Tag: faithful

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Luke Devotionals

A small thing

Luke

I saw a couple of new things today as I read this passage, but I’ll focus on one today.

Jesus said,

Whoever is faithful in very little, is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine?

And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? (Luke 16:10-12)

Think about those words a bit. What does Jesus call worldly wealth?

He calls it “a very small thing.”

He also says, “It belongs to someone else.”

And he says if you are unfaithful with a very small thing that actually belongs to someone else (in reality, we’re all simply managing God’s money), how can God entrust you with greater things?

Hopefully, all of us want God to use us. God himself wants to work through us to touch others.

But if we are unfaithful in something so small as money, treating it like our own, when it’s really God’s, how can God trust us with Kingdom responsibilities?

I’m not just talking about tithing. I’m talking about how we use our money in general. Are we using it wisely, remembering that it really belongs to God?

Honestly, that’s something I need to think about too. So let’s all search our hearts before God and hear what he’d have us do.

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1 John Devotionals

Faithful…and just?

1 John

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

I have read this verse hundreds of times, and taught on it multiple times, but something struck me as I read this verse this time.

John tells us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive our sins.

Or as Paul told Timothy,

if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

I have no problem with that concept.

But that second half of the verse, “He is righteous to forgive us our sins,” caught me short.

He is “righteous” (or “just” as many translations put it) to forgive us? Just because we confess our sins to him, God can be considered “righteous” or “just” in forgiving us? How does that work?

I can see calling him “merciful.” Or “gracious,” perhaps.

But “just?” “Righteous?”

Of course, the answer is found in the cross.

You see, it is simply not enough that we say, “I’m sorry,” when we sin.

A price, a penalty had to be paid. And that’s what Jesus did on the cross. He paid our penalty for us. He took all of God’s wrath upon himself, shedding his blood for us.

And John tells us that because of this,

the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

It is the missing point in many religions that preach “forgiveness” today.

They may preach the mercifulness of Allah or Amida Buddha. But justice is never truly served. These gods may forgive, but they never truly deal with our sin. And because of that, it’s impossible to truly call them righteous or just.

The same thing can be said of the view Orthodox Jews hold of God as well. In their view, God forgives, but the truth is, God never truly deals with their sin. He just forgives.

But because of Jesus, when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

And for that, we can be grateful.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Who we are answerable to

1 Corinthians

Last Sunday, I gave a message at church, and one thing I shared was that so many times people are swept away by the expectations of others, and even themselves.

As a result, they get weighed down by those expectations, tire, and eventually burn out.

But God does not want us to burn out. He wants us to burn brightly.

And so the question we need to ask is, whose expectations are we trying to live up to? Others’ expectations of us? Our own expectations of ourselves? Or God’s expectations of us?

Paul says in chapter 3 verse 23 that we belong to Christ, and thus we see in chapter 4 verse 4 that it is the Lord who judges us.

He is the one we are answerable to. Not to others. Not to ourselves. But to him.

So as Paul says, don’t worry so much about how others judge you. Don’t even put so much weight in how you judge yourself.

We might think we’re doing perfectly fine, but in fact our hearts are not right before God.

It’s also possible that we are judging ourselves too harshly, criticizing ourselves where God is not criticizing us at all.

So what do we do? Leave the judgment to him.

Don’t let others judge you and put burdens on you that God is not.

And as you look at yourself, if you think you’re doing well, ask God to search your heart. Ask him if there’s something you’re not seeing that he does.

And as I said a couple of days ago, be honest with yourself. When God confronts you with truth in your heart, acknowledge it, and confess your sins before him.

If, on the other hand, you’re being harsh on yourself, ask God, “Am I judging myself rightly? What do you see?”

Chances are, if you’re always condemning yourself, you aren’t judging yourself rightly.

So listen for his voice, do your best to be faithful to what he’s asked you to do, and leave the judgment to him.

You just may be surprised that on judgment day, Jesus will look at you, and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Revelation

Because Jesus is coming soon

Revelation

If there is one theme throughout these final verses of Revelation, and indeed of the Bible itself, it’s that Jesus is coming soon.

He says it in verses 7, 12 and 22.

What should our response be to this? We see it in verse 17.

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears, say “Come.” (Revelation 22:17a)

I find it interesting that even the Holy Spirit cries to the Son, “Come!” Perhaps this in connection with his intercession for us that we see in Romans 8:18-27.

But we, the Bride of Christ, are also to long for his coming. We are to set our hearts on his return. How do we do that?

First, be faithful in all that God calls you to do.

Jesus tells us,

Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)

Like we saw in chapter 20, there are two books. One is the book of our deeds, and the other is the Lamb’s book of life.

But just because your name is written in the latter doesn’t mean the former has been wiped out. I do believe that we will stand before God and we will be judged according to what we have done. It’s a theme we see again and again in the gospels and the epistles.

God will judge us for how faithful we’ve been with what he’s given us. If we’ve been faithful, we will be rewarded. If we haven’t, we will be saved, but only as someone escaping flames (I Corinthians 3:10-15).

And so as Jesus warns: be ready. (Matthew 24:36-25:30).

Second, strive for holiness.

John tells us in his first epistle,

We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

In other words, because we have the hope of Christ’s return, and that we will be like him someday, let us work to that end even while we are waiting.

And so Jesus says,

Let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. (Revelation 22:11b)

Third, worship God.

There are so many things that can captivate us and our imaginations. Some of them are even good things. But they are not to be worshiped.

Twice, John nearly fell into that trap by starting to worship something that was good: an angel. (19:10; 22:8).

And twice the angel said,

Do not do it…Worship God! (Revelation 22:9)

Don’t worship the creation. Worship the Creator.

Finally, be faithful to the words of God.

We have seen many admonitions in this book. We saw them especially in chapters 2-3, but they are throughout the book. And Jesus calls us to be faithful and obey them.

He said,

Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophesy in this book. (Revelation 22:7)

And we are warned sternly to neither add to these words or take away from them. (22:18-19)

This then, is how we are to live until he returns.

But if you do not yet know Jesus, these next words are for you:

Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17b)

God will not force you to come to him. If you choose to stay in your sin, he will let you. (22:11a)

But his desire is that you would come to him and be saved.

He says,

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

How do you wash your robes? By your own efforts to “clean up your act?”

No, you wash them in the blood of Christ shed on the cross. And when you put your trust in him, he purifies you from all sin. (I John 1:7)

Won’t you do so today? It starts with a prayer.

Lord Jesus, all my life, I have gone my own way, hurting you, hurting others, and hurting myself. Forgive me.

Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Make me clean of all my sins and failures. You are King of kings, and Lord of lords, and I give myself to you today. In your name I pray, amen.

I now close with the words of Jesus and John.

Jesus said,

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star…

Yes I am coming soon. (Revelation 22:16, 20)

And John responds,

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God’s people. (21)

Amen and amen.

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Revelation

Though we may go through trial and tribulation

Revelation

I mentioned a couple of blogs ago that these letters to the churches were meant to prepare us for the antichrists and tribulations to come .

And again, I know many of you who read this believe that we won’t see the final antichrist when he comes or have to endure the great tribulation.

But as I read through Revelation and the other books of the New Testament, I don’t see that at all. What comes through time and again is that we will go through trial and trouble in this world, and particularly when antichrist comes.

I don’t see anything in scripture that makes me believe we’ll escape these things entirely.

What I do see is that though we may not escape these things, that God will never abandon us. That these things are only for a time. And that God calls us to keep holding onto him no matter what happens.

And we see all these things in this passage.

Jesus is talking to a church called Smyrna. And as Jesus addresses them, he refers to himself as the first and the last, the one who died and came to life again. (8)

That latter is particularly interesting because Smyrna itself died and came to life again. It was destroyed in 600 BC and remarkably restored in 290 BC.

Now, the Christians in Smyrna were facing death because of their faith in Christ.

And so Jesus encourages them by reminding them that no matter what happens, he is in control for he is the first and the last. He had the first word when this world was created, and he will have the last when all is said and done.

More, he was the one who conquered death. And though these Christians were facing death, like Jesus, they too would rise again to eternal life.

He told them,

I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich!

I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9)

Apparently, these people were being persecuted by the Jews.

By this time in history, the Jews were starting to tell the Roman Empire, “These Christians are not a sect of Judaism. Many are not Jews at all. They’re Gentiles. So when they refuse to worship the emperor like your law requires, they are not under the same religious protections we are under. Go after them.”

As a result, persecution was starting to come to the Christians.

But Jesus tells them, “Don’t let them tell you that you are not true Jews. You are. You are the true descendants of Abraham because you have come to me by faith just as Abraham did.

“They are the false Jews. And their synagogue is not a synagogue of God, but of Satan.”

Then he tells them, “Don’t worry, persecution won’t come your way. I’ll rescue from all trouble that may come your way.”

Is that what he said? Hardly. He said,

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. (Revelation 2:10a)

In short, “You will suffer. But don’t be afraid. Satan will have his way with you, but it won’t be forever. It will only be for a little while.”

The same is true today and the same will be true when we face antichrist. We will face suffering. But Jesus reminds us, “It’s only for a moment.”

And so he admonishes us,

Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:10b-11)

Jesus said pretty much the same thing to his disciples when he was still on earth. He said,

He said,

Don’t be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One (God) who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

If you fear God, you need not fear anything else, not even death. For though people can destroy your body, they can’t touch your soul. And Jesus says the second death, that is hell, won’t touch you.

Instead you will have life with him forever in heaven.

How about you? Are you facing persecution because of your faith? Remember that it is but for a short time. And no matter what people may say or do to you, they can’t touch what’s really important.

So be faithful. For even if you should die for his sake, yet shall you live. (John 11:25)

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2 TImothy

The unfaithful, the faithful, the restored, and the condemned

2 Timothy

As we near the end of this letter, Paul mentions several different types of people, the unfaithful, the faithful, the restored, and the condemned.

Demas, unfortunately, was one of the unfaithful. He had worked with Paul previously (Colossians 4:14, Philemon 1:24), but Paul now says of him,

Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. (2 Timothy 4:10)

What exactly pulled Demas away, we are not sure.

Perhaps it was the lure of money and wealth. Perhaps it was falling in love with a non-Christian woman.

Or perhaps it simply was that he was tired of suffering for the sake of Christ. He had seen Paul go through much suffering, and after suffering along with him for many years, decided he had had enough.

Others, however, were faithful not only to Paul, but to Christ. We see this in Crescens and Titus who apparently were sent by Paul to do the Lord’s work elsewhere, and Luke, Paul’s constant companion and perhaps personal physician.

Then there’s Mark. This is the same man that Paul once argued with Barnabas about in Acts 15.

Paul had considered Mark unreliable because he had deserted them on an earlier missionary journey, but Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance.

As a result, Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways.

But now, Paul says of Mark,

Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (11)

Mark had proven Paul wrong, and learning from his past failures, now had shown himself to be a faithful servant of the Lord, and Paul acknowledged him as such.

Finally, we see Alexander. What harm exactly he caused Paul, we don’t know.

If he was the same Alexander from I Timothy 1:20, perhaps his excommunication from the church had caused him to turn Paul into the Romans who were now persecuting Christians openly under Nero.

Whatever the case, Paul said of him,

The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. (14-15)

Here we see two principals concerning those who oppose us and the gospel. First, place them in God’s hands. Don’t let bitterness consume you or cause you to try to take revenge.

But second, forgiveness doesn’t mean you just let someone hurt you again and again. We need to keep our guard up against such people until they repent

But the main question is, what kind of person are you?

Are you like Demas? You came to faith in Jesus, and at first things were great. But now, other things are pulling you away from Christ.

Are the things of this world causing you to be unfaithful to him? Are hardships causing you to think about giving up?

Don’t give in to those temptations. This world, with its pleasures and trials are only temporary. So be faithful. Shoot for the eternal, not what will last only a short time.

Are you like Mark? Have you failed in the past and feel like you can’t be used anymore for the Lord’s work.

Remember that God is the God who restores.

He restored Peter and the rest of the disciples when they failed Jesus before the cross.

He restored Mark.

And he can restore you. All you need to do is repent.

Are you like Alexander, hardened against God and the gospel?

Be warned. God is patient, but as things are you stand condemned. Repent before it’s too late.

And for all of us who are in Christ Jesus, through everything we go through in life, let us as Paul said in Romans,

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

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2 TImothy

To be a good teacher

2 Timothy

As I look at this passage, I am challenged as to the kind of teacher I should be.

What does it take to be a good teacher of the Word of God?

1. Pass on what you know.

Especially pass it on to the next generation of teachers after you.

You won’t be here forever. So make sure that the wisdom and knowledge God has given you doesn’t die with you. (2 Timothy 2:2)

2. Be faithful in your life and your teaching.

Don’t compromise either in the face of persecution or suffering.

Remember who your commanding officer is. Remember who you are trying to please.

You cannot please God if you are trying to please people. Too often, when we try to please people, we end up compromising our lives and our message. (3-4)

3. Work hard at your preaching.

Know the rules of interpreting scripture. Know how to rightly interpret God’s word and then present it in a way that people can understand.

And know that if you do so, you will reap the fruit of that in the changed lives of the people you teach. (5-6, 15)

4. Ponder over the words of God.

Don’t just gloss over them, thinking you already know what they mean. Meditate on them. And God will give you insight that you didn’t expect. (7)

5. Remember Jesus Christ in your messages.

Remember to make him the center of all that you teach. Keep the gospel that changes lives central to all that you say. (8-9)

6. Seek the salvation of those you teach.

Don’t just seek to win arguments. Seek to win souls.

Show people that you genuinely care about them, and don’t simply want to win an argument.

Correct people when they’re wrong, but with gentleness, praying that God may grant them repentance.

They are not the enemy. They themselves have been captured by the Enemy and God wants to set them free. (10, 24-26)

7. Don’t get involved in pointless arguments.

There are some arguments that generate a great deal of heat and very little light. Avoid them. (14, 23)

8. Flee from the false teaching that infects many churches today, teaching that would deny the Word of God and all it stands for.

That kind of teaching will spread quickly and infect all who hear it, destroying them. And you will be held responsible. (16-17)

9. Finally, be sure that you yourself are a clean vessel that God can use.

Flee impurity. More, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. (20-22)

How about you? What kind of teacher are you?

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1 Timothy

To be a leader of God’s flock

1 Timothy

As I look at the whole of this chapter, the words resonate with me, and it shows me just how powerful these words Paul gave to Timothy were.

They were words that challenged Timothy to be the leader in the church God had called him to be. And they are words that everyone who is a pastor needs to take to heart.

What did Paul say?

First, he charged Timothy to teach the church the Word of God.

In a world where teaching was becoming corrupt, where what was good was taught to be evil, and what was evil was taught to be good, Paul laid out clearly what was truly good.

And he told Timothy,

If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. (1 Timothy 4:6)

In other words, “Do you want to be a good minister of Christ, Timothy? Then lay out the truth of God before this flock he has put under your charge.”

He makes this much stronger in verse 11, where he charges Timothy,

Command and teach these things.

Teach what things? Teach godliness. Teach about the hope we have in God, who saves all who believe.

But in doing so, Timothy was not to teach from his own wisdom, but to make God’s wisdom the center of all he taught.

Paul told him,

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (13)

Often times, pastors teach a lot of good things, even godly things, but the center of their message is not scripture, but their own thoughts and experiences.

But Paul says, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture. Make Scripture your starting point, and then from there preach and teach what God has said. Don’t simply preach and teach your opinions.”

But not only was he to teach these things, he was to live them as well. Paul told Timothy,

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (12)

Timothy was young compared to some of the people in his congregation.

But Paul said, “Young or not, you be an example to the people in your church. Be an example in what you say, how you live, how you love, in the faith you proclaim, and in your purity of life.”

Perhaps some of the false teachers were trying to shout Timothy down. To intimidate him into silence because of his youth. But Paul reminded him that the gift he had came from God, and he was to use it. (14)

And then he told Timothy,

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. (15)

In short, be diligent in teaching God’s word. Be diligent in practicing godliness. Immerse yourself in these things, so that people can see that you too are growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and follow your example.

Finally, Paul concludes,

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (16)

Here Paul reminds Timothy to be vigilant. To guard against temptation that would bring him down, and to be sure to teach what is right.

Why? Because as a leader and pastor, his influence was an immense responsibility. And by doing these things, he not only would save himself, but the flock God gave him.

But if he didn’t he could bring down the flock with him, and God would hold him to account for it.

It is no light thing to be a pastor. Only those so called should become pastors. And for those who have been called, it would be well to remember Paul’s words to the Corinthians.

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (I Corinthians 4:2)

How about you? Are you proving faithful?

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1 Corinthians

Proven faithful

1 Corinthians

The apostle James wrote,

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)

Those are pretty sobering words for me, because I am often put in that position of teacher. God has given me his Word and the gift to teach it as a trust, and as Paul says,

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

The truth is, though, all of us have been entrusted with things from God. We’ve been entrusted with our resources, our gifts, and our talents. And God expects us to be faithful in our usage of them.

If we are not, he will hold us accountable.

And because he’s our judge, he is the one that we need to be most concerned with pleasing.

Not the pastors of the church. Not the people at church. Not anyone else around us. Only God.

If we get too concerned with the praises of man, we become susceptible to pride at their praise or compromise at their displeasure.

Because of this, we need to constantly be searching our hearts. Why do we do the things we do? Are we doing them for the right reasons?

I struggle with this all the time. To a degree, I fear what I will hear from Christ when I stand before him. What will he say to me?

Paul, even though he had a clear conscience, admits that even he wasn’t always sure of his motives. He said,

I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.

At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

I think one of the main points he’s trying to get across here is to guard your heart from pride.

You may think that you’re doing the right things for the right reasons, but that doesn’t make it true.

As Jeremiah wrote,

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

The Lord responded to Jeremiah, saying,

I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve. (Jeremiah 17:10)

So whatever we do, let us constantly be searching our hearts, and asking the Lord to do the same. Let us ask that he reveal the motives of our hearts to us.

That will go a long way to not only keeping us humble, but also to keeping us faithful with the trust he has given us.

How about you? Are you being faithful with what God has entrusted to you?

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Daniel

Even if…

Nebuchadnezzars idol

You have to admire the faith and commitment Daniel and his friends had toward God. To stand against the tide is no easy thing, especially when it threatens to crash down on you.

I’m not sure, but I kind of guess Nebuchadnezzar got some inspiration from the dream that God had given him. Unfortunately, he took it in the wrong direction. Instead of humbling himself before God, he tried to exalt himself.

Unlike the dream, the statue he made wasn’t made up of many kinds of metal. Rather, it was made of only gold.

Perhaps he was throwing the gauntlet down in front of God saying, “I don’t care what you said. My kingdom will last forever. There will be no kingdom of silver, bronze, or iron.”

His egotism showed in the command he gave to all the people: that when they heard the sound of Nebuchadnezzar’s musicians, they were to bow down and worship the idol.

Everyone obeyed.

Well, almost everyone.

For in the midst of all the people prostrating themselves on the ground, three people stood tall: Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

(Where Daniel was, we don’t know. It’s possible he was away on official business at the time.)

The astrologers, perhaps jealous of the elite position these three men had obtained, told Nebuchadnezzar about this, and he flew into a rage. He called the three men before him and threatened them with their lives, saying,

If you do not worship [my statue], you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand? (Daniel 3:15)

Talk about throwing down a gauntlet. But Daniel’s friends didn’t back down. They said,

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. (Daniel 3:16–17)

And then they told him,

But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. (Daniel 3:18)

In other words, “God can deliver us from you, Nebuchadnezzar. But even if he doesn’t, we will continue to follow him.”

Even if. Talk about unconditional commitment. These men refused to flinch from their devotion to God, even if it meant their lives.

How about you? How committed are you to God?

Are you committed to him even if your family turns against you?

Will you remain devoted to him even if you have to give up your job in order to do things his way?

Will you continue to follow him even if he doesn’t do all that you ask him to do?

That’s the kind of heart God wants from us.

God doesn’t always promise a life of roses if we follow him. Sometimes there’s a price to pay.

But as I mentioned in my last blog, he is a God that walks among us. He walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, to the astonishment of Nebuchadnezzar and his officials.

And whatever fiery trial you may go through, he will be with you through every moment of it.

Let us be people who follow God no matter what. Even if…