Simply Obey

God has always had one simple message to those who profess to love Him and call themselves His followers, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments...He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will disclose Myself to Him,"  (John 14:15,21).  Simply stated, loving and believing in God is expressed by obeying His commandments.

In the Old Testament God told Jeremiah to remind Israel that He did not command religious duty or observance in place of obedience.  God had one simple command,  "But this is what I command them, saying, 'Obey My voice and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way in which I command you, that it may be well with you.' " (Jer 7:23)

Our love for God, if not accompanied by simple obedience to Him, is not expressed by how often we read our bible, how loud we worship, or that we attend every bible study.  We would do well to remember God's stern rebuke to those in Israel who were guilty of this type of religion.  Through the prophet Amos he declares, "I hate, I reject your festivals,  nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.  Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the sound of your harps."  (Amos 5:21-23)

On the other hand, don't think these are not part of obedience to God.  In fact, our love for God will manifest itself in a growing desire to spend time with Him, which consist of bible reading, worship, and church attendance.  In addition, our love for God will also result in our loving His commandments.  I'm reminded of the psalmist declaration, "O how I love Your law!  It is my meditation all the day.  Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine." (Ps 119:97-98)

Therefore let us not complicate our faith, instead let us express our faith by loving God and loving His commandments!  Remember God's message has never changed; His message has consistently been - Simply obey.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Selling Out Jesus

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. - Matthew 26:14-15 

It's easy to look back and sit in judgment and in wonder at this act of treason by Judas Iscariot.   How could he who witnessed the miraculous words and deeds of Jesus, so easily betray Him?  Last night as my family and I read this passage I asked them and myself what would cause Judas to willingly sell out the Savior.  What was going on inside of him that he would commit such a wretched act? 

I pointed out that maybe he was disillusioned with The Lord.  Maybe he, like the crowd who would later shout "crucify Him," where upset that Jesus was not the messiah they were hoping for.   Then I asked my family and myself, what would cause us to sell out our Lord?  Unfortunately, there are people who do or would do what Judas did to The Lord- sell Him out the minute Jesus doesn't fulfill what they believe their messiah fulfilling.    

Let us all examine our hearts and ask ourselves who and what is Jesus to us?  Is he our Messiah who has reconciled us to God and the one whom we love and serve in a committed relationship until He comes to take us home?  Or his he our Messiah whom we love and serve in a committed relationship until He no longer meets our needs or fulfills our desires?   What would we sell out Christ for?  What is our thirty pieces of silver?

Marriage -the greatest example of love.

Ephesians 5:25-32
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. F OR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

In this section of the text the apostle Paul makes it very clear that God intends the marriage relationship to reflect His love for the church.  A man is to love his wife just as Jesus loved the church.  This means a man is to love his wife sacrificially and he is to care for her spiritual well being.  In doing so he will be obeying his Lord, and loving his wife.  In addition he will set a powerful example to society, which includes his own children.

In Heinrich Bullinger's commentary, the importance of the roles of husbands and wives in marriage is pointed out as the key to social stability.  He states, "A badly ordered marriage is one in which there are quarrels and fights about who is in control, in which neither spouse plays their part, in which there is no fear of God and where there is no established pattern of doing things.  In this way both parties end up miserable in both mind and body and they lose their children."

So on this Valentines day, remind yourselves of God's purpose in your love for one another -society and the children are counting on you.

What a gift we have been given.

In the following excerpt from his commentary on Galatians, the German Reformer, Johannes Brenz reminds us of what Christ' truly earned us by way of His sacrifice. 

  

"...Christ did not earn us the right to sin, but because we are not able to keep these laws perfectly, he earned the right to give those who believe in him his own satisfaction and righteousness, so that in the sight of God we can glory just as if we had satisfied the demands of the law and have been enabled... to love God.

Amen!  

The Prayer of Epaphras

In Colossians 4:12, the apostle Paul tells the church at Colossae that Epaphras  "labors earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in the will of God."  At first glance it's easy to read this as just another salutation in the conclusion of Paul's letter.  But if you pause and examine Epapharas' prayer it is one every believer would want prayed over them and one we should prayer for each other.   Let's examine the prayer more closely.

First, Epaphrus prays that the believers in Colossae would "stand perfect...in the will of God."   Is not this the yearning of every true follower of Christ?   Who doesn't want to be in God's perfect will?  And who doesn't want their fellow Christians to be blessed by being in God's perfect will?  Even more specific is the request to "stand."   This means to always be in it, to be permanently fixed in the perfect will of God.  If we could learn to "stand," instead of walking or running out of or away from God's will,  think of how our life might change.  Think of how pleasing we would be to our God.   Imagine the effectiveness of our witness to those we interact with on a daily basis.   I'm reminded of what the prophet told King Asa who had chose to act on his own will instead of God's.  The prophet's words are recorded in 2 Chronicles 16:9 -"For the eyes of The Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

Secondly, Epaphras desires the church to be "fully assured in the will of God."  To be fully assured means to be complete or filled up completely.  This phrase gives the picture of a believer being complete or satisfied in the will of God.   Again who would not want this prayed over them?  Which of us does not want to be completely satisfied by the will of God?  This assurance brings the ultimate peace of mind and the ultimate satisfaction in life.   It is a peace that the world cannot give!

So today and every day let us labor earnestly in prayer for ourselves and our fellow Christians that we would all "stand perfectly and fully assured in the will of God."

Priority in Youth Ministry

Ancient wisdom courtesy of Martin Luther.
Youth pastors and youth workers- never grow weary in doing good, for in due time you will reap a harvest.

Theology with a twist