“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18
Implication #3: we don’t have to live in fear
What is fear?
Fear is often ugly, manifesting itself in ways that harm our sense of peace. Anxiety, worry, and terror are all results of fear hampering our mental health. What is not mentioned often (or, maybe I just don’t hear it) is that our spiritual health plays an essential role in fear’s impact on our lives. I think fear is generally caused by not knowing (with certainty) what is going to happen, what has happened, or what is happening. We worry after an autopsy is performed because we don’t know if the doctor will come back with “cancer” or “not cancer”. We stress when we cannot get in contact with our spouse because of what may or may not have happened to them while they were running errands. And we are terrorized by the creaking we hear in the ceiling above because we’re unsure of what it could be. In all these things, there is fear in not knowing.
Love and fear
Perhaps thinking about fear in this way will help unlock John’s meaning behind the phrase “perfect (or, complete) love casts out fear”. The beloved disciple tells us that fear is related to punishment and, particularly, within the context of this section of the letter, punishment on the day of judgment. So, the fear is not knowing “will I be punished, or will I be rewarded?”. Contemplating the difference between everlasting life versus everlasting death seems like a perfectly reasonable motive for fear. John, I think, recognizes this, which is why he wanted to assure his readers that there is no need to fear for the ones who are children of God, which is to say, the ones who love one another. Those who love one another are the ones who have understood and embraced the love of God. Only because God first loved us can we love Him and each other in the way commanded by Jesus. It is because of this love that God showed us that we can know there is no punishment for those who know Him—that is, those who have embraced Him, His son, and have His spirit working through them).
Doesn’t stop at fear of punishment
But not being afraid of judgment day is only part of the story. We can live life without fear and its many manifestations. As Paul says in one of his letters, there can be a peace beyond comprehension. It seems easy to have peace when everything is going right for us, but it is quite rare for this state of serenity to last for more than a few moments. The real trick is to have peace at all times despite what is going on around you, despite not knowing everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen. The key is abiding in and trusting the One who made all things and will, through His son, make all things new.
For the one who believes and lives in the love of God, there is no fear because they know that God is going to one day redeem this broken world and that even if they suffer here and now, the never-ending glory experienced in the redeemed world will make anything faced now blur from focus and memory. What many of us fear now will have no power when one has placed their hope and life in the hands of a loving Father. The mark of a fearless child of God is that they love one another. If you aren’t yet living without fear, worry, or anxiety, it seems like John would suggest it is because you haven’t yet truly known the love of God and begun to live in that love and live it out. If that’s the case, return to the gospel written by the beloved disciple (John) and read of the one who reveals God’s great love for us.
-Joel Fletcher
Reflection Questions
What impact has fear had on your life? How have you let it control what you do or don’t do?
How has God given us an example of how to love? What does it mean to you that He loved you first?
The end of 1 John 4 says we can’t love God and hate our brother. How can you show better love for all your brothers and sisters? Who in particular do you need to love better?
“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John 3:11
Implication #2: we must love one another
Children of God
There is an expression you may have heard that goes something like “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, which is usually used to mean that a son is quite like their father in one or many ways. Sometimes it is used to praise someone who has shown virtue, other times it is used to lament how vices are handed down like heirlooms no one wants. John, similarly, calls those who have virtue from living in the love of God, children of God.
As we can see from 1 John 3:1 and will see again tomorrow in 4:19, God’s love initiates our ability to be His children. God loves us, calls us to become a part of His family, and leaves it to us to respond positively to this call or to reject it. When we accept this call, we are not immediately transformed into a full-fledged twin of Jesus (the perfect son of God). As John points out in 3:2 what we will look like once God’s love has completed its work in us is not known. We have only seen God through mediators. One day that will change, and we will be like Him–which is an exciting and terrifying notion.
In the meantime
While we don’t know what we will be like in the future, John tells us what the love of God means for how we live now. We are to love one another. At the very least this means we must love those who are within the body of Christ. Some would like us to stop there. At times it seems an insurmountable challenge. However, an argument could be made and perhaps should be made that the child of God should love everyone. This is the view I hold. To paraphrase Jesus: “even the wicked take care of their own” (Matthew 5:47). The follower of Christ, however, is to love everyone. After all, God causes the sun to shine on the good and the bad (Matthew 5:45) and Christ died to save those who needed saving—that is to say, EVERYONE.
The question of how to love
Once one becomes a Christian and understands the need to love, the necessary question of how to love will follow. John anticipates this question and gives the answer: love how Jesus taught to love (3:23). When we love the way Jesus taught (and how he himself loved), it will show that we are the children of God and will keep us abiding in God.
The question of how we can possibly love like Jesus
Knowing that we should love like Jesus will not mean that we will love like Jesus. In fact, simply trying to do so will only lead to the frustrating realization that we can’t. That is to say, the apprentice will never be able to outdo the master so long as they remain an apprentice. Maybe thinking about it this way isn’t helpful since it seems hard to believe we will ever reach the same level of righteousness as Jesus–at least not while the world is still unredeemed. Maybe this is why John mentions the bit about not knowing what we will be. However, John does hint at how we can love in the way Jesus did: by the spirit of God within us. Only when we have the spirit of God working through us can we love as Jesus loved. This is the only way we can love our neighbors, love our enemies, and love our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There’s one more implication of living in God’s love I want to mention, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
New Testament: 1st, 2nd & 3rd John Intro – found below
Today is the second of a three-day exploration of single-proverb contemplation. This time we will be considering Proverbs 17:9, which reads in the ESV, “[w]hoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”
There are basically two responses to the wrongdoing of your friend. You can, as they say in Brooklyn, “forget about it” or you can act in the same way one’s credit report does—that is, holding every delinquent payment against them. Friendships are meant to last but cannot if they are a score-keeping struggle. There will always be disparities, but the goal is not to get even. The goal is to give your best. If you are worried that the other person isn’t putting in the same amount of effort as you, sure, you could bring it up, but it is not necessarily what’s best for your relationship. So, what is?
Paul explains in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth that true love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). For the Christian, it cannot be that we hold the mistakes of our brothers and sisters over their heads. Does this mean that we shouldn’t hold people accountable for their actions? Certainly not. This verse speaks to a healthy Christian relationship. In a healthy relationship, the two parties will not be engaged in constant offenses against one another. When this happens, the relationship cannot be defined as healthy and will not likely be a relationship for much longer if the problems are not acknowledged and addressed. To keep a healthy relationship healthy, each person must make a habit of not bringing up the mistakes the other has made.
If someone is constantly causing offense against you, perhaps the best thing to do is withdraw. Especially in cases where there is violence (physical or verbal), the victim should not pretend like nothing wrong is happening. I pray you never find yourself in a violent relationship. This advice is not for such cases. When the other person is causing you great fear, seek help.
If you find yourself continually bringing up a friend’s (or, spouse’s) wrongdoing, ask yourself why you keep doing it. Do you think that relationships are supposed to be (or, that it’s even possible for them to be) even, 50/50? Are your own insecurities leading you to point out flaws in others to make you feel better about yourself? Could you be worried that the hurt from your past will repeat itself in the future? Whatever may be the reason you keep bringing up your friend’s past mistakes, it cannot continue if you want the relationship to. There may be some difficult conversations that need to take place, but a little difficulty now is worth the chance of saving a relationship, making it stronger, or even changing the type of relationship it is (if it’s for the best). Relationships cannot flourish if one or both parties are holding on to the hurts of the past. Forgiveness is essential for relationships with others. When we bring up hurt, we are showing that we’re still holding on to offense and maybe haven’t forgiven the other person.
If you are the one in the relationship whose action keeps getting brought up – be sure that those actions that are mentioned aren’t something you keep doing. If you keep doing something harmful maybe you shouldn’t be surprised if a human being with feelings keeps bringing it up. If it is something for which the other person has supposedly forgiven you, but they won’t let you forget it, let them know that their continuing to mention it is hurting you and making you feel like they haven’t really forgiven you. This may be a tough conversation. Perhaps the other person doesn’t realize that it hurts you (hopefully, they don’t realize it). But make sure it doesn’t become a score-keeping battle. It is entirely possible that you don’t realize you’re doing the same thing to them. Make sure you are aware of how you are speaking to them and how it is affecting them. And always remember that love covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8).
-Joel Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Think of a time when someone could have brought up one of your past mistakes but didn’t, how did it make you feel?
Do you sometimes think of some of your relationships as a score-keeping battle? Why is this harmful? What is a better view? And how can you remind yourself of this when you slip back into score-keeping mode?
1 – 3 John Introduction
First, Second, and Third John were written by “the elder”, who is believed to be John, the son of Zebedee, the disciple Jesus loved. This is the same John who wrote the gospel of John and the book of Revelation.
John started out his message explaining that he saw, heard, and touched Jesus, and wanted to bring the next generation of believers into fellowship with “us” (apostles? believers?), and into fellowship with God and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
The two overriding themes of the three books are: Love, and beware of false teachings.
John explained that God is light, and that people need to walk in the light by obeying Jesus’ commands. He echoed Jesus’ command that believers should love God and should love one another. And warned believers not to love the world, because the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
John also warned the church to beware of false teachers who deny that Jesus is the Christ (messiah), trying to lead people away from the truth. He warned that false prophets did not acknowledge that Jesus had come in the flesh – this is the spirit of antichrist. John urged believers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
He pointed out the great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. He wrote, “this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Continuing on the theme of love, John wrote, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
In his conclusion to the book of First John, John wrote, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
“You showed sympathy to the prisoners” (Hebrews 10:34). I don’t know what that phrase brings to your mind. Maybe you see something from a television program or a movie, someone behind a sheet of glass holding a telephone receiver. Perhaps you have visited a prisoner at some point, for a prison ministry, or a relative or friend. You may think of sending letters, or helping prisoners readjust after their release. The issues under discussion in Hebrews were rather different. With the Roman empire it was expected that the relatives and friends of a prisoner would provide their food and other physical needs, though there might be some small rations. Christians became known for taking care of fellow believers who had been arrested for their faith, as well as other prisoners in need. But that meant people helping Christians ran the risk of getting accused of being Christians themselves. That’s probably where the next part of the verse came in, that they “accepted joyfully the seizure” of their property – they continued with their behavior even though it risked them being identified and targeted. They didn’t shy away from risk to guard themselves. It isn’t mentioned here but Christians during the Roman empire also became known for caring for plague victims when others would not, taking in orphans, collecting clothes to give to the poor, and generally being good to others.
In the fourth century the Emperor Julian would become very frustrated about the contrast between the Christians and the pagans. In a letter he wrote: “Why then do we think that this is sufficient and do not observe how the kindness of Christians to strangers, their care for the burial of their dead, and the sobriety of their lifestyle has done the most to advance their cause? Each of these things, I think, ought really to be practiced by us.”
In Hebrews 10 we find that Herb (my choice of a simple name for the book’s author) returned to issues he addressed in chapter six about a person surrendering their faith in Jesus (6:4-8; 10:26-31). These comments are directly paired in both chapters with the statement that Herb’s audience is not like that, which is shown by the fact that they have been ministering to believers (6:9‑12; 10:32-39). For Herb to defend his audience this way should be an obvious route to take. What are Christians told to do? “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34‑35). Yes, that isn’t the only thing for Christians to do, but it is a huge example: “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:23-24). And the call to love isn’t necessarily simple or easy, either. The very fact that Jesus said “just as I have loved you” should put this at a high level, for Jesus loves at a high level.
Hebrews 10 began by comparing the priests who stood in the tabernacle day after day offering sacrifices to Jesus and the single sacrifice he offered before he sat at God’s right hand. Herb wants us to understand that what Jesus did is much more powerful than all those earlier sacrifices. And because it is so much more powerful it calls more powerfully for our response. Herb says: “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (v. 22-24). Those verses give a complicated image. The idea of being “sprinkled clean” plays off the sprinkling of the blood by the high priest once a year over everything that needed to be cleansed in the Holy of Holies – but Herb says that our hearts are part of what Jesus cleansed. There are no more evil consciences for us, we can have pure consciences and serve wholeheartedly, having been washed with pure water, referring to our baptisms. This is very similar to 1 Peter 3:21-22, “baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God”. We are to hold to the confession of our hope that came with that baptism – because the fact of being baptized, to Herb, doesn’t mean what is so often called baptism today (the sprinkling of a baby, with no knowledge of what it means) but the choice made by a believer to state their understanding in front of at least one other person, confessing hope in the promises of God involving Jesus and the future. He who promised is faithful, so we should not waver in our commitment. By having made that choice each one of us becomes part of the body of Christ, which is a collective group. Recognizing that we are part of that group should remind us that we have support with each other, and also that we have responsibility and commitment for each other, so we need to think about how we can stimulate each other to love and good deeds.
One of my seminary teachers noted that there are two possible interpretations of Hebrews 10:25. It is often used to advocate for attendance at worship services using the phrase “assembling together” to refer to ‘not meeting on a regular basis,’ as a matter of habit. But the Greek word for the assembling or gathering here is the one used in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, and it has been suggested that it could be saying not to forsake our being gathered together with Jesus at his return – so not, by your choices, giving up on being a part of the resurrection with him. More like “Don’t forsake being part of the resurrection gathering, as some are in the manner of, but encourage each other to be there at that day, all the more as you see it drawing near.” Either meaning could work. (The term translated as “habit” also gets translated “manner.”)
Hebrews 10:31, which says “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” should be read along with verse 27 that refers to “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” We are still speaking of the adversaries of God being consumed, not simply tortured in some ongoing way (as some versions of theology would have it). I see no conflict in this. Notably Hebrews 10:26 references Numbers 15:30, showing that Herb had that part of the book in his mind when he was writing this section about fire and judgment. And Numbers 16 may well be the section he was pointing his readers to for a consideration of how terrifying God could be when passing judgment. God doesn’t need to be a demented torturer to be scary. I don’t think that Korah was complacent when he faced the results of his revolt. Endless suffering is not required for God’s wrath to be respected. If all we were concerned about was what came after this life we would have no concerns about anything in this one. But we have proven ourselves well capable of being concerned about what happens now.
In the last part of the chapter Herb wants his audience to proclaim that they are not giving up on Jesus. He doesn’t want any doubt on that point. He says “do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (v. 35). He quotes God saying:
“My righteous one shall live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
But Herb tells his audience “we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (v. 39).
Lord, it really is a terrible thing to think of anyone giving up on their confidence in your son. I read the book of Hebrews and I think I understand the concern it expresses, the passion which Herb felt about his readers. He didn’t want to say that any of them might turn away, but he didn’t want to stop urging them to remain vigilant. He just really wanted them all to be safe in the end. He wanted to tell them about how dangerous it would be to turn away from the sacrifice that Jesus made, because there is only one sacrifice in the new covenant, but he also wanted to say that it is up to you to judge – because if they thought they might have stepped too far then they might despair and not turn back to Jesus. Everything was a balancing act and the focus was always on getting as many as possible to devote themselves to the Lord. I am glad for your mercy, Lord, because I know so many people who I know need it, including me. Please help us to serve you better. Please help us to grow. Help us to love. Thank you again. Amen.
-Daniel Smead
Reflection Questions
1. Do you value being at church services with other believers? Do you feel that you are a part of the worship? Are you growing? Are you open to others? If not, how could that change?
2. Herb wants his audience to be revived in their faith, to be passionate about Jesus against the risk of persecution. What if they weren’t warned about the risk of persecution when they first became Christians, and meeting opposition took them off guard, how might that affect their attitudes?
3. Are you open to challenging yourself to a Love Like Jesus Day? Of course we are always supposed to do that. But how about consciously checking your actions for one day, all your thoughts, words, deeds, measuring yourself against Jesus and trying to amp your love to Jesus-levels? What do you think it will look like?
As I was driving home today listening to my favorite oldies station (All the best rock music was in the 60’s through 80’s, everyone knows that) I heard “How Deep is Your Love?” by the Bee Gees. (Disco, but still better than today’s stuff). “How deep is your love how deep is your love, I really need to learn?”
Isn’t that THE question we all ask constantly throughout our lives? “Do you love me? How much do you love me? What are the limits of your love for me?” We all want and need to know that we are loved.
One of the foundational needs of every human being from the moment of birth is to know that they are loved and securely attached to a loving caregiver. “If I’m cute, do you love me? If I cry do you love me enough to pick me up and comfort me? If I make a stinky mess do you love me enough to clean me up and put a fresh diaper and clothes on me? If I take a pair of scissors and cut holes in your suit jacket will you still love me Daddy? (Extra points if you figure out which Fletcher kid actually did than when they were 4).” The answer is, “Yes, I still love you.” And I love you when a tree somehow jumps in front of the car as you’re driving (A different Fletcher kid, at age 16). “Will you still love me when I disobey you or when I reject your values and beliefs?” “Yes, even when you break my heart, I will still love you.”
In Ephesians 3 Paul shares something for which he is earnestly praying for his readers. Paul is praying that they might ask Jesus “how deep is your love” and that God might give them the power to comprehend just how much Jesus loves them. He writes in vs. 17-19 “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…”(ESV). Essentially, Paul is saying that he wants them to know the unknowable, the unlimited love of Christ for them in all of its dimensions. How high, how wide, how long, how deep is the love of Jesus Christ for us? As you read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life you can see his love in action. Jesus touches the untouchable leper, love in action. Jesus doesn’t condemn the woman caught in the act of adultery, love in action. Jesus feeds 5,000, love in action. Jesus turns water into wine to save the wedding celebration and spare the father shame, love in action. Jesus undergoes betrayal, rejection, and false accusations, and is spit upon, mocked, beaten, scourged, and crucified, all love in action.
How do we begin to understand this love according to Paul? By Faith. We have to trust Jesus enough to allow him into our hearts so that we may begin to experience that love and be transformed inside out. Paul says that like a tree we have to sink down our roots into that love (vs. 17). Jesus referred to himself as the vine and his disciples as the branches. (John 15:4-6) In order to bear the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control- Galatians 5:22-23) we need to maintain a continuous connection to Jesus.
“Do you love me?”
Jesus answers a resounding “yes!”
“How much do you love me? “
Jesus answers, “I love you so much I died on the cross for you.”
“What are the limits of your love for me?”
Jesus answers- “Put your complete trust in me and ask God to show you the full dimensions of my love, it’s a love beyond human comprehension.”
To summarize Paul, we need the faith to believe in the reality of Jesus’ love and be willing to trust and sink our roots down into that love to draw on the love of Christ and maintain an ongoing connection.
My prayer for you today echoes the prayers of Paul. May you have the power to know the breadth and length and height and depth of his love so that God can fill you to overflowing.
-Jeff Fletcher
Reflection Questions:
How important is it for you to know that you are loved?
Reflect on your life, can you name some ways that Jesus has demonstrated his love for you?
How does God, as our Father, ultimately reveal his love for us through the love of Jesus? If you are not sure, take some time to pray and ask God to show you today.
“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” This is a pretty challenging question that comes straight from today’s reading from 2 Chronicles 19:2 NIV. One of the questions that comes to mind for me is “help the wicked do what?” The second question is, “Why shouldn’t I love those who hate the LORD?” After all, Didn’t Jesus tell us that we are supposed to love everyone, including our enemies? (Matthew 5:44) Shouldn’t godly people treat others with love, even unbelievers, even those who have rejected God?
One of my ministry settings is as a hospital chaplain. Recently I visited a patient who informed me as soon as I walked into their room that they were an atheist, but that they still wanted to talk to me, they were going through an emotional crisis and they needed help. This was a person that didn’t simply hate the LORD but actually denies the existence of God. As a Chaplain, as a pastor, and as a Christian should I have NOT helped the patient? Should I have NOT loved the patient since they do not love God? I’ll tell you the rest of the story at the end. Let’s look at the context of this quote in today’s reading and see what God reveals to us about himself.
The story is about Jehoshaphat (isn’t that a great name). It literally means YHWH has judged. At the time of today’s reading in 2 Chronicles 17-19 Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah. Judah and Israel were at one time one nation comprised of 12 tribes that descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel was a strong and united nation during the reigns of kings David and Solomon, but after Solomon died the nation of Israel was divided by a civil war. The Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah separated with Judah’s capital in Jerusalem where the temple of God was. Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah and ruled from Jerusalem. He was an heir of King David and was generally a good and faithful ruler who avoided the worship of idols. Ahab was the King of Israel and he did not remain faithful to YHWH, the God of Israel, and led his people into the worship of idols which was strictly forbidden by God.
A common practice at the time for smaller nations was to enter into alliances with other nations against their enemies. God had made it clear to his people that he did not want them entering into political alliances with nations that practiced idol worship. In today’s reading, it says that Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance by marriage with Ahab and Israel. This was a violation of God’s commands and led to all kinds of trouble for Jehoshaphat and the Kingdom of Judah. Now that they were in an alliance Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to go to war with him against their enemies. The problem was that God was not in favor of this because of Ahab’s unfaithfulness. Jehoshaphat was wise enough to ask one of the prophets to seek God on the question. Of course, Jehoshaphat should have known the answer- God did not want him to enter into an alliance with Ahab to begin with, he certainly wouldn’t want Jehoshaphat to fight in battle alongside Ahab, a battle which Ahab was destined to lose and where he would be killed.
After Ahab was indeed killed in battle as the prophet warned, Jehoshaphat returned to his palace where another prophet of God, Jehu, came to him and asked our opening question-“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” The answer here was clearly “no, you should not enter into a political alliance with a king and a nation that have rejected God and his teaching. No, you should not give your son to be married to the idolatrous king’s daughter as the law clearly taught that God’s covenant people should not marry with idolatrous people who do not believe in God.
The prophet was not saying that God’s people should never help a non-believer or should never act in loving ways to people outside of the faith community. The law taught that we should love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). What the prophet was saying is you should never enter into a formal alliance with one who has rejected God and the teachings of God. The Apostle Paul would express this to followers of Jesus in 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?” One obvious example of this would be marriage. If you are a Christian you should not enter into a committed relationship with one who has denied or rejected Jesus Christ as savior or God as our Father. Believers should not marry unbelievers. If you’re driving down the road and you see your non-believing neighbor with a flat tire, you can stop and help her change her tire, but you can’t marry her. You might do a favor or otherwise show kindness and love to unbelievers, but it would be potentially very spiritually dangerous to enter into a business alliance with one who has rejected God and godly values.
Jehoshaphat was basically a good man and a good king, but he got into trouble when he violated the clear teaching of God’s law by entering into a political alliance by having his son marry the idolatrous, god-rejecting king Ahab’s daughter. It might be the savvy and politically expedient thing to do, but it was spiritually deadly.
If you are committed to following God and God’s values, you can and should show love and kindness to everyone, including believers, but don’t join them or make commitments that will compromise your values and dedication to Jesus Christ.
Now for the rest of the story. The atheist and I talked for an hour. When I left they said, “I think I might want you to preach at my funeral.” A week later they came back to the hospital and asked the nurse to have me come and visit. We talked for another hour. Before I left they said, “I’m not so convinced that God doesn’t exist, is it okay if I visit your church?” We can and should show kindness and grace and caring love to everyone, including unbelievers, just don’t enter into committed relationships with them, until they give their lives to Jesus too.
-Jeff Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Beyond dating and marriage, what are some other potentially damaging ways a Christian today might bring themself spiritual harm by entering into an alliance with one who has rejected God? How might this impact educational or career decisions? Investment decisions? What political candidates we support?
How would Jesus want you to love your non-Christian neighbor without entering into a dangerous commitment to one who does not share your values?
As Christians, we are called to pray for and obey our governments unless they demand that we violate our commitment to God, how is that different from supporting a political candidate who clearly has rejected God’s teaching either by what they profess or how they live?
Bio- This week’s devotions are written by pastor Jeff Fletcher. Pastor Jeff has been a participant at Fuel for over 40 years. He is a pastor and hospital chaplain in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and is a doctoral candidate for Integrative Mental Health at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville. He is married to Karen, father of eleven, and grandpa/papa to 15. He likes reading, watching baseball, and making delicious pulled pork in the smoker.
Have you even been introduced to someone as God’s fellow worker? It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Paul described Timothy as, “our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you (the Thessalonians) in your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:2). Could you be described as God’s fellow worker?
I am impressed in this chapter (1 Thessalonians 3) with Paul’s obvious heart for his fellow workers (there was a reason they were called brothers even though they had no blood relations) and his heart for the church – some of whom he had not known long and had only spent a short time with. And yet, with the good news Timothy brought of the Thessalonians’ strong faith and love Paul says, “For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord” (1 Thess 3:8). You can hear his heart filled with joy. For now we really live!
Paul had been concerned that when he and his fellow workers moved on to carry the gospel message to other towns the tempter might be successful in tempting the young Thessalonian church away from true faith in God and love for Him and one another. It is a very real and powerful threat that is still active and alive today. It is why the armor of God is so important. Thankfully, the Thessalonians were standing strong.
Another way that Paul shows his heart is through his prayers – night and day – most earnestly – remembering the Thessalonians, praying they might see each other again, and praying that their faith would be strengthened even more. This is an important reminder to keep praying for our brothers and sisters in the church – even if they appear to be doing alright and don’t have any known health problems (often the most common needs on the church prayer list). The tempter is always looking for little cracks in the armor. Prayer is huge. Keep at it. Night and day. Most earnestly. Remember your extended church family in your prayers. Pray for their faith to be strong and growing – with any gaps filled in to present a stronger front against the tempter.
Healthy faith displays action and love. Pray also that love will be increased – love for each other (the church) and also for “everyone else” (vs. 12) including those outside who need to know God and His Son Jesus. Increasing love. Love is a beautiful thing – but increasing love is even so much better. Don’t be content being a loving person – strive and pray to have increasing love. Be a parent, a spouse, a neighbor, a boss, a co-worker, a missionary, one of God’s fellow workers with increasing love. Pray for increasing love for yourself, each other and everyone else.
AND – of course we have to end this devotion as Paul ends every chapter in 1 Thessalonians – REMEMBER – Jesus is coming back!! So live your life preparing for that day! As Paul says so well – “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” This is my prayer for you – my fellow SeekGrowLove reader. Blameless and holy, I hope to see you there. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
-Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
Wh0 has been God’s fellow workers with you? What have they done for you and for God? Do they know how much you appreciate them?
How is your faith and love doing – if someone were sent to give Paul a report on you and your church’s faith and love what would Paul hear back? Would he rejoice that you are standing firm? Where can your faith grow, filling in the gaps? How can your love increase?
Pray the prayers of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 3 (for faith filled in, increasing love and blameless/holy people ready to stand/bow before God when Jesus returns) for yourself, and your church family and extended church family. Use specific names God brings to mind. Repeat night and day – most earnestly.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a perennial favorite in Sunday School lessons. As a child, how many of us studied this lesson on God’s forgiveness? I imagine most hands being raised! As adults, how many of us have taught our own children or other youth about redemption through this parable? Again, I can envision many nods of agreement!
Between you and me, I intensely disliked this parable in my youth and early adulthood. Don’t get me wrong; I understood the meaning and value of the parable. Through it, we learn that no mistake can separate us from God’s love and that He will always desire for us to return to the sanctuary of that love.
However, a part of me always sympathized with the older brother. I understood his indignation, albeit misplaced, over the celebration of his wayward younger brother. Can’t you just hear the anger and self-righteousness dripping from his words in verses 29-30? “Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!”
Minus the part of being given a kid or killing a fatted calf, those words could have been mine. As the youngest of four girls, I understood the older brother’s resistance to the celebration. Throughout my childhood and young adulthood, I strived to be the “good child,” not giving my parents cause for grief, assisting them in old age, and caring for them in sickness. As I devoted my time to my parents’ needs, my sisters’ seeming freedom and my parents’ unconditional love towards them caused my resentment to grow unchecked.
It was during my father’s last months when I had my “Aha” moment. In one of our final conversations, he told me, “We always loved all of you girls. You all just needed our love in different ways.” During our conversation, I realized that my parents’ love for my sisters didn’t diminish their love for me. Love wasn’t meant to be a competition in the way I tried to make it. Love isn’t something to be given to a sole recipient, hoarded and kept from others. In fact, love isn’t something to be earned or gained through works. Love is given freely in spite of ourselves and our works.
I hope the older son of this parable also had an “Aha” moment. Based on the final verses, I’d like to think he did. Read verse 28 in the parable again. When the older brother had his temper tantrum, his father “came out and entreated him.” His father so desired for him to be part of the celebration that he left the party to go find him. Then in verse 31, the father says, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” In his words, we see that the father’s love is multifaceted. Just because he loves one brother and rejoices in his homecoming, doesn’t mean that he loves the other brother any less. In fact, he acknowledges that he appreciates the older brother’s hard work and is already blessing him for his devotion. But the father confirms that he also loves the younger brother and that this love is freely given, in spite of each brother’s work or personality.
If our earthly parents can love all siblings with equal love, imagine how much greater it is with God’s love! In those final verses of the parable, we are reassured that God’s love has room for everyone, whether it is a faithful worker or someone returning to Him. Throughout 1 John 4, we are reminded that “God is love.” In this chapter and in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we see that the very nature of God is to love and do all things within the scope of His love for us.
We should not possess envy or resentment towards others in their faith journey because we are reminded in 1 John 4:20-21, “If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.” From now on, as I read the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I’ll be reminded to focus my eyes on the father of the story. Do I rest in the love of God? And, how do I show that love to others?
Throughout your walk this week, how can you share God’s unconditional love with others? Is there someone, like the younger brother, who could use your encouragement as they seek their way to God? Or, is there someone, like the older brother, working hard but needs a gentle reminder that we are saved by faith not works?
~Jen Siderius
Reflection Questions
Focusing on the Father – do you rest in the love of God? And, how do you show that love to others?
Throughout your walk this week, how can you share God’s unconditional love with others? Is there someone, like the younger brother, who could use your encouragement as they seek their way to God? Or, is there someone, like the older brother, working hard but needs a gentle reminder that we are saved by faith not works?
Through Jesus’ parables what do we learn about the heart, motives, purposes, desires, words and actions of his Father?
I used to read the Gospels and try and compare myself with various characters. And I never wanted to see myself in Peter, and yet here we are. I never wanted to compare myself to the man who seemed to so frequently fly off the handle or get things wrong. I didn’t want to be like the one who sunk in the waves and denied his Christ three times in one night. But I most definitely feel a kinship with him, especially when I read this passage.
Poor Peter. His Rabbi, who he has been so close to and loved so much, is humbling himself to wash Peter’s feet and he’s clearly mortified. This was something only the lowliest of servants did. And here was Christ, washing his feet, when none of his disciples had thought to do the same for him. And then when Christ says his disciple can’t be clean unless his feet are washed, he insists Christ wash his hands and head as well. He’s so desperate and proud that it’s a little heartbreaking. Because he has it all wrong.
Jesus is about to die. He’s about to suffer and die for each of them, and for each of us. And they all have to humble themselves enough to accept that sacrifice. They cannot save themselves. They cannot fully cleanse themselves. Only by accepting Christ and his act of servitude for us can we be clean.
And not only that, but we have to follow Christ’s example and humble ourselves to serve others. We are not too good to be served, and we are not too good to serve either.
Peter is fighting this internal battle with himself. He wants to serve Christ, but can’t accept with grace the gift of service that has been given to him. He wants to serve Christ, but perhaps not humble himself so low to serve others in this manner as well.
Jesus loved his followers dearly. In the beginning of the passage it says that he loved them to the end. This means he loved them to the fullest of capacity and without end. And here he has poured out every bit of himself into complete humility and served them in the basest of ways.
Our savior did that for us when he was tortured and crucified. This is the attitude of love and service we should have for others.
Take some time today and prepare your attitude with me. Ask yourself:
Have I truly acknowledged the deep, humbling act of service that Jesus has done for me?
In what areas of my life am I still too proud?
Am I focusing too much on the fact that my feet climbed out of the boat and walked on water, rather than the fact that my feet also sank beneath the waves and I had to be pulled out?
How can I serve someone else in humility as well this week?
Am I showing others a deep love and a servant’s heart?
My prayer for each of us today is that we truly and fully recognize the gift that has been given to us and accept it with full humility, acknowledging our great need for it. I also pray that as we acknowledge our need for salvation and cleansing, we turn and offer grace and service to others as well, so that they can see Christ serving in us.
Despite much of the media’s focus, there are many good people in the world. Our current culture has a strong humanistic viewpoint, with many people claiming to be “spiritual”, but not Christian. Many spiritual people have strong moral values often aligning with Christian perspectives; they are kindhearted and they do good works. These people (typically) believe in a “higher power” but not necessarily God, and they may feel like Jesus was a good man but don’t acknowledge the power he held or the magnitude of his sacrifice for everyone. People with this perspective live what I would call a good life, and yet they are missing something so critical.
Paul writes in Galatians 3:5, “…Does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.” (NLT). The Message translation writes that God lavishly provides his Holy Spirit to his people, not because of their “strenuous moral striving”, but because of their trust in Him. We, as Christians baptized in the faith, have access to the power of God, His Holy Spirit. THAT IS A BIG DEAL. That is something that no other religion or humanistic worldview has. Christians are unique in this way, and yet just like the Galatians, we all too often get caught up in following the law, or looking good to others, to remember we have access to this incredible power simply by believing in the message of Christ. Just by recognizing that the man Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised again for our salvation is enough for us to invite the Holy Spirit into our daily lives.
There are good people in this world, but Christians should be standing out against the crowd of “good” by being AMAZING because of what we have access to! This makes it all the more important for Christians to maintain their moral good; while we know keeping the law does not make us right with God (v. 11), breaking the law is not a reflection of receiving the Holy Spirit and does not show the world why they should believe the message of Christ. If a “spiritual” person treats the widows and orphans with more kindness and love than someone who has the Holy Spirit, we have failed. In the same way, if we think our kindness and love will sustain and save, we are just as foolish as the Galatians were!
We are no longer confined or imprisoned under the law, but we are justified through our faith in Christ (v.23-24 HCSB). In our justification, we have been given the Holy Spirit… does your life reflect that amazing power?
-Sarah (Blanchard) Johnson
Questions:
There are some great verses in Galatians 3 that dig even deeper into the law, who we are in Christ, and overall Abrahamic faith. What stood out to me may be different than what stood out to you! What did God put on your heart while reading this Scripture?
What characteristics of God did you find from our passage today? And what can you discover about His son Jesus from your reading?
Prayer:
God, thank you for sharing your son with us so that we may have access to your Holy Spirit, and ultimately, eternal life. Lord I pray that our works bring you honor and glory, that we boldly call on your Spirit each day as a way to show the people in our life just how amazing you are. God, you are a good God; gracious, loving, powerful, and kind. We praise you and thank you. In your son’s name, Amen.
Seek Grow Love 