Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJV) 14  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Devotion:             Today, we meditate on the power of Christ’s love to save those who believe. Paul here is writing about how the love of Christ affects believers. He states that this love of Christ compels us. The word translated compels has a wide range of meanings in the original Greek. The most likely meaning, according to commentators, is compel, which means to put pressure on someone or something. God does not force Himself on us but gently but firmly moves us in the direction He wants us to go.             The remainder of the verses explain the direction Christ encourages us to move and how believers should react accordingly. Paul explains that Christ died for all believers. Therefore, all believer

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) 19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20  for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. Devotion:             In these two short verses, Paul tries to bring the Corinthians to some awareness of the state of their souls in Jesus Christ. If we have truly given our lives to the Lordship of Jesus, things will have to be different. Our 21st-century culture, even, or perhaps especially, our Christian subculture, misses the mark badly in this regard.             The chant “My body, my choice” rings loudly in the streets. Our culture has lost its way, and the church has done little, if anything, to correct its delusion. The church in many congregations congratulates herself on how much like the culture she has become. What used to be considered sinful is now celebrated. Those who do not tow the party line are cast out as hopeless deplorab

  Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7 (ESV) 4  I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4  There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7  But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Devotion:             This scripture is one of the most ambitious calls for unity in the writings of Paul. Apparently, the Ephesian church was under threat of division and schism. Paul loved the church dearly and was determined not to let such division occur under his watchful care. While the reason for the trouble in the Ephesian church is never explicitly spelled out, perhaps t

  Scripture: Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV) 44  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Devotion:             The double commands found in verse 44 above are the most difficult commands to obey in the Bible. They are counter-intuitive. The last thing any human wants to do to someone who hates us (with or without cause) is to show them Christlike love in return. Praying for the well-being of such a one is not a natural act. It is clear, however, from the Greek text that loving and praying for those we do not like is an imperative, a command, not a suggestion.             Since it is a command, we must find a way to accomplish it. The Lord’s commands are notoriously difficult for us humans to obey. One only needs to open the Bible to chapter 3 of Genesis to find that even when there was only one sin

  Scripture: John 14:26-27 (ESV) 26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Devotion:             These words of Jesus to his disciples in the upper room on the night He was betrayed convey a divine approach to peace. Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to Him, did not pray for strength, courage, or any other response that we might consider more appropriate, humanly speaking. When we humans face inevitable persecution and execution, our natural response would not be peace. Yet, Jesus exemplified peace under these conditions. How did He behave in this way?             First, Jesus had certain advantages that the disciples did not yet have. Jesus had the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit. His first discipl

Scripture: Romans 12:16-19a (ESV) 16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, Devotion:             Peace, what is it really? There are different definitions depending on the situation in which the word is being used. Peace can mean, in a military sense, the ceasing of combat. Peace, in a domestic sense, can mean something different. God’s peace is the reconciliation between God and humanity achieved through the cross by Jesus on our behalf. Humankind is so broken that we even resist this reconciliation and continue to fight among ourselves.             Paul recognized this fact when he wrote this letter to the Romans. Here, he details how to live peaceably with our fe

  Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18 (ESV) Be at peace among yourselves. 14  And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16  Rejoice always, 17  pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Devotion:             In writing these words, the Apostle Paul was aware of the condition of the church at Thessalonica. His first statement, “Be at peace among yourselves,” speaks to the condition of the human heart. There was no doubt about this first-century church's full range of human emotions and conditions. Jealousy, envy, laziness, anger, bitterness, all of the destructive emotions are unfortunately just as common among the people of God as they are shared among the non-believing public.             This is why Paul encourages believer

Scripture: Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV) 36  When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” Devotion:             These words of Jesus are a powerful call to action for the 21st-century church. The church in the West is shrinking both numerically and spiritually. Our lack of witness to the culture can be seen in the skyrocketing numbers of suicides among all age groups. Also, the number of our fellow citizens who are dying of accidental overdoses, particularly fentanyl and other “hard” drugs, is most concerning.             Just as Jesus looked on the people of His day with compassion, so should we look upon our situation and be filled with compassion. At this critical time in our nation’s history, we need more people willing

  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da

  Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV) 15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Devotion:             The Apostle John gives us some basic instructions about our relationship with the things of the world. A note of caution is in order here. John did not say hate the people of the world. John has already written in his gospel that “God so loved the world,” God loves those whom He has created to be His image bearers, and nothing can revoke that love. Satan and his angels currently administer this world system of governments and authorities. Therefore, that system is not to be loved.             The writer warns us that the systems of oppression and viole

Scripture: Proverbs 22:1-4 (NIV) A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. 2  Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. 3  The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. 4  Humility is the fear of the Lord ; its wages are riches and honor and life.   Devotion:                         The proverbs gathered above seemingly are disjointed. However, verse four sums up the other three nicely. As I have written before, it bears repeating here. Pride is the sin of the age. Certain kinds of pride are acceptable. Pride in a job well done, for example, is perfectly legitimate. However, this kind of pride is scarce these days. And the humility advocated in verse four is often looked down upon as a sign of weakness.                         The other verses offer their witness to wisdom. Verse one speaks of a good name as being desirable. On the oth

Scripture: Genesis 3:19 (ESV) 19           By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,                         till you return to the ground, for out of it, you were taken;                         for you are dust, and to dust, you shall return.   Devotion:             Today, we celebrate (if that’s the right word) two special days on our calendar. The Christian calendar marks Ash Wednesday; the secular calendar marks Valentine's Day. Ash Wednesday marks a day of great solemnity in which we mark our mortality on this earth. Believers go forward to receive ashes on their foreheads to mark the eventual end of their lives in these mortal bodies. Ash Wednesday is not a joyous time but a reverent one. Each person is contemplating the end of life.             On the other hand, Valentine's Day is a celebration of love. Although the day had its beginnings on the Christian Calendar as St. Valentine’s Day, somewhere along the line, it lost its sacred meaning for

  Scripture: Isaiah 1:18-20 (ESV) 18  “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord :        though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;        though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19      If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20      , but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”   Devotion:               In this brief selection from the beginning of Isaiah, we see God willing to reason with His people. This passage begins with a promise that no matter how bad our sins are, God plans to make them disappear. For Christians reading this passage, it seems to foreshadow the cross and resurrection. Under the old covenant, sins could never be dealt with permanently. New sacrifices were always required for new sins.               God, however, has ways of working that mere humans cannot comprehend. God looked upon the

Scripture: Matthew 5: 43-45 (NIV) 43  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Devotion:             Today’s scripture may be one of the most radical sayings of Jesus. Our polarized society is steeped in culture wars, which denigrate those who believe differently than ourselves. These words of Jesus appear hopelessly irrelevant. Everyone seems perfectly content to look down on and disparage those who disagree with them. This command of Jesus is rarely lived out. Furthermore, it is denigrated and made fun of when it is lived out. In light of all this negativity, what do we gain by loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us?             To answer this question, we must merely look at the following

  The Sign of the Fleece Scripture: Judges 6:36-40 (ESV) 36  Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37  behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38  And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39  Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground, let there be dew.” 40  And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. Devotion:             The Lord told Gideon he would give him victory over the forces of their enemy, Midian. Instead of taking the Lord at His word, Gideon proposes a tes

Scripture: Judges 6:25-27 (ESV) 25  That night, the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26  and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27  So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. Devotion:             Gideon has seen that it is indeed the Lord who is calling him to deliver Israel. In today’s scripture, we see the Lord giving an assignment to His new judge, Gideon. God does not stretch Gideon too much on the first assignment. God gives Gideon an assignment close to home and relatively safe. Still, Gideon's fears overpower him,

Scripture: Judges 6:13-14 (ESV) “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14  And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” Devotion:             Today’s scripture from the Book of Judges begins the call of Gideon to deliver God’s people from the power of the people of Midian. Raiders from Midian have made life miserable for the children of Israel. God wants to end His people’s suffering. He chooses Gideon to be His person for the job. Just like Moses, Gideon complains to the Lord that he is not wealthy or powerful enough for the task. God will have none of it.             Today, if you asked a man or woman on the street who Gideon was.  You will probably get a blank st