Today’s reading is Luke 19:1-20:47.

“The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable agaisnt them, but they feared the people” (Luke 20:19).

How sad. Jesus had not told this parable “against them” to attack them, but to warn them. It could have saved their eternal lives. Instead of letting it save them, they fought against it and let it be a means to condemn them.

But that leaves me with a question. How do I respond when God’s word says something “against me”? Do I listen humbly and let the warning and direction save my life? Or do I turn against the messenger somehow? Do I figure out why that part of the Bible doesn’t really apply to me?

I have two choices today. I can either surrender to Jesus and what He warns me and directs me or I can keep fighting against Him. But where will that second option take me? Better to just give up the fight and gain the victory.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

Today’s reading is Galatians 5:1-6:18.

Paul said, “For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:13-14).

I think I’ve often viewed this passage as talking about how hypocritical all the Jews must have been. They wanted the Christians to be circumcised, but they didn’t actually want to keep the law themselves. I’m not sure that is the case. I think there were plenty of sincere Jews who wanted the Christians to be circumcised. I think plenty of them tried to keep the law. The issue was not that they didn’t care about the law. The issue was that everyone sins and falls short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). All those who claimed they could be justified by the law had simply proven over and over again that they would fall short of the law no matter how much they attempted to follow it. That is why those who try to be justified by the law only end up under a curse (Galatians 3:10). Really, anyone who tries to boast in keeping the law is eventually going to have to get around to admitting, “But I messed up here, and here, and here…” Of course, that is why those who boast in the law eventually get to the point of boasting that they are better at law keeping than someone else. Can anyone say “Pharisee and Publican?” 

Instead of boasting in law-keeping, Paul would boast in Christ and not simply in Christ but in the cross of Christ. All those sins Paul had committed while striving to keep the law were taken out of the way by the cross. That was where his righteousness came. It wasn’t his own, it was a gift from God through the death of Jesus Christ because of Paul’s faith.

Here is my fear for me. In what do I boast? Do I boast in how often I “go to church”? Do I boast in how much money I give in the contribution? Do I boast in how many sins I haven’t committed? Do I boast in how many acts of righteousness I have done? Do I boast in how well I hold to the pattern of sound words? Or do I boast in the cross of Christ? Sadly, some hear this and think I’m saying how I live doesn’t matter. That is not the case at all. If I live by faith (Galatians 2:20), I’ll live by the pattern of sound words. I’ll assemble with the saints, contribute to the work of the church, strive to overcome sin, strive to live by righteousness, etc. The question is in what do I boast? Do I look at all the great things I do under the New Covenant and boast in that? Or do I look at the cross of Christ and boast in that?

The fact is, whether old law or new, if I’m going to boast in my law-keeping, I’m only going to be able to admit that I’m a sinner and really have nothing in which to boast. I need to put my faith in Christ. When I put it in me, I fail. 

So, today, I’ll boast in Christ and not me or my law-keeping. Certainly, I’ll strive to obey Christ, but I won’t stand before Christ and try to act like He should forgive me because look at how awesome I am. That just won’t work.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

Today’s reading is John 5:1-6:71.

John 5:30 grabbed my attention today. Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

What really gets me is the one saying this was spoken about in John 1:1-5.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I know this is talking about Jesus because in John 1:14 the text says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

Here is the one who created all things, but He cannot do anything on His own? Of course, contextually, this doesn’t seem to be saying He can’t do anything by His own power but rather He won’t do anything from His own will. Perhaps both statements are true. But either way it is an amazing statement.

If we want to take it the way it first hits us, that He can’t do anything by His own power, we should be greatly humbled. If God the Son, God in the flesh, Jesus Christ could not do anything on His own but relied on the power of His Father for all His work, who are we to think we can do anything on our own? We must acknowledge God in all our ways (Proverbs 3:6). If He were to remove His grace completely and totally from our lives, we would be dissolved into speechless, powerless, hopeless blobs of matter. He is the one who grants life, breath, and all things (Acts 17:25). So many of us settle for mediocrity in life because we only do what we think we can accomplish on our own. Perhaps if we began to realize we accomplish nothing on our own and therefore fully rely on God, His power might work through us mightily (II Corinthians 12:7-10; Ephesians 3:20). Who knows? We might lead Israel out of Egypt on the heels of 10 amazing plagues, part the Red Sea, kill a giant, bring down walls, withstand lions. Mere people like us do amazing things when they quit relying on their own strength.

If we want to take Jesus’ statement in the more contextual sense that He does not do anything from His own will but only as His Father has directed Him, we should still be greatly humbled. Jesus is as much God as the Father is. He is divine in every sense. He has the power of deity. He has the mind of deity. Yet, He doesn’t go His own way. He submits to the Father. He surrenders to the Father. If Jesus will only do what is the Father’s will, how much more should we? We are not to go our own way. We are not to pursue our own will. Rather, we are to sacrifice ourselves to God’s will (Romans 12:1). We are to crucify ourselves and live by faith in Jesus (Galatians 2:20). We are to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Sadly, many today laugh at the idea of seeking authority for all that we do from God’s word, but Jesus could do nothing from His own will, but only did the will of His Father. We need to be like Jesus and only do what God wills.

However, notice that Jesus didn’t simply say, “I will do nothing of my own.” He said, “I can do nothing of my own.” Why do you think He phrased it that way?

***Question: What do you do to stay within God’s will?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is I Peter 3:1-4:19.

I Peter 4:2 hit me today because it goes right along with some thoughts I’ve had over the past few weeks based on a book I’m reading (get ready for it, here it comes, look out it’s an associate link), The Practice of the Presence of God by Nicholas Herman, more commonly known as Brother Lawrence.  

My family and I have a running joke based on Marita’s recent experience teaching 4th-7th graders in our congregation’s Bible class program. One of her great frustrations was trying to ask “why” discussion questions and receiving the most common answer, “So we can go to heaven.” It has become our running joke to ask questions in our family devotion time or in conversation and respond, “So we can go to heaven.” Of course, for most of us, that is likely the ultimate answer for all of those why questions we ask. Why do we do what we do? So we can go to heaven.

Now please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. I hope we all have the goal of going to heaven. However, can we consider a better motivation for our daily actions? I Peter 4:2 doesn’t say, “So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but so we can go to heaven.” Instead it says, “So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” 

Nicholas Herman (“Brother Lawrence”) suggested we not do things in order to go to heaven, receive blessings, or get some other reward. Rather, perhaps our motivation ought simply be to do what we do because we love God and it is His will. Certainly, God welcomes those who surrender their lives to Him into heaven. I Peter 1:3-5 demonstrates that an inheritance is waiting for us who are protected by God through our faith. However, if that is our motivation, I think we lose sight of what is important. In fact, when that is our motivation I think we will naturally get into a checklist mindset that says, “Alright, what must I do to go to heaven? How far do I have to go? Do I really have to do that?”

On the other hand, if my mindset is simply that I love God and I want to do everything I do because I love Him and it is His will, there are no limits on what I will do for Him. Further, I’m not trying to earn anything from Him by doing it. I’m simply trying to draw closer to Him. Isn’t that what He deserves? He is the Creator. He is the Savior. 

Again, there is nothing wrong with the goal of heaven. I think we can see Paul demonstrate that goal in Philippians 3:7-11. I just want us to consider another great motivation that needs to be part of our spiritual journey with God.

***Question: What do you do on a regular basis to draw closer to God?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Hebrews 3:1-4:16.

One of the biggest debates of modern Christianity is whether or not we can be saved by faith alone. The problem is this is a complex question. Depending on your definition of terms, the answer may be either no or yes. The question is how do you define faith?

Hebrews 3:12-4:7 highlights this issue. Notice as you read these verses how faith and obedience are equated as are unbelief and disobedience.

Hebrews 3:12 speaks of an evil, unbelieving heart that leads us to fall away from the living God.

In Hebrews 3:18 says those who were disobedient would not enter the rest He had prepared for them. However, in Hebrews 3:19, it says they did not enter because of their unbelief. Do you see that? Had they believed, they would have entered. But they didn’t believe so they didn’t enter. 

Hebrews 4:2 says the good news of God’s message for us only does any good when it meets with faith in those who hear it. It is not enough to simply listen to the good news. Oh no, we have to believe it. But then again in Hebrews 4:6, the writer mentions not being able to enter the rest because of disobedience.

Notice what we see in this context. Faith and obedience are not separate. Lack of faith and disobedience are not separate. These go hand in hand. In this text, disobedience means lack of faith. But we say, “Wait a minute, I might still have faith but simply disobey.” Certainly, if you are defining faith differently from the Hebrew writer. To many, faith merely means a mental assent to some facts. In fact, it is used that way in some scriptures. James 2:17-26 uses the word “faith” in this way. Even the demons give mental assent to some facts, however, they don’t obey. They have a kind of faith but no obedience, they are lost.

The Hebrew writer however is not talking about a mere mental assent to some facts. He is talking about a confidence and trust in the message received. If we are truly confident in the message, if we really trust the message, we will live the message. If we don’t live the message, we must not trust and believe it. In this context, faith is far more than mental assent to the facts it means actually living those facts. What this means is within this context it doesn’t matter what we believe on an intellectual level. What matters is do we have a surrendering faith that says God way works so we’ll work God’s way? If not, then we don’t have this kind of faith.

Back to our question. Are we saved by faith alone? If your definition of faith in this question is the kind of faith mentioned in James 2:17-26, then the answer is no. A mere mental assent to some facts gets us no better off than the demons. However, if your definition of faith in this question is the kind of faith described in Hebrews 3-4, then the answer is actually yes. Because of God’s grace, we don’t need anything more than a surrendering faith, that is, a faith that causes us to act on the message we’ve heard. By this definition, the obedience is part of the faith, it is not separate.

Now, here is the real kicker. We simply can’t mix these definitions. We cannot use the Hebrew writer’s definition of faith, prove faith is all we need and then act like all we need is James’s definition of faith. We cannot look at passages that say all we need is a surrendering faith which by definition submits to God’s will and then act like if someone has a mental assent to the facts they can be saved even though they have not obeyed God. Just because the same word is used does not mean it is used in the same ways and it is simply not good Bible study or application to mix and match these definitions.

Can we be saved by faith alone? Only if it is the surrendering faith that includes submission. A mere mental assent will not save us.

Of course, perhaps you’ve also caught on to the accommodative way I have answered this question. The truth of the matter is, we can’t be saved by faith alone with either definition. That is, there is no amount of believing and surrendering that saves us. Rather, God by His grace saves us when we surrender in faith.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

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

Today’s reading is Luke 23:1-24:53.

First, let me say congratulations. You’ve stuck with this reading program for 2 1/2 weeks and have completed our first book. Keep up the good work. Second, if you have faltered and let the habit slide already, don’t fret. Just pick it up again. We start Acts next. Get right back into it.

Now, to what struck me in today’s reading.

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Who knows how many times I’ve read this passage? How easy it is to just slide right over it thinking, “Oh yeah, Jesus’ spirit is going to God.” For some reason it grabbed me today.

If for just a moment, I forget that I already know the big picture plan and what Jesus will do on the third day, this statement becomes utterly stunning. Part of me (too big of a part) wonders if I could possibly make the same claim. Commit my spirit to a Father who seems to have forsaken me (cf. Matthew 27:46)? Commit my spirit to a Father who has let me be beaten, mocked, ridiculed, spat upon, scourged, railed at, abandoned and then killed torturously? Yet, even though the Father has allowed all that to happen, Jesus still says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” 

I wonder, when I face death, will I be able to say that? Here’s the key for Jesus. This wasn’t His first moment of committing His spirit to the Father. That was how He lived His life. This was nothing new for Him. It was the extension of a committed life. In fact, Jesus is actually quoting Psalm 31:5. That psalm was not merely talking about handing the spirit over to the Father at death. It was talking about a life of trusting God. In that life, the enemies rail and fight. The speaker has become a reproach. He had even been forgotten by his friends. Yet, he did not falter. God was his refuge, his rock, his fortress. When attacked, God was the place he fled for safety. When harmed, God was the place he retreated for succor and comfort. He did not turn from God when the attacks came, he went deeper into God.

Jesus adopts not just this one line from the psalm but the message of the psalm. Jesus is not merely saying, “I’m about to die so My spirit will come to you.” Jesus is saying that in the face of the dreadful attacks on Him that are leading to His death, He still trusts the Father. As has always been the case, the Father is His refuge, His rock, His fortress. The reason He has gone through this horrendous incarnation ending in horrifying death is because He trusts the Father with His spirit. He knows the Father’s way works.

I need constantly to look to that example. The Father’s way works. Instead of rebelling against Him in my spirit, I need to commit my spirit to Him. I need to let Him guide my spirit. I need to flee to Him for safety. I need to retreat to Him for succor and comfort. I need to depend on Him though everything else around me fails. 

The economy can crash and I may lose every bit of money and material goods I have, but God will hold me in His hand. My friends may abandon me, but God will never forsake me. My foes may attack me, but God will shield me. My body may fail me little by little, but God will be my strength. And, as with Jesus, if I surrender my spirit to the Father, on the day it is separated from my body, He will take it home to be with Him.

Praise you, God, may I ever commit my spirit to You!

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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