O Lord, let not my eyes remove from you,
Neither to the right, nor to the left.
Let them ignore both wind and wave, both peak
of freezing snow and darkest valley of death.
In you I’d see all glory, bright against
The mid-day sun, in power and ancient wisdom,
And reason for each step to reach the Cross.
Walk as Jesus Did
As the Christian walk has been described as being on the narrow road that few find and leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14), it’s easy to picture him struggling to keep his balance on a tightrope while the will within and the winds without work to knock him off. In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul gives us three ways to persevere to the safety at the other end of the narrow line.
I. 2 Timothy 1:5-7. We must keep our eyes on those who walk according to the example. Paul ventured to tell others to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), and then the Hebrew writer tells of the great cloud of witnesses who had walked this walk before us (Hebrews 12:1-3). Because that walk was difficult for them (Hebrews 11:33-38), we should learn from their example, just as Timothy did from the godly women that had walked the tightrope before him.
II. Judges 2:2-10. Beware of the many who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Colossians 3:1-4 gives us the motivation to keep our balance on the tightrope: we died with Christ and so will be raised with Him. Sometimes that which makes us fall are of our earthly nature and our selfish will that we haven’t yet put to death (Colossians 3:5-10), and sometimes the enemies are winds of the immoral culture or circumstances beyond our control. Our example to others watching how we walk is at stake.
III. Ephesians 4:11-16. Because our citizenship is in heaven and not of this world, we must walk in obedience as Jesus did (1 John 2:3-6). He left us an example that we might follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21-23), so we can fix our eyes on Him to persevere to the end of the tightrope. He has given us in His church everything we need to attain unity and mature into the fullness of Him. He has given Himself and His Word as poles for balance as the whole body in fellowship helps each other reach the end.
Some on the tightrope are so concerned about their own balance that they’ve stopped helping others to step out onto it or their fellow walkers to keep their balance. Working together using what Jesus has equipped us with, we can all reach the end safely.
Build One Another Up
Whether photoshopped or not, this picture of a cyclist being chased by a bear is a great illustration for motivation. In our Christian walk, however, we struggle to see the bear behind us and often fall into drudgery or complacency. How do we find the enthusiasm for ourselves and then to encourage and build up others?
I. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11. First, we belong to the day. This we should not forget. When we came up out of that water of baptism, we set aside the deeds of darkness as a new creation and pledged to live for God and His will (Romans 13:11-14). So, we live as children of light (John 3:19-21) with the protection of God’s breastplate of faith and love and helmet of the hope of salvation. So many face the trials of the day not equipped with what God has provided. They haven’t grasped their motivation.
II. Colossians 3:1-17. The world tells us that heaven is for all and hell for a few, and sadly many live this motivation-killing lie. The Bible shows us that the opposite is true–that hell is for all (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23) and that heaven is for a few (Matthew 7:13-14). We’re told to ‘obtain’ salvation. This means we need to work it out with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). Even Jesus needed to do this (Hebrews 5:7-9) and used the joy of heaven as motivation to endure the cross (Hebrews 12:1-3).
III. Ephesians 4:12-16. In that is our motivation! If in Jesus’ sacrifice we share in His glory, then we have reason to enthusiastically obey Him in our daily walk. But that’s not enough. We are to then encourage one another and build one another up. Here’s the purpose of the church coming together each week and staying connected throughout the week. Here’s why edification is so much more than just instruction. It’s the application for our own lives and concern for others. Because of Jesus, we do so.
God through Paul tells the Thessalonians “… just as you are doing.” How encouraging it must have felt to know they were on the right track. We too, if we do these things and rediscover our motivation for our Christian walks, can know that we are living out God’s plan for us.
Put Our Hope in the Living God
Most work hard for a paycheck, but if the company can no longer give us money for our work, we no longer show up. We have a certain amount of loyalty but largely are not intrinsically invested in our jobs. This is just the opposite of our walk with Christ–and good thing! We must obey God, but heaven is not given to us because of our obedience. We cannot work for our salvation; it is a gift. In some ways, this seeming disconnect makes it harder for Christians to persevere and be faithful unto death if we must rely on grace through Jesus’ work on the cross that has nothing to do with us.
This is why we are left with one of the three big gifts (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)–hope!
I. Hebrews 6:17-20. Hope is our motivator. God, who never lies, confirmed eternity for us with an oath, so we might flee our old life of sin and selfishness and take hold of the only thing that can save us–His unchangeable promise of heaven! It was this hope or the “joy set before him” that got Jesus through the cross to motivate us to throw off hindrances and sin and not grow weary in the Christian walk (Hebrews 12:1-3).
II. 1 Timothy 4:7-10. We labor and strive because of hope in the living God. When asked if he wanted to leave Him too, Peter replied that there was no one else to turn to (John 6:66-69). Before the Sanhedrin, he declared that salvation was found in no one else (Acts 4:8-12). But, the very nature of hope is that it is always just out of reach, and it is so hard to wait (Romans 8:23-25). Yes, it is!
III. Mark 14:66-72. There was a time when Peter had let go of hope. It was Thursday through his talk with the resurrected Christ while eating some fish (John 21:15-19). Having denied Jesus, the very thing he swore he would not do, Peter slunk back to huddle with those who had deserted their Master while Jesus was crucified and buried. On the resurrection Sunday, the omniscient God calls him out when He, through the angel, tells the women at the tomb to tell “his disciples and Peter” (Mark 16:7).
When we sin, we let go of the hope that we have taken hold of to return to that which we have fled from. We become like Peter, even pretending to fit in with His disciples today at church. We must repent and re-grasp this great gift of hope, letting it be our motivator to walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6).
Love, the more excellent way
Introduction
- Love is a big word. It covers a wide range of meanings in our language. By studying what the Bible says about it, we can come to an understanding of what it means in God’s plan for us.
- The Corinthians loved knowledge, philosophy, and personalities. As a result, they lost the essence of the Way of Christ.
- They suffered from the same syndrome as the first disciples, a competitive love of first place.
- Paul presents love as the cure to this syndrome.
Love in 1 Corinthians 13
- Love in context, 1 Cor 12-14: The chapter comes in the center of a discussion about the proper use of gifts in the congregation.
- As such, love is the centerpiece and the motivation for the use of gifts.
- Love is the solution to selfish ambition.
- Essential love, 1 Cor 13.1-3: Motivation matters. If we don’t do things out of love, then our works bring us no benefit.
- Active love, 1 Cor 13.4-7: Love is not a feeling, but a cluster of attitudes and actions that benefit the beloved one.
- Unending love, 1 Cor 13.8-13: The nature of love is not affected by eternity, as are faith and hope. On the contrary, it comes into its fullest light.
- Miracles—which the Corinthians loved so much—would cease, but not love.
- God is love, 1 Jn 4.8, 16. As such, it partakes of his eternal nature.
Conclusion
- “Pursue love” 1 Cor 14.1, and seek those things that will properly express it and that will edify the family of faith. (Edification is the key word of chapter 14.)
- Since God is love, let him define it, sustain it, express it, preserve it, and nurture it in us.