Today’s reading is Romans 15:1-16:27.

“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience–by word and deed…” (Romans 15:18).

But I want to talk about me. I want to talk about I. I want to talk about number one. Oh my me my.

Sorry, didn’t mean to break into song there. But that is the problem isn’t it. I so desperately want approval and acceptance that I want to talk about what I’ve done or can do. I want to talk about what I’ve accomplished. I want to make sure you know what I’m good at, what I’ve learned, what I’ve taught, what I’ve figured out, what I’ve written, what I’ve done. This is just foolishness.

Paul had a healthy head on his shoulders. This wasn’t about him. This was about Jesus. Certainly, he was proud to be part of Christ’s work, but he understood what was really going on. As he looked at those he’d taught, those he’d converted, those he’d helped, he knew who was really behind it all. It was Jesus working through him. He was just the tool. So, he would only boast in what Jesus had accomplished. “Praise God,” he was saying, “I’m just a tool.”

I hope I can permanently reside in Christ’s toolbelt. But to do that, I have to quit trying to be the one fixing everything and just let Christ live in me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 27:1-28:31.

“But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for th eland, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land” (Acts 27:43-44).

That is phenomenal. 276 people in a shipwreck and every single one survived. Boy they sure were lucky to have all that flotsam and jetsam to help them get to land. I can’t help but remember Acts 27:24. “God has granted you all those who sail with you.” God did this. What intrigues me is trying to actually find God in the saving. What did He do exactly? I don’t know. Did he give those who could swim extra strength? Did He do it miraculously or had He prepared them for this moment all their lives so they would have the right amount of strength? Did he provide the flotsam at just the right place?

I just don’t know the answer to these questions. All I know is God was working. God did the saving. I may not be able to see God working in my life today. But I can take comfort that He is. Since that is the case, I think I can keep working too (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 21:1-22:30.

“When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, ‘Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place!’” (Acts 21:27-28).

None of this was true. The crowds believed it, no doubt. But it simply wasn’t true. The fact is, no matter how I live, some folks will attribute the wrongs motives, the wrong attitudes, even the wrong actions to me. But who had the problem here. Was it Paul? No. It was the crowd. This was not an issue between Paul and the crowds, this was an issue between the crowds and God.

Here’s the kicker for me. My job today is to do the next right thing. My job today is to do what is right because it is right in order to glorify God. It is not my job to manage everyone else’s thoughts and feelings about me (don’t misunderstand, when i’m doing what is right because it is right in order to glorify God, I’m not walking all over other people and their feelings). The truth is, if I am doing what is wrong but have put off a persona that makes everyone think great things about me, it doesn’t change that I did wrong. In the same way, if I’m doing what is right, but someone else thinks wrong of me, that is their problem. I don’t have to go around fixing everyone’s views of me. I simply need to do what is right.

What a great example from Paul.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 15:1-16:40.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25).

And here I am afraid or ashamed to sing and pray in front of people brought up in the Bible belt. There is no embarrassment, no shame, no fear. Just complete and total trust in the Lord. And that led to a new brother in Christ. I wonder what might happen if I refused to be ashamed and therefore sang hymns to God and even prayed where people could hear me. I’m not saying that I try to barge into people’s lives and be an annoyance with my spirituality. I’m definitely not suggesting I should take a “look how spiritual I am” approach. In fact, I don’t even think this was a calculated attempt at evangelism. It was just what they needed to do at the time and they didn’t have a problem with letting others overhear. If I could drop my guard and quit worrying about what people think of me, I might actually let something spiritual slip in front of someone who ends up wanting to respond to the Lord too.

As a friend of mine says, “It’s really none of my business what people think of me.” If they think I’m weird for praising the Lord, so be it. But what if they think, “Man, I wish I had what he has”?

Guess I better tune up my voice, I feel a song coming on.

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 1 Corinthians 4:1-5:13.

Continuing the theme started yesterday on preachers, I’m struck again by what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”

I know Paul is telling the Corinthians how they should view preachers. I can’t help but realize this is how we ought to view ourselves (especially those who are preachers). We are not to view ourselves as great orators. We are not to view ourselves as stellar performers. We are not to view ourselves as the great leaders of men. We are not to view ourselves as the indispensable cogs of the wheel. Rather, there are two keys.

1. Servant of Christ.

Certainly, we are servants of the congregation. Surely, we are under the oversight of our shepherds. No doubt, we serve our brethren. But first and foremost, we answer to Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and Master. He determines what we speak. We must always remember that.

2. Steward of God’s mysteries.

“Chicken Soup for the Soul” is nice. I love to read self-help books. Maxwell, Blanchard, and Covey can easily become my trinity. There are numerous good things we can pass on from many sources. However, the one true source for us is God’s word. Others may give us perspective and teach us something about God’s word, but if we are passing on warmed-over, and sanctified pop culture instead of God’s word, if we are simply proof-texting to teach our favorite business manual, we had better step back and regroup. We are stewards of God’s mysteries, not popular management styles. As stewards, we must show ourselves trustworthy.

So then, the question for me today is what can I do to serve Christ as I work with this local congregation and what would a faithful steward do with God’s mysteries today? I need to go work on those things.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

Today’s reading is Acts 21:1-22:30.

Sin is my problem. I was covered up with it. But I wanted to be holy. I wanted to be righteous. I wanted to be with God and like God. I have a couple of options. I could just say it is impossible and give up, living however I want. I could try to change on my own and try to live perfectly from this point on. I could try to live beyond perfectly striving to pay God back for my past sins while not committing anymore. The problem is that leads me back to option one, trying to live perfectly. I’ve learned that doesn’t work.

Then I read what God did for Paul. In Acts 22: 16, Ananias had told Paul, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Paul’s sins could be washed away in baptism. So could mine. So can yours.

What a great thought that we can avoid the wrath of God. We can avoid the eternal consequences of all those sins we committed. God has said, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” He’ll wash your sins away, but you must be baptized.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 15:1-16:40.

These readings provided me with hope because it showed that Paul was human. I don’t mean I see him doing things wrong necessarily. However, I do see him responding as I might respond with very human emotions.

In Acts 15:38-41, he has an argument with Barnabas and they part ways. I don’t want to get in the debate about whether this was right or wrong or who was right or wrong. I just notice that even the apostle Paul had turmoils, disagreements, struggles. Whatever was right or wrong in this situation, Paul wasn’t perfectly able to bring about 100% accord with Barnabas. I won’t always be able to do that either.

In Acts 16:18, says Paul cast out the spirit from the servant girl because he became greatly annoyed. No doubt, Paul was right to cast out the spirit. He had the authority to do so and there was nothing wrong with it. But I can’t help but see that this happened because he was greatly annoyed. What a human emotion. It is as if this girl had been following them around and each time Paul gets a little more frustrated. At first, he tries to ignore what she was doing. I can see him talking to someone, this girl crying out and him closing his eyes, looking up, sighing and trying to move on until it just had him pushed to the very limit. In annoyance, he turns around and essentially says, “Fine, if that’s the way you want to play this game, watch this. I command you in Jesus’ name to come out of her.” 

In Acts 16:36-40, Paul had been unjustly beaten. Even though he could see how the whole thing worked out for good and the jailer’s conversion, he was still ticked off. The officials had broken the law and he had paid the price for it. He wouldn’t take that lying down. He certainly didn’t do anything wrong and I think we learn some great lessons about using the rights our government gives us. However, I again see that human emotion. “I don’t have to take this. I’m not going to take this. You guys think you can break the law and then send us out privately. No way. I’m going to stand up to this.”

These vignettes into Paul’s life comfort me. I’m allowed to have emotions. I’m allowed to be annoyed at times because some things are annoying. I’m allowed to stand up for my rights some times. I’m allowed to disagree with someone sometime. All too often I live with this ideal fantasy that says when I’m doing everything just right I’ll never have disagreements, never get annoyed, never get angry. That will never happen. This is real life we’re talking about. Paul lived it and yet he was still faithful to God and forgiven by Jesus. I can too. I’m not saying I have permission to let my emotions run my life into sinful behaviors. I’m simply learning that I don’t have to berate myself with shame and guilt simply because I don’t live up to some fantasy standard.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

Today’s reading is Philippians 3:1-4:23.

It often seems we ride the pendulum at the extremes. I hear people argue, and have been involved in the arguments where everything seems like polar opposites. For instance, if someone says salvation is by faith we immediately conclude they think what we do doesn’t matter at all. On the other hand, if someone says we have to do something, we immediately conclude they think we must work really hard to earn salvation and faith in Jesus’ work doesn’t matter. Sadly, of course, some folk really do fit those two extremes. Sadly, sometimes we’ve allowed ourselves to be polarized into extremes as we argue against something we think is clearly erroneous.

On many posts, I’ve pointed out that I’m learning we will not be saved by keeping even Christ’s law and that I won’t be saved by establishing my own righteousness through holding to the pattern. Gratefully, no one has gotten too upset with me. I hope that means they have understood my point and not simply decided to write me off. I fear that some will view me as another extremist that says, “It’s about what we believe, not what we do.” That couldn’t be further from the truth and today’s reading reminds me of that.

Both of those other posts were based on Paul’s writings. He was the one who taught us that no law has been written that could give us life. He was the one who taught us we cannot be saved by establishing our own righteousness. He was the one who taught us that the righteousness that saves comes by faith in Christ (he says that in today’s reading-Philippians 3:9). He was the one that explained that we are justified by faith (Romans 5:1).

However, having taught all of this, in Philippians 3:12 Paul claims that he hasn’t already obtained the resurrection or become perfect. Rather, he is pressing on. Understand the great significance of this statement. he is the great proponent that our righteousness won’t come because we’ve worked really hard and established our own righteousness. He’s the one who teaches that we only have righteousness if God gives it to us through our faith. If what he meant was at a moment of faith, salvation was suddenly and irrevocably his because it didn’t matter how he lived and worked, he couldn’t say this in Philippians 3:12. If he really was teaching the extreme that salvation is about mental assent and not a faith that impacts action, then he had already attained the resurrection. It didn’t matter what he did or even if he continued on, he would have life. But Paul said he hadn’t attained it yet. And he is definitely no just speaking about reaching that moment in time. He’s not saying, “I haven’t gotten to the moment of the resurrection but I keep putting one foot in front of the other until I get there.” No. He’s saying based on where he has been and what he has done, he hasn’t attained the resurrection. He can’t coast on his past. He can’t coast on the faith he has had. Rather, he must continue to press on. He must continue to walk by faith or he’ll miss out on the resurrection.

This is where we need to walk down the middle instead of hanging out in the extremes. We can’t establish our own righteousness. If we are going to teach the extreme of trying to be good enough to go to heaven, we’ll fail miserably. On the other hand, we can’t say salvation is only a matter of mental assent to some facts. If those facts didn’t change our lives, then we don’t have faith. Faith in Jesus saves us, when we live by that faith. When our faith is a surrender of our control to Jesus and we begin to walk the path of progressive victory over sin by the power and grace of Jesus Christ, then we’ll attain the resurrection in the end.

At no point can we say, “I had enough faith yesterday, I don’t have to keep living by it. I can do what I want now.” On the other hand, at no point do we have to say, “Oh no, I just messed up and sinned, I’m not perfect, maybe I won’t go to heaven.” If we are growing in Christ, pressing on for that goal by our faith in Him, then the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus will be ours and we will attain the resurrection. Not because we were good enough, but because Jesus Christ is good enough.

***Question: What do you do to help you live by faith each day and press on for the resurrection to life?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Acts 23:1-24:27.

As Paul defended himself to Felix, he made one statement that really caught my attention today. In Acts 24:1 he said, “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.”

This really struck me because I’ve learned over the past two or three years how truly important this is. Having a clear conscience is not simply important because I need a clear conscience to be right with God. A clear conscience is important because an unclear conscience sets me up for defeat and failure on Christ’s narrow way. 

I have come to recognize that when I think I’m being smart and pooling the wool over other people’s eyes, I still know what I’m doing. When I state a half-truth or tell a story in such a way that is technically true but still deceives, I know I’m lying. If I blow up at my family and try to go on like it was just no big deal, there is a prick in my heart. The problem is, I have found that I can’t just move on from those things like nothing happened. In years past, I simply covered them up, buried them, and moved on. However, more recently, as I work harder at staying on the strait and narrow, I realize that those little conscience splinters sit there and get infected. They cause discomfort on a level I don’t always recognize. 

When that happens I only have two choices. I either have to escape through some means that will make me forget. That happens by medicating through sin. Or I have to pull that splinter by making amends to whoever it was and setting things right. 

Those are my only two choices. If I don’t remove the splinter by making amends and setting things right, I’m just going to end up going deeper and deeper into sin. There is no way for me to have just a slight foray into sin that I can control and enjoy. No, I have to keep my conscience absolutely clean or I nose dive into more and more sin.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t keep my conscience clean by being perfect. No, this means I have to do a lot of amends making. Even with that I’m on a path of progress not perfection. But I find that victory over sin comes more readily when I am keeping my conscience clean and not letting even the little things go by as if they aren’t that big of a deal.

***Question: How do you go about keeping your conscience clean?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC