Tag: Christianity

1 Samuel – Day 1

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 63

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 5

People have done so many word studies on the Bible that, based on the translation and the parameters, we know almost everything there is to know about word usage. Take, for example, this link : https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/ken.flerlage/viz/BibleWordAnalysis_0/Books

The guy who made this “tableau” was simply trying to understand all world religions, starting with the Bible; similar to the way someone might analyze the words of a politician to see if they should vote for him or her. What I found fascinating is that if you focus on 1-2 Samuel, the word “Samuel” is used 126 times. The guy the books are named after only shows up that many times, and only a little bit after he dies. I also don’t mean he is *mentioned* after he dies, I mean he literally *shows up*. However, besides “Lord” there is one word used more than any other:

David. 484 times. “Lord” is only used 517. 

Over the next two weeks, we are going to focus on the story of the kingdom of Israel and the earliest part of the story of their kings.

But today, as you read about Elkanah, Hannah, Peninnah, these baby-mamas and their baby-drama, it is important to set the scene for the next few books. The life of Samuel, born to Hannah and raised in the temple, was a time of transition. The people of Israel have been led for hundreds of years (something between 350-410 years) by judges. Judges were men and women who were divinely empowered to rule the people of Israel after they cried out to the Lord. And they ruled well. But the problem, as the Israelites will come to see it, is that Israel is not like the other nations. They wanted a king upon the earth, so that they could look like everyone else. But, in doing so, they rejected God, who was to be the only king who would reign over them.

So, through Samuel, God institutes the first kings of Israel. While this is not the path God wanted for his people (as we shall see), God, ever good and ever wise, allowed his people to make this choice and then used their choice, their rebellion, their sin, to be a way that he would show his glory. He took the people of Israel turning their back on him and worked it into his plan to bring about the Messiah. The judges ruled through empowerment, but the kings ruled through birthright. God indicated that the Messiah would be the child of King David. You have just finished reading Ruth, and God used this Moabitess in order to bring about the Great King of Israel, even the man after God’s own heart. God is in the business of using things we would never think to use in order to bring about greater things than we could ever imagine; he is an artist that strikes the canvas with a color that at first doesn’t look right, but with the right blending, the right technique, and the right eye, turns what seems to be a mistake into a work of art. 

We have two weeks to cover 1 Samuel, the Kingdom of Israel, and King David. 

Let’s begin. 

  1. Comparing Judges and Kings: While it’s true that God did not want his people to have a King (because they were rejecting God’s Kingship), the book of judges itself does not paint the kingship in a bad light. Read Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25. Why does the author use the specific refrain we read in those verses? What is the king implied to bring?
  2. Faith History: Jesus’s family tree includes the neglected Tamar, the harlot Rahab, the Moabite Ruth, the survivor of assault Bathsheba, and the many murderers, liars, cheats and swindlers that make up everyone’s family tree. What stories about your history can you bring to the foot of the cross because it doesn’t define you? God does not care where you came from, only the faith you have today.
  3. Personal History: While it should not cause us to misbehave on purpose, it is an encouraging thought that God can take even our mistakes and use them for our good. What are parts of your life that you would like to forget? Parts that when you tell your story you leave out? The power and goodness of our God and the love and grace of Jesus means that even those parts can become cause for joy about what God has done in spite of our evil, or the wickedness or brokenness of the world. 

-Jake Ballard

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All-Surpassing Power

Old Testament: Ruth 4

Poetry: Psalms 62

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 4

2 Corinthians 4 teaches us that we have the ability to endure hardship. We are able to endure hardships because we have God’s help. As Christians we have to remember that since God has the ability to raise the dead, he also has the ability to give us the strength to handle hard situations or remove us from those situations altogether. 2 Corinthians 4:7 states:

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Paul refers to the power that can save us as “treasure in jars of clay”. This treasure cannot be found from worldly things. There is no amount of podcasts or self-help books that will save you the way only God’s power can save us. Paul goes on to remind us that even when we feel the pressure of our problems, we are not broken.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

2 Corinthians 4 leaves us with an important reminder. The problems we have to deal with now are only temporary and it is an opportunity for God to work within us. If we remain faithful, we will one day live eternally without worldly troubles.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

-Brooke Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. What have you done that could only be done with God’s power? Are you using God’s power to the fullest?
  2. When have you felt “hard pressed…but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”? What makes the difference and gives you hope even in difficult situations?
  3. What temporary or “light and momentary” troubles has God already seen you through?
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A Hope that Makes You Bold

OlD Testament: Ruth 3

Poetry: Psalms 62

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 3

A major theme in 2 Corinthians 3 is boldness. 2 Corinthians 3:12 states:

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”

In this verse we also see the word hope. Hope is different in the Bible than it is in the English language. Hope as an English word often conveys doubt, but almost always in the New Testament the word hope is the Greek elpis/elpizo. There is no doubt attached to this word. This means that when we see the word hope in the Bible, we know it means confidence and security.

So, if there is no doubt in this type of hope, let me ask you a question. What would change in your demeanor if you knew… I mean really knew that the hope you have is assured? If you already knew you won the game or aced the test, you would be bold and confident in what you are trying to do. Biblical hope is a reality, not just a feeling. It’s a sure foundation that we can build our lives on.

Kirk Cameron once asked the question, if you had the cure for cancer would you keep it to yourself, or would you share it? If you knew you could save someone’s life you would be more bold. As Christians we have the opportunity to save people by being bold with our faith. We are called to give an answer to anyone that would ask.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

When was the last time you were bold enough to share your faith?

-Brooke Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. What would change in your demeanor if you knew… I mean really knew that the hope you have is assured? How would you explain your hope – and how it is different from a hope with doubt?
  2. When was the last time you were bold enough to share your faith?
  3. How can you boldly share your faith today? Will you?
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Ultimate Good

Old Testament: Judges 14 & 15

Poetry: Psalm 58

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

            When we began this week on Sunday we read about Spiritual gifts in chapter 12. We saw that there is no “I” in “team” and that everyone in the church has gifts and needs to be using their gifts to help the church grow and carry out its mission.

            There is one key transitional sentence at the end of chapter 12 leading into chapter 13: “And I will show you a still more excellent way.”  The more excellent way is the way of love.  From Monday to Friday, we have looked at love, not as an abstract idea but as a concrete set of actions.  Love is made up of behaviors that are patterned after God.  When we love we show people who God is and what God does.

            Today, we look at how Paul closes out this “Love chapter” in verses 8-13:

            Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

            Here as Paul brings this section to completion he brings home the point.  It’s important to be gifted, to use your gifts and talents to serve in the Church and to serve God in the world, but as important as those gifts are, they are not the ultimate or final good, they are penultimate or next to last good.  To speak a prophetic word to exhort a congregation is important, to exercise the gift of speaking to the world in ways that are understood by people of different languages is valuable, and knowledge is a necessary good to a flourishing life and church, but all of these are penultimate good, not ultimate.  They will give way to the eternal, but love will outlast everything.  At the end of all things love for God is love.

            I’m getting older and I have some serious health challenges which remind me that I am a mortal person.  Unless Jesus Christ returns very soon I will one day join those who have gone to “sleep in the dust of the earth” (Daniel 12:2) awaiting the resurrection.  As I get closer to my personal end, I am more aware of that which is truly most important in life.  It’s not my accomplishments, it’s not how much money I’ve earned, at the end of the day what matters most is “Did I love?” Jesus summed up the entire teaching of God with 2 things: “Love God and Love others”.  Paul is adding more depth and clarity to what love looks like and what we all should aspire to be.  Every morning we should ask, “God, how can I love well today?” And at the end of the day ask “God, how well did I love today?”

Reflection Questions

  1.  When you hear the words “Love never ends” what comes to your mind?
  2. Why do you think Paul says that being loving is even more important than being gifted?
  3. When will you start to begin your days asking “God, how can I love well today?” And at the end of the day ask “God, how well did I love today?”

Pastor Jeff Fletcher

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Be Careful

Old Testament: Joshua 23 & 24

Poetry: Psalm 51

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 11

Today’s Old Testament reading of Joshua 23 and 24 provides such good closure and an excellent way to wrap up the week. A farewell address from a man who had helped lead the Israelites into the promised land, and reminiscent of some of the things Moses said at the end of his life to the same people.

As I read Joshua 23 a phrase jumped out at me that was used several times. “Be careful!” As a mother, an occasional babysitter, a friend, neighbor, wife, and occupational therapist, this phrase is……one I try to avoid. Well, unless used more like Joshua. We’ve all said it, and chances are if we’ve survived this far, we’ve all had it said to us. It pops out before we even have the chance to think sometimes. What else would you say when seeing someone……dangling from the top of the climbing rainbow at Camp Mack, driving back to college, hiking with middle-aged directionally-challenged individuals in the Upper Peninsula, climbing up the bookcase while drinking from a bottle, using a walker to get around while trying to carry a cat, or pretty much any of the very exciting choices made by my “sensory seekers” at work.

The thing is, the phrase “be careful” is super abstract and subjective, and it just has very little meaning in most cases if left hanging in the air as it often is before…..kaboom/crash/oops. Given it is often said to children with little to no abstract reasoning capabilities, or in the case of many of my friends of all ages who come to see me at work, those who may not be emotionally or cognitively able to process that abstract language at the time…..it is far more useful with something concrete attached. You won’t hear it much where I work, though I assure you we witness many choices which are the opposite of careful. Instead, you will hear things like….“keep both hands on the monkey bars”, “push up from the chair first, then place your hand on the walker”, or a fun conversation I got to have recently, “Do you think that was too rough, too light, or just right?”…… “I agree. Bikes are for riding. The balls are for throwing.”

It seems as Joshua was saying farewell, he wanted the Israelites alerted to potential concerns, but he left them with excellent concrete directions. In verse 6 they are told to be careful, but at the same time instructed to know and obey the Book of the Law of Moses, to not associate with pagan nations, and to “hold fast” to the LORD.  In verse 11 they are cautioned again to “be careful”, and instructed to love the LORD, to avoid intermarrying with pagan nations, throw away pagan gods, and serve the LORD alone.  One would think the Israelites must have known a bit themselves by now that they kind of struggled with these things historically, and they were certainly still in reach of potential corruption and distraction.  Joshua’s farewell address to them is a beautiful balance of cautious reminders and powerful directives laying out the choice they were given.  Joshua chose for himself as stated in verse 15, and the people answered with their choice that day in verse 18….again in 21….and again in 24. We have the same choice, and we are blessed to have such tremendous access to the Bible for the concrete foundation on which to establish our worldview. We also have so many resources, commentaries, and Christians surrounding us with the freedom to seek clarity for the things we don’t understand or might need help getting tightened up from abstract to concrete.

So many rights could be wronged, if we all did what the Israelites said they would do….

“And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

(Joshua 23: 24)

-Jennifer Hall

Questions:

If you tend toward being a “nervous Nellie” sort, or perhaps are just struggling with worry and being careful today, how could you redirect some of your attention to what you should be doing and who you should be trusting and serving?

If you might benefit from a few more cautious reminders in life or perhaps have some contamination from the world to throw away today, what can you extract from Joshua to apply to your life and mind?

What can you do right now to serve and obey the LORD?

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Creating Memory-Sparkers

OT: Joshua 4

Poetry: Psalm 46

NT: I Corinthians 1

As a history buff, I love touring historical monuments. Even pre-digital-selfie days, I would try to capture a film-based image of myself at national memorials and important sites to remember the adventure. When we’ve studied certain landmarks and events in our homeschool, I’ve proudly shared my visual memories with my (thoroughly unimpressed) children. I’m hoping they will be more impressed when we take them on a historical tour of the East Coast next month, but I’m already preparing myself to accept their inevitable apathy (while I have enough fun for the whole lot of us!). 

In Joshua chapter 4, we find the throng of Israelites having just completed the journey across the Jordan River (no simple task, especially at flood stage). What do you think was of first priority? Moving on to their destination? Getting a snack? Setting up camp for the night?

No, God had bigger plans – plans that might seem trivial to us, but that were much more important in the eternal perspective. He told Joshua to select twelve men (one from each tribe) to select a large stone from the river and bring it to their campsite for the night. They would then stack the stones near the river to build a monument representing the twelve tribes of Israel. “In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground. For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea… so that all the nations of the earth might know the power of the LORD and that you might fear the LORD your God forever.’” (Joshua 4:21-24, NLT)

God knew that the Israelites had a tendency to worship other gods and forget His faithfulness. With more challenging battles ahead, God wanted them to have a visual reminder of how He had provided for them in miraculous ways. Not only that, but He wanted the other nations to know the power of God! This monument served as a memory-sparker to help the Israelites pass down the legacy of their God to their children. 

As a parent, I know firsthand how easy it is to get caught up in the day and forget to share about God’s faithfulness. But God, who created children, surely knows that two of the favorite activities of children are 1) playing with rocks and 2) asking a bazillion questions, so a large and unavoidable monument made of rocks was the perfect reminder for parents to share with their children about God’s provision! But God didn’t want them to remember him only when they passed the monument; he wanted his people to remember him all of the time! 

Deuteronomy 6:4-9:  Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

That section of scripture contains the Great Shema, a major tenet of our faith. Don’t overlook the part about remembering God’s faithfulness! We are called to talk about God constantly throughout our day, remembering Him together from the time we get up until we go to bed and all the time in between. This can even be as simple as praying when we hear an ambulance or thanking God for lovely nature. 

We might feel inadequate for such an important task as helping those around us to remember God throughout the day, but remember the words of Paul from our reading in I Corinthians 1:27-29: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” Even Moses, the man chosen to lead God’s people out of slavery, insisted that he could not do it because of a stutter, among other excuses. (We all like to give excuses, don’t we?) But God used Moses in mighty ways, and He has plans for us too – if we will choose to remember his ways and live for him. 

-Rachel Cain

Reflection:
-What are your excuses for not doing some of the things God has asked you to do? Debunk those excuses and pray to God to soften your heart. 

-How can you help pass along the message of God’s faithfulness? What memory-sparkers would God like to see you create? How can you remember and speak of God and His faithfulness more throughout the day?

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Choose Life

*Old Testament Reading:  Deuteronomy 29-30 

*Poetry Reading:  Job 42

New Testament Reading:  Romans 10

 “Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” – Deuteronomy 30:19b (ESV)

In chapter 42, Job again responds to God.  He is humble, accepting that he cannot understand God nor His ways.  He repents for speaking about what he doesn’t understand.  He responds just as God wanted him to, in humility. 

Job’s friends first made their appearance in Job 2.  They “made an appointment together to come show him sympathy and comfort him” (Job 2:11b).  The first thing they did was an outward display of sharing his pain (wept, tore their robes, sprinkled dust on their heads).  Then they just sat with him.  In silence.  For seven days. 

If you’ve been reading along in Job, you have heard their advice.  Much of it sounds good.  Much of it would likely be great advice in a different situation.  Their focus was on what Job had done wrong to incur God’s wrath.  They couldn’t see any alternative to Job’s suffering.  Yet they gave up their silence and tried.  They did their best, but it turns out, they were wrong.  And God wasn’t about to let them get away with it. 

We’ve all been there….sitting (in person, via text, on social media, over the phone, etc.) with a suffering friend not knowing what to say.  Eventually, the silence drives us to speak.  Our desire to help is strong and pushes us to try to solve the problem, to figure out the “why” so they can fix it, or at least understand it.  Our hearts are in the right place.  I think Job’s friend’s hearts were in the right place, too.  They wanted to help. 

God says that His anger burns against them and that they haven’t spoken of Him what is right.  I don’t want to be in that place with God.  While He does offer them a way out – a way to repent – it is humbling, and likely even humiliating.  They thought they were offering good advice to their friend and now they have to humble themselves and ask him to pray for their misspeaking. 

What can we learn from this exchange?  First, reaching out to a friend who is suffering is good.  Sitting in silence is good, too.  But what I take away from this is that we need to seek God before we respond on His behalf.  Before we tell someone what God would have them do, we should ask God.  That can be in prayer or in reading His Word.  Someone once said that God will never contradict His Word, so whatever you “hear” him saying, cross-check it in the Bible. 

And a quick dip into Deuteronomy for some great thoughts to meditate on today…

Deuteronomy 29:18b-19a says, “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.”

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

I think Job chose life.  Even though he didn’t do anything really big to sin, God called him out on his attitude and words.  He didn’t bear poisonous and bitter fruit and he didn’t hold on to his stubborn heart.  He humbled himself. 

Amy Blanchard

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you know a friend who is suffering?  What can you do to help them?  Remember to start with asking God.
  2. Do you have a stubborn heart that thinks you’ll be safe from God’s wrath?  Consider what choice you are making – life or death, blessing or curse.  Remember that your choice not only determines if you will dwell in the land of God’s promise, it also affects those following you – don’t make it harder for them to choose life and blessing.
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It’s All Good Now

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 25 & 26

Poetry: Job 40

*New Testament: Romans 8

 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  – Romans 8:28 (ESV)

Of all the books of the Bible, Romans is my favorite. Chapter 8 may very well be my favorite chapter in the book for many reasons. It starts with the declaration that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and it ends with the encouraging reassurance that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God. In between, however, is a great life verse that provides comfort and hope regardless of your situation or circumstance.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

It is just as important to understand what is not said as it is to understand what is said. Paul does not say that all things are good but rather all things work together for good. It is often a matter of time and/or a change of perspective to see that the bad things that happen end up working for your good. I can speak specifically to that being the case. My salvation story depends on it.

On Easter Sunday in 1995 I was invited to come to church and help the men cook breakfast for the congregation. It was a tradition that had been going for a while and continues to this day at Pine Grove Bible Church. I was not a member or even a Christian at that time but as a former short order cook and someone who enjoys hanging around with other guys I agreed to come and help.

As a result of me driving in early to help cook, we had two vehicles at church and then two vehicles at my in-laws as we celebrated Easter dinner. When it was time to leave, my wife Amy and our two children were going to get in the car she was driving and I would get in mine to head home. I asked my almost 7-year-old son David if he wanted to ride with me and he said no. I told him we could beat mom home and he could ride in the front seat (this was pre-airbag times) and so he agreed to hop in with me. This was not a common occurrence as he often would sit in the middle of the back seat loosely buckled and leaning forward between the front bucket seats to entertain his incredibly crabby sister. As fate would have it, we made a stoplight that Amy and Stephanie did not, so we did indeed arrive home first.

I was busy unpacking the leftovers and Easter baskets (at that point we had the only two grandchildren, so it was always a bonanza for them) when I noticed a message blinking on the answering machine. It was Amy, calling from someone’s cell phone (very few people had them back then) letting me know that she had been in an accident and the car had flipped and she was very shaken up. I couldn’t hear Stephanie crying in the background (if any of you reading this were around at that time you know that she was always crying in the background) so I grabbed David and raced back to the accident site.

When I got there, I saw her mangled car in the ditch on its side facing the wrong way. I recall heading to the squad car and then desperately clinging to my 18-month-old daughter as tears ran down my face. I came to find out that a car traveling in the opposite direction had a blowout, lost control, and ended up hitting them almost head on. Thankfully, Amy was able to turn quickly enough to have the car hit her by the driver door, slide down the side to the rear wheel well where it caused the car to flip 180 degrees over and backwards. It was an Easter miracle that neither Amy nor Stephanie was seriously injured.

The accident was not good, in fact it was bad, very bad, as Amy still suffers neck pain as a result. But, given the ability to look back, I can honestly say that it worked for the good. I was working in a sales job where I was gone most nights and the realization that what mattered most to me could have been lost in the blink of an eye caused me to quit that job that next week. Wanting to spend more time with my family caused me to start attending church and Wednesday night Bible study and eventually I gave my life to Christ.

Now, nearly 29 years removed from that horrible accident I can see God’s hand working through all things, even accidents, for the good of those He has called according to his purposes. Trust in His timing, God is good!

Todd Blanchard

Reflection Questions

1. Can you identify a specific time in your life that seemed devastating at the time (i.e. job loss, death, relationship ending) but now you can see how it shaped you into who you are today?

2. Who do you know that is going through a tough time that you can share your story with?

3. How can you remind yourself to trust in God’s timing for your life?

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Why NOT Me?

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 23 & 24

*Poetry Reading:  Job 39

New Testament Reading:  Romans 7

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If you’ve been reading along in Job you have watched terrible tragedy come upon Job time after time.  You have seen his friends come to be with him.   You have heard those same friends accuse Job of sinning; all of their advice coming from the perspective that he needs to repent in order for God to end his punishment.  You have also heard Job defend himself, holding fast to his innocence.  He boldly tells his friends what he would do if God would answer him. 

  • 23:4-7:  I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me.  Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?   No; he would pay attention to me. There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
  • 31:35-37:  Oh, that I had one to hear me!  (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
        Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!   Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
        I would bind it on me as a crown; I would give him an account of all my steps; like a prince I would approach him.

Job 39 is part of a “rant” by God that puts Job in his place.  God first joins in the conversation between Job and his friends in Job 38:3, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.”  God repeats this in Job 40:7, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.” 

We will look at God’s reply and Job’s response in a couple of days.  Today, I want to focus on a few other thoughts. 

First, God is BIG and we are small. 

  • Omniscient – God is all-knowing – we are ignorant
  • Omnipotent – God is all-powerful – we are weak
  • Omnipresent – God is everywhere, all the time – we are limited

We need to keep these differences in mind at all times.  This is what allows us to fully trust in God and His plan for our lives. 

Second, we need to have a proper perspective of our lives on this earth. 

  •  2 Timothy 3:12a:  “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”
  • John 16:33:  “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Both of these verses are directed to those who are in Christ.  The Bible’s perspective is that we will face trials and persecution.  It is much more difficult to face those trials when we have the perspective that it shouldn’t happen to us.  Sin, evil, suffering – these are normal for this life.  They should be expected.  If we are in Christ, our perspective and expectations should be that these things should happen to us.

Having the right perspective of who we are compared to God and what expectations we should have regarding life in this age will help us trust God as we face whatever circumstances come our way. 

Amy Blanchard

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you accept that you are ignorant, weak, and limited….at least in comparison with God?  He wants us to depend on Him, to trust in Him, and to let His power be seen in us (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  To do this, we need to begin to see how great God is.
  2. I desire to live a godly life.  I am in Christ.  I still don’t want to be persecuted.  However, I am trying to accept that if I am living a godly life, I will face persecution.  Are you trusting God to bring you peace in your troubles? 
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By No Means!

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 21 & 22

Poetry: Job 38

New Testament: Romans 6

Today, we get to say hi to the same hypothetical objector that Paul seems to address in the first handful of chapters in the book of Romans.  Paul opens up chapter six with the question, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1 ESV).  He asks the same question in verse 15 as well.  In chapter 5, Paul talked about the great work that God and Jesus were able to accomplish through the cross.  The cross is only needed because of sin in the first place.  If there was no sin, then there would be no need for Jesus to die on the cross.  Therefore, in a sense, our sin led to the incredible, world-altering power that was experienced on the cross of Jesus.  Should we continue in that sin then to show the incredible power and grace of God?  Paul’s answer is quite clear both times this question is raised: “By no means!” (Romans 6:2,15). 

Paul goes on to talk about the baptized believer being united with Christ Jesus in his death and resurrection.  While being united with Jesus in his death, “our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin… Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,” (Romans 6:6,7,12).

We live in a broken world that is cursed and broken by sin.  It seems everywhere we turn we can see sin.  Since we live in a world that is broken by sin, sin is to be expected in the life of a Christian, right?  Well, that’s what many may expect, but that is not what Paul seems to indicate in chapter six.  Paul states on multiple occasions in chapter six that we are both set free from sin and that we are dead to sin.  This does not sound like someone who just expects a Christian to keep on with their sinful ways.  Paul expects the Christ follower to no longer be enslaved to the great enemy of sin.  Christ Jesus has set us free from that strong entanglement!

For too long, too many Christians have had a lax stance towards sin.  When we expect a Christian to continue in sin, I believe that we are belittling the work that was accomplished on that cross.  Before chapter 6, Paul has showed us that Christ’s death enabled us to experience forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation with God.  From my personal experience, these seem to be the central focus of the church when discussing the salvation that is offered to us through the cross.  However, it does not stop there.  Christ didn’t die just so that we could be forgiven of our sins; it’s bigger than that.  Christ didn’t die just so that we could be justified; it’s bigger than that.  Christ didn’t die just so that we could be reconciled to God; it’s bigger than that. 

I appreciate the work of Alva Huffer in his book Systematic Theology.  In his book, he details the “Seven Doctrines of Salvation”.  Huffer advocates for the fact that through Christ’s death, we have been saved seven-fold from the consequences of our sin.  On top of forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation, we also experience sanctification, adoption, redemption, and newness of life.  It is the newness of life that Paul describes here in chapter six.  Because Christ died, we can experience new life as Christians – a life that is free from sin and dead to sin.  As followers of Christ, let’s cherish this new life that we have access to.  Let’s show the world what it looks like to live a new life that is free and dead to sin!  That’s exactly what this world needs.

-Kyle McClain

Reflection Questions

  1. What does God’s grace mean to you?
  2. What is your stance on sin? And on sinners?
  3. Have you accepted the salvation God has made available through the death of His Son? If so, thank God for each of the seven doctrines of salvation! If not, what questions do you have?
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