or living alone. Bless them through us, that we might serve them in some way. Continue reading “The choice to be glad”