Life This Side of Heaven

In Psalm 143 David prayed words that any hiker might appreciate. He said, “May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” However, David explains what he means. He begins by saying, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.”

As the apostle instructed weak Christians not to judge their brothers on practices which are neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture, and as he admonished those who were strong in their faith not to look down upon those who were still learning the distinction, he shared a familiar phrase from God’s Word in Isaiah. He said, “It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” So why did Paul choose to quote these words here in this passage?

In John Donne’s famous prose from 1624, the writer says that now famous line: “No man is an island.” Donne may have been familiar with the words which the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write here in Romans. In this passage, God’s Word reminds us that, as God's redeemed children, we are connected to one another in Christ. The apostle writes, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.” This has a real impact on how we exercise our Christian freedom each day.

When you and I suffer injury and injustice it hurts. It’s frustrating when we’re powerless to anything do about it. Have you ever scratched you head and wondered why God doesn’t seem to see it and deal with it? You're not alone. Jacob's son, Joseph, may have had these same questions in Genesis.

Jesus explained to Peter that since there’s no limit to the mercy that God has given to you and me there should be no limit on the mercy we share with one another. But in order to show what that looks like, Jesus shared a startling parable with the disciples.

Peter asked our Savior, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" He may have felt that was quite extravagant. Instead of the usual three times, which some felt was the limit, Peter doubled it and threw in one more for good measure. However, what our Savior said next must have really left the disciple with his jaw wide open.

Have you ever smiled when passing a white wooden chapel on the prairies and thought it was quaint? Have you ever found yourself lowering your voice to a whisper and standing in awe inside a large cathedral? The one thing they have in common is that Jesus reminds us – whether the group of God’s people that’s gathered to worship in His name is large or small – He is there.

When dealing with a brother who is fallen into open sin, and refuses to listen to the call to repent from you, and from the family of faith, Jesus says, "treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” That may sound as if Jesus is saying to “treat him like gum stuck to the bottom of your shoes.” But that’s not what He’s saying at all. What He is saying may surprise you.

God’s love is so great, so untiring and so persistent that He relentlessly pursues His wandering sheep to rescue them from death. God calls you and me to take note of those in our midst who have wandered off, who have become lost, with a similar single-minded desire to see them reunited.

At first, our Savior’s words here in Matthew sound jarring and unwelcome. It sounds like He’s talking about radical surgery, one of those operations with a name than ends in “ectomy”. Our first instinct is to clasp our hands over our ears and not hear another word. But consider carefully what our Savior is telling us here in Matthew.

When Jesus settled the disciples' dispute, of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, it's unlikely that the child He called to stand in their midst was wearing his Sunday best. And, if you notice, Jesus didn’t ask someone to first scrub down their child, spruce him up, and bring them to Him for this object lesson.

Jesus explained to the disciples that He would soon be going to the cross to accomplish our amazing rescue from sin and death. You would think that this would have consumed all their thoughts and every bit of their conversation. However, as Mark tells us, not only was their own greatness a topic for conversation, it was something that they even argued about it with each other. And yet, before we shake a finger at the disciples, look at how easy it for us to think of God’s kingdom in similar carnal terms.

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Have you ever heard the phrase? Putting it bluntly, it’s important to be clear who is leading, who is following, and who should stand aside. But it's not up for question when it comes to faith. When Peter heard that Jesus would dies on the cross, he told Him, "“Never, Lord! … This shall never happen to you!” His response made it clear: He leads, we follow, Satan gets out of the way.

When you and I have suffered an injustice, there’s a real urge to want to strike back. Our hearts fill with rage and indignation. And it’s usually at that time when we’re not using our best judgement. Before anger gets the better of us, Paul reminds us in Romans to stop and think first. Then he suggests doing something completely unexpected.

It’s easy to rejoice with someone else if you have both received good news. It’s also not hard to imagine shedding tears with others who are suffering the same loss. But it may not be as easy when your situations are different. And yet, in love, God enables us to sincerely "rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn."

“Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance.” During the current pandemic we’ve learned well these three new phrases. Now hear the apostle's threefold reminder in Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Here are words recorded by inspiration of God for you and me to hear at precisely a time like this.

In Romans, Paul says, “Love must be sincere.” Literally, in the original Greek, it reads, “Love without hypocrisy.” Hypocrisy is all about giving a false appearance of virtue or goodness. It’s all for show. So, what does sincere love look like?

If you were at a party, where the house you were in was on fire, would you want to know? It might be disappointing to hear that if you continued carrying on as if nothing’s going on you would probably perish.

In Matthew, shortly after Peter’s confession of faith, Jesus gave authority to forgive and retain sins. He gave instruction that the sins of penitent sinners, sinners who are sorry for their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, are to be forgiven. In fact, He gave authority to announce God’s full and free pardon.

Have you ever found yourself undervaluing the gifts and abilities God has given to you and envying the skills and talents of someone else?

Nobody like someone who’s full of themselves. So when the apostle says in Romans, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought," it may sound like Paul is giving his comeuppance to folks who have an annoying sense of self-importance. But actually it’s more than that. And it’s a lot more positive.

Imagine if you could buy a square watermelon – one that’s shaped like a cube? It's a matter of getting the melon to conform to a mold. That may be a fun experiment for the garden, but the apostle reminds us that it’s a bad idea when it comes to how you and I fit into the culture around us.

“What do you have to offer?” It’s a standard question that hiring managers uses in interviews. It’s an open-ended question which provides the person being interviewed an opportunity to “talk themselves up.” As some have said, it’s a chance to show what you bring to the table, to describe your special strengths, how you add value, what you bring as the benefits that you bring to the table. When it comes to God what do I have to offer?

It easy to think that faith in Jesus is one of the better choices we’ve made in life. But that idea is put to rest with the words that Jesus spoke to Peter when He asked them, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Peter's response and Jesus' reply remind us that it's something even better and much more comforting.

In these concluding verses of Psalm 67 we hear it, not once, but twice, “May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.” We look forward to that day when, as we hear in Revelation, we shall join with the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”

Psalm 67 is a wonderful missionary prayer. It begins by asking for God's blessing and then becomes a prayer that this salvation be shared with all people. And although these are ancient words they also speak with remarkable clarity to a concern currently facing our nation.

When Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” there’s a good reason he goes on to say, “as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” It sticks with us. Music incorporates God’s Word into our memory in a way that it finds itself on the tip of our tongue as we sing along during the week.

In Romans, Paul writes, "Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them." It's unlikely that the apostle is advocating any structured form of "Envy Evangelism." However, what a blessing it would be if those in our midst, seeing the importance of our salvation in Christ, found themselves wanting to take a closer look at what they’re missing.

God’s Old Testament nation of Israel was to serve as a lighthouse. And so are God's people today. Standing tall along the shoreline, lighthouses are those wonderful towers that send out a bright beam of light to assist with maritime navigation, warn of hazards and to guide sailors safely home to to their destination.

"That’s not like Him." Have you ever found yourself saying that about someone you know and love? When God's face seems hidden, when circumstances in your life make it seem as if God is not hearing your prayers, have you ever wondered, "That's not like Him"? Here's where faith clings to God's mercy alone and trusts the Savior who has revealed Himself, and His mercy, to us in His Word.

When Jesus pulled Peter from the waves He stepped into the boat with a disciple who was soaking wet, rescued and grateful. Sometimes paintings will depict Jesus holding out his hand as if waiting for Peter to latch on. But Jesus didn’t tell him, “Take hold of my hand.” He didn’t meet Peter half way and wait for Peter to reach up to Him. It was all Jesus.

It’s surprising how easy it us for us to be frightened by what we think may harm us – than it is to realize that Jesus Himself is always with us. And that list can be extensive from health concerns to so much more. But you and I can be comforted knowing, without any doubt, that our Almighty God and Savior is with us. For the disciples, it was a dark and stormy night ... but it didn't end that way.

When you hear the words “Good News,” what often comes to mind is a fuzzy image of something that makes you feel good or just makes you smile. However, when Paul used that term “Gospel, good news,” it brought to mind a vivid picture for those who heard it. Here’s news that hits our ears and sets feet into motion.

Confessing our faith isn't a condition to be met before we are saved. It’s a joyous fruit of faith, not a prerequisite to justification. It’s proclaiming publicly the saving faith that God Himself has planted in our hearts through His Word. It’s a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge before God and say to the world: “Here’s my loving God and what He has done, and continues to do, for me and my salvation."

You may have to travel to taste an iconic regional dish. However, today, you can have practically any famous regional foods delivered right to your doorstep. But how do we receive the salvation that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross over 2,000 years ago halfway around the world on the other side of the globe? The good news is that Jesus Himself has delivered it right to us!

It’s tempting in our culture to think we’ve come so far that we all the answers. As a result, it's even tempting to second-guess God and want to give Him advice. However, it's humbling to know that there is still so much we don't know, and comforting to be reminded that He is God and we in His loving hands.

So why did Jesus used a little boy's lunch when He fed the five thousand by the Seat of Galilee? After all, He didn't need the two fish and five loaves of bread that his Mom or Dad packed for him that morning to accomplish this miracle.

Just before Jesus fed the five thousand, He told the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” Have you ever wondered why He did that? Certainly, He wanted them to trust in Him. It’s clear from John’s Gospel that when Philip asked about it He did this to test their faith. But why have them distribute it?

It's interesting to note that shortly before Jesus fed the five thousand the disciples attempted to explain to Him that this was impossible. If you notice, He didn't debate it with them. He went ahead and showed them. In our weakness, we may underestimate our Savior as well.

Imagine you were one of the disciples. Our Savior had spent the day teaching the large crowd that had followed them to Bethsaida along the short of the Sea of Galilee. Now it was getting late. What Jesus told them next must have made their jaws drop. He told them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” What would you think?

Do you ever wish like you could just get away from it all? Disturbing news. Medical concerns. Painful guilt from sin. Do you find yourself drained and exhausted? It’s worthy knowing that these go neither unnoticed nor untended by our Savior.

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch." I’m sure we’ve all heard that phrase at one time or another. So it may make us raise our eyebrow when we hear God's invitation in Isaiah, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost."

The kingdom of heaven comes to us in the hearing of God’s Word. Discovering the treasure that God has revealed to us, of our salvation, isn't the end. That’s just the beginning. Now you and I have an opportunity to pour over all that this treasure holds.

Covid, killer hornets, hurricane season. We’re halfway into 2020 and many people are beginning to wonder what’s coming next? Paul reminds us of the very reassuring answer to that question in God's Word.

Whenever there is an important case that’s about to make its way through the court, news outlets may promise to cover the entire proceeding from “gavel-to- gavel.” It’s a phrase used to describe everything that takes place between the first strike of the gavel, when the trial is begins, to the last strike of the gavel, when the judge announces the verdict and proceedings are closed. Here in Romans Paul describes the verdict in the most important case that could ever be heard.

Whenever you hear the word “if” it usually means whatever follows is conditional. Whatever comes next is usually up to you. “If,” is the kind of word that makes you raise your eyebrow to see and hear what comes next. However, in Romans 8 Paul uses this same tiny word, in a very different way, to announce something truly amazing!

Why do you love me? Typically, when one person asks that question of another, they’re hoping to discover what special qualities it is that they possess. What is it that caught their beloved’s attention and, ultimately, won their affection? When it comes to God we may find ourselves asking that same question, “Why does God love me?”

“You know, I’m a babysitter for junk.” Now, that’s not something you don't hear every day. Chances are good that, to some degree or another, you and I are probably baby sitters for junk as well. However, no matter what you and I have sought up to this point in life, it can't begin compare with the priceless value of what Jesus describes for us in this one short parable.

Weeds. They’re the bane of every backyard gardener. But Jesus’ “Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds” isn’t advice on how you and I are to rid His field of weeds. Instead it points to the patient love and unique ability of this Sower.

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” Remember that familiar little jingle? Here in Romans, chapter 8, Paul gives voice to what sounds like a similar refrain. However, what he’s referring to is a lot more than ice cream!