Good Morning Friends,
Today we consider that Hurricane Idalia has formed and is headed to the West Florida coast becoming what is projected to be a major storm. But we also immerse ourselves in scripture as we continue to read about the woes of the places and people of worship and the need for them to be cleaned from the inside and the thing is that it is not just in scripture, but in the world in which we live and the storms we face. It would seem the Holy Spirit is going to have to work overtime unless Jesus comes back. But that Day of the Lord, though coming closer, is not today. The rumors are flying about the detail of the end of it all but there is more to learn and more people who need to hear and experience less deception, more purposefulness, more transparency, and more love. And so, I wonder, What Could Happen Next If We Less Fearfully Tried To Please God By Worshipping In Obedience?
Scripture: You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (NRSV)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
Matthew 23:23-26 (NRSV)
Message: Some people in Thessalonica thought that the Day of the Lord had already come but in wonderful trinitarian fashion Paul sets them straight. The great gathering was coming but not quite just yet. The rebellion and apostasy have yet to be revealed and that means for some it must get worse before it gets better… and that is true too for those in the world today who believe that it can get no worse. The thing is that people of sin are doomed to destruction because they oppose God and set themselves up above God. We all have read about the dictators of the world and how they mistreat people. And was it not for the church and the preaching of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, such unrestrained consequences would surely rain down upon this world not as they have from time to time before but with devastation. However, when things rot from within, when the seas die, storms come and the forests burn, interventions are needed. So, I dread to think what the world would be like if God should withdraw those means of preservation, namely the church, the Gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit moving people to action and love for one another. Still, the reformation and reconciliation…the repentance and re-creation must continue. And that is what will probably ultimately happen. But even as that is happening, if scripture is any guide, the wicked and the lawless will parody Christ’s epiphany with their own unveiling for a time. But friends take heart, in the middle of this gloomy picture, we must remember that God is still in sovereign control. Considering all this, Paul exhorts the brethren to sail on to the goal with feet firmly planted on the deck of a ship headed for a storm. Such is the way of the universe.
And So, friends, God’s work…kingdom work is hard work and sometimes dangerous. That is why it must be something a person desires to do and is gifted by God to do. Something of the heart, mind, and soul. The strategy for mission is to be Christ like, choice by choice by choice. And God gives us free will. So, God allows us to make our own choices, but with every choice we make there is a consequence, some good and some bad. While God will not make our choices for us, I do believe He wants and desires for us to make the right choices in life in the giving of ourselves as a sign of our love. If you are a Christian who has made a conscious choice to have a personal relationship with God, Jesus helps guide our choices through the Holy Spirit. With that thought in mind today we look at scripture about the work of Paul only to recognize that because of his choices he lost his head. Interestingly he did not lose his temper or focus or purpose. Some might think that Paul was a failure, but that is far from the truth. In fact, he succeeded beyond what might have been expected in the tasks they had been given. Perhaps the best test of success is how one answers today’s question in the face of a storm.
Pray we are drawn together in Christ’s love, encouragement, and hope which we have received by God’s grace. Pray we would be inwardly empowered to outwardly establish good words and work to the witness of the Holy Spirit still present here on earth and in our lives. Pray we realize that God has chosen each of us for salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Pray we take to heart the reality that we have been called to share the Good News in the middle of all the bad news, so that others might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray in life’s storms we cling to God’s safety rails. Pray that despite our security in Christ we never become complacent, for a storm is certainly coming. Pray we help feed the fire of the Holy Spirit with the lumber in people’s eyes. Pray we speak the truth in love. Pray we survive the storm. Pray we pay attention to the good examples set before us. Pray are careful what promises we make. Pray not lose our heads but if we do, pray it be for a good cause. Pray we realize that God can and does turn failure into favor. Pray we do what is right, even when it is hard. Pray God empowers us as leaders and as followers to build up, to influence and to persuade others. Pray we realize that like Paul we have been entrusted by God to speak, and invest our lives in the lives of others, not to please people but to please God. Pray we learn to share the Gospel boldly with truth and love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 