Thurs 20th Aug - #99. Frontline Awareness
As part of my morning routine (well most mornings!) I read a few pages of John Calvin’s commentary on Genesis. Yesterday I read Genesis 13 and noted the awareness that Abraham had of the people on his frontline.
After their Egyptian Experience, Abram, Sarai and Lot arrived back in the Promised Land and soon realized that the “land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together” (v6). This abundance of riches caused a little tension between Abram and Lot, and a lot of tension between their staff: “And quarrelling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s” (v7). Quarrelling is nothing new!
Abram knew that this quarreling was not a good thing and it would only get worse the longer it went on. Abram had been called to live at peace with people and to be a blessing to people; quarreling between him and his nephew, and more quarrelling between their staff did not make for peace. Furthermore, Abram was very aware that “The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time” (v7). The quarrelling between men of God would be a very bad witness to these unbelievers on the frontline all around them.
So Abram suggested a quite marvelous thing, “Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left’” (v8,9). Do you see what Abram did? In order to live a peaceful life of godly witness on his frontline (before the Canaanites and Perizzites) Abram was prepared to give another person the first choice of the best in the land. They parted company on good terms; peace was restored; Abram’s witness was intact.
Wow, that is some sacrifice because of frontline awareness!
Love from Paul
PS. Tomorrow we reach our 100th devotional! From next week onwards we will be sending them out twice a week, Myself on Tuesdays and Tim on Thursdays.
Wed 19th Aug - #98. Uncomfortable
Sometimes we hear a sermon and we can feel very uncomfortable.
We can feel uncomfortable not generally to do with the length of the sermon or the seats we are sitting on but because God seems to be speaking to us.
In our reading this morning we know that the hearers were more than a little uncomfortable with the message because the Son of God was speaking directly to them. Let's read this parable —
Mark 12
1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall round it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 ‘He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, “They will respect my son.”
7 ‘But the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 ‘What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:
‘“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes”?’
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest Him because they knew He had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left Him and went away.
Can see the problem here with this parable for the hearers?
Jesus knew that they were the tenants, and they were the ones who were going to kill him! Jesus quotes from Psalm 118 about an odd shaped stone that was rejected by the builders of the temple and yet it was perfect - the cornerstone. This cornerstone would hold the weight of the whole building.
Let's consider this cornerstone this morning who symbolises the Davidic king vindicated by God as the nation’s rightful leader and therefore the Messiah. In some Jewish traditions the stone also symbolised the Messiah’s restoration of the temple in which God’s returning presence would dwell. Jesus, confident of God’s vindication through the resurrection, declares the futility of the authorities’ plan. As the one in whom God is uniquely present to forgive, heal, and share fellowship, Jesus and his followers will become the new “temple” of prayer for all nations (11:17) in whom God’s Spirit dwells (2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:21). *1
Take some time out to listen to this modern classic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3HH__-1Zbs
Much love
Tim
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*1 D.A. Carson - NIV Zondervan Study Bible
Tues 18th Aug
#97. Filled with compassion or full of dung?
How did Jesus do it? How on earth did he manage to have compassion on godless, wicked, proud sinners? How?
How did he have compassion on a godless cheat of a man who got stinking rich at the expense of others?
How did he have compassion on such an immoral woman who had spent her life sinning away with 6 different men?
How did he have compassion on a violent terrorist who had actually killed people?
How did he love a young man who decided that his riches were far better than Jesus?
How did he have so much love in his heart that he was prepared to sacrifice his life and die on a cruel cross to save self-centred-sinners like me?
You see, at times, many times, and very sadly and sinfully, I am so far away from having this compassion and love of Jesus for proud, wicked, godless people. There are times when instead of showing the love of Jesus I would rather smugly say with Zophar (Job 20)
“Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
he will perish for ever, like his own pooh..”
And this is why I need Jesus to touch my spirit, change my heart and transform my attitude daily. Though saved, yet I am still a sinful man (Romans 7).
Who on your frontline do you need to exercise self-control with and have compassion on today? Who, today, on your social media timeline do you need to swallow what your sinful nature would like to say to them and have compassion on instead? Which godless, self-sufficient person on the news headlines today do you need to have compassion on when you really feel like raging against them and twisting their nose?
I need you to pray 1 Thessalonians 5v23 for me, and I will pray it for you too
“May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
May I/We show compassion to people whom we think are full of dung today.
Your servant
Paul
Mon 17th Aug - #96. Authority
In the dictionary the word authority is defined in this way — power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behaviour.
Some of you think you have no authority but you do have some! Think about your day — the people you meet, the tasks that you undertake, the instruction you give, the views that you share. In Mark’s gospel we see Jesus doesn’t just have some authority, but he is the authority — whether this be over sickness, nature, people or death he has the ultimate authority.
In this morning’s reading, Jesus’ authority is questioned.
Mark 11
27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you authority to do this?’
29 Jesus replied, ‘I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism— was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!’
31 They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will ask, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” 32 But if we say, “Of human origin”.’ (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)
33 So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’
Jesus said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’
Jesus is in the place (the temple) where he has more authority than any religious leader. The leaders here feel threatened. Jesus doesn’t say much here but his question put the leaders in a difficult position. The question of authority is one that isn’t far from Jesus’ ministry.
The religious leaders can’t say that John’s baptism isn’t from heaven and they don’t want to say that John’s baptism was of human origin - they are non committal.
No one is neutral or objective when it comes to assessing the evidence and making a judgment about Jesus. How could we be, when he is demanding total authority over our lives? If he has heavenly authority, then we lose our right to choose who we are, what we love and how we behave. However, we’re influenced by what we might lose, and who we might upset (*1) (v 32).
This morning -
Are you willing to give up everything if Jesus’ authority is from heaven?
Are prepared to ignore people’s opinions if Jesus’ authority is from heaven?
much love
Tim
*1. Mark from Explore notes