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Today’s Reading: Psalms 27

As we get older, time seems to go faster and faster. 

We just celebrated Halloween a couple days ago and it feels like two weeks ago was the beginning of the year. 

This realization has shown me that we are moving quickly in time. It also shows the realization that we have this beautiful gift of life as a limited engagement. We know that at one point in time, we will leave this body, but the time and place is uncertain. What do we do in the final time that we are given?

Over the past couple weeks, I had a great opportunity to connect with some younger individuals. Last week, I had the privilege to host a pharmacy student for a week.  During this week, we connected and formed a great  professional relationship. At the end of the week, the student stated that this was one of the most influential times that she has had during her time in graduate school. She learned more in a week with me than in the last several months in school. When she left, she was saddened but at the same time excited about this new relationship that we have created to help her in our future studies.

This past week, I also had the honor to speak to some scholars at a monthly meeting. The presentation  was about an hour.  During this time I gave them a glimpse of my past and what God has done for me over the years from childhood up until now. I thought that the information would be not received, and that my experiences would not help or shape these individuals. But I received feedback that those brief minutes that we had together actually were very impactful.

These are some examples of how a finite set of time may seem somewhat insignificant to us at the moment , but these moments you share and engage with others can have a lasting impact on them. 

In todays reading of Psalms 27,  David states “I’m asking GOD for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬

David is saying that we are going to  be here for a finite  period of time. David also understands that the one thing that will be impactful for him is to be in God‘s presence. No matter how much we are busy with everything else if we take time to be in God‘s presence for any amount of time, this limited engagement will be so much more impactful to us.

We are given limited engagements every day. These limited engagements can change us and change others without us really understanding the true impact. When we are given these opportunities, we need to allow God to work in us to show his goodness. We do not know if that  connection with us will be their last connection ever. We do not know if that connection with that person may create a spark that will grow for generations. We know that we have a finite time.

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

David even shows that he knows his time will be limited. We cannot live on this earth forever. During the time that we have let us be an inspiration during this limited engagement.

1 John 1

The short of it.  God is REAL!

The disciple John wrote this as an older man, likely in the first century, to the churches he cared about.  His writing here can be perceived as push back to the teachings in other churches at the time who were spreading a couple different ideas.

1. Jesus wasn’t really a flesh and blood human
2. What you do with your body doesn’t matter if you have the right “spiritual knowledge”

Three takeaways from the reading –

1. Christianity isn’t built on good philosophy. It lays on eyewitness testimony about a real person.  John’s writing is essentially him saying, ‘here’s my receipts’.
2. Faith and lifestyle aren’t separate boxes. Walking ‘in the light’ means no secrets.  Instead, it means to live transparently with nothing your trying to hide.
3. The goal isn’t to pretend to be perfect. It’s to be honest.  Confession isn’t begging. It’s agreeing with God about what’s true, and then receiving the forgiveness he’s already promised.

John isn’t passing along rumors about Jesus he heard online.  He heard Jesus talk.  He saw Him with his own eyes.  He touched Him.  Just being able to share that with people gave John the truest sense of joy.

God is COMPLETELY good.  There is no shady side to Him, no agenda, no darkness.  So, if you know someone who says that they are ‘close with God’ but are living 2 separate lives, they are simply not being honest.  But if we live openly and honestly, the way God is, then we can have real fellowship with each other, and Jesus’ sacrifice keeps us clean.

If we say and believe we don’t live in sin, we are absolutely kidding ourselves, and everyone else can see it.  But if we are upfront and admit it, God is faithful and fair.  He forgives us and makes up entirely clean.  If anyone insists they have never done anything wrong, they are basically calling God a liar and showing his message hasn’t really sunk into them.

Here comes a shocker to all….sometimes I act one way at home and turn around and act a little bit different out in the world.  Guilty.  And the crazy thing, I know I am doing it when I am doing it.  AND, it is always one of the first things I ask God to forgive me for every night.

To be thankful to Him is an understatement when we acknowledge that we simply aren’t a perfect person and in no way are we ever going to be.   Obviously, this doesn’t give any of us free reign to do as we please and ask for forgiveness later, but it certainly feels amazing to have a relationship with someone who loves and forgives us no matter what mistakes we can make on this earth.

God, You are light, You are faithful.  Help me walk honestly with You and thank You for the forgiveness I don’t have to earn.

2 Thessalonians 2

This chapter is one of the few places in scripture that we see reference to a world leader in the end times. This individual has a few titles: son of perdition, the lawless one, the Antichrist, the man of sin, the little horn, and the beast. This individual will receive his power, authority, and dominion from Satan (Rev. 13; 2 Thess. 2:9). This man will convince the world to come together in unity and will likely bring peace to the middle east by some agreement or covenant (Dan. 9:27). He will rule over the earth for two sets of three and a half years (Dan. 9:27). The first three and a half years will be somewhat peaceful and liveable. The second three and a half years will be devastating. The switch is marked by an event called the abomination of desolation (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4). The Antichrist will exalt himself as God in the temple and stop offerings and sacrifices. After this, he demands worship or his statue image will kill you (Rev. 13:15). There is more to say about the antichrist and the endtimes, but there isn’t enough time here.

What is important in our context is the church at Thessalonica thought they were already in the tribulation. Paul is reassuring these people they didn’t miss Jesus. A few things have to happen first: the falling away or apostacy, the Antichrist needs to be revealed, and the Holy Spirit within the Church taken away. There are two ways to look at the apostacy. The first is that there will people who fall away from the Truth and forsake their salvation or there will be a falling away of Truth. I personally believe that restraining force is the Holy Spirit at work within the Church pushing evil back. The people of God are referred to as light that exposes darkness and salt that preserves righteousness. We don’t do this of ourselves, it’s by the power of the Holy Spirit. I think the restrainer being taken away is in alignment with a pretribulation rapture view among other lines of reasoning. What we do know for sure is that Jesus wins in the end! Jesus will come back and destroy the antichrist and all rebellious souls and spirits (Dan. 7:13-14; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:11-21, Matt. 24:29-31).

Paul ends a rather bleak chapter about the end of the world with some amazing truths for the believer. You were chosen at the beginning. Before the world was created, God chose you, yet you still acted freely and chose to believe in the Truth (2 Thess. 2:13). How amazing is our God. It is because you are a Christian that you must stand fast and remain in the True Doctrine of Jesus Christ.  Beware of proggressive Christianity that changes doctrine to fit their lifestyle and their beliefs. May we be a  Church that is sold out for True Doctrine, pushing back evil until Jesus meets us in the sky!

Today’s Reading: Colossians 3

Groceries 

• Milk 
• Bread
• Eggs 
• Apple sauce 
• Bacon

To Do List 

• Clean the house
• Wash the car
• Now the lawn
• Pick up the dry cleaning 

Bills

• Water 
• Gas 
• Electric 
• Car Payment 

Paul’s lists

• Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: 
  • sexual immorality, 
  • impurity, 
  • passion, 
  • evil desire, and 
  • covetousness, which is idolatry. 
• But now you must put them all away: 
  • anger, 
  • wrath, 
  • malice, 
  • slander,
  • obscene talk from your mouth. 
• Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, 
  • holy and beloved, 
  • compassionate hearts, 
  • kindness, 
  • humility, 
  • meekness
  • patience, 
  • bearing with one another ,
  • forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you

Lists are some of the groupings that we jot down on a daily basis. Many times we use lists to organize our thoughts so that we can become more efficient and effective.  Sometimes we have lists to give us direction or to make priorities for the many ideas that we have in our head.

Over the last several years, I have become a list maker. I jot things down to free up my mind so that I can focus on other things, but not forgetting small ideas. I got this habit from one of my mentors. He always kept a piece of paper and a pen handy, and when he had a new thought, he would jot it down. 

One of the downfalls about lists is you can keep writing perpetually without ever crossing anything off. Other times, the list can just become stagnant and you keep repeating the same things over and over.

In this chapter of Colossians, Paul has several lists that he is showing the church of Colossae  what to be watchful for and to protect themselves. The people of Colossae  were dealing with many things of their old life and it was in conflict with the new Way of living for others and not for self.  In these verses, Paul is telling us what to look out for. Paul also is showing us how to be better people.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. …

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬, ‭8‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Many times we can get lost in our lists, trying to check off the right things and avoid the wrong things that, we forget that God is at the center of it all. Paul also shows us in this chapter that no matter what we do if we do not do it with love and for God it’s not going to work.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. …

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭15‬, ‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬  (Paraphrased : Do your work as if it was for God and not man) 

The main thing is to remember loving each other the way God loves us. When we start to take ourselves out of the equation and put God in the equation. That’s when we can truly understand how to live the way Paul tells us with kindness and meekness and bearing each other up. Not focusing on ourselves with our lust, sexual immorality, impurity, anger, and wrath. This selflessness is not an easy thing to do, but with God all things are possible. 

When we acknowledge God and know that love is connecting us together with others then we can have peace, shalom (the filling of the void that we all have).

 

Galatians 1

We hear much about what makes a leader credible. Experience and results often top the list. But do those alone make someone trustworthy and believable?

Paul points to a different foundation. His appointment came from Jesus Christ, whose grace reached him despite his past.

Because of Christ’s shed blood, Paul was forgiven. Because of His resurrection, Paul was given new life. Now he proclaimed the very name he once persecuted.

His past had not earned him this appointment. Neither had it prevented Jesus from calling him.

We, too, can allow our failures to silence us. We question whether we have anything worth saying or anything worth offering. But God calls us to bear witness to the grace we have received.

Our confidence begins with the One who calls us.

1 Corinthians 13

I know we have all heard part of this chapter at many of the weddings we have been to, or maybe even had someone read it at your own wedding.  That is great!  But I don’t believe that’s what it was always intended for.

Paul wrote this to a church in Corinth that was competitive and full of itself.  People who were showing off their spiritual gifts and ranking each other.  These people were missing the point, entirely.

Paul writes:

• If I could speak every language on earth, but don’t have love, I am just making noise
• If I had every answer and faith strong enough to move mountains, but no love, I’m nothing
• If I gave away everything I owned and sacrificed my life, all without love, I gain nothing

In other words…talent, generosity, and devotion do not count if they are about yourself.  Love is what gives everything else its value.

Love is:

Patient – it doesn’t rush people or put a stopwatch on their growth

Kind – it looks for ways to make someone’s day better

Love is not:

Jealous or boastful – doesn’t celebrate someone else’s win with only yourself in mind or keeps the spotlight on just you

Irritable – it has manners at all times

Demanding – does not keep score or expect something in return

A record keeper – doesn’t save receipts for a later argument

A quitter – it has your back, assumes the best, and never gives up on you

Love isn’t a feeling.  It is a set of choices you make, especially when it is inconvenient.

Your résumé, your knowledge, your reputation all have an expiration date.  How you loved people is the thing that lasts forever.  You can be gifted, smart, and generous, but if you aren’t patient, kind, humble and forgiving with people, you’ve missed the whole thing.

Verse 13 always says it best. If you read it to yourself and you are like me at all, you repeat it in your head like only Alan Jackson could, maybe with a tear in eye, “Faith, Hope and Love are some good things He gave us, and the greatest is LOVE”.