Good Morning Friends,
Today marks the hundred and seventh anniversary of the ending of the War to end all wars. Of course it was not. The wars continue. But it reminds me that the real war is against evil. John Stuart Mill, said, “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight is a miserable creature…” Well there are some things worth fighting for that make a difference. And some of them require us to become true veterans of the cross, but first we must first be good soldiers of the cross…we must become Spiritual Veterans.Today we look at the parable of the farmer and his slave, and the way it cures our self-pity and sets the standard for the ideal attitude of a disciple of Christ. It is connected to our journey of faith. The scripture teaches us that we are to exhibit humility but also active engagement in the reality that we have been blessed to be a blessing as followers of Christ. The context in which we find this parable is a series of teachings for Jesus’ disciples about faith. The Lord’s insistence that forgiveness be granted continually is such a hard teaching that the disciples ask for an increase in faith. Jesus responds that authentic faith, though small, can accomplish amazing things. But these great works can lead to the danger of attributing them to personal achievement. So we are compelled to ask: Will We Fight The Good Fight And Become Zealous Models For Good Deeds?
Scripture: “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”
Luke 17:7-10 (NRSV)
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Romans 1:1 (NRSV)
What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:15-23 (NRSV)
But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s message is about our obedience. It is facing up to the fact we do not like to think of ourselves as slaves or even humble servants. But it is also a message of discovering that serving others is a blessing in and of itself and so is humility. Together they combine to give us a warm sense that not only have we pleased others but also pleased God. And this is not a pride thing but when you know that you did the right thing, it is a good feeling. So, we are to go forth and love and serve God by loving and serving each other. And that does not take a lot of faith, but it does take more commitment. We must be, all in, realizing we are to be slaves for God because God is the one who created us and saves us. And the disciples had Jesus right there with them. They were not going to get any better leader to prompt their faith. But Jesus is instructing them and us to do so in order to learn how to have not just a sensory faith but also a communicative faith that allows scripture to form us to have an experiential faith that helps a person see the cause and effect relationship of sowing and reaping and then a principled faith where one takes steps of obedience regardless of one’s feelings. Our faith grows when we learn and do the things we are supposed to do as Christians committed to transformation and continual growth. Here humility and service go hand in hand. Trust and obedience go hand in hand. So what Jesus was preaching was not to have more faith but how to use the faith we have with the gifts we have been given. The problem is not more faith but obedience to the obligation of being a servant of Christ and commitment to the transformation of being a Christian in not just words but deeds.
And So, today is Veteran’s Day and it reminds me of the battle we have for men’s and women’s souls and the power of prayer as the best weapon at our disposal and often the last one used in the fight…not just one used on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. We are to have specific targets of prayer but also develop a lifestyle of prayer as natural as breathing continually. Friends, so goes our prayer life, so goes our relationship with God, so goes the war. Have the courage to deepen and strengthen your prayer life in the battle for your soul and others. Realize that the reason we have freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble and the rights to a fair trial and to vote is because others have been willing to fight for this freedom, but that there is an even more important freedom and right to claim.
Pray we fight the good fight for the freedom found in Christ. Pray our unceasing prayers are always under the influence of God in the Spirit filled with belief and overflowing with action. Pray we grow in love for God’s Glory. Pray we are faithful to doing our part. Pray we use our spiritual gifts, talents and abilities in serving God and others. Pray we are committed to a discipline of prayer. Pray we are completely obedient in devotion to God. Pray we realize that God is listening and encouraging us to pray powerfully as Spiritual Veterans with authority in the Word of God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 