Month: December 2021

Seek the LORD and Live

Amos 5-6

Amos. A prophet to Israel in a difficult time. Amos introduces himself as a mere shepherd rather than as a prophet–and God still used him to deliver a mighty message to His people. His words still ring loud for us today:

Seek me and live. (Amos 5:4b)

Every culture, every civilization, and every era of history has given false promises about where to find life to the full.

Seek the LORD and live (Amos 5:6).

God uses Amos to tell His people over and over again: life is only found in Him.

The God who made the stars, brings each passing day and night, and moves each and every tide of the ocean waves– the LORD is his name! (Amos 5:8).

We have a great God, who is glorious and mighty beyond comparison. He is a beacon of goodness, and if we seek him, we can pass that onto others. A major theme of Amos is a call to pursue justice and righteousness.  Verse 14 says “seek good, not evil, that you may live.”

What does the LORD require of us? Church traditions?  Heartless obedience? Quite the opposite. God tells us in verses 22-23 that the sacrifices, songs, and festivals mean nothing without– you guessed it– justice and righteousness. Treat your neighbors justly, and live rightly.

How do we know what justice and righteousness even look like? Where do we go? 

Seek the LORD, that we may live!

-Levi Salyers

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan passages at BibleGateway.com here – Amos 5-6 and Revelation 3

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

Pay Attention!

Revelation 2

When John begins to explain the revelation that he has received, he writes 7 letters to churches in Asia minor (modern day Turkey). As we read 4 of the 7 letters, we can notice that each letter contains the same important exhortation: “Anyone who has an ear had better listen to what the Spirit says to the congregations!” (vv. 7, 11, 17, 29). This is John’s way of saying “Pay attention!” While each one of his letters is not lengthy or full of details, they are nonetheless very specific about what they address.

In 3 of the 4 letters, John brings a harsh criticism against the congregation to whom he is writing. These criticisms are prefaced with a phrase such as “But I have this against you” (vv. 4, 14, 20). Only Smyrna is spared this criticism. It seems that there is something about the church in Smyrna that didn’t deserve the type of correction that the other churches received.

The message that John gives to the church in Smyrna is one of encouragement to endure through the persecution and suffering they were experiencing. One of the reasons that they were suffering was because other people were speaking evil of them. And apparently, it was going to get worse, so much so that some of them were going to be thrown in prison. But they were promised that if they would endure and be “faithful to death,” that they would receive the “crown of life” (v. 10).

What we can apply to our own lives from John’s encouragement to the church in Smyrna is the importance of remaining faithful to the Lord. While we may never face persecution and death in the way that they did, we each have been or will be at some point in our lives the object of another person’s evil words concerning our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though the ways in which we will suffer for our faith will differ, the reward that we all will receive is the same—the crown of life!

No trial is too small and no task too trivial to consider it worthy to endure for the sake of our Lord. We must always desire to honor him through every day and season of life no matter what may come, knowing that it is before him that we will stand one day judged for everything we have said and done.

-Jerry Wierwille

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading passages at BibleGateway.com here – Amos 3-4 and Revelation 2

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

Blessed is the One who Reads…

Revelation 1

When it comes to the book of Revelation, the reader must recognize that the literary form of apocalypse is vastly different than the NT Letters, Gospels, or Acts. It is challenging to read but also rewarding. It sparks the readers imagination with vivid images and poetic expressions that are full of symbolism and meaning.

Just reading the opening part of the book brings an awareness of how powerful and deep this writing is. But the richness of the text can be difficult to understand. Revelation is a book that rewards those who faithfully and humbly seek to grasp its meaning. And as we learn and grow in the Scriptures, different aspects of the text will become more easily perceived and understood. But it requires patience and persistence. We mustn’t give up if we find the text to be complicated or even confusing. Apocalypse is not meant to be readily apprehended upon the first reading. But as the reader continues to meditate upon the words and expand their scope of biblical understanding, deeper levels of comprehension will gradually surface.

In the opening chapter, John describes the beginning of his vision that he received from the Lord. There are some things in life that upon experiencing them are so overwhelming that we are helpless to do anything. This is the way John depicts his response upon seeing the Lord in the vision. The Lord is painted in highly figurative language that is awe inspiring and truly incredible.

“And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15and his feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged broadsword, and his face was like the sun shining in its full strength” (vv. 14-16).

John’s response was to fall down “as one dead” (v. 17). What a tremendous picture of the power and majesty of the Lord. When beholding the king of all kings, John is stunned by the visual appearance of Jesus. Can you imagine if you were standing before a figure that is described with the features that we read about? Who would not tremble at the feet of this Living One who was dead but is now alive forever?

I will leave you with the words that John expressed early on before delving into his vision, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of the prophecy, and those who hear and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near” (v. 3). Amen.

-Jerry Wierwille

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading passages at BibleGateway.com here – Amos 1-2 and Revelation 1

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

Contend for the Faith

Jude 1

While some NT letters can be encouraging and uplifting, other letters contain harsh criticism or reproof by the writer. Even though it was Jude’s original intention to write about the joint salvation that he and all God’s people share, he felt he needed to turn his attention and exhort his readers “to contend for the faith that was delivered to the holy ones once for all” (v. 3).

We can all probably think of a time in our life when we needed to be told what to do or why we should be doing something. That is essentially what Jude is doing here. He offers examples from people in the past whose ungodliness or rebellion were deserving of punishment, and then he also warns of present people among his readers who “nurture only themselves without fear” that are also deserving of God’s judgment. He reassures them that there is nothing unusual happening among them, and that even the Lord Jesus Christ predicted through the apostles that “in the end time there will be scoffers walking according to their own ungodly desires” (v. 18).

False teachers abound in the world, and just as there were people in the past who opposed God and followed their own ungodly desires, there will always continue to be such people who work against the purposes of God. Given this fact, Jude exhorts his readers to “build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the holy spirit,” and as they do this, they are to keep themselves in the love of God (vv. 20-21).

This is the way that Jude encourages us to “contend for the faith.” We must continue to build ourselves up and become strong in the faith and to pray in the holy spirit so that we are not shaken by people who create divisions or who utter arrogant words and flattering speech for their own advantage. By being confident in our faith we will be strong in the Lord without doubting, ready to “save others by snatching them from the fire” (v. 23).

The world is a dark place and evil seems to be rampant, and it will continue to be that way until the day that we stand in the presence of our God, blameless and with great joy. Until then, we must fight the good fight and be on guard for those who want to “turn the grace of our God” (v. 4) into unrighteousness and immoral behavior.

-Jerry Wierwille

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan passages at BibleGateway.com here – Joel 1-3 and Jude 1

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

In a Manner Worthy of God

3 John 1

In his final letter, John again expresses the joy he has knowing that young believers (“my children”) are “walking in the truth.” It is an important truth that godly parents want to see their children also pursuing the things of God. When we are young, we may think of all the accomplishments we could do in school, in sports, or in other extracurricular activities, but none of that can measure up to how proud a parent is when we do what pleases the Lord. We may not think that such things are all that meaningful when we are young compared to achieving awards, getting good grades, or winning a championship, but children who obey the Lord bring greater joy to their parents than all their other successes combined.

Another main point that John raises in his letter is the importance of hospitality, especially when it involves fellow believers. He instructs Gaius to continue to do what is “faithful” for the brothers and sisters, “even when they are strangers.” We don’t need to know who someone is in great detail before we offer them food, shelter, or aid. Christian believers should be apt to show hospitality to all people, but especially to those from the household of faith, even if they are strangers.

To be generous and hospitable toward someone whom you do not know and who is not able to repay you is a sincere demonstration of love. My father used to always say that I should leave someone better than when I found them, and I believe that is what John is expressing when he tells Gaius that he will “do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.” That means giving them the best treatment and going to the furthest extent possible to assist them and prepare them for whatever comes next for them.

Whether it is giving someone a ride somewhere, dropping off a home-cooked meal, or helping with homework or other assignments and projects, no matter what it is, if we do it wholeheartedly as if we were serving the Lord Christ, then we can be confident that we will be sending our fellow brother or sister on their way “in a manner worthy of God.”

-Jerry Wierwille

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan passages at BibleGateway.com here – Hosea 12-14 and 3 John 1

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

Walking in the Truth

2 John 1

John writes about those who have “come to know the truth” and that he is rejoicing to see some young family members “walking in the truth” (vv. 1, 4).  This “truth” is not some list of doctrines or deep theology but a simple commandment: “that we love one another” (v. 5). Sometimes we can overcomplicate the “truth.” Now don’t misunderstand John; the truth in Scripture is very deep and has many levels. It is not merely comprised of this one commandment. We might say that whatever Scripture reveals on any subject can be constituted as “truth.”

As John wrote about in his previous letter (cf. 1 John 5), biblically speaking love is not predominantly this passionate emotion of desire as some might think of it. Rather, the love that John is talking about is intricately bound together with obedience. And therefore, this is why he says, “And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments” (v. 6).

Why is this so important to John that he is reiterating it again here in his 2nd letter? The reason is likely part of his subsequent warning about the “many deceivers” who are in the world (v. 7). There are many forces at work in the world vying for our attention and our devotion. John raises the danger about these “deceivers” and how they can lead someone astray from the truth, for he declares that “everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching about Christ does not have God (v. 9).

We need to be aware and watch ourselves concerning those who do not “bring the teaching about Christ.” John is very stern about not entertaining deceivers in our homes. The adversary works in subtle ways and sometimes these deceptive influences can come from unlikely places and people who may not even be consciously or intentionally opposing God and the teaching about Christ, but nonetheless are stealthily subverting the message of the good news with criticism, skepticism, or mockery.

Let us be careful to recognize these evil works and not lose our focus on living according to God’s commandments.

-Jerry Wierwille

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading passages at BibleGateway.com here – Hosea 9-11 and 2 John

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

What is Love?

I John 5

Our parents are a very important part of our lives, and it is a blessing to have earthly parents who are godly and care for us. But not everyone has such parents. Nevertheless, John says that everyone who “believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (v. 1). The greatness of that reality cannot fully be expressed in word. Figuratively, God has “given birth” to us as a parent gives birth to children. God is now our parent! And he is unlike any earthly parent. And since we have been born into God’s family, we are to love all of God’s children, for they are our brothers and sisters.

But what does it mean to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord? As John states, it is “when we love God and obey his commandments” (v. 2). What this means is that our expression of love within God’s family stems first and foremost from our love for God and our willingness to submit to his authority and obey his commandments. That might not be the way that some of us look at what it means to “love” one another perhaps because we have contrived an idea of what love means from our culture rather than from Scripture.

There’s no question about it, John gives us a clear definition: the love of God is that “we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome” (v. 3). Certainly, to love God entails many of the things we conceive of when we think about what it means to “love.” In his letter to the Colossians, Paul gives us a list of the commandments of God that we are to obey as his children:

“…but now you too must put away all these things: anger, rage, malice, defaming speech, obscene talk out of your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you have stripped off the old self with its practices….12Therefore, as God’s holy and beloved chosen ones, put on bowels of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience; 13bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord forgave you, so you also must forgive.” (Col 3:8-9, 12-13)

Many of these behaviors probably fit into our box of what “love” looks like, but our world is filled with contradictions and disagreements about how to practice it.

But John reassures us that we need not succumb to the pressures of the world when it comes to how to love, for as God’s children, we have overcome the world through our faith in Jesus, the Son of God (v. 5). Let us live with love that comes from a heart of obedience that is willing to surrender our desires to the Creator, knowing that if we love him properly, then we will love each other as well.

-Jerry Wierwille

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway.com here – Hosea 7-8 and 1 John 5

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

The Real Love Chapter

1 John 4

This chapter starts out with an admonition to “test the spirits to see whether they are of God.” Not every teaching or spirit is true. There is a very important test which can be used to know if a spirit is from God, or not. “By this you know the spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God” (4:2).  The test does NOT say:

  • that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and yet is fully God
  • that God has come in the flesh as Jesus Christ, taking on a human nature
  • that Jesus Christ came from some pre-existent state into the flesh.

We must be very careful to read the text for what it says and not read into it what it doesn’t say! The phrase “come in the flesh” means that Jesus the Christ (Messiah) is a real human being, not just dressed up like one.

1 John 4 is actually the “love chapter” in the Bible as love is mentioned 26 times, almost three times as many times as in 1 Corinthians 13 (9 times). A friend once read this chapter as a devotional thought on Valentine’s Day, and it stuck with me as the “love chapter.” So much so that when I read it last February 14th, I thought that maybe the children’s song could also go “Yes, God loves me, yes, God loves me… the Bible tells me so.”  Ultimately, it’s God’s love that ignites our love for others through His Son, Jesus the Messiah. A key verse that summarizes this chapter of love showing how love is of God is verse 9.  “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to bethe propitiation for our sins.”

God took the initiative, motivated by love, to remedy our sin problem.

Knowing that “God is love” (4:8,16) should motivate us to love others. But the author is not calling for a hippie kind of “All you need is love, love”. He is admonishing us to a love of other “brothers” who believe that Jesus, the human Jesus, is the Messiah/Christ (5:1). This admonition to love is a call for unity among like-minded believers, because they are family as the children of God. The way we love other like-minded believers whom we can see demonstrates how much we love God, whom we can’t see. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also (4:21).

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (4:7)

Bill & Stephanie Schlegel

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Sept 17, 2019 – good enough to share again! Thank you Bill and Stephanie.)

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan chapters at BibleGateway.com here – Hosea 5-6 and 1 John 4

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

What We Will Be

1 John 3

I John 3:2 reads in part, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and It has not appeared as yet what we will be….”   It has not appeared as yet what we will be.  I am now in my 50’s.  If you are my age or older, you have had the pleasure to watch the kids around you grow up.  When they were little, it was hard to imagine what they would become as adults.  Some of those little kids that I knew many years ago have grown into wonderful adults.  Even some of those irresponsible teenagers have done well for themselves.  Some have become doctors, nurses, professionals, experts in their field, responsible caring parents, teachers and business owners.  All I can say is “Wow.”  This was hard to imagine when they were very young.  “It has not appeared as yet what we will be…”  We can’t yet imagine what we will become. 

Of course, the 1 John 3:2 also adds, “…we know that when He appears , we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”  This describes the transformation that we will experience at the return of Christ.  One day we will find ourselves in the very image of Christ. 

However, in the meantime, what will you become?  How will you change and grow?  John’s words here are hopeful and optimistic.  It has not appeared as yet what we will be…  The possibilities are great.  God, in Christ, has put you on a road to growth and transformation and new discoveries.  You will face joys and sorrows.  You will suffer.  You will be challenged.  You will be tempted.  You will have victories and defeats.  Yet, the Lord is leading you to Him.  It has not appeared as yet what we will be.  So, go out and discover and find that very thing.  Become the person that God has created you to be.  Grow into the image of Jesus Christ.

-Pastor Scott Deane

You can read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan passages at BibleGateway.com here – Hosea 3-4 and 1 John 3

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

Heartbreak

Hosea 1,2

      Have you ever had a broken heart?  Perhaps, your first experience with a broken heart was as a child.  That first crush was a “crushing” experience.  You gave your true love a note: “Do you like me?  Check yes or no.”  The answer was “no” and you were devastated.  Your heart was broken.  However, broken hearts are not just for kids or teens. (How many of you parents had to console your teenager who was just dumped?)  Broken hearts are for big girls and big boys too.  I remember hearing the story of a woman.  Her husband came home from work one day and simply announced, “I want a divorce!”  There was no warning or reason given.  His mind could not be changed.  She was devastated.  I also had a friend who arrived home to an apartment that appeared ransacked.  He discovered that his wife had taken all her stuff and anything else that was valuable and left without a word.  A few days later he learned that she had actually moved to another state.  The divorce papers arrived in the mail.  It is no wonder that there are so many country songs about heartbreak.  In heartbreak, it is not only the pain of separation.  It is also the message that you are not loved, that you are not good enough, and that you are not valuable to the one that you love.  It is a personal injury and It hurts… bad!  Did you know that God feels heartbreak?

     Hosea was a prophet.  Hosea had a message for the wayward people of Israel.  However, his message did not merely take the form of words.  Hosea’s message was found in his tragic life of heartbreak.  God commanded Hosea to marry a wife of harlotry.  In other words, Hosea was to marry a prostitute!  He married Gomer, however, it was not marital bliss.  Gomer was not a woman who was in the habit of being faithful.  She pursued other lovers.  In fact, Hosea had reason to doubt if the children born into marriage were even his.  Eventually, Gomer ran away and became enslaved. The names of their children not only reflect the tumultuous relationship between Hosea and Gomer, but they also represent the strained relationship between God and Israel.  The children are named “Jezreel” (a place of a massacre and symbol of the violence in Israel), Lo-ruhamah (No compassion) and Lo-ammi (not my people).  The relationship between Hosea and Gomer was a parallel to God’s relationship with Israel at the time.  For Israel had been an unfaithful wife to the LORD.  The nation of Israel had forgotten their one true God and went off in pursuit of idols.  They had broken God’s covenant by indulging in all sorts of immoral acts and by embracing violence and by allowing injustice.  God was heartbroken.  Hosea, in his sorrow, could see the heartbreak of God.

    Now, if Hosea and Gomer were your next-door neighbors, what advice would you give to Hosea?  You would probably sympathize with Hosea.  You would say, “Forget that woman.  Move on with your life!”  However, the surprise in the book of Hosea is that God commanded Hosea to seek Gomer out and rescue her from her enslavement.  In a strange twist of fate, Hosea “redeemed” or bought his own wife out of slavery and brought her back home.  In the same way, God has not given up on us sinners.  He seeks us out.  He has sent His son to die on the cross for our sins that we might be redeemed.  Also, we begin to appreciate the hurt and sorrow that God feels over the human race.  For we have broken His heart.  Yet, God still loves you.

-Scott Deane

Today’s Bible reading plan passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway.com here – Hosea 1-2 and 1 John 2

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download