This is a video post. For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

Continue Reading »

For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

Continue Reading »

For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

Continue Reading »

Luke 21-22 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Luke 21:1-22:71.

“And he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves’” (Luke 22:25-27).

To the carnally-minded, being the leader means  using other people to get me where I want to go. That is exercising lordship. Not so among us. In God’s kingdom, being the leader means serving others to help them get where God wants them to go.

How are you leading people?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can be part of this conversation by clicking here.

——————————————-

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

Luke 13-14 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Luke 13:1-14:35.

“He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just’” (Luke 14:12-14).

Too often we develop relationships to get something in return. We are willing to serve, but only when we think someone will return the favor. We give gifts in hopes to receive gifts. We offer hospitality in hopes to receive hospitality. We extend friendship in hopes to get something out of the friendship. Jesus suggests a different course.

Certainly this is hyperbole. Jesus is not absolutely opposed to inviting friends over for a get together. After all, we consider the feast that Levi held for a large number of his tax collector friends back in Luke 5:29. But, we must not think the hyperbole here lets us off the hook. To whom do we extend our friendship? Who do we serve? Why do we do these things? Are other people a source of something for us? Or are we offering ourselves in complete service? Are we looking for some immediate and present day reward or recognition?

How much serving do we do for those who can’t possibly repay us? How much volunteering do we do for which we will not ever get paid and never receive notice? We’ve all learned it is more blessed to give than to receive. But Jesus here points out that even more blessed is giving when there is no possible way to receive repayment. Why? Because God will repay us in the resurrection.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can leave your comment 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 Matthew 23:1-24:51.

Just right out of the starting gate, today’s reading smacked me with an open can of humility.

Speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus said, “They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:5-11).

Certainly, we go to other passages to learn that there are roles within Christ’s body. Ephesians 4:11 says God gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. There is nothing wrong with calling someone who is a teacher a teacher or who is an evangelist an evangelist. Jesus’ point was not so much about titles as it was about attitudes. 

Sadly, those of us who are evangelists, teachers, pastors or some other role can very easily jump into arrogance. We can look forward to someone introducing us, “Oh, you just have to meet my preacher.” “This is so and so, he’s one of the shepherds in our congregation.” “This is sister such and such, she’s one of our top Bible class teachers.” 

Sure, we have roles to fill within the congregation. We all have roles. But not one role is above another. There is no role that makes us higher or more important than anyone. The highest rank in Christianity is servant. 

The question for me today is not how great of a preacher I am. Rather, it is how can I serve someone today?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

P.P.S. Just a reminder: I’m sorry about being sporadic. However, my family and I are in countdown mode. In 6 weeks, we will be moving to Brownsburg, Indiana. Right now I’m covered up with working on our house and trying to get everything in order to move. That is significantly impacting my writing and internet time. Please be patient with me and keep praying for us.

Today’s reading is Mark 9:1-10:52.

Twice this year already, I’ve had opportunity to travel with some other preachers to hear a series of lectures by multiple preachers. On the way home, I noticed how easy it was for us (the preachers who had not been asked to be in these series) to talk about the mistakes the presenters had made. (To be fair, we also talked about the great lessons we heard and learned.)

One of the fellows traveling with us on both occasions was a young man who has just started working in a training capacity with a friend. Recognizing how much we were talking about the supposed mistakes of our brethren, I turned to the young brother and said, “Don’t mind us, this is the part of the trip in which we try to make ourselves feel better about our preaching.”

Sad, but that is often the way it works. Fortunately, on one of those trips we got to hear a great lesson on envy. That helped keep us in our own skin a bit.

However, I can’t help but think of this when I read of Jesus’ disciples arguing about who is the greatest in Mark 9:33-37. I still seem to get that backwards. Too often, I want to be the greatest, the greatest preacher, the greatest teacher, the greatest pray-er, the greatest song leader, the greatest whatever. That is not what being God’s child is about. God isn’t looking for the greatest. He’s looking for servants. He’s not looking for people who can prove how amazing they are. He’s looking for people who are asking, “What can I do next for others?”

The fact is, the preachers we heard in those two series did a great job. They didn’t do everything the way I would, but then why should they? God didn’t put us here to compete with each other. He put us here to serve as best we can. That’s what I need to do today.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

Today’s reading is II Corinthians 12:1-13:14.

Perhaps because I recently read The Way of the Shepherd: 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People and was really convicted by one point about serving people, I was slapped in the face this morning as I read II Corinthians 12:15.

The point in The Way of the Shepherd that really hit me is that a hireling only takes care of the sheep as a means to a paycheck. The shepherd takes care of the sheep because he loves the sheep. II Corinthians 12:15 says, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” Paul wasn’t a hireling. He wasn’t just focused on getting the tasks done so he could get his wages. He cared about the Christians. He cared about their souls. Whether he got paid or not, he would spend and be spent to serve others and help them on the path to heaven.

I don’t want to paint myself as a despicable hireling (though if I were rigorously honest…), however, at the same time, I can see that tendency in me. It is not so much that I preach for the money. But rather, as a Choleric, I’m naturally task-oriented. I see my work as just that…work. It is very easy for me to see what I do as a series of tasks to be accomplished because that is my job. Write a sermon…check. Prepare a Bible class…check. Put up a blog post…check. Visit someone in the hospital…check. Write a thank you note…check. Tell me what task I need to accomplish today and I’ll do it because that is my job. Sometimes I can lose sight of the fact that my work isn’t about tasks. It is about people. It is about lost people. It is about struggling people. It is about growing people. It is about all kinds of people. But first and foremost it is about people.

It is not about putting in a day’s work to get a day’s pay. It is about folks who have been held captive by the devil and need freedom. It is about spending and being spent as we work together to overcome the snares of Satan and follow Jesus’ strait and narrow path to freedom. 

Today, instead of working for my paycheck, I need to “spend and be spent for your souls.” I need to do that not because it is my job, but because I love and want to serve others as Jesus loved and served me.

Pray for me about this. It doesn’t come naturally to me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is II Corinthians 10:1-11:33.

In II Corinthians 10:8, Paul said, “For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed.”

I haven’t been given much authority. However, I need to remember that whatever authority God has given me is to be used to build others up, not dominate and destroy them. I have been given authority in my home. When I preach, there is a certain authority I have. When I write, there is a certain amount of authority. (Don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting I have some kind of intrinsic authority or that the preacher is the role of authority in the congregation, just that anyone who takes a mantle of teaching has a certain amount of authority through that process.) 

I must not use any amount of authority granted me in order to put others in their place, lift myself above others, or in any other way dominate and tear down others. If God has granted me some authority, I should use that in service, not selfishness. He hasn’t granted anyone authority in order to set them over others as more important. He has granted authority to serve others. Whatever blessing God has given us should be used this way.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is from Acts 5:1-6:15.

Acts 6 provides a great deal of insight regarding how a congregation should work as it grows. But the one point that really hit me as helpful today was from Acts 6:2-4. 

The apostles didn’t want to give up working at prayer and the ministry of the word to wait tables. So, they advised the congregation to select seven men to do that task. There is a back side of this point, however. If the apostles would have to give up time in prayer and ministering the word to wait tables, that means those who waited tables wouldn’t be doing as much praying and ministering of the word. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone is to pray (I Thessalonians 5:17). We are all to minister the word. We even see Stephen doing so in the next chapter. The difference is the apostles’ lives were devoted to that work. the seven deacons not as much. 

What I get is very simple. Not everyone has to be a preacher to serve the Lord faithfully. Further, the preachers aren’t serving the Lord more faithfully, just because they preach. 

We all have our gifts. We all have our abilities. We all have our passions. We need to use them in serving the Lord. If that means preaching a sermon, teaching a Bible class, having a home study, that is great. If that means serving a widow, babysitting for a young couple, helping out a teenager, that is also great.

What you provide is great. Just make sure you use it in serving the Lord, whether that leads you to preach or not.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?