Today’s reading is Acts 9:1-10:48.

“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean’” (Acts 10:28).

I should not call any person common of unclean. It doesn’t matter if they are black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, employee or employer, upper or lower class, southern or northern, Democrat or Republican, whatever or whatever else.

It doesn’t matter if their hair is painted green, if their pants are hanging low, if they have tattooes or nose rings. It doesn’t matter what they have done. They may have been idolaters, coveters, adulterers, or homosexuals.

Peter’s statement is not saying the person is holy. They need to be in Christ for that. The point is I must not believe that somehow I’m so good and someone else so bad that he can defile me by simply being near me. The point is I must not look down on anyone as if they cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus. I must not look down on anyone as if they need to be saved more than I do. I must not look down on anyone as if they are so bad I must not share the freeing message of Jesus with them.

I am so glad Peter learned this lesson, since I am a Gentile and not Jewish. I would be upset if anyone viewed me as common or unclean. I must not do the same for others.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20.

Today, Paul said I need to be like a nursing mother. In I Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul said, “But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

I am much more attuned to 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God…” I think I get the being like a father who coaches, teaches, tells and even directs. But being like a nursing mother, gentle, affectionate, sharing not only the gospel but sharing myself? That is not something I’m really up on. That sounds kind of girly.

I don’t have a tendency to want to share myself with others. I want to tell them what to do and send them on their way. But watch a mother with her nursing child. It is a slice out of the day. It is a burden. It is tiring. Yet, for love of the child a mother nurses her infant, accepting the burden, the sacrifice, the labor, giving herself to the child, not just giving direction and then shooing away.

If I will walk in the footsteps of Paul as a teacher, I will learn that my job is not merely that of the father, exhorting and directing, but also that of the mother, caring, nurturing, sacrificing, sharing.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Ephesians 1:1-2:22.

I love Ephesians. There are so many things that jump out at me as I read this book. These first two chapters are no exception. However, I’m only going to comment on two of them for the sake of your time.

First, I am really struck by Ephesians 1:15-16:

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers…

Paul gave thanks because of their faith in Jesus and their love toward the saints. Today, I need to work on both of those. I need to increase my faith in Jesus. I don’t need to increase His faith in me. I don’t need to spend my time trying to convince Him that He can trust me to always do what is right. I need to increase my faith in Him and through that, I’ll have the righteousness He gives. I also need to work on my love toward the saints. Again, I don’t need to focus on getting them to love me. I don’t need to walk around as a people pleaser trying to get them to like me or appreciate me. Instead, I need to work on genuine love and service. I need to work on treating others the way they want to be treated because it is right, not because they’ll like me for it. 

When I work on my faith in Jesus and my love toward the saints, then I become a person others can be thankful for.

Second, I am also struck by Ephesians 1:17-19:

…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might…

In Paul’s prayer, I learn what I need to be praying for me and for you. Neither of us have all wisdom and insight. Rather, I need to pray that we may be granted wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. We often wander in darkness and are so blind we don’t even know it. I need to pray that our hearts may be enlightened. Too often, we walk in despair. We get distracted by what is going on in the world and forget what Christ has done for us and what He is planning for us in the next. I need to pray that we may know the hope Christ is offering us that conquers our sadness and despair. We sometimes forget that this life isn’t really about this life. This life is not about having the best job, the biggest house, the nicest cars, the most comfortable clothes. This life is about what comes next. I need to pray that we can keep our eyes focused on the inheritance of true riches that Jesus has waiting for us. Sometimes, we begin to think it is not possible that we’ll make it. We mess up so much we just aren’t sure how God could possibly save us. I need to pray that we be kept by God’s power and also pray that we’ll know God’s power that we might have confidence in Him that we will make it, not because of our strength but because of His power. His power is so immense He raised Jesus from the dead and sat Him in the heavenly places above all things.

This needs to be my prayer today for both you and me. I hope you can join me in this prayer.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 15:1-16:31.

I am once again reminded of the compassion God has given me and of the compassion I need to have for others.

For a long time, I’ve been enamored with the concept of “tough love.” Basically, what I thought that meant was if someone made their own bed, they had to lie in it. Sure, if someone through no fault of their own had a hard time in some area, emotionally, mentally, physically, financially, spiritually, then I would be there to help them out of their tight spot. That is, of course, the loving thing to do. However, if their trouble was in their own doing, my job was to be like wisdom in Proverbs 1:26, and laugh at their calamity. 

But then here is this story about a father and two brothers. This prodigal made his bed. He demanded his inheritance before the time. He wasted it on profligate living. He destroyed his own life. He comes back to his father. Will the father show tough love? Will he tell the son to pull himself up by the bootstraps and get out of his own mess he so willingly made? Will he accepts the son’s idea of being a servant and working his way out of it? That’s kind of an intermediate idea. “You have to work your way out of it, but I’ll help you get a job.” No. The father does none of these things. The father just shows love. He accepts the son back as his son. He shows mercy and grace.

The older brother, on the other hand, is livid. He’s all for tough love. “This son of yours” he calls the brother. He doesn’t deserve this. But of course not. If he deserved it, it wouldn’t be mercy and grace, would it? “He made his own bed. If he had been more like me, this wouldn’t have happened.”

I get two things out of this. I’m reminded that I am the prodigal. I’m not the son who stayed with the father the whole time (though, I think the older brother was not being honest with himself when he tried to claim he had always done what the father wanted, but that is another post). I’m the son who went into the far country, looking for meaning and fulfillment elsewhere. However, I never found it. Instead, I found things that left me broken and empty. I was eating pods with the pigs. I too came back to the Father with the idea that I could somehow be His servant, earning my keep. Then perhaps someday I could work my way up and deserve His love again…maybe. But, instead of demanding I earn my keep, He brought out the fattened calf and celebrated with me. He put a robe on my back and a ring on my finger and, because of His love, declared me His son. Wow! I needed that.

The second thing is I need to recognize that same thing with others. I’m a returning prodigal who has been shown mercy, grace and love. How can I show anything less to the other returning prodigals? Of course, I should not enable anyone to live in sin or continue with prodigal living. I should not be a codependent rescuer. That would be participating in their sin (Ephesians 5:11). If we keep the phrase “tough love” to mean we stay lovingly detached from those who want to stay in their problems and establish boundaries for our continued aid, then okay. But withholding mercy, grace, and aid from those who penitently seek it is not tough love. It is not love at all. We’ve all made our beds. If our Father forced us to lie in them, where would we be? If we do the same to our fellow returning prodigals, where would they be? 

I am reminded of two things today. I have been shown great mercy. I need to also be merciful.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is 1 John 4:1-5:20.

I’ve heard and repeated 1 John 4:19 a bajillion times. “We love because he first loved us.” However, I guess I’m just a bit slow. This verse hit me just the other day as I was thinking about something and I couldn’t wait to get to today to share, though I’m sure you figured this out a long time ago.

I had seen what this verse said over and over again. But I had missed what it did not say. It did not say, “He loved because we first loved Him.” 

Do you see what that means? I don’t have to try to earn God’s love today. I don’t have to try to garner God’s love today. I don’t have to try to be really good so that God will love me today. 

In our human experiences, we’ve often learned that we have to do something to get others to love us. We have to pay something, go somewhere be something. We have to be rich. We have to be pretty. We have to be smart. We have to get the right job. We have to believe the right things. We have to score the winning touchdown, make the three point shot, hammer the grand slam. When we do these things people love us. Sadly, this often sends us down the wrong path. We think for people to love us, we have to be cool. We think to be cool, we have to do wrong things. 

If we could just get that we don’t have to win God’s love. God loves us. Don’t try to win God’s love today. Just rest in . Let it wash over you. Accept it. I know I’ve gotten it backwards. I felt like if I could just try harder, I might get God to love me. The problem was, I always failed and so I didn’t see God’s love for me. And then, I thought I might as well quit trying. However, when I understand that God saw every single failure I’d ever have and sent Jesus anyway because He loved me so much. I quit trying to win His love. I just accepted it. The more I know that He loves me, the more I love Him. 

I know that to some of us Christians this is going to seem counter-intuitive. We just can’t believe this. But, I’m telling you it is true. Biblical love for God is not offered up in hope that He’ll love us back. True biblical love for God is the result of coming to grips with the fact that God loves me already.

By the way, as a side note. One reason it is often so hard for folks to realize God loves them is because we can’t actually see God. We can’t feel Him holding us. God has placed other Christians down here to demonstrate that love. The sad problem is we Christians often make people try to earn our love. If we could learn to just love people no matter what, then perhaps they would see God’s love through us. When they see that, they might just start loving as well.

Today’s reading is John 3:1-4:54.

Before getting to today’s thoughts, let me say thanks with your patience as I had to take a sabbatical from this blog during most of November. I hope to stay with you all the way through December and get started again in January. I hope this daily look at God’s word is helping you as much as it is me.

Now, on to today’s thoughts.

What are you worth?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils our bodies are made up of the following chemicals and minerals:

• 65% Oxygen
• 18% Carbon
• 10% Hydrogen
• 3% Nitrogen
• 1.5% Calcium
• 1% Phosphorous
• 0.35% Potassium
• 0.25% Sulfur
• 0.15% Sodium
• 0.15% Chlorine
• 0.05% Magnesium
• 0.0004% Iron
•  0.00004% Iodine

Additionally, our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. When we add to that a study done by the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan about the value of your skin, we learn that to a metallurgist, interested only in the mineral make-up of your body, you are worth about $4.50 (http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/worth.asp).

However, to a black market body parts seller, you are worth a great deal more. Your heart would be worth $57,000, a kidney is worth $91,400, a lung would be worth $116,400. That however is nothing compared to your antibodies worth $7.3 million, your DNA worth $9.7 million and your bone marrow worth $23 million. All in all, in the human body chop shop you are worth about $45 million (http://soundmedicine.iu.edu/archive/2003/quiz/humanWorth.html). Of course, that is completely illegal and doesn’t do you much good because you have to die to get all that value out of your body.

We have heard all our lives what we are worth to people around us. Some of us heard, “You are worth a million bucks” from our parents and peers. Some of us heard, “You ain’t worth a plug nickel” from them. Sadly, this value was often presented to us based on how well we measured up to some standard they had developed for us. So, whether the message was positive or negative, many of us have a mistaken sense of our value. If you are like me, you know your performance doesn’t really measure up to how others view you; therefore many of us believe we simply aren’t worth much.

Today’s reading should obliterate that thought. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe in him should not perish but have eternal life.” I know it is easy to read that most popular of verses and gloss right over it. It is easy to think of ourselves as separate from that world that God loves. He loves the world, that is, He loves all those people out there. How could He love me? We need to reread this verse. God loved the world so much with us in it, that He gave His Son for us.

Understand this: God looked down at you and said, “You’re worth a Son to Me.” I don’t care what anyone else has ever said about your worth. God has said, “You’re worth a Son.” Rest in that today.

***Question: What do you do to find your sense of worth and value in God and not in the world around you?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. I admit, I cheated a bit. Today’s reading reminded me of a sermon I preached some time ago entitled “Worth a Son.” If you’d like to read or hear the whole sermon. Click here.

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:13.

The reading ends with, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” These encompass the greatest attributes by which we need to live.

We walk by faith and not by sight. Of course, this does not mean as atheists and agnostics would have us believe, that we walk contrary to reason and evidence. It simply means that we accept things based on evidence even when we haven’t seen them ourselves. When we walk by faith, we walk with our hand in God’s knowing that He will care for us.

We endure by hope. By our faith, we have earnest expectation of God’s enduring care for us. We are convicted that He will cause everything to work out for our good in the ultimate end. We understand that Jesus died to remove our sins and bring us to the resurrection in the end. We know that no matter what happens to us while we are on this earth, groaning for our adoption as sons, that God will bring us home.

We overcome by love. Because we love God we surrender to Him. Without love all our greatest works are really nothing. Of course, without love, we will rarely continue in God’s good works. Out of love we submit not because we want something in return but because God has already loved us. If we do all things great and small out of love for God, we will be drawn into His presence and protected by His peace that passes understanding.

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

***Question: How do you increase your faith, hope, and love?

Keep the faith, hope, and love; and keep reading.

ELC

Today’s reading is Romans 13:1-14:23.

I am wading into the muddy waters of Romans 14. I certainly don’t believe I have all the answers to all the questions that come out of this chapter and I don’t intend to try to answer them on this blog. However, Romans 14:19 caught my attention today.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

If we could follow this simple rule, so many things would be better and so much in congregations would run smoother. The problem is I don’t naturally want to pursue what makes for peace or mutual edification. I want to pursue what proves I’m right. I want to pursue what makes me look the best, the smartest, the strongest.  I assume if you are doing anything differently than I am that you are accusing me of something or, at the very least, claiming you are better than me. I can’t allow that. I have to prove I’m better than you.

Do I keep a day and you don’t? I have to prove why it is the right thing to do or at least the best judgment. Sure, not everyone has to do it. But if you don’t, you’re a loser. That attitude won’t produce much peace or edification, yet that is all too often the default attitude in my life.

I need to let this verse drill its way into my heart. I need this to be the default setting–peace and mutual upbuilding.

***Question: Why is it so hard to let this be the default setting? or How do you accomplish this as your default setting?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Luke 17:1-18:43.

In Luke 18:15, folks were bringing children, even infants, to have Jesus lay hands on them. The disciples just couldn’t imagine why that would be important at all. They began to rebuke the people. But Jesus took the situation in hand and explained that He had time for them.

In Luke 18:35-39, a blind beggar began to call out to Jesus. The crowd around him rebuked him and told him to be quiet. They just couldn’t imagine why Jesus would waste any time with that guy. But Jesus took the situation in hand and healed the beggar. Jesus had time for the beggar.

In Luke 18:18, a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked a question. Jesus, of course, had time for the rich young ruler, but what stands out is how nobody rebuked this man. The disciples, the crowds looked at this man as worthy to approach Jesus and ask questions.

How easy it is to look at these externals. How could God have time for little children? How could He have time for beggars? He’s got too much to do with the important people. Interestingly, it was the important one who went away grieved. Jesus had time for him, but he did not have time for Jesus–not really.

The take away for me is when I feel childish and beggarly, when I think I’m not worthy of God’s attention, I can be sure that God does not feel the same way. God has time for me. I can always go to Him and receive comfort and help.

***Question: What are some aspects of Jesus that make you thankful?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Luke 5:1-6:49.

In these posts, I often say something like, “I don’t know how many times I’ve read such and such and never seen this.” Well, today, I have to comment on something I’ve seen over and over again. This is something I’ve preached on, taught on, and used on my kids over and over again. But today it hit me in a practical way as if I was seeing it for the first time.

Luke 6:31-36 says:

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Oh, I’ve read this before. I’ve even written part of a book about the parallel passage in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. But today, it hit me where it hurts–my family.

I usually think about the extremes with this passage. I wonder if a person murdered my child could I love them. I try to say I will because God loved me even though my sins killed His Son. If someone stole my job or robbed my house, would I follow this passage? I say it would be difficult but I’ll try to bear up under it because I know that is the right answer. I feel for those who have actually had to face these things. Who knows, perhaps some day I may be tested on these.

But today, I thought about the issues I really do face. Let me give you just one example in just one relationship. Sadly, I can assure you this is not an isolated case.

I love my wife. She is wonderful. If you want me to name off the great blessings she is to me, I can do it easily. I often try to list the things I’m grateful for and just beneath “forgiveness in Jesus,” Marita always tops the list. But my family is no different from yours. Neither Marita nor I are perfect. We both sin, we both make mistakes, we both irritate each other. When Marita does things that bug the daylights out of me, this passage says something about how I should respond.

Here’s the typical Sunday morning. I like to leave at 8:00 so we can be at the assembly place 30 minutes early. I have things I need to get in order and then need to meet and greet folks as they arrive. Now, Marita, bless her heart (I’m allowed to say whatever I want about her now), doesn’t have a real grasp of time. I don’t care how much time she has to get ready, it will take her 10 to 15 minutes longer. Need to be ready in 10 minutes? She’ll be ready in 20. Need to be ready in 20? She’ll be ready in 30. Does she have a whole hour to get ready? She’ll be ready in an hour and a quarter. (By the way, all you women getting ready to jump to her defense talking about how she gets the kids ready–don’t go there. That is just not true in our house. The kids who need help getting ready are helped by me.) So, at 8:10, we are all sitting in the car, waiting for Marita. How do I act? It is not pretty.

I get hot under the collar. I make plans to just pull out of the driveway without her and then give her a tongue lashing when she acts upset about it. When she finally gets in the car, I give her dirty looks. I give her lectures. I’ve even developed a name for her that the whole family can call her–Pokemom. I’ll make sideways jabs to show my displeasure. I might bring up some other thing that bugs me. I’ll try to push her buttons so we can get a fight going and I can feel justified in really letting her have it. I’ll start behaving self-righteously as if I’m perfect because I was in the car first and waiting for her. Or maybe I’ll just give her the cold shoulder, isolating within myself and disconnecting with her because I want to punish her.

In short, I start treating her like she’s the enemy instead of the woman I’ve vowed to love, nourish, and cherish for as long as I live. Sure, I might be able to say, “Well, if she loved me, she would respect my desire to leave early.” I might say, “She’s supposed to do good to me all the days of her life (Proverbs 31:12). She should be out here when I need her out here.” I’m good at throwing Bible verses at her shortcomings. I’m sure if I tried hard enough, I could even make it look like she’s sinning by not being in the car when I want her to be. Then I can really blast her. But all this misses Jesus’ point, doesn’t it? 

Even if all the above were true, I’m supposed to love her and do good to her. I’m not supposed to shame her, berate her, belittle her, prompt the children to disrespect her, provoke her, humiliate her, or punish her. I’m supposed to treat her the way I want to be treated when I’m not perfect. But I rarely do.

Wow! If I’m not following Jesus’ advice with the person I’ve vowed to love, what makes me think I’ll follow it if someone really and truly did something really bad to me?

Just another reminder that I’m not as all that as I like to think.

***Question: When was a time you saw someone actually live this teaching, loving others even when they weren’t loved in return?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC