2 Thessalonians 2-3 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:18.

“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:13-15).

Nothing is much more discouraging than seeing brethren who disregard the Word of the Lord, especially if their lives don’t seem to be falling apart. I mean, sure, it’s one thing if they are being disobedient but everything is a mess for them. Then we can say, “See, God’s way works and yours doesn’t.” But when they seem to be living the good life, have a good job, looks like a decent family, making lots of money but not putting God first, then we start to get a little discouraged. We begin to wonder, “Does God’s way really work? Their way seems to be working okay.”

Paul says not to be discouraged. Don’t grow weary in doing good even when others around you are not doing good. Instead of letting hypocritical brethren bring you down, take note of them and avoid them. However, don’t be arrogant over them. Don’t treat them like enemies. Rather, warn them like brothers.

Here is the point. Doing good is right no matter the outcome. Doing bad is wrong no matter the outcome. Don’t let what others are doing bring you down. Serve the Lord and avoid those who discourage you with their impenitent sins. Yet, don’t shut the door on them. Rather, shine the light for them to a better way. Above all, stay encouraged that doing the right thing is the right thing. Don’t get tired of that. Just do the next right thing.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

2 Thessalonians 1 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 5:1-28 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12.

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

How easy it is to get bogged down with fear that we aren’t going to make it. We mess up so much and we have been so blistered by the concept that one mistake can blast us to hell. Some of us just want to throw our hands up in the air and give up.

But Paul encourages us. We are not alone. God will sanctify us. He is setting us apart. He is growing us. He is working in us. He will keep us blameless. He is faithful. We can trust Him to do it.

We just need to hang on to Him. Don’t give up today. Hang on to God today. He is working on you. He will do it.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your in put by clicking the following link: Post a comment.

2 Peter 2-3 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 2 Peter 2:1-3:18.

“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. to him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:17-18).

We spend so much time thinking about and talking against “falling from grace,” I wonder if we don’t push ourselves in that direction. The more we think about something, the more it occupies our hearts, the more it takes over our lives. I want to let this passage start to govern my thinking and meditating.

“Grow in grace.”

That’s what I want to focus on today. Instead of worrying about falling from grace, I’m going to focus on growing in grace. It stands to reason if I grow in grace, I don’t have to worry about falling from it. Peter says if I do that, I will not be carried away with the error of lawless people or lose my own stability. After all, I’m not even trying to have my own stability. Rather, I’m resting on God’s stability.

Keep the faith today and keep reading

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

PPS. For a series of sermons that came from this very thought, click here.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

I Peter 1-2 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is I Peter 1:1-2:25.

“When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (I Peter 2:23).

If only I could learn this. When I am reviled, I want to revile in return. When I suffer, I want to threaten. I call up my friends to vent and fume in my own frustration. I want others to know I have been wronged. I want vindication. I want vengeance. And I want it on my terms. I want the one who has wronged me to grovel at my feet, declaring to the whole world how wrong they were to mistreat me. And if no one else will get them to do it, then I will. I start to turn a cold shoulder. I start to harp on their sins. I try to get sideways digs whenever I can. I always do that with a passive aggressive approach so I can say I was just kidding or they didn’t understand what I really meant.

But that is not how Jesus responded. Jesus simply entrusted Himself to God. God will judge justly. If the other person deserves judgment, God will give it. Jesus did not have to. That left Him free to simply save the world.

How freeing is that? God doesn’t need me to do His judging job. I can let Him do that. When I increase my faith in Him to do what is right by me and everyone else, I am free to love as He loves. I am free to have peace because I don’t have to anxiously be worried that somebody might get away with something. I don’t have to develop ulcers over worrying about what everyone else is doing. I can just accept what is happening, own my side of it, and trust God to take care of it. Not to mention all the work I can get done if I use that venting and fuming time for more constructive purposes.

Today, I’ll let God be the judge. I’ll just work on trusting Him and loving others.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Mark 13-14 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Mark 13:1-14:72.

“Peter said to him, ‘Even though they all fall away, I will not’” (Mark 14:29).

I believe Peter was absolutely sincere when he made this promise. He could not possibly imagine any future event that would make him fall away from Jesus. He was ready to die with Jesus. There was no way he would deny his Master. I’m certain that is true because the guy who pulls out his sword in Mark 14:47 and struck the high priest’s servant was Peter (cf. John 18:10). Peter was ready to fight. He was ready to die. But he was only ready to die on his terms. When Jesus told him to put his sword away, he was confused. He couldn’t understand. He was ready to die in a fight, but it never occurred to him that death might come without a fight. He fled.

How many times have I said, “I’ll never do that”? How many times have I thought that there was some line I would never cross? How many times have I told God, “No matter what, you can count on me to avoid such and such”? Or how many times have I said, “Alright, God, I’ve got this figured out. I’ll never do that again”? How incensed I would get if someone suggested I needed to be a bit more humble. “Oh no, no matter what anyone else does, I’ll never do that (again). How dare you think that of me.” How puffed up with pride. How much I have tried to stand on my own feet. And it was as if Satan was just waiting for that opportunity so he could kick my legs out from under me.

I’ve had to learn some humility. God is teaching me to turn away from rash promises and rather to say, “By God’s grace, I haven’t done that yet. I pray that God will keep me from it.” That reminds me that I have to rely on God and His strength if I will keep from whatever it is. If I ever start relying on me, I realize I will do whatever it is I’m committed to not doing (cf. Romans 7:14-24).

So, today, I’m not making God any promises. Rather, asking God to fulfill His promise to me and grant me the strength to overcome.

Keep the faith today and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Acts 21-22 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 21:1-22:30.

“Then Paul answered ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God’” (Acts 21:13).

There’s a challenge for us. Are we ready to die for Jesus? Are we ready to carry the message of the gospel to someone and they kill us for it? I like to think yes. But then I have to ask, am I ready to be hated, disliked, rejected for Jesus? Am I ready to be thought a fool for Jesus? Am I ready to be made fun of for Jesus? Am I ready to be given sidelong glances for Jesus? Am I ready to be given the cold-shoulder for Jesus? Am I ready to be avoided for Jesus?

Am I ready to put forth the time, effort, and money it takes to go to others with the gospel of the grace of God? Am I ready to give up a night with my family? Am I ready to give up my favorite tv show? Am I ready to give up the football game? Am I ready to give up some of my gadgets? Am I ready to give up some of my retirement investments?

Hmmm. Maybe I need to think a little harder before I think I’m ready to be imprisoned or die for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Revelation 17:1-18:24.

“And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast” (Revelation 17:12).

It is so easy to look at the world and get discouraged. It seems that sin and Satan reign. Atheists and agnostics have the ear of the media. Islam is touted as a model religion. The arrogant and self-righteous often pose as Christian leaders. Television, radio, and billboards advertise sin for sale. Sometimes it seems like God is losing.

We have nothing to fear. The Lord’s enemies may reign, but their reign is only for an hour. They may make the most of their hour. But, this too shall pass.  We need only hang for a little while, holding on to God. He will win. We will reign with Him. And as their reign passes like an hour, ours will last as a thousand years. Praise God!

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is John 17:1-18:40.

“So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?’” (John 18:11).

How many times have I read Jesus’ prayer in the Garden? How many times have I noted that Jesus said, “Nevertheless, not as I will but as you will”? And yet, saying that in a prayer is altogether different than actually following through with it. Here in John 18:11 I see that Jesus meant what He prayed.

It is easy to pray that God’s will be done in my life. It is a lot harder when I face the day and find that it didn’t contain the ease I had hoped. To be sure, many days are filled with obvious blessing from God. On other days, the blessing is blurred a bit. Those are the days that I have to ask myself if I really mean it when I pray that God’s will and not mine be done.

Today, I will drink the cup the Father has given me and respond simply by doing His will.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you today?

Today’s reading is John 15:1-16:33.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

What a promise. It is when I abide in Christ that I bear great fruit, surely a reference to the Spirit’s fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. For years I was trying to bear fruit on my own so Christ would let me abide in Him. It never worked. That only led to a ratrace of desperation, trying harder and harder but always coming up short.

What a great change of heart, mind, and spirit came when I realized that it worked the other way around. When I abide in Christ, He bears fruit in me. I don’t have to try harder to bear fruit. What I have to do is get into Christ, abiding in Him, in His word, in His love and allowing Him to abide in me. He will do the hard part of bearing fruit.

Today, I want to spend my time connecting to Christ. I’ll let Him bear the fruit.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 2 Timothy 2:1-3:17.

“…always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).

I have heard this passage referenced for years. In fact, I have referenced it for years. Usually, this verse is pulled out when talking about some preacher, teacher, or elder who keeps vacillating on some issue. This verse is especially handy when trying to push someone into making up their mind about some tough doctrinal question. If he won’t make up his mind quick enough, we can just point out how wicked he is because he keeps learning but doesn’t come to the truth. Of course, he only comes to the truth if he agrees with the one who is using this verse to push him.

There may be an appropriate application of this verse to that situation. However, in the immediate context, I’m no  longer sure Paul is talking about that person. Look at the preceding verses. He is talking about someone beset by recklessness, carelessness, lack of control, and sin. I can’t help but think of John 8:32. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The issue is not that these people study and study an issue but never make a decision about it. The issue is they keep learning about God’s will but they aren’t letting it change them. They aren’t being set free by it.

I must let God’s word change me. If I don’t, I may know a whole lot about it, but I’m never really arriving at the knowledge of the truth. If I knew the truth, it would set me free.

Keep the faith today, and keep reading.

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?