“Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—”

Philemon 1:8-9 ESV

In Philemon we see the effects of gospel of grace on the social norms of the 1st century. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to another Christian, Philemon, who had a runaway slave, Onenismus. This slave, Oneismus, became a Christian and a companion of Paul. Philemon must have had mounting anger and animosity towards Onenismus for leaving his responsibilities. Slavery was a social norm in the 1st century and Paul didn’t specifically address that social structure here but he did address how a Christian was to operate within that social structure, namely with love and forgiveness.

I so appreciate the Apostle Paul’s pastoral heart. His approach to leadership was one of grace and love, yet he wasn’t a soft pushover. He led with deep biblical conviction. Here we see Paul making a loving appeal to Philemon to do what is right. Paul had enough backbone to address the social issue by calling attention to what the Christian thing to do, yet he gave proper space to Philemon to respond in love willingly, not merely out of obligation. There is a great principle of grace here for the leader, whether it’s a parent aiming to shepherd the hearts of their children in showing love to their siblings or if it’s an employer seeking to build harmony and unity among their staff. The way of Jesus is one of grace and truth (John 1:18) and Paul walked that path, calling others to join. Let us do the same. The gospel of Jesus transforms our lives and brings about such beautiful effects of grace. In the NT we are not only commanded to love like Jesus, we are also empowered to do so by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within (Romans 5:5, 8:13-16, Galatians 5:22). The Lord not only shows us the right thing we ought to do, He also grants us the desire and power to do it (Philippians 2:13). The gospel of grace effects our social lives in how we treat others. It teaches us to treat people with dignity and love regardless of their social status.

Here is how the Apostle Paul taught the Colossians Christians to live in the grace of the gospel:

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Colossians 3:12-13 ESV

Because God has treated us better that’s we deserve we are to treat others with that same grace and love. This is fitting for us who are chosen, holy and beloved. This fitting for us who identify with Jesus as our Savior and Lord. He is the One who is full of grace and truth.

May the gospel of grace lead us to live in grace! May the “fellowship of [our] faith become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in [us] for Christ’s sake.” Philemon 1:6 NASB

In Psalm 13 the psalmist demonstrates raw honesty with God in prayer that many Christians feel uncomfortable with. He doesn’t act as if everything is ok when it’s not ok. He teaches us how to be realists concerning the brokenness of this world and the brokenness that touches our lives. Many seek to cope with the brokenness, sickness, suffering and evil in the world by escapism, ignoring the reality of the world in which they live. Many do this by entertaining themselves numb with movies, games & social media. Some even do this in the name of faith, thinking it pious to ignore the feelings of painful abandonment, loneliness, fear, discouragement and despair. The psalms teach us not to ignore these emotional heart- struggles within us caused by the brokenness of this world, but rather they teach us to face them by acknowledging the pain, disappointment, discouragement, fear, and then pouring our hearts out to God and trusting Him with these struggles (Psalm 62:8).

Psalm 13 is a prayer song of lament that teaches us several lessons about our prayer lives.

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Psalms‬ ‭13:1-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1. Express Your Grief to God in Prayer (v1-4)
   The psalmist gives the people of God permission to be real with God by communicating to him feelings of abandonment, discouragement, pain, sorrow and grief. God knows how we feel and what we really think, so it doesn’t surprise Him when we communicate honestly with Him because He already knows everything. However, He desires for us to have intimate relationship with Him and this requires honest communication. Any married couple who doesn’t have the freedom to communicate honestly, even if it’s painful truth, will miss out on deep relational intimacy. And so it is with our relationship with God. We need to feel the freedom to communicate how we really feel and what we really think, otherwise our relationship will remain at surface level. God calls us to deep intimacy with Him through honest communication.
2. Trust In God’s Steadfast Love (V5a)
   When we know the One True God of the Bible we will cling to, trust in and delight in His glorious, unchanging character. He is rich in love which is constant, steady, never-failing and never-changing. He is 100% for us! He is not against us! He delights in doing good to us! He knows everything about us including every shameful secret sin, weakness and failure, yet He loves us more profoundly and fervently than any other being in the entire universe. And there is nothing we can do to make our God love us more. His love for us is perfect and full. So let us trust in His steadfast love. Let us trust that He will continue to show us His love daily and eternally!
3. Rejoice In His Salvation
   The psalmist has moved from anguish to assurance in God’s steadfast love and salvation. He delighted and rejoiced greatly in the salvation that God so graciously gave him. Jesus instructed his disciples to do this in Luke 10:20. The disciples were rejoicing because demon spirits were subjected to them. They were doing what Jesus did, casting demons out of people. That’s pretty cool! But Jesus redirected their joy towards something less subjective and towards something more steady, heavenly and eternal, namely their salvation. Their names were written in Heaven and that wasn’t going to be taken away from them. When you and I allow Heavenly realities be the basis for our joy and rejoicing then we won’t be so subject to having our joy taken from us when earthy possessions and comforts are taken from us. God’s people are called to rejoice in all circumstances (Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16) because our Good Heavenly Father continues to remain the same (James 1:17) and our identity as His children remains secure (1 John 5:18).
4. Sing to The Lord (V6a)
   Throughout the psalms the psalmists resolved themselves to sing to the Lord regardless of what difficulties came their way in life. This is how the psalmists fought their spiritual, emotional and mental battles. And this is how we are to fight our battles. Praise is one of our weapons against the onslaught of the enemy. In our praise we respond to the revelation of who God is as He has been revealed in Scripture and we respond to what He has done historically and in the our own lives.
5. Reflect On How God Has Dealt Bountifully with You (6b)
   The Lord has been so good to each of us. Even if He were to take us home today, God has been good to us. Everyday of life we have had with our families and friends has been a gracious gift from the Almighty’s hand. And though our days here on earth are numbered, He has promised life everlasting with Him in the resurrection. God has been good to us by daily providing breathe to our lungs, food for our stomach, clothes and shelter for our bodies, music for our ears, beauty for our eyes and loving relationships to enjoy. God has been good to us by delivering us form near deaths experiences where we seemed to be one moment away from death. God has has ultimately displayed His goodness through sending His Son Jesus into this world to rescue us from sin and death. He has dealt bountifully with us who are in Christ. He has lavished grace upon grace on our lives (Ephesians 1:3-14). As we look back to reflect on the numerous ways our God has been good to us we are filled with confidence that He will continue to be good to us throughout all eternity.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

We have and will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13), and we are confident that because the Father sent Jesus to rescue us He will graciously give us all things, chase us down with His goodness and mercy and grant us to dwell in His house forever (Psalm 23:6).

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
‭‭John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What helpful and comforting words from our Lord Jesus. It’s helpful to have a reality check from Jesus and here it’s directed towards the reality that we are going to experience tribulation while we are on this earth. It’s inevitable. It’s part of living in a world that has been broken and corrupted by sin. But we can take heart because our Savior has overcome this world. He has led the way in triumph and we can follow Him into victory as well. So don’t let the brokenness of this world rob your peace & joy. Be watchful and prayerful to fight for peace in this pandemic. Joy is the result of a prayerful life (John 16:24) and peace is the result of an attentive and reflective life (Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:8-9). Reflect of these words that Christ has spoken for He said them for your peace.

Prayer: Father, help us to be more influenced by your words than we are by all the other voices. Your words sanctify us (John 17:17) give us joy (John 15:11, Jeremiah 15:16) peace (John 16:33)!

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 ESV

Saints, The Lord has destined us for salvation through Jesus. We belong to Him and will be with him! So take heart, don’t fret & panic, our Good Shepherd will lead us through this!

Don’t believe the lie that Israelites bought into in the wilderness, namely that the Lord “hated” them and sought to “destroy” them. The Lord has not destined us for wrath but salvation. He is our Savior, our Good Shepherd who has laid down His life for us, His sheep (John 10:10-11). He is with us (Psalm 23:) and we will be with Him whether we sleep (die) our whether we remain awake (alive).

To live is Christ and die is gain (Philippians 1:21), so it’s a win win regardless of what comes our way.

Father, help us to really believe what you have said and really know deep within our hearts that you are for us not against us (Romans 8:32). May we know the depth of you love and let your love cast out fear!

In the book of Daniel there is powerful verse that says:

“He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” Daniel 11:32 ESV

There is an evident distinction between those who know God and those who don’t. Daniel wrote that those know God will be strong/stand firm and take action and this is in contrast to those who are seduced and violate the covenant. J.I. Packer in his book Knowing God highlights 4 marks of those who know their God from the book of Daniel:

1.Those who know their God have great energy for God

2. Those know their God have great thoughts about God

3. Those who know their God show great boldness for God.

4. Those who know their God have great contentment in God. (Knowing God pages 27-31)

It is vital for you to know God if you are going to stand firm through this evil day. You must be strong and stand in the power God’s might, not your own (Ephesians 6:10-19). The deception with be strong, the destruction will increase and the darkness will cover the earth as we’ve never seen it before, but the people who know their God will be wise and shine bright in the darkness (Daniel 12:3). God’s grace will sustain and carry us when we feel weak and weary.

Father, may those of us who know you get to know you better through giving ourselves to study of your word and prayer. May we introduce many to you and turn them to righteousness.

The world has gone into panic mode over the last week. Tens of Thousands of people have been infected by Covid19. And thousands have died from the virus. We have good reason to take seriously the situation making wise decisions but we don’t have good reasons to panic. Throughout the Bible the command to fear not is given more than any other command. Aside from the obvious reason that God commands us not to be afraid here are 12 biblical reasons Christians shouldn’t panic. There are many more to discover in the pages of Scripture but may you find these 12 to be helpful in fighting your fears.

1. God is with us- Hebrews 13:5-6, Psalm 23:4

2. God is our refuge & strength- Psalm 46:1-3

3. God is our help in time of trouble- Psalm 46:1-3

4. God is for us not against us- Romans 8:31

5. God loves us and nothing can separate us from His love- Rom. 8:37-39

6. Jesus is interceding for us- Hebrews 7:25, Rom. 8:34

7. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who came to give us life- John 10:10-11

8. Jesus has given us eternal life, we will never perish and no one can snatch us from his hand- John 10:28, 1 John 5:11-12

9. The Lord is our healer- Exodus 15:26, 1 Peter 2:24, James 5:15-16

10. The Lord strengthens & upholds us- Isaiah 40:10

11. The Lord is Sovereign over all things, including this virus – Ephesians 1:11, Psalm 46:10, Isaiah 40:9-31, Psalm 33:10-11, Revelation 1:5

12. The Lord has given us a hope through his promise of a world without death & pain- Revelation 21:4, Romans 8:18-25

Can you remember the last you got really mad? What was it that upset you? Anger is common emotion that humans feel living in a fallen and broken world. We are oftnened angered by some injustice or wrong done to us or done to another. Or we are angered simply by us not getting our way or by circumstances not turning out like we expected. Anger can be fatally destructive if it’s not handled appropriatley or it can a helpful indicator in discovering what’s not right within us or around us.

The first place we see destructive anger in the Bible is in Genesis chapter four after Cain and Abel had both offered a sacrifice to God. God looked favorably upon the sacrifice of Abel and didn’t regard Cain’s sacrifice for some reason. Perhaps Cain didn’t offer his best offering to God in faith. We know that Abel offered his sacrifice in faith (Hebrews 11:4) and it appears that he offered his very best, the firstborn from his flock (Genesis 4:4). This angered Cain that his offering wasn’t regarded as his brothers was. God addressed Cain and said “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?” (Genesis 4:6 ESV). God directed Cain to examine himself and discover the underlying reason for his anger. God also warned Cain of the danger of sin lurking if he didn’t resolve his anger appropriately. There was something good and right about Abel that irked Cain because there something wrong within him. It seems that jealousy and anger mixed together was a destructive combination when left unresolved.

The Apostle John shed light on this when he wrote:

“We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.” 1 John 3:12 ESV

Anger can often reveal something that is not right within us. Jesus expounded on the sixth commandment you shall not murder and said:

“…everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:22 ESV

So lingering anger within us is a serious issue that must be examined. I wonder how many people are locked up behind bars because they allowed anger to get control of them.

Jonah’s story is another example of anger being an indicator of needed heart maintenance. God called him to preach a message to Nineveh and He ran from God’s presence and His marching order. Jonah went AWOL. After some loving fatherly discipline being sent to a 3 day time out in the belly of a great fish, Jonah then preached the message God gave him and he waited for Nineveh to perish. Lo and behold just as Jonah had suspected God showed them mercy to Nineveh by sparing their city. This angered Jonah so much that he threw temper tantrum. While Jonah was seething with anger God and loathing his life God said to him: “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah 4:4 ESV

Jonah knew that God is gracious, merciful and slow to anger but he was resisting alignment with God’s character. Jonah sought to reserve the right to be angry. From his perspective Nineveh should not have been shown grace and mercy and this ticked him off. Merely knowing that God is gracious, merciful and slow to anger won’t necessarily mean change in us. But rather when we adore God and treasure Him for these characteristics then we will begin to bear the marks of them more and more in our lives. Jonah had room to grow in his relationship with God and in his ministry. His reluctance to obey God, lack of compassion for the Ninehvites and seething anger revealed areas in his heart that were not right and didn’t reflect the heart of God.

Anger can be a revealing indicator that something is wrong within us. I liken our human emotions to the lights on the dashboard of your car. When your gas is low it’s time to fill up. When your oil light comes on it’s time to change the oil. When the check engine light is on it’s time to bring in a mechanic. The emotion of anger is often a helpful indicator that it’s time to look under the hood and ask God to search our hearts to find any hurtful way in us (Psalm 139:23-24).

Ed Welch in his book Side By Side wrote that our emotions “usually proceed from our hearts, are given shape by our bodies, reflect the qualities of our relationships, bear the etchings of both the goodness and meaninglessness of work, provide a peek into how we fare in the spiritual battle, and identify what we realy believe about God”

While emotions aren’t to steer and drive the trajectory of our lives they let us know when it’s time to look under the hood of our hearts. I have a friend who drove his vehicle 30,000 miles without changing the oil. He damaged that ride by simply not changing the oil. Our hearts and lives need on going care and maintenance. Many of us live such fast paced lives that we rarely give sufficient time to reflect on where we are emotionally and spiritually. And our emotional life is much more intricately connected to our spiritual life then many people realize.

Eugene Peterson eloquently And insightfully wrote about the emotion of anger that Jonah manifested:

“Anger is most useful as a diagnostic tool. When anger erupts in us, it is a signal that something is wrong. Something isn’t working right. There is evil or incompetence or stupidity in the neighborhood. Diagnostically it is virtually infallible, and we learn to trust it… What anger fails to do, though, is tell us whether the wrong is outside or inside us. We usually begin by assuming that the wrong is outside of us—our spouse or our child or our God has done something wrong, and we are angry. That is what Jonah did, and he quarreled with God. But when we track anger carefully, we often find it leads to a wrong within us— wrong information, inadequate understanding, undeveloped heart.”

So ask yourself the next time you get angry. Why am I angry? Here are some diagnostic questions with Scriptures to reflect on as you seek to discover and resolve what’s going on under the hood in your heart:

• Does your angry have more to do with the plans and purposes of God or are you angry about your own plans and earthly pleasures (see James 4:1)?
• Are you angry because of unrealistic or unbiblical expectations of others or towards yourself (see Matthew 23:4)?
• Are you angry because your trying to do too much in your own strength (see 1 Corinthians 15:10, 1 Peter 4:10-11)?
• Are you angry because your not getting proper rest, solitude and the spiritual and physical nutrition that you need (see Matthew 11:29-30, John 6:35)?
• Are you angry because you haven’t taken time to talk to someone about your pain and struggle that you are currently experiencing (See Galatians 6:1-2)?
• Are you angry because you think God should have prevented something, provided something and did something different then what actually happened (see Psalm 22:1-5)?
• Are you angry because you feel rejected, hurt and neglected by someone close that has failed to love you (See Isaiah 53:3-5)?
• Are you angry because you just can’t see any way that things are going to get better (See 2 Corinthians 1:8-11)?
• Do you have overwhelming pressures of responsibilities that you need to ask others or God for help with (Romans 15:1-3)?
• Do you feel angry because your not seeing the bigger picture (Jonah 4:9-11)?
• Are you angry because you feel misunderstood and inaccurately judged (see 1 Corinthians 4:3-5)
• Are you angry because you are unable to identify and articulate what’s goin on inside of you (see Psalm 139:23-24)?

Resolving Anger

The Apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesians Christians to manage their anger in this way:

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger…

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Ephesians 4:26, 31 ESV

So don’t allow anger linger within you and don’t let it lead you to sin. Put it away. But you may ask how do “put away” anger I feel towards another person. The next verse tells us how:

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 ESV

Treat others the way Christ has treated you. We had the wrath of God upon our lives until we turned to Christ in repentance and in faith (John 3:26). Jesus forgave us not because we deserved it or earned but simply because of His grace and kindness. Jesus bore on himself the wrath of God directed towards sinners when He died upon the cross (Romans 5:6-10). God’s wrath for our sin was satisfied and your anger against others who have sinned against you can be brought to the cross and resolved there as well. You can forgive others because Christ has graciously forgiven you. You can be free from anger dominating your life because of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Slow Down & Listen

Often we get angry because to jump to conclusions in certain situations. If we are going to address our angry in a healthy way then we need to heed the extortion of James:

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

James 1:19-20 ESV

You can avoid outbursts of wrath by simply pausing to hear what others have to say about a situation, especially when you pause and pray to hear God’s accurate perspective. Being quick to listen and slow to speak will tremendously help you be slow to anger, like our Heavenly Father who is slow to anger. I’ve often brought to the attention of my children that they have two ears and one mouth by God’s design. So we should listen twice as much as we speak. By listening we gain wisdom and perspective that we need to make the best and right decisions (Proverbs 2:1-5). If we allow anger to dominate our lives it won’t lead to doing what’s right. The “anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God”. It’s foolish to neglect addressing anger our lives. We would do well to head the wisdom of Solomon who wrote:

“Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9 ESV

“A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”

Proverbs 29:22 ESV

Knowing that anger can be so destructive we must not only resolve it but we must seek to refrain from it, as David wrote:

“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.”

Psalms 37:8 ESV

And remember this nugget of wisdom when your around others who are letting angry get the best of them:

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 ESV

Answering the angry person softly with grace with keep you from adding fuel to the fire of their anger and stir you to anger. Too many people have lost their lives because they didn’t heed the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1. Life is too short to allow anger to hinder you from enjoying the good gifts of God. So purpose to resolve your anger with the help that the gospel provides and refrain from anger and respond with gentleness to the angry person. Do this all with the help of the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives the fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Yesterday morning the basketball legend Kobe Bryant (41) and his 13 year old daughter died in a helicopter crash. As I scrolled through social media I could see a glimpse of the great impact that his sudden death had on so many of my friends and family. As I looked at the pictures of Kobe with his young and beautiful family I couldn’t help but feel sad and ask God why. I don’t fully understand why seemingly early deaths like this occur. I just feel like this is not the way it’s supposed to be.

Theologically I know that death is the result of mankind’s sin and rebellion against God, so that explains why every person will physically die one day (Genesis 3, Romans 6:23). And theologically I know that Christ has given eternal life as a free gift to all those who have turned from their sin and put their trust in him. But emotionally I still have to wrestle with the pain, grief and fear of living in the shadow of death. It hurts when someone we know and love dies and is no longer present with us. The pain and grief experienced surrounding the death of a loved can be life altering. And there is a process of healing that one must walk through to experience emotional and mental health and stability.

As a teenager I lost my 10-year old brother who was hit by a car. I also lost my father who was burned in a house fire. I didn’t immediately walk through the process in a healthy way. I coped by stuffing the pain and the thoughts of my loss through drug use. I don’t remember crying around the death of my brother or father because I was so numb from constantly getting high. It was emotionally, mentally and spiritually toxic for me to contain all the pain and grief within and not speak to anyone about it. The pain I possessed came out in anger, harming others and stealing from others. I was lost, broken, hurting, hopeless and without purpose until the day I met Jesus Christ. On December 12, 1998 I turned from my sin and trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. When I received Christ tears rolled down my cheeks. First they were tears of pain and then tears of joy streamed down. God forgave me of all my sins, God accepted me as his very own child and God gave me a reason to live. I came alive. It’s like I was born again. And I truly was born again! My life began to bear the fruit of having been saved, redeemed and reconciled to God by the grace of Jesus.

Followers of Jesus have tremendous help, healing and hope accessible to them when facing the reality of death and it’s shadows. One major challenge that death presents every human being is a crippling fear that can rob our peace, enjoyment of life and effectiveness in fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. But the gospel of Jesus gives us the help we need to overcome the crippling fear of death. The Bible says this about the power of the gospel to bring freedom from the fear of death:

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV

Jesus tasted death so that we can experience freedom from the bondage of the fear of death. He helps us by loosening the chains of fear so that we can do God’s will, fulfill His purpose and enjoy abundant life (John 10:10).

Jesus also gives us hope beyond this life by his resurrection (1 Peter 1:3). Jesus made an astounding claim and promise to those who believe in him. He said:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 ESV

After Jesus made this claim of being the resurrection and the life he then raised his friend Lazarus from the grave after he had been dead 4 days. This miracle bore witness to the reality that Jesus is the source of life and resurrection. Jesus himself was resurrected from the dead after 3 days in the grave. This confirms the credibility of his promise that “everyone who believes” in him will live beyond the grave with a new resurrected body, in a new world without sickness, sin, suffering, pain or death (Revelation 21:4). If you know and trust Jesus then you have hope beyond this life.

Knowing Jesus also brings healing to our broken hearts. Jesus felt pain as a human being. He knew what rejection, betrayal and the death of loved ones felt like. He suffered so that he can sympathize with us and help us by giving us the mercy and grace we so desperately need (Hebrews 4:15-16). Through his suffering and wounds we can experience healing. The Prophet Isaiah wrote these powerful words about Jesus years before he would fulfill it’s prediction:

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5 ESV

There is healing, help and hope available to you because of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Believe in Him and bring your sins and hurts to him. Allow Christ to heal your broken heart. Allow the Savior to be your help by asking Him for help. Allow Jesus to give you a living hope that grows within you more and more as you see the day of redemption drawing near. Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him so you can experience what the Psalmist David wrote about:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalms 23:4 ESV

Eugene Peterson wrote about this verse saying:

“The shadow is death—death valley—or perhaps the darkest shadows are the harbingers of death: cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, divorce, domestic violence, grinding poverty, homelessness. Our lives are lived in the company of both the Shepherd and the shadow”.

May the presence of the Shepherd bring help, healing and hope to your soul even as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

The Apostle Paul had a special opportunity to testify before a Roman governor and named Felix. In Paul’s defense he made this statement:

“But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,” Acts 24:14 ESV

Christianity was described by Paul as “the Way”. This is fitting since Jesus made the claim “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This is also a fitting term for the path of Christ followers because it’s not merely a way, one among many, it’s The Way. Trusting and following Jesus is only path of life. The New Testament scholar D.A. Carson commented on this term the Way:

“Christianity is more than a belief system; it’s a way of living. Moreover, it provides a way to God, a way to be forgiven and accepted by the living God—and that Way is Jesus himself (John 14:6)”.

The Gospel message that Christians believe and proclaim has an element of exclusivity. This was something that Jesus and the Apostles weren’t bashful about declaring. The invitation of the Gospel is given universally to “anyone” and “whosoever” will believe (John 3:16). Yet the Scripture emphasizes that there is no other way of finding salvation, eternal life and forgiveness, except through faith in Jesus the Savior (Galatians 1:6-10). Salvation can be found in none other than Jesus the Savior of the world. The Apostles said:

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 ESV

Now this rubs many the wrong way because our American culture largely embraces relativism. In many conversations that I’ve had with unbelievers about God, I’ve heard comments like: “if that works for you, good”, “I’m glad that you found your way”, “there are many ways to god and you found one that works for you”. Many people today reject the claim of absolute truth. Yet the ones making such claim that there is no absolute truth imply that their claim is absolute truth. Also, those who object to Christians being intolerant, are often the very ones being intolerant towards Christians.

If followers of the Way are to be faithful and true to their beliefs they must unashamedly embrace Jesus as the only hope and way of salvation. And if they really believe that and genuinely love those around them who don’t know Jesus as their Savior, then they must speak about the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ.

May we boldly tell others about the Way and show them how to follow Jesus, by living according to His rhythms of grace!

Here is a great song that celebrates and declares this truth:

Jesus spoke some of his strongest words of rebuke to the professional religious leaders of his day. He said:

“….For they preach, but do not practice.

“They do all their deeds to be seen by others….”. Matthew 23:3,5 ESV

He described them as hypocrites, pretenders, religious performers, who put on a show for others to see. They preached one thing but practiced another and whatever apparent good they did practice it was motivated by a desire to be seen by people rather than God.

Authentic worship aims to please God and be seen by Him in the secret place (Matthew 6:5-6). If one does not cultivate a private life of worship and prayer yet participates regularly in corporate worship then they will be more prone to this hypocrisy. And they should examine themselves, questioning their motives, to examine if their worship be genuine. The authentic worshipper is content to worship before an audience of One in the secret place. The authentic worshipper also has actions of obedience that accompany words of adoration.

The worship performer longs more for others to be present to be seen by them. To guard against merely performing worship for people we must cultivate a life in the secret place, where our Heavenly Father sees us, meets us and then rewards us openly.

Worship from the inside out not from the outside in must be our regular practice. Jesus said that True Worshippers worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). These worshippers are a contrast to the religious performers rebuked in Matthew 23. The True Worshippers are internally authentic, affectionate and accurate in knowing the ONE they worship.

The Gospel of Jesus frees us from worship performance that seeks approval from people. Through the Gospel of Grace we have God’s acceptance, favor and smile on our lives, on our good days and bad days. Because of Jesus and His finished work on the cross as basis of our righteousness & acceptance before God, we can be freed up from seeking approval and acceptance from people based on our performance. We enter into this righteousness by faith (Philippians 3:9).

Because we are accepted by grace through faith we can be freed from seeking honor from people in the strength of our flesh to prove we are righteous and godly. Or to prove we are genuine worshippers. God knows our hearts and we can come to Him with all our brokenness, guilt and sin to be cleansed by the blood of Christ. When we come

to God in worship on the basis of blood of Christ as our righteousness and cleansing (Hebrews 10:19), then our sacrifice of worship can be acceptable and pleasing to God.

The Apostle Paul described the lives of True Worshippers that have been freed up by the Gospel to worship authentically:

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”. Philippians 3:3 ESV

May God lead us to grow in living our lives as these worshippers who worship by Spirit, who glory in Christ and who put no confidence in the flesh!

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” Acts 18:9-10 ESV

Paul had good reasons not to fear and so do we as His children. God is with us (Psalm 23:4), and he promises to protect us (Luke 10:19), keep us (1 Peter 1:5) and work all things for good for us (Romans 8:28). Nothing can separate us from His love, not even death (Romans 8:32-39).

We also see that God providentially had people in the city of Corinth. Paul could take heart because there would be other believers that would receive him and his gospel message. The Lord was directing Paul’s steps so he could move forward with confidence.

We too can be courageous and not give into crippling fear because of:

God’s Presence

God’s Protection

God’s Providence

Trust that God is you and that He will guard you. Trust that he will guide you and fulfill all His good plans for you.

The great prince of preachers once said:

It is a sad thing when the heart is cold with a good matter, and worse when it is warm with a bad matter, but incomparably well when a warm heart and a good matter meet together.

We tend to speak about the things we think and care most about. From the overflow of our hearts our mouth speaks, Jesus said (Matthew 12:34). Let’s be those who store up good themes, stories and words in our hearts, so that we might share them with those around us, and impart grace into their lives (Ephesians 4:29). Let’s be like the Psalmist whose heart overflowed with a “pleasing theme”.

“My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.” Psalm 45:1 ESV

Let’s do what the Apostle Paul exhorted the Colossians to do:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Col. 3:16 ESV

Christ is that good and pleasing theme!May we treasure Him deeply in our hearts and overflow with praise towards Him, and overflow with proclamation of His excellencies!

What are you focusing your thoughts on today? Is it a good theme? Let it be Jesus!

“The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” Psalms 138:8 NLT

This is the confidence every Saint should have, namely that The Lord will fulfill His purpose and plans in their life, because He is faithful and He loves them immeasurably!

This was the same confidence that the Apostle Paul had for the Philippians when he said that he was confident that “He who began a good work” in them would “complete it”.

Do you live with this confidence that God is working in your life and in the lives of all His Church? It helps fuel our confidence to look at the work God has begun in a child of God, then to look for ways He is currently working. The result will be great confidence that God is going to finish what he started. God doesn’t have a habit or reputation for starting art projects and not finishing them. He isn’t a distracted, disengaged, disinterested artist or parent. He is the Ultimate Artist who finishes His work. He is the Ultimate Father who parents His children fully. He is intimately involved in the details of our lives and He cares more deeply than any other person in the entire universe.

Reflect on what God has done in your life today.

Observe ways that He is currently working in your life.

Rest assured that He will finish His good workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) in your life, and in the lives of Christ followers whom know.

“Strive to excel in building up the church” 1 Cor.14:12

Excellence is a quality that God exemplifies and one that He calls his people to pursue. The English definition for excellence is “the quality of being outstanding or extremely good”. The Apostle Paul in this text called the church to pursue excellence in loving those among their community by building them up, with their spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts and strengths are not given to boast and flaunt in or to impress others with. Rather the gifts are given for the purpose of building up others and bringing glory to God through doing so (1 Peter 4:10–11).

The Apostle Paul spent an entire chapter describing and defining what love is so that Corinthians wouldn’t miss the main point of the Christian life. Paul also gave practical ways that the church could use their gift to express love and encourage the Saints. He cast vision for excellence in loving one another. Anyone seeking to grow in exercising their spiritual gifts or natural strengths ought to do so with the aim to love. As Eugene Peterson put it paraphrasing Romans 15:2: “Strength is for service not status”.

Are you using your gifts and strengths to pursue an excellence of status or an excellence in service to those around you?