Author: BJ Armstrong

Luke 4:1-15

What is your relationship with grace?  For many believers, grace is the only reason we are here.  Here’s the process, “I screwed up, I asked God to forgive me and now I can get into heaven.  Thank God!”  If that sounds hollow to you, I want you to know that I agree.  In fact, as I reflect on my own life, I can see more places where I rely on God’s grace than I do his strength.  Is that OK?

When I think of God’s strength, I think of it as divine intervention.  This was true in college when I didn’t study for the test.  I’d say a quick prayer for intervention, asking for him to guide my pen and to give me the wisdom to write down the right answers.  Funny, I don’t recall a single time that it worked.  Why not?  Because that is not how God typically delivers his strength.  If we want to be spiritually tough, we have to develop it.  Just like a muscle.

Athletes know how to develop muscles.  At the basic level, it’s consistent training.  What if you want to be an Olympic athlete?  I think we all have an idea of the training and commitment it takes to compete at this level.  There is one thing we can be 100% certain of.  Not even one of this year’s Olympic athletes decided not to train.  In other words, they did not rely on luck or the natural talent that they were born with.  Instead, they trained with all of their heart in order to build confidence and endurance with the intention of victory.  This works for our spiritual fitness too.

I don’t know of a better example of spiritual confidence, endurance and victory than Luke 4:1-15.  You know the story.  Jesus has been in the wilderness for 40 days.  He’s hungry.  He’s tired.  He’s been continually harassed by the Devil.  This is where it gets interesting.  Jesus does not ask for relief like I would.  In fact, he shows no sign of weakness.  There is no indication of breakdown.  Instead, he is confident in what he believes.   Jesus skillfully deflects the devil’s temptation with memorized scripture (v4).  But it does not end there.  Jesus’ training is proven again in verse 8 when he successfully navigates the devil’s false promise, being confident in the better possession that God had already promised.

There is victory at the end of this story.  No, it did not come from a lightning bolt or a clap of thunder.  It came from Jesus’ spiritual toughness.  He was a spiritual Olympian.  His hard-fought victory came from his spiritual strength.  He trained for this.  In fact, it’s in his training and preparation that I see the miracle.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still in need of grace.  This grace lives in God’s charge and promises that he will never leave us, nor will he forsake us

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”  Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

1 John 4

Do you have a rival?  A nemesis?  Someone that always gets under your skin?  A person that elevates your blood pressure when they walk in the room?  Rivalries are nothing new.  You may remember a few famous ones.  How about the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s?  Or, Hamilton and Burr?  Maybe Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan are more in your era.  Perhaps it’s Apple vs Microsoft, or Nike and Adidas?

Think more about rivalries.  Are they good, or are they bad?  It’s funny, I’ve been taught both.  Clearly, rivalries that end in death like Alexander Hamilton or injury like Nancy Kerrigan are horrible.  But what about Apple and Microsoft?  Common wisdom suggests that rivalries are good things.  That this rival person or organization will drive us to greater achievement when we channel the competitive energy.

OK, I see the logic in that.  But, there is a problem.  Who’s side is God on?  I mean, if God is for us – each of us – how does he choose between Alexander Hamilton or Aaron Burr?  Who should win?

To answer that question, we need more direction.  It is no mistake that 1 John 4 has one major theme: Love.  Think about it.  What happened when Jesus’ rivals challenged him?  How did he respond?  He loved them.   You remember their response.  They hated him more.  In turn, he loved them more deeply.

This is the crazy part.  Seriously, think about someone who hates you.  It makes no sense to love them back.  None!  Unless, of course, you have the heart of Jesus.  You see, Jesus did not love them back for who they are, but for who they might become.  He knew that giving his love would open up the possibility – no matter how unlikely – that they would also find love in their hearts.  That they would live.  For Jesus, that is all that mattered.  He loved them so deeply, in fact, that he gave up everything he had – his very life – so that they might live (1 John 4:10).

So, what am I to do with my rivalries?  Love them.  Unconditionally.  Lay down my sword and take up my cross so that they too might live wholly, and holy.

John 11

Why is our culture is so enamored with zombies?  Our TVs and iPads are filled with images of them creeping and slinking their way to our front door.  This reality has an influence on the way that I interpret scripture.  It became clear to me as I read about Lazarus today in John 11. As you know, in this passage, Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead.   How do you interpret that?  For me, Lazarus is undead.  Just like a zombie.

In John 11:43, we learn about Lazarus walking out of the tomb, still wrapped in burial cloths.  We hear Jesus instructing Martha and her sister, to “unbind him, and let him go.”  Do you hear zombie?  I do.  My full picture of Lazarus is less than human.  I imagine him pale and sickly, weakened by death.  A shadow of his old life.  He probably staggers as he walks and talks with a slur.  This, after all, is what zombies do.  But, I reason, since Jesus was involved, Lazarus was a good zombie. So, what does a good zombie do?  He follows Jesus around like a puppy dog, catering to his every whim and enjoying the scraps from his table.  Can’t you just hear Jesus, his owner, as they walk down a crowded street?  “Lazarus, come on, what are you sniffing at back there?!”

I hope you hear my sarcasm.   None of that is true of Lazarus.  How do I know?  There are two ways.  First, we know that Jesus does not give life half-heartedly.  He gives it to the “full” (John 10:10).   Second Lazarus’ actions prove that he is not undead, but fully living.  Looking forward into John 12, Lazarus was out, among the people, presenting himself in a way that was irresistible.  I picture him bounding through the streets, singing, dancing, and rejoicing.  Filled with life!  How do we know that?  Because “many people came to Jesus because of him” (John 12:11).  Now, would these people have been attracted to a zombie?  Of course not.  People are not attracted to the undead, they want to be like the living.

What about us?  Unfortunately, too many of us are living the “Christian life.”   We are shadows of our former selves, unable to have fun, take risks, and engage the world.  Jesus has become our ticket to heaven, our get-out-of-jail-free card.  That is not living.  It is undead.  Yes, Jesus invites us to die, just like Lazarus, but remember that his invitation is not focused on death.  It is about re-birth.  Done faithfully, Jesus transforms us into His glory, His likeness.  Irresistible.  Just like Lazarus.

 

John 12:20-36

“Now, my soul is troubled” (Luke 22:27).  This is what Jesus says when confronted with the reality of his life.  The time had come.  The words seem benign as I read them, but they were not.  A troubled soul is filled with turmoil.  Fear, anxiety, even anger fill your body.  It shows physically.  Your heart rate elevates, perspiration is visible, and your body shakes.  In this, most extreme case, Jesus sweat blood! (Luke 22:44).  In this moment, Jesus had two options.  Save himself or glorify God.

You already know what Jesus’ choice was.  The real question is what will your choice be when your soul is troubled?  One option is to tell God, “save me.”  This way, I don’t have to endure the pain.  I can shrink to my comfortable existence, relaxing on the couch watching Netflix.

Make no mistake, God will give you what you ask for.

Instead, what happens if we tell God, “Father, glorify your name?”  (John 12;28).  It’s interesting when I think about it.  That simple phrase releases all the tension.  Not because the situation suddenly resolves, but because it now has a purpose.  A purpose that supersedes my selfish desire and builds up all of mankind.  A purpose that usurps my comfort and expands God’s love.

Make no mistake, God will give you what you ask for.

Luke 8:40-56

Our culture celebrates intensity.  It’s a description of having great energy, strength, and concentration.  Most of the time, I pride myself on being intense.  That’s true at work and in the pool.  To win in either of those environments, intensity is required.  It keeps me from being distracted and allows me to achieve my goals.  At least, that’s what I thought.

Not long ago, I was confronted by a co-worker.  She pulled me aside and asked, “Is everything ok?”  “yes,” I responded. “I am doing great.  Why do you ask?”  “you just don’t seem like yourself lately.”

What happened? I was trying to focus.  I saw my big goal slipping away and the year was almost over.  I dove headlong into intensity.

Today, we have an opportunity to compare my story to Jesus.   In Luke 8:40-56,  Jesus is approached by a man named Jairus.  His daughter is dying.  Hearing this, Jesus agreed to go home with him and heal his daughter.  Now, don’t forget, this girl is dying.  This is an emergency!  Call the ambulance, clear the way and get there fast!  This requires intensity.

As Jesus and Jairus head off to save the girl, Jesus gets hung up.  Not because someone is holding him back, but because he wants to find someone?  Seriously, Jesus halts all forward progress saying, “who touched me” (v45).  At that moment, she is the only thing that matters.  Everything else can wait.  Even a dying daughter.

My first impulse is to think that Jesus stopped to heal the woman, but he did not.  She was already healed.  Verse 44 makes it clear that her healing was immediate.  So, what gives?   If the woman was already healed, wasn’t his work with her already done?  Why would Jesus break his focus here?  He didn’t.  His focus was and will always be the same.

I falsely assumed that Jesus’ goal was to get things done.  That is wrong.  Jesus doesn’t care about what gets done.  He cares about life.  That means that he would never let someone go unnoticed and unloved.

I wonder what the world will look like when change our goals to be like Jesus.  What will happen when we decide to see others?  What will their world become when we choose to stop and love them?  It’s time to stop and see.

“I’d rather be lucky, than good.”   Have you ever heard that phrase?  I am reminded of it when I read today’s Bible passage.  In it, there are two stories that you have probably read before.  The first tells of the Centurion and his great faith.  I think he was “good.”  The second, tells of Jesus’ encounter with a widow during a funeral procession.  I put her in the “lucky” category.

Luke 7:1-10

This is the story of the Centurion.  Knowing that Jesus’ physical presence was not necessary to heal his slave, he asks Jesus to “say the word, and my servant will be healed.”  Upon hearing this, “Jesus marveled” at his faith (v9).

Reading this story, I question my own faith.  Do I have as much faith as the Centurion?  The Bible tells us that with the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).  I want that kind of faith.  But, where does it come from?  How do I get it?  To help answer those questions, let’s look at the second part of today’s reading.

Luke 7:11-17

In this story, Jesus comes across a funeral procession.  When he saw the Widow, Luke witnesses Jesus’ compassion.  According to him, Jesus “overflowed with compassion” (v13, NLT).  Now, think about this widow.  Jesus did not know her, nor did she go about soliciting his healing.  No, this was a chance encounter. This is why I call her lucky.  Effectively, she did nothing to earn or deserve the compassion that Christ showed.  Nothing.

So how about you?  Would you rather be lucky than good?  Truth is, we are all lucky.  Jesus comes to us, first.  Just like the widow, he looks upon us with love and compassion.  From there, he will do whatever it takes to give us life.  Even, if that means giving up his own life.  Even if it means intolerable suffering.  Do you accept it?  Ironically, this is where faith comes in.  Our acceptance of this gift is all it takes.  So first we are lucky, then Jesus makes us good.

Romans 3:19-31

I recently read a book called Reality Based Leadership.  It is a worthwhile book and I highly recommend it.  But, there is a catch.  You will discover problems with your leadership.  In fact, as I scroll through my highlights and the notes, this book reveals what a lousy leader I have been.  Worse yet, it becomes a forecast for the leader I will be unless I make some serious changes.  So, I press into 2022 with a renewed commitment.  I will, from now on, follow the guidelines and leadership rules so expertly laid out in this book.  I will, forever more, try harder.  Once I get this right, I will be worthy to lead.  Right?

Wrong!  There is one major problem with my commentary above; ME.  That’s right, I am the problem.  While I may be able to fix one or two of my shortcomings, something else will surface.  My imperfections will always be part of my leadership.  So, how will I ever be worthy to lead?

Clearly, this is a weak parallel to God’s law, but hopefully you see it.  Romans 19 reminds us that God created the law so that every man could be held accountable.

“Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.” Romans 3:19 (NLT)

In other words, we get a set of rules so that we know what is right and what is wrong. But, there is a huge problem: ME!  You see, no matter how hard I try, or how many times I commit, there is no way to get it right.  I will always screw it up, I will always cross the line.  It’s in my nature.

Once we understand this premise of being imperfect, we have another problem accountability.  This is the reckoning.  The list of every infraction in thought and deed.  The Law, therefore, is great at helping us see where we messed up, but it does absolutely nothing to make things right.

No one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Romans 3:20 (NLT)

I don’t know about you, but this is where I begin to feel guilty.  Alongside guilt comes the fear of revenge and retribution.  Just like my book on leadership, I have nowhere to turn!

This is why God brought us Jesus.  To stand in my place.  To be accountable for me.  He lovingly accepts all the wrongs and mistreatments that I have doled out by standing in my place.  He pays all the debts that I have incurred so that I can be presented holy and righteous to God.  He and he alone makes me worthy.

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24 (NLT)

Justified and worthy.  What better way to start a new year?

Revelation 2, 3

Judgment.  That’s what makes the book of Revelation so terrifying.  I am horrified to think I may land on the wrong side of God’s judgment.  To make matters worse, Revelation is the end. Time has run out and there are no more second chances.  Today, however, there is time.  This is true also for the seven churches in Ephesus we read about in the book of Revelation 2 and 3.

The purpose of Revelation is not to strike fear into our hearts.  Jesus didn’t work that way.  Jesus was all about joy.  Remember John 15:11?  Jesus tells us that he came so that we may have joy and have it “to the full.”  So, how does his conversation with the seven churches of Ephesus relate to joy?  It’s all about victory.  Let’s take a closer look.

For each of the seven churches, Jesus notes three things; the condition of their heart, the consequences of their actions, and the benefit of their repentance.

Look at each of these:

Church	Heart Condition	Remedy	To the one who conquers…
Ephesus	Hard work and patient endurance, but not like when you first believed	Turn back to me and do the works you did at first	I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise
Smyrna	You suffer and live in poverty but you are rich	Don’t be afraid	Will not be harmed by the second death
Pergamum	You are loyal, but tolerate…	Repent	I will give some manna that has been hidden away in heaven – and a white stone
Thyatira	Love faith service and patient endurance	Repent – hold tightly to what you have until I come	I will give authority over all the nations
Sardis	Reputation for being alive but are dead	You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead – Wake Up!	Will be clothed in white, I will never erase their name from the book of life, but I will announce that they are mine
Philadelphia	Obedient	I will open a door for you that no one can close	Will become pillars in the temple of God and never have to leave it
Laodecia	Lukewarm	I will spit you out of my mouth	Will sit with me on the throne

The chart details Jesus’ judgment of each church.  He effectively calls them out for how they fall short of his perfection.  But, remember, this is not about judgment, it is about victory.  Jesus wants us to conquer our weaknesses.  He is encouraging us to have faith so that we can be victorious.  So that we can win!

Hebrews 11

What would you do if you knew that you could not fail?  The question is designed to evaluate your faith.  It is a hearty challenge that requires us to stop and define why we could not fail.  Consider the definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1.   It says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”   If we have faith, we will act.  We will act assuredly of the things in which we hope.  More than that, our actions are driven by our full conviction of the Truth.  So, as long as we have faith, we cannot fail.

So, what would you do if you could not fail?  The truth is that I am afraid to answer the question.  When I attempt to, I see that I think way too small.  Consider the examples Paul uses in Hebrews 11.  He calls out Abel’s offering, Enoch’s cheating death, Noah and his ark, Abraham sacrifices Isaac, Jacob traveling to foreign lands, Sarah and her baby, Joseph takes over Egypt, Rahab welcomed spies, Gideon won the battle, Barak conquered Sisera, Samson massacred an entire army of Philistines, Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, David became the king, Samuel prophesied for all of Israel, and all the prophets, well, you get the idea.  This is a list of the faithful.  This is what the faithful do.

So, what would I do if I knew I could not fail?  Apparently, I would do what I am doing now. Unfortunately, doing what I am already doing doesn’t get close to the life that God created for me.  That’s true for you too. Sadly, few of us ever determine to become the creatures of infinite joy that God created us to be.  Why not?  I find an interesting answer from C.S. Lewis.  He says,

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

It is time that we ask God, directly, what we are missing.  We need not be afraid of the answer.  Do you know why?   The truth is that you cannot fail.  You cannot fail because you have already won.  Jesus paid for this victory on the cross.  All we have to do is claim the victory and relish in His glorious celebration.

 

Lewis, C. S.. Weight of Glory (Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis) (p. 27). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Colossians 4, 1 Thesalonians 1 & 2

Imagine for a minute that you are locked up in prison.  Considering your immediate surroundings, how do you feel?  I imagine that missing people would be at the top of the list.  You might also include some of the conveniences of home.  For sure, I would be thinking about food.  But, all of that leaves something short and prison has a way of taking it from people.  That something is purpose.

When was the last time you considered your purpose in this world?  Now, that might be too heavy of a topic to conquer today, so let’s water it down a bit.  Think about the last week, or so, of your life and tell me, what defines you?  For me, it’s work.   Now before you freak out judging me, know that my life’s work is not all about greed and conquest.  I get to do some really good things with really good people and I find it incredibly rewarding.  But, there is a catch.

Go back with me to being locked up in prison.  How many of us would be begging to get out so that we can get back to work?  I mean really.  Would I pray, “God get me out of here so that I can help people find a better house?”  Not likely.

I had this conversation with myself as I read through the first section of Colossians 4.  Remember, Paul is in prison.  What is he thinking about?  He is thinking about living his purpose, no matter what. Listen to his request in verse 3. “pray for us, that may give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ.”  Do you find anything interesting about that request?

Think about it.  Paul is in prison but doesn’t pray for his own freedom.  He doesn’t even disguise it.  My prayer would be “set me free so that I can…”.  That’s not Paul.  Paul knows that his own welfare is irrelevant for God. Instead, Paul wants people to hear about Jesus.  That’s it.  Whatever it takes.   Yes, even if that means he stays in prison.  That’s what defines him.

Of course, we are not in prison, we are free.  Problem is that we have confused our calling.  When we think of opportunities, we get excited about the prospect of more time, more money, and more status.  Until we, like Paul, understand that opportunities open the door to sharing Christ, we will always miss them.