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Acts 17-18 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 17:1-18:28.

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25).

Why should I serve God today? I don’t need to serve God today as if He needs whatever it is I can offer. He made me. What can I possibly give to Him that He can’t do for Himself. No. I need to serve God today because I need what He has to offer me through that service. I need to serve Him today because He deserves that service because of what He has already given me. I’m breathing today because of Him. I’m living today because of Him. Every blessing comes from Him.

On the days that I grasp that, my service is real and my connection to Him deep. When I’m trying to impress Him with my service or compete with others as if I’m giving Him more, then the connection starts to sever. God doesn’t need me. I need Him. So, today, I’m going to serve Him.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

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

Today’s reading is Colossians 3:1-4:18.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:17, 23).

Whatever I do. That doesn’t mean half of what I do, some of what I do, what I do on Sundays, what I do when people are watching. It means whatever I do. I know that second statement was written specifically to slaves, but I can’t help but see the connection between the two verses. Further, I can’t help but think the second statement doesn’t only apply to those ancient slaves.

Whatever I do, I must do it in the Lord’s name. I must do it by His authority. I must do it by His power and empowerment. I must be confident that I can look at Jesus and claim, “Lord, I’m doing this because you have granted that I can and should. I know you are happy that I’m doing this.”

Whatever I do, I must do it heartily, as for God and not men. I’m walking through life. I do things for family, friends, neighbors, brethren, employers, the government. Who am I really working for? Who am I really serving as I live. I’m serving God. I can’t help but think of Daniel who did his work well, without any neglect. Why? Because he knew he was working for God.

Whatever I do, I’m serving God.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:19.

Yesterday I learned about being willing to test my own heart to see if I’m in the faith. Today, I think it is interesting that Paul wrote, “For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity of any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

I’m certainly no Greek scholar and I rarely try to make any arguments or points from the original language for that matter, because I think it is so easy to make mistakes in that way. However, I can’t help but notice the parallels between this verse and the one that stood out to me yesterday. In 2 Corinthians 3:5, the statement was to test ourselves to see if we are in the faith. In this one, Paul says God tested them and found them trustworthy. The words for test are similar. The words for “the faith” and “entrusted” are similar. I’m not saying these verse go together. I’m really just explaining why the verse jumped out at me today.

Yesterday, I learned I should be willing to test myself. This one talks about God’s testing. Interestingly, the root Greek word translated “approved” and “tests” in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 is the same as the root word for the word “search” found in Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart!”

Anyway, all of that is just interesting background to Paul’s point that really impacted me today.

Why do I speak? To please men or to please God? This can easily be a problem for me. Sometimes I spend more time trying to impress men than just doing the right thing with my preaching. No doubt, this can be a gray area because I also think it is important to the very best I can do in order to glorify God by honoring Him through my effort. However, when I’m truly honest, I have to say that sometimes my motivation is not, “I have to work really hard on the presentation because that shows honor to God.” Sometimes my motivation is, “I have to work really hard on this because I want people to think I’m an awesome preacher.”

Where this becomes really dangerous is when the desire to please men shifts from just trying to do an outstanding job of presentation, to actually changing God’s message because I fear people might not like it. I think it is just as wrong to preach the truth from a motivation of trying to impress men, but I commit two wrongs when my desire to impress men also causes me to change God’s message.

What does Paul remind me today? God is the one who is searching my heart. The grievous ways in my heart are defined by God’s will, not by what is pleasing to man. I need to ask Him to search my heart and remove every grievous way because I want to please Him, not in order to impress men with my spirituality or my ability.

So, I got the double whammy two days in a row. I need to be willing to test myself and I need to remember that it is God who tests me. He is working to approve me and help me grow. I need to recognize the hardships, the refining fires (however they come) are not simply meant to see if I have a bad motivation but to highlight any improper motivation and help me remove that.

My prayer, “God, please keep the refining fires coming. Left to myself, I will strive to impress and please men. Please, search my heart and see what grievous ways are there. Bring them to the top so they may be easily removed. Thank you for testing me.”

***Question: How do you thank God for His tests?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 8:1-9:27.

1 Corinthians 9:18 caught my attention today. “What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may preesnt the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.”

Wait a minute. That is no reward. That is the action that ought to be rewarded. Or at least so it seems to me. Yet, that demonstrates the great difference between me and Paul. Too often, I’m doing special things because I expect some greater reward. “God, I’ll do this great work because I want to get this great reward.” But Paul thought differently, he so wanted to be part of God’s plan that his reward was getting to be part of God’s plan.

I need to learn to want to do God’s will so badly that just getting to do it is a reward in and of itself.

***Question: What do you enjoy about getting to do God’s will?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is II Corinthians 8:1-9:15.

What examples the Macedonian brethren are. I’ve often noted II Corinthians 8:5 that says they gave to the Judean saints because they first gave themselves to the Lord. However, I guess in my haste to get to that verse I had missed the great statement in II Corinthians 8:4: “…begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints–” This begging is all the more amazing considering their own financial state of affliction as seen in I Corinthians 8:2. They gave according to their means and even beyond.

I just can’t get past the fact that they begged to be part of this work. They weren’t asking, “How much of this work must I do to be saved?” They wanted to work for the Lord and were begging to do more. They weren’t interested in lines of minimum requirement. They weren’t trying to figure out the least they could and be right with God. They were begging to do more.

I need to learn from this example. Instead of trying to merely get a passing grade, I need to beg for opportunities to serve God, whether it is financially helping God’s children, comforting the hurting, teaching the erring, or whatever else can be on that list. 

God, please, give me opportunities to serve you, your children, and your world.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

No doubt, in these chapters the amazing part of what is going on is that Jesus died for us. I’m just amazed that He did. How could He possibly love us that much? That is just how unfathomable God’s love is. Yet, He does love us that much.

However, what good does it do for God to love us if we won’t submit to even the simplest and straightforward commands of His? In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked how we could call Him Lord and not do what He said. Yet, folks do it all the time today.

The Gospel of Matthew ends with these words:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (ESV).

I’m just not sure how we can get any clearer that Christ’s disciples are made through baptizing them. They aren’t made through praying a sinner’s prayer. They aren’t made through a moment of faith. They are made through baptism and teaching. 

Why is baptism for the remission of sins such a dividing point today? Why do so many refuse to be baptized in order to become Christ’s disciple, in order to be forgiven, in order to be saved? Why can’t we all just do what Jesus asked? Have you submitted to Jesus in believer’s baptism in order to become a disciple and receive the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). 

I encourage you to read these verses and see what they really say. I’m not making this up. 

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Well, this morning I’m being convicted. Perhaps it’s just because I’ve been reviewing my work this week that this passage slapped me down. Or maybe it did so simply because it applies. Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 3:11-12:

“For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living” (ESV).

Most of the time I consider myself a very busy person. I pride myself on working a lot. But reading this passage has struck me how much of my time is not really being busy at work but being a busybody. No, its not the normal busybody like the young widow of I Timothy 5:13, who is an idler and a talebearer going from house to house getting in everyone’s business. No, my busybodying often seems noble. Instead of going from house to house to butt my nose into everyone’s business, I scour website after website and blog after blog to snoop out any inkling of error to stick my nose in. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe the man of God has to be able to defend the Word of God. I believe the man of God must be able to expose error where he finds it. This passage, however, has reminded me that when I spend several hours in a day arguing with people I don’t even know about some point of doctrinal disagreement but didn’t spend any time talking with the people I actually met face to face about Jesus or didn’t spend any time encouraging the brethren in the congregation with which I work, then I’m not really being a busyworker. I’m just being a busybody.

Gratefully, I have been doing better at this over the past few weeks. But, the passage still smacked me and reminded me of where my busyness needs to be.

What should your busyness be?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC